We’re back in Orange County, where the women have apparently decided that the best way to celebrate birthdays, friendships, and relationships is to question all three simultaneously. Heather is doing business with a woman she previously called trashy, Gina is feeling betrayed, Tamra is trying to bring sexy back to her marriage, Shannon is cautiously considering a friendship reunion, and Vicki may or may not have an engagement ring sitting somewhere in the vicinity of her relationship.
We also have an energy-reading garden party, a surprise birthday celebration, and Carmella handing out Dior like she’s trying to establish diplomatic relations with the entire cast.
Let’s get into it.
We start with Emily, Gina, and Tamra getting together for lunch. Tamra is apparently working on improving her sex life with Eddie, which is a development we will revisit later. She’s been experiencing a lower sex drive and is planning a little romantic surprise for her husband.
But first, naturally, they need to talk about Heather.
Tamra tells the women that Heather has made some rather unflattering comments about Carmella, including calling her trashy and suggesting she doesn’t belong in their friend group. The interesting part is that Heather is now using Carmella’s real estate expertise to help find a rental for her daughter Max.
Gina is particularly bothered by this. She feels blindsided because she thought Heather was her friend, and now Heather is forming a relationship with Carmella after apparently saying some pretty nasty things about her.
And I can understand Gina’s confusion. If Heather genuinely thought Carmella was trashy and didn’t belong in the group, why is she suddenly comfortable asking her for professional assistance? Is Carmella acceptable as a realtor but not as a friend? That’s a rather specific membership category.
Emily also questions Heather’s behavior. She has been increasingly frustrated with Heather’s tendency to present one version of herself publicly while apparently saying something different behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, the conversation turns to Vicki and her boyfriend, Mike. Tamra shares that Mike was unhappy with Vicki discussing their sex life in Vegas. Apparently, he visited Tamra and Vicki’s room during the trip and told Vicki she needed to stop talking about their private business.
Tamra also reveals something considerably more interesting: Mike allegedly told Vicki she had 90 days to behave before he would give her an engagement ring. If she made it to day 70 and did something to upset him, the clock would apparently start all over again.
Excuse me?
An engagement ring with a probationary period? Is this a relationship or a performance improvement plan?
Emily finds the arrangement strange, and I can’t say I blame her. Tamra also wonders whether Mike is changing Vicki’s personality. The woman who used to be loud, outgoing, and eager to share every detail of her life is now apparently being much more careful about what she says.
And that brings us to Vicki’s birthday.
Before the birthday festivities, Shannon is preparing to celebrate another year, and the women arrange a surprise party for her. Heather and Jenn arrive with balloons, a tiara, and a sash. Shannon is genuinely surprised, which is actually rather sweet considering she’s usually the person organizing everyone else’s celebrations.
The women also bring up Shannon’s dating life. Apparently, Shannon has been getting back out there and has had a little romantic activity. Jenn describes her as having been “tonguing around town,” which is certainly one way to announce that a woman is dating again.
Shannon insists she’s not a hooker, but she does have some game.
Well, good for Shannon. After everything she’s been through, a little flirtation and some attention from the opposite sex might be exactly what she needs. She doesn’t have to be ready for another serious relationship to enjoy herself.
The birthday gathering is a nice moment, and Shannon is touched by the effort. She gets pizza, presents, and a room full of people celebrating her. It’s a pleasant change from the usual Housewives gathering, where someone is generally being accused of betrayal before the appetizers arrive.
Meanwhile, Tamra has her own romantic plans.
She checks into a hotel and meets Eddie at the bar, where she has arranged a sexy surprise. Tamra explains that their marriage has felt more like a roommate situation lately, and she wants to reconnect with him.
She reveals that about six months earlier, during an argument in Big Bear, Eddie told her he thought it might be time to file for divorce. That clearly frightened her. Tamra says she doesn’t want to lose her marriage and believes Eddie is a good man. She wants to get their connection back.
She has prepared a sexy outfit and a little game for the evening. At one point, she opens her coat to reveal her black lingerie, and the two head upstairs to continue their romantic evening.
And there we have it. Tamra Judge, who has spent much of this season discussing everyone else’s relationships, is now trying to make sure her own doesn’t end up on the rocks.
