Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Chris B]

You will LOVE it. It is housewives, but elevated. These women are really delivering. They aren't hiding anything from the cameras and the actual content of these episodes is really surprising. 

 

Okay, I'm glad you said this. I have held off discussing SLC because I been fighting for my life across the internet defending Sister Mary Martha! I get that she's a mess and a bit of a Ramona, but just like I don't believe Ramona is racist, I don't think Mary is either. She's made a couple of ignorant statements, but I didn't feel like she was being mean spirited in saying them. I hope she can clean up the Jennie stuff, because I hate she slipped and gave Jennie a reason to justify her hate of Mary. Jennie has been dying to have a problem with Mary who did nothing to her. Yelling at Mary to "shut the F up" then playing the victim because she responded left a bad taste in my mouth. The posting that picture with the Black baby before that episode aired was suspect.

If you wanna talk about racist on this show you have to look further than Mary. I find it telling that Heather also slipped up with her anime comment, but the mostly white fanbase only focused on Mary. Then you have Whitney acting like she's scared Mary and her husband are literally going to have her and her family killed for speaking out against them. THAT IS RACIST! Mary does not have a criminal record, does not curse and hasn't presented herself in a way that she would physically harm anybody. Then on the most recent After Show, Heather was co-signing the "Mary is violent and I'm afraid of her" narrative. Because Mary is eccentric they're allowed to do this and they don't get called out for it. Jen has gotten physical with Heather and in the midseason trailer we see her fighting Lisa, but they put that label on MARY, not her.

Then if you go back to season one you'd see why Mary has such a bad relationship with the group. Mary came in kind to everybody, but when she had her issue with Jen, everybody kept quiet because they were afraid of Jen. They knew Mary was right, but nobody wanted to get to know her and defend her because of Jen. They only started to come around to Mary after Jen had pissed them all off. The only one who has tried to develop a real friendship with Mary is Meredith. Heather and Whitney were nice to Mary, yes, but they'd go in their confessionals and scenes together laughing at her like she was a joke. Yall think Mary didn't see that?

I feel like now people are mad because Mary is so good at reading these girls like a scripture, but I wish they'd take the time to look and see HOW it got to this point. Mary doesn't bother them unless they come for her. When she does her interviews she doesn't even mention the other girls, except Meredith. They've wanted to get rid of her and I'm afraid I feel it'll most likely work after this season. 

[Taoboi]

OC

 

And the takedown of Shannon continues...

 

It was not as exciting as I was expecting, but it was decent all the same. 

 

Like others have said...Shannon has been needing a takedown season for a long time. And there is no one who is more adapt at getting at Shannon like Heather. That the other vets are falling behind her (Emily and Gina) is just sad since what does it truly say about them...or just Shannon period? I wouldn't count Shannon out yet, but she will definitely have to do some begging. But darrrn at her own father shading her next week. She is not having a good season.

 

Meanwhile...Noella, Noella, Noella. She continued to give us raw as she navigated through her divorce and processed it. It said a lot for who was there for her (Shannon, Gina, her mother, even Heather a little bit) and who was not...YES, NICOLE...I meant YOU. I disagree with her being a friend and trying to get Noella out of there.  It really felt like she was just uncomfortable with any sign of public emotions. Even her words were not the words of a friend saying 'hey, girl...i know you hurting, but NO HERE. let's get the car.' And then there she was being messy to Heather (along with Production and the rollback) by saying wat Noella said and doesn't even remember saying. I would think Heather is clever enough to not fall for the trip of kicking a helpless bird, but we will see. But interesting that while Noella already has the divorce as a storyline, being friends with Shannon in opposite to the other girls as a storyline, Production is now trying to set her up against Heather. 

 

I know...too produced. Ugh.

 

But I soooo like Noella. Watching her processing how she is feeling about the divorce when she was just so happy a few episodes ago is fascinating to watch. It reminds me of Shannon's first season where she was actually reacting to everything organically if dramatically. Outside of Heather vs Shannon, it is the story to watch this season. And that's great for a newcomer. 

