S12.E23: Reunion Part 2

[Hangin Out]

18 hours ago, MaggieG said:

One of the best parts about watching this episode, besides Tinsley dragging Dorinda, was knowing that this is the last we will see of her. One more episode and then we no longer have to be subjected to her mean, toxic behavior. That made the episode more enjoyable. 

Me too.  If Dorinda ever came back next season, I wouldn’t watch anymore.  She was practically in every scene it seemed.

[Chicklet]

Dorinda is not only mean she revels in her mean-ness. I've rarely met/known of someone so odiously cruel and at peace with her behavior. She's not a damn bit sorry for all the nasty things she's said.

If she's back next time, if I get bored I might watch but I lean toward avoiding this series. Maybe Salt Lake City will be better?

Edited September 19, 2020 by Chicklet

[Chit Chat]

4 minutes ago, Chicklet said:

If she's back next time, if I get bored I might watch but I lean toward avoiding this series. Maybe Salt Lake City will be better?

I'm hopeful that we won't be seeing Dorinda on this show again.  Seeing the previews of that show makes me think it's not going to be much better.  Sigh.  

 

[Baltimore Betty]

26 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I'm hopeful that we won't be seeing Dorinda on this show again.  Seeing the previews of that show makes me think it's not going to be much better.  Sigh.  

 

I know!!

As soon as that one who claims to be converting to Islam said, "Asam Alechem Bitches!" Ugh, just ugh.  She might have more work to do with her conversion.  

It does not look like compelling TV.

[howiveaddict]

I feel sorry for whoever dates/ marries Dorinda.    They will live forever in Richard’s shadow.   
I must be too obsessed with Dorinda.   I only have to type Dor on my phone and it suggests Dorinda!  🤷‍♀️

[Persnickety1]

3 hours ago, Chicklet said:

I honestly think Ramona likes to give the impression that she's with a different guy every day but I think she's really a prude who likes to flirt. Derelict was trying to slut-shame her for no real reason and tossing out things to see what stuck to the wall.

I think it's beyond creepy that Dorinda seems to know what each and every housewife is up to, especially when they're not filming.

She asserts that Ramona is out on the town every night.  Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, but I got the feeling Dorinda has at least some receipts to back this up.  

She asserts that there was no "Bruce" and that "Bruce" was actually Scott all along.  Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but the way Dorinda presented this (and it turned out to be true) was as if she could have provided receipts to back up this assertion as well.

There are other examples of where Dorinda has presented information that a *normal* person (not that she's normal) wouldn't be aware of.

Anyone else remember when she said she had a dossier all about Sonja?  

I've often pondered whether Dorinda has a PI on the payroll who stalks follows her co-workers in case she can get any dirt on them to reveal during filming.  

Put together with her rage, envy, and obvious issues with alcohol, I think perhaps there's nothing Dorinda wouldn't do to "win."  

For the sake of all the other women who had to work with her, I'm glad she's gone.  

Toxic doesn't begin to describe Dorinda Medley.  

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Chalby said:

Andy definitely favours certain castmates, but Ramona needed to be addressed this way. She has skated far too long with bad behaviour and appalling lies and deserved every word.

No, my point was that he does this to Ramona every reunion dating back years.  It wasn't anything different this time.  Always screaming at Ramona and trying to silence her over his favourites.  Ramona does not talk over people more than the other castmates.  Dorinda did it just as much this time.  Leah did it just as much this time.

I do not know what bad behaviour or appalling lies you are referring to.

I remember Dorinda doing that this reunion but Ramona?  I'm not sure.  At one point she went to the bathroom.  She apologized to Leah, she told Leah what a great woman she is, and she applauded Luann for her evolution.  That's what I remember.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Hangin Out]

22 hours ago, Mar said:

She has been holding out on signing a contract for the next season because in her opinion she did not get a large enough raise. They started filming without her a few days ago. They will probablyNegotiate something. I would be happy if she didn’t come back.

I think Leah brings in the younger watchers.  So, if they started filming already, they must have picked the newbies already.

[ichbin]

19 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

No, my point was that he does this to Ramona every reunion dating back years.  It wasn't anything different this time.  Always screaming at Ramona and trying to silence her over his favourites.  Ramona does not talk over people more than the other castmates.  Dorinda did it just as much this time.  Leah did it just as much this time.

I do not know what bad behaviour or appalling lies you are referring to.

I remember Dorinda doing that this reunion but Ramona?  I'm not sure.  At one point she went to the bathroom.  She apologized to Leah, she told Leah what a great woman she is, and she applauded Luann for her evolution.  That's what I remember.

Right?  Others do things far worse but she seems to be the favored whipping post.  She has her quirks to be sure, but is not worse than or more deserving of the beating she takes.  She has her delusions (don't they all) and self-centeredness (don't they all). So her vocabulary hasn't evolved with the times, but that is common among many people over 60.  But evil with focused nastiness?  Nah, she's pretty much harmless.  Dorinda on the other hand.... Leah also seemed to have a vendetta.  Luann is for Luann. Sonja is particularly duplicitous in regard to Ramona.  I don't think Ramona reaches their levels, yet for some reason she is the main one to be consistently dragged.  

[Back Atcha]

9 hours ago, OdinO. said:

Ramona had to pay Mario. He wasn't the main breadwinner.

