‘Basketball Wives’ RECAP: The Calm Before the Storm

Last week’s episode of Basketball Wives showed us the ladies’ first reactions to COVID-19, which hit California just as season 9 began filming.

This week, we got an in-depth look at cast’s experiences in the first months of sheltering in place, reactions to the protests for social justice that occurred over the summer, and where they migrated to in the wake of lockdowns in LA.

With that, let’s recap episode 2 of season 9:

Coping with the Pandemic

This episode opens with the ladies sheltering in place. Jackie is now in Sacramento with husband Doug and son Dougie, who is installing a basketball hoop in the backyard.

Evelyn is distraught because her stepfather has coronavirus and is crying. We later learn that he died.

We transition to Malaysia with the quote of the episode. “Covid isn’t the only pandemic in this country,” she says, as we cut to shots of the Black Lives Matter protests occurring across the nation in 2020.

With schools closed, we finally get a look at the Basketball Wives children. Malaysia is home-schooling her kids in Atlanta and we see Feby at home with her son, Lance Jr.

Jackie has been juicing to remove the toxins from her body. She says she hasn’t heard from any of the ladies except for OG. The pandemic has made all of us see who our true friends are.

Jackie tells Doug that girls need to “detoxify these feelings we have in ourselves.”

Shaunie is in Houston in a well-appointed kitchen with her daughter, Me’arah. She misses LA and wishes to see her friends.

Malaysia’s Police Anxiety

Malaysia needs adult interaction after quarantining with her children.

Kristen, who now lives in Atlanta, comes over. She also misses the ladies, sans Jackie.

They discuss CeCe’s wedding to Byron Scott, Kristen’s father-in-law. CeCe is not on the show this season. (Wonder why) And now that she’s married to Byron, Kristen doesn’t think CeCe would want to be around the group anymore. Interesting comment considering the show is called “Basketball Wives” and only one of the ladies (Jackie) is currently married to a NBA player.

Kristen wants to know why Malaysia didn’t come protest and Malaysia brings up how hard it is for her to be in a space with police officers because her brother was killed by a cop in 2013.  She said her brother was 17 when he was shot and killed by an officer who thought he pulled a handgun out of his waist. Malaysia says her brother was unarmed when he was shot.

Malaysia confesses that she was dressed, in her car and driving down the highway before her anxiety took over and she turned back. Malaysia’s starting to form a habit of getting dressed only to leave an event early or not showing up at all.

Malaysia apologizes and Kristen says no apology is needed. Kristen says she’s just disappointed because she wanted Malaysia to speak to people with similar experiences.

Evelyn Moves to Gated Community

Evelyn and her daughter, Shaniece are in her home, showing off her shoe collection, which fills a room. There’s no better time than the present to throw away or donate some old shoes.

Shaniece helps her fold. Evelyn says she bought the house because of “everything going on with OG.” Ever heard of a restraining order? Oh wait, she did file one against OG in 2019 but it was denied by a judge who ruled their dispute should be settled in an already filed civil lawsuit.

Her stepfather, Larry, has since died from COVID. “He was the only father I had,” she says. “2020 has really been a tough year so far. I really need to be strong for my family.”

Throughout the nine seasons of the show, we believe Ev’s best moments are when she’s with her family and puts down the mean girl personality.

Malaysia Faces Her Fears

Kristen introduces Malaysia to Monteria Robinson, whose son was shot 76 times by a cop serving a no-knock warrant in Atlanta. Robinson shares why she continues to fight against police injustice. “We got to fight,” Robinson says. “Sitting at home crying ain’t going to get you nowhere.”

Malaysia asks what she can do and says the discussion made her realize that she should have a conversation with her children about the police. “I just want them to be informed.”

The scene highlights the additional burdens Black reality stars face that others don’t—having to tell their young children how to interaction with police without being shot or killed. It was a very real moment for the show.

Big Brother “Basketball Wives” Style

Back in LA, Evelyn has been stressed with moving and suggests the ladies get a mansion for them to “kick it.” Wait, don’t you all hate each other in one way or another.

She’s Facetimes the ladies and everyone is down, and agrees to get tested for COVID beforehand.

She tells Feby that she’s going to invite Jackie. Feby rightfully pauses, but says she can deal with it as long as Jackie “doesn’t get too drunk,” and/or “she’s not too drunk.”

Feby wonders if she’ll get nice Jackie or the “Cuckoo Jackie” who appeared on their Costa Rica trip. What is she implying about Jackie exactly? Bipolar, split personalities?

Jen-nis the Menace

Jennifer has moved to Atlanta and bought a (town)house. She says she hasn’t left the house forever—and by forever, she means today.

Next, we see photos of Jennifer, presumably from social media, looking unbothered in exotic locations. We can’t  with her tone deafness about COVID.

She says it’s all good because “she has a life to live.” Really?

Then, Jennifer reveals she actually had COVID previously and that she only found out after getting an antibody test. Surprise, surprise.

But hey, she’s been living her best life, she admits, except losing her sense of smell. Who needs that when you can have thousands of likes on Instagram.

Then Kristen, aka “The Bone Collector,” asks Jen about some recent blog articles, and Jen assumes it was the incident in which she lent a guy she was dating her car and he never returned it. That whole situation was a mess and you can read about that here.

“I would have never thought that something like this can happened to me,” she said.

Jen says she’s going to produce a documentary about the incident. Hello Sundance.

“I’m going to take this mess and make a message,” she told Kristen.

Jennifer reveals that Jackie invited her on Evelyn’s girls quarantine trip, and that they will be in a separate house from rest of the ladies.

Kristen has concerns about going to the house with OG, whom she had an altercation with last season.

Jen tells her she needs to watch her back because “you got bitches throwing tables,” which in this case we believe she’s referring to Malaysia and the Amsterdam incident.

Kristen tells Jen “we going to leave the bitches with whoever threw the table.”

Jen is having none of it. Jen tells her that this is her “motherfuckin house” and she can say whatever she wants. Yeah, now would be a good time as any Kristen to begin gathering your things.

Jen says all she wants to do is sip cocktails with her “friends”-nemies, Jackie and OG.

“There’s no code around these hoes so you need to be prepared for the unknown because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jen tells her. What is this? Mob Wives?

The Calm Before the Storm

OG gets a visit from her mother and two brothers. She updates them over a nice goat dinner about her meetings with her attorneys and is concerned “everything I worked hard for can be thrown out by one individual.”

She says she countersued Evelyn because she had to defend herself and that COVID paused everything.

Malaysia sits down and has a hard conversation about police brutality with her three children. The youngest boy says he’s heard some things on TikTok about racism.

OG discusses the trip with Kwame. He tells her to keep to herself and keep it cordial. “If the other girls want to have a conversation, we can try to resolve some of the issues,” she says.

Kind of hard to resolve an issue (colorism) when the other parties are in denial about it.

“I just want these girls to realize that this type of behavior is not okay and have been telling them this for a year now,” she tells Kwame.

Everyone is packing for this two-week girls trip. Evelyn maintains that she hopes the trip will be positive.

Jackie declares the event will be a “pandemic Pondersa.” “You would wanna be a part of this one,” she says.

Side notes

-Next week, we see the ladies in the “Big Brother” houses. And from the trailer, we see Jennifer and Jackie’s relationship already fracturing.

-Since so many woman have cut out of LA and moved to Atlanta, should this show be called Basketball Wives Atl?

-The editing has been on point most of this season, but that Jennifer/Kristen scene was puzzling. Was Jen really that tone deaf about coronavirus or was that just bad editing?

(Photos courtesy of Vh1)