 

THINGS I LIKED

 

IT'S ABOUT NOELLA. I can't say it enough. What newcomer comes on this strong and it feels organic at the same time? And that's what Noella has been. I'm truly enjoying her journey from rich housewife to woman going through a divorce. And all without starting a feud to be interesting. Yet. But we seem Production want Noella vs Heather. Meanwhile there's tension between her and Dr. Jen. So she's just the gift that keeps on giving.

 

SHE'S WORKING FOR THAT CHECK, GIRL!!! Look at Emily having a party at her house. Look at Emily come for Nicole and Shannon. And that look she shared with Heather when Shannon arrived...the shade!!! But after two years (outside of the Co-Vid stuff last season) of giving nothing, Emily is hitting her groove. It looks like.

 

I...WILL...END...YOU. Ooooooo that speech by Heather was EVERYTHING. AND the episode ended on THAT. Wow. What would be funny if next week Shannon be Shannonn and go off.

 

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE

 

MOLEHILL. While Jen is right to get close to the HBIC Heather....hehe. Her trying to get a feud started with Noella. Need relevancy much? 

 

BOO, SHE AIN'T YOUR FRIEND. And by she, I meant Nicole. That scene with Heather in the car (with help from Production) just come across as she was trying to get back in Heather's good graces by some weak tea. Sorry, it did. But that was not as bad as how she did not want to be there for Noella while she was breaking down cuz it looked she was worried about how SHE looked vs her 'friend's' pain. Not disliking her but that was bad form. 

 

Another decent episode. 

 

 

RHOA

 

Cast photo has been taken. 

[Soaplovers]

RHOC:

Too much Heather.  No wonder her acting career tanked.  She always looks like she's acting.  

Miami:

After 3 episodes, this should be called Alexia and the Real housewives of Miami.

Julia gives me Anne Heche vibes..and I bet one day she'll break Martina's heart and dump her for a guy.  

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Soaplovers

[Taoboi]

RHOA 

 

A FOH for Sheree?

 

 

 

I bet I'll love it. Happy to hear Alexia is reigning...AS SHE SHOULD. 

 

Wait.  What picture of a black baby?

 

Yeah, I feel the same about Mary. I know what people are saying, but I know what I'm SEEING. Shades of DALLAS for me. And it doesn't help that Bad Weather are so transparent. Moreso for the reasons you listed. And to think I used to love Whitney and Mary's friendship because they both felt like outsiders. 

 

And oh my God YEEEEEEESSS!!! I really and truly feel that the reason they are mad, too, is because Mary can READ...THEM...DOWN. And for her aloofness, she is highly observant. That's what made her so great during the Season 1 reunion. She may be many things, but stupid is not one of them. 

[Cat]

For me, SLC is not about friendships, it is about alliances. And in that way, it really resembles BH -- just with more comedy. 

And when it becomes about alliances, it becomes about how quickly you can throw somebody under the bus in order to ally yourself with someone more popular and powerful. A lesson Jen is learning extraordinarily quickly when it comes to her former self-proclaimed 'bestie,' Lisa Barlow. Or, as I like to call her, UTAH LYDIA.

Utah Lydia thinks she is being slick with all these women (and the audience). Sadly, she is outmanoeuvred at every turn -- and by the Bad Weather twins, no less, never mind big players like Jen Shah and Mary! She really is the world's dumbest villainess -- and I confess I am loving every second of her bumbling from one lie to another. When Utah Lydia thought she could convince the audience (and Jen) that she is a ride-or-die loyal friend, even though she is avoiding her calls and about to block her number? LMAO! This chick has no shame. Then we had that fake acting where she begged Meredith not to leave because she only feels safe with Meredith around? Utah Lydia would be a lot more convincing if she didn't keep glancing over at the camera to make sure it got the shot.

Speaking of villanesses and constantly glancing at the camera -- Jen. I wish I could love her as you do, but I think Jen is pretty awful. I don't think she has any remorse for what she has done, and I don't buy her tears. She is crying about possibly missing her son's graduation? Whose fault is that? (Hint: not the Feds). I agree that unlike Erika, she is doing all the right things when it comes to the Court of Public Opinion. Head covered demurely as she prays behind Coach, surrounded by her sons. She is more entertaining to watch than Erika Girardi, largely because Erika has zero sense of humor about herself, and Jen does. What is also interesting to me at that Pho dinner was that everybody except for Meredith and Mary were throwing each other under the bus in order to impress on Jen what great friends they are to her and what awful friends everybody else is. That is CRAZY to me! That Jen Shah still wields power in this group, and when she turns up at the dinner, everybody starts jostling for her attention This may also be why Meredith left in disgust -- she realised what fairweather friends all these hoes actually are.

