Cat

She's not an angel, and I cannot defend her racist remarks in all fairness. I think she has a very skewed view of races and supremacy/hierarchy in general. My problem S2 was this --the women decided not to talk about the Jen Shah stuff and instead turned on Mary and delved into petty sh*t. They were all talking from the same script except for Mary who called it like she saw it. Bravo neatly swept Jen Shah's crimes under the carpet. Jennie conveniently forgot her own history of racist remarks to come after Mary all guns blazing. The finale, which involved a crazed Jennie inexplicably throwing glassware at Mary, didn't sit right with me. The cast should have made sure Mary was OK, and they didn't. I also believe Mary was being judged for the bad things she did, but nobody was doing the same for anyone else. It was a massive deflection effort by the rest of the cast. In the end, Mary declined to appear at reunion, and I think it was because she was afraid about the racism accusations AND her cult. Yes, I think Faith Temple is a cult, too. But even with her problematic stuff... and the cult... a part of me enjoyed Mary the most on SLC. I thought that from S1 Ep. 1, she showed Jen Shah up for the wannabe fake she is. I know you and I will never agree on Mary, @Soaplovers. From my POV, Mary was so upfront in her rage, dislikes and vulnerabilities that it won me over.

Sarah Buxton has barely aged! She still looks fantastic and very Annie-esque. Obviously Tina on OLTL would have been WAY too old a character for Sarah Buxton, and that her acting leant itself to the twists and turns of a Reilly-esque soap like Sunset Beach, Passions or Days. Or Bradley Bell's B&B. But on, say, ATWT? OLTL? Y&R? Buxton would have had to develop more subtle delivery depending on the SL. So much of Reilly's writing was about delaying the denouement of a SL -- stretching it out to a crazy Sweeps meltdown 2-3 years down the line. You need to fill those 2-3 years with lots of trick denouements ("it was just a dream!"), or actors talking aloud to themselves as they recap their latest nefarious acts for the audience. Sarah Buxton really had that latter part down to an art on Sunset Beach and B&B. And acting on these Reillyesque shows really did take a certain skill -- balancing the OTT outlandish stuff and making it so the audience totally buys it. I watched all of Sunset Beach back in the day, and I missed Sarah Buxton the most when it ended. I really wanted her to land on her feet on another soap (although be careful what you wish for -- see Maura West on Y&R). Buxton had a certain X factor that jumped off the screen; I couldn't take my eyes off her and her crazy scheming. She played such a fun character, too. I would like to imagine that time and regular TV/Daytime roles would have refined Buxton's acting skills. In her early B&B days, some subtlety was evident when she played the rather mysterious character of Morgan, but she was soon written as the psycho bunny-boiler.

Great montage! Brought back so many memories of Y&R/B&B's glory days too. LOL. Never have i seen a more forlorn image of New Year's jubilation:

Martina Navratilova is dealing with throat and breast cancer. Stage 1, so it was caught quite early and hopefully means a rapid recovery after treatment. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/02/tennis/martina-navratilova-throat-breast-cancer-wta-spt-intl/index.html

Martina has Stage 1 throat and breast cancer. 😪 All the best for a swift and full recovery. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/02/tennis/martina-navratilova-throat-breast-cancer-wta-spt-intl/index.html

I saw it. As if being made a laughing stock on national tv wasn't enough, her video retort was cruelly painful to watch. Its left her open to further mockery. I can only imagine what her comments section must be looking like right now, and that kind of online abuse is not going to help at all. All the RH shows seem to attract the desperate and the thirsty, but Potomac attracts a certain kind: a friend/acquaintance who is also an eager fan of the show and possibly envious of their pal's stardom. Being in such close proximity, they can easily visualise themselves on the show, and thus the fantasy of TV stardom suddenly is tangibly alive. Such was the case with Monique's friend turned foe (who later died), or Kyndall, Herman's ex-wife, or Mia's BFF Jacqueline, and now this lady, a friend of Ashley's that she's known barely a year. Bravo is at fault for exploiting the thirst, but fault can be found on all sides, too. Sometimes these people approach the network first, and at some point, individuals have to take responsibility for their own actions. But having said that, I also see your point about exploiting people who don't have the emotional wherewithal or strength to get up and carry on after a significant public humiliation like this. She is a mother with a young child, and I hooe she has people around supporting her and watching out for her mental well-being.

