Well, we said goodbye to the ladies of The Real Housewives of Potomac last night, as they reconvened one final time to rehash the drama of their epic third season. As you can imagine, there was plenty of tea spilled and a lot of shade thrown… but the ladies also managed to find some common ground.
We picked up where we left off last week, with Karen still in her dressing room, after rushing off the stage in tears over the recent loss of her father. Gizelle went back to comfort her, and they hugged and Gizelle told Karen that she loved her, and was strong enough to handle anything.
Back on the couches, the rest of the ladies were equally sympathetic, and when Karen returned, they all gave her their heartfelt condolences, including Ashley, her arch nemesis all season. Karen thanked Ashley, and said that she knew she was being sincere. Things were off to a pretty positive start.
But Andy, ever the pot stirrer, just had to throw a wrench into things. I get it. No one watches for the sweet and sappy stuff. He suggested that in the spirit of the ladies’ newfound goodwill, Monique and Gizelle might come together, to which Monique could be heard mumbling, “I doubt it.” He also suggested (again) that maybe Gizelle could get an invite to Candiace’s upcoming wedding, after all, but Candiace just laughed, and told him (again) that Gizelle didn’t want to come, and had said so on several occasions, and would “be fine at home” on the big day.
And since everyone was still in a fairly lighthearted mood, it was time to bring out Charrisse. She was demoted to a “friend” this season, but still took part in plenty of drama. That Kyndall thing was particularly suspect. According to Monique, bringing Gizelle’s boyfriend Sherman’s ex-wife on the show had been all Charrisse’s idea.
But Charrisse’s version of events is a little different. She admitted that she’d lobbied for Kyndall to be on the show leading up to the first two seasons, and even wanted her to come on the show for season 3 to “f**k with” Gizelle, but said she had nothing to do with Monique choosing to invite her to her charity event.
Gizelle seemed to believe Charrisse’s version, and said she knew that there had been talk of Kyndall being on the show, but that she had been “too boring” to make the cut…until Gizelle started dating her ex-husband, at which point Monique concocted a plan to befriend her for the sole purpose of getting under her skin. Monique said she didn’t need anyone else’s help to get under Gizelle’s skin, and that she only needed to wake up in the morning and breathe to achieve that. Gizelle assured her that she didn’t give her nearly that much thought.
But Monique stuck by her story, and said that Charrisse suggested it was time for Kyndall to “make a cameo” during Gizelle’s birthday party, and had been hoping to see an awkward encounter between the two women.
Seeing the two women, who had been “like sisters,” flinging accusations and insults back and forth wasn’t pretty, and Andy wanted to know exactly what had happened between them. Was it really all about Monique wanting to “use Charrisse’s connections?” Charrisse said that had nothing to do with it, and that Monique had been doing some “questionable” things, but didn’t elaborate beyond that.
Once again, Monique disagreed, saying that Charrisse is obsessed with talking about “her people,” from her massage therapist to her makeup artist, and insists that they’re better than anyone else’s people. The one thing the former friends did manage to agree on was that they no longer had a relationship of any kind, and didn’t expect that to change any time soon.
Gizelle was pretty quiet throughout Monique and Charrisse’s exchange, but she did want to know why Monique had said the things that she did about Sherman’s past. To refresh your memory, Monique made it a point, earlier in the season, to bring up the fact that Sherman had been arrested for having sex with a woman in a park while he was married to Kyndall. It was petty and unnecessary, especially since it happened years ago, but Gizelle’s right…Monique lives to get under her skin. Monique did, however, say she regretted talking about it, and wished she could take it back. But Gizelle wasn’t buying her apology. After all, if you regret something, you don’t generally do it again and again.
Gizelle also revealed that Sherman wants to get back together. When Candiace asked what she’d said to him, she said “mind you business, Tweety Bird,” a hilarious shot at Candiace’s bright yellow dress. But she said that they are giving their romance another shot, and are even seeking couple’s counseling to ensure that they don’t have the same “communication issues” that caused them to split in the first place.
With all the talk of relationships, it was the perfect segue way into introducing the men of RHOP, and that’s when things really started to go left. The two Chrises, Monique’s husband and Candiace’s then-susband (soon to be husband) managed to keep their cool.
Candiace’s Chris gave an update on the status of his relationship with his kids, admitting that he still hadn’t managed to make contact with his older son, but had reached out, and made sure that his son had all of his contact information and could call him any time.
Monique’s Chris elaborated further on Monique’s miscarriage, and discussed how hurtful in had been to see fans speculating that Monique’s drinking had caused her to lose the baby. He also admonished the women for not being more supportive of her and for making her car accident a bigger issue than it really was. He added that he was particularly disappointed in Charrisse, whom he said had once been his “favorite,” but had shown herself to be disloyal, a fact that he knew would not be forgotten by his wife any time soon.
