• We begin with shots of Rome. It’s a gorgeous city. Teddi and Kyle are filling Rinna in on the Denise situation, saying that Denise has been badmouthing all of them. Then they drop the bomb that Denise and Brandi had sex.

    How is this not spreading rumors? I guess they feel it needs to be addressed because Brandi said it on camera. That makes sense in the Bravo universe. And nowhere else.

    If this encounter happened, Brandi makes it clear that Denise did not want anyone to know, so why are we all talking about it? Rinna doesn’t know what to believe, but you better believe she is gonna talk about it.

    Their hotel is stunning, and they are greeted with hot towels and drinks. Everyone thinks Rinna organized a great trip. She has the best room, and it really is lovely. Erika is impressed by the terrace, and they can see the Vatican.

    Dorit has packed a mini boutique and thinks she may have gone too far, which is highly likely. Rinna is stewing over the Brandi/Denise situation as they prepare to meet for dinner.

    Dorit’s glam team slathers her in Chanel and glues pearls into her hair. It’s…a look. And a half. But anyway, everyone is dolled up and ready to hit the town.

    Denise and Garcelle are arriving a little later, and Sutton won’t be arriving until the next day.

    We begin with shots of Rome. It’s a gorgeous city. Teddi and Kyle are filling Rinna in on the Denise situation, saying that Denise has been badmouthing all of them. Then they drop the bomb that Denise and Brandi had sex.

    How is this not spreading rumors? I guess they feel it needs to be addressed because Brandi said it on camera. That makes sense in the Bravo universe. And nowhere else.

    If this encounter happened, Brandi makes it clear that Denise did not want anyone to know, so why are we all talking about it? Rinna doesn’t know what to believe, but you better believe she is gonna talk about it.

    Their hotel is stunning, and they are greeted with hot towels and drinks. Everyone thinks Rinna organized a great trip. She has the best room, and it really is lovely. Erika is impressed by the terrace, and they can see the Vatican.

    Dorit has packed a mini boutique and thinks she may have gone too far, which is highly likely. Rinna is stewing over the Brandi/Denise situation as they prepare to meet for dinner.

    Dorit’s glam team slathers her in Chanel and glues pearls into her hair. It’s…a look. And a half. But anyway, everyone is dolled up and ready to hit the town.

    Denise and Garcelle are arriving a little later, and Sutton won’t be arriving until the next day.

    Teddi, Dorit, Kyle, and Rinna head to a restaurant with amazing views of the Colosseum. I once broke my foot there, but that’s a whole other story—and not nearly as exciting as what is to come for these ladies.

    Kyle orders a margarita, and Dorit speaks Italian. It’s annoying.

    They discuss Erika’s upcoming premiere in Chicago, and this all just feels like filler time while we wait for the Denise Richards bomb to explode. She calls, and she and Garcelle have landed in Rome, but they won’t be meeting the other women until morning.

    Snore.

    Rinna introduces a question game. These always go super well. They discuss the most trouble each of them has ever gotten into with their parents. It’s honestly pretty boring.

    More filler.

    Oh, yay! Denise and Garcelle surprise them and show up. But they still keep talking about boring stuff! Why? There is so much bubbling beneath the surface, and I am ready to dig in now. And they are talking about Thanksgiving. More snore. 

    The next day, Rinna has coffee on her terrace, and I am so jealous it hurts. They are all going to the Spanish Steps (I broke my face there), and then they’re off to do some shopping.

    The shots of Rome are absolutely beautiful, but the women are mostly interested in the shopping. Everyone is getting along, and I wonder how long this will last.

    Sutton arrives and meets them. They do some serious shopping and take some photos at the Trevi Fountain. No one has said anything to Denise yet.

    They all get glammed, and I mean GLAMMED, for dinner. Okay, here comes dinner, and we know this will bring some drama because these ladies never have a peaceful dinner.

    Dorit speaks Italian to the English-speaking waiter. Again, it’s annoying.

    They all love the food. Sutton hates her wine. Garcelle says when Sutton isn’t happy, no one can be happy.

