GuyAwks

I hate to say it but I think Chyka is being very precious about the "rumours" she's alleging Lydia spread. She can't have her cake and eat it too- either the rumours are a storyline or they're not. If she's going to call out Lydia on national TV for them then she should be open with us about what they are. It was frustrating as hell watching a confrontation about rumours that we have no idea about (I mean we all know they're about Bruce's sexuality but the fights are hollow without that info). Not to mention putting the onus on Lydia to defend herself without bringing up any details about what was said. Every other housewife on the show has shared their dirty laundry and been willing to get their hands dirty for the sake of the show. I don't why Chyka sees herself and her brand as above this. It's her right but there's plenty of more interesting women in Australia who would be willing to give far more for the title of Real Housewife.

Interesting, I grew up in Singapore as an expat and that's exactly how I always described it. Ultra capitalist and catered to tourists, while at the same time being very conservative and authoritarian. I can easily see where the backlash to Dubai comes from- I'd honestly never want to go somewhere like that myself (which is good because I could probably never afford it anyway).

I'm really loving the Lydia/Pettifleur teamup this season. They may be ornery but someone's gotta do it, and I adore underdogs. Everyone ganging up on Pettifleur was awful (especially since she was essentially stranded in the desert) and she didn't even instigate it. Gina and Jackie are more alike than they realise- their inner bogan comes out whenever they start fighting. Susie is bland and her bringing up the drama in the middle of the dinner shows what a hypocrite she is. She hates Lydia for shitstirring and then does the same thing. It reeks of desperation to be in Season 4 after her Lydia storyline bombed. I wonder what the rumour about Chyka that Lydia is called out for next episode is. I'd assume it's something about Bruce's sexuality but that feels too obvious. My opinion of her is honestly a bit lower after seeing her participate in the attack on Pettifleur. Disappointing.

I'm really torn about Pettifleur. I've always been happy about her presence on the show- she's wealthy in her own right, she can create good drama, she isn't afraid to be the villain, she's quick-witted and she represents a meaningful racial demographic of the Aus population without feeling shoehorned in. But she's just been dominating too much of the show lately. I love RH fights when there's some semblance of teams- watching Pettifleur turn all the housewives against her and self-destruct is just kind of frustrating. I want to stan her but pragmatically it's getting really hard. I also feel kind of bad for Chyka because I always get the impression that she takes drama at her events really hard. One problem about this show (that most of the other franchises do better) is the constantly reshuffling alliances. No good teams can really form because everyone is constantly kissing and making up and turning on their allies.

I'm loving how the group alliances are playing out this season. I hope the shift of Gamble growing wary of Gina continues to develop until the end of the season. I feel like Gamble came onto the show wanting to avenge Gina for Season 1 (the way any other viewer would have too) and has slowly adopted a more nuanced position on her over time. That said, Gina has been acting a lot better this season and according to her and several other housewives' Twitters, the Celebrity Apprentice debacle comes mostly down to editing. So I guess the jury's still out on her this season. It does say a lot about Luke that he was still willing to help Pettifleur get to her seat despite the way he felt about her. He's definitely his father's son. I also lol'd at the producers pairing Lydia and Susie to walk the aisle together. That was a nice touch.

I'm loving Janet's storyline even more this season than I did last season (and she was my standout for last season). She and her step-familiy have some really great chemistry, I'm surprised the show waited this long to mine their chemistry. I'm getting the feeling that Susie isn't going to pay off as a housewife. The Lydia feud sounded promising back when it was vague and mysterious, but now that we actually know the actual extent of it (one-sided feelings from Susie about rumours that Lydia has never heard of) I don't see where else they can take this. The beauty of Pettifleur and Gamble as housewives was that their eclectic personalities allowed them to have storylines outside of their existing feud. Susie seems pretty one-note outside of the Lydia fight. Thankfully there's more than enough housewives this season so Susie doesn't really need to do anything. I'm glad Lydia's been coaxed back into getting her claws out- as infuriating as it is, she makes for good TV.

