'Real Housewives:' New Season, Same Drama

It’s more of the same on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

The Season 4 premiere Sunday night picked up with the same amount of drama as when Season 3 ended.

For a photo gallery of the Season 4 premiere party in Hoboken, click here.

The show opened with a flashback to the Season 3 reunion, which Jacquline Laurita did not attend. Caroline Manzo said it was because: “She didn’t think she could look at Teresa” after an incident occurred while this season was being filmed.

and Melissa Gorga’s families gathered for a pool party while the Giudices, Manzos, and Lauritas met for a barbecue at the Lauritas house. Wakile is a Wayne resident.

Both groups gave the impression that they have not seen Giudice since her cook book came out last year. It was a big topic of discussion at both parties and throughout the episode. In fact, the party was the first time Joe Gorga was told about the “copycat” comments in the book. Melissa repeatedly said that the attack was not big enough to get upset about, but Joe seemed less sure about it. He was also upset about a comment Teresa made to him about Melissa being willing to leave him for a richer guy.

“Why did you tell me that,” Melissa asked.

Given the level of venom exchanged between Manzo and Giudice at the season three reunion, it was surprising to see Caroline warn her children not to confront Teresa about what she wrote in the book as they arrive at the barbecue.

“It’s not worth a fight,” Manzo said.

Nevertheless, Giudice said she wants to “set the record straight” and pulled Manzo out on the front steps to talk about it.

“We all make mistakes,” Manzo says. “I don’t need you to kiss my ring; you don’t need to genuflect in front of me. Just admit it and tell me you did it. That’s all.”

She did not seem to feel Giudice does that, however. Despite apologizing for offending her, Giudice said she stands by her statements “110 percent.”

“You just said the magic words,” Manzo said.

Caroline told Teresa they will move forward from that point, but she didn’t seem to believe it.

Later, while walking with Lauren and Jacqueline, Caroline made it clear that she will not accept anything that Teresa says, even as Jacqueline attempted to defend her.

“I don’t think Teresa can use the Giudice mind trick on Caroline,” Jacqueline says. “It works on me though.”

Meanwhile, the Wakiles, Gorgas, and Giudices all head to the place where the New Jersey reality show phenomenon has really taken off: the shore.

As they pack up, another familiar motif from the previous season is repeated: the stars’ sex lives. Both the Gorgas and the Wakiles pack various “tours” and even Manzo admits to a doctor that she is not having trouble with her libido (despite being in the early stages of menopause).

After discovering that Joe Gorga’s attempts to make their bedroom soundproof has rendered their shore house inhabitable, the Gorgas head to the Wakiles’ borrowed house to spend the weekend. Again, Teresa is a big topic of discussion.

The only thing different from last season to this one is the speculation that Teresa and Joe might be having marital problems. These seem to stem from a series of tabloid articles speculating on Joe’s fidelity and the story that he was arrested for attempting to get a driver’s license with his brother’s personal information.

“I believe she’s having a tough time with her husband,” Joe Gorga said.

“Whatever’s going on in her house she wants to project it to our house,” Melissa said.

In fact, the tabloid rumors are affecting more than just the Gorgas. Gia Giudice, Teresa’s oldest daughter, seemed very suspicious of her father doing business with a few “ladies.” Teresa and Joe discussed Gia’s reaction, but decide that she is too young to be informed about what is going on with his legal troubles.

“Gia she knows what’s written on the cover isn’t true,” Teresa says. “I say they’re just memories for us to have photos of the family.”

When the families socialize on the beach the next day, Joe Gorga tried to talk to Teresa about what he has read in the papers regarding Joe Giudice’s legal troubles. She so badly did not want to talk about it that she told him to stop talking in Italian, presumably so the cameras won’t understand (but of course it was translated). Gorga insisted, however, saying he was offended that one article said he would not be there for her if Joe Giudice does go to jail.

“I’m your brother, no matter what,” he said. “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you.”

Giudice was skeptical because Gorga didn’t call her when Joe was in jail for a week earlier in the year. Joe Gorga said that is because he felt he would be shot down, as he was when he called her about her bankruptcy. Despite the discussion being more negative than either one wanted, they agree (again) to take the first step towards being close siblings again.

If the season premier is any indication, this won’t happen anytime soon.