This is from an April 2020 article regarding net worth.  Some have come a long way, Baby.  Or not.

• Tinsley Mortimer – $40 Million.
• Luann de Lesseps – $30 Million
• Dorinda Medley – $25 Million
• Ramona Singer – $20 Million
• Sonja Morgan – $10 Million
• Leah McSweeney – $2.4 Million

[Back Atcha]

On 9/18/2020 at 11:23 AM, mostlylurking said:

She was sitting there with that shit eating grin, all smug, thinking her apple was So Secure.  And then fired days later.  Couldn’t have happened to a better person.

And I hope Andy doesn't feel so secure these days.  He's a vile little man.

[Hangin Out]

6 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I know!!

As soon as that one who claims to be converting to Islam said, "Asam Alechem Bitches!" Ugh, just ugh.  She might have more work to do with her conversion.  

It does not look like compelling TV.

Oh Boy.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Silver Bells

[Hangin Out]

6 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

I feel sorry for whoever dates/ marries Dorinda.    They will live forever in Richard’s shadow.   
I must be too obsessed with Dorinda.   I only have to type Dor on my phone and it suggests Dorinda!  🤷‍♀️

Ha .. are you kidding?  She’ll put on the apron, cook him some chickens, do some tricks, and she’s his.  

Edited September 19, 2020 by Silver Bells

[Hangin Out]

2 hours ago, Back Atcha said:

And I hope Andy doesn't feel so secure these days.  He's a vile little man.

He lied and said she maybe be back.  

Edited September 19, 2020 by Silver Bells

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:09 PM, Emmeline said:

If I have to hear Dorinda say she was having a terrible time, the rib, the house, the breakup, one more time.... 

Dorinda accumulated all her wealth from her 2 husbands.  Tinsley also has her family money.  

According to Dorinda, her entire life is one long "terrible time".   I'd lay money her rib issue happened while she was blind drunk.

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:14 PM, Straycat80 said:

Lu getting smacked in the face with the volley ball will never not be funny. 

Damn that woman -- even taking a volleyball to the face and falling on her ass she still looks fantastic!

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:45 PM, Steph J said:

I'm sure there's someone out there, probably having his junk stomped by a dominatrix as we watch the show, who thinks Dorinda is the whole package.

Brilliant idea on a new career choice for Dorinda!

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:44 PM, Mr. Miner said:

Looking back now I really don’t care how Luann treated Sonja in the Berkshires. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I actually applauded Luann telling Sonja to shove it when Sonja went on about how Lu was "exploiting" her.  I can't imagine that paying customers are going to Lu's cabaret show because they want to see Sonja dropping her dress.

[Cosmocrush]

30 minutes ago, Anne Thrax said:

According to Dorinda, her entire life is one long "terrible time".   I'd lay money her rib issue happened while she was blind drunk.

In addition to getting sober, Dorinda needs something to do or I should say something to do for other people.   I think getting involved in a cause or charity would do her a lot of good; she might even see that some people have it worse.   At the very least it could distract her from her 'miserable' life on Park Ave and her mansion in the Berkshires.  

[Back Atcha]

13 minutes ago, Cosmocrush said:

At the very least it could distract her from her 'miserable' life on Park Ave and her mansion in the Berkshires.  

Just read online (something called "OK Reality") that Dorinda is (was?) living FREE in her NYC apartment...in exchange for promoting the building on RHONY.   Oh, no!   They suggested she may be "homeless."  Apparently they haven't been to the Berkshires.

[Anne Thrax]

Part 2 of the reunion again focused way too much time on Leah.  Leah persists in saying Ramona was upset at her "dancing" at the birthday party -- since when is humping on someone at a party with your dress hiked up to your waist considered dancing?  And no, Dorinda, Leah was not covered by a leotard.  It was more akin to underwear strategically placed beneath her see-through dress (which, once it was hiked up was showing her bare ass cheeks).  Yet she didn't seem at all worried about her daughter seeing her embarrassing display.  Oh excuse me -- she "over drank" which sounds more acceptable than "got shitfaced".  Funny how in her mind her drunken behavior is always excusable and she shouldn't have to apologize to Ramona for having broken her promise not to drink until she's out of control.  Leah and Dorinda -- the denial twins.  No wonder they got along like two peas in a pod.

And all this to-do about Leah's bipolar diagnosis and her 12 year old asking about it.  How is it she hasn't discussed such things with her kid?  It's not as if it's criminal or something shameful so why should everyone be admonished to keep it in the closet?  Especially since she openly discussed it in the 2016 article she wrote.  Doesn't make any sense to me since she's constantly talking about wanting sex and her compulsion to talk about her genitals (or some guy's penis) in every episode.  It makes me suspect Leah doesn't have a very deep relationship with her own kid.  Since I've raised three of my own, I'm not ignorant of how much kids pick up on at her daughter's age.  Of course that would mean that Leah would have to take the parental reins and have a discussion, and I doubt she's capable of that.  In a couple of years I'm betting her kid will pass her up on the maturity scale.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed we won't have to suffer through Leah's arrested development in Season 13.

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/17/2020 at 7:15 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

Lu took it on the chin when Andy pointed out that she didn’t score with the tennis instructor.  I like anyone who can have a sense of humor about themselves. 

