Newlyweds The First Year Recap: For Love Or Money

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The group from Newlyweds: The First Year is almost a third of the way into the first twelve months of wedded bliss, although you don't get the "bliss" with all of them.  Kim and Alaska Gedeon continue their bi-coastal power struggle, while Blair Late and Jeff Pederson are coming down from the high of their commitment ceremony.  Tina Sugandh and Tarz Ludwigsen reveal their interracial marriage to Tina's fanbase, and John Lagoudes is lucky that wife Kathryn Bougadis doesn't punch him in the face for all his comments about her pregnancy weight gain!

Back from Savannah, Blair is upset that Jeff isn't making sex a priority.  It's been two weeks, and Blair is going nuts.  Jeff is quite content just cooking together and watching home improvement shows.  All of Blair's pressure is making sex seem like an obligation.

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John can't keep quiet about Kathryn's weight gain.  He picks at every snack, and he's worried about being intimate.  He's never done it with a fat person.  That John, he's the poster boy for sensitivity!  The couple watches their wedding video, and John marvels at Kathryn's slender, pre-pregnancy physique.  He is concerned he'll never get that body back, but Kathryn is convinced that she'll lose the weight once she has the baby.

Tina and Tarz are preparing for a premiere party for the most popular Bollywood wedding magazine for which their wedding was photographed.  Tina reveals that she's kept her relationship with Tarz a secret from her fans, and the party will be the couple's first red carpet appearance together.  She reads several fan tweets and messages accusing Tina of turning her back on her heritage for marrying a white guy.  While Tina takes the messages personally, Tarz lets the criticism roll off his back.  However, he does want to win over Tina's father.  After much protest, Tarz is able to convince his father-in-law to join him for lunch to discuss their relationship.

Alaska is out of town yet again, and Kim is hard at work styling for New York Fashion Week.  I think she should be happy to have the apartment to herself…at least she can lounge on her tiny, fab sofa!  Alaska doesn't seem to see a problem with them spending so much time apart for work as long as they are both succeeding in their careers.  Kim hopes that the physical distance won't create an emotional rift.

Kathryn is now twenty weeks pregnant, and she and John are on their way to find out the sex of their baby.  John is hoping for a girl, while Kathryn is holding out hope for a boy.  They are thrilled to see the little peanut on the sonogram, and Kathryn is especially thrilled to find out that the baby has the boy parts.  Like most males, John's disappointment at not having a girl flies out the window when he sees his son's junk on the sonogram.  So proud!

Tarz and Tina's dad are meeting for lunch, but Tarz already has two strikes against him because Tarz is late and he's picked an Italian restaurant instead of Indian.  Tina's dad tries to make do (he does love Italian food), but everything he tries to order isn't available.  Strike three.  Tarz tells his father-in-law about a lucrative new project, but Tina's dad can't understand why his son-in-law doesn't have a normal office job.  Tina's father gets teary–and angry–talking about the loss of his wife because now he feels like he's lost his daughter too.  Tarz understands that some of her father's stress will be taken out on him, but he expresses the hope that they can bond.  Of course, he makes an ill-timed joke which doesn't please Tina's dad.

Jeff returns home from a dinner with friends, and Blair is upset that some of his calls went unanswered.  Jeff feels like he's being monitored and smothered, while Blair can't understand why his husband doesn't want to spend more time together.  Blair is being super needy, but Jeff could stand to be a tad more understanding…although, he is seriously patient.

Back in the same zip code, Kim and Alaska are giddy to be back together, and are all about getting busy.  Alaska is especially proud to reveal that his wife has been cooking for him in the buff.  The pair is heading to an exclusive party, and they share that they first met on the dance floor of a club.  They are excited about a night out on the town together.

In New York, Tina is having tea with Tarz's mom.  They have a wonderful relationship, and Tina knows how fortunate she is to have such loving in-laws especially after losing her mother.  In a fit of TMI, Tina reveals that Tarz is having an issue performing in the bed room.  She asks her mother-in-law for advice.  Should she dress up like a policewoman?  Is Tarz's mother worried that her son may be gay?  Thankfully, Tarz's mom has a sense of humor.

Jeff and Blair do not share the same ideas regarding weekend fun.  Jeff wants to clean and keep things orderly, but Blair couldn't care less.  Jeff believes this shows a lack of respect on Blair's part, but Blair doesn't feel the need to take care of a home he doesn't own…especially when Jeff has yet to leave him the house in a will.  On the flip side, Jeff doesn't want to bequeath the home to his husband until he proves that he can take care of it.

Meanwhile, John is micro-managing the allowance he gives to his wife.  Kathryn has already been cut off from the credit cards and is working at the tanning salon for no salary.  When she tries to get a bonus from him because the salon is thriving, John doesn't want to hear it.  He's all about the bottom line and isn't willing to give her any more than she's getting…which is $380 a week, by the way.  John reminds his wife that they need to save for the baby, and she suggests selling John's pool table to make room for a playroom.  Shockingly, John isn't opposed to the idea.

Jeff is a brave man, and he attempts to go over finances with Blair.  He's throwing around terms like "property taxes" and "homeowners' insurance" while Blair counters him, saying that he pays for all of their entertainment.  He's springing for Dom on the weekends, and Jeff is just paying the mortgage.  Tit for tat, right?  Blair gets very defensive when asked to put more towards the house, and his approach to adult conversations is extremely childish.

After a few days of the honeymoon phase, Kim and Alaska are back to bickering non-stop  before he heads back to the West Coast.  Thay are having an asinine argument about Asian fusion cuisine versus Thai versus Chinese versus why can't Kim order Alaska take-out he wants instead of eating Asian take-out in front of him.  Ridiculous.

Tarz is walking the red carpet with his wife, but he feels very out of place.  Does he stand next to Tina?  Behind her?  Does he hide completely?  He decides to bide his time by buddying up to one of her stalkers more dedicated fans.  At the party, Tarz is surprised that the guests and fans aren't hostile towards their relationship.  In fact, he's having a blast at the party, and he loves to watch his wife perform.  Tina is hoping that his excitement will carry over into the bedroom.

Kathryn and John are checking out their employees on the new tanning salon surveillance.  He jokes calls the salon to joke with one of the girls who is lounging on the counter.  It's not at all creepy.

After the party, Tina tries to convince Tarz to put up his laptop so that she can dance on the foot of the bed.  Instead of finding her sexy, Tarz makes the mistake of calling her "cute."  Tina's insecurities are getting the best of her, and Tarz is honest in saying that he's just not at a place where he's into sex all the time.  Um, I'd say that's a big problem this early into marriage…

Next week, Kathryn has a baby shower with a pool table twist, and Jeff meets with a financial planner sans BlairTina makes another ill-fated attempt to turn on Tarz in a rainbow feather costume, and Kim and Alaska still butt heads.

TELL US-WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE?  WAS BLAIR BEING REALLY IMMATURE? 

[Photo Credit: Bravo]

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