Gray Bunny

Tonight's Part 1 is a reminder that they need to change up some of this cast. It reminded me of New York season 4 where all they did was bicker and trash talk and interrupt each other, with no resolution on anything. What have they accomplished so far? Ford Focus was caught in another lie, Froggie reverted to form and called Kenya a whore, and Kandi and NeNe see each other for who they are. Okay. And an eagle's nest landed on Cynthia's head. This better turn around in the 2nd & 3rd parts or else its gonna feel like a total waste (reality TV *is* a waste of time, but it shouldn't *feel* like it).

An article said she still doesn't think she has a problem, she's only going because she got arrested and humiliated her family. She's still in denial. Hopefully, she'll have an "Ah ha!" moment during her time spent there. We'll see. Either way, for her own sake, she should NOT return to RHOBH for season 6.

Good for Jodie Sweetin. Anything to keep her off the meth.

Old-school NYC fun! Fun episode. All we needed was Jill. (Alex was always the odd man out, so I'm not missing her much) I'm loving the new dynamics with the old ladies... LuAnn & Bethenny friends; Bethenny vs. Ramona; Ramona & LuAnn friends; Sonja the odd woman out; even Kelly's silly fanny was a welcome addition, for one night only. You can tell in Bethenny's talking heads that she's just groaning about Kelly for the sake of the cameras. They squashed all that junk eons ago. But I'll take it, and I like that Bethenny's beef with LuAnn over inviting her was quickly resolved. Bethenny promotes THE HELL out of her products. The ladies taking arm fulls of Skinnygirl products from her house was hilarious. Carole and a blender?! LuAnn and Ramona's heart-to-heart was lovely. I guess what they're saying is true: divorce/life without Mario suits Ramona well. She may be down, but she's not out. And unlike other wives, she's made her millions and will be just fine financially, even without any alimony. I'm actually finding myself liking Carole and Heather more, because of their genuine close friendship they've forged with LuAnn. They make a good team, with veteran LuAnn as the lead. Kristen, meh, just a filler in the room when the four ladies are together. The scenes with the brunches were kinda choppy, and I hope this isn't an indicator of what happens when you have 8 castmembers, but perhaps they just needed to amp up the tension in the scenes because there wasn't much in actuality. We'll see. Bethenny's remarks towards Heather are kinda bitchy, but I'll take it because Heather's squirming. She's not sitting in comfort when Bethenny's around. It was funny, how Heather was schooling Bethenny on Ramona's past behavior and Bethenny had no interest in hearing about it. Bitchy, but funny. I'm loving Dorinda and look forward to see her integrated with the ladies. She gives no f.cks about stating her opinion, which is always spot on. Carole dating men half her age. Whatevs. If they like that nooked-in-the-microwave look on their ladies, then I'll buy it. I think Kristen was on the episode too.

Totally agree, and pretty much said the same thing a couple weeks ago. Also agree that having Atlanta last for 6 months PLUS a 3-part reunion, PLUS whatever spinoff or 3-week Kandi arc they have each year is spreading themselves too thin. This is the franchise that was hitting 4.6+ million last year, and now people are indifferent.

Bravo is just shady enough to praise Y&R on one show (BH) and diss it on another (ATL). I say go for it. Let's see how "Ria" holds up on reality TV.

No.

Not surprised about Kim, but I wonder if this lil "slip" is a result of watching the reunion and seeing the ugliness between her and her sister? (I'd also hit the bottle if I saw what years and years of sun damage does to your face at 50 years on high-def TV. YIKES. Thank God I stopped fake-bake tanning! Kim Richards reminds me every time I see her on TV what happens when you don't take care of your skin)