I realized Ramona is probably having a lot more sex than anyone suspects.  She’s probably quite frightening in the sack when you think about it.

Dorinda is waiting for COVID to be over before pursuing George Glass.  

Color me shocked that Leah needs an emotional connection to go to bed with someone.  That certainly makes her more interesting to me than the downtown, cool girl party animal she’s tried to portray for the season.  

It’s funny to me when Leah says, “you can fuck with me, but don’t fuck with my sister.”  Leah, you need a safe space when anyone passes any type of judgment on you whatsoever.  Don’t pretend to be this bad bitch who can be fucked with.  It’s the exact opposite.  Every goddamn thing triggers her.  

They’re rewriting history about Leah’s dress at Ramona’s party.  Ramona did pull it down and she even covered for Leah by telling her she had a run in her stockings.  It was only after Leah continued to do it and wouldn’t listen to reason that Ramona reacted about the cameras.  

Why does Andy think Ramona needs to alter her behavior to accommodate Leah’s drunken and impulsive behavior, whether at Ramona’s own birthday party or in Rhode Island?  Isn’t that ass backwards?  Ramona made a point to ask Leah before the party not to do exactly what Leah did, and Ramona’s getting blamed.  This is heavy Leah favoritism once again, and the conspiracy theorist in me thinks it’s because she’s, ahem, cough, sputter, “young and beautiful” (Andy’s words, not mine), which is this new demographic Bravo is apparently targeting.  

I hate when Andy yells at the women.  I’d rather him just activate a mute button or something.  Also, he’s a giant hypocrite, as he is constantly cutting guests off on WWHL.  On Andy’s show, no one is ever allowed to have an organic conversation or say anything more than a sound bite or Andy gets visibly hot under the collar.  He’s a fucking asshole who had like two bright moments last week.  I’m not holding my breath for next week.  

Leah’s bipolar disorder and her hospitalization and the fact that Ramona brought it up on TV when it was already published in a blog is a Leah problem for being on TV, not a Ramona problem.  If Leah is afraid of what Kier is going to see, then she never should have gone on the show.  She embarrassed herself regularly and thoroughly across the entire season.  Andy was dead wrong here.  

Dorinda is calling Luann a “poor girl” because Ramona theorized that Luann was still drinking at the last reunion, but Dorinda sounded off on Luann’s drunken arrest in an underhanded way twice this season, so which one is it?  And Dorinda’s claim that Luann “could have been arrested” based on that is ludicrous. Yes, because the musings of some reality TV bimbo really provides the police with probable cause.  If Luann had gotten re-arrested, it would have been on her for violating her parole/probation/whatever the hell.  

I know it’s low and kind of simple, but I like Ramona’s rejoinder to Dorinda that she should drink some more once Dorinda started in with the low blows.  I came of age in the big self help craze of the late 90s and early aughts, and one slogan that used to go around a lot was “we teach people how to treat us.”  Sho‘ nuf, Dorinda has finally succeeded in teaching us that. 

Leah is so sick (in the colloquial sense, not the DSM-V sense) in her Electra complex with Ramona as fallen mother figure.  Not since Buster Bluth on Arrested Development have I seen such misplaced angst about family:

 

After Dorinda's multiple jabs gleefully pointing out that Luann got a mugshot over her drinking, now Luann can counter "I might have spent a night in jail, but I did manage to keep my job, bitch".

Edited September 19, 2020 by Anne Thrax

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 1:26 AM, Back Atcha said:

The only difference between her and Dorinda is Ramona is quick to say a too-quick insincere sorry and expects everyone to get over it.

I saw that same attitude from Dorinda when she was called out for the "turkey baster" comment toward Tinsley.  She quickly said "it was in bad taste, and I'm sorry" in a very off-hand insincere way.  And I'm sure if anyone mentioned it to her again, she'd scream, "I said I'm sorry, what do you want from me?"

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 4:50 AM, LibertarianSlut said:

SMH with regard to Luann saying that “the prison system in this country is in a bad state...and a lot of people...should not be in jail for...[non] violent crimes” with Leah mm-hm-ing and co-signing all the way.  

Ok, so let me get this straight—non-violent offenders categorically don’t belong in jail?  Someone should be allowed to case my house, watch me leave, break my locks and windows, steal my jewelry and TV, and they should...receive a warning?  Or just get away with it because it’s “non-violent”?  I’m sure Luann wouldn’t be quite as charitable about this if someone swiped her bedazzled vibrator or a Jovani dress from her collection.  

And Leah can have several seats.  If she came home to find that some stranger had ravaged Kier’s room while she was away, hell would hath no fury.  She really is a stealth Karen if you read some of the articles online that I’ve read.  

On rewatch, I was also confused about Dorinda’s claim that her friend planted the article about herself and John breaking up, but then they flash-backed to a scene of Dorinda and Sonja reading it in Page Six and Dorinda asking Sonja if Sonja thought this could have possibly been Ramona’s doing.  So Dorinda was either lying by pretending she didn’t know who did it, which is counter to her claim that the difference between her and Tinsley is that Dorinda never lies, or Dorinda’s friend planted the story in Page Six without Dorinda’s knowledge or consent, which would be, as Dorinda tells it, “running game.”  So I think it’s the former, which defeats Dorinda’s claim that she doesn’t obfuscate or mislead the viewers in her portrayal on the show.  