Just when I think Mary is this little, sad girl lost, she shows up at the dinner and speaks lucid common sense about Jen, and to her face. And to Whitney, and to Jennie. These women are terrified of Mary, and it's not just the cult rumors. It is the fact that Mary knows how to read and expose them -- with the truth.  

I've warmed to Heather this season after her disastrous reunion performance, but her efforts to show Jen what a good friend she is feels performative. It's like this is part of her brand, to be the loyal BFF. It's like she wants people to SEE just how good a friend she is. But at the same time, I feel like she is dropping these hints about Jen not being innocent, being guilty in fact, and it is so smoothly done and under the radar... I think she is setting up for some kind of Betrayed Friend role in season 3 or 4.

Whitney is so thirsty to stir the point but, as you say, she could learn a trick or five from Ashley Darby. And here is another one smug in the delusion of her own smarts. In that sense, she and Utah Lydia are evenly matched.

Jennie threw Meredith and Mary under the bus this episode, and that says to me that Jennie is not here to make friends either. I **LOVE** Karlyn, though! 

 

I agree with @Chris B -- you NEED to watch Miami! You and he are the top two on this thread who love this franchise to pieces. Not everybody got RHOM when it was first screened, but you guys did. I am semi-obsessed with Miami at the moment -- IMO it is THE Real Housewives highlight of my week and I am about to jump onto it right now. It really is That Good.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Cat

[Chris B]

The best way I can describe Miami is to say, if you like Melbourne, you’ll love Miami. It has the same elevated production values and the openness of their early seasons. These women are *so* open about their lives and leave nothing on the table. They also have incredible chemistry as a group which is hard to do with a reboot of half new/half old. Even a weak link like Larsa works because of her history with the group and overall ridiculousness. 
 

I also like that there isn’t a clear villain. Even with three episodes you can see everybody taking turns being messy. It just feels like a natural friend group. 
 

@CatI agree with you about Jen, but I do feel bad for her for some reason. To me she seems completely delusional to what she’s facing. I tend to agree with Mary, I wish her family well, but you can’t convince me the feds just made this up. She seems to be taking this too lightly when you consider how bad this is going to be for her. I’m waiting for her to pivot and take it seriously but that isn’t happening. I truly can’t understand it. This is NOT a joke. Even with the best lawyers, the feds are formidable. 

[Taoboi]

OC

 

OOOOOooooo...Sweet James spoke up...

 

 

 

[Chris B]

She refuted his story on her instagram and I tend to believe her more than I do him. His videos were odd and had holes in them. He mentions she's leaving him for the show, BUT her leaving him hurts her future on the show. She now can't film with her son and doesn't have a husband. On OC that is a death sentence. Plus he fails to mention the surprise announcement that he owes $4 million in taxes and that that is why she consulted a lawyer. It is obvious he ran, likely to hide from creditors. He also didn't add a compelling argument for why he hasn't seen his son.

I actually was side eyeing some of what she was saying, but his shady videos made me move more to her side of things.

[Cat]

Agreed. There is SO MUCH going on in these Miami episodes (even Larsa trying to sell her 2003-esque McMansion). Many of the women are showing us everything, and it creates a multi-faceted character. Like a well-handled soap, this cast of seven (not five) have individual, well-paced storylines. Even those with not as much going on in episode 3 (like Guerdy, maybe) look like they will be popping off in ep. 4. There is also an intensely feminine energy among this group, and not just with the fashions (which are on-point BTW).

Also something about Miami, its color and vibrancy, its heat, its Cuban/Latin America vibe, its glitz, its famewhores, its dark side and shady money (the city was pretty much built on coke trafficking in the 80s) -- there is such a sense of place in this franchise. 

