Cat

Thank you for posting this! Two long months to go until this finally airs. 🫠 i wish they'd air it sooner. This definitely looks tighter narratively than season one. The only thing I was surprised by was the relative lack of Brooks. But Sara is really giving us a SL, and of course the 'break up' of Lesa and Ayan is set to be the linchpin of the season.

RHOP part 2 reunion: Maybe it's because I gave the second half of this season a pass, but I did not see the Ascendancy of Mia coming! It is clear at reunion that Mia Has Been Promoted. She will be carrying RHOP going forward. I don't know how I feel about that as I wanted Mia fired after last season. But this reunion has shown that Mia has learned lessons from her sophomore flop. While she still lies as easily as she breathes, she now knows that she will never outsmart the Jessica Fletchers of RH Twitter. So instead she has embraced her scandal and is now dictating its narrative. The way she talked about knowing Jeremiah was G's made me wonder if this paternity story was made up, as a hook to reel in viewers. That's the problem with Mia's word -- you can never trust it at face value and she will always put a crazy spin on everything. At the same time, I appreciate that this is a RH without true hate in her soul. She beefs with Karen and Wendy but she's not out for their blood. She learned from Candiace and Gizelle: if you keep targeting the object of your hatred, you get punished. Gizelle gets second seat, and Candiace gets the door. I'm starting to think more and more that Candiace's exit was a mutual parting of ways. So, who is next for the chopping block? Judging by the package put together to humanize Gizelle (and I wish we had seen a LOT more clips of the amazing Curtis Graves), production's pet is here to stay. When it came to a choice between Candi gal and Giz, Bravo blinked. If Gizelle is never truly punished, though, I don't think she will ever change her methods. And her methods are what are currently sinking the show. I don't think Robyn is gone --I think she will be demoted to FOH when all is said and done. That will be her punishment for leaving Juan at home. Did you all see Andy dogging her publicly by asking al the husbands why they came to sit behind their wives and Juan didn't? Wendy is gone. I can't shake the feeling that she's had a clutch of seasons to prove herself and it hasn't worked out. Nneka OTOH looks like a sane voice on the reunion couch and, as a result, she may get a second season. Her husband also looks like a drama queen so there's that. Ashley -- on the bubble, but she hasn't done anything in +4 seasons. Watching Karen after news of her DUI broke is an interesting experience. Karen is my fave HW across all the franchises, and I love that she loves most of this cast. She's definitely back next season, but if she doesn't own her DUI right off the bat, that may have repercussions on how the audience responds to her going forward.

I finally watched the final episode of RHOM during Easter weekend. It was so good! Julia breaking into an operatic dance classic and letting her dork flag fly. All the other HWs joining her on the dance floor. It was beautiful chaos. I remember the S11 reunion of RHONY and Luann breaking into one of her dance classics, and Bethenny and Dorinda spitting nails, they were so mad she got a song spot on the show. This group -- even Larsa -- embraced it. This is why I don't want this cast to change. They are interact perfectly together. If I were making bets. I'd say Kiki was heading for full-time promotion and Adriana was going to get cut. But I don't want Adriana or any of them to go. They ARE Miami. S1 is a small jewel (with Simon and Alex providing most of the laughs), while S2 and S3 are epic. (Watch for Ramona "Making a mountain out of a wholemill"). I also have a fondness for Morocco season, aka S4. Enjoy! RHONY was truly great from S1 to S10 IMO.

Oh cool. I can't wait to catch these ragamuffins in front of Big Ben complaining about the weather, lol. Apparently they kept the Boeing 747 waiting for 3 hours. They must have really endeared themselves to the other, already-nervous passengers about to embark on an 11-hour flight.

