S05.E09: Meatball Problems

[OnceSane]

Treach must make a decision whether to allow his father back into his life. Meanwhile, Chris fumes when Deena wants him to get a new job, and Jenna is surprised with life-altering news.

[woodscommaelle]

That was some serious raw emotion from Treach's dad.

[Scorpiosunshine]

That was some serious raw emotion from Treach's dad.

 

It was probably the rawest, most genuine moment I've ever seen on this show. (Granted, I've only caught seasons here and there, so my experience is somewhat limited.)  I have to admit that it moved me. 

[leighdear]

It was very moving and seemed genuine.  Just remains to be seen how much they interacted after filming ended and at present.  He & Cicely seem to be relating to each other much better, so that's something. 

 

Finally, we get to see what the real issue is with Deena & Chris.  He wants to be successful & do something he loves, yet has no idea how to go about it.  That's not a terribly complicated & emotional "problem". I'm sure Dr. Jenn can give him some tools to help him get motivated & take action.

 

Previews for next week look really interesting with Nikki and JP.  The ring we saw can't be a legit engagement ring.  It looked like a wedding band. 

[ghoulina]

LOL, this episode title is making me laugh so hard. It was nice to see Deena and Chris finally addressing some issues, as previously they appeared to be nothing more than patio furniture on this show. And I do mean issues beyond who gives longer massages. So Chris feels like he's living in Deena's shadow....okay. I'm sure that's a common problem when one partner is more well known than the other. But really? Jersey Shore has been over for a few years now, she joined the cast later on, and she's not exactly "famous". Just give it a few years, trust me. It's not like she's still bringing in a bunch of money, is she? I really didn't like JP pressuring him to name something that he wants to do. It seemed like he really did not know. He's young, I think that's fairly typical. Not everyone discovers their "dream job" right out of college. Some never do. If he needs to be financially stable before he and the Meatball can move forward, he could at least just get a job he's good at and take it from there. 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVED Treach and his dad reconciling. Wow. That was powerful. You could tell his father had never opened up like that, ever. He was crying like a little baby. I love how Treach just took him in his arms and forgave him. That's a real man right there. I hope they can continue to build a relationship in the future. 

[Primetimer]

As Kent ponders whether he maybe really did screw up his child, Jenna gets the location of her mother's grave, and Deena and Chris fight about...massages. (Not a euphemism.)

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[panthergirl13]

That was some serious raw emotion from Treach's dad.

I thought that at first, and then I started to imagine little money bags marching out the door along with his dismissal of Treach. Call me cynical, but I wonder how many abandoned children who aren't wealthy would have similar reconciliations with their deadbeat parents? I'd guess approximately zero.

[Fatkat]

I cried my eyes out during that father/son reunion. It was the most beautiful moment I've ever seen on reality TV. On another note, I never thought I would change my hatred of Evel Dick but I find him downright charming on this show.

[BusyOctober]

I'm confused about Jenna's mom's grave.  I understand after the death & burial her dad never told the very young Jenna which cemetery she was in. But if Jenna wanted to find out this information as an adult, couldn't she have done it?  Unless her dad had his wife's body purposely buried out of state and used a fake name, wouldn't she be able to track down death certificates, nearby funeral homes, cemeteries etc?  I'm not thhrowing shade at Jenna, but I'm honestly curious if burial records are somehow untraceable in some states.  When my mom was looking into her dad's side of the family for a genealogy project, she was able to go to various city halls and get burial details right down to date of interment & plot number for great uncles and cousins, etc.

 

Mr. Deena probably was as unfocused before he met Deena.  He doesn't seem like he has much initiative and is just waiting for something to land in is lap.  I don't mean a reality show either.  I know some guys his age that are still "finding themselves" at the ages of 28-32.  They want an income for a nice car or house or to pay the bar tab, but never move off their duffs to make it happen. As someone up thread mentioned,  Deena's money making "fame" time clock is running out, so if he doesn't want to "live in a sh**hole", he'd better start looking for a job he likes enough to earn good money.