Alexia is the undisputed queen of this season thus far. I mean, we are about to meet her dead husband's male lover who may or may not have been there when Herman passed! Or at least we will hear about the convo later. I can totally understand Alexia wanting to reach out, understand this hidden part of Herman's life and find closure. Given that what Herman went through, Alexia's dad did too, adds a layer of understanding and acceptance on Alexia's part.

Julia is surprising me. I thought she'd give us very little, but she AND Martina show some of their life in a very unforced way. For all the fame and accumulated wealth Martina might have, she and Julia live a pretty normal, non-glitzy, countryfied life. Julia is not hiding how she feels about Adriana. This isn't an innocent flirtation, this is on the cusp of becoming an emotional affair, and Martina senses it. An unexpectedly fascinating SL where we are all wondering where this will progress. This cannot end well for Julia -- she basically said that she and Martina do NOT have an open relationship. Vixen Adriana strikes again!

I can only add an AMEN to your assessment of Larsa. This was her problem in Season 1, and this is her problem now. There was never anything there-- she is just about her Kardashian-lookalike looks and it is all surface and feels played out. She is basically a human doll (and Lisa better watch out, because 'my husband's best creation' suffers from Aging Pretty Doll Syndrome, too).

Yes, I definitely see the delusional in Jen. She is playing up this story that the Feds have got it all wrong and she has been accidentally implicated in Stuart's business life. And yet Stuart was HER assistant (not the other way around)! As Mary rightly pointed out, the Feds would not make a move unless they had a lock-tight case, so I think we all know deep down that Jen Shah is up to her neck in this fraud. Her lack of accountability I find troubling -- in the same way that I found Erika's troubling. Erika was a narcissist who thought she could keep people guessing AND keep all her money. Jen Shah is all those narcissistic qualities as well, she just presents better on TV. Unlike Erika, she is also working hard not to threaten her co-stars when they bring it up onscreen!

More than once the last two episodes, it crossed my mind that Jen is about to turn Fed's evidence: give them all the info which implicates Stuart and reduce her sentence in the process. This could explain why she seems to be riding this horse the way she has been.

I thought Mary gave great advice to Jen, and if Jen was smart, she'd take it, because it was the unvarnished truth. Mary can see how unconvincingly Jen is coming across.

Edited December 25, 2021 by Cat

[NothinButAttitude]

 

This exemplifies why I've always loved Miami. When they had the right concoction of women, this cast was undeniable. I love how each and every woman is surprisingly giving us content. Even Kiki, who I feel provided more but it landed on the editing room floor. 

 

Bravo is really stupid for allowing this to exclusively be on Peacock. If I were head of Bravo, I'd be trying to reclaim my show. 

[Taoboi]

WAIT? You think I like JEN? JEN SHAH? 

 

 

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But DING, DING, DING!!! I couldn't find the words last week for while the episode before the Pho party left such a bad taste in my mouth. THAT'S WHAT WAS BUGGING!!! At least in Season 1, they seem like a group of friends from diverse and interesting backgrounds. But since the reunion...YES. They are about alliances and it shows. Fascinating to watch for sure, but where is the friendship? I know there are moments of it (Jen and Heather breastknocking, this past week of Utah Lydia (yes, I LOVE that!), Meredith, and Jeannie and the wig), but they are actually rare now where I did not feel that in Season 1. 

 

Last season, Lisa was Fabulous, but this season I did not feel she was living up to the title of Fabulous Ice. And you said why that is. YEEEEEESSSS!!!! She is putting in the work for sure, but she really is coming across as the world's dumb villianess. But it's funny. lol.

 

