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Garcelle asked Kyle, about the drinking, “How much longer is this going to go on?” To me, that seemed unsupportive. Dorit bemoaned the fact that Kyle isn’t getting wild and crazy with her (aka drinking with her) on this trip. When the women were together in the morning talking about Kyle’s exercising and sobriety, Dorit said these things were “unsustainable.” Personally, I love a good drink! But if a friend told me they weren’t drinking anymore for health reasons I’d just say “great” and keep it moving. Of course, this is RHW, so standard rules of decorum will not apply…

I loathe Erika, so far be it from me to defend her, but I’m pretty sure she was joking about the God stuff.

I don’t know why that opinion would be unpopular! It’s really crappy the way the other women are going at Kyle for her sobriety, and acting like it’s some sign of dysfunction. Even Garcelle, from whom I’d generally expect better.

Perhaps I should ask a psychologist how to scrounge up some empathy…for Erika.

Right, I don't disagree with any of this. If anything, this supports my point that the "scene" wasn't made by Sutton leaving but rather by the women's reactions to it.

So... I buy that Sutton thought she knew what she was in for, with the show, and then found herself getting very uncomfortable. Personally, I'm as sex-positive as they come, but one time I attended a Magic Mike-type show and it made me extremely uncomfortable, personally. Like, there was something almost...predatory?... about it. And I've seen much more explicit shows in Amsterdam and not had this reaction. That's just me, though! No shade to anyone who enjoys Magic Mike! Also, I feel that Sutton didn't actually make a big show out of leaving. Yeah, maybe she could excused herself a bit more quietly. She could have said "I need to use the restroom" instead of flouncing out. But she specifically told Dorit not to follow her. It only became a "thing" because Garcelle went after her and kept talking to her about it. Moreover, she never asked Kyle to tell the other women that it was time to go! Where Sutton loses me is in being so judgmental. It's totally fine and valid to say "This isn't my cup of tea" and quietly excuse yourself. It is not fine to judge the other women for participating. It's obnoxious to rant about the American Ballet and it's shitty to say, "I'm not friends with women who do these things." You are not the arbiter of culture, Sutton!

Sutton's matchmaker is an SNL character, right?

How did two people like Dorit and PK manage to have such stinkin' adorable children?

I was surprised to learn from the intro sequence that Crystal is still a regular member of the cast. Totally assumed she was a "Friend Of" after her sparse showing in episode #1. I am not a Kyle Richards fan at all, but she seems to be legitimately going through something, and it's hard to watch.

PK is a potato chip of a human being, but I did feel spiritually at one with him when he was giving his opinion of the faith healer.

You guys, I binged the last few episodes of this yesterday and now I’m getting sponsored ads for charcuterie. I know correlation isn’t causation, but…

I will say this... There's a frustrated middle-schooler desperate for acceptance stuck inside of Heather. And, while I think she would probably own that critique, that middle-school part of her is still too loud and exhausting. And she has zero right to tell anyone else how they can practice their religion, and whether their religion should accept how they practice it. I'm not rah rah Mormonism (for many of the same reasons as Heather!) but what Heather is doing with Lisa is honestly offensive. And that's before we even get into the irony of Heather shaming Lisa for not being a "good" Mormon. This is all to say: I'm very aware that Heather has her flaws. That said, Heather has always sounded reasonably intelligent to me in her talking heads. Certainly more intelligent and witty than the average RHW -- though, yes, that bar is about a centimeter off of the floor. So, while I haven't read her book, I'd think if any of them could write a book that's worth reading, she'd be at the top of the list.

You. Can. LEAVE. I guess unwashed fruit is okay if you never actually eat. No.

I can't vouch for the quality of Heather's book because I -- like everyone else in the cast, evidently! -- have not read it. But, it was a legit New York Times bestseller. I believe that in a major city, Heather could command an audience of a couple of hundred people, between friends of hers, family members, RHW superfans, and ex-Mormons.

What's your damage, Heather? Lisa isn't excluding you because you left Mormonism! She's excluding you because you are publicly, vocally disdainful of the very institution that she is having these gatherings to celebrate! But also, ugh, Lisa. It can be true that Monica is the worst, and that Monica's mom is mentally abusive. These things are not mutually exclusive! If we've learned anything from the Real Housewives over the years it's that everybody can be terrible, simultaneously. I loathe Whitney but her daughter seems sweet.

I wish we knew something about Angie’s cultural background. Is she Greek?

Did Heather write a book or something? I wasn't sure, as it hasn't been mentioned.

I generally like Heather, and I think her criticisms of Mormonism are totally valid (re: sexism/racism/transphobia) but whyyyy on earth would Lisa ever seek her out to talk about her son's participation in an institution Heather has so thoroughly critiqued?? And still is critiquing, on the show, thus proving Lisa's point! And I'm sorry, but "Why won't you read my book?" verges on Jill Zarin territory. Monica is exhausting. I've watched a lot of Real Housewives over the years, but that truly ranks as one of the most bizarre conversations I've ever seen on the show.

Yeah, there is a lot to unpack there.

It's fascinating to watch as Meredith's transition into Moira Rose nears completion.

Tammy's younger daughter crawling through the doggie door so she could unlock the house to have a party while Tammy was out of town! That's the content we need, America!

See, I actually think many of them *could* be, in the right context. The main issues are 1) they are too selective about what they show, so we end up seeing very curated characters and 2) most of them don’t actually have organic relationships with each other and don’t seem to particularly care about each other, which makes for boring TV.

My husband is from Connecticut... Oops, did I just dox myself?

I actually think that, on paper, these were good casting choices. Jessel is a villain, but she doesn’t *mean* to be a villain - she just lacks self-awareness - which is a personality that typically works well for a RHW (Vicki Gunvalson, Ramona Singer). Brynn is quick-witted and can be funny, and has an interesting back story. Ubah is also fun and funny, and isn’t afraid to wade into the drama sporadically. Jenna is genuinely successful and interesting. Erin and Sai understand the assignment and bring the drama. The problem is… maybe they understand the assignment a bit *too* well? I want to like this cast, and there are genuinely entertaining moments… but they do seem like a collection of individuals rather than a “cast.” They don’t seem to have organic relationships with each other. This begs the question: can one assemble a RHW cast from scratch in 2023 and create magic? I don’t know. It would be one thing if these folks were related to each other or were genuinely already friends. But when you throw them all together like this, they’re out for themselves, they’re pretty savvy, and they act accordingly.

I don’t disagree with you, but I think both things can be true. I agree that Jessel should never have been that late (especially without being DEEPLY apologetic about it) and that Jessel lacks basic self-awareness. Comparing her uncle to Sai’s mom after Sai had *just* expressed annoyance about Jessel comparing their lives was…well, CRINGE, as the kids say. BUT!!! Sai can lose me with “I was offended that you talked about my mom” when Sai herself had just talked about her mom! Extensively! On camera! Is Jessel supposed to be a mind reader? Plus, Sai seems to be looking for reasons to pick apart Jessel and her relationship. They’re both flawed. Yeeeesh. I am far from a prude, and I have been watching this show for many years so I have obviously heard some things, but for some reason that disclosure grossed me out.