Coming into the Love & Marriage: D.C. Reunion Special, there were a number of expected crossroads on the OWN reality TV series. We knew that “Aggressive Ashley” Silva would go head-to-head with friend of the show, Winter Williams, over her playful, and low-key malicious, name-calling in which she described DJ QuickSilva as DJ Fun Size, referring to his height, and Jamie Tyler as Red Light Special, regarding his rumored affairs.
Winter clearly has been an anchor for the show’s drama and that proved no different during the reunion. When show creator and host Carlos King asked Winter what information she knew about Jamie and Quick, she responded as she did in the past, saying that she has knowledge of their secret infidelities but wanted to take the high road and not expose them.
Ashley and Quick didn’t take that well, falling headfirst into expletive-filled rants, with Quick comedically clarifying that he was referring to Winter’s alleged lover friend, and not her, as a b—h for inserting himself in the situation as an eyewitness.
Another point of contention is how perplexing it was when Monique did a full 360 on her close friend and left Winter blowing in the wind by herself? From Real Housewives of Potomac to Love & Marriage: D.C., Monique has consistently proven that she’s a ride-or-die friend to no one. Nothing wrong with being your own advocate, but where’s the love. Instead, Monique appeared to be more interested in proving her innocence to netizens.
The back and forth left us on the edge of our seats for a round two of the reunion, yet that banter was not the highlight, or low point, of the special. More concerning than Winter constantly being a target for these women was the odd dynamics between the Samuels and Tyler couples.
Throughout the reunion, Chris Samuels sat next to Monique like a well-trained husband stuck in the sunken place. Expressionless in nature, Chris regurgitated all the politically correct answers about him needing to be a better man, saying he “dropped the ball” in the marriage and realized his flaws after watching the show. He had all the right words and still came across as unbelievable and dull.
Meanwhile, a one-sided Monique completely dismissed Chris’ verbal epiphany, defending herself against anonymous naysayers on the Internet who claim she’s an ungrateful wife. In spite of his stature, Chris shows signs of being manipulated and controlled while willed onto a show without any inkling of the slow-burning breakdown in his relationship.
Monique, with hands cuffing her legs in a photogenic pose, is doing all of this for a look. To her credit, Chris rarely showed slight hints of his real personality throughout the season when he told Monique to shut up in front of company and later, compared his love for his wife to the love he had for a college girlfriend. Will the real Chris Samuels please stand up?
Chris and Monique’s stiff militant approach to every question is far in comparison to the lackadaisical approach owned by Ashley and Quick, who both threw class and couth out the window during the reunion.
If Chris could see a reflection of himself, it would be Erana Tyler. A power force of her own, Erana embodies beauty and strength. Nevertheless, she just can’t seem to see the toxicity in her relationship. The more Jamie talks the more evident it is that he’s problematic. If the Tylers are doing this for a check, they’re certainly playing with fire.
It was uncomfortable to watch Jamie call Erana “irresponsible” and take credit for “creating” her. Then, there was the conversation regarding the chin grab, a scene where Jamie tugged at Erana’s chin to stop her from talking. Erana, responding like a victim of mental and verbal abuse, made excuses for all of Jamie’s actions, even minimizing herself by agreeing that Jamie created who she is today.
If that wasn’t enough, Jamie had the nerve to dramatize and gaslight Erana’s attempt to break free from her narcissistic beau when she opened communication to three other men, all the while ignoring the fact that he was staying out late and behaving suspiciously in their 20-plus year relationship. Out of all the couples, the Tylers provoke the most triggers because of all the red flags.
L&MDC does deserve a second season, however, some changes need to be made. Another married couple should be added to the dynamic to keep the show fresh. Winter, the single one amongst the couples, needs a significant other asap because it just doesn’t make sense for her to be hanging with married couples without someone of her own.
It would be nice to see Erana dig deep into her marriage and find out about Jamie’s infidelity once and for all. The Samuels can be better at transparency, whether it’s Chris revealing his true nature or Monique admitting to stirring pots and hiding hands. Ashley and DJ Quick add spice to the show with their personalities. Now, seeing that play out as they make transitions in their careers will be entertaining.
Is L&MDC quite on the level of Love & Marriage: Huntsville? Not yet. With time and as the cast becomes more comfortable with being public personas, L&MDC will hopefully be more authentic.