I doubt anyone actually believed Dorinda's charade about not knowing who "planted" the story.  Also, I was thinking when I re-watched that scene seeing Sonja standing there agreeing with Dorinda like she always does, that perhaps the friend who planted the story was Sonja, but  Dorinda was clueless and would rather blame Ramona anyway.  Hey, maybe it was John taking his balls back from Dorinda's purse who called in the info.

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 4:56 AM, SailorGirl said:

You realize there is an entire generation between boomers and millennials who are at their peak earning years, making them the target audience, not boomers or millennials. As usual, Gen X is overlooked. This cast covers the Gen X span--at the older end with Sonja and Lu in their late 50s, to the low end with Tinsley and Leah just skirting the edge into millennial, or as Iliza Schlesinger calls it, elder millenial. 

Boomers are NOT the target market for this show, nor are millennials. It's the Xers. Like we've had to for years, it seems that once again Xers have to remind both boomers and millennials that it's not all about them.

 

 Gen X, refers to the generation of Americans born between the mid-1960s and the early-1980s. 

The Brookings Institution defines the millennial generation (aka Gen Y) as people born between 1981 and 1996, as does the Federal Reserve Board

Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years for Gen Z. 

[SeeSee]

On 9/17/2020 at 8:20 PM, Emmeline said:

I didn’t think Tinsley’s makeup was the best on the reunion.  That highlighter that’s so popular doesn’t alway work.  Maybe it’s the lighting.  I think her face just looked sharp and pinched because she was stressed.

I thought her lashes were very odd and made her eyes look tiny and flat.  They kind of swooped down over the middle of her eyes and then curved up at a really unflattering angle.  I don't like her hair scraped straight back from her face as much as she apparently does.  And she definitely needs to stop grabbing the ends and pulling it down.  She probably did it 100 times.  Very distracting.  But, having said that,  I like her and I think she is 100% right in everything she is saying about Dorinda.   I wish her well.  Like others, I am glad Dorinda is out.  She had some funny moments, but mostly just very hard to watch.  The words "just plain mean" come to mind.  

[SeeSee]

I am very bipolar with respect to Leah.  Like Ramona, I don't like Leah when she drinks.  I think she can be funny and smart when sober, but is absolutely gross when she is drunk.  When she is grinding and humping someone at a party like that, it's not cute, it's not funny, and she should be embarrassed.  That's the kind of crap she needs to worry about her daughter (or anyone else, for that matter) seeing.  

Luanne does look absolutely great.  Whatever she's doing, she's on to something.  

Sonja just needs to stop with the procedures.  Like yesterday.  It is becoming alarming.  

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:49 AM, LibertarianSlut said:

It would certainly be an interesting sentiment if I had posited the idea that “all people who are currently in prison are just interested in ‘casing’ someone’s home” and “itching to burglarize [me].”  However, that’s not what I said, so I’m not going to pay that silly notion any mind.  

Luann made what I consider a very ignorant statement that non-violent offenders are poor candidates for incarceration at the reunion.  A burglar, as opposed to a robber, is a non-violent offender.  Ipso facto, Luann believes that burglars should be let out of jail or not jailed in the first place.  It’s my opinion, based on the facts, based on what is currently occurring in the UK where property crimes are routinely dismissed  and innocent people are suffering greatly from it, that Luann made an ignorant statement. 

The woman doesn’t even know that she was incarcerated.  She should do more thinking and listening and less talking IMO.  

I’m not sure of the source from which this statement has been derived, but it’s not truthful, based on the research I have done.  The major source of crime is social pathology and permissive attitudes about crime.  The empirical evidence gathered by Hoover Institute Fellow Dr. Thomas Sowell has proven that to be the case over the span of decades.  

I’m taking this as an opinion you hold and I reject this assessment as it is stated.  My belief is that justice is achieved when criminals are punished for the anti-social behavior that victimizes Individuals and debases society as a whole.  Once those offenders are appropriately sentenced, studies should be conducted and resources should be allocated to specifically target other social ills that our society is facing.  That is my opinion. 

It’s not personal, but judging by the way that my original sentiment was mischaracterized in an attempt to portray me as paranoid, when I was actually expressing a valid, thoughtful, mainstream point of view, I am not going to go back and forth about this.  I only engage in honest, well-intentioned debate that is grounded in a search for truth.  I don’t have a surplus of time or patience for rhetoric, so I’ve reached the end of the road on this one.    

Oh look, the ponies are by the pool.   

Thank you so much for this.  I get so tired of this attitude that unless someone is a violent criminal, punishment of non-violent crimes should take a different path than a jail stint.  Stiffing businesses with phony checks, prostitution, child molestation, theft of people's cars and household possessions, embezzlement, computer hacking and identity theft, welfare and bank fraud are all too minor to warrant jail time.  Whole segments of our society live lives of crime (take a look at Joe Giuidice for example) and think nothing of breaking the law just because it's more expedient than playing by the rules mainly because they only get caught a small percentage of the times they've done it.

It makes me sick that California is going to the no bail system where anyone who's arrested for anything except murder and robbery (I know I'm over simplifying here) are released immediately and we're supposed to just expect they'll show up for their court dates.

