Growing Up Gotti, Episode 13: Thanks for the Memories

To dress up the clip show a bit, we have Victoria and Peter in a "restaurant" having dinner while they talk about the first half of the season. Peter says that he's glad they did the show because it showed people how warm, cultured, and loving the family is. Of course, this is spliced with clips of the boys' yelling and behaving obnoxiously. I love when Peter calls the boys "rambunctious." Ha!

Well, Victoria thinks a lot of people are surprised by the fact that she isn't docile, that she's a disciplinarian. And we go back to the prom episode, and the episode when Frankie got an ATV from his Dad. Good times. It's a lot of clips of Victoria yelling at the boys and telling them they can't do things. No, some of these times the boys did what they wanted anyway, but she isn't afraid to try. Victoria says that her quote, "Monday to Friday, 24/7, I'm the man of the house" gets repeated to her a lot by everyone. Hey, I loved that speech. She's a single parent, and that's tough. Anyway, Peter says that, "They are definitely wildcats but they are three normal teenage American boys." Oookay.

Now, this is funny - Peter is really bothered by the subtitles of the boys' voices and sounds. He wants to know how many children who are 17 and 18 years old in society today are well-spoken. Okay, I'm not sure, but I do know that if it weren't for those subtitles, I wouldn't know what those kids were saying. Victoria agrees with me, saying that when she was their age, with her parents, she spoke really quickly and she needed subtitles.

Here's a shock: Peter doesn't care for Botox injections, which Victoria got in the cupcake episode. She compares it to hair restoration and Peter says they're not the same thing. He does think minor cosmetic enhancements are ok, but he doesn't like Botox. I'm not sure what the difference is, but apparently that's all the discussion we're getting on that because now it's time for Peter to let Victoria know that he is old-fashioned and the dating thing perturbs him, "to say the least." Victoria is pretty aghast and tells him, "I am divorced now, it's gotta be four years. I haven't brought home one serious prospect at all and everyone looks at me like I have a unicorn horn growing out of my head." Right on!

Anyway, Peter wasn't a fan of Victoria sticking her card to the model/landscaper's abs earlier in the season. Ok, that was funny, maybe I'd be shocked if I saw my mom doing it, but, as Victoria says, "Would I seriously date someone like that? No." She follows that up with, "Would I bring someone like Ed home? No!" So we flash back to that horrible date with Ed, when he called her spoiled and not as attractive as she could be. I've never been on a blind date but I'm thinking that making snap decisions about someone wouldn't make a great impression. She tells Peter that Ed was a scoundrel. She says, "For the first time in my life, I wish you had been there Petey. You would've knocked him into next week." Heh. I would've loved to have seen that. Peter tells her that, "As overbearing as it may come off, I cannot find him worth my sister." Aww.

Victoria and Peter also agree that the Gottis are a "food family." And they laugh about the episode when John FREAKED OUT because someone had eaten his sushi. Victoria tells Peter that John took that seriously. John told her that night, "Mom, you know when you get really, really hungry and you have your heart and your stomach set on one specific food? I just wanted that sushi so bad. I wanted to finish up my schoolwork then come down and relax and eat my sushi and it was gone." Ok, I totally know where he's coming from. Whenever I leave something in the fridge to eat later and when I go back, it's gone, I get VERY ANGRY. Oh, and while we're talking about food, we flash back to those gorgeous cupcakes Victoria loves and the clip of the nutritionist saying, "One cupcake is ok, 11 is pretty bad." Hee!

And in case you hadn't figured it out, they are also a "very vocal family." According to Victoria and Peter, "We are very, very animated and very, very emotional. The first thing that comes to mind: The hair gel." Remember the hair gel? John, who is pretty obsessed with his hair, at least the way he is edited, had no more hair gel and pretty much had a breakdown over it. People have stopped Victoria on the street to ask if John was really that angry over some hair gel. Victoria tells them, "Yes." Peter says that it can seem a little odd that they're yelling all the time, but he doesn't find anything wrong about tough love. You can't just brush things under the carpet.

Now it's time for a little clip package on Luigi, the handyman who has yet to fix anything. Victoria says, "So what if nothing works out that he builds?" But Peter understands why she keeps Luigi around. "He makes a drama production out of everything so you have to appreciate it." Remember when he acted like the pool was filled with toxic waste or when he pretended to be a count for Victoria's party? And, of course, that tiny blue Speedo he wore to clean the pool, according to Peter, "is all him, him to the max. If anybody personifies eat, drink and be merry, it's Luigi." Nice!

Peter and Victoria also laugh about the joke Victoria played on Quack Quack in Miami. To recap, Quack Quack was spreading rumors that Victoria was letting Carmine drink. Victoria was ticked and pretended to call Uncle Peter. Well, Frankie called Quack Quack, pretending to be Peter, and basically scared the crap out of Quack Quack, who will hopefully think twice about spreading rumors again. Victoria says, "When we pulled that prank on Quacker, nothing made me happier." Peter agrees saying, "I could not have thought of another man who deserves it more." Ah, bonding.

And, there is no other way to end the show than with some Gotti fashion clips. Victoria and Peter talk about their father and how he had an eye for fashion. Peter thinks he could carry anything he wore. Victoria says that "John has a little bit of Daddy." And we go back to the episode when the boys were wanted for a fashion show and when he heard about it, John said that he wouldn't do it because he's not gay. But Victoria also says that Carmine wanted to be in the fashion show but he wouldn't admit it. He was so scared, she didn't think he'd come out. She was stunned and so proud when he walked out. Aww…Peter enjoyed it but he says that it wouldn't have hurt Carmine to smile. Amen!

Well, that's it for clips. We see some scenes of upcoming episodes - Victoria yelling, Quack Quack messing up, and Frankie and John fighting (really fighting) over a girl. Ooh, looks good! I'll be here to recap it all for you.

Joan is an editor in Boston. If you want to discuss reality television or her other passion – Boston sports – email her at Joanie1835@hotmail.com. Go Pats!

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