The holidays are over, but the family drama's just beginning — for the Real Housewives of Atlanta, that is. It all started innocently enough on the Sunday, January 10, episode, when Kandi Burruss went shopping with her mother, better known as Mama Joyce, to pick out some glam baby furniture. Naturally, Mama Joyce asked what was up between Kandi and her former BFF Phaedra Parks. (ICYMI, there's been tension between the two women over roughly $8,000 Phaedra owes Kandi's husband, Todd Tucker, for an exercise video he may or may not have ever completed.)
Kandi tried to brush it off, but Mama Joyce wasn't having it and asked if she could go talk to Phaedra herself to try to smooth things over (because, umm, she's so good at that … not). Kandi promptly told her mother no.
Mama Joyce Pays a Visit to Phaedra
You can't hold Mama Joyce back. Despite the fact that Kandi couldn't have been clearer when she told her mother not to visit Phaedra, Mama Joyce went to see her anyway. (Did you really expect anything less?) She wasted no time asking Phaedra what happened between her and Kandi.
"We just had a misunderstanding, but we're on the right track now," Phaedra said, though she told the camera, "With Mama Joyce's track record, I am not surprised that she is still in the pot stirring business."
Despite the tense start, by the end of their chat, Mama Joyce and Phaedra were not only on friendly terms — Phaedra had even agreed to help plan Kandi's baby shower! That was just the beginning of Mama Joyce's impact, however.
Phaedra met with Todd, saw the "completed" video (which she said she had "no intention" of releasing because it wasn't what she wanted), and agreed to pay him the balance of what he said she owed. For his part, Todd was delighted and conceded that he owed Mama Joyce a cut of the money.
Kenya Moore Tries to Reunite With Her Mother
Meanwhile, Kenya Moore made good on her promise to organize a family reunion in Detroit. She arrived with a beaming smile and high hopes to "repair the very dysfunctional relationship" she'd had with her mother. Things were so bad between her and her birth mom, that Kenya revealed that her aunt Lori (her mom's sister) refused to give Kenya her mom's phone number. Despite this, Kenya was determined to make contact.
On a more positive note, there were many people in attendance from Kenya's father's side of the family including her dad, Ronald, and his wife, Kathy. "We can make new memories from this point forward," Kenya said as her eyes misted with tears. "No crying!" her dad joked.
Kenya then boarded a bus with a crew of her relatives and headed to her mother's house, where she marched up to the door and knocked.
"It's Kenya! I'm here by myself (well, except for the bus full of family members and the TV crew) and I want to speak with you!" she said. Apparently, at that point, someone inside the house turned the deadbolt to lock it. "I heard you lock the door!" Kenya called. "Open the door so that we can talk."
Ultimately, despite her persistence and pleading, the door remained firmly shut. Later, Kenya learned that her aunt Lori was not happy with Kenya's brash attempt to make contact with her mother and had left the reunion.
Porsha and Lauren Reach Their Breaking Point
Things weren't going any better for Porsha Williams back home, either. The tension that had been brewing with her sister/assistant, Lauren, finally reached boiling point. After Lauren missed receiving a delivery because she was out of the office, Porsha confronted her, declaring that things could not continue as they had been going. "Unfortunately, since you've been pregnant, I can't really depend on you," the lingerie entrepreneur charged. Lauren bristled at that, and things got worse from there.
Porsha laid down the law and told her pregnant sister she was "not going to work from home" as she'd been planning. "I'm going to work from wherever the hell I get my work done," Lauren snapped back. "I don't have to be here!" She then complained that when she travels with Porsha, her sister makes her fly coach. (It's safe to assume that Porsha does not fly coach.)
"I'm hearing it. I'm selfish. I'm self-absorbed. I'm not concerned about your personal life," Porsha said. "Until it affects you!" Lauren shouted back. That shut down the conversation. For now.
Cynthia and Peter Plan a Romantic Getaway
The only family members who seemed to be getting along, in fact, were Cynthia Bailey and her husband, Peter Thomas. The eyewear entrepreneur revealed that Peter had planned a surprise, romantic getaway.
"He just told me to bring a lot of sexy stuff and be ready to have a good time," she told her teenage daughter, Noelle. (We're pretty sure Noelle did not appreciate that tidbit of information very much.)
"We don't know what's going to happen, but we just want to give it everything we have," Cynthia said to the camera. "If things between Peter and I are going to get better, we just need to reconnect. Alone. Completely alone." Completely alone must have meant without any cameras rolling because that was the last we saw of Cynthia.
Baby Steps for Porsha and Lauren
Hoping to make nice with her sister, Porsha dropped by Lauren's house with flowers for a chat, and it seemed they actually made some progress. Porsha finally admitted what had really been bugging her for so long. "I want to know why you didn't feel the need to tell me [you were pregnant]," she said to Lauren.
Her sister explained that it wasn't so much that she'd wanted to keep it from Porsha, but she wasn't sure how Porsha would feel about it or react, since she had wanted a baby so badly before her marriage had fallen apart and at the present moment, a baby didn't seem to be in the cards for her.
Porsha insisted that she was not only "fine" with Lauren's pregnancy but excited about it. "I'm living the good life. Everything is going pretty well," Porsha added, insisting that she's "not in that place" anymore.
In private, however, Porsha reflected, "Hearing Lauren tell me that she's pregnant, I have to admit, it's kind of like watching someone live your dream." She did admit to her sister that she still really wanted a baby. "I would trade everything that's happening around me that's good for that family."
Tell Us: Do you think Porsha is OK with Lauren having a baby?
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs on Bravo on Sundays at 8 p.m. EST.