I actually appreciate seeing this side of Tamra. It’s easy to forget that behind all the screaming, accusations, and dramatic entrances, there are real relationships that require attention. She clearly loves Eddie and is concerned about the distance between them.
Now, if only she could apply some of that patience and understanding to her friendships.
Because speaking of friendships, Shannon has a decision to make.
Tamra wants to have lunch with Shannon one-on-one. She has been hoping they can spend some time together and begin repairing their relationship. Shannon, however, isn’t comfortable with the idea.
She calls Tamra and asks whether Vicki can join them. Shannon explains that she isn’t ready to sit down alone with Tamra and potentially get into a deep emotional conversation. She wants to take things slowly.
Tamra agrees, although she is clearly disappointed.
And I think Shannon is being pretty reasonable here. These two women were best friends for years, but their friendship has been through a lot. Tamra has said some genuinely hurtful things about Shannon, and Shannon isn’t obligated to jump right back into the relationship simply because Tamra is ready.
A friendship can be rebuilt, but it doesn’t have to happen on someone else’s timetable.
The following day, Shannon and Vicki get together for the Tres Amigas celebration. Tamra is not there, but she sends flowers with a note explaining that she doesn’t want to make Shannon uncomfortable.
She signs the card “Tamra Grudge.”
Well, that is certainly a choice.
Rather than simply acknowledging that Shannon isn’t ready for a one-on-one lunch, Tamra has decided to turn the situation into a passive-aggressive floral arrangement. Nothing says emotional maturity quite like sending flowers with a side of resentment.
Vicki and Shannon discuss the situation, and Shannon explains that she doesn’t think Tamra is happy with her. Vicki tells her she doesn’t need to have lunch alone with Tamra if she isn’t comfortable.
The conversation then turns to Vicki’s relationship with Mike. Shannon tells Vicki that Tamra has been questioning whether Mike proposed and then took the ring back after an argument.
Vicki is furious that Tamra is discussing her relationship. She says Mike doesn’t like drama and that she’s no longer going to share details about their private life with the women.
Which is an interesting position for someone who has spent years making a living by sharing details about her private life with the women.
But I do understand why Vicki is annoyed. If someone is inventing a story about your engagement and passing it around the group, you’re probably not going to appreciate it.
Later, Emily, Heather, Jenn, and Tamra meet for lunch. The conversation returns to the question of Heather’s relationship with Carmella.
Jenn tells Heather that she heard Heather called Carmella trashy and said she didn’t belong in the group. Heather doesn’t deny it. Instead, she admits that she prejudged Carmella and that she made some unfair assumptions.
Heather explains that when she first heard about Carmella’s past, including an incident involving a woman at a bar, she judged her behavior. She says she now likes Carmella and feels badly about the things she said.
Emily isn’t entirely satisfied. She points out that Heather is now asking Carmella to help her find a place for her daughter, despite having made those comments about her.
And I think Emily has a legitimate question, although she seems determined to keep the Heather prosecution moving regardless of what Heather says.
Heather acknowledges that she was judgmental. She doesn’t pretend the comments never happened, and she doesn’t try to blame someone else for them. She says she is willing to tell Carmella what she said because she knows it wasn’t fair.
That’s a pretty good start.
The group then moves on to Jenn’s garden party, which includes an energy reader named Lisa. The women gather for a little spiritual guidance and are asked what the universe wants them to know.
The exercise gives us a series of internal thoughts from the women, and the results are predictably entertaining.
Gina is choosing peace. Shannon is wondering whether her hair looks terrible. Carmella is not particularly enthusiastic about the whole experience, and Vicki is apparently wondering when the hippie-dippy nonsense is going to end.
I would pay good money to see Vicki’s internal monologue translated into a full-length audiobook.
The energy reader is trying to get everyone to slow down, reflect, and consider what they need emotionally. Unfortunately, she has chosen a group of women who are more accustomed to interrupting one another than sitting quietly with their feelings.
Meanwhile, Heather decides it’s time to have a conversation with Carmella.
She pulls her aside and tells her that she likes their friendship but owes her an apology. Heather admits that she didn’t initially think Carmella belonged in the group, that she said some unkind things, and that she used the word trashy.
