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I don't know about the BH HoWives, but I'd bet the farm that Shatner and Company (Better Late Than Never) would stay without staging an active rebellion. BTW, Better Late Than Never took those guys to Barcelona this season, too. I wonder if NBC (parent company of Bravo) got a group rate.

*laughing* I might have looked shady, but a few years ago, I broke my regular glasses and couldn't afford to get new ones for about a month. I had to wear my prescription sunglasses all the time till I was able to get new glasses. Gotta say it made driving on country roads at night (no street lamps) a real challenge. No doubt I'll have some comments to make about the episode when I've seen it.

I don't have much to add about Erika-gate. I will say that I went to a family event, stayed in a hotel, and (because my period -- which was always horrific -- came early) destroyed a mattress in the early hours of the morning. The hotel staff was amazing. Turned out I had cancer, though I was diagnosed with fibroid tumours. The pain I had with my periods was so bad that childbirth was less painful. Anyway, I can understand why Erika wanted to be elsewhere. And, being Erika, she couldn't be bothered to extend a bit of grace to her hostess and really explain herself. If she had, none of the "Erika is being weird" crap would have happened. Or at least, it wouldn't have been such A Big Honkin' Deal. I know she talked about how Tom always drinks his coffee from a Styrofoam cup, but that's still wasteful and icky. That dress others have dissed (from Shark Tank) is neither "smart, elegant" nor "sexy on" as Erika and her stylist claimed. It's ugly, tacky. Which means it fits quite well with half the things she wears. I swear, her stylists do her few favours with their choices. Hey, look, I didn't start with Dorit this week. But now I'm talking about her. :) Dorit should have kept her faux-Brit yap shut. Erika didn't need to know that the "girls" (and how I loathe calling women above the age of, say, 16 "girls," but that's another rant) had thought her departure was "weird." And, again, if Erika had just really explained herself, they'd have understood. Probably. Maybe. Anyway, Dorit should have shut up. And did you see those sly-kitty-who-nibbled-the-canary expressions the camera caught in the kitchen when the good overnighter was turning to crap in span of a few minutes? She seemed quite pleased with her morning's work. PK's parents AND Dorit's parents are needed to "help take care of PK"? Really? Not "help take care of the children," mind, but help take care of this grownup man. Give me grace. Dorit tossing Lisa V under a fleet of buses at that little dinner was the least bright thing she's done all season -- a season of surpassingly not-bright decisions. I enjoyed the Teddi-Kyle-in-Kyle's-store scene. I didn't like those ugly shoes Kyle foisted off on Teddi, though. I did like the clothes. I also enjoyed Kyle and Lisa V in Kyle's NY store. I totally want one of those fake fur coats by Kyle's godson. But (a) I am totally sure I can't afford one and (b) I'm equally sure they don't come in my size. (Yes, I Googled. They're not too outrageous. $600. But I'm still pretty sure they won't make them in my size.) I think Teddi's vocabulary isn't terribly extensive. She just doesn't have a wide range of expressions. So when she landed on "weird," she stayed there. It never seems to occur to her that "weird" is bothering Erika more than many other ways of describing Teddi's reaction might have. If Teddi had said she didn't understand or that she was puzzled or something, Erika might well have reacted differently. Maybe. Erika doesn't like to show her feelings -- and neither does Teddi. This is not a good combination for a friendship. I'm always amused when any of the Howives pack for a trip. My idea of packing for a trip is "how little can I get away with?" Theirs is "can I justify taking my entire shoe collection?"

And that's exactly why my sympathy evaporates in about five seconds. I really dislike Kenya a lot.

I can't believe I'm defending Porsha, but I think her "no beef" dinner wasn't intended as a "we aren't going to eat beef, therefore we're vegan," but "we aren't having a beef with anyone tonight." Which, good luck with that, honey. "No beef" might last through one meal, but it won't last long. On the other hand, eating on wooden dinnerware and then sending it back? If she did that, she's not cheap, she's extra trash. I won't defend that. Maybe she was joking. *sigh* I still don't like Marlo. Judgemental (that welcome mat's too small, "I don't want her to bring Kroy," and so on). Now, I can understand not wanting Kroy on a "girls' trip," but Marlo making it about herself and her wishes is pretty typical. I don't eat meat and make a really good veggie (not vegan) lasagna with either Boca brand or Morningstar Farms brand crumbles. I'd have liked to have gotten the vegan chef's recipes. On the topic of food, I love Brussels sprouts, too. I roast them with olive oil or, when I don't have fresh ones, microwave frozen sprouts and then splash on a little olive oil. Yum. If my husband had the bad judgement to text me that he'd be my rock as long as I was "worth it," he'd learn quickly not to do that again. What's painful is that Kenya seems to think that's exemplary behaviour from a man. I hate feeling sorry for Kenya. Mama Joyce can go away.