RHOP After seeing two live events in a row on this show (Giz & Rob; Friends of Grande Dame), I can safely say that Luann's crown as queen of RH Cabaret Attempts is going nowhere. The way Gizelle keeps repeating "Rease Na Blee SHAY DAY" makes me cringe so hard. I feel like Grace, Angel & Adore. Mom! STAHP! You're embarrassing us. Deborah flopped so hard! Shame on Ashley for feeding this thirsty person's delusions that she could somehow be a player. Even Gizelle had that 'What is This, Honey' look on her face when Ashley's friend was flapping her gums. I'm so glad Production provided the receipts, and Wendy and Candiace were barely troubled by the 'insinuations'. Ashley demanding Candiace engage with A Muppet Christmas Carol was totally ridiculous, too. This isn't just Ashley being messy -- it's looking like unwarranted harassment of the Bassetts by Ash and Giz. I have no clue what that Mia-Gordon-Jacqueline scene was. No-one can keep their story (or their faces) straight, and Mia lies like she breathes. And then changes her story to another lie. I can also do without these three constantly evoking their sex lives. As Candiace said last night, "No, ma'am."

Best and Worst of 2022 -- Real Housewives Even though we are already looking ahead to the joy (!) that 2023 will bring, I wanted to do a usual look-back at 2022 Real Housewives (another transitional and uncertain year for the franchise). If you feel up to it, please hand out your awards for these shows. Best RH Show: Maybe I'm biased because it is currently airing (we viewers have the attention span of a goldfish), but Miami. Last season (which half-aired in early 2022) was a near-perfect relaunch. The beauty was that it did not feel like a reboot, but a continuation of the original seasons. I'd even go as far as to say it felt like watching a really good RH show from 2011. Well-paced, a plethora of SLs both individually and in group settings, authentic (and scandalous) drama, and a seemingly light (but cinematic) touch from production. Let's hope S5 finishes as well as it started. Worst RH Show and Fastest Implosion: SLC. If you're not really going to talk about Jen Shah's arrest and her impending prison sentence? Get off my screen. I can't bear to watch the cast -- who delivered so much promise in S1 -- tiptoe around this fraudster and go through the motions of scripted non-arguments. If Teresa Giudice can get through multiple seasons in a will-she-won't-she-go-to-jail death-loop, than so can Jen Shah. SLC should be an epic portrait of greed and hubris! Peeling back the mask on a woman who has probably never had a truly authentic moment on the show. Instead we get Who Gave Heather a Black Eye? Letting that awful Jennie person strong-arm Mary Crosby off the show without a peep from the cast or the network was also a giant misstep. Even though Mary is probably next to be investigated by the Feds. RH Show I Wish I Could Stop Watching: BH. I wish I could quit you. Instead I am compelled to post week-in, week-out. BH gives that Hollywood frisson of glamour mixed with impending doom -- see The Rise and Fall of the House of Girardi. I keep hoping The Coven will one day -- ONE DAY -- get their comeuppance, but I'm starting to think that this is never going to happen. After the toxicity of cyber-bullying Garcelle and her sons, surely Bravo will stop rewarding resident psychopaths Rinna, Lip-Licker and Erika for 'creating content' ? Surely next season will be when it all implodes for them...? Surely...? RH Show That Keeps on Trucking With The Same Storyline For The Past Decade: RHONJ. Teresa vs Huh Famb'ly drove the past 36 seasons, and guaranteed it will drive viewership for this upcoming season. The way the show has reinvented itself while fundamentally remaining the same is truly remarkable. RH Things We Got Tired of: RHONJ Husbands. One minute we were cool with them... then it all became too many testosterone supplements. Joe Gorga in particular needs to lie down and take a breath. RH In With a Bang, Out With a Whimper: RHOC. Heather Dubrow's return started off excitingly, but the show soon devolved into an uncertain, unsteady mess. All the more reinforcing why Tamra and Vicki should never have been fired: only they have the heft to stand up to Heather. If the show doesn't hit it out of the park this coming season, it may be done for. RH Most Uncertain Future: New RHONY. I have no idea what to make of Jenna Lyons and these influencer types. And will we ever see classic RHONY again? Sob. RH Show That Needs Some Love and Attention: Atlanta. I feel like the franchise has been sort of abandoned and forgotten about by Bravo. Last season was OK.... but just OK. IMO the cast mix is missing that spark which was so crucial to RHOA's success its first decade or so. I would give anything to have Nene and Porsha back in the mix, but I'm not sure Bravo even cares to make that happen. RH Show Betting 🤞on Its Amazing Cast: Potomac. This show hits on so many metrics, and the longtime cast is a big reason why. Longtime relationships, longtime secrets. Is it starting to curdle this season with toxic feeling? It may be too soon to tell, but let's hope not. Who Knows? Dubai S2. Could be fab, could be a disaster. Great RH Shows In All But Name: Married to Medicine (near perfection). Family Karma. Real Girlfriends in Paris.

