The Week in 'Wives: RHOSLC makes up, RHOP parties on, and RHOBH reunites
We finally made it, Bravoholics: Part one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion has arrived. The ladies gathered on two couches in a studio version of Kathy's backyard, where Andy kicked off the fraught day with some big questions — and some clear villains and heroes emerged. Over on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Heather looks forward to her daughter's college journey while Mary shares a harrowing tale about a person being ejected through a sunroof, or something. And finally, on The Real Housewives of Potomac, the chaos of the trip to the Eastern Shore does not slow down as the Green-Eyed Bandits join the group and Candiace refuses to back down. Here are the best, worst, and wildest moments from this week in 'wives!
HIGH POINT: Reconciliations, RHOSLC
It was a week for making up in Salt Lake City — or at least trying to. The Jen vs. Brooks (feat. Meredith) and Lisa vs. Whitney conflicts were directly addressed and maybe, mostly corrected. It's strange to watch Jen without thinking about what we know will be revealed about her later in the season, but if you're able to suspend that awareness for the duration of this scene, it does seem like a sincere apology. I don't believe for a second that she herself was not the person liking the offending tweets, but at least she apologized and has made peace with Brooks (and Meredith) for now. Later in the episode, Lisa and Whitney have gin and pie (just keep the pecans on Lisa's side of the table) and try to talk through their own tensions. It's a little messier than the clear action of antagonistic Twitter likes, but it's progress. Meanwhile, the ladies' husbands all have guys' night and wonder if their wives will ever get along as well as they do. They're getting closer, anyway.
LOW POINT: Throwing darts, RHOBH
Where to begin? We've all been waiting for the Beverly Hills reunion to kick off, and it was encouraging to see Andy asking Erika some of the real questions right up front rather than saving them for part four. The cruelest aspect of part one, however, was the egregious treatment of Garcelle. Dorit and Rinna have no valid arguments. They simply do not. (And prefacing an actual falsehood with "I feel" does not, in fact, validate the falsehood.) Garcelle is not a bully. She does not "throw darts." They truly seem to just be threatened that she displays the dangerous combination of being both perceptive and — yes! — very honest. Dorit is evidently deflecting the inevitable criticism for her racially idiotic comments, knowing that when that conversation comes up, Garcelle will have the most damning but most correct response; Lisa, whose favorite move is to excuse her bad behavior with an "I'm still learning!" and an emphatic nod, can't stand that Garcelle consistently points out her terrible hypocrisy. To see them gang up to gaslight her is genuinely disturbing, but the good news is that Garcelle, who is as real as Housewives come, is more than a match for any frauds who try to take her down.
WILDEST MOMENT: Shots for the table, RHOP
The Potomac couples' trip to the Eastern Shore continues with the arrival of Robyn and Gizelle, a vocabulary lesson for Karen about the deceptively wholesome phrases "teabag" and "salad toss," and a dramatic emotional arc for Candiace. But the episode culminates with a dinner where arguments pick right back up, this time accented by some outsider interactions (in this year of quarantine Housewives, how I've missed outsider interactions!). As Ashley confronts Candiace for some of her vilest tweets, a nearby table of men buys shots for the whole crew. What a nice surprise! Until we discover that another table, on the other side of where the cast is sitting, is occupied by the first table's wives, who have not been sent shots. Wendy rectifies the situation by sending the ladies the liquor they deserve, while Karen walks over to the first group to inform them that "I'm about to celebrate my 25th anniversary with Ray," whom none of them have ever met. I half expected her to invite the table to her vow renewal, but instead, her interference shamed them into sending more drinks to their neglected partners. Meanwhile, Chris has to physically restrain Candiace, yelling at Ashley, until he's so exhausted by the whole situation he has to leave the room entirely. At least everyone got their shots.
👑 QUEEN OF THE WEEK 👑 Heather, RHOSLC
Bravo! Heather on 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.'
VANDERCONGRATS OF THE WEEK: To James and Raquel! Happy Rachella and happy engagement! (VPR)
PUT ON YOUR HARD HAT: Because the fourth wall is about to come crashing down. (RHUGT)
THAT'S ONE WAY OF PUTTING IT: "She uses a lot of adjectives" —Chris re: Candiace (RHOP)
THE ULTIMATE CLIFFHANGER: Andy in the RHOBH finale, asking if Erika was faithful to Tom — since she's already revealed that he was not to her.
PSA: Wear your seatbelt. (RHOSLC)
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