This is mostly how we do it in the South, too. The church I attend has a monthly potluck, and we all bring something. I don't eat meat, so I always make sure I bring a couple of things I can eat because sometimes everyone has brought meat, and we're low on vegetable items. :) Nothing like sitting down to a heaping plate of nothing because everyone brought meatloaf and baked chicken that month! *laughing* (Yes, I'm exaggerating.) But, seriously, if I attend any potluck, I always bring something I know I can eat in case the other dishes are either sugar-heavy or meaty.

Dorit (yes, I always seem to start here) can't understand why Kyle ("one of my best friends") would stick up for "someone she's just met" rather than "sticking up for me." Well, darling, when you are wrong, a friend won't stick up for you just because they've known you longer. They'll stand up for what's right. And, honey, you have been wrong in every single interaction you've had with Teddi, I rather think. You've kept her waiting for an hour, lied about it, bitched about wine glasses, lied about it, called her names, lied about it. Get my drift? As others have said before, Dorit's open-mouthed *SHOCK* expression is so foolish and overly dramatic. Now then, Dorit, why can't you understand that -- for better or worse -- Kyle chiming in to back up Teddi at the party about the never-ending wine glass controversy is no different from Lisa V chiming in to back you up in that same conversation? Oh, of course, it's because you are (a) always right and proper and (b) too self-centred to notice anyone else or recognise their perspective. And why do you hang up in the middle of your friend (Kyle) speaking to you? Poor you, a limo driver getting lost is the worst experience you've EVER had. *rolls eyes* And then at the beach house, it was good to see Dorit and Teddi finally have their olive branch moment. (Dorit adjacent. PK is abhorrent. Yes, he said if you go out with a super, super fat person, you'll feel slim. He doesn't know that's why super-skinny Dorit likes to stand next to him, does he?) Lisa V had a point in the restaurant in that she had a right to feel slighted that her quite important news was being shoved to the side. On the other hand, if she'd waited another couple of minutes, she could have weathered that and changed the topic back to her legal news. She didn't have to flounce off like an over-aged ingenue. On the good side, her delight in the "bag of fresh puppies" was palpable and real. Erika isn't annoying me as much this year, most of the time. "I left my Jell-o salad at home!" Funny. :) I liked her scenes with Lisa V. Erika isn't a good peacemaker, though, because she is too . . . she'd say reserved, but I'd say emotionally unavailable. Lisa R. Yeah, "I'm a good actor." Uh, I've seen you act. Both Kyle and Lisa V apologised, however unwillingly (maybe) or sincerely (also maybe). I do think Lisa V hurt Kyle when she answered, "I don't know," to the question, "If it were Dorit sitting there crying, would you have left?" Teddi - I do like her beach house. I don't have too much to say about her in this episode.

I'm still rather enjoying it. I have some issues. I don't care for the actress playing Isabella (and haven't since I first saw her on Poldark). The writing can be a little, um, stodgy. But I've read enough "historical fictions" and "historical romances" to forgive a lot. Just as you don't look for historical accuracy in those fictions and romances, you can't look for it here. And Tom Cullen is still a good brooder, even if he's not the most emotive actor ever. :) I do like Simon Merrells who plays Tancrede. I'll probably be back next year if they renew it.

So now I've finished watching, and I have another thing or two to say. That proposal between Danielle's bf and her? I don't believe one single moment of it was spontaneous, unscripted, unrehearsed, or unprepared-for. Not a moment. Danielle's face after her sex-in-the-loo moment at Gorga's tells you a lot. She was like the slutty cat who ate the canary. I don't loathe her the way a lot of people do, but her pleasure in her own misdemeanors rubs me wrong. The scene between Gia and Tre was by turns amusing and touching. Someone in that family did a good job teaching at least one of those girls how to behave as an adult. Tre seemed to be honest and open in that scene, too.

I haven't watched it all yet, but have one thing I want to say right now. That "old school Italian" thing makes me laugh. My much-adored father-in-law is first generation Italian. He didn't rule his household with an iron hand, didn't bring up his kids to think "boys will be boys," and has always been one of the gentlest men I've ever known. So maybe what they mean by "old school Italian" is more "old school male chauvinist." Just a thought.