    Sutton brings up their first dinner and says she was surprised Garcelle asked where her money comes from. They move on quickly.

    And here comes Teddi.

    She starts dangling the Denise/Brandi rumor in front of Denise but won’t bring herself to actually say it. It’s aggravating everyone. Teddi makes me wish that Diane had kept sucking on that chili dog and kept her Bobby Brooks up. But she is bringing the drama to this dinner.

    She tells Denise that Brandi told her Denise said she cannot stand Teddi and has been living in her father’s shadow her whole life. Denise denies ever saying any such thing. She denies really knowing Brandi.

    She also doubts how anyone can trust Brandi’s credibility and, fair. Denise insists that she barely knows Brandi.

    This is completely contrary to what Brandi has said.

    We see clips of Denise saying she is friendly with Brandi, but she now says she has only spoken to her a couple of times.

    Rinna asks Denise if she has spoken negatively about the other women. Kyle spills everything Brandi said Denise has said about each of the women. Teddi again hints that the issue is bigger.

    Denise wants to know what else Brandi has said, and Kyle also dances around it. Rinna says it’s really bad, but she doesn’t want to say it.

    Denise says she doesn’t want it said on camera.

    Teddi says it already is and finally blurts out, “She said you two had sex.”

    The table goes silent before Denise exclaims, “What?!”

    Teddi, who clearly couldn’t wait to say this, says she didn’t think it was her place to. She’s right, but she said it anyway, so here we are.

    Kyle fills Denise in on Brandi’s story, and Denise seems shocked. Whether it is because Brandi is lying or because she is shocked Brandi told the truth, I can’t tell.

    Denise says, “Bravo, Bravo, fucking Bravo,” as if that will magically make the cameramen drop the cameras and stop filming. They don’t. They zoom in closer.

    She has tried to manipulate scenes and production like this before, and the other women are sick of it. They want her to be real and show everything, like she signed up for when she joined the show.

    Denise insists there is no story between her and Brandi and that she is a very married woman.

    Yeah, we know. To the Toaster Doctor. Good luck with that.

    Sutton says she has heard the Brandi/Denise rumor before, but thinks Teddi is in bad taste to bring it up at the dinner table, and I agree.

    Dorit begins waxing on and on about the situation, and suddenly she and Kyle are fighting, too. They all agree the evening has brought no closure.

    Denise says she is calling a lawyer. We overhear her saying she wants the scene cut.

    It’s really interesting to watch this back and see how hard she tries to get this out of the show, and how it totally makes it in anyway. I think it’s proof that Bravo takes care of Bravo. These women agreed to share their lives, and Bravo makes sure they do, whether they like it or not.

  • We start with some shots of the ladies with their kids and their dogs. Our first real scene is Joe and Melissa out for ice cream with their kids, and naturally, Joe manages to make the entire thing sexual. I gag.

    Antonia has a boyfriend, and Joe is not exactly thrilled about it. He reminds us that he is “old-school Italian.” Yes, Joe. We know. You have reminded us approximately 7,000 times.

    Meanwhile, Melissa is still selling the storyline that she wants another baby, and for some reason, she thinks her actual children need to be involved in this discussion. None of them think another baby is a particularly good idea. Antonia points out that they can barely handle the three kids they already have, which is probably the most reasonable thing anyone has said all episode.

    Antonia has also learned all about reproduction in school, and Joe is absolutely shaken by her knowledge. He wants to know what exactly they are teaching these kids in school. What happened to math? Joe, I have some bad news for you: schools teach biology. Your daughter is going to be fine.

    Over at Danielle’s, Teresa comes to visit, and they discuss Joe’s situation. He is breaking down in the ICE facility and wants to give up and go to Italy. The girls want him to keep appealing, because if he leaves the country, he can never come back. It’s a genuinely heartbreaking situation underneath all the Housewives nonsense.

    Meanwhile, Nono isn’t feeling well. I love Nono. My dad lives with me, so I especially love the scenes of Teresa with her dad. There is something about those moments that feels very real and tender, even in the middle of all the ridiculousness surrounding them.

