Here is my latest guest blog for "The Real Housewives Daily Dose" (follow them on Twitter @RHDailyDose). This is for Episode 17 of this seasons "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".
Greetings RHOBH fans! All I can say is holy mother of all awkward situations because this episode was FILLED with them! Lets just jump right in with our recap, shall we?
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| Bravo |
The aftermath of the confrontation and “un-invitation” of Taylor and Russell was still lingering in the air. It is very apparent that these people all care for each other very much and have been confused by circumstances that we, the viewer, have not been privy to. Clearly, there was a lot that went on behind the scenes of the Armstrong marriage that we did not see either. The limo ride home with Taylor and Russell was very uncomfortable (given how lovey-dovey they were on the way to the party), and the dynamic between the two of them is painful to watch, in part, because we know how their story ends. I think that Adrienne summed it up best when she said “there’s 3 sides to a story: her side, his side, then the truth”.
On a lighter note – how fabulous did everyone look? And I love Kyle’s house! She really did a wonderful job decorating for the party and it looks like it’d be a blast to attend. She and Mauricio are the sweetest couple and you can really tell how much they love each other and how important their family is to them. After the earlier stress of the party, it was nice to see that they were able to set it aside, dance and have a great time with each other.
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| Bravo |
That fun filled vibe definitely was apparent as Kyle and Mauricio, Lisa and Ken, Camille, Brandi and Adrienne headed to Hawaii to celebrate Mauricio’s birthday. Again I say, is there ever a time that Lisa does not look completely glam – including air travel? And Camille is the definition is casual chic with her boots and hat – she could have been headed to the beach or on safari! It seemed like it was a very long day of travel (LA to Honolulu, Honolulu to Lanai, and then a shuttle to the resort), and Brandi was “highly medicated” in her words to get through it all! I love what a fun, outrageous girl she is! After all – we heard in a “sneak peak” that Brandi made out with Camille in Vegas and she tried to make out with Adrienne – so we know that she can definitely be the life of the party! The one thing that is almost a guarantee with Brandi – you’re never sure what she’ll wear, do or say! Speaking of what she wore – how tiny was that bikini??? Although, she and Camille both have amazing bodies so they can definitely pull it off! Personally, I prefer the beach style of Kyle and Lisa – bright colors, flowing fabric and coverage!
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| Bravo |
The one sour note on the group flight and the next day (minus the “bus with wings” that transported everyone from island to island) was the Kim drama and Kyle’s frustration. What’s up with Kim? She and Ken missed the flight with the rest of the group (something about not being able to find correct ID to get on the plane with). It seems like since the train-wreck game night at the beginning of the season, Kim has been MIA a lot. She has appeared to be scattered, absent minded, and just generally out of sorts. When Paul arrived the following morning (he took the later flight due to work), he said that Kim was on his flight from LA to Honolulu, but not from Honolulu to Lanai. Again, Kyle’s focus gets pulled away from being able to relax with her husband and her friends to being frustrated and concerned about her sister. Clearly, there is more to the Kyle-Kim-Ken drama that went on when the cameras weren’t around and we, the viewer, have yet to be filled in.
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| Bravo |
Isn’t it fun to watch these people interact as a group, and couples? Whether it’s cocktails on the patio at sunset, teasing Ken about Brandi hanging on him, making snarky comments (a gay bullmastiff? is there even such a thing?), spending quiet times as a couple (“Darling I might make an exception. Christmas, birthdays and maybe Hawaii. Take me now before I change my mind” – Lisa to Ken), or just relaxing on the beach, it’s great to see their relationships. Despite the teasing, they really do care about each other.
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| Bravo |
Their beach afternoon was interrupted when Lisa received a phone call from Taylor, saying her marriage to Russell was over. Earlier in the episode, we had seen Taylor in an individual counseling session where she discussed the events of the White Party. The Taylor we saw in this segment of the show was not the same Taylor that we had seen during that limo ride home at the beginning of the episode. At the party, she appeared to be very hurt by her friends and the situation, and defensive of her husband and his actions. In the counseling session, she was very hurt by Russell’s actions and was frustrated that his choices were now affecting her friendships. Now, we hear her telling Lisa (and Kyle on speaker) that her marriage had not been working for a very long time, Russell is moving out and they are done. That both she and Russell have realized that they are in a toxic marriage and before they hurt each other any more or hurt their daughter any more, they need to stop it and move on with their lives. Taylor sounded very fragile, but said that she was at peace with what was going on and she wished that the girls were home. Both Lisa and Kyle said that the felt relieved for her that she had found the strength to do what needed to be done.
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| Bravo |
Unfortunately, I think there was a lot of editing that Bravo needed to do to alter the original episodes after Russell’s death. This editing has caused some scenes and episodes to feel disjointed and disconnected when trying to tell the Armstrong’s story, leaving the viewers feeling like we are suffering from whiplash trying to figure it all out. This was one of those cases. I think it was only made worse by the fact that we have no timeline to go off of – was this the next day or a week later?
Regardless of what your opinion of this situation, we need to remember that we are only observers in the lives of these real people, with real families, issues and problems. The truth of what happened lies within the people who actually lived it and were brave enough to open their doors and share their lives with millions of people on a television show. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at
www.thehotline.org or 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Tune in next week for more Hawaiian adventures and some fireworks between Kyle and Kim!
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