Then it was Ray’s turn. He was the subject of quite a bit of drama this season, from his tax issues to speculation about the state of his marriage to Karen. As they played his highlight reel, Ray laughed, but said he was only doing so to keep from crying. As for the tax troubles, Ray said it was all a “mistake,” and that he really didn’t think it would affect Karen. He added that he is still making payments on the tax debt, but stopped short of saying how much more he owed, saying that other people were involved, and he had been advised by his attorney not to divulge any more details…other than what was already reported in the news and discussed on the show that is.
As for the Hugers’ living situation, Ray stated, in no uncertain terms, that he and Karen are living in the mansion in Great Falls together. He also said that the Pizza Prank had caused quite a bit of problems for his landscapers, who were chewed out by their boss, who thought the abandoned pizza box sitting on the porch belonged to them. Robyn seemed to feel bad about this, and said that she actually never doubted that they lived in the home, and had simply wanted Karen to answer the door so that the rumors could be put to rest, and they could all have a good laugh.
Throughout all of this, Ashley’s husband Michael was shaking his head. When Andy asked him why, he said that neither the move to Great Falls nor the tax issue made any sense. He reasoned that it was a poor financial decision to move from a home they owned in Potomac to a rental in Great Falls that was much further away, and that as a business owner, Ray should have had an accountant that was, at least, vigilant enough to avoid tax fraud.
Ray said that Michael had plenty of business issues of his own, but that he wasn’t going to bring it up because it was none of his business, just as where he lived and the state of his finances were none of Michael’s business. Of course, the question had to be asked: why do the Darbys care so much about what the Huger’s are up to?! Ashley said that she simply wanted Karen to be more “forthcoming about who she actually is.” Karen began to explain that Ashley wants everyone to share every aspect of their lives because she’s a millennial, and that’s just what they do, but Michael quickly began to over talk her, and demand an apology for the rumors Karen had perpetuated about him having an affair with a man in London.
Again, Karen didn’t start this rumor, but she talked about it every chance she got. She told Michael he wouldn’t be getting an apology because she believed the story, but Michael brought receipts! He offered to show Karen his passport, which he said clearly showed that he hadn’t been in England, and therefore disproved the entire rumor. Karen declined to look at the evidence, and simply turned her head.
Ashley then revealed that Karen had served her with a cease and desist order, demanding that she stop spreading rumors about Karen’s relationship with her “driver,” aka Blue Eyes. The order stemmed from an appearance Ashley made on Watch What Happens Live, during which she claimed that her stepson had seen Karen and Blue Eyes out and about, and that they’d been locked in a passionate embrace that ended with Blue Eyes grabbing “two handfuls” of Karen’s booty!
Karen reiterated that Ashley needed to stop spreading these rumors, or she would see her in court. But Ashley had apparently done her research, and was quick to point out that in order for a lawsuit to work, Karen would have to prove that what she was saying was false, and that her stepson wasn’t the only one who’d seen them together. She recalled an evening when Blue Eyes and Karen had been at her restaurant, Oz, together, and that Monique had seen them too.
Monique remembered the evening in question, but said that nothing untoward had been goin on. But that didn’t satisfy Ashley. She wanted to know why Karen’s driver was in the bar in the first place, pointing out that most drivers she knows waited outside for their passengers to finish their evenings, rather than joining them for drinks. Karen said Ashley was just making something out of nothing, and again told her to knock it off.
Andy then asked the million dollar question..how does Ray feel about these rumors? Ray said that he had Blue Eyes number in his phone, and had for years. Michael wanted to know exactly what this meant, and Karen’s response was really the only appropriate one for someone trying desperately to get all up in your business:”F**k you, weirdo!” But Ray did admit that he’d his suspicions about them in the past but had “checked it out,” and was certain that nothing was going on. Ashley quietly advised him to ‘trust his instincts.’
Talk then turned to Michael and Ashleys marriage, and they revealed a recent loss. Just before Ahsley’s recent 30th birthday, she suffered a miscarriage. Monique began to cry, and expressed her sympathy to Ashley, saying that she wouldn’t wish such a loss on her worst enemy, and certainly not Ashley, whom she’d once been so close with.
They also discussed Ashley’s mother, whom Ashley has recently become close with again. Karen was glad to hear this, and expressed just how important family was. She advised Ashley to remain close with her mother, and discussed, again, the pain of losing her own parents. Ashley agreed, and said she’d been so touched when Karen spoke of her loss that she’d been inspired to call her own mother during the break just to tell her she loved her.
As the reunion wound down, Andy asked the ladies for their parting thoughts on the season, and all said that they were going to work on finding common ground with one another, and being better friends to each other. The evening ended with a toast given by Gizelle, who said that despite it all, they were in this thing together.
Well, viewers, that’s officially a wrap on season 3. We’ll miss these ladies dearly, but take heart…season 4 is already filming, and there’s plenty more drama to come!
Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
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