While I can understand why Ophelia might not have been popular, I don't get why Gemma wasn't more popular. It almost feels like people don't Liam to be with anyone. I loved both Ophelia and Gemma last season because they played well off each other. I wanted to see how far Gemma would go and whether Ophelia would stand her ground to her craziness. Getting rid of one could have worked but getting rid of both just makes no sense from a narrative perspective. I couldn't agree more. For me the show has completely lost nearly all the charm it had in its first season. The nice family/friend dynamics are all gone because they've gotten rid of half the cast. Not to mention bringing in the conspiracy plot (which reminds me of The Initiative plot that wrecked Season 2 of Revenge) and spending so much time on Cyrus and Helena's political power plays. It's just kind of hollow and dull. Maybe I feel so strongly right now because I just binge watched Season 1 and adored it, so the whiplash is extra bad.

Finally, a true spiritual successor to Revenge! Now this is what a soap opera should be like. Not a bumbling, overtly-subversive mess like Empire or Scandal, but a true-to-form, straight-out-of-the-80s story about money, glamour and power. I am so blown away with how well this show has been shot- the visuals are gorgeous and are only going to get more spectacular and surreal when the show transitions into green-screen (I doubt they'll keep filming on location in Utah but maybe they'll surprise me). The acting was also similarly impressive- I've really missed Chace on TV and it's exciting to see Amber play such a key role. I can't wait to see the rest of this season play out. Bravo, ABC, bravo.

I'm so excited about this show! I know its chances of life are murky but still, it's the only show to get me excited in TV again after Revenge ended and Kingmakers was passed on. ABC is seriously at a loss for decadent soap operas at the moment- this is exactly the kind of show it needs (instead of recycling the same stale Shondaland legal dramas over and over). Praying that this turns out to be the spiritual successor to Revenge. It's got the gorgeous setting, evil power couple (including Lydia herself) and emphasis on wealth- now all it needs is the critical acclaim.

I'm so glad Alex Perry was the host. He's brilliant and fully sees through Gina and Gamble's malicious bullshit. Words cannot express how much I adore Manuela. She has ten times the TV presence of Gamble and is just generally a nicer human being. Boot Gina off next year and let Manuela and Pettifleur excoriate Gamble for a season. It'll make for tremendously satisfying television.

That's the sad truth about how racism works. People don't even realise how influential it is on them, which is the main reason why so many people praise Gina and demonise Pettifleur. Pettifleur's questionable behaviour gives people an outlet for their inner prejudice and sadly Gina gives them a figurehead to hop behind. Bullying is only "bullying" when it's committed against white people like Gina.

Eh, I think I'll unhitch my cart from Pettifleur for the time being. When she's on she's amazing but when she's off she's difficult to watch. It's not fun to cheer on someone who actually is delusional so I'll stick to more broadly being Team Everyone But Gina. Gina has done a lot of aggravating and offensive things this season but none have rubbed me the wrong way as much as her attacking Chyka for being too nice. It's unfair, callous and really quite ungrateful. Chyka was the only one supporting Gina last season when- given what we now know about her character- Gina was very likely the aggressor to begin with. Chyka is a mature businesswoman representing her brand. She has her children and her husband on the show. What did Gina want her to do? Hop into her fanclub like Gamble and start calling women c*nts? Completely alienate close friends over petty squabbles that she's not even involved in? By bringing her family and business onto the show Chyka has a responsibility not to humiliate them and she's very aware of that. Furthermore, Chyka knows that friendship isn't war. When your close friend has a bizarre creative endeavour, you fake smile and support them. When your friends are fighting over a rumour, you mediate. This is all Friendship 101. At any rate Gina got what she wanted- I doubt Chyka will sitting on any fences anymore where Gina is concerned.

As someone who's been a vocal critic of this season, I adored that finale. Really, there's nothing it could have done which would have impressed me more than what we got. This episode really justified David's resurrection for me. Looking back on how his arc on the show has played out, his death here gives the show so much symmetry. I'm actually so glad that they brought David back this season- the show wouldn't be anywhere near as dramatically rich if he hadn't returned only to die again. Also, bonus points for finally showing us another winter in the Hamptons. It was a beautifully shot and scored scene and is probably my favourite on the show. I'm not crazy about Jack and Emily (at least not as much as I used to be) but they provide the foundation of the show. Bringing them together tied everything up perfectly and made me feel like every season has been building to something meaningful. It's the storybook ending I never thought I'd get to see and I'm so glad ABC decided to take the safe route with this one. Here's to a brilliant 4 years of this show. Thanks for leaving me a very satisfied customer.