Carmella is surprised, but Heather is direct. She doesn’t dance around the subject or attempt to make the apology about Carmella’s reaction. She simply acknowledges that she was wrong.
The two women hug, and Carmella accepts the apology.
I actually think Heather handles this very well. She could have become defensive, denied everything, or blamed the comments on something Carmella had done. Instead, she owns it.
And while the other women have spent quite a bit of time discussing Heather’s behavior, this is the kind of moment that makes me think there is more to her than the caricature they’re building.
She made a judgment, got to know Carmella better, and changed her mind. That’s not exactly a crime.
Of course, the peace doesn’t last long.
The women gather to celebrate Vicki’s birthday, and Tamra’s absence from the earlier lunch comes up. Tamra explains that she didn’t want to make Shannon uncomfortable by attending a one-on-one lunch that Shannon had asked to turn into a group gathering.
Emily asks Shannon whether she was uncomfortable spending time alone with Tamra, and Shannon admits that she was.
Tamra is immediately upset. She asks what Shannon thinks she’s going to do to her and reminds her that they spent ten years as best friends.
Shannon responds that they haven’t been best friends for the last two and a half years.
And that’s the important part. Tamra keeps referring to the length of their friendship as though those ten years should automatically erase everything that happened afterward. But Shannon is talking about the more recent history, and it hasn’t exactly been a pleasant one.
Tamra accuses Shannon of starting the problems by talking behind her back. Shannon becomes overwhelmed, starts coughing and sneezing, and eventually walks away from the conversation.
Tamra makes a comment that Shannon is probably allergic to her.
Well, at least someone has finally identified the source of the symptoms.
Shannon reiterates that she wants to take baby steps. She isn’t saying she never wants to be friends again. She’s saying she needs time to rebuild trust.
Tamra insists that she’ll be there if Shannon eventually wants the friendship.
But the problem is that Tamra seems to want Shannon to move at her speed. She wants the lunch, the conversation, the reconciliation, and the return to the old friendship. Shannon wants to see whether they can establish a healthier relationship first.
Those are not the same thing.
And then Vicki’s relationship becomes the next group discussion.
Gina reveals that she told Vicki about Tamra’s comments concerning the engagement ring. Vicki is furious and insists that if she and Mike get engaged, it will be a mutual decision. She says they could get married the next day if they wanted to.
Jenn asks whether Mike has been holding onto a ring for a year without giving it to her.
Vicki immediately snaps that it’s none of Jenn’s business and tells her to shut up.
Well, that escalated quickly.
Tamra brings up the 90-day arrangement again, and Vicki insists it was a joke. She says Mike doesn’t want to be involved in all the drama and is upset that everyone is discussing their relationship.
She also insists she has never even seen the ring.
At this point, the ring has become more mysterious than the actual relationship. Does it exist? Was it purchased? Was it returned? Is it sitting in a drawer? Is there a 90-day probationary period? The women have somehow managed to turn a piece of jewelry into a full investigative series.
And Vicki is not helping herself by screaming that she doesn’t care about it.
Finally, Carmella arrives with more extravagant birthday gifts. She gives Vicki and Shannon Dior wallets and a scarf.
Carmella continues to be extraordinarily generous with these women, which is becoming something of a recurring theme. Vicki, however, suggests that she might exchange the wallet for something she would use more, like a purse.
Of course she does.
Carmella is out here distributing Dior, and Vicki is already thinking about the exchange counter. There is no pleasing this woman unless the gift comes with an insurance policy and a complimentary consultation.
And that’s where we leave things.
Heather has finally admitted that she judged Carmella unfairly and offered a sincere apology. Gina is still questioning whether Heather’s friendship is genuine. Shannon is trying to establish boundaries with Tamra, while Tamra seems to believe that ten years of friendship should come with an express lane back to normal.
And Vicki is apparently in a relationship where the engagement ring has become a public mystery, the boyfriend has opinions about her behavior, and the women have been told to stop asking questions.
The women have a lot to work through, and apparently the universe has assigned them an energy reader to help. I suspect the universe may need to send a few additional resources.
Leave a Reply