Gizelle was especially mean, cackling as Candiace welled up. Both she and Robyn were pretty cold in their ongoing quest to ice Candiace out (took me back to S5 when Monique warned Candiace her 'friends' would turn on her). I am at a point now where I think Bravo fired the wrong GEB. Gizelle is by far the greatest impediment to this cast moving forward. Robyn, for all her stupidity (and she still keeps going after Karen and gets her ass handed to her every tine for her troubles) would eventually make amends with Candiace. It was a solid reunion. Andy's mission statement at the start of the show was a warning, and I'm glad he made it. The franchise simply cannot withstand another season of two dueling sides. Mia's story was pure dramatic soap, and a good way to end Part 1 on a cliffhanger.

Exactly! Especially since Bravo appears to be tiptoeing away from the whole UGT thing. I like the nuRHONY cast but allowing them to interact with a few OGs (Erin and Ramona need to meet, too) will shake up the dynamic. Maybe it will even bring Jenna out of her shell, who knows. And speaking of shaking-it-up wishlists -- what is the thought on Heather Dubrow? Do you think she is integral to RHOC? (I do). Or would the RHOBH cast benefit from having her around?

Or a sojourn to the Hamptons with Luann and Sonja. Or the Berkshires. I'd even put up with seeing Dorinda again! Or a drink at Boutique. Something where we'd see Manhattan. Or the OGs checking out Sai's lodgings in Brooklyn.

I feel SO bad for the Beador girls and what they had to witness growing up with Shannon, David Beador and whatever that last boyfriend now dating Alexis was called. Re: RHONY, lord, don't give me hope, Lu! Luann's still got moves, wow. Also this song is literally THEE BEST.

I'm happy the nuRHONY cast is back (even Sai, who needs a second season) because the building blocks are there. Having said that, I'm surprised Jenna got the same concession a second year in a row (not showing her girlfriend). That is setting a bad precedent for other housewives, and anyway, the GF doesn't have to be on the show all the time -- a simple in and out is fine. A part of me was lowkey disappointed not to see, say, Sonja and Luann. But this was only an iPhone-filmed teaser. A careful merging of OGs and millennials might work, especially with Jessel, Brynn and Erin (weirdly). @Cheap21 congrats to Dr. Nicole and baby Genevieve!

I don't understand why RHOM is getting cast cuts if it averaged 1.8 mil but hey, I'm just happy that Miami and M2M did so much better than the live ratings let on. BH is obviously a monster that can't be beat, but yes, watch Rinna's face crack with that news. Meanwhile RHONY S15 released this budget mess: In the words of Danny Pellegrino:

Only just saw this. I had hoped that with reunion having been so good, that it saved everyone's spot. I feel very sad about it all. I hope it is just demotions here and there and that the cast in its entirety can be saved.

Robyn's out now! Wow.

I agree. She was very cold and matter-of-fact with Gordon in her final segments, and she is unapologetically a ruthless gold-digger. Nevertheless, despite the fact that I'm not a fan of her on a personal level, this is riveting TV. There was not a moment I did not doubt what I was watching between Mia and Gordon was real. I also was surprised at how Gordon basically owned up to letting Mia carry on this affair with this guy, he is so caught up by Mia that he wants her any way he can, and if that means turning a blind eye to an affair and raising a child that may not be his, so be it. It is astounding and sad to see him inflict this wound on himself because in the end, she dumped him anyway. Mia has secured the bag for Season 9 at least, where she will be the central figure of the show, and where Gizelle will either try to take her down (a futile move, in that Mia does not care to hide who she really is) or will align with her. The polar opposite of Mia is Ashley. She stirred Deborah up and has done for a while. She wanted her to go after Candiace, and no amount of "We are a sisterhood" discussions are going to convince me otherwise. She needs to be fired. I'm surprised and not surprised. Candiace was giving me grumpy 'I'd rather be anywhere but here' vibes, not just this season but last season. too. 'Late-stage Nene vibes' as someone on social media put it. This may be for the best, but it does leave Wendy almost completely without allies. This may be a season where half the cast goes (Candiace, Ashley, Wendy), or where some people's jobs are saved (hey, Robyn) because production fears enacting a bloodbath. And speaking of production, it needs to be replaced, too.

