How do you solve a problem like Jenelle?
That was the big question looming over the ninth season of Teen Mom 2 prior to last week’s premiere.
In past years, Jenelle has been the show’s most consistent source of drama, but with her husband, David Eason, being fired from the show, producers were presented with a serious quandary.
They rightly figured that an entire season of tearful conversations between Jenelle and her mother would get boring (spoiler alert: it was boring after one episode).
Fortunately, the problem solved itself this week, when one of the oldest targets of Jenelle’s wrath unexpectedly popped back into her life.
Here’s what happened with Jenelle and Andrew Lewis, as well as what went down for the rest of the moms on Monday night’s episode:
Jenelle’s Hell Jenelle was informed by producers that they had been contacted by Andrew, who apparently decided it’s time for him to take part in the life of his 9-year-old son.
Not Interested Not surprisingly, Jenelle has zero interest in introducing Jace to his father. We can’t believe we’re saying this, but this might be the rare case in which Ms. Evans is totally in the right.
Enter Babs Barbara took the reins and Facetimed with Andrew — but she wasn’t much more amenable to the idea of a Jace-Andrew reunion than Jenelle was.
Absentee Dad “You haven’t seen him his whole life, and I don’t want you to come into his life and see him once or twice and then not see him again,” Barbara aptly pointed out.
Valid Question “Let me ask you a question. Why, now, do you want to see Jace after all these years?” Barbara asked Andrew.
Foolish Response “The true low life in a relationship is a woman keeping her child away from a loving father,” Andrew replied. Babs then agreed to bring Jace to New York to meet with Andrew, despite the fact that he just called her daughter a low life and has been known to rock fedoras.
Speaking of Low Lifes Remember Adam Lind? He’s back! Well, sort of …
This Effing Guy (MTV) Chelsea Houska’s baby daddy is making a half-hearted attempt to re-enter his daughter’s life.
Poor Aubree On last week’s episode, Lind skipped a supervised visit with daughter Aubree. This week, he had yet to pay a fee necessary in order to reinstate the appointment.
Sad Situation “At least when I told her it was canceled, it didn’t seem to bother her or anything,” Chelsea told her mother. “I’m not gonna get my hopes up.”
Silver Lining At least Aubree has a loving and committed mom and stepfather, which is more than can be said for some of the kids on the show.
Kail’s Conundrum Meanwhile, Kailyn Lowry is still dealing with tension between her and Javi Marroquin’s fiancee, Lauren Comeau.
Lauren’s Side “I remember last summer, Kail didn’t want me around Isaac, she was protective over him. But she very quickly let us have him when I was here,” Lauren said of the situation.
That’s Progress? “We had a soccer game this past Saturday; we still didn’t talk, but that’s progress, she added. “I’ve said over and over again that it’s all completely up to her and what she feels comfortable with and at whatever pace she wants to go.”
Unfounded Optimism “But I’m here. I’m here for good. I think we’ll be able to handle whatever comes our way,” Lauren said. Someone should inform her of Kail’s ability to hold a grudge.
Remarkably Mature Briana DeJesus surprised fans by not only inviting baby daddy Luis to daughter Stella’s birthday party — but also paying for Luis’ flight from New York to Orlando.
All Beef Bri was upset when she learned that Luis DJ’d at a club the night before the party, when he was supposed to be helping her set up.
No Gravy “When he comes tomorrow, he’s gonna act like everything is all gravy, all smiles and happiness. No,” she said at one point.
The Bigger Person The day of the party, however, Bri chose not to mention the slight, saying, “I just don’t think it’s even worth me even mentioning it or talking about it; I’m not gonna get worked up because it already happened.”
Drama-Free DeJesus? Is this the beginning of a new, more emotionally stable Briana? For the sake of our own entertainment, we sure hope not!