Mob Wives Season 2: Crusty Crotch Has One Nut

A vacation episode of a reality show can bring out both the good and bad about that particular group dynamic. The stress of getting together a trip puts people on edge and having a bunch of people on edge in close quarters with one another can only lead to more bust-ups and dust-ups. However, you have to wonder just how much of what we see will transfer over to “real life”; the structure of a show like Mob Wives can change quite frequently, so the effects of time away from Staten Island can end up not meaning much in the grander scheme of the season.

I don’t know if what happened in tonight’s episode of Mob Wives will linger for the remaining episodes in season 2, but man, did a lot happen nonetheless. I had been worried about the show just spinning its wheels, content to be more of a threat than a right hook across the cheek, but all it took was gathering most of the cast and putting them in a run-down cabin in the Poconos to produce an exciting episode. Renee was undoubtedly the MVP of the night, going off her antidepressants and, subsequently, the deep end, just keeping herself from being foaming-at-the-mouth angry a majority of the time. I thought her hatred of anything in the woods, though, was quite funny and charming, the “good” in Renee outshining the “bad” for a few brief moments. When Renee is calm and clear, she’s darling to watch, but when she gets as aggressive and hateful as she did tonight, it’s hard to remember the good about her. The thing in the bar with the squirrel guy is a prime example, as it didn’t need to go as far as she made it go; I understand being uncomfortable and wanting to speak up about it, but there’s being assertive and there’s being a lunatic. Nevermind that (producer-influenced) situation was a retread from last season, it just made Renee look horrible. As much as she bemoans “the life”, she’s very quick to threaten people who remotely upset her with the wrath of Junior, a sign that she’s not as ready to separate herself from her past as she’s previously indicated.

It’s symptomatic, to me, of how low her self-esteem is; if Renee isn’t “Renee, daughter/wife of a gangster”, who is she? What’s her role in life? It’s like she’d rather hang onto this part of her past, a part that makes her miserable, rather than make her own way and carve out a new identity. Look at how she handled everything with Ramona tonight, particularly the stuff with Junior. Renee’s had decades of living in a subculture where cheating men aren’t held responsible for their actions and she still refuses to really check him on his extramartial affairs, opting to focus her scorn on the other woman. Granted, hearing Renee rant and rave is great TV when the other person isn’t there, but you just wish she’d stand up for herself with Junior instead of protecting him like she does.

And the whole “believing Ramona because she swore on her kids” thing was just…

I like Renee, I really do, but what the hell was that? I get that Mob Wives exposes a very unique part of society with its own rules and codes, but Renee takes it to another level. Either she’s that hardcore about adhering to stuff like that or she’s incredibly gullible, because apparently all it takes to completely rid yourself of her scorn is to swear on your kids you didn’t say/do anything. I obviously don’t know any of these people, so I can’t comment on what I think actually happened, but I do know that going from extreme to extreme that Renee did is not normal, healthy, or, likely, correct. In one conversation, she went from wanting to rip Ramona’s skin off and wear it like a suit to hating Drita with every fiber of her being and over what? Swearing on someone’s kids? I wasn’t aware that being able to say that with a straight face is such a foolproof lie detector; Ramona didn’t have to say anything else but that to shift the focus to Drita, no other form of defense/evidence required. I would have less of a problem with Renee suddenly becoming Team Ramona’s mascot if there had been any type of logic displayed during that fight, but I’m kind of at a loss in that area. It didn’t help that Drita had been banned from the trip, thereby giving Ramona and Karen ample time to work their voodoo on Renee. You’d think if Renee wanted to hash everything out, she’d get everybody in a room and set it off, but alas, she keeps ping ponging from one group to another.

Part of me wants to believe that everything was a result of vodka, stress, and no medication, but Renee’s very impulsive, very reactionary and I wouldn’t be shocked if we had a Drita v. Renee “feud” starting next week.

Sigh.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-“I’m not gonna go with no neck brace on.”
-“Hey, listen, I’m a b right now.”
-“I take up a lot of space in that b’s f-ing head.”
-“I’m jealous of a horse’s ass.”
-“It ain’t about Drita. Keep it down.”
-“One nut? You’re useless.”
-I wish Big Ang was more involved with the group. I love having her on Mob Wives, but I’d rather she had her own show if she’s barely going to be around.
-What do you think about Mob Wives: Chicago? Will you be checking it out?
-Victoria Gotti throws shade at Mob Wives, calling it a “joke” and a “train wreck”.
-If you want to have a live chat with Renee, be sure to check TVGuide.com on Monday.
–Drita modeled for the House of Jackie Brown.
–Drita talks about her style choices and various tattoos.
-Next week on Mob Wives: The girls take a trip to the gun range, Joe comes home from the halfway house, and Big Ang & Drita have a spa day.