Not disputing the need for a few departures (Robyn) but that trailer looked somewhat OK to me...? The reunion stage looks like a Best Western hotel room, though. Ashley perched on the end of that sofa... yeah, not sure she'll be asked back next season. Why is Gordon there with Mia? She dumped him publicly, slobbered over her new guy, and he's sitting behind her supporting her and begging for crumbs. Gizelle reached for Karen instinctively when she was talking about her dad.

Oh, I can totally see Mia bringing this up. Now, I don't know about not hitting below the belt. Ever since the GEBs scrambled to get Monique off the show, it's been No Holds Barred with these women. They really will say anything (hello, Chris) to bring down another cast member. Gizelle eased off this year because of the backlash against Chrisgate, but that doesn't mean she won't revert to old habits next season. She may handle it nicer than usual, but Robyn has always threatened to 'expose' Karen, and Charrisse hates Karen, so R&C are going to be a team. And where does that leave Mia? Well, she's always wanted to roll with the GEBs. Honestly, there is nothing I'd like to see more than Gizelle, going through the blow of losing her dad, extending friendship and understanding to Karen -- and vice versa. That relationship goes back years. I'd love to see them come together and bond. And for those of you who want Rinna to return to RHOBH next season -- my commiserations:

I wish Karen had embraced some accountability instead of looking for excuses. Most of all, i hope she gets the help she needs, because this DUI is not the first time this has happened. You know that Robyn and Gizelle are going to rely on this next season in order to distract from cheating husbands/lack of SL. However, if Karen is able to own it, she will emerge all the stronger for it and be the one in charge of her own narrative. It was so obvious she was following Kyle's instructions, given the specificity with which she was going after Sutton and food. which was an 'issue' Kyle brought up first. Flopmarie looked completely bored at reunion and was virtually silent during Parts 2 and 3. Annemarie's statement. Yeah, Kyle definitely led her on.

Omg 😄

A solid (though filler-y) end to a very good season. Like @Cheap21, Quad lost me by going after Sweet Tea. Why? Sweet Tea literally left her alone the whole season. Quad is so desperate to stay on the show that she will leverage her ex-marriage for clicks. And watching her grovel in Simone's dressing room (Simone! The one who kicked her off the Napa Valley trip!) was both cringe and hilarious. She simply cannot afford to leave this show. There was no point to Apollo being there, aside from Andy (and me) having somebody to look at. I think Phaedra would be better off sidling back to RHOA and M2M upgrading Dr. Alicia. While she wasn't a standout newbie, there is a steel magnolia beneath that velvet glove, and she has an interesting marriage. Sweet Tea held her own with Heavenly. She risks becoming too ill-tempered and alienating fans in her second season, but I appreciate that she didn't let Heavenly walk all over her. It would behove Sweet Tea to forge real friendships with Simone and Toya. With Devilishly & Jackie, she is knocking on a closed door. I love Dr. Damon and can't believe that he'd ever cheat.

Gizelle looks really good. Can't believe I wrote that. Overall, this is probably the cast's most cohesively best looks.

"a cameo from one of the Sesame Street cast members" "straining the stitches of whatever dress she found for herself from Dress Barn" "The two least stylish cast members thinking they could break into the massively competitive athleisure space" You must have had a lot of fun writing this, because I had a lot of fun reading it! Hopefully reunion will be more exciting than whatever it was being served up this season -- and at the very least give us and the women some form of closure with each other. I saw RH reviewer (and author of Erika Jayne's 'autobiography') Brian Moylan on Twitter suggesting that the RHOP cast pull a Survivor and start voting people off the island and bring some fresh blood in. He said Karen should be exempt from the vote-off this time, but that it was time for Candiace, who is "giving late-stage Nene," to think about going. I thought it was an interesting assessment. I'd add a couple other names to that list, perhaps too many names (!), but the cast dynamic is no longer working and something needs to be changed.