    Teresa is also inviting all the girls to a shopping event. Danielle is understandably worried because the women, especially Margaret, have been so mean to her. And if Danielle is already worried about Margaret being mean to her, I have a feeling this shopping trip is about to become less “retail therapy” and more “retail trauma.”

    Marty comes in, and he and Danielle are officially no more, although they are getting along. Teresa is still bothered by the whole situation because she feels like Marty made her look like a liar when he denied having sex with Danielle. Marty thinks it is nobody’s business, and honestly, Marty is right. You don’t have to like the guy, but his sex life is, in fact, his business.

    Danielle, meanwhile, blames Margaret for her divorce from Marty, and Marty kind of agrees with her. Teresa also thinks Margaret has been bullying Danielle. And, annoyingly, she is kind of right. Margaret has absolutely been coming for Danielle, and Danielle isn’t imagining the hostility. Of course, Danielle being Danielle, she has somehow turned all of this into a full-blown explanation for why her marriage fell apart.

    Teresa goes prom dress shopping with Gia, and it’s a genuinely sweet scene. Of course, we can’t have nice things for too long, because Joe Giudice calls.

    Teresa and Joe immediately get into a fight over the phone. Teresa is still resentful that she had to sign a prenup when they got married, and Joe tells her that he never wanted to get married in the first place. Well, that sounds like a healthy and productive marriage conversation to have while your teenage daughter is standing right there.

    Gia has finally had enough and tells them to stop talking about their private business in front of her. I actually feel for Gia here. She is in an incredibly tough position. Joe is clearly coming apart, and watching your father fall apart while your parents fight about their marriage has to be awful.

    Over at Jennifer’s, her mother is preparing a traditional Turkish Easter dinner, including a goat’s head. The children run into the room, see it, and immediately look horrified. I get the feeling this happens every year. The food looks amazeballs. The goat head, however, is where I draw the line. I am not into that.

    They discuss Jennifer’s brother Michael’s upcoming wedding. They are still waiting for his fiancée’s visa, so the wedding plans are understandably complicated.

    Then Gabrielle brings up something much more serious. She questions how the priests at church can tell people to love everyone while also saying they hate gay people. She mentions that she knows her uncle is gay, and Jennifer’s mother immediately denies it.

    It’s a sad moment, especially because Gabrielle is clearly a bright and sensitive girl who is trying to make sense of a pretty obvious contradiction. And as annoying as Jennifer can be, I have to give her credit here: she handles the situation well.

    Dolores, my favorite Housewife, visits the cardiologist with her dad, who apparently has no intention of following his diet. I am a sucker for scenes with the parents. I really am. 

    Dolores is clearly concerned about her dad, and he asks about her remodel and her relationship with David. Everyone asks about her relationship with David. Everyone. At this point, I feel like I should start asking about it, too.

    David reminds me of Squidward. Always has. The guy does not want to commit, and Dolores is still pretending that she is perfectly fine with that arrangement. She is not fooling me.

    Jackie, Melissa, and Margaret go to lunch, and it is mostly very boring. Margaret spends a good portion of the meal talking shit about Danielle and making it clear that she does not want to see her at Teresa’s shopping event.

    Here is the thing: these women keep forgetting that it is literally their job to hang out with people they don’t like. That is the show. You don’t get to spend every event exclusively with your friends and then act shocked when the person you hate shows up. That’s called having a job, ladies.

    At the shopping event, the owner is thrilled to see Teresa and the other ladies. The entire store has been shut down for them, which, given what is about to happen, is probably the smartest business decision anyone made all episode.

    Danielle arrives dressed in enough Versace to outfit a small country and is clearly ready to face the wolves. Pretty much all of the women, with the exception of Teresa, are firmly against her. They are served champagne in plastic glasses, which is another excellent decision by the store. Someone clearly knew their customers.

    Teresa immediately fills Danielle in on everything Margaret has been saying about her. Dolores hates Danielle and is firmly Team Margaret, so there is already plenty of tension in the room.