[eteffi]

Duly enraged by Dr. Jenn's blubbering, as predicted.

[leighdear]

Busy....I totally agree with you about Jenna being able to find her mom if she really wanted to.  She's had plenty of money to hire a private detective or people to find her mom anytime it really mattered.  Maybe her dad lied, maybe she just never had the strength to find out herself, but I really think she could have. 

 

I also agree about the lack of focus with Chris.  When Juan Pablo & Dick were hammering him with "what do you want to do" and "What are you interested in", I was annoyed at first.  But then I realized that was actually a good technique to get his GUT reaction to what he liked & wanted.  Sometimes that rapid-fire questioning brings out the REAL feelings about what we like & don't like.  Obviously he's been lazy for a long time, but he's not a bad guy.  He just needs somebody to light a fire under his ass!

[fib]

Busy....I totally agree with you about Jenna being able to find her mom if she really wanted to.  

I agree, but also, if you don't have any close experiences with a loved one dying as an adult, how much would you know about that kind of thing? I've learned more about death certificates and how they document the way a body is laid to rest in this thread than I've ever heard before.  Jenna doesn't seem like the kind of person who would have even thought to investigate the issue before dealing with her mom's death with her therapist. So there were at least two pretty significant obstacles: 1) her realizing that her mom's passing and her subsequent lack of closure were  significant obstacles to her emotional growth and 2) her knowing that she could find her mom's burial place if she wanted to. #I_cant_believe_Im_defending_Jenna

[Wings]

I read that Nikki and JPG went to Bali after the filming wrapped so we will see a happy ending, with them, on the finale.  As we know that happiness didn't last. 

 

I am interested to see what that ring we saw him give her, in the preview, meant.  It looked like a band, not a typical engagement ring.  And does he say, " love you?" 

Edited November 8, 2014 by wings707

[pasdetrois]

How many cemeteries can there be in the town where Jenna's mother died? Anyone can look up a death record if they don't remember an exact date, and I imagine the cemetery officials will tell you if your loved one is buried there. These days, there are also websites like FindAGrave.com.

Edited November 8, 2014 by pasdetrois

[RedheadZombie]

On another note, I never thought I would change my hatred of Evel Dick but I find him downright charming on this show.

 

The last two people on this show I thought I would feel for, are Dick and Jenna.  They both frustrate me for the same reason - I think they're extremely intelligent.  They could be out there curing cancer, yet he's busy being an asshole and she's busy self-destructing.  I saw a very cruel side of Dick (on Big Brother), and I can't let that slide.  He targeted a young woman with no friends and no power in the house.  It was ugly.  I haven't followed him post BB, he could have acknowledged his nastiness and apologized to this woman, but I doubt it.  He also continues to have a destructive relationship with the daughter he pretty much abandoned, yet dares to make comments such as - I couldn't tell my daughter about my HIV status because I don't trust her not to tell the press - when he's the one always talking about their parent/child relationship.  Even though I can't stand his daughter, I feel for her.

 

How many cemeteries can there be in the town where Jenna's mother died? Anyone can look up a death record if they don't remember an exact date, and I imagine the cemetery officials will tell you if your loved one is buried there. These days, there are also websites like FindAGrave.com.

 

I think Jenna probably could have found the grave, but hasn't pushed herself to deal with it.  She tells Dr. Jenn next week that she's afraid of how much pain she'll feel.  I think it may be more like - she's afraid to feel.  With her drug abuse and apparent prescription drug use, she spends a lot of time being numb, because her life may be that unbearable when she's completely sober.  She's like a raw nerve and I find it's almost painful to watch her.  The song lyrics keep popping in my head - "I hurt myself today/  To see if I still feel/  I focus on the pain/  The only thing that's real".  I just don't know how someone struggling this hard can be a good parent, and I feel for her kids.

[ghoulina]

I agree. I never thought Jenna not visiting the grave was about her not being able to find it. That was an excuse, to prevent her from having to emotionally deal with it. That girl needs to ongoing therapy after this over, because she has more problems than can be dealt with in the span of this show.