ATL: I haven't liked Porsha since day one because she's ridiculously dumb, has an obnoxious voice, ignorant as hell, and nowadays she's such a poser with all her lil cutesy anecdotes and cut downs. They're not cute. Neither is she. Never was. That's all. BH: DaytimeFan said it all. Kim is disgusting. Overall, I think Lisa Rinna is awesome on this show, even more awesome in her talking heads, but isn't quite as polished at her reunion etiquette. She didn't bomb, the way NYC's Carole bombed after a successful season 5, but she could be a bit extra at times. Overall, though, a fantastic addition and I hope she returns next year, alongside her fellow Lisa and fellow soap sister. NYC: It's an interesting dynamic, seeing Bethenny return to the fold. I like that they admit the last time they saw her was on her talk show. It takes some of the fakeness away. There's an uneasiness with Heather. You can tell by the look on her face that she's intimidated by Bethenny. I really liked Dorinda's perspective about the ladies, from the ones she already knew to the new ones she's never met. LuAnn's new home is lovely, and the view is fabulous. Sonja's getting the villain edit this season and I'm fine with that because she's an idiot. So Kelly returns for an episode next week. Ho hum. I'd rather it be Jill, even if for one episode. Ramona was being too much with Bethenny. Those two are quite a pair, because neither one backs down. But, they actually became good friends in season 3, and Ramona appeared a couple of times on Bethenny's talk show, as well as WWHL together, and they have a great chemistry together. Side note: I wonder why Ramona's voice is lower and scratchier than it used to be. It's been this way since last season.

Of course Brandi's gonna say Eileen doesn't bring anything to the table. She thinks that drunken antics, baseless attacks, $12.99 internet background checks, and being a tacky twat with no underpants is what brings in ratings. P.S. She's wrong. An estranged husband's suicide does the trick. (I kid... Sorta)

So would they *both* be official Housewives?

I want to see a strong Korean housewife on one of these. Preferably lesbian, but I'll settle for straight.

I didn't see the big deal what Claudia did, but in all honesty, I thought the season finale should've been last week and last night's episode felt like a Lost Footage / Secrets Revealed filler with a bunch of extra stuff that doesn't really matter to the overall story arc. That TV pilot can NOT be real, Kenya. If it is, please for the love of Jesus, get a real actress to play whatever Cynthia was trying to do!

Fantastic assessment, as usual Cat. I'm glad that, even though you're not a big fan of her, you can see Bethenny's important dynamic to the show. I loved your summary of Dorinda, and you're absolutely correct: she's not putting up a front; not trying to be or look like something she's not. I like that. Reading her first blog, I look forward to seeing her interactions with the ladies, because she clearly has opinions about some of them (Kristen, Sonja, Heather, etc.), while surprisingly hitting it off with others (Bethenny, Carole, already long-time friends with Ramona & LuAnn). I'm ready for a Bethenny vs. Heather. Heather is a lil too holier-than-thou and Bethenny can call a spade a spade with a plethora of vocabulary terms. While Kristen's hubby is in the market for shallow surgery, he should pin back those ears of his. Re: BH. And to think, the reality show haters were saying this would tarnish Eileen's reputation. All it did was confirm was a fabulous woman she is, onscreen and off! Hoping she and the two Lisas return next year.

http://www.forwardprogressives.com/reality-hillary-clinton-liberals-need-face/ Interesting read.

Yes. We need an Eileen on each franchise. Particularly in Atlanta.

RHONY: Loving Bethenny's return! She's definitely looking older (her opening shot with rest of the football team holding up their apples isn't very flattering), but I'm guessing she's been stressed out these past couple years, as evidenced by her lil' talking head emotional breakdown. She's either legitimately distraught over the whole thing, or she and her people have really come up with a fantastic way to repair/improve her public image. Either way, she's always been a favorite Housewife of mine. Ramona, I'm also loving this softer, more honest & vulnerable side to her. I liked Dorinda's natural introduction as her caring friend. She was supportive and listened to Ramona the way a friend should. Unlike aloof Sonja who seemed to make it a pissing contest over who's had it worse. Sonja is a mess. And not a fun one. She already rubbed me the wrong way last year, particularly at the reunion. It's like she's not all there in the head anymore. Ramona is blunt and crass, but she knows what she's doing. Sonja legit has no clue. I liked LuAnn and Bethenny's interaction. It definitely felt like old times, with them slipping right back into things. They had their issues in season 3, but overall, they were cool with one another. I still have this veterans vs. newbie mentality when I watch NYC, even though Carole & Heather are in their 3rd season. We have three of the originals back along with sloppy Sonya. These 4 represent when this franchise was at its best. Then you have Carole, Heather, Kristen, (and newbie Dorinda), none of them being real breakout stars. We know Andy loves Carole, but there isn't a real buzz about her overall. Carole and Heather are okay, but supporting overall. Carole's biggest story was #BookGate which was ho-hum. Kristen? BLAH. Luckily, with a cast this big, there's opportunity for people to mingle and mix it up. It's basically like Atlanta last season and Beverly Hills in season three, except all "Friends Of..." got Housewife billing.