Oh, Eclectcmoi, I am so sorry to read this. I've been in that place so many times, and my heart goes out to you. You will have your black cat forever in your heart, and I can promise you'll hear him purring in your sleep forever. My long-ago cats and dogs visit me regularly in my dreams. Much love to you.

Gracious. <-- Southern expression of dismay, not a comment on the party or the behaviour on display. Dorit. I always seem to begin with my dislike of Dorit. Oh well. Had Dorit called me a "psycho bitch" for such little reason as she did Teddi, I'd have shown her what a psycho bitch really was. Oh, you think I mean by going all psycho on her skinny fake-British torso? No, of course not. I'm a lady *cough*. I'd whip out my compact and show her her own psycho face. My land sake, woman. Get a grip. Also, if PK is her James Bond, my husband must be Ross Poldark in disguise. (At least, my husband has the brooding and the colouring down pat, even if not the chiseled abs.) Oh, and, no, no, you didn't nail "Fever." What the heck was that dance mover you were making when the editors spliced in that TH where you claimed to have nailed it? Lisa V. As others have said, I think she was trying to let Dorit know she had been making Teddi feel less than. Any halfway sensitive human would have picked up on what she was saying, but this is Dorit we're talking about. The scenes with Teddi, Lisa V., the horses, and Ken were sweet and showed Lisa's kinder side. Erika didn't get on my nerves a single time in this episode. She really tried to make the best of Dorit's attempt at singing "Fever." I'm so glad I could mostly hear Boy George. Lisa R. I know a lot of y'all think she was comparing herself to 40-year-old actresses. I don't think so, even though I'm not fond of defending Rinna all that much. I think she was saying that when she was turning 40, she began to expand her focus, doing QVC, etc., so that she'd have a wider lane to work in. I don't think she was pretending to be 40. YMMV on that, of course. Teddi. I'd like to hang out with her, even if she drinks her wine from a champagne flute or vice versa. If I were her, though, I'd just cut Dorit off at the lip. She's not worth the trouble, even if Bravo forces some contact. I'd be so civil and cordial it'd freeze the blood in her fake-Brit veins. And I wouldn't give her any ammunition -- and I'd have fun doing it. Kyle. If you don't stay on top of contractors, they will mess up your renovation. Ask me how I know. *sigh* If they're doing work and you're still living in the house, however, there's no excuse for not knowing till it's so late that your black-and-white marble floors are, in fact, white-and-white. Come on, Kyle -- and Mauricio.

Melissa said not everyone can afford plastic surgery. Siggy responded, "Everyone's got a credit card." Sure, and we all want to go into thousands of dollars of high-interest debt to pay for plastic surgery. Honey, your superficiality is showing. I swear, every single time I think Ms. Flicker has dug herself as deep a hole as possible, she finds a way to dig it deeper. I would not pick up her book -- any of her books -- on a free deal at Amazon. You could not pay me to read her books. Bless his heart, though, if Siggy's father gave her that "never change" advice, he did her no favours at all. And why is it beyond the pale for Margaret to say that Hitler wouldn't have put her (who isn't Jewish) to death but still isn't a good person (because oh, we cannot mention anything to do with the Holocaust unless we're actually discussing the Holocaust), but it's perfectly fine for Siggy to ask whether or not Kim D. constructed concentration camps? When she said she didn't give a s*** how any of the other HoWives (or Andy!) felt, well, (a) that's such a good example for a wonderful relationship expert such as herself and (b) the kiss of death if she'd had any hope of returning next season. I am so glad I will never (I hope) have to watch her enter that restaurant in Boca Raton and bray, "Hello, everybody!" at the top of her leathery lungs. Melissa's facial expressions were hilarious this whole episode. She's grown on me. I really disliked her for a couple of years. Oh, Dolores, yes Danielle is sarcastic and condescending. You, however, are the poster child for "sarcastic and condescending." So miss me with your gripe about anyone -- even Danielle -- being sarky and la-di-da with you. Andy: What proof do you have that Danielle's using drugs? Dolores (who wants proof about everything, in a "who cares" sort of voice) Oh, I don't have any proof. *sigh* And then when they break, she laughs and says, "I love getting her to this point." Call me old-fashioned, call me naive, call me a good-two-shoes, but I have never enjoyed upsetting *anyone* in my entire life that way. To be pleased with yourself because you have upset someone. Astounding to me. Disclaimer: I don't care for Danielle. I think she's at best untrustworthy. But come on. The only thing I have to say about Theresa is the same thing I've been saying all season. Honey, you don't know the meaning of namaste. Your zen isn't even skin-deep. On the other hand, despite the jargon she threw about "not giving it light," the advice she gave Danielle about not being so reactive to Dolores was good. Tre ought to take that advice herself once in a while.

