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Arts & Entertainment

Giudice Extends an Olive Branch, Holds the Cumin

'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' moves toward positivity in 'Sealed with a Diss'

"If there was more people out there like me, we would live in a better place."
 — Teresa Giudice

We began with Rich Wakile slurping his soup and continued with Joe Gorga ruminating on the source of his ... zest for the art of "love," first making a reference to his dad, then a "big white zit." Nice.

Looking larger, though, Teresa's attitude toward her brother, even when trying to make good, was telling. Even an occasional viewer knows that attacking and "attacking back," has been an overarching theme in this series. Those who keep their cool and those that lose it. And those, of course, that dictate cool (Caroline).

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The attempt at a peace-brokering letter was sweet, in that Teresa really did want to get it right without offending the Gorgas (at least not in print). However, Joe's reaction to the letter, and, as Jacqueline pointed out, Teresa's reaction to her brother's reaction, will be most important. It's looking like no one's extended any invitations to Thanksgiving dinners, and more like Joe Gorga will do at least a little more smoldering before he makes any decisive moves.

In any case, cool operator Rich has a recipe for keeping his wife cool: a bouquet ... and a white Mercedes. What's a little cold shoulder from Caroline when you've got dollars to burn? Still, it seems as though Kathy is having a bit of a tough time getting in with "the other side." For now, at least, her only allies remain the Gorgas.

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If there's something that irks Teresa more than "a million ingredientzes" — the biggest offender being "come in" — it's the charge that she's a negligent mother. Caroline agreed that Kathy's comments at the fashion show did nothing but stir up trouble. To her, they amounted to a battlecry, as if they needed yet another in the Gorga-Giudice Cold War.

Jacqueline is always a safe bet for friendship, but who knows how the whole Danielle stalemate of previous seasons will affect her future friendships outside the Manzo-Laurita-Giudice clan. She's too tight with Teresa to broach friendliness with Kathy at this point. If there's anyone who's shown us that 'Housewives' alliances are set in stone, it's Kim G, the scourge of just about everyone.

It's safe to say that guy on the food artist team for Teresa's forthcoming "Fabulicious" book would be happy to join up with the Gorgas. She said more sauce, he gave deathstare.

Regardless, Jacqueline's too busy trying to dissect how she can fix the Ashley situation. It's obvious she blames herself but even if everything was somehow her sole fault, it's not like Jacqueline can go back and reshape her daughter's life. Chris and Jacqueline's dad are wise to say that they'll just have to ride out these storms with patience. They can't forget that whining about commutes, for Ashley, may seems ridiculous but derive from a darker place. Others, even Jacqueline, might want more to deploy more tough love, but that strategy only seems like it would encourage Ashley to act out even more.

Young Manzo move of the week: Chris and Albie getting a third roommate. Even if Albie has dog-handling issues with Doloris, we're talking about Hoboken rent, here. 

Can anyone pin down that card reader's accent? A dash of Long Island? Not getting a read. A more tangible claim: We've heard Caroline speak about Teresa and Melissa being very similar, even if they didn't know it. Another, related concept: Joe Giudice and Joe Gorga are one and the same. Discuss.

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