I'm surprised that the season was actually able to build to a climax like that. It obviously doesn't beat the iconic Gina vs Andrea "Deck of Cards" battle but that was about as physical as we've ever seen these housewives get. I'm by no means excusing Gina but Jackie forcing the balcony door open was probably a step too far. It's crazy how much Pettifleur reminds me of my parents. They're both perfectionists with staff too and even though we clash sometimes over it (I'm a passive/timid customer) I respect that it's a common mentality for South Asians to have. I loved Pettifleur's vision for her party- it's rare to find an Australian who truly appreciates the beauty of snow so her theme was a breath of fresh air. And she danced the hell out of that rumba too. Manuela needs to join the cast for Season 3. She didn't speak a single lie and it was nice to see someone defend Janet, even if it was a little belated. Janet didn't even need Manuela though. She was just pumping out zingers like nobody's business. If last season was the season of Gina, this was definitely the season of Janet.

The cast abide by Gina's fervant Christianity (as do most people around the world)- how are Jackie's psychic beliefs any less logical or believable than hers? When in social settings it's conventional to respect other people's spiritual beliefs. Not sure why this is such a foreign concept for some people.

Well, the proof is in the pudding- Gina has now officially alienated every housewife in the cast (both former and current). When even "Switzerland" Chyka thinks you're an awful person, it's time to take a look in a mirror. Good on Pettifleur for self-publishing. There's nothing shameful about it and it's always great to see a strong woman of colour succeeding at her goals. I've already ordered a copy of her book to replace the copy I would have bought of Gina's (if she hadn't turned out to be such a rubbish human being). My respect for Jackie is just through the roof this season. She is such a positive and uplifting person- everywhere that Gina spreads her toxic attitude, Jackie is encouraging others and defending them from vitriol. I'm so glad that her prospects in the US have blossomed (while Gina's have fallen flat lol).

Pettifleur was justified in asking those questions because it was Gamble who first brought up the subject of personal finance. Don't throw stones in glass houses. When your daddy and grammy and Wolfie are funding your existence, don't call people "Nouveau Riche" and expect to get away with it because you're blonde and ditzy. Once you do that it's open season. I've really found that Gamble can dish it out but can't take it. She literally screamed out to crowds of people that Janet sold her body for heroine. It was arguably the most the malicious comment ever made on the show (and yes that includes everything out of Andrea's mouth) and it wasn't even remotely warranted- Gamble even admitted afterwards that she only said it because she wanted to say something with shock value. I've found similar behaviour from Gina this season too. The comment in the fourth episode where she suggested that Janet could walk out in front of a car on the street struck me as excessively hostile. Those two aren't victims in any capacity whatsoever.

I'm really shocked at the amount of people who think there is even a small chance that Victoria faked her death. Victoria is 100% certainly dead, guys. There was nothing ambiguous about the way that scene was shot. Hell, the director bent over backwards to make it as explicit as possible. We could have just seen a shot of Victoria in the chair and then cut to the manor blowing up in the distance. But we instead get a deliberate zoom-out from Victoria's hand directly to the room exploding. On primetime network TV that's as explicit as a death like that is going to get- we're not going to see Victoria bursting into flame ala Scream 3. Not to mention that her getting dolled up and putting the throne back in the living room are completely extraneous decisions in a fake death. Now that's not to say she can't somehow pin this on Emily. But short of this being a dream sequence, Victoria is dead and gone. Which I'm happy about because it means a) we finally have a female main cast death and b) Vicky gets to be with Daniel and Conrad as opposed to alone on Earth which is kind of beautiful. Speaking of directing, this episode had some of the best I've seen on a TV show in a long, long time. Every scene had a shot that just stood out as visually impressive. Major props to whoever the director is.