The only thing I see that it will accomplish is inspire contempt for the law and create more criminals because there's no real penalty for anti-social behavior that is classified as non-violent.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Anne Thrax

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:21 AM, amarante said:

Did I miss the housewives pointing out the hypocrisy of Dorinda chastising Tinsley for being a gold digger? 

Dorinda came from a very modest background as did Sonja, Ramona and Luanne. They seem to have grown up in blue collar homes. Their current wealth and social status is solely because they married wealthy men who left them money - either in a divorce settlement or in the will.

I am not sure what Tinsley's current financial situation was but she was born into wealth - married and divorced a wealthy man - and seemed to live a relatively affluent life prior to the show. I admit to being a bit confused about her wealth as I had read that her father had lost the family fortune but the mother seems to live well.

At any rate, how insane is it for Dorinda of all people to try to shame Tinsley by bringing up Scott's wealth. 

Awsome analysis.  Since Dorinda judges Tinsley a gold digger, what does that make Dorinda, with her history marrying two wealthy husbands?  Is Dorinda telling us she was only with those guys because of the money, so that must be Tinsley's motivation too? 

Makes me wonder what the source of Dorinda's rage actually is then.  Richard let her down by dying and taking away the source of money that Dorinda is entitled to?  I wonder if she resents that Richard left a lot to his kids and there was not a thing she could do about it and maybe that makes her angry too?  Because if she got it all, then she wouldn't have any money worries today.

I find the whole thing thought provoking, and I sometimes can't resist psychologically picking apart some weirdo person's brain.

[Emmeline]

2 hours ago, Anne Thrax said:

According to Dorinda, her entire life is one long "terrible time".   I'd lay money her rib issue happened while she was blind drunk.

No wonder Dorinda is pals with Bethenny.  Her life was one torturous event after another, including her colon.  
 

I just have to add that my sister, who has been fighting cancer for years, fell while playing with her grandchildren while we were at a lake house.  This was a few years ago.  She didn’t even say anything much at the time, other than she had a bit of pain in that area.  Never much more than a peep out of her.  Months later when she had a scan, they told her the rib was indeed broken.  

Edited September 19, 2020 by Emmeline

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 8:31 AM, ChitChat said:

Seeing as how Bravo decided not to show us that very important scene of Dorinda yelling and threatening John, I wouldn't be surprised if Tinsley did have a few moments of "giving as good as she got" with Dorinda, but they didn't show it.  On the other hand, like Ramona said, once Dorinda gets wound up you can't stop her.  Without a mediator, it's hard to get your point across while Dorinda's jaws are flapping.  

That's how bullies operate -- Dorinda gets upset at her target and starts raising her voice, pointing her finger and making a scene.  If her target says anything to defend their position, she immediately escalates to shouting, spit flying out of her mouth and arms flying, sometimes she physically advances on the target and gets up in their face.  She begins to become unhinged and irrational in her attack on the target until there's nothing in the universe for the target except bully Dorinda going off on them.  There are a lot of people just like her in the world, unfortunately.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Anne Thrax said:

Oh excuse me -- she "over drank" which sounds more acceptable than "got shitfaced". 

She should've gone with LuAnn's explanation of being "over served!"  Then the blame is on someone else! 😉 

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 12:00 PM, biakbiak said:

I understand that. My point is that Lu is far from the only person who hasn’t shared their childhood stories and we have seen more of her family on the show than Sonja. 

Talk about a NY housewife who has been less than transparent about her life.  I guess the reason I don't want to hear more in depth about Sonja is because she's become such a loser.  I don't think she seemed so lacking in personality when she first came on, but now .... yeesh!   Just like her pal Dorinda who's still stuck on her better days and is doing damn little else but dreaming about the past.

[Anne Thrax]

On 9/18/2020 at 2:42 PM, Mar said:

How I wish this were true, but Andy has been promoting the idea that she is taking a year off to deal with some issues.🙄😩

I don't believe Andy is saying this because he thinks Dorinda is coming back.  Andy has been promoting the idea that she'll be back because it makes him look like he hasn't closed the door on her.  It might even be because it's an idea he's trying to mollify Dorinda with at the moment for whatever purposes he might have.

In fact, Dorinda is the one who probably closed the door on herself if the reports are true that she had to agree to get professional help to keep her job.  But because Dorinda denies with every fiber of her being that she's an alcoholic bully who needs help to change her behavior to something normal decent people can condone if not approve of.   So she's history.

[Anne Thrax]

9 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

I feel sorry for whoever dates/ marries Dorinda.    They will live forever in Richard’s shadow.   
I must be too obsessed with Dorinda.   I only have to type Dor on my phone and it suggests Dorinda!  🤷‍♀️

You don't have to be obsessed with Dorinda for your phone to send you stuff about RHONY even if you don't search it on your phone.

I think you hit on the exact reason Dorinda knows she's never going to find another sucker like Richard.  You just know she was out and about a respectable time after Richard's death -- a well to do widow of a certain age.  What she found out was that men in her age group are looking for women 15-20 years younger.  With her drinking and confrontational personality, it became clear there weren't going to be any prospects.  None.

After months of no eligible callers for Dorinda, Richard's friend John Mahdessian rings her up and tells her how sorry he is about St. Richard's passing, how beautiful she is and how unfair that she's alone.  He proposes a friendly evening at -- oh I don't know, one of her favorite eateries where he plans on mentioning one of his can't-miss investment deals.  And the rest is history.

