It’s July 2015, five months before Teresa comes home and eight months before Joe has to leave for prison. Joe is doing Milania’s hair and tells us he feels closer to the girls now that Teresa is gone. Nothing says “bonding with your children” quite like a prison sentence forcing you to learn how to do a ponytail.
Melissa picks up the little girls for pedicures with Antonia. She tells us she wants to visit Teresa and e-mail her, but Teresa hasn’t put her on the list. So much for that family reconciliation. Apparently even prison has a guest list.
Joe Gorga and Joe Giudice get together to work out, and, miraculously, they don’t fight for a change. Anything for a paycheck, right?
Milania and Antonia are adorable together, and Melissa tells us it’s important to her that they have time together. The Joes hit the gym, and we get that interspersed with Melissa and the Giudice girls at the salon.
Gabriella has taken on a lot of chores since Teresa left. She is the quiet one of the four girls, but she is a dark horse, that one. I feel like she is quietly taking notes on everyone and will eventually have a very long list of grievances.
Joe Gorga says he doesn’t think he could care for his kids on his own the way Joe Giudice is, and Melissa is worried that Gia has taken on too much for a girl her age. It’s actually pretty sad to see how much responsibility the older girls have had to absorb while Teresa is away.
Then Joe Gorga starts asking Joe Giudice gross questions about phone sex and masturbation. This is his sister’s husband, and it is gross. I like it better when they fight.
Joe Giudice, who isn’t allowed to drive because of his DMV charge, shows us his bike. And his helmet. I die. It’s amazing. Nothing says “Joe Giudice has been forced to stop driving” quite like Joe Giudice proudly presenting his bicycle and helmet like he just bought a Ferrari.
And then James Leonard is there again! He somehow has Teresa’s diary, and even Joe Giudice questions why the hell he has it. James explains how bad things are in Teresa’s prison, and Joe looks genuinely pained listening to him. He also seems to be in complete denial about the gravity of the situation, repeatedly insisting that prison is basically like “camp.”
Sure, Joe. Camp. With bars.
Joe cries some more, and it’s hard to watch. James Leonard seems almost determined to make him cry by talking about Teresa. I don’t trust this guy. There is something about a lawyer sitting around drinking wine while making a grieving husband cry that just does not sit right with me.
Teresa and Joe are also in complete denial about the little girls not really understanding where Teresa is. Joe just wants to make every day count with them and spend time together making memories, which is actually very sweet.
James helps himself to some wine, because apparently this is just another Tuesday at the Giudice house, and we cut to Joe making dinner with the girls. The Gorgas are coming over to celebrate the end of the school year.
They immediately get into a fight over which plates to use, because of course they do. Gia makes sure they use the plates Teresa prefers. Even with Teresa in prison, nobody is risking getting yelled at over the dishes.
Everyone arrives just as Teresa calls. Melissa puts on her best performance, fake crying through her fake lashes and saying, “Hello.” She tells us she is moved by hearing Teresa, but I am not buying it. These two hate each other. You cannot convince me otherwise.
It’s taken six months for Joe Gorga to be approved to visit Teresa, and he admits that it hurts. Six months! Whatever their issues are, that has to sting.
They all sit down to eat some amazing-looking food, and Nono gives a toast. They make plans to head down the shore for the Fourth of July. Joe is limited because he doesn’t have a license, so Melissa offers to help with the driving.
Nono can’t even bring himself to go visit Teresa in jail and see her there. That one really gets me. I can’t imagine how much Teresa must have missed him during this time.
It’s another day, and lawyer James Leonard is back at the Giudice house. At this point, I assume James just has a room there. And naturally, it must be time to eat.
Joe is trying to sell their shore house, and they discuss some of the other issues he is facing, including the threat of deportation. James asks if Joe thinks Teresa would go with him to Italy in the event that he is deported, and Joe says, of course she will.
Oh, Joe.
Teresa is going to change A LOT while you are away. Brace yourself.
We get some scenes of the girls talking to Teresa on the phone. She tells them she has had to lay low in jail because there are actually helicopters trying to get pictures of her. Imagine being in prison and still having to worry about paparazzi.
They head to the shore, and on the way they pass Fort Dix, where Joe will be in jail in just a few months. He is going away for three years, and that’s no joke. Joe actually calls Gia over to point it out, and I think that is weird. Why would you want your kid to notice that? “Hey, Gia, look! That’s where Dad is going to spend the next three years!”
Gia admits that all of the girls except Audriana pretty much know the truth about what is going on with their parents. So much for keeping the kids in the dark.
They arrive at the shore, and we get some scenes of them having fun there in the past, including some really cute shots of the kids. It’s nice to see them looking happy and carefree for a minute.
Joe Gorga gets choked up talking to the camera, and you can tell the whole situation is really getting to him.
Teresa calls again while they are barbecuing. Her minutes run out while she is talking to Gabriella, and it is genuinely sad. Melissa cries some more, because apparently we are doing this again.
Joe tries to explain to the kids that next year he won’t be there for the Fourth of July. Audriana immediately pipes up with, “Daddy, don’t go,” and it is the saddest thing ever.
He is going to be gone for three years and miss a huge chunk of this little girl’s life. I am a daddy’s girl myself, so this one really gets to me. I feel terrible for her.
Back in North Jersey, Teresa calls and asks to talk to Joe without the girls around. Milania is drinking coffee. Lol. Anyway, Teresa explains that she asked Gia to tweet something for her, and when the prison staff saw it, they thought Teresa had a phone in jail. The whole place got searched. Teresa doesn’t want Gia to blame herself for any of it.
These are things that kids shouldn’t have to worry about.
Joe rides his bike, and I love this for him. He skips the helmet this time and goes to meet up with a friend who has done some time. They have an old-school sit-down at Angelo’s in Little Italy.
True story: I went into this place once at a quarter after twelve. They opened at twelve. I walked in, and five guys were sitting at the bar. One turned around and said, “We’re closed.” I asked no questions and never went back.
Anyway, Joe is super positive about doing time. He thinks he’ll be fine and insists he never tried to break the law on purpose. He is mostly worried about how he is going to keep himself busy in jail. And, of course, James Leonard is at the dinner. This guy never misses a meal.
Joe’s biggest concern is missing his family while he is in prison. He just wants to get his time over with and move on with his life.
We get a caption telling us that two months after this episode was filmed, the Giudice shore house was repossessed by the bank. So much for that.
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