RHoP: Season One Rehash

[lasu]

I'm VERY late to the party, but I have been been watching this on Hulu.  I'm already about halfway through season two, so I'm going to TRY to just focus on my feelings at the end of season one.  No way I can break this down by episode, so if this is all out of order, please excuse.  

Soooo, just to pick a place to start: 

I mostly thought Ashley was a mostly harmless little puppy.  She always looked like a little girl playing dress up to me.  She interested me, because I have trouble believing she just genuinely loved Michael exactly for who he is, but she also doesn't seem to come off as completely money hungry, so I couldn't figure it out.  I thought he was wrong to show up at the Girls' Weekend, but not at all for the reasons stated.  It does change the mood, having a guy there, but my ex-husband (whom I adore, though not quite Robin/Juan levels) was the WORST for crashing girls' nights.  It wasn't that he found that many women titillating, or he wanted to catch us wearing skimpy things, or because he missed me so very much.  He just had the WORST case of FOMO you've ever seen in your life, lol.  Mostly our nights would end up like theirs did, playing beer pong and it not being that big of a deal. 

That said, by the end of the season, I wondered how long it would be before Ashley started outgrowing Michael.  Because, (most not all) men who are into MUCH younger women, it's not really because they have great bodies and perfect skin and nothing sags anywhere, although it obviously doesn't hurt.  In my experience, it's more because a mediocre man can feel worldly, and smart, and powerful next to a younger, inexperienced woman.  They get off on introducing the younger woman to so many things, and having her be in awe of him.  But you can only introduce someone to see urchin so many times, and young, inexperienced woman usually grow up into mature independent women who are no longer impressed by the old guy, and no longer want to go along with everything he says.  And then he resents her for it, and tries to put her down to get her back into her place where he likes her.  

I'll go for the two ends of the spectrum for this first post, so next up is Karen.  Holy Jeebus.  What a smug, self-important, DELUSIONAL woman.  She absolutely infuriated me so many damn times.  I would admittedly be annoyed if someone's husband crashed our girls' weekend (although as mentioned it was MY damn husband always doing the crashing), but for her to clutch her pearls that she would have to sleep under the same roof as a man while her husband wasn't present?  Um...what?  And then when Ray said that he didn't want Michael there because Karen would be wearing skimpy things?  My god.  OK, first, if this wasn't a television show, couldn't KAREN be responsible for putting on some damn sweat pants if it was that big of a deal?  And really, it is a tv show!  There was a camera crew there looking at your wife.  Editors, looking at your wife.  And then ME!  ME!  I'm a damn stranger on my couch at home looking at your wife!  Absolutely absurd.  But then, I've never been one for what is "appropriate" and "proper" especially when it's coming from someone like Karen who is just using etiquette as a bludgeoning tool to try to make herself seem elevated while putting other people down.  I found her absolutely insufferable, and I couldn't get a read on why she is the way she is.

I have so much more, but I'm having trouble remembering things, so I hope anyone else will chime in and give me something to riff off of.  I will say, the one things that really sticks out to me right now, and oh, how it made me laugh:  At the reunion, Ashley is going on and on about something being a "moot point", and Charrisse finally, quietly, says, "mute. It's a mute point."  Andy obviously heard her and gave her the funniest "Oh...dear" look that I burst out.  I normally don't like Andy's condescension towards Ho'Wives, but I have to admit I died.

[geauxaway]

Remind me again who was the original cast?  Karen, Robin, Ashley, Giselle and Charisse?   It’s been a while, but I’m happy to take a trip down memory lane!

 

[lasu]

And Katie!

 

[geauxaway]

30 minutes ago, lasu said:

And Katie!

 

OMG, yes!  Thank you!  
 

