A few bottles downed and the perfect fist-pumping tunes leaving no conversation uninterrupted, the Jersey Shore" housemates party their underwears off at the start of Episode 2. Mike, specifically, finds luck on his side when he bumps into his old summer go-to, Paula (who Sitch kindly reminds us is the very same girl who fell down the top deck's staircase a couple years back), at the club. Unfortunately, Vinny has less success getting back into the game, and Pauly D and Ronnie pick up on his funk. The guys try to convince Vin he just needs a wild night out and a smush or two to get back into the swing of things.
After surviving a monsoon on the way home from the boardwalk, Snooki's concerned that Mike's a little too chummy with her guy, Jionni. She appreciates Mike's kindness in lending J some dry clothes and underwear (uhh...), but the guy is insistent on hand-delivering the couple some drunchies even after the bedroom door is closed (and even while DTF Paula awaits!). Snooks grows wary of Mike's potential let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag motives, but Jionni, who's just hungry, doesn't notice and continues to praise Mike for his friendliness.
Jenni and Sammi grow increasingly concerned about where Vin's head is at when he's late to work and leaves the girls to run the Shore Store as a twosome. After finally arriving and putting some time in behind the counter, Vin takes a walk with his boss and breaks down his years-running struggle with anxiety to Danny. Vin feels lifted for saying it out loud, and he assures Danny that hitting on the guy's girlfriend will remedy his clouded head.
Meanwhile, a solid GTL session goes off without a hitch. Well, except that Pauly D HAS BURNED HIS FACE OFF by overcompensating for his Florence-induced paleness. No matter--when the first night back at Karma is on the horizon, nothing can get a guido down. Snooki takes off her underwears to eliminate the temptation to disgust Jionni while out (we swear it's sound logic...), but she still manages to piss off the group at the club after drunkenly lambasting her modest bf and implying he's missed the boat on her "chicken cutlets." The night is still a win for Deena and Pauly, though, who both land hookup buddies.
While Deena's night turns out to be nothing but a good time, Pauly notices, after kindly sending his smush off in a cab, that his necklace is missing, and he can't find the prized possession anywhere. Is it the fault of amnesia? An exceedingly messy room? Nope! Just Pauly's crazy date, Shantel, who stuck the chain in her underwears-of-steel before heading off. Luckily, and for reasons we're not entirely sure of, she returned the dirty bling the very next day--who's got some antiseptic?
At the amusement park to clear his head, Vinny tells Ron he is past the point of no return, and while he appreciates his friends' efforts, he has no interest in drinking or partying for the foreseeable future. Vin's sad mood permeates the house, and his seven partners-in-crime continue to feel the kid sinking. The group concludes it's best to back off and leave Pauly to have a heart-to-heart with his best friend, but no amount of coaxing works, and, with PD in the room, Vin calls his sister and asks her to come get him.
While on his way back to Staten Island, Vinny says he needs time to recover, but is he gone from the "Jersey Shore" for good? Stay tuned to see if he can overcome his anxiety, plus take a look at the "Hook-Up" clip below to catch the group's analysis of Mike and Jionni's odd friendship.
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