[albarino]

38 minutes ago, Anne Thrax said:

I don't believe Andy is saying this because he thinks Dorinda is coming back.  Andy has been promoting the idea that she'll be back because it makes him look like he hasn't closed the door on her. 

I think it is because he doesn't want to get sideways with those promoting the needs of the mentally ill.  It is clear to even the most casual of observer, Dorinda needs help.  Unfortunately, it isn't clear to her.  I don't know anything about the rehab discussion/ultimatum but I hope Dorinda gets help on her own away from the cameras.

Leah's "I over-drank" explanations have me scratching my head; I've never heard that expression before.  Curious.  Regardless, Leah, you drank too much and have much to be sorry for on camera.  This has nothing to do with Ramona citing an on-line article you wrote regarding your particular mental illness.  I hope she doesn't return either.

[njbchlover]

13 hours ago, Chicklet said:

I honestly think Ramona likes to give the impression that she's with a different guy every day but I think she's really a prude who likes to flirt. Derelict was trying to slut-shame her for no real reason and tossing out things to see what stuck to the wall.

I totally agree!!  I think Ramona just likes the flirting game and is not really into one night stands.  She wants a forEVER guy, nor a forNOW fling.  And, she wants it on her terms.

Way, way back in my early 20's - we would refer to someone like Ramona as a NATO guy/girl - No Action, Talk Only.  (At the bars that I frequented for after-office happy hours, they were usually the married guys!)

[LibertarianSlut]

7 hours ago, Anne Thrax said:

Thank you so much for this.  I get so tired of this attitude that unless someone is a violent criminal, punishment of non-violent crimes should take a different path than a jail stint.  Stiffing businesses with phony checks, prostitution, child molestation, theft of people's cars and household possessions, embezzlement, computer hacking and identity theft, welfare and bank fraud are all too minor to warrant jail time.  Whole segments of our society live lives of crime (take a look at Joe Giuidice for example) and think nothing of breaking the law just because it's more expedient than playing by the rules mainly because they only get caught a small percentage of the times they've done it.

It makes me sick that California is going to the no bail system where anyone who's arrested for anything except murder and robbery (I know I'm over simplifying here) are released immediately and we're supposed to just expect they'll show up for their court dates.

The only thing I see that it will accomplish is inspire contempt for the law and create more criminals because there's no real penalty for anti-social behavior that is classified as non-violent.

This is true, and it makes me even a little bit more frustrated with Luann that she is talking about this publicly without having studied it.  Where does she stand on the idea that even people who are committing so-called victimless crimes are flouting the law?  As someone who has studied this in detail pointed out, Al Capone was a bootlegger, but he didn’t refrain from crime once Prohibition was repealed.  He was bribing and beating people with banjos from Alcatraz.  I actually see both sides to this part of the argument too, but it wasn’t fleshed out at all.  Andy also ought to take responsibility for getting into this really complex topic on a show that is about whether Sonja shaves her pussy and who would dive for dick for jewelry.

Let’s, for the sake of argument, take burglary out of it.  When I was in law school, I did an internship at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office—which, needless to say, saw A LOT of crime—the state of Florida was really cracking down on burglary of an unoccupied dwelling to the point where even the state attorneys were pondering if that sort of “non-violent” crime should be punished at the current level, so I always thought of it as a non-violent property crime, but someone pointed out upthread that the law treats burglary as a violent crime, and I looked it up, and most jurisdictions treat it as “violent.”  But my research also took me to a Kentucky law that said that possession of ammonia is “violent,” so I’m afraid I simply disagree with the law.  But, sure, for the sake of argument, I would concede that Luann wasn’t talking about burglary.  

Even if Luann was talking about kiting checks, your argument still stands, I think.  If there’s no punishment, then what does Luann think is the deterrent?  She never said.  Again, I think it’s all good with Luann until she becomes the victim.  If she had succeeded in getting Dennis to wire her the six million dollars for the home upstate, and someone hacked the system and stole the funds, would Luann think that person should get a good, stern talking to and a trip to the salon?  I don’t think the reunion is the proper forum to speak about these topics, because the medium simply does not allow for the proper amount of discussion.

I think it would have been—let’s use a word of Luann’s—classy if Andy had asked Luann the viewer question about incarceration and she just said that she has been giving it a lot of thought and it’s an important topic to her, but this isn’t the forum to discuss it, and once she’s really educated herself on the topic, she is going to put something out on her website (do people even have websites anymore or is it just Instagram?).  You know, she could have decided not to really talk about it the way she decided to not really talk about her father to Heather in season five, so I know she has it in her.  

I’ve also given more thought to the idea that Luann’s heart is in the right place, and I’m not convinced.  It’s possible her heart is In the right place, but if she didn’t give it proper thought, what does it matter if her heart is in the right place if her mind’s not?  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.  But I’m not even giving her credit for that.  I think that once you televise something for The Real Housewives of New York City (as opposed to a serious documentary), it negates the good intentions.  It’s crass to me.  I feel the same way about Bethenny going to Puerto Rico and handing out $25 gift cards and showing the people groveling toward her in front of television cameras.  It’s actually really gross to me.  Do that off camera.  Leave people a shred of dignity. 

