It truly was a war this week on Part 1 of the Real Housewives of New York Reunion. On this side, veterans Luann, Sonja, and Ramona. On that side, new girls Aviva, Carole, and Heather. Can I just say, though, I LOVED the location (Museum of American Finance). It was so ... money. Ah, I could smell the currency through the tv. All joking aside, it was a tense first installment for sure. Not a scream-fest by any means, but definitely full of drama. It was a nice break from the chaos of RHONJ, to be honest. These ladies occasionally let each other finish their sentences! What a concept!
I will be grading the ladies this week, so get your report cards ready!
Ramona: I have to say your leather top/chiffon bottom number was mesmerizing. I wanted you to get up and let me see the dress in all its glory. Maybe in Part 2? Let's talk about your exchange with Heather. You have a big problem with her not telling you to your face that she had a problem with you, but I seem to remember her telling you to your face - several times - how she felt about you, good or bad. Maybe I'm missing something? Hopefully, you two can end up being friendly again, because it was fun to watch when you were getting along. As for you and Luann being cautious of each other, that's probably for the best. I wouldn't trust either one of you as far as I could throw you. And of course, you're both card-carrying members of the throw-people-under-the-bus club. We have to talk about you and Aviva. She apologized about 10 different times and while you have every right to still be hurt and upset about what happened, I don't think you were really listening to her. You took your cues from Sonja who was not budging, and pretty much stalemated the conversation. I understand, she was aggressive towards you, and for you, that amounted to verbal abuse. And you had every right to rake Aviva through the coals for it - once. Not, in your words, again and again and again and again ... and again. It's time to bury the hatchet with her and if need be, just treat her like you do the Countess. I mean, if you can play nice with Luann, I'm sure in time you could do the same with Aviva. You may be right, once Aviva saw the response she got from the viewers she may have decided to make it right. That's none of your concern. You're getting your apology NOW. Regarding the whole blog thing, I would even venture to say that your blogs aren't always complimentary to everyone all the time, either. And my take on it is that you blog about the episode and how you were feeling at the time. So, if Aviva hated your guts at the time that you filmed the episode, it's not gonna be a love-fest, now is it? Not that I condone the insults either in her blog or on Twitter, but let's be real. There is a certain level of thick skin that you have, and you of all people know this. I can't believe you're that hurt over Aviva's words when you have absolutely no problem saying whatever you want (or as you put it "what everyone else is thinking"), no matter how hurtful it may be. So, my advice to you is, forgive and forget and stop being the victim. You give just as good as you get, and there's no reason to drag this out any longer. Ramona's grade for the week: D (because she's being stubborn and hypocritical, especially when she's said and done rude things all season).
Sonja: Wow. You had your aim set squarely on the other couch for the entire episode. And I'm really not sure why. Let's start with your buddy, Harry Dubin (aka Aviva's ex). It's not totally strange that you would side with Harry and not Aviva, but you can't expect Aviva to be happy about it. I think it would be best to not talk about her ex (or anyone else's) from now on. You don't want to be in the middle of someone else's divorce. And for the record, everyone brought Harry up in conversation, not just Aviva. Whether Aviva talked bad about her ex or not, you need to remember, you don't know what really went on in their marriage, just like we don't know what really happened in yours. If you just don't like her, that's fine. But leave the whole Harry thing out of it. You were a bit of a mean girl when you made that comment about Aviva's phobias renewing by the minute. We get it, you don't like her. You and Ramona are both upset by what Aviva has said on her blogs and on Twitter. I'm going to give you the same advice as I gave Ramona. Forgive and forget. No one's saying you ever have to deal with Aviva again, but just let it go. You've told her how you feel about her, and that should be the end of it. I don't want to hear about this grudge against Aviva anymore. You've made it clear how you feel about her, and I think it's time to drop it and move on. Sonja's grade for the week: C (because she said what she needed to say, but she said it in a pretty hateful way. I don't like this Sonja, but at least she got everything off her chest).
Luann: Well, you needed to create a stir to keep you on the show and you certainly accomplished that. The whole Countess vs. Princess thing was so laughable, partly because it was all a big joke to begin with. But we all know that when it comes to you, you have no sense of humor. I'm wondering if you just hate the fact that Carole turned out to be the fan favorite, and maybe you're just jealous? I mean, let's look at the facts. You admitted to doing the whole American Indian thing after Carole asked you not to, just to make her mad. You took offense to the fact that someone may not jump at the chance for you to wear their clothes in such a prestigious publication as LIFE&STYLE, for Christ's sake ... seriously?! Also, let's not forget: you talk about people behind their backs ALL THE TIME! That's all you do! Since Season 1!!!! And you accused Carole of borrowing clothes, when, if we're being honest, you don't know that for a fact and more importantly, it's none of your business. And then you pull the victim card with Heather. You are a grown ass woman, Luann, you don't need anyone to defend you. Heather was giving her opinion, which Andy asked for, and you had to be snotty to her. For no reason. This is why you should leave the show. You have a great story - the Countess thing, Jacques, the baby plans - but you waste your platform on this show by being a DRAG. And not in a good way. Regarding St. Bart's (Barths whatever), you did stir the pot and you did kind of throw the grenade and walk away. You knew Ramona and Sonja were half in the bag when they were saying Reid should stay in a hotel and the only reason you created a diversion was because you had to get the heat off you and Tomas. Fact. And one last thing, what do you really gain by being pissy with Aviva? The whole "I'm sure it was a bad joke" thing was so unnecessary. Way to kick the lady while she's down and defending a comment her husband made, Countess. I always expect you to be the most respectful person in the room, and every single time, you let me down. Luann's grade for the week: F (for being so goddamned sensitive and for not having even a shred of a sense of humor about herself).
