After a two-week holiday break, the Real Housewives of Potomac is back. They are still in Austin, focusing on the celebration of the Grand Dame herself as she turns “triple 20.” The beef between Candiace and Robyn is still unsettled, as Candiace calls Robyn out for playing victim and Robyn calls Candiace’s act unforgivable. But the real shade comes from Nneka during a light-hearted drag show…
Gizelle and Ashley are busy setting up Karen’s triple-20 birthday party. There’s a pie (a nod to Karen’s metaphor about her relationship with the ladies), and there’s painting. I’m just hoping they left that paint your vagina idea in the past cuz we all know Karen is not down with that. As they prep, Ashley shares how she hasn’t been to her mother’s house in two years because of her mom’s partner. It’s interesting the reason Ashley has been staying away since she is now somewhat in a similar position with Michael.
The rest of the group heads poolside as Gizelle and Ashley get the party in order. Karen, Candiace, and Wendy stay by the bar and joke about their hairiness. Wendy shares that she had sideburns; Candiace has a unibrow and a mustache.
Mia talks with Nneka and Robyn in the pool, and Mia explains that when they went to the distillery, Wendy broke down. According to Wendy, Nneka used the connotation of a shrine negatively, but of course, Nneka ain’t buying it and feels like Wendy is just trying to find a way out. Nneka alludes that she has more on Wendy that she can unleash, but despite it all, Nneka is still willing to talk with Wendy.
Not wanting to put a damper on Karen’s birthday, Wendy finally shares that her mother is in the hospital and she is having surgery. This is why all of the claims brought by Nneka were especially upsetting. Candiace, in her confessional, feels like it is not fair of Wendy to conflate the two situations and doesn’t understand how the shrine talk relates to her mom’s hospitalization.
The group heads up to Ashley’s suite to draw their best Karen Huger. It’s a paint-off if you will. Karen is just happy to see the group getting along. And Candiace is happy to have a distraction since she can’t seem to wrap her head around beefing with Robyn.
For the time being, they are having fun. Ashley paints Gucci Belt Karen, Wendy kisses up with a painted crown (and Karen’s mole with TWO pieces of hair), and Nneka does Karen dirty with her painting. Surry County Karen is represented by Mia, and Robyn wins by painting Karen’s blue Twitter check (that she pays for, unbeknownst to Karen). Karen admits that Robyn is funny and wants to get to know her better… eventually.
Luckily, none of the pie is “in the freezer,” meaning things are better now with the group, and Karen blows out the candles during a terrible rendition of the birthday song that even Candiace can’t save. After the light shading, the women head off to get ready for dinner and a drag show. We learn that Wendy’s mom came out of surgery okay, and Wendy is feeling much better after finding out that news.
Everyone is in it to win it, and these outfits are proving it. They are DECKED, and they sit down for dinner first before dancing with the queens. After it was pointed out, Mia addresses her recent weight gain, explaining that it came from the stress in her life: lawsuits, money, and legal woes. She shares that despite all of that, she feels the best she has in a long time.
Ashley is looking forward to supporting drag queens — and to stirring the pot evidently. Ashley points out that Candiace was very emotional in the car the night before the issues with Robyn came to a head. Ashley wonders what made Candiace feel like it was okay to bash Robyn on social media because the remorse in the car and the actions in the past don’t align. Ashley points out that she says what she is thinking to the group, not to the internet! Candiace refuses to talk to Ashley about this, and Robyn states that what Candiace did is unforgivable.
Candiace says that she DID ask Robyn if she was mad, and Robyn ignored her. Now, in front of the group, Robyn asks like a damsel in distress, according to Candiace. Being a victim is not Candiace’s call — it’s Robyn’s. And somehow, it’s okay to weaponize stuff against Candiace and her husband. Candiace becomes enraged when she says the line is always moving and there seems to be a double standard. Robyn then excuses herself, and Mia admits that they have been sh*tty friends to Robyn.
It seems like Candiace’s refusal to take ownership of what she said is what is setting Robyn off. When Robyn calls Juan for support, he advises her to “just be the biggest person for once.” LOL. Robyn can’t be phony and is beyond frustrated with his tips.
At the table, Candiace continues to call Robyn the victim, and when Gizelle, Mia, and Ashley run to Robyn’s aid, Robyn states that she doesn’t want to be a “perfect” friend. Candiace still thinks there is hope in repairing her relationship with Robyn, but it needs to be a more private conversation.
To lighten the mood once Robyn returns, Gizelle gives Karen a lap dance, and Ashley attempts to smooch Karen, to which Candiace mutters under her breath that Karen better be careful — she’s about to get “HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia…” Oooo….
They roll up to the drag show amped up, especially Karen who is thrilled to see people in the crowd rocking t-shirts with her face on them. The women muse about what their drag names would be. A few faves are Ginger Pop and Petty LaBelle. At the end of the show, Ashley, Wendy, Nneka, Karen, and Mia all strut their stuff in a friendly catwalk competition.
When Wendy walks, Nneka gives her two thumbs down — the shade! Wendy explains that she didn’t see the gesture until the video was posted to social media, and she was not pleased about it, to say the least… But when Karen takes her turn, the crowd goes wild, and she is eating up the attention, even crawling around on her knees. At 60, she does a damn good job. She gets gifted a sash and crown, and the Grande Dame has a new title as a top model.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RHOP EPISODE?