But I don’t think Luann’s heart is in the right place with giving wigs to formerly incarcerated people any more than it’s in the right place for having a cabaret.  Both acts give her positive media attention and contribute to her brand and rebuilding her reputation that she ruined.  

Adding to that, I have no idea how getting a wig or a hairstyle for a woman who had been incarcerated helps the woman.  I see how it helps Luann, I see how it helps the salon’s reputation, but I fail to see how it helps the woman.  At least I could make a theoretical substantial connection to Luann’s charitable acts in the past to a potential positive outcome—especially when she assisted the unemployed woman in getting a job by giving the woman a mock interview.  And I still don’t think that poor woman should have been paraded before the cameras for our consumption.  

Lastly, I’m not at all sure how any of this relates to Luann’s quote unquote privilege.  I’m not even sure what that word means anymore.  I take it to mean that Luann was blessed with many gifts in life.  I’m not sure that gives her more or less of a responsibility to help people.  Call me old fashioned, but I think people should just help each other.  Lend each other a hand when times are lean and avoid broadcasting it to the world.  It’s really not much more complicated than that.  

Just talking about this gives me the chills.  This is actually darker, to me, than Leah’s bipolar disorder or who humped whom in front of 60 best girlfriends.  At least that’s a pretty fair fight, Andy Cohen’s moderating notwithstanding.  But when Luann inserts herself on behalf of people who may not even agree with her, it gets “icky” to me, to use a term from Eileen of RHBH.  

And I say that people may not agree with Luann, because before this all aired, I was just reading an article online about an Arizona prison that gave out anonymous questionnaires to prisoners who had been convicted of burglary so that they could disclose how they committed their burglaries, and not only was the article informative (there was a consensus that homes with dogs were to be avoided), but it stated that a lot of inmates wrote on their forms that they were happy to help assist in prevention, because they were cognizant that their crimes hurt people and they wanted to lessen the hurt.  The article did not note that any offenders thought that they did not deserve to be in jail, nor did it indicate that any of the convicts were reluctant to return to society without the assistance of a good salon.  

I think Luann’s always been self-centered and oblivious, like the time she took over the mic at a charity to tell everyone to hush, and then she went right back to her table and continued to talk, and this is just another example of it.  I’m not impressed at all, and I hope this topic gets put out its misery along with the rest of the season.  Now I’m going to retire from talking about it, because the more I talk about it, the more I think about it, and the more I think about it, the sadder I get for what passes as virtue these days.  

Edited September 20, 2020 by LibertarianSlut
Clarity

[Back Atcha]

4 hours ago, albarino said:

Leah's "I over-drank" explanations have me scratching my head; I've never heard that expression before.

• There's actually a dictionary definition: drink too much alcohol
• o·ver·drink  /ˌōvərˈdriNGk/  verb
• past tense: over-drank

.

[Back Atcha]

4 hours ago, Anne Thrax said:

He proposes a friendly evening at -- oh I don't know, one of her favorite eateries where he plans on mentioning one of his can't-miss investment deals.  And the rest is history.

Or...maybe he invites her over to his "office," where he shows her the array of beautiful garments that have just been cleaned/pressed/tailored/whatever.  Perhaps he jokes how his mother used to borrow/wear some of them when she was alive.  He suggests that Dorinda is welcome to do the same...if she takes very good care of them (and him).

[Back Atcha]

15 hours ago, Chicklet said:

If she's back next time, if I get bored I might watch but I lean toward avoiding this series. Maybe Salt Lake City will be better?

It would be funny if Ahh-bee Huntsman (The View alum) became one of Salt Lake City's Real Housewives.  Her "old friend" would have a fit.

[Chalby]

9 hours ago, Anne Thrax said:

Thank you so much for this.  I get so tired of this attitude that unless someone is a violent criminal, punishment of non-violent crimes should take a different path than a jail stint.  Stiffing businesses with phony checks, prostitution, child molestation, theft of people...

Great observations in your post. The only part I question is your inclusion of prostitution. It seems prostitutes have always been harassed/arrested/ kicked out of areas when they are working a job that they feel is the only thing they're qualified for. Putting a prostitute in jail does nothing to address the consistent demand for their services. Also, arresting prostitutes will stop them from reporting rapes and assaults for fear of being charged and jailed for working the street.

3 minutes ago, Chalby said:

Can't erase or delete this box

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Chalby

[Chalby]

3 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

(do people even have websites anymore or is it just Instagram?)...Just talking about this gives me the chills.  ...it stated that a lot of inmates wrote on their forms that they were happy to help assist in prevention ... passes as virtue these days.  

Great observations and information. I agree that "true" charity is not usually published or filmed (unless the giver is trying to win over new fans?). If that's the case, it's not charity, it's publicity. Also, whenever any "housewife" is filmed doing charitable work (in their view) it makes me cringe as well because their gifts are so far removed from what these formerly incarcerated women really need. I am no expert, but how about hiring a lawyer, or advocate to help these women apply for housing, jobs, free clothing for interviews and possibly daycare subsidies? Then they can offer makeovers or wigs... Surely there is something practical these idiot women can offer. Plus, if they really want to be seen as charitable, get Dorinda's friend to phone it in to Page 6.