I'm actually looking forward to the OC ladies returning, and I'm normally indifferent about that franchise in general. I can use a break from a select few ATL ladies. Not sure if we'll see OC on Sunday nights (Monday?) but I hope OC and NYC run concurrently and bring Bravo some surprisingly good numbers.

Not sure why Full House is looked down upon so. In all honesty, a lot of sitcoms back then (at least, the ABC sitcoms I can think of off the top of my head) had heavy doses of cheese, corniness, and life lessons neatly wrapped up in 22 minutes (unless it was *really* special, in which case a two-parter was was given). A lot of those that I grew up with -- Family Matters, Step By Step, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, etc. -- had the exact same elements, and were hits for what they were back then. Nowadays, with everything being cheeky, sarcastic, and self-aware, a whole network lineup of this kind of programming would flop. What we could use even nowadays is a nice balance of well-written characters, genuine laugh-out-loud humor, and a bit of sexual innuendo that is clever enough that the actual sex acts and words are not uttered, but merely hinted at.... or, just watch reruns of The Golden Girls and you're set.

Joining the growing trend of 90's TV revival. Because that was the last time TV was good.

Brandi did nothing but show how classless, tacky, vile, hated, and out on a limb she is. Towards the end of the episode, her insults and hatred got really, really dark. And it's only Part One! She may be seated next to Andy, but these ladies DESPISE her. And I'm talking about the important ones: Vanderpump and Kyle. The faces of Beverly Hills, like it or not. Bravo will fight to keep Vanderpump and keep her happy. I can't see her agreeing to put up with brandi's nonsense another season. There's no redemption or forgiving here. Next season shall be interesting... Sad to see Yolanda struggling to listen and speak. I don't think she was acting. Why would she? No reason to, unless she *really* was looking for an excuse to skip the 9+ hour filming. She redeemed herself this season and has her own real-life ish to worry about fighting, instead of squabbling with a bunch of hens.

It makes her a broke girl, too. It was speculated by us some years back when Russell Armstrong committed suicide, but we are definitely past the Moldavian Massacre on a lot of the Housewives franchises. NYC, I think this season will decide if they'll bother bringing them back for an 8th year. The mass firing in 2011 didn't help. They tried with the new cast, but the audience needed their originals. Now, Alex is in Australia and Jill is STILL loathed by the rest of the cast. I'm sure Bethenny's return will help garner interest and ratings, but I don't think they'll get back to season 3-4 numbers. If they hit 2 million at any point this upcoming season I'll be shocked. NJ, after squeezing out every last drop of story with the same ol' tired five ladies, seasons 3-5, they brought on 3 trashy replacements. Even the producers knew they were effed, and brought back 2 of the 3 ol' tired ladies, and their star, Teresa, was no longer highly favored. OC, who knows, we may see this one last long enough for Vicki's future granddaughters to stand right along side of her as new housewives. It just keeps on going. Not a "buzz-worthy" show, but a healthy enough audience to keep it coming back. BH, their momentum ended when it got too dark and they brought on the two flops last year, but this season was a great turnaround. Still, the dynamic of these same ladies can't last forever. I can already think of 2 long-timers that need to go [to rehab]. ATL, I used to think she'd bolt once she made it to Hollywood, but now NeNe and RHOA are like a married couple that want to divorce but stay together reluctantly for the greater good (I.E. Money!). I don't think she's necessary for the group of girls, but she's necessary as the face of the show. I can see this one lasting another few years, but again, some of the long-timers like Phaedra need to be rested. Have her pop up a year later at a party, like a Taylor or Adrienne.

Have you seen any of NYC seasons 1-3? 2 and especially 3 are Housewives at its finest salacious glory.

I loved NeNe seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4. Big fan & supporter. But 5, 6, and 7....?

I don't forget these... Sad that, as reports said, there was more to this but they peppered in NeNe's replies to make it seem more balanced.