Kim Zolciak-Biermann’s life is in utter chaos. She and her husband are trying to raise four kids and build their dream home. On top of the day to day craziness, Kim is engaged in a legal battle with her estranged mother.

An Influx of Kash

After a brief look back at a few key events that have occurred in Kim Zolciak’s life over the past couple of years, the Don’t Be Tardy…season two premiere opens with Kim giving birth to her and husband Kroy Biermann’s second son. After Kim recently appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion minus the wig and looking quite understated and lovely, it was disappointing to see her back to looking like a drag queen. The show doesn’t linger on the birth for long and little Kash Kade makes his first TV appearance in record time.

Krushed Together

The show then leaps forward three months. Kim and Troy, along with sons KJ and Kash and daughters Brielle and Ariana are all living in Kim’s townhouse. Feeling that she and her girls had outgrown the space long ago, it is obvious that they are bursting uncomfortably at the seams now.

Urban Cowboy

While Kroy helps Ariana build a volcano for a school science project, Brielle shops online for a car. Since Brielle isn’t especially motivated when it comes to academics, Kim tries to bribe Brielle by telling her that if she gets good grades, Kroy might agree to buy her a car. Neither Brielle or her mother seem to have set very high standards regarding the girl’s future. She wonders how she’ll ever be able to afford a car working a minimum wage job.Kroy talks about the hefty money he earned when he was young branding cattle. It is obvious that Brielle and Kim haven’t seen a western show or movie because they claim to have no idea of what he’s talking about. Kim calls the practice “barbaric.” Since there aren’t many ranch hand openings for teenage girls in Atlanta, Brielle excuses herself to do her homework.

Toilet Seat Covers are Cheaper

Kim and Kroy make a trip to check the progress being made on their dream home. They scored an unfinished fixer-upper that was in foreclosure and are stuck in construction hell. Kim had a Teresa Guidice moment when she said that their previous house was “used” and she doesn’t like to sit on someone else’s toilet seat. Kim also said that she and Kroy don’t do well “in other people’s energy.” Well, anyone who watched Kim this season on the RHOA knows that those were not the reasons why they moved. There were rumors of eviction and insufficient funds but not a word about toilets.

Kim questions the builder on how long it will take to complete the house. He informs her that their contract stipulates one year, but that he thinks he can have it finished in nine months. They proceed to do a walk through, and Kim brags about how spectacular everything will be and how the house will be worth several million dollars. Her attitude quickly changes when she and Kroy are informed that they have black mold growing on the ceiling of one room. Potentially toxic, the ceiling will have to be ripped open to eradicate the mold. After that news flash, Kim suddenly refers to her dream house as a money pit. This makes a used toilet seat seem much more appetizing.

Mommy Dearest

Kim receives a call from her publicist who tells her that her mother, Karen, is trying to shop a book around about Kim and her kids. The book will claim among other things that Kim used to be a stripper. It turns out that Kim and Kroy have not spoken to her parents since their minor tussle at the wedding. Now, out of nowhere, her mother is trying to cash in on their daughter’s D-List fame. While Kroy is irate, Kim is more worried about what her mother could conjure up about her to make the book a bestseller and her mother a celebrity. It is pretty disgusting that Karen doesn’t have any concern on how all of this could affect her grandchildren.

Not only is Kim’s mother planning a nasty tell-all, she’s also suing Kim for the right to have grandparent visitation with her granddaughters. Overwhelmed and confused, Kim and Kroy consult an attorney regarding their options. According to Kim, she has never refused her mother the right to spend time with Brielle and Ariana. What’s even more upsetting is that Karen shows no interest in trying to secure time with either KC or Kash.

The lawyer tells them they will answer Karen’s complaint and deny all of her allegations. Kim and Kroy are objecting to the visitation which is understandable given the circumstances but contradictory to what Kim said moments earlier which is that she would NEVER deny her mother access to the girls. Then they will all have to attend mediation that is required by the court. Kim learns that if she doesn’t show up, she can be held in contempt and face criminal and civil charges.

Save the Drama for Your Mama

Kim and Kroy decide not to tell Brielle and Ariana about what is going on with their grandmother hoping to shield them from as much of the negativity and ugliness as they can. So they push their legal troubles to the back of their minds and enjoy some family time celebrating Ariana’s birthday. The couple throw Ariana’s party at Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park.

Kim and Kroy aren’t able to protect Brielle and Ariana from all of the nasty accusations for long because a story released by the tabloids alleges that Kim called her mother an unfit grandparent and that she doesn’t want her daughters around “a disrespectful old lady.” Now that the family feud has been picked up by the social media, Kim and Kroy have no choice but to tell Brielle and Ariana the truth.

I expected Don’t Be Tardy… to try and paint Kim as a modern-day Lucille Ball. I was surprised at how different she is now compared to how she was on The Real Housewives of Atlanta or even during Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding. She is still over the top, but she’s also a devoted mother going through a very difficult time in the public eye. Of course, some of that is by her own design. I don’t expect all of the future episodes to maintain such a sober tone, but it was nice to see her more grounded and down-to-earth than she has been in the past.

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(Image courtesy of Bravo)

Jennifer Lind-Westbrook

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.