    The women wander around and pretend to shop for a while, although nobody is fooling anyone. This is not a shopping event. This is a Housewives battlefield with handbags.

    We also see Teresa drinking a lot of champagne, which I am filing away for later.

    Then Margaret arrives, and she wastes absolutely no time badmouthing Danielle and her outfit. 

    Danielle and Jackie reveal that all of the husbands have apparently seen Danielle’s old porno tape. And naturally, they decide to discuss this while Danielle is standing maybe five feet away from them. Danielle can clearly hear every word, and she is absolutely seething.

    Margaret then compares the sushi to Danielle, because apparently we have reached the point where even the appetizers are getting dragged into the Danielle drama.

    Teresa is starting to get pissed about all the shit-talking happening within earshot of Danielle. And honestly, I get it. If you are going to talk about someone, at least have the basic decency to wait until they are far enough away that they can’t hear every single word you’re saying.

    Teresa and Danielle finally confront the women, and Margaret immediately calls Danielle a “Versace-clad elephant.” Danielle fires back with “trout mouth,” which, honestly, Margaret has completely coming. The two go back and forth over Danielle’s breakup with Marty, and Teresa goes hard for Danielle. She doesn’t think any of this is Margaret’s business, and she is not backing down.

    Margaret keeps coming for Danielle, and Danielle counters by accusing Margaret of being a cheater. Margaret starts throwing the word “prostitute” around, and Danielle gets right in her face, literally chest-bumping her. Jersey style.

    Then Margaret says Danielle has been “dragged and ridden hard,” and Danielle delivers one of the all-time Jersey comebacks: “And so have your titties. You should get ’em done!”

    Margaret is apparently not prepared for that level of retaliation, because she gets butt hurt and dumps her water all over Danielle and her Versace. The store owner looks absolutely stunned.Danielle responds by dumping Margaret’s purse into a candle before declaring, “I just can’t help myself.” And then she grabs Margaret’s ponytail and yanks it as hard as she possibly can.

    She literally drags Margaret across the store.

    As Dolores later says, it is some old-school stripper fighting, and she wants no part of it. And honestly, this is one of the most violent things we have ever seen on Jersey, which is really saying something.

  • We pick up with the Ramona/Bethenny showdown, and honestly, the Bezerkshires have officially claimed another victim: everyone’s remaining sanity.

    Ramona does not want to revisit the past. Bethenny, however, has apparently brought an entire archaeological dig site with her. She tells Ramona that she has not been a good friend to her, and Ramona responds with approximately twenty consecutive variations of, “Are you kidding me?!”

    Ramona’s eyes are bugging so far out of her head I’m surprised they don’t need their own snow boots.

    Bethenny starts listing all the mean things Ramona has said and done to her, including the time Ramona apparently walked off with two dresses from Bethenny’s failed talk show. Ramona insists Bethenny is crazy, because apparently the easiest way to win an argument is to diagnose the person who remembers what you did.

    Then Bethenny brings up Ramona’s questions about Brynn and the topless film, suggesting they were strategic. Ramona goes OFF.

    “You were topless! You had sex on a water bed!”

    And suddenly, we have spread-eagled Bethenny screaming, “MENTION IT ALL!”

    But then Ramona takes the fight somewhere much uglier. She screams that she has worked her whole life while Bethenny was handed everything and didn’t have any money until she fucked.

    The implication is pretty damn clear: Ramona is suggesting Bethenny slept her way to the top.

    Bethenny is stunned. And then comes the line of the night:

    “I can’t even fuck my way to the middle.”

    Same girl. Always stuck in the bedrock.

    But underneath all the screaming, Bethenny seems to finally figure out what is really bothering Ramona. Ramona feels like she had to work for everything she has, while Bethenny seemingly didn’t. That resentment has apparently been sitting there for years, waiting for a Berkshires weekend and several bottles of wine to blow the lid off.

    Naturally, they start arguing about whose wine is more successful, because nothing says emotional healing like comparing alcohol brands during a friendship implosion.