[Chalby]

7 hours ago, albarino said:

I think it is because he doesn't want to get sideways with those promoting the needs of the mentally ill.  It is clear to even the most casual of observer, Dorinda needs help.  Unfortunately, it isn't clear to her.  I don't know anything about the rehab discussion/ultimatum but I hope Dorinda gets help on her own away from the cameras.

I found Dorinda to be so ANGRY this season. Angry, judgemental, attacking, and refusing to own her behaviour or acknowledge her blatant lies or exaggerations. Something (even more than John borrowing $$) has happened that we don't know about. Her anger and drinking is way over the top compared to the events that triggered Dorinda's response.

[Chalby]

11 hours ago, Anne Thrax said:

Oops, accidentally deleted the quote I was responding to...

My daughter has a dress almost identical to Leah's and it has all nude full-lining including a nude thong. Since she didn't show her 'vag' I don't know if she wore it. I find it amusing that Ramona was so upset by behaviour all the housewives have exhibited at one time or another, including Ramona. They have all been trashy (far worse than Leah) but maybe age is affecting memories. Yes, it was cringeworthy behaviour, but in front of 50 woman who love to drink, socialize, and hope to land on page 6... This is just another outing. There were no men present, and she was drunk, yet many women still want to attempt to make Leah feel "shame". Meanwhile, Sonya's drunken vandalism and (later) full nudity while staggaring to get her hair and makeup done doesn't elicit anything beyond a brief mention. Ramona and Dorinda need to go. Leah needs another year to see what she can bring. I like her bluntness, despite hating confrontations when sober.

[Chalby]

Just now, Chalby said:

My daughter has a dress almost identical to Leah's and it has all nude full-lining including a nude thong. Since Leah didn't show her 'vag' I don't know if she wore the thong. Such an exaggeration. I find it amusing that Ramona was so upset by behaviour all the housewives have exhibited at one time or another, including Ramona of herself. She used to be super trashy, with no class in either wording or outfits... but she's evolved, so cut Leah a break. They have all been trashy (far worse than Leah) but maybe age is affecting memories. Yes, Leah's dancing was cringeworthy behaviour, but in front of (and to) 50 woman who love to drink, socialize, and hope to land on page 6... This is just another outing. There were no men present, and she was drunk, yet many women still want to attempt to make Leah feel "shame". I love that she refuses to beat herself up, yet still displays great insight. Meanwhile, Sonya's drunken vandalism and (later) full nudity while staggaring to get her hair and makeup done doesn't elicit anything beyond a brief mention. Ramona and Dorinda need to go. Leah needs another year to see what she can bring. I like her bluntness, despite hating confrontations when sober.

 

Argh another box I can't delete. Sorry gang.

[Chalby]

19 hours ago, Chicklet said:

If she's back next time, if I get bored I might watch but I lean toward avoiding this series. Maybe Salt Lake City will be better?

Real Mormon Housewives of SLC? LOL, I'd watch but only if the wives went against husband's authority and broke some rules re:drinking and being submissive. I need a housewife revenge show to make up for all the crap they're trying to pass off as reality these last few years. Hello Bravo...?

[Chalby]

18 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

No, my point was that he does this to Ramona every reunion dating back years.  It wasn't anything different this time.  Always screaming at Ramona and trying to silence her over his favourites.  Ramona does not talk over people more than the other castmates.  Dorinda did it just as much this time.  Leah did it just as much this time.

I do not know what bad behaviour or appalling lies you are referring to.

Being a viewer since the first show, Ramona's exaggerations and outright lies are numerous. When called out, she will never admit to lying choosing to say that was "her view and feelings about -insert topic-.and now she knows better. I will go through some old seasons and try to list a few to give you examples. She and Sonya used to back up each other's fake businesses and lies as well. I have a feeling Ramona and Sonya have a behaviour/ lack of honesty dossier on each other, lol... Just off the top of my head,  Ramona lied about phoning Tom to try and get an invite to his party after his blowout with Luanne. Later she apologized for how "it appeared" but still wouldn't admit her trying to get into Tom's social circle. She lies consistently about her behaviour, and walks away if the truth gets too close to the surface.

[Chalby]

On 9/17/2020 at 7:32 PM, UsernameFatigue said:

Leah's daughter is certainly old enough to know her mother's history, and certainly when Leah has made it public herself. 

Very true! I have no idea why Leah even implied an impact on her daughter when her daughter has probably already heard all the crap Leah pulled during her first 25 years. She should have stuck with the facts- Ramona purposely threw that info out to reflect negatively on Leah while also implying she mixes mental health meds with booze when that wasn't the truth. Ramona's insistence that she was trying to help by figuring out her behaviour? BS! Ramona needs to focus on her friend Sonya mixing Xanax with booze instead of lying and saying water pills made Sonya out of it.

[Chalby]

On 9/18/2020 at 6:30 AM, Silver Bells said:

 Where’s Elise?  Wonder if she will be on.

Does anyone else question why Ramona iced out Elise after years of close friendship (well, as close as Ramona can do)? I believe that as soon as Elise was straight -forward about something Ramona said or did (clearly not juicy gossip as I can't remember what Elise shared). It was as if Ramona suddenly saw her friend as a huge liability, given Elise's vault of secrets. She needs to join because she brings just enough controversy.