I’ll try my best to remember what I liked and disliked about them back then.  I know I’ve never been a fan of Robin.  Ashley, I agree with you about her in season 1.  Has Oz opened yet for you?  Because that’s when she kind of started to lose me.  Katie, I remember her boyfriend being a complete d-bag that she was trying too hard to hold on to.  Cha Cha and Karen over the top snobs, but a good balance to the younger set.  I don’t remember much about Giz from season. 1.  Sorry!  

[Hiyo]

Season 1 for me was kind of meh. Much like with Dallas, it wasn’t until season 2 where the show really clicked for me and became enjoyable.

[lasu]

I really enjoyed season one, but it might have helped I got to binge it and it was commercial free.  I can tell you, I did try to start it when it first came on, and for whatever reason, it just fizzled for me.

One of the things that has been fascinating to me is all the racial discussions.  It was one of the main reasons I wanted to find archived conversations about it.  I would love to be able to be a fly in the corner and see what people had to say without having to ask ignorant questions and possibly offending people.  

So, since another poster forgot Katie, let's talk about Katie!  So pretty!  LOL, that's about all I've got on the positive.  I don't know why she denied being on drugs at that party she completely made out with her boyfriend.  I am WAY more embarrassed for her if she truly hadn't slipped some ex or something, because, DAMN that shit was inappropriate! And then that janky ass proposal that didn't even make it to the reunion.  But I was disappointed when she wasn't on Season Two.  Does anyone know the story behind that?  Especially when I think she is back in a later season? 

[Stats Queen]

7 hours ago, lasu said:

I mostly thought Ashley was a mostly harmless little puppy.  She always looked like a little girl playing dress up to me.  She interested me, because I have trouble believing she just genuinely loved Michael exactly for who he is, but she also doesn't seem to come off as completely money hungry, so I couldn't figure it out.  I thought he was wrong to show up at the Girls' Weekend, but not at all for the reasons stated.  It does change the mood, having a guy there, but my ex-husband (whom I adore, though not quite Robin/Juan levels) was the WORST for crashing girls' nights.  It wasn't that he found that many women titillating, or he wanted to catch us wearing skimpy things, or because he missed me so very much.  He just had the WORST case of FOMO you've ever seen in your life, lol.  Mostly our nights would end up like theirs did, playing beer pong and it not being that big of a dea

I thought she was a harmless puppy also.

[luckyroll3]

I just started rewatching the first season.  I'm only on episode 1 and already Charisse is on my nerves.  She has the same over-bloated sense of pomposity that Karen has, except Karen can be fun at times. 

Edited March 17, 2020 by luckyroll3

[luckyroll3]

Chuckling so hard at Andrew, Katie's boyfriend, describing Karen as:

1. A train wreck
2. Older, more haggard, and more stuck up than the other women
3. Giselle on performance enhancing bad drugs.

LMAO!

 

[Hiyo]

#3 was a keeper.

[lasu]

3 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

I just started rewatching the first season.  I'm only on episode 1 and already Charisse is on my nerves.  She has the same over-bloated sense of pomposity that Karen has, except Karen can be fun at times. 

This is so interesting to me, because I would say the exact same thing, but opposite!  Though I do think I started out thinking Charrisse was worse.

[Stats Queen]

Katie had all the warning bells that something just wasn’t quite right. She was entertaining, tho

[talktoomuch]

Charisse was always my least favorite. I know that she was the only True RHOP since none of the rest of them actually lived in P. But dayum did she act like the gatekeeper making newbies "earn" entree. She was such a snobby killjoy that I couldn't even feel sorry for her crap ass sham marriage. I hope she was actually a much better person IRL than she displayed on the show b/c she sucked. Plus she can't rap.

[Hiyo]

Am I the only who thinks Karen looks better as a brunette? Gizelle's 'do is a big no bueno, though.

 

[OnceSane]

5 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Am I the only who thinks Karen looks better as a brunette?

Nope.  She's always looked better as a brunette imo.

[link417]

23 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Am I the only who thinks Karen looks better as a brunette? Gizelle's 'do is a big no bueno, though.

