The Big Picture
- Uncle Nino becomes a father figure to Angelina, shedding light on her abandonment issues and explaining her behavior towards Jenni.
- Jenni and Zack have a serious discussion about marriage, highlighting the importance of open communication in relationships.
- The girls orchestrate a plan to make Angelina and Jenni reconcile, resulting in a heartwarming moment of understanding.
This week, fans got to see an old favorite join the gang in the Poconos: Uncle Nino! Uncle Nino, aka everyone’s favorite dirty old man, who is also Vinny’s actual uncle. He’s always a fun, but barely understandable. When things calmed down for the night, Angelina sat down with him for a heart-to-heart. It’s here we learn that Uncle Nino has become somewhat of a father figure for Angelina, and their chat is endearing to watch. It’s safe to say that Jersey Shore Family Vacation took a more serious turn this week, as Angelina has to deal with some difficulty upon discovering a shocking family secret.
We also get to see a pretty serious discussion between Jenni and her fiancé, Zack. The two have been engaged for a minute, and Zack is ready to take things to the altar. It’s a conversation many couples go through, so watching it was incredibly relatable for any viewers in a similar situation. That’s the great thing about this series, despite the silliness and all the frequent unnecessary drama, there is still an element of actual reality, even though it’s still incredibly curated. Episode 23, was certainly no exception.
‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ and Angelina’s Paternal Crisis
Right at the beginning of the episode, we learn about the bond that has developed over time between Angelina and Vinny’s Uncle Nino. They sit, and she talks about her impending nuptials with her new Vinny, which quickly leads to her abandonment issues. Her father abandoned her when she was young, which created a deep sense of insecurity in her. It certainly puts some aspects of her personality into perspective. Childhood abandonment can create a lot of issues that inevitably follow you into adulthood if not addressed immediately. According to an article from Forbes.com, childhood abandonment issues can manifest in adulthood in a variety of ways, as shared in the article by psychiatrist Dr. Harold Hong. The article shares,
“Abandonment issues may present with both emotional and behavioral symptoms, says Dr. Hong. While they may manifest differently for some people, the most common signs are:
- Insecurity or anxiety in relationships
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Excessively neediness or clinginess
- Difficulty trusting others
- Withdrawing socially
- Engaging in self-destructive behaviors
- Wanting to control others
- Codependent behaviors, or going to extreme lengths to preserve a relationship
Additionally, symptoms such as indifference to comfort from others and persistent feelings of sadness, irritability, and fearfulness in social interactions may also be signs that someone is struggling with abandonment issues, says Douglas Corrigan, a licensed marriage and family therapist with The Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley in Lancaster, California.
Her issues with Jenni make a lot more sense now. It’s possible that Angelina unconsciously sees Jenni as an authoritative figure, and because of this, has strong reactions to and misconceptions of what her intentions are. All the nonsense fights make a little more sense. We can’t necessarily excuse the behavior, but it does make more sense. Later in the episode she also receives some devastating news via a DNA test: the man she thought was her father is, in fact, not her biological father at all. The news seemed both devastating and validating for her, as the man she thought was her father always treated her differently from her two sisters, who are his biological daughters. Finding out news like that as an adult is devastating, especially when you have no idea of who the real person might be. Here’s hoping this journey ends happily for Angelina, and that the person who is her father is still living and receptive to the idea of being in her life.
‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ Marriage Is Not Something To Take Lightly
Jenni and Zack go out on a date and immediately begin discussing the state of their relationship after Jenni makes a comment about the way they are eating in silence. It’s then we learn that Zack is very ready to get married, and has not been shy about bringing this up to Jenni. Jenni, on the other hand, is content with the way things are with them now. This also makes sense, as Jenni’s first marriage ended badly, and was probably traumatic for her. Jenni comes off as the strong one, but strong people still have to deal with and heal from the trauma they face. Divorce trauma is very real, and Jenni’s hesitancy is valid. She lightly shares her concerns with Zack from the perspective of feeling comfortable in their current situation. They are happy, so why bring the stress of signing papers into their situation, right? Zack seems understanding, but you can also see a little bit of sadness in his response to her desire to wait a little longer. This is a prime example of having uncomfortable relationship conversations. Difficult, necessary, and so much fun right? All jokes aside, it’s always nice to see examples of these kinds of conversations done in a healthy way.
‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ Operation Meatball Stakeout
Now for the major task at hand: getting Angelina and Jenni to squash their beef. What better way to do that, than by another note? Writing notes is officially a staple for the ladies of Jersey Shore, and Sammi was certainly happy to be on the other side this time around. The plan is simple; Nicole, Sammi, and Deena plan a girl’s lunch, but they hide and force the two to come to a real truce. They get the producers in on the action too, setting them up in a CCTV production situation. The best part is that they still order their food and have a full brunch in the car, which, to be honest, did look kind of fun. It echoed the days in high school when you’d skip class and sneak out to go get lunch off campus. And their plan actually worked, as Jenni and Angelina came to an understanding. Everything was squashed just in time for Pauly’s show in Atlantic City, something the entire crew was looking forward to. And the episode ends with Angelina sharing the news about her DNA test, and Jenni is immediately compassionate and comforting toward her. It’s a really nice ending, with everyone feeling happy, connected, and getting along. Naturally, this is not meant to last, as shown in the previews for next week’s episode.
‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ Additional Thoughts
- Vinny will be Uncle Nino in about 15 years. That is his future.
- Loving how Mike is such a mom now. He really was like, let me go check on baby girl and bring her some coffee. So much growth from his THOT-ty days in the early aughts of the series. It’s nice. Funny, but also nice.
- Jenni is so pretty. She’s had the perfect amount of work done. Please stop there, Jenni! You look perfect.
- Ronnie asking Mike if Sammi asked about him is peak man behavior.
- That moment when Angelina is talking about being part Neanderthal and she accidentally gave us a new word: “inbreading”.
- Raise your hand if you also felt poor as they walked through Pauly’s presidential suite.
