Well, she was only able to hide the crazy for one episode, wasn’t she? On last night’s Dance Moms, Abby Lee Miller true colors shone after suppressing her normal antics for the season premiere.
The show begins with Jill harping on Abby’s newfound interest in Nia Frazier now that Nia’s career is blossoming outside of the ALDC. Jill feigns excitement for all the cool opportunities Nia is experiencing, but really she’s just peeved that Holly took matters into her own hands and got Nia the management she needed to launch her music. Jill, meanwhile, allowed Abby to manage Kendall in an attempt at brown-nosing, yet Abby has not given any effort into Kendall’s career. After Jill and Jessalyn’s ridiculous crybaby outburst regarding Ashlee’s daughter Brynn last week, Jessalyn suggests the women present a united front. After all, the girls do much better when the moms are supporting each other and not fighting. Perhaps she should keep that in mind the next time she’s screaming at preteens about shedding too many tears?
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Meanwhile, the girls are doing what they do best…ignoring their mother’s horrific behavior and being kind to one another. Brynn’s teammates hope that she’s feeling better after such a hard week, but Brynn finds it awkward to open up to her friends because it is their mothers who are making her so upset. Kalani reminds her that they need to be a team and disregard the mothers completely. Jessalyn echos that sentiment to the mothers as she apologizes to Ashlee.
At pyramid, Abby reminds the girls of her strict no-crying rule. If anyone cries this week, they won’t be dancing. Speaking of, Brynn is on the bottom of the pyramid for her tears and her fourth place duet. Abby comments that her head shot looks much better without puffy eyes. JoJo, Nia, and Kendall follow with Kalani gracing the top of the pyramid for being the team leader. The ALDC will be competing in Fresno. Kendall, Kalani, and JoJo will be performing a trio against Nia’s trio, which includes two male dancers who will also be a part of the group number. The group routine plays homage to Madonna through the years. The mothers are a bit concerned. The ALDC never wins in Fresno.
Simeon and Jalen are the two guys who will be performing with the elite team. They are also members of the ALDC so the girls are comfortable with them. Abby assigns a different Madonna persona to each girl. The mothers (aka Jill) believe that Abby is too focused on character dances when the girls need more technical training. Nia works on with her partners, and she’s excited for more mature pieces. Of course, it’s not lost on her that Abby treated her like dirt last year and now seems to have taken quite the interest in her. Holly decides to call Nia’s manager to share this renewed interest in Nia, and her manager offers to come discuss Nia’s career direction with Abby. That’s going to go over so well!
Kendall’s trio is inspired by Charlie’s Angels, and the mothers are thrilled to see a dance with more technique. However, everyone is left speechless when Jessalyn abruptly rushes out of the studio after seeing something on her phone. Holly follows to check on her friend and finds her crying. Jessalyn’s mother’s cancer has returned, and her family is not happy that she’s in Los Angles and not with her mom. After receiving the support of her fellow dance moms, Jessalyn and the ladies convene in the viewing room. Nia is a bit nervous about her manager’s arrival, and she should be. Her manager takes the critiques more harshly than Nia when the women get into a power struggle over her Nia’s career. Abby throws subtle shade at Nia’s dancing ability, and Nia’s manager decides to tread lightly.
After seeing what Leslie has done for Nia, Jill and Kendall question whether they should jump ship from Abby’s management. Unfortunately, Kendall has been getting some wonderful routines, and Jill doesn’t want to make her mad by complaining about her lack of interest in Kendall’s singing career. The mothers continue to complain about the girls’ lack of training, but at least Abby is taking an interest in their daughters. Plus, Ashlee and Jessalyn are actually getting along! Who would’ve thought?!? At the competition, the mothers approach Abby about focusing more on technique, and it goes about as smoothly as one would think. Abby admonishes the girls’ technical shortcomings as being a direct result of their laziness, especially Nia’s. When Holly takes offense, Abby criticizes the size of Nia’s thighs (did I hear that correctly??) and the pair get into a screaming match before Abby flips Holly the bird and storms out of the room.
The girls are disappointed to learn of Abby’s tantrum, and Jessalyn steps in to help the girls practice. After all, she’s a dance teacher with her own studio. She is happy to build up the girls, praising Nia’s technique and the Kendall’s trio for working so well together. Abby sits in the rafters scarfing down popcorn as Abby’s Angels perform. It’s a cute dance, and the girls do an amazing job. Likewise, Nia and her partners do a wonderful job, although I didn’t think her dance was as fun as the other trio. The mom are pleased with how the girls are thriving with the support and pep talks from Jessalyn, and they make a pact to stick together to make sure the ALDC gets beneficial training while Abby’s off pouting. They wonder if Ashlee is on board or if she plans to run to Abby with all the things they’re planning. Are you kidding? She’s tired of her daughter being isolated, and she’s glad to finally be accepted by her peers. She’s on board!
The group routine is fabulous! Even Abby is impressed. At the awards ceremony, Kendall’s trio places second with Nia’s taking first place. While Holly is over the moon, she can’t help but side eye Abby who gushes about how delicious her popcorn is while giving no attention to Nia’s big win. She seems almost glad when the group number ends up in the second spot. After the competition, Ashlee leads the moms to approach Abby about how much more positive the vibe was when Jessalyn prepped the girls. Abby’s fine with that. She’s happy being alone and pushing everyone away. She’s certainly got a flair for the dramatic!
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? WHOSE BAD BEHAVIOR IS WORSE TO WATCH…ABBY’S OR THE MOMS’?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