    Ramona calls Bethenny weird. Bethenny thinks Ramona doesn’t see herself clearly. Ramona thinks Bethenny doesn’t see herself clearly. Basically, two women who are both absolutely convinced they are the only person in the room with a functioning mirror.

    Then Ramona suddenly pivots to Mario and starts crying.

    Bethenny is unmoved.

    Honestly, I respect the commitment. We have spent this entire fight excavating decades of resentment, and Ramona has decided to throw Mario into the fossil bed.

    Eventually, Bethenny tells Ramona to stay the fuck away from her. Ramona tells Bethenny she is broken. They both feel attacked. They both think the other woman is the problem.

    And then Ramona delivers the final blow:

    “Bethenny the Bitchy Witch.”

    She storms out.

    And just like that, another Berkshires friendship has been lovingly buried beneath six feet of resentment, wine, screaming, and approximately fourteen layers of unresolved Housewives history.

    Ramona stumbles into the kitchen, while Bethenny tells Carole she is going home. No one can believe Ramona called Bethenny a “bitchy witch.” Honestly, same. Bethenny doesn’t even know how to begin describing what just happened.

    Ramona’s version of events is, naturally, very different.

    She tells Sonja that Bethenny attacked her while she was trying to apologize and started a fight.

    Ehh. Not exactly, Crazy Pants.

    Ramona is still obsessing over the water bed, because apparently we are going to be discussing Bethenny’s sexual history until the snow melts.

    Dorinda checks on Bethenny, who is packing her things and preparing to leave while Ramona continues her tirade downstairs. Carole decides she is leaving with Bethenny, and Dorinda actually wishes Ramona would leave instead.

    Ramona, meanwhile, is trying to rally the troops. She tells Carole that Bethenny uses her and calls her boring.

    Carole is having approximately none of that.

    Bethenny eventually emerges in a gigantic Yeti coat, ready to escape the Berkshires and this entire nightmare. But because the Housewives gods are cruel, she runs into Ramona in the hallway.

    Bethenny tells Ramona they will never speak again. They will never be on the same sidewalk.

    Which is going to be a little tricky in Manhattan, but sure.

    And then, after all of that screaming, crying, accusations, sexual references, wine comparisons, and psychological warfare, they wish each other the best.

    WTF?

    But Bethenny is out. Carole is with her. Ramona remains behind to tell her version of history to anyone who will listen.

    And the Bezerkshires live to see another day.

    The next morning, the women fill Tinsley, who was sleeping peacefully through the entire disaster, in on the big blowout.

    Dorinda tells everyone that she came downstairs around 2 a.m. and found Sonja passed out, sitting upright in a dining room chair.

    Dorinda thought she was dead.

    This is classic Sonja, and honestly, hysterical. I can picture it perfectly. Sonja Morgan, fully upright in a dining room chair, apparently having departed this earthly plane while maintaining proper posture.

    Ramona comes down to breakfast and seems ready to admit that she drank a little too much the night before. She claims she blacked out.

    I’m not buying it.

    I agree with Bethenny on this one. Ramona took the truth serum, and once the alcohol kicked in, she finally started saying what she has probably felt about Bethenny for years.

    And now Ramona is trying very hard to turn the women against Bethenny.

    Unfortunately for her, Dorinda is onto the tricks.

    Dorinda has spent enough time around Ramona to recognize when she is working the room, and she isn’t buying the rewrite. Ramona may want everyone to believe Bethenny attacked her out of nowhere, but Dorinda was there.

    The Berkshires may be covered in snow, but Dorinda can still smell bullshit from across the room.

    Sonja enters the kitchen in a gorgeous set of silk pajamas.

    The only problem?

    They’re Dorinda’s.

    And not just some random pair Dorinda forgot she owned. They were a gift from her late husband and were hanging in a bag in her closet.

    This is really poor behavior, Lady Morgan. It isn’t cute. It isn’t funny. And it definitely isn’t something I would be calmly discussing over breakfast.

    Dorinda handles it remarkably well, because I can tell you right now, I would have been flipping several tables.

