The December 8, 2011 episode of Braxton Family Values opened with Trina and Towanda taking Evelyn out to lunch to find out the details about her new boyfriend. Towanda was shocked that Evelyn had been dating him for a month and a half without saying anything.
They were disappointed by Evelyn's reluctance to divulge any details about the relationship. Trina finally hit on the idea of asking Evelyn to bring him along on a double date with her and Gabe. Evelyn accepted the invitation.
Since Tamar was focused on her solo project, Toni replaced her with Traci for her upcoming show. She met with both of them in the hopes that Tamar would teach Traci the choreography, but she worried Tamar would be more dictatorial than instructive. Traci confessed she didn't even know all of Toni's songs, much less the choreography.
A Double Dinner Date
Trina brought Gabe to their dinner date with Evelyn and her boyfriend and expressed her displeasure at the early time (Evelyn asked to meet them at 4). She was happy to find that Evelyn's new man was a doctor educated in Antigua, but was embarrassed by Gabe's inappropriate questions. Evelyn said she felt Gabe needed "to be seen and not heard".
Towanda went along with Trina and Traci to L.A. to help Toni prepare for her show. Trina told a story about meeting Hill Harper on the plane, and Towanda was embarrassed because of her crush on him. Tamar said Harper might be able to help her with her acting career.
Towanda's Acting Ambitions
Towanda spoke about needing an agent, but Tamar was skeptical that she really had everything she needed. The conversation quickly turned into a discussion of girl crushes and whether Tamar wanted to have children. She said she had too many things to do and wasn't ready yet.
Towanda and Toni discussed her acting career more in the car. Towanda talked about her versatility and her soap opera addiction. Toni didn't think acting was "a realistic choice" for her but said nothing for fear of discouraging her.
Evelyn went to dinner with Toni and talked about her plans to move closer to the city. She wasn't comfortable with the idea of moving in with her new boyfriend. Toni respected her mother's "old-fashioned" beliefs but didn't agree with them.
A Disastrous Choreography Lesson
At the choreography lessons, Towanda wondered why Tamar was "acting like a bad impression of Debbie Allen in Fame". Trina noted that Traci was "a rusty dancer" and Tamar was "a terrible teacher". To no one's surprise, Traci and Tamar ended up clashing, and Tamar left the building.
Later, Tamar and Trina gave Toni a progress report. Toni noted that Traci was "fragile" and asked Tamar to be patient in teaching her. Tamar wasn't happy that everyone was "babying" Traci and said she felt attacked. Traci tried to make Tamar realize that she needed to encourage Traci rather than being constantly negative.
The sisters took Evelyn to Le Petit Chateau for lunch and she said she and her boyfriend were "giving each other a break for a minute". She confessed she wasn't ready for a "very serious" relationship. Tamar asked her embarrassing questions about kissing, and Evelyn said her daughters needed to "grow up and take their minds out of the gutter". She said the mindset was different at her age.
Traci's Performance Anxiety
As Toni's show approached, Traci became increasingly nervous (and Towanda was extremely nervous for her). She worked through the moves with Trina and had trouble doing them correctly. Toni noted that Traci's confidence was "in the gutter" and felt it was important to build up her self-esteem.
Traci was happy about the positive feedback but Towanda still worried that she wasn't really ready. Right before the show, Trina admitted she was "nervous as hell". More problems arose when Toni had trouble finding sequined panties that would fit her "big ol' booty".
Trina found Towanda's negativity counterproductive, but nothing would change Towanda's opinion that Traci wasn't prepared. Traci was so scared she would mess up that she was shaking. Toni expressed her optimistic opinion that everything would be fine.
Traci had difficulty with some of the moves, and Towanda noted that there was one song where she didn't know the choreography or the words. She was so ashamed she left the stage, to Toni's shock. Toni said she wouldn't let Traci give up and called her back to the stage. Traci successfully performed the routine for the song and Toni was proud of her.
Paul Brown - Paul Ferrell Brown graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1994 with a B.A. in English literature, and completed his M.A. in ...
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