On tonight’s edition of Total Bellas, Nikki Bella finds herself in some more life problems. With her man John Cena telling her things she doesn’t want to hear, the relationship is back on the rocks. And who will be the legal guardian for Birdie if her parents pass away? All of that and more on the latest episode of Total Bellas!
Nikk Bella & John Cena
Nikki is practising backstage before her SmackDown Live segment. She shares a cute moment with Daniel Bryan as the two celebrate how “weird” it is for them to work together. Well, it’s been a while, so you’d assume they’d be used to it now. But I digress! We’re then shown the clip of The Miz and Maryse shooting on Bella and Cena from an episode of SmackDown Live from March. After a bit of trash-talking from the It Couple – with a big reference to Maryse, Cena and Nikki come out. Bella insists on fighting Maryse right then and there, but General Manager Daniel Bryan comes out with a better idea. At Wrestlemania, which is two-ish weeks away in WWE time, The Miz and Maryse will face Nikki Bella and John Cena in a tag match! Nikki celebrates in the confessional – they’re going to Wrestlemania together!
Nikki, Brie Bella and Kathy Colace are at a store to get Brie a nursing bra. As Nicole and John’s five-year anniversary is coming up, Bella wonders what to get her man as a gift. Brie, as Brie does, says that he should get her an engagement ring, and the conversation turns sour. Nikki gets upset at the thought of her man not proposing to her and it’s hard for Kathy to cheer her up… So she doesn’t. Onto brunch?
The entire Bella fam shows up and the family soon discusses their wills. John attempts to explain the difference between a will and a living trust to Nikki, but it mostly goes over her head – which is why we love her! Things get even more troubling for our star however as the pair get in the car and she asks John who his State of Attorney is. And unfortunately her, she finds out that it’s not her. In fact, not only is she not even second, John says that she isn’t even on the list. However, before we plan a Cena protest, John insists that he doesn’t want her to have the burden of making that choice between life and death, so refuses to give it to her. And although this is pretty reasonable, Nikki isn’t buying it. She sees the situation as “taking them a few steps back” rather than forward. Nicole does make a good point though, as he refuses to tell her who it actually is… The scene gets a little uncomfortable as John’s voice becomes more stern as he insists that this information is “confidential” and that he has “chosen the right person.” Oh, John…
J.J. Garcia decides to take Nicole with him to a funeral home to find out about all of the information on her potential death scenarios. Turns out that the person they’re meeting with is somebody that lost their identical twin previously. What are the odds?! She even shared her wedding with the twin (not in that way!).
They find out that the next of kin will be the only one able to make decisions, and decide on whether Nikki wants to be cremated or buried. After all of the death talk freaks Nikki out, they head back in the car.
Whilst in the car, J.J. tells Nikki of the news that Brie told them earlier, and that is that Brie chose J.J. and Lauren Garcia as Birdie’s legal guardians if Brie and Bryan pass away. The two then call Kathy and instead of actually talking to her, they fight. Poor Kathy! Nikki insists that she would have a better connection with Birdie as she’s Brie’s identical twin, but J.J. refuses to believe her. Oh, J.J., let her have this one, please?
When Nikki is at her mother’s house she asks Kathy to be her Power of Attorney. However, Colace refuses to take on that role. It just gets worse and worse for Nicole, doesn’t it? Kathy insists that she doesn’t want to be the one to make that decision as it’s too emotionally draining. Nikki takes to the confessional to express how she understands her mother and John’s decisions, but she’s still not happy with it.
Backstage at SmackDown, Nikki informs John of their trip to the funeral home. We then find out that John previously came up with the idea to bury themselves as seeds to create “big, beautiful” trees. And it appears that Nikki is pretty happy with that idea!
Nicole and J.J. are then seen hanging out in Nikki’s pool and we see them have a bit of sibling banter. The topic moves on to John and J.J. eventually reveals the contents of their conversation from an episode from two weeks ago. Nicole’s brother tells her that John’s mind has been “completely changed” on marriage… So if you didn’t already know, now you probably do know how this season will end. Even though John already said this to Nikki a while back, she takes it as an improvement as this is the first time he’s said to somebody else. So things are looking up!
Brie Bella & Daniel Bryan
Whilst Bryan is picking fruits in his garden, Brie confronts him with the topic of death and babies. Very fun indeed. Bella discusses what would happen to their child if they were unable to take care of her anymore (i.e. if they passed away). Brie says that in an instant, she would ask Nikki to take care of Birdie as they’re so close and she would be able to do what’s necessary. However, the fact that John doesn’t want kids comes to mind, and stops the pair from making a final decision. The other option is J.J. and Lauren Garcia. Bryan, whilst fond of the two, believes that due to their current marital issues, he wouldn’t want Birdie living with a couple that could be broken up. So the decision is difficult.
Brie hits up Saguaro Lake to have her final photoshoot for her ongoing maternity shoot as she is three weeks away from her due date. Bella definitely gives off her best poses in the stunning photos!
J.J. and Lauren show up and receive some important news. Brie reveals that the couple will be the people that will take care of Birdie if they are gone. Aw! The duo are honored to be the legal guardians, and if it’s worth anything, the two seem to be getting along pretty well.
When in the car with Nikki, Brie explains her decision (after finding out that J.J. spilled the beans). Brianna insists that as much as she wants Nicole to be the legal guardian, she doesn’t want to give her child to John as he doesn’t want kids. Nicole however says that he would change his mind in that instance, so this somewhat changes her sister’s mind. Brie tells her sister that if John ever openly admits to this, then she will do it. But it seems that the decision is still with Lauren and J.J..