I agree there is a pecking order, and Queen Alexia is at the top. Nevertheless, her comment to Julia was uncalled for, and I like that Julia stood up for herself, and Adriana stood up for her and herself. That's what makes the show interesting: these women aren't afraid to say what they really feel. And first Alexia and now Larsa with the kissing rumor? Julia is a target this season, and that's because the women sense that things with Martina ain't that good. IA about Guerdy being too much with her reaction shots. I think Guerdy is acting this way because she's not secure in her spot. Out of all the women, Kiki (who is hilarious) is most likely to take her mojito. We will see what Guerdy's marriage drama produces. Lisa's scene with Marina was so intetesting to me. Marina is openly on her side. As much as she cares for her son, she loves those grandchildren more and is looking out for them. It's almost as if she's been through what Lisa is going through... As usual, Miami is perfectly packed with content of the individual women, and the Keys looked spectacular. It is really delivering on all cylinders and that's because these women have lives and show them. I'm so curious why Bravo didn't show the footage -- especially if Lisa shot it. I imagine her lawyers advised her not to allow the footage to be shown while she negotiates alimony, home and custody.

Brandi seems to be hastily backtracking on the diamond vid she posted, so looks like Andy/Bravo rapped her on the knuckles for that. While I do think BH would benefit from outspoken women who have no problem speaking truth to power (something RHONY and ATL never had a problem with), im not sure Brandi is That Woman. If anything, she seems like a dogsbody to the highest bidder -- a pawn knowingly used by more powerful, wealthier women in their agendas. As long as she has protection from that 'Queen' she will turn on whoever they (and Production) tell her to like Cujo. It's not really about standing up for what's right, its about allying yourself with who is powerful. And right now, Brandi seems to be allied with Kyle the last couple of years. And Kyle is afraid to meaningfully anger Rinna and Erika, so that means the targets will inevitably be... Garcelle and Sutton.

I FFed through most of the previous episode (WHAT was that scene between Candiace and Robyn?? Why is she kissing up to Robyn now?). And for whatever reason, i haven't been compelled to watch the last episode yet featuring the live Reasonably Shady event. Gizelle & Robyn aren't entertaining me -- they're just mean bullies. But at least I'll watch their scenes of pathetic plotting. Mia, though? For some reason, I can't stand to look at her. She thought she did something special in Miami, but all she did was show how stupid she is. And Gizelle is already turning on her, accordingto @Taoboi? After Mia spent that whole trip kissing up to the GEBs, throwing her Representative under the bus for their amusement, and doing their dirty work going after Wendy? This fool! Miami just laid it all out on the table this episode and nobody broke a sweat about it, worried about their 'public image.' You could tell in Marina's voice that she was worried for her grandkids, felt bad for Lisa, and was kind of done with her son. I really hope you get to catch up on Miami soon (get that Peacock subscription log-in from your brother!). The Alexia-Julia scenes were eye-opening for me because I thought Alexia knew better than to throw sweeping judgment like that out there. This is something Larsa would say to Julia. Adriana bided her time but later went right in with Cocaine Cowboys and Todd, and even before that moment, had been inferring that Alexia basically relies on the kindness of wealthy men to buy her luxurious gifts -- basically what the French call a 'poule de luxe.' As for the Marysol admission, this has been a rumor since the early seasons of OG Miami -- that Marysol (and Alexia) had access to plentiful coke. And it is apparently why Marysol and Luann are such close friends. Allegedly.

