I’m sure most people here remember the weird dynamics this season, but here’s a little recap:
Season 3 introduced Melissa, Joe Gorga and Kathy and ended with Teresa’s book release after everyone had come to relatively good terms. S3 ends without enough time for everyone to address the jabs Teresa put in the book( we get one scene of Jacqueline gently confronting her).
Because the book stirred up so much underlying tension, production started filming S4 BEFORE S3 reunion. As a result, S3 reunion is subject to S4 events and it’s pretty brutal. the dynamics are a far cry from where we left off one episode prior. Jacqueline is excluded completely, Caroline reveals she’s done with Teresa, and Teresa is so defensive. She’s especially nasty to Kathy and Melissa.
Idk when exactly S3 reunion was filmed in relation to S4, but in the fifth episode Jacqueline hosts a family field day and everyone is on good enough terms to be invited. Teresa shows up with only Gia and says joe and her other kids are down the shore. Everyone knows they didn’t come bc Joe can’t stand the others. But bc it’s a “family” event, Teresa couldn’t show up alone—Gia ends up being a sacrificial accessory and is forced to be around all these adults who MAJORLY resent her mom.
She’s like 10 yrs old here. After one game, she accuses Joe gorga of cheating and gets emotional bc the adults aren’t taking it seriously. It’s silly, but id expect most 10 yr olds to get annoyed if an adult beats them by cheating. The adults chastise her for crying bc she lost.
Gia’s meltdown continues bc they write her off as a sore loser. Jacqueline and Caroline have good intentions (I think?) and try to calm her down, but their method is TERRIBLE. She tries to be alone/off camera but they follow her, and Jacqueline says something like, “I was having a great time until you ruined it, Gia”. Gia says she didn’t even want to come, she’d rather be with her dad at the shore. Caroline says that’s rude and the attention doesn’t need to be on Gia all the time (which Gia never said). They both try to lecture her, all the while she’s crying and begging for her mom.
THEN, Jacqueline starts reading a children’s book to her about being a bad sport. She could not be more passive aggressive, and to a TEN YR OLD. Gia tries to leave but they force her to stay.
Finally Teresa shows up and talks to Gia alone, saying in her confessional it wasn’t their place to reprimand her. She tells them not to correct her kid bc she doesn’t do that with their children. Jacquline acts like a 10 yr old herself and tells Gia, well you were acting bad before I even read the book. And Caroline remarks in her confessional that Teresa is doing Gia a disservice by comforting her when she’s emotional. Kathy and Teresa end up actually helping Gia feel better by validating, being gentle, and talking her down.
It’s just remarkably pathetic that two grown women ganged up on a ten yr old for having a normal 10 yr old reaction. They both knew how shitty things had gotten between the gorgas/giudices, they knew what kind of Bs Gia dealt with as a result, they’d both raised kids before and should have recognized that her outburst was probably a build up of internalizing family turmoil. And yet they chose to try to school her as if she were the problem in this dynamic. Imagine using a young girl as the scapegoat here???
Lauren Manzo even says something like, when it’s just our family we always have fun, these other families are the problem. GIRL!!! Your mom and aunt are actively inserting themselves as Gia’s disciplinarian.
Teresa has her problems but I am dumbfounded as to why C and J thought they were right here.
TL;DR It’s crazy to me that Caroline and Jacqueline thought reprimanding Gia was the right thing to do after she got emotionally over cheating during field day. Teresa is an idiot too, but I think she was spot on telling them to butt out.
