Alright, folks, Real Housewives of Atlanta is back, and boy was it a doozy. They sure do know how to reel you in and let you have it. Miss NeNe Leakes absence wasn’t even noticed.
A lot of the stuff we have seen in the media and on social media about the cast was in the first episode, which mainly centered around Cynthia’s launch of her new eyewear line. Before all the ladies gathered to support her, which was so great to see because there really wasn’t any drama or major shade thrown at each other… until the end of the episode with the reintroduction of Sheree Whitfield, the show lets us know what each has been up to where they are now.
First of all Cynthia and Peter have it out. He comes home, she gives him the cold shoulder but then tells him how she feels about the video that caught fire via social media. Peter plays it off and says that it’s nothing but she stands firm in the fact that it embarrassed her, among other things. Ultimately, he really doesn’t care.
Phaedra’s storyline looks to be still that of her husband being in prison, but that can’t last the whole season so we will see where that goes. We do find out though that she is going to go ahead and divorce Apollo. If you remember at the season seven reunion, she had not filed any papers.
Porsha is on cloud nine since her satellite radio gig is going very well. She is also excited because, as of the taping of the show, she is in a relationship with a fine young thang from the Buffalo Bills, Duke Williams. They are pretty hot and heavy which sounds right since they have only been together for about a month. She nonetheless looks happy, and I think she truly feels that he could be “the one;” Even though he is about ten years younger than Porsha. But you know what Aaliyah said, “Age ain’t nothing but a number.”
Kenya is moving on up. She finally made her way to Atlanta for good after living in Los Angeles for years. Her approach though with buying a house is different from that of her cast mates. She has decided to get a foreclosure and rehab it in the Peach Tree area. Now a lot of people are making fun of her about that, but it’s a great idea. Buying a house at the fraction of the cost, fixing it up to your standards and having an amazing home? Nothing stupid or even cheap about that. It’s sound thinking.
Of course, this is RHOA so there has to be something juicy brewing and there definitely is. Sheree is back in the picture and one of the first mentions of her in the first episode of season eight is her name in Kenya’s mouth about nothing being able to finish her house. Apparently, neighbors in this upscale community have complained about her house being an eyesore. They also don’t like the fact that it has been three years and still not finished. And Kenya has a lot of fun with that.
Then there is Kandi, and I have to be honest, her storyline is kind of boring right now. I mean yes she and Todd are having a baby, and we know through social media that it is a boy. But other than her husband being pissed off that Phaedra hasn’t paid him the remainder of what she owes him from a workout video, that’s pretty much all there is there.
The real meat and potatoes is what goes down at Cynthia’s launch party. All the ladies show up as well as Kenya’s friend Marlo. They chat it up with Cynthia’s sister Malorie, and when Peter walks in, sparks fly, in particular between him and Kenya. She does not hold back her feelings about the viral video that shows him kissing and fondling a woman at his Charlotte nightclub. They have words and let me just say that the way in which he speaks to women is horrible.
Outside, as they all wait for Cynthia to make her grand entrance, Marlo and Kenya tell them about the incident with Peter and they can’t believe it. Well, they can but instead of saying “I told you so” they just sip their Kermit tea. For whatever reason here, Malorie comes over and tells them about a conversation she had with her sister in which Cynthia, when asked, said that she is not attracted to Peter physically. Why did she give Porsha and them ammunition against her sister? I think it’s the alcohol.
Which clearly got to Sheree. After Cynthia makes her grand entrance, and to say that she looked flawless is an understatement, Sheree makes her way over to the group. Obvious that she is already buzzed, she goes all the way off when Kenya mentions that neighbors have complained about her house. Sheree tells her to mind her business, and Kenya calls her broke, because really, who takes three and a half years to build a house.
The other ladies hold the two in their separate corners, and we have to wait until next week to see what happens. All I can say is NeNe Leakes who? I know she’s popping back in after realizing that her coins are diminishing without Real Housewives of Atlanta, but if this season is proving one thing, it’s these girls don’t need any Leakes to keep me coming back.