RHOMiami really is That Show. The most recent episode was the first 24 hours of the trip to the Keys, and not a minute of it was filler. If anything, there were shocks galore. Lisa dropping every gory detail to the group, and the audience-- there wasn't a second i didn't believe everythingshe said. Even more shocking was Marina, her MIL, calling to say she'd been kicked out of the house, away from her own grandkids, and then telling Lisa that the driver came back with another woman in the back of the car! Now, for anyone who watched Miami seasons 2-3, we could all see back then that Marina was no fan of Lisa's. She didn't think that Lisa was serious or family-oriented enough for the Hochsteins. How times have changed. Out of respect for the mother of her grandkids, and maybe because she thinks what Lenny is doing is objectively horrible, Marina calls Lisa to give her the head's up. And Lisa trying to get the nanny back into the house, over the telephone, to check on the children was actually pretty suspenseful and tense to watch. What is clear is that Lenny is trash, he doesn't care, and he's already been laying the groundwork in advance. Lisa needs the best, most cutthroat divorce lawyer in FLA right away, so she can get custody, alimony and a nice home. Because no-one would put it past Lenny to change the locks on the budget playboy mansion The other shocking thing was Alexia saying to Julia that Russian women are all prostitutes. And doubling down on it the next day. Team Julia 100%. It was a hurtful, flippant, uneducated thing to say. Yes, Alexia is queen if this show, but this was the episode where it clearly has gone to her head. Alexia tried to gaslight Julia by saying it was her birthday, and Julia's retort "Are you 10?" was quietly perfect. The women watching, and commentating, from the van was hilarious, though. And it activated the old Adriana to come out and play, in defence of Julia. Adriana and Alexia were friends too, so Adriana knows where alllllll the bodies are buried. First she pointed out that Alexia's first husband was a drug dealer (and not just a dealer but a criminal kingpin), and then she dropped that Alexia was dating Todd while she was still married to Herman. AND THEN Marysol dropped that she does coke! Seriously, I can't believe we are seeing and hearing all this juiciness on screen. None of this would leave the cutting room floor if it were BH. I'm so grateful that the Miami cast are like --shrug-- welcome to Florida, here's what's up! (Even though Marysol is basically a worryingly-functioning alcoholic at this point). Re: Potomac, is it just me, or has the show momentarily lost a little momentum since its Miami trip? I still have this week's episode to catch up on, though.

Ugh. She's so pleased with herself for being coy. Jesus Christ. She is so eager to perform her victimhood -- while at the same time pretending she's protecting Jen Shah by not saying anything? None of this makes any sense. I feel like she's been waiting for an 'opportunity' like this since S1. She probably stepped on a rake.

I cannot believe I forgot about her baby having been mysteriously murdered. 😮 Of course, that's exactly what it is. I don't know how any parent gets over such tragedy, and without any resolution. Thank you both for clarifying. I thought Bravo was taking a position of 'We don't endorse this behavior' (which is ironic considering the network's unofficial moniker is Felons by Bravo). I figured Jen Shah would play the Legal Reasons card, but I'm sure the whole script will be carefully worded/curated, as you say. Poor Heather must be FUMING that she won't be able to perform her "I'm so disappointed in my friend's actions" soliloquy to Jen's face at reunion.

