The ladies of The Real Housewives of Potomac have been in rare form this season, but last night’s antics may have placed some of the ladies at a point of no return!
When we picked up with the crew, everyone was still sitting in stunned silence, following Karen’s confirmation that her husband, Ray, had once asked for a divorce. She’d confided this information to Charrisse during a wine fueled chat the night before, and Charrisse had seen fit to bring it up in front of the others.
Karen clarified that her marital troubles had happened many years ago, at a time when she was still trying to “find the balance” between her “need for independence” and her “desire to be Mrs. Ray Huber”.
Charisse said that it hadn’t sounded like something that happened a long time ago, when Karen was telling her about it. But Karen insisted that it was all water under the bridge, and that her marriage was stronger than ever.
But here’s where it got a little confusing: when they all went back to their rooms, Karen could be heard whispering to Gizelle that Ray’s request for a divorce had taken place since they’d known each other, which could still mean it happened years ago. After that, all that could be heard from behind the closed door was unintelligible murmuring.
But luckily for us, Gizelle can’t keep a secret to save her life, and during a her confessional, she revealed that Karen had told her that Ray had suggested divorcing “to protect her from the IRS”, which would make it quite recent, indeed.
Since it was the last night of the ladies’ trip, they dropped the serious topics, and decided to relax, and have a good old fashioned pajama party. And there was a surprise guest: “Kurn Huguenot”, Karen’s “alter ego”, as performed by Ashley, who donned a long, blonde wig, and proceeded to prance around the room in an over-the-top, but dead on, impression of The Grande Dame.
Karen took it in stride, and faked a hearty laugh, saying Ashley was simply “obsessed” with her, the “poor baby”. The rest of the night went off without a hitch, and it seemed like the women would return to Potomac refreshed and closer than ever.
But it was not to be. Monique was still angry that Robyn had confronted her about drinking the day of her car accident, but she was downright furious with Ashley for telling everyone that she’d had twice as many drinks as she’d said. She’d thought Ashley was her friend, and had expected her to have her back.
Her husband agreed that the ladies’ “concern” for Monique was fake, and that they were “out to get her” with their drunk driving allegations.
In the meantime, Ashley was telling her husband, Michael, about Monique’s accident and the mini intervention. She continued to maintain that Monique had had quite a bit to drink the day of her crash, and said that while it may not have been the cause of the accident, it certainly hadn’t helped.
She went on to say that she felt Monique was using alcohol to self medicate, and that she seemed to be drinking more and more heavily lately. She also recalled seeing Monique drink to the point of throwing up in the bushes on the last night of the trip. Michael agreed that this was troublesome.
Gizelle would probably have loved to relive all the dramatic moments of the trip with her boyfriend, Sherman, but for reasons that weren’t completely clear to her, he was giving her the cold shoulder.
Gizelle told Robyn that she hadn’t heard from Sherman “in 29 hours”, and wondered if a recent People Magazine article about their romance had “scared him off”.
That’s definitely a possibility, but you’ve gotta wonder if Gizelle is simply too “extra”. After all, even as she complained to Robyn, she’d just finished “acting out” a scene from her book, and was still decked out in full “First Lady of the church” regalia, from her oversized hat, to the Bible she clutched in her white-gloved hands. It was quite the spectacle.
Now, it’s been said that if it’s not one thing..it’s your mother, and Ashley and Candiace can certainly attest to this. They’re both struggling to set boundaries, which is never easy when it comes to the woman who gave you life. And when money is involved, it’s damn near impossible.
Ashley has found herself stuck in the middle between her husband and her mother all season. She and Michael…mainly Michael…have been supporting her mother financially for some time, even going so far as renting her a home. And they were happy to do it under one condition: she had to dump her “deadbeat” boyfriend.
But instead, she allowed her boyfriend to move in, and when Ashley and Michael found out, they told her she’d have to move out. It seems Michael just wasn’t into supporting a grown man, who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) hold down a job. And who can blame him for that?
Well, it turns out Ashley’s mother can. She said there shouldn’t be any boundaries with family, and that he should “respect” her as his mother-in-law, but instead, had tried to “hinder” her from being herself. She added that she’d always been good to Michael, and that now, he wouldn’t even return her calls.
Ashley explained to her mother that Michael did love and respect her, but that he was also resentful about what she’d done. She also pointed out that Michael had given her thousands of dollars over the years, and that she’d failed to keep up her end of the bargain.
