Originally posted Monday, November 11, 2019 by RODNEY HO on his AJC Radio & TV talk blog
Where is NeNe? As of the end of last season, NeNe Leakes was on the outs with most of the women on the show, especially after ClosetGate and Kenya's return. But she is still a star and "RHOA' needs her. So she is still on the cast and being paid handsomely.
So it’s odd that the producers have chosen to keep her off the first two episodes, save for flashbacks and arch references by other cast members. But the editors showed a trailer revealing that next Sunday, NeNe will show up during New York Pride saying hi to Cynthia Bailey on her float.
Kenya getting back in gear: She was insulted that Eva didn't invite her to a party because Eva didn't like her energy. Or something like that. She finds it hard to believe Cynthia can be friends with Eva after Eva spread rumors about her. Cynthia has a knack for letting things like that go. Kenya, in the meantime, wants to get as much screen time as possible. This follows last week when she passed along gossip to Porsha before the other ladies (who heard it first hand) could tell her. In other words, being a mom and taking a year off the show has not changed her busy-body ways.
Betrayed big time: Dennis McKinley cheated on Porsha while she was pregnant (though not necessarily with the lady who denied doing so at Old Lady Gang restaurant.) He does show up one evening and in a weak moment, Porsha sleeps with him. But she isn't sure what the future holds. "I've got to completely lock the box down," she said.
Later in the episode, she does a therapy session with him, but he refuses to be seen in camera. She leaves 35 minutes later in tears. “It did not go well,” she told her sister Lauren. Once she heard the truth, she couldn’t deal with the betrayal and cries.
Digging a hole: This is the first real extended time we get with Marc Daly on the show and it's on the phone talking to Kenya Moore. He comes across as a bit of a bullying jerk, criticizing Kenya's parenting in multiple ways.
Via Facetime, he dislikes his daughter’s hair style (”she looks like a boy”), criticizes Kenya for having canines near Brooklyn (“I hate dogs in the house”) and mocks his wife for saying something about Brookyn’s swimming ability compared to others in her class. (“You’re competing with other children now?”)
He has two kids from a previous relationship and acts holier than thou and first-time mom Kenya feels belittled. “It’s exhausting sometimes,” she said.
And since he’s in New York so much, she’s doing most of the parenting.
Based on the trailer, we will see him in person next week with their daughter.
This is all a precursor to their eventual split.
Exploration time: Cynthia Bailey's daughter Noelle- now in college - is interested in guys... and gals. "Fluid," Cynthia describes it. "I just want you to be happy," she said to Noelle. "As long as they love you and support you." What might have been a dramatic moment in, say, 2005, is now a shrug of the shoulder. That's progress.
Marlo's private life? She is now taking care of two nephews from a sibling who is bi-polar and schizophrenic. She has become a mom-aunt. This is a rare moment where we know anything about Marlo's life besides insinuations regarding rich men. She had a play date with Kandi and her son so this context was actually brought up.