I'll give you the shirts, but John always looks sweaty to me. :) One way or another, I think they're all (PK, Harry, John, and Slade) unpleasant critters. We might not agree on the ranking, but I figure we'll agree on the unpleasantness.

Dorit wonders why she's being made out to be the villain. Honey, it's because you're doing everything but twirl your mustache. Please. Oh, and being super-snotty about which glass goes with which wine doesn't make you a good guest. It makes you a snotty one, especially when you don't even hold the darned glasses correctly. Going to a spa party where you're supposed to get a facial and then being bitchy about not letting anyone touch your face is just, well, bitchy. (For the record, I suffer from fibromyalgia and have been invited to spa dates. I've accepted and told the staff I suffer from fibro so could they please tread lightly. Guess what? They all do. No problem. No bitchiness. But then I'm not Dorit.) That $3million car was one of the ugliest things I've seen since the ugly cars featured this season on the RHoOC. Dorit, you have no taste, no class, no "couth," nothing worth anyone's breath. Okay, rolling on to Dorit-adjacent PK. Ugh. He makes me squirmy in a not-good way, even when he's not onscreen. Now that takes talent. He's fifty years old? Wow. I've seen other posters compare him to RHoNYC's Harry. I think he's more akin to Dorinda's John than Sonja's Harry. I like Teddi, but she's out of her depth in this group. Ken and the puppy = heart-melting. I'm withholding any judgement about the allegations in the lawsuit. I've known men who were sweet cupcakes in public and who turned into raging beasts when they were challenged -- especially by a woman -- in private. I'm not saying this is Ken, but I'm also not saying it isn't. So I'm just not drawing any conclusions till more facts are known. I cannot find it in me -- yet -- to dislike Harry Hamlin. He does seem to care about his daughters and his wife. And, yes, he was Big, Hot Stuff a couple of decades ago. He still works pretty regularly.

I think that JJ and Julia (whose name I'm misspelling) stayed together at the moment, but then they broke up again according to the final cards. And Assifa (also misspelled, probably) and Bobby, I think, though I don't believe they stayed together long either. Everyone else broke up, including DeAndre who threw Meghan's ring into the lake when she didn't have a ring for him. Anyway, I think that's right. I always put these shows out of my mind pretty quickly.

Or maybe it was her outrage at Margaret in general. Something sparked her to call herself Israeli. I don't remember what it was right now, and I've deleted the recording. I do remember thinking, "What does that have to do with anything?" though. But, seriously, Siggy just offends me on an almost cellular level. *sigh*

I don't want to talk about Siggy. All I will say about her truly nasty performance on part one of the reunion is that I never thought I'd see someone say, with full-on smugness-and-arrogance-face, "Yes, I did," when accused of deliberately trying to destroy another person. The utterly stunning lack of self-awareness in that moment . . . Dolores almost always -- to me -- looked pretty during the season, even when her behaviour was horrid, which it almost always was. But not in the reunion. Holy Hannah. Did no one tell her not to get procedures done right before filming? Bless her heart, Danielle also looked particularly waxen. I don't dislike her as much as some people do, but I'm still wary of her. I might never eat cake again. Okay, I'm going to talk about Siggy again. "My IQ is a lot higher than these girls'." No. No, it isn't. I hear your vocabulary. I hear your sentence structure. I hear your attempt at logic. No, just no. (Disclaimer: Her IQ is absolutely higher than Tre's, but then so is everyone's. )

My dislike for Dorit just grows and grows. I'm sorry (not really), but if someone shouts at me that I'm a stupid C-word, I'm not lady enough to turn the other cheek and not endowed with enough "sense of humour" to laugh it off. Yes, I'm on Team Teddi about the restaurant, too. If I'm meeting someone, as I often do in my line of work, and am running even five minutes late, I call or text (depending on whether or not I'm driving) to say so. It's not hard. I don't care much, to put it lightly, for Erika and never have. Still, I can understand and empathise with her fears for her husband and for her life after he's gone. Rinna was all too happy, it seems, to bring back that bit of gossip about Ken. As others have said, assault doesn't necessarily mean physical assault, though this suit is alleging a physical assault. *sigh* I used to like Rinna.

I'm pretty sure that was Joe Gorga, Super Genius. Sadly, I think he did think it was real. I thought perhaps he was asking if it was a formerly living, now stuffed horse like the bear in the foyer. Maybe I am giving him too much credit.