Way to derail a charity event and make it completely about yourself, Gamble. Poor Carlos, having to deal with her and guard dog Gina coming after him in a space that is meant to be positive and uplifting. Never mind the fact that Janet's son is a burns victim- the real focus should be on Gamble and her sex rumours (that are probably true anyway) right? Every week I go into the episode trying to be positive and neutral and every week Gina does something racist and gross that makes me go on the attack. Calling Pettifleur's accent "cute", mimicking her in the limo, drawing attention to the Achilles Heel pronunciation- it all reads very badly and it's really quite sad that so many people can watch it and not see how intrinsically racist it all is. I am really warming to Lydia this season. She's having fun with the show, showing off her wealth and giving us silly GIFable moments- at the end of the day that's what the Housewives franchise should be about.

This was probably one of my favourite episodes (and likely my favourite for this season). It honestly didn't even feel like a "clip" show- the flashbacks were so well-integrated and poignant that they felt like entirely new scenes. Making an episode like this was a smart way to tie the series back together and help bring it full-circle. I always love when old conspirators from the first few episodes come back- getting to finally see Tom Kingsley confront Emily was like a moment out of a dream (I wish we could have seen an Uncle Bill confrontation too but I get that it would be unnecessary). I'm hoping that Ben joins Louise in going renegade because Team Emily has been severely overcrowded for the past half-season (literally everyone vs Margaux). Plus ABC does "cop boyfriend turned dirty cop stalker" storylines so well. Izler better release another soundtrack for Seasons 3-4 because the music this episode was perfect.

Gina has devolved into such a complete disaster that I've done a total 180 on my opinion of her. She has lied so many times, on camera, irrefutably that I'm sure that it must be a pathological issue with her. I could really feel Jackie's frustration during the dinner and I'm glad she didn't let up. Saying that a Sri-Lankan "might get mistaken for a local" in the Phillipines is beyond ignorant. Pettifleur absolutely nailed it when she said that Gina was somewhere between ignorant and outright racist. The worst part was Gina trying to paint Pettifleur as a racist (um wut?) for finding her insinuation that all Asian subgroups look the same offensive. Gina, your awful tan doesn't make you a PoC. Stay in your lane darl. As for Pettifleur's treatment of Gamble, Gamble brought it on herself when she called Pettifleur "nouveu riche". It was an elitist comment that basically put down half the cast (including Chyka, who was rightfully rankled by it). Say what you want about Pettifleur but at least she earned her money. She's not cashing out an inheritance from her grandma. Despite the drama and negativity, I am still loving this season. I really respect how well Chyka manages to keep herself out of the conflict in the group. If people weren't being so awful to some of my favourites I'd probably try and embody her neutrality more.

As someone who actually is Sri-Lankan, I know plenty of people from my parents generation who identify as being from Ceylon. It's extremely common (not to trump your extensive experience with those few people you worked with) and a complete non-issue. I find it irritating how much people fixate on Pettifleur's ethnicity. She is first and foremost Australian. None of the other housewives are expected to broadcast their ethnicities to validate themselves. Has anyone asked what country Gamble is from originally? How Pettifleur ethnically identifies is a minute detail and entirely up to her. Also- Pettifleur is burgher. Her claims to European ancestry are entirely legitimate and people who doubt it should do a little research first.

Just check Chyka's blog, she posts breakdowns of most of the outfits she wears.

Gina really has taken a turn for the awful this season. I'm the last person to accuse someone of being racist but there are definitely racial overtones to the way that Gina has treated Pettifleur lately. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt if she didn't already have a consistent pattern of doing this. Whenever she's backed into a corner Gina hits below the belt- with the demon comments or calling Lydia a golddigger or calling Jackie a poor bogan. The hypocrisy from her is also really grating. She thinks that bitch is a derogatory word yet c*nt isn't? She thinks "Switch the Bitch" is unoriginal yet names her own book "Fearless"? She gossips about Lydia then criticises Janet for gossiping? Retroactively this has kind of changed the way that I see Season 1. I'm not suddenly loving Andrea or anything but I now can at least understand her characterisation of Gina as overly-litigious and aggressive. Like Pettifeleur said, the puzzle pieces are all coming together.