    Then, while wearing Dorinda’s dead-husband pajamas, Sonja decides it is the perfect time to lecture Tinsley about the rules for staying in her house.

    She just will not drop it.

    Sonja is The Repeater.

    We have heard this speech. Tinsley has heard this speech. The walls have heard this speech. I’m pretty sure the pajamas have heard this speech.

    Tinsley is clearly exhausted by it, so at this point I have to ask: why doesn’t she just move out?

    Girl cannot be that broke. Have you seen those clothes?

    There is no universe in which Tinsley Mortimer owns that wardrobe and is genuinely one missed paycheck away from sleeping under a bridge.

    And yet here we are: Sonja, dressed in Dorinda’s sentimental pajamas, lecturing Tinsley about proper guest behavior.

    The irony is so thick you could spread it on toast.

    Back in Manhattan, Dorinda is organizing her apartment and tells us that over the weekend, Ramona absolutely trashed her room at the Berkshires.

    And I mean trashed it.

    Ramona literally ripped fixtures and paint off the walls. It made Dorinda want to cry, and honestly, I get it. This is her home. These women are guests. There is a difference between having a wild weekend and behaving like you were raised by barracudas.

    Dorinda has already had to referee everyone’s emotional breakdowns, and now she gets to repair the physical damage too. Because apparently hosting the Bezerkshires comes with a security deposit.

    Across town, Carole has kittens and a young boyfriend.

    The kittens are adorable.

    The boyfriend is… okay.

    Tinsley comes over to pretend she is looking at an apartment in Carole’s building, and the whole thing feels very staged. I mean, come on. We know what is happening here.

    I do like Tinsley, though. I wouldn’t mind having her as a neighbor. She could teach me how to do my lashes, and honestly, that feels like a solid reason to sign a lease.

    The apartment is gorgeous, and naturally, I want it.

    I cannot afford it.

    It’s $7,100 a month, which honestly doesn’t seem completely outrageous for New York City, but it is approximately $7,100 more than my archaeologist salary would like to spend on housing.

    Tinsley is nervous about moving out of the Upper East Side, which I understand. Apparently leaving your neighborhood is terrifying when your entire life is built around knowing exactly which block has the best shopping.

    Meanwhile, Carole’s friend is having an art show, and Carole is featured in it, so all of the women are invited.

    Because nothing says “we are putting the Berkshires behind us” like putting all these women in another room together and hoping nobody starts screaming.

    At Bethenny’s apartment, she is surrounded by assistants as they discuss her ridiculously busy schedule.

    And then we discover that Bethenny has moths in her closet eating her sweaters.

    Moths.

    This is what we are doing now?

    I have just watched Ramona accuse Bethenny of sleeping her way to the top, watched Bethenny scream “Mention it all,” watched women storm out of a house, and watched Dorinda discover that her guest literally ripped pieces off her walls.

    And now we’re talking about moths eating sweaters.

    It’s boring.

    Let’s see some more fights.

    The calm after the Bezerkshires is no fun.

    We leave Bethenny’s moth-infested closet behind, because apparently even her sweaters need more excitement than we’re getting right now.

    Dorinda is heading to a dinner celebrating Luann and Tom’s upcoming wedding, and Jill is there.

    Of course Jill immediately jumps right into badmouthing Ramona.

    And here’s the annoying part: every single one of Jill’s points is fair and accurate. We even get flashback footage to back her up.

    But Jill is still Jill.

    She definitely still thinks she is the star of the show, and she admits that she misses the gossip that came with being on Housewives.

    Yes, Jill.

    We know.

    You miss it.

    You miss being in everyone’s business. You miss knowing everything. You miss having an audience for your opinions.

    And apparently, you miss it enough to show up at a wedding dinner and immediately start dragging Ramona.

    We are at the art show. It features a photograph of Carole and she is naked. Awkward, but she seems totally unfazed. This is the first time Bethenny and Ramona will see each other since the Berkshires, and everyone is wondering how it will go. 

    Dorinda is still so upset about what Ramona did to her home that she doesn’t know if she will ever host the ladies again.