Seems to be working now @TaoboiThank you SON and Errol.

That's an interesting observation-- no sense of self. Last season, I thought Julia had a kind of quiet confidence, she was a mom and exuded a quirky energy, sure, but also a kind of sexy femme fatale, who'd been there, done that in the Paris jet-set, before meeting Martina and moving to the US. This season, that confidence seems to have ebbed away. I wonder if peri-menopause isn't playing a role here in her lack of purpose -- saying goodbye to her daughters/saying goodbye to her 'youth.' Even though Martina is the poster child for active, post-HRT-fuelled womanhood, lol. ITA with you, I'd be like, let's travel and have a second youth. But Julia is obviously struggling with a little sadness in her soul. And maybe Martina's resigned exasperation is adding to that sadness. I agree. All these women's different journeys feel both relatable and endearing but also pretty impactful and even at times epic on-screen. Who is Bravo trying to kid? They've been dining out on the Jen Shah scandal for 3 seasons now. They knew exactly what she was about, especially after the FBI raided her home. All of a sudden, the network is clutching its pearls and saying Jen Shah must be shunned from reunion and only have a one-on-one interview? Andy had no problem with Teresa dominating the S6 reunion when she was a few mere weeks away from entering prison!

Having this issue again with the Real Housewives thread:

Miami I've caught up with the first 5 episodes -- what a compelling soap opera of a watch. I'm not even sure which elements have me so enamoured. The crisp, clear cinematography? The sultry, jet-setty location (like RHONY, a character in of itself)? The legit opulence? Martina Freaking Navratilova fully invested in the drama/spirit of the show? The women's individual stories which knit together surprisingly perfectly? All I know is that this cast has settled and the dynamic is now second to none. When Lisa broke the news about Lenny (which these women had long suspected but never really used as leverage against Lisa), the shock was real. Larsa hugging Lisa, Marysol sweetly calling her "monkey." These women have formed relationships with each other. Alexia was dragged on Twitter for declaring "I knew it!" to Lisa's face, but I felt she was in overbearing mama mode, not triumphant mode. Now comes the hard part, with the fight for alimony, custody arrangements, and Lenny cheating, and I cannot believe we are going to see all of this go down on the show. On a superficial note, Adriana seems to have got her groove back after last season. And IA with @NothinButAttitude -- Julia is about to be left heartbroken. Martina feels like Lenny a season ago: kind of over Julia and ready to move on to a younger model. I imagine the move to Miami Beach, away from the chicken coop, was her decision. She wants a social, urbane, exciting life; Julia is clearly a homebody.

RHOMia I've been so excited to watch Miami in the week leading up to the episode drop. It's been a while since I counted the days to a première. The beauty of Miami is that it is both cinematic and widescale but also harks back to the 2010s with its easy mix of individual life stories coalescing around RH drama and Lisa's big marriage implosion, which the editors have been cleverly dropping morsels. Nicole had a small scene with her mom at a restaurant, but it shed light on Nicole as a person -- she's a classic Virgo, obsessed with making everything letter-perfect, but if her family don't meet those high standards, she excoriates them. Her struggle to accept imperfection is part of her type-A personality. That's where Miami excels -- we are seeing these women's real lives, as if the camera just happened to be along for the ride. None of it feels like filler, but rather the scenes clarify how fascinating some of the women are (Alexia). By contrast, one woman trying to walk her family through some kind of scripted fakery is Lisa, and for obvious reasons it is just not working. Instead it is laying the groundwork for the marriage implosion to come -- shades of Tamra and Simon on old-school RHOC. Personally, I would prefer if Adriana, Marysol and Kiki all had mojitos and a place in the opening credits, but in the context of the show, they are just as much RHs as Guerdy, et al. These are not traditional FOHs, but that concept always made OG Miami stand out from the crowd. Martina is a great house-partner and here to play the game. Still adore (and feel weirdly protective of) Julia. I was absolutely not convinced by Larsa last year, and felt she was overhyped. However, so far this season, Larsa is delivering, ready to bring some drama with Lisa without letting it get too toxic. I'm not sure I like her, but I recognise that she is currently giving RHOM what it needs (so far). Top-tier RH.

