‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ preview: Teresa Giudice prepares for Joe to start prison sentence

The past couple of episodes on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” have served as a setup for Joe Giudice beginning his prison sentence, and on Sunday night’s new episode, that moment is coming. It will be emotional, painful, and it is certainly uncharted water for many within this series. You’re not just saying goodbye to someone who is heading off on an exotic vacation; Joe’s going to be gone for presumably over three years. We’ll see if he serves full time, but odds are that we won’t see him for at least a couple of seasons of this show, provided that it keeps going and Teresa Giudice is a part of the cast.

Sunday’s synopsis – “Teresa tries to stay strong as she says goodbye to her husband, Joe, as he surrenders and begins his 41-month prison sentence. Siggy visits the Holocaust Memorial with her family and recounts her father’s incredible journey to freedom, while Dolores shops for final touches for her housewarming party. Later, in a twist of faith, we see a drop of hope for Jacqueline and Teresa’s friendship.”

There is no real way to cast things in a better light when you’re talking about prison, so there is probably next to nothing that Teresa or anyone close to her could do to make this situation better for her. Yet, the “drop of hope” may at least be a tiny ray of sunshine in a cloudy storm. Seeing Teresa and Jacqueline move forward in their friendship, if it lasts, could help her get through this tough time.

Promo – What makes this all the more emotional is the footage from Teresa and Joe’s past in here. While it’s hard to necessarily feel sorry for someone when they did something wrong, at the same time it is easy to sympathize with the emotional plight. That is front and center here, and it may be for some time.

Stay tuned; we’ll be back with another sneak peek from this episode later this weekend. (Photo: Bravo.)