    She says her bedroom looked like Steven Tyler had stayed there.

    I have met Steven Tyler.

    He has much better manners than Ramona.

    So do coyotes.

    Bethenny arrives and announces that Ramona doesn’t exist to her anymore, and she proceeds to act accordingly. She completely ignores Ramona, which is probably the most effective punishment available in a room full of Housewives.

    Ramona, meanwhile, is still in full weird mode.

    Dorinda finally confronts her about the damage to the bedroom, and Ramona completely bypasses the subject and starts talking about Bethenny.

    Of course she does.

    It is unbelievably rude, and unbelievably Ramona.

    Sonja and Bethenny start kibitzing about the Berkshires, and Bethenny once again explains that she is done with Ramona now that she has seen the resentment and jealousy underneath all of it.

    Then Ramona approaches.

    Bethenny immediately takes off in her furry Cruella de Vil costume.

    Honestly, if I were Bethenny, I would have left too. Why stick around for another round of the Berkshires Litigation Department when you can grab your puppies and go home?

    Ramona tries to turn Sonja against Bethenny, but Sonja sees right through her.

    Bethenny is done. She gathers her puppies and bails on the entire event.

    Next we see Tom and Luann on their way to the airport, traveling to Palm Beach for their wedding.

    Luann is worried about the wedding.

    Tom is worried about getting a hall pass.

    Tom is a dirty bird, and I genuinely do not know what Luann sees in him. His jokes aren’t funny under normal circumstances, but a couple of days before your wedding, when you have already been caught cheating? Maybe read the room, Tom.

    Of course, we know what is coming.

    Watching this relationship with hindsight is uncomfortable. It was always a little uncomfortable, but knowing where this is headed makes every scene between them feel like watching a car slowly roll toward a cliff while everyone inside keeps insisting they are having a lovely drive.

    Tom is making jokes about other women while Luann is worrying about their wedding.

    Girl.

    Stop.

    I want to reach through the television and tell her to get off the plane, cancel the wedding, and go home.

    But she doesn’t.

    Instead, they head off to Palm Beach to get married, and we all know exactly how this story ends.

  • The ladies are in Ireland, and Kelly has been getting on everyone’s nerves. She made some comments about Tamra’s daughter that sent Tamra over the edge. Off camera, Tamra pushes Kelly, but we get the audio, and she very clearly says she will kill her. It’s ugly, and the women are still recovering from the fight, especially Heather.

    Heather is furious that the whole incident resulted in them getting kicked out of a store. Fancy Pants is not used to being treated like this. She calls Vicki, who is exhausted after staying up all night drinking with Shannon. Vicki wants the fighting to stop and is happy that she and Shannon are finally getting along.

    Meanwhile, Kelly and Meghan meet for breakfast in Meghan’s room. Kelly is exhausted too and feels like everyone is against her. Meghan reports that the genealogist says she is related to most of the people in the local town, and she wants to investigate.

    The other women are heading off to a milk farm, while Meghan wisely wants to keep Tamra and Kelly separated for now.

    A solid plan.

    Tamra was literally foaming at the mouth the day before.

    The women head out to the farm, and Vicki, who always manages to hurt herself, gets her finger stuck in the trunk of the car. I enjoy this more than I should. This girl gets hurt on every single trip. At this point, we can count on it.

    Meanwhile, Meghan and Kelly go looking for Meghan’s relatives, and it is mad boring. I’m sure Meghan finds the whole genealogy thing fascinating, but watching it? Not so much.

    The other women are at the farm, being exactly as obnoxious as we would expect. “Ew! It smells!” “Ew! It looks like a wiener!”

    You can take the girls out of the OC, but you can’t take the OC out of the girls.

    Kelly and Meghan meet up with the other women, and both Kelly and Tamra are nervous about seeing each other after their altercation the day before. They have a beautiful barbecue on the farm, and I love this stuff. Of course, I assume they are going to fight the whole time and ruin it.

    Oh, wait.