A short season, huh? Teresa. For the most part, she didn't tick me off all season the way she has in the past. I've had gripes with her "If you're not all about the Namaste, stay the hell out of my way," because that is really a contradiction of the spirit of Namaste, but on the whole, she hasn't been completely dreadful. However . . . either she lied (or misstated) in her TH or she lied (or misstated) when she talked to Joe and Melissa about whether or not she confronted Joe and got an apology. Also, she shouldn't have left the party with Siggy. (More on this later.) I'm not sure, however, Tre intended the declaration of loyalty to Siggy that Dolores inferred. I hope she didn't because Siggy won't return that loyalty. Dolores. I enjoyed the bowling alley scene a good deal. She looked good, acted like a normal person, had good relationship vibes with both Frank and Frankie. Margaret. The time comes when a woman shouldn't wear skin-tight Dolly Parton-esque dresses unless one is, in fact, Dolly Parton. But I still like her. :) Danielle. She tries too hard. Always. Melissa. Nothing she did in this episode was particularly noteworthy to me. I know why she (and others) jumped to the conclusion that Siggy had either faked or self-inflicted her injury, but it wasn't wise for her to say it. (And since when does wisdom make for good reality TV?) Siggy. I think she might have engineered that fall. If she did or didn't, however, I know exactly why some of the HoWives -- and some of us in the forum -- were suspicious: track record. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, makes duck-lips like a duck, well it's Siggy Flicker making drama. I'm sure she is "taking more time from her business" to be with her husband. Translation: She has shown herself on national TV to be an immature, vindictive, small-minded, destructive weasel, and her business -- such as it was -- has shriveled like a salted slug. Now, as for her party trick, who but a vindictive, small-minded, etc. , goes to a party, insults the guest of honour (I dislike the term "birthday girl/boy" when that person is above, say, 40), and then stomps out, loudly demanding that other people come with you? I have seen more mature behaviour from 5-year-olds. Also, I've taken a header down staircases on three occasions. In each of my trips to the ER, I spent hours and hours being poked, prodded, X-rayed, and scanned. I don't know what hospital Siggy visited, but she certainly received faster treatment than I did. Suspiciously faster? Maybe . . . But then, we all know my contempt for Ms. Flicker knows few bounds. I'm predisposed to disbelieve her story on everything.

I'm still slogging through this show. The historical goofs are obtrusive. The acting is often clunky. The writing is always clunky. But Tom Cullen broods so broodily. :) And once in a while he takes off a piece of his clothing. Yep, that's why I'm watching. *sigh*

Dorit doesn't disappoint, does she, in the "Can she top her last episode of nastiness?" sweepstakes. Because, yes, she can. Not for one moment in this episode was she less than revolting. When that walrus she's married to tries (and fails) to calm her down at the dinner table, well, that's just beyond grotesque. To be honest, in the Lisa R. vs. Dorit squabble, I'm pretty much Team Rinna. Dorit *did* do things -- and continues to do them -- to hurt Rinna. She hasn't taken one iota of responsibility for her part in any of that. Rinna should watch her back, and I'm not even a big Lisa Rinna fan, not even close. Once in a while, I'm very happy I gave up meat. Watching Erika and Lisa R. eating (or not eating) Japanese food is one of those times. On the other hand, what did they expect? I don't know why Kyle wanted to take out the hardwoods and replace with marble. She'll regret that decision, I think.

Two things bothered me about the episode in Germany. 1. Before the waltz lesson, NBC put up a couple of cards explaining that the waltz had been created by peasants and was the first ballroom dance in which the dancers' bodies touched. For this reason, it was considered "obsene" (sic) and scandalous. Surely someone at NBC can spell obscene. Possibly my reaction is tinted by my day job as copy editor, however. 2. I was also somewhat put off by the vandalism at the Berlin Wall. Perhaps NBC cleaned it up afterwards. I hope so. Otherwise, this was another fun -- and occasionally touching -- episode. I do enjoy this series and the interactions among the participants.

Everyone has already said most of what I was thinking when I watched this episode. Too much boobage. Too many bad wigs. Too much OLG and their gripes. I have only one other thing to add to the "Sheree wants to be a producer, Boo, not an intern" discussion. Remember when she was pushing her son as The Next Big Male Model? She wanted ALL the privileges and ALL the perks and ALL the pay -- even when Cynthia specifically said one showing was for exposure and experience only? She went nuts about that. So her wanting the producer credit without having Clue One about what a producer does didn't surprise me a single bit. She has always wanted the gold ring without putting in any effort. Bless her heart.