Kathy Colace & John Laurinaitis
The pair are at lunch with J.J. and Lauren, and the conversation gets awkward quickly. After Kathy brings up taking an Instagram photo, J.J. comments on how “old” she is. And to combat that, Colace and Laurinaitis state just how not-old they are – just take a look at their sex life! J.J. quickly takes to the confessional to express how disgusted he is, as he would. We’ll just skip the rest of this scene…
Later on, Brie, Nikki and Kathy go out to buy a nursing bra for Brie. Kathy very quickly turns the trip into something sexual – yikes. She is seen “perving out on the nursing bras” (a quote Brie says, by the way) and tells the girls that it can be used for a baby or a man. Time to move on!
We catch up with the family one night to see them having Happy Hour to catch a bit of a break. One of the twins’ friends ask Johnny and Kathy about their first year of marriage, as it’s supposed to be the “hardest” year. The pair agree that it hasn’t been a problem as they’re at a point in their life where they’re beyond a lot of the troubles of life. Johnny insists that it doesn’t matter what she wears as she is “sexy to [him] 24/7.” He says that regardless of what she wears, the “gift wrap comes off.” And to ensure that the group is completely creeped out, the pair also compare some of Kathy’s recently bought underwear – nice one, guys.
Nikki and Brie take to the confessionals to discuss how weird this is. Although Brie feels uncomfortable with it though, she intends for Birdie to not go through the same thing with her. The soon-to-be mother wants her daughter to be okay with the discussion of sex. Nikki however, isn’t keen on the idea with their mother. At all. Anyway, time to hit up the party bus!
Deleted scene:
Brie and Nikki head to a podcast called ‘Girl Talk’. Here they discuss how they wanted to be different than most celebrities, and intend to use their platform to “inspire and motivate people.” Brie insists that regardless of how many followers everyone has, we all have a platform to share our voice. She also wants to make sure that young girls aren’t just looking at selfies of her all of the time, she also wants them to be influenced by her.
Still to come on Total Bellas:
- Nikki Bella discusses the idea of retirement
- The Bella family plan a Viking-themed surprise for Bryan
- J.J. and Nikki have a (potential) fight
- The twins see their new line of WWE dolls
- Kathy has a breakdown
- Brie goes into labour
- Nikki says “if I die in that ring, I die in that ring”
- The proposal!
Thoughts: If there’s one word to describe this episode, it’s awkward. Between the sex talk, the conversations on death, lying and the Nena drama, the theme is pretty apparent. Total Bellas is great at telling two or three (and sometimes four) different stories at once whilst linking them all together. This week, it was the topic of death, but most importantly, the theme of awkwardness. And despite the constant cringing, it works, doesn’t it?
Last week we touched on how the lack of John Cena is actually a good thing for the show. This week proves that we are right. Despite being a fan of his, it’s hard to enjoy his scenes as he comes across so forceful and lifeless almost all of the time. The car is especially the worst. Here the conversation is so uncomfortable to watch I find it difficult to watch without needing it to end. Every time he speaks on the show it’s as if he just arrived on set and intends to finish the scene of as soon as possible. I adore John, I really do. But if he’s not going to pull his weight with making the scenes enjoyable, then I’m fine with just watching him on WWE and his films. We tune in to see the Bella family go through tough times and have fun. But when we see John we’re just watching somebody so mundane that it sucks out the fun of Total Bellas. Stick to giving him one or two scenes per episode, please. He’s a great guy but this isn’t the show for him!
There are points that John is enjoyable though, and it does kind of redeem him. When we see the gang backstage during WWE shows, the funnier side to John is shown. He comes across as funny and more human, which is what we need. This might have something to do with the fact that these scenes – at least with him – are actually real, and not set up. I doubt that Mr. Cena has a lot of time to spare when at WWE, so when the cameras do catch him, he’s being himself, rather than being told how to act by a Director. The couple seem great on Instagram and Twitter, as well as a few scenes, so it may just be the faux nature of reality TV holding him back.
I will say this though: John is super corny, and this may play a part in his story tonight. When he says that he won’t tell Nicole who his Point of Attorney is, could he insinuating that the person will be his wife? John isn’t exactly going to hide the person he’s chosen, because why would he not want his girlfriend (and soon to be fiancee) to know? Maybe it’s my Nena shipping heart talking, but I sure think this is the case!
Kathy and Johnny’s arc is a decent one, but unfortunately feels like a filler. The two spend the episode making sex jokes and for the most part, it’s not even funny. There’s no story progression in it and it just feels like jokes that could be thrown into any episode. But, it is reality TV, and we do need some kind of relief from the drama – especially when all we’re talking about is death. If only the jokes were actually funny, though.
Brie and Bryan’s parts of the episode are definitely the best. Her discussion with Bryan is so pure and innocent, yet serious at the same time. We see the pair joking whilst also coming up with realistic options to explore. And what makes it work is that it feels real. Witnessing the couple being themselves is the best thing they can offer, so that probably explains why they’re more enjoyable than Nena. Maybe more Braniel feat. Nikki, rather than Braniel and Nena, perhaps?
Overall, the episode is okay. It’s definitely the worst of the season as there are very few funny moments and John’s mundane personality is far too prominent. The only saving graces are Brie and Bryan’s arc, if we’re being honest. But still, it’s not a terrible episode, just not exactly the ideal one.
What do you think of the episode? Do you want more John or less of him? Who is John’s Point of Attorney? Did Brie make the right decision? How do you feel about the Kathy and Johnny arc? Let us know your views in the comments below!
