When the going gets tough, the tough get going — to jail, that is. On the Sunday, October 16, episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the start date for Joe Giudice‘s jail sentence finally arrived and his family prepared to say goodbye. In an attempt to create some final happy memories before he shipped out, Joe and Teresa Giudice took their four daughters to make cupcakes at the famed Magnolia Bakery.
In between slathering frosting on the sweet treats, Joe called his girls a “pain in the ass, but beautiful.” For her part, Teresa admitted, “I’m not prepared for the day when Joe’s leaving,” and noted that she was worried Joe going to jail might scar their daughters for life.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Laurita and her daughter Ashlee (who was expecting her first child with her fiancé, Pete) discussed the fact that Teresa didn’t reach out to congratulate Ashlee after the news had been announced. Jacqueline was sad that Teresa hadn’t texted Ashlee, but didn’t seem all that surprised.
Siggy Fights for Family Time
The Giudices weren’t the only ones spending quality time together. Siggy Flicker got her kids, her parents, and her sister together to work on some family bonding. Just as Siggy finished complaining that her own kids didn’t spend enough time with her, however, her own mother turned to her with tears in her eyes and said Siggy and her sister didn’t spend enough time with her.
They all decided to go on an outing to see the Holocaust memorial and hear about Siggy’s father’s experience during the war. Siggy’s own kids, especially her son, seemed really touched by their grandfather’s story of survival and they all shared one touching group hug.
Rosie Isn’t Good With Balls
On a lighter note, Jacqueline and her husband, Chris, went bowling with Kathy and Richie Wakile, along with Kathy’s sister Rosie and her girlfriend, Laura. (Rosie was in especially good form seeing as she was so delighted with her new relationship.)
As they bowled, Richie repeatedly made jokes about having a foursome with his wife, her sister, and her sister’s girlfriend — but no matter how many times he suggested it, no one else seemed interested in taking him up on his offer.
Chris reported that he had initially intended to go to Joe’s “going away” party, but after Dolores Catania had urged him to reconsider, he’d decided against it. (Dolores argued that Chris needed to stand by his wife, and since she wasn’t invited, he couldn’t go.)
Joe Has a Party Before Going to Jail
In a quiet moment together, Joe and Teresa discussed how hard it was going to be on their girls to have Joe in jail for the next three-plus years. Joe said he wanted to go in and get it over with — an attitude his daughters seemed to share.
“You paid your debt,” he said to Teresa. “I’m ready to pay my debt.” He further reflected that in prison you either learned to become a criminal or a better person and he was determined to become the latter.
At the actual party later on, Joe and Teresa rode a bull together and had a generally good time catching up with friends, though there was obviously a prevailing air of sadness over the whole affair. Their lawyer gave Joe medals of St. Joseph and St. Theresa to keep with him while serving his sentence.
Joe Leaves for Jail
Early one gray morning, Joe left for jail. He hugged Teresa (who had tears streaming down her face) and then crawled into the back of a large SUV. Melissa Gorga and her husband, Joe, were also there, standing by, and both of them cried as they watched the couple leave while their daughters cried as they looked on from the windows above.
Meanwhile, Melissa told her husband that as the SUV drove away, she received a text from Teresa that said, “Love you.” To the camera, Melissa said, “I couldn’t be happier to be the one that she is relying on right now.”
Jacqueline, Siggy and Dolores prepared for Ashlee’s baby shower and chatted about Joe leaving. Siggy argued that whether you thought Joe deserved to go to jail or not, “You would have to be an empty shell of a person for this not to affect you.”
Jacqueline, who was not currently on speaking terms with Teresa, said that Teresa “was like a sister” to her and that her heart broke for Teresa and Joe’s daughters. She added that if Teresa ever called her — but noted that she knew that wouldn’t happen — she would be there for her former friend. Dolores noted that both Jacqueline and Teresa would be at her housewarming party the next week and Jacqueline said her plan was simply not to interact with Teresa very much. It sounded like a good plan to everyone.
Later that night, Teresa crawled into bed with three of her four daughters (Gia was at cheerleading practice) and they all prayed and cried together.
Tell Us: How do you think Teresa handled Joe going to jail?
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