 

Oof, Gizelle. Those long bangs were a situation. It looked like she had a wig that was sitting too far down on her head.

[qtpye]

On 3/27/2020 at 3:34 AM, link417 said:

Oof, Gizelle. Those long bangs were a situation. It looked like she had a wig that was sitting too far down on her head.

It was like Cousin from the Adam’s Family was sitting on her head.

[Sweet-tea]

I'm just finishing the first season. I'm enjoying it but gosh, these women are nit-picky and sensitive. I thought they were horrible to Katie about her husband showing up at the beach house. It was totally rude and unnecessary! What did Karen think was going to happen--that Michael would be overcome with lust and attack her? Ridiculous! Her husband's lecturing to Michael wasn't any better. This isn't "old school" this is just flat-out entitled and rude. 

On another note, I don't know many straight men who grab other men's butts. Just saying... 

Some of these women have the worst wigs I've seen, especially considering their wealth and "status." Gizelle's wig with the bangs was horrible, but Karen's is even worse. It looks too far up on her forehead and appears totally unnatural. Charisse's isn't much better. 

I think I like Ashley better with her hair natural. 

Katie, if you have to harangue a guy that much to get him to marry you, it is not a good sign. 

[talktoomuch]

12 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

Some of these women have the worst wigs I've seen, especially considering their wealth and "status." Gizelle's wig with the bangs was horrible, but Karen's is even worse. It looks too far up on her forehead and appears totally unnatural. Charisse's isn't much better. 

ITA. I have a really hard time understanding how women on tv often have worse wigs than young girls I pass on the streets on a daily basis.

[geauxaway]

I’ve never done a rewatch, but season 1 is on this morning so I’m watching before the football comes on.  
 

Katie was a loon back then, yikes!  I forgot about how weird she was with Andrew.  

Ashley stating that the minute she laid eyes on Michael she knew she wanted to marry him.  She also referred to him as sexy.  🤮. Her mother has also just filed bankruptcy.  
 

Gizelle saying she would never get back with Jamal and if she wanted to he would be right there by her side, with a snap of her fingers.  Again 🤮

I’m up to Ashley’s beach house episodes.  Why does she have a twin beds kids room?  I could understand having a twin beds room, but why is it decorated for kids.  
 

[heatherchandler]

I don’t remember watching the first season, maybe I saw an episode here or there.  Ashley is an asshole!  Michael was always up to his butt-grabbing tricks.  He’s so gross.

I thought I remembered Charisse being a bitch, but she’s not too bad.  Ray telling Karen to scale back her O Gala... because his mom just died... yeah now we know it’s because he was going broke at that point in time.

[LaurelleJ]

Season one was so interesting. Initially Ashley stuck out like a sore thumb because it seemed like Potomac was all about old money, and Ashley was this young fresh faced girly hanging with the older women. Even Katie, who is younger, seemed lie one of the older women. I remember really liking Charisse in the beginning. I liked Robyn a lot. Didn't care for Gizelle, not much has changed there. My favorites were Katie, Ashley, and Charisse back then. Over the seasons I have really come to appreciate Karen and she has become one of my favorites. 

[Chatty Cake]

6 hours ago, geauxaway said:

I’ve never done a rewatch, but season 1 is on this morning so I’m watching before the football comes on.  
 

Katie was a loon back then, yikes!  I forgot about how weird she was with Andrew.  

Ashley stating that the minute she laid eyes on Michael she knew she wanted to marry him.  She also referred to him as sexy.  🤮. Her mother has also just filed bankruptcy.  
 

Gizelle saying she would never get back with Jamal and if she wanted to he would be right there by her side, with a snap of her fingers.  Again 🤮

I’m up to Ashley’s beach house episodes.  Why does she have a twin beds kids room?  I could understand having a twin beds room, but why is it decorated for kids.  
 

That was Michael’s beach house with his former wife. I’m guessing the bedrooms were for his two kids who are now well into their 20s.