by Mike Bandy

It's getting close to the end of the season, folks, and things are really coming to a head for each of the women, in very different situations. This week's episode started with Cynthia and Peter, the morning after the anniversary party. Peter thought the party went really well, though Mal had issues and he didn't know what they were. Really?! Cynthia said she didn't know what was going on with her either, and thought that maybe she might have been drunk or going through a midlife crisis. Oy...I mean, I can see what Mal's issue with your marriage is Cynthia - she doesn't like Peter and feels he's financially abusive toward you, and wants you away from him.

Peter says he feels like he's always defending himself around her, and he doesn't talk about her at all. Cynthia said that whatever it is, it's gonna be resolved, because she's going to talk to Mal. It was the last straw for her; Mal needs to pull it together or not be around them.

Meanwhile, Kandi showed up at Kim's house to talk about their friendship. Kandi said that ever since last year, they've been trying to get past things that happened, and they didn't need anybody throwing anything in. Kandi said that she did agree with what Cynthia said, and that she was upset with Sheree for blowing it out of proportion.

Kim said that she misses her friendship with Kandi, and Kandi said that when they had the disagreement about the music issue it started some things between them. Both ladies agreed to communicate better, and it was nice to see two ladies on this show actually getting along. Who knows how long that'll last...

Next, NeNe showed up at her attorney's office to sign her divorce papers. She's having a rough time actually making the move - she and Gregg have been separated for over a year, and they've done everything except sign the papers. NeNe said that she wants to make sure she's making the right decision, because not having her partner next to her has been hard. She can't bring herself to move forward, and I couldn't bring myself to not be distracted by those LOUD earrings she wore. Seriously, she sounded like a train was coming.

Phaedra was late for a speech that Apollo was giving at a Passport to Manhood event, where he was going to share his story with people. He was nervous at first, but once Phaedra and little Ayden came in, you could tell that it just melted away. He did a really good job, and people seemed to be really moved by what he said. Phaedra, of course, thinks that this will make Apollo a great funeral director.

Kandi and her producer were working on a country song, and getting ready to make a trip to Nashville to record it with country superstar JoDee Messina. Kandi was nervous because she'd never worked with a country star before, but the song, something about money growing on trees, sounded good, and off she went to make a hit.

Sheree went to her daughter Tierra's house to find out that her boyfriend, Damon, might be ready to ask her to marry him. Naturally, as a mother, Sheree expressed her happiness warned Tierra about the pitfalls of marriage and how a man changes once you marry him, and to beware everything. Jeez, what a buzz kill! Couldn't she have just smiled, hugged her daughter, and been happy for her?

Mal came to visit Cynthia, on her way to France, to apologize for her outburst at Cynthia's party. She explained that when she sees Peter, she sees financial distress, and Cynthia asked Mal if she wanted to know what she sees when she looks at Mal's marriage. Mal said that she shouldn't bring up her relationship, but Cynthia pointed out that it was perfectly fine for Mal to bring up hers. The bottom line, Cynthia said that Mal should just be her sister, and though she appreciated her apology, she doesn't like her very much right now. The ladies hugged, and Mal went on her way. I hope they can work it out.

Now, on to happier news: Apollo is shirtless! Oh, and it's Ayden's first birthday. Phaedra had the affair at a waterpark two hours out of Atlanta, and chartered a bus for people to attend. Sheree was the only one of the ladies to attend, and we finally saw Dwight (where has he been?!), taking charge at the party. The highlight - there were TWELVE cakes, all of which were presented TO THE BABY, and each represented one month of Ayden being here. It's a good thing Kandi wasn't there to point out how boughetto it was, but really, did we NEED her to point that out? It was pretty obvious.

Marlo admitted to Lawrence that she said the "f" word, and Lawrence told her that she's not allowed to say it anymore. I'm pretty sure she'll backpedal and do it again, and I'm pretty sure it'll be at the reunion. Doesn't anybody realize that saying the word, even as an example of how you won't say the word again, is still offensive?!

Sheree met up with Damon to talk about his proposal to Tierra and to basically give him the mom speech. She's also going to help him pick out a ring (this oughta be good), and she also warned him about how she doesn't want them to have to go through a divorce like she did. God, Sheree, must you be so negative! Oh well, at least she likes Damon and would support him proposing to Tierra.

In Nashville, Kandi and JoDee Messina got together in JoDee's beautiful studio, so she could record the song they'd written together. It went well, and Kandi thought it would be a hit, but she got nervous again when JoDee said that she'd planned an event for them both to sing it to an intimate crowd, live. Kandi is used to big crowds that you can't see or look in the eye - how would she handle a smaller group?

In the meantime, NeNe saw a therapist (did anybody EVER picture this woman consulting anyone for advice? I thought she knew everything!) about hesitating to divorce Gregg. The therapist pointed out that NeNe wanting to just be friends and Gregg not wanting to get divorced at all doesn't make either one of them wrong, but you can't have your cake and eat it too. Gee, I wonder how much NeNe paid to figure THAT out.

The episode closed with Kandi and JoDee Messina doing a really great job in front of a small crowd, and I think the song they wrote will actually be a hit. Kandi is well on her way to breaking into the country music biz, and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

Next week, Kroy comes back home, Sheree helps Damon pick out a ring, and Cynthia and Kim discuss what Cynthia said in Africa. Stay tuned!