At this point, Ashley’s mother said she was tired about talking about Michael and his money (although she’s perfectly happy taking it) and asked what she needed to say to get Ashley to “report back” to Michael, so she could have more time to “get on her feet”.
It was a poor choice of words. Ashley said that she did not “report” to her husband, but that he had simply had it with her refusal to do anything for herself, so there would be no more money coming her way.
Ashley came to the realization that she’d have to let her mother be on her own for a while, and her mother agreed, saying she was “done”, and that she and her boyfriend were thinking about moving away for a while. Well, I hate to say good riddance, but this is probably for the best.
Meanwhile, Candiace and her mother have the opposite problem. Candiace’s entire lifestyle is subsidized by her mom’s money, including her upcoming wedding, and, like Ashley’s mom, she’d like her just to sign the checks and keep her opinions to herself.
Last night, the mother/daughter duo toured a wedding venue, and discussed details with the wedding planner. Candiace’s mother provided a generous budget of $100k, but when Candiace began asking for pricey add-ons, like a “flower wall”, the planner explained that such things would nearly double her budget.
Candiace’s mother explained that she was tapped out, and if Candiace needed more money, she’d better call her father. Candiace said she didn’t want to ask him for more than the $20k he was already giving her, but her mother was quick to point out that since he’d been “too busy chasing women” to be there for Candiace when she was growing up, it was the least he could do.
Candiace began to cry, and said that she didn’t want to discuss her parents’ failed marriage because it “scared” her. Both she and her fiancé, Chris, came from “broken homes”, and she feared that their lack of models of healthy marriages could spell trouble for them.
Candiace added that her father had not left HER, only the marriage, which had ended shortly after she’d been born, to which her mother responded “yes, that’s right. He left you when you were just a baby.” Ouch!
When Candiace announced she needed a break, and left the room crying, her mother explained to producers that she “often got upset” when confronted with the “realities” of the type of man her father really is. Well, if that’s how her mother talks to her about it, I’m not surprised!
Later, all of the ladies came together to support Karen’s latest venture, a signature perfume. She’d asked them to take part in a focus group to help her develop the fragrance, and while she was all about business, the others were more interested in stirring the pot.
Robyn and Gizelle noticed a distinct “chill” coming from Monique, and asked if she was alright. Monique explained that she was still angry with Ashley for going behind her back, and implying that she’d been driving drunk.
Ashley had gone to the restroom, but Robyn had her back. She pointed out that Monique had seemed fine after they all talked a few days ago, and asked why Monique was bringing it all back up now.
Monique explained that she hadn’t wanted to ruin the trip, but that she definitely needed to address the issue with Ashley, directly, now that they were back in Potomac. Gizelle was thrilled at the prospect of more drama, and suggested that they all have a “table talk” about it right away.
Monique said she wasn’t sure another “table talk” was the way to go, and that she’d rather handle it privately, but Gizelle wasn’t having that. As soon as Ashley returned to the table, Gizelle gleefully announced that Monique was angry with her.
With that, the whole event went completely off the rails. Ashley and Monique began arguing loudly, and the others quickly followed suit, tossing in their two cents wherever possible.
The vaguely European perfumer, who was there to make signature scents for each of the ladies, was appalled, and turned to Karen’s beleaguered assistant, Matt, and ordered him to put a stop to the ensuing melee.
Poor guy. First the “press conference with no press” and now this?! Surely, Karen doesn’t pay him enough to deal with this level of crazy. And he doesn’t even get those special fringe benefits her driver does!
But The Grande Dame stepped up and handled her friends, herself. She stood up and yelled “stop this!”, before calling for security, and ushering the ladies out, telling them they didn’t “have to go home”, but they had to get “the hell out of there”!
This only seemed to fuel the fire, because things got even more vicious once the ladies got outside. Monique continued trashing Ashley for talking behind her back, and threatening her impeccable reputation, and when Robyn tried to step in to diffuse the situation, Monique turned on her, as well.
Robyn tried to laugh it off, but when Monique told her to “shut the f*** up”, she got in her face, and told HER to “shut the f*** up”! And then it happened: Monique told Robyn to get out of her face, or she’d “choke her out” with her umbrella! My goodness, Monique, do you sip martinis with that mouth?!
The other ladies were understandably shocked by Monique’s brazen threat of violence, and began trying to pull the ladies apart, as Karen once again called for security, and the show faded to black.
So that’s where we are viewers…in the gutter, and fighting on the street like common hoodlums! I don’t expect this drama to come to a close any time soon, so be sure to tune in next week to see how it all unfolds!
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