Now...Jen. When I meant Oscar performance, I didn't mean that as a compliment.  No, no, no. Where Ms. Pat the Puss was doing things that made me see red, red, drag that trick, red all last season of BH, Jen is not coming across like that. I think you, me, and @Chris B see how deluded she looked. I honestly feel like I mentioned before that she is playing her hand well for the audience for sure (if I ignore that Twitter video she posted yesterday), because I have not heard (outside of yesterday) ANY trolling like Pat the Puss was doing online all last season. So all I have is what she shows on the show. And that she is doing well. Her looking humbled. Her filming with her family.  Trying to play innocent. But again, she is PLAYING. And we see it every time she steals a look at the camera...which she has done every time she is on screen EXCEPT during the Pho dinner. I don't know if you have seen the comedy satire SERIAL MOM, but I honestly feel like Kateleen Turner's character in that moment ('Suzanne Somers, this is my BAD side!') that she is seriously in her deluded mind the victim and she is going to ride this (and fame) all the way to the trial and like Serial Mom try to get a hung jury by discredit everyone in her path...except not with the comedic flair of Kateleen Turner.   In fact, I feel Bravo is banking on that. That's why they are (already) casting for Season 3 and then I believe filming will start around the time Jen's trial actually starts next year. And while yes, I know she's playing 1) I am entertained to see how far she can go like the best soap villainess of old and 2) I cannot help but feel sympathic toward that family. No kids should have to be treated how the FBI did in that arrest episode. That can only be traumatic for a person of color...and a kid at that. She definitely is miles ahead of Pat the Puss, but still not a fan nor a stan. 

 

I agree about Heather. She has not been the same since the reunion. And like I said then, she's like Jen, but subtler. 

 

Little Girl will never be a grown A^& woman like Ashley Darby. #trust

 

RE: Miami. I know, I know. I will. It looks like it's Season 2 (but refreshed) all over again and I can't wait. 

I figured it was a good idea to bring those videos over. Cuz there are just too many questions. 

 

Thank you. THIS. And some of the best shows are the shows where the setting...RHoNY and RHOA come to mind...is also a character of its own in a way. 

[Antoyne]

I find it very hard to look at Lisa’s face on RHOM now. She always had a plastic sort of look but now she looks puffy and awful.

[Cat]

She looks like Adrienne Maloof.

 

I totally misread your Jen Shah comments originally then. I assumed you were a fan! I think its because Erika set such a low bar that most anybody looks better in comparison! Jen is definitely playing a role, but her glances at the camera keep giving her away. I feel bad for Coach Shah because he definitely looks worried and knows that her plan to wriggle out of this could well backfire. One thing I will say is that with these legal troubles, Jen has had to tone down some of her Cruella Deville looks onscreen-- and she looks all the better for it. At her lunch with Heather, with her hair up and a natural lip, she looked phenomenal. After Ramadan prayers, she took her scarf off to reveal a simple black outfit and gorgeous wavy wig. She still has her Maleficent nails, but that's her signature. The whole thing softens an often harsh look -- and therefore softens her.

So you're seeing what I'm seeing with Heather, huh? Playing the Loyal Friend but dropping those hints in the VTs that Jen is def guilty. I think she's setting up a 'How could Jen betray me?' performance come late season 3.

Utah Lydia thinks she is so slick in her pivots, and it is the most obvious thing ever! She really is superficial, money-obsessed and social-climbing, the epitome of a fairweather friend who will dump you the second your life becomes less than Instagram-Perfect. And in the context of RH, it is really fun to watch.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Cat

[Cat]

Andy never had much time for RHOM. He couldn't really connect with the Latina culture of it all. He loved Mama Elsa because she gave him some (likely insightful) private readings. He liked Joanne and Lisa because they were the 'Anglo girls' who were the entry point into Miami for viewers like him. But he seemed a little afraid of Adriana, Alexia and Lea, and totally disconnected from S3. He'd be noticeably irritated when callers on his radio show would ask about Miami coming back. I suspect the Miami reboot came up at Bravo meetings and he was inclined to punt it to Peacock. Well, Bravo's loss is Peacock's gain. The streaming service has something to prove, hence why the show feels so cohesive and well-produced (it might have gotten only a low budget and indifferent producers on Bravo). I hope it is raking in some good viewing numbers for its efforts.

[Taoboi]

Yes, it is a tightrope she walks for sure. Even public opinion is picking on her as they sympathize with her. They were comparing that wig to the one Robyn wore at Wendy's local summit in Season 5 of POTOMAC. 

 

Yeah...Heather still gives funny moments, but she has not at all been the same to me this year, always throwing Utah Lydia under the bus every chance she gets.

 

Hehe. Yes, in the context of RH, Utah Lydia is fun to watch. 

 

Lord, Andy is a total Kevin. But not surprised. Peacock's gain.