The love for these kind of Murder, She Wrote/Columbo-esque flicks/limited series is under-estimated. It cuts across a lot of demos, from older generations (my parents literally chill out to MSW reruns) to Millennials who also grew up with the reruns, to kids starting to get into age-appropriate murder mysteries (Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie). We all know it was this very nostalgia which drove Knives Out to perform so well. This is an inspired choice for Dame Joan et al., and I'm surprised Lifetime or Hallmark haven't already bought the rights to air this. On another note, Jacob Young seems to be aging like fine wine. It's cool how he has been jumping into the directing sphere. When they did the AMC walk-down-memory-lane show a few years back, JY stood out in how dedicated he seemed to be to AMC, the strong ideas he had about the show and its direction. He didn't seem to be the kind of guy just content to spout his lines and go home; he had a lot of leader energy on that show. It made me wonder if he was planning to move into producing.

I didn't know that Vicki was back on RHOC (and I'm OK with that). And I am really dumb, because I thought this latest T&V feud was legit! You put your finger on why Kathy's appearance fell flat. Poor Crystal gamely tried to ask a few questions, but it was a hell of a job because she wants to be on Kathy's good side. FlopMarie said literally nothing for two episodes and looked deeply bored. Dorit and Erika didn't say much either but at least they gave us Reaction Shots. Sutton in her lovely tweed Aquascutum jacket leaving the studio appeared rejuvenated, and that's why I had trouble believing she couldn't carry on with the reunion. Garcelle should have at least stayed. It's not like Kathy was going to Rinna Garcelle the way she Rinna-ed Rinna.

RHOBH Still absorbing a strange and ultimately unsatisfying episode. What was Kathy doing at reunion when she was MIA this season (except as a whispered threat)? Why did she psych out Sutton? Why is she buddy-buddy with Erika who last season accused Kathy of using a gay slur? Is she returning next season? Certainly her presence wakes the show up, but it also serves to highlight how lacking the dynamic is. The cast feels like work colleagues grimly marching towards a Friday deadline. They don't look like they are enjoying their lives in Beverly Hills, nor each other. Except for Kathy, obviously, who can barely hide her glee that Mauricio is out of the family fold. The other reason Kathy's return fell flat is because she came on to fight Kyle's battles. Kyle, ever the victim in need of rescuing, ever the bully, thought this was a flex. It made her look like cowardly. The sniper from the side most of us know her to be. If it's not Kathy, she's drafting in Teddi to be her mouthpiece/attack dog. We still don't know why Kyle is divorcing Mo (Netflix may have more deets) or what's going on with Morgan (Mo and Mo). And yes, Kyle, having built your big TV career and made millions off this show (AND beat your co-workers with the "Just be honest" stick for 15 years), that entitles your audience to some answers. I sort of believe that Kyle and Morgan may be having an emotional but not necessarily physical relationship. Sex rates and libidos are in freefall across the world these days, and 55-year old Kyle may no longer be about sex-as-validation anymore. I'm not sure what Kathy has over Sutton and Garcelle, but they should have put their big-girl pants on and stayed at reunion. Their skedaddle proved Kyle and Erika's point about everyone being scared of Little Kathy. In other news, Karen Huger really needs to trademark 'Grande Dame' because Andy is over-using it at all the reunions.

WHY IS NOBODY FILMING THIS?? Production is a flop, I swear. The same thing happened when Falyn got kicked to the curb and Porsha & Simon got engaged. Not a camera to be found.

omg Thank you for letting the 'cat' out of the bag. I'd like to think that excellence has been rewarded for once... However, I hope they keep the cast completely unchanged and do not alter Miami's format in any way. Reunion is laying the the foundations for S7's interpersonal dramas beautifully. And it is clear that Andy was enjoying every second of doing this 3-part reunion (granted, I haven't watched Part 3 yet).