    Kelly offers a really nice and sincere apology, and I am shocked. This is classic Kelly, and Heather points it out. She behaves badly—really badly—and then apologizes and wants to move on.

    Tamra thanks her, but she is clearly still very upset. She looks terrible, like she has been crying all night. She tells Meghan that she needs to stay away from Kelly right now because Kelly is “testing her Christianity.”

    Okay.

    Some of the women go for a bike ride, and naturally, Vicki hurts herself again. I love it. At this point, getting injured on a Housewives trip is basically part of Vicki’s itinerary.

    Meghan and Tamra go off on their own to continue exploring Meghan’s ancestry, and I don’t care.

    At their picnic lunch, Heather is pushing alcohol on Kelly, who insists she doesn’t want to drink. Kelly seems to realize that the women like to poke at her when she does, so honestly, she is wise to avoid alcohol around this group. 

    They go to a lovely dinner, and Tamra, Shannon, and Heather pregame while talking shit about Kelly’s outfits and her boobs. Kelly once again says she doesn’t want to drink. She feels attacked and alone. Vicki, who is supposed to be her friend, didn’t even stick up for her, and now Kelly feels like everyone hates her.

    She is pretty much right.

    Tamra says they are all wearing black for Kelly’s funeral, and the women, particularly Shannon, are clearly trying to get Kelly to drink throughout dinner. Shannon even orders her a double shot of tequila after Kelly has already said no.

    The women all start making eyes at each other, as if some plan has gone horribly awry, and Shannon orders Kelly another drink.

    Kelly won’t drink. She stands firm, and the other women seem genuinely disappointed.

    Then Shannon actually leaves the table to whisper to the waiter and asks him to make the shots doubles.

    What is going on here?

    Seriously. Kelly has spent this entire trip behaving badly, but now the women seem determined to get her drunk after she has explicitly told them she doesn’t want to drink. This has gone way beyond poking the bear. They’re practically handing the bear a cocktail shaker.

    Kelly takes a small sip, and Shannon immediately orders more. Even Vicki admits it is clear that Shannon is trying to get Kelly drunk so she will misbehave. Kelly says she feels an ambush coming on, and boy, is it!

    Kelly sees through the plan and stays sober. Smart girl. She is going to need her wits about her.

    Five hours later, we get talking heads of Meghan saying World War III broke out that night.

    Vicki and Kelly went to Tamra’s room to ask her to come drinking with them, and Tamra said no. Then Shannon apparently came out of her room and questioned Kelly about why she was going out. Tamra, Shannon, and Heather went to the hotel bar, and Vicki ditched Kelly to meet them.

    Vicki, ever the loyal friend, starts talking shit about Kelly and tells Tamra that Kelly has been talking about her. Tamra then texts Kelly a picture of herself and Vicki together.

    Because she is twelve.

    The next scenes are filmed with the women’s cell phones, and if I were staying in this hotel, I would be pissed. They are screaming in the hallways in the middle of the night. Heather is filming everything as Kelly completely melts down. Vicki totally started this, and Kelly just wants to go home. She is crying and clearly overwhelmed by the entire situation.

    At 3:20 a.m., they board the bus to the airport, and all hell breaks loose.

    The women take turns poking at Kelly. Kelly calls Shannon a drunk. She tells Shannon to shut up and shave off the hairs on her chin.

    This is low, even for Kelly.

    Shannon tells Kelly that she should hope to look like her when she is 52. Kelly tells her to stop attacking her if she doesn’t want to be insulted. Honestly, there is some logic there, although Kelly’s insults are getting increasingly vicious.

    Heather says she feels bad for Kelly’s kids. That’s low, too. She then tells Kelly she is having a psychotic break, which is something Heather seems to throw around way too casually whenever she wants to discredit someone. It reminds me of what happens with Shannon at Lizzie’s dinner party in Season 9.

    Heather calls Kelly trash, and at this point, the entire situation has become ugly on every side.

    Then we get a preview of what is coming next, and, holy shit, apparently we haven’t even reached the worst part yet. This is definitely the bus ride from hell.