Potomac Seeing the women acquiesce to Mia's insane demands that they treat her like the poor put-upon victim, and Wendy like the aggressor, was crazy. Mia and her representative saying that Wendy couldn't join the group until Mia got an apology? For what? Being in the way when Mia pounded her head with her purse? I can't believe Karen, of all people, was gaslit into trying to make Mia feel better. If these women were back in Potomac, they would never let Mia browbeat them this way. Candiace, Candiace, Candiace.... snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. She was doing SO WELL this season, because last season viewers were damn near done with her. Then she flaps her gums to Ashley ON CAMERA about Karen. Someone who has genuinely never spoken ill of her on camera. Admitedly she was repeating what Charrisse had claimed, but she spoke about it with such authority that I wondered if she believed it for real. The look of hurt on Karen's face made me realise that, while I love Karen's quick retorts on this show, it is actually her humanity or vulnerability, as corny as that sounds, which wins me over. Robyn and Ashley with the Alexa and record function on their phones.... Lord, I feel like they are a few steps away from planting damaging fake evidence on another HW. The Bitchsesh girls could not even speak, that's how shocking that clip was. In the past, I've felt a little bit bad for Lenny. It must be exhausting having Lisa as a wife. She obviously wants to live this perfectly curated, superficial, reality show image, but unfortunately real-life marriages are tougher and messier than filtered Insta posts. OTOH, she's his wife, the mother of his kids, and he's probably been screwing around on her for years, so he's trash. Hope the judge throws the pre-nup out of the window! All this to say: RHOM is going to be escandalosamente epic this season!

Magali was a great HW her one season on Cheshire, and I'm glad she's back, promoting, I guess, her home city of Amsterdam, which is a beautiful town. The cast looks a great multicultural mix, but it is missing one crucial HBIC -- and that is Yolanda van den Herik Hadid Foster back-to-Hadid ! What I would give to have Magali and snooty Yolo on the same show together.

It's so weird seeing literally nobody even mention Mia's violence in this trailer. Like it never happened. But my god, the second half of this season is going to be All Karen, and she is not letting Robn f*ck around anymore, that's for damn sure. I LOVE IT!

@Gray Bunny @DaytimeFan thought you'd appreciate this Tweet splicing Charrisse's 'best bits' from this mess of a trip. The clip of her steaming her shirt sends me every time. The 'real Grande Dame' according to Robyn and... literally nobody else.

No Marisol and Adriana. 😪 We need to stop pretending they aren't RHs on this cast, because they are! But some good tagines and OMG IM SO EXCITED FOR FRIDAY!

Erika is so morally bankrupt. Anything to claw onto 'her' money! Mia is a total nightmare for this show. She is completely contrived and only says/does things for SL purposes. The audience is highly aware that there is nothing real there. There was no substantive reason to assault Wendy. Mia just wanted to have A Moment, and to revel in that Moment. She thought she could replicate the Monique-Candiace sensation, where she is Monique to Wendy's Candiace. The difference is that a portion of the audience felt some sympathy for Monique's predicament. They absolutely do not feel that way about Mia, because they can see what a fake she is. As you point out, she is also jaw-droppingly stupid. Not only did she bank on the audience thinking she was 'BAWSS,' she thought she could contrive an 'I'm so hurt Karen didn't support me' SL. It was painful watching her go through the script in her head. Neither Karen nor Ashley broke a sweat when they firmly told the idiot thug to grow the F up. The best thing Bravo could do for Potomac is to fire this flop after reunion. I couldn't get the hippopotamus image out of my head when I watched last night. Gizelle, Robyn and Charrisse are slobs, and that's not a reflection on their looks but on the ugliness inside. Gizelle was giddy with all the bad feeling flying around the place. Karen, Ashley and Candiace were the standouts of the episode. As usual with Ashley, though, she takes too steps forward, one step back, judging by the preview for next week.