Heather: Holla! I actually love the fact that you had to explain to Luann what that means, by the way. Classic. I couldn't blame you for being totally confused by Luann's attitude towards you on this episode, it was nutty. I, personally, enjoyed you point of view as a designer that it's a pain in the ass to lend out clothes. Of course, she jumped down your throat about it, and you very astutely called her out on the fact that she dismisses you if you don't tell her what she wants to hear. I loved how you talked about smiling through it when Ramona was in your face screaming at you this season, that concept is clearly a new one on this show. And it was great to hear you say that now that you and Ramona have a better rapport with each other that you would take her on a business trip in the future. Even though I got on your case about not inviting her in the first place, you made your decision and stuck to it. I can respect that. I really loved when you said that we see what we don't like in ourselves in others. We should all take those personality clashes as a sign that we need to work on something within ourselves. That's so true. Also, you were right about the takeaway: name calling is totally unnecessary and does absolutely no good whatsoever. I hope the ladies (from all the Housewives shows) were listening. Thank you for being one of the few voices of reason on this episode. Heather's grade for the week: A (because she was speaking TRUTH!)
Carole: Someone should have mentioned to you that, since you're the coolest Housewife, you were bound to get static from Luann - who thinks she's the coolest, but really isn't. I think it's laughable that the Veterans would be so offended by your interviews/confessionals. Those interviews/confessionals were A) hilarious, B) YOUR opinions on what was going on, and C) HONEST! There was not one interview where you told some tremendous lie or were out of line in any way. The Veterans have been on reality tv for quite some time, now, and I would think their skin would be a lot thicker than this. Or could it be that they don't like it that one of the New Girls is the It Girl of this season? Whatever the case may be, you win. And not just because I like you. You admitted the fact that you're quiet and you observe and then you gave your take on what happened during filming in the interview segments. Big deal! The fact that you told Luann to her face that you heard she asked to borrow clothes just shows you didn't go behind her back. You confronted her about it and you thought that was the end of the conversation. You obviously weren't planning on her throwing it back in your face. And like you said, she was offering to wear Naeem's clothes in f*cking LIFE&STYLE. "It's not VOGUE, honey" is right! Good for you! I'm glad you didn't fall for Luann's "poor me" bullshit. Aviva said you came across as territorial over your friends Naeem and Ranjana. Well, I should hope you would be territorial over your dear friends with people like Luann just itching to get a little wholesale/free action. I'm just saying. It's not entirely a bad thing to be protective over close friends. I appreciate you saying that nothing you said was meant in a malicious way. We, the viewers, know that. Anyone with half a brain and a sliver of a sense of humor knows that. And I want a GIF of you telling Luann to shut up because that was one of the most glorious moments in television history. I thought you were fair with Aviva when you said she did owe Ramona and Sonja an apology - which has been your stance all along. I think your only diva moment was when Ramona was complaining that it was too hot and you said "lower it by one degree." Burn! Carole's grade for the week: A (because she owned up to everything she said and explained herself when it really wasn't even necessary.)
Aviva: You were the main topic of discussion on this episode, and I'm glad you were able to get a lot off your chest. Let's start with Harry. No one knows what is really going on with your situation with Harry, and it's no one's business. Even if you're on friendly terms with him, it's not Sonja's or anyone else's place to say that you knew what you were getting into or not. I wouldn't have counted on Sonja to take your side, because she has pretty much proven that she'll take whatever side is more convenient for her. And right now, she doesn't like you, so Harry it is. I'm sick of talking about him, so I'll move on. I want to thank you for opening up and telling the world about the day you lost your leg. I can't even imagine the excruciating physical and emotional pain you experienced that day, or even the pain the comes with talking about it in such detail. I can see why you are afraid of getting hurt again, and why you protect yourself so much. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. It was so honest of you to admit that you projected your anxiety onto your castmates this season. You took responsibility for it and apologized for it genuinely and sincerely. Now, this apology was different than the others we saw on the show this season. On the show, you were almost combative with your apology. This time, you said what you had to say and left it there. No demands, no expectations. You just simply apologized and promised never to do it again. Regarding your blogs and Twitter activity, I am of the opinion that when you blog about something that happened almost a year ago, you're essentially letting us in on how you felt AT THE TIME. However, that doesn't mean I condone name calling in the blogs or Reid's comment about "overweight girls gone wild". Those were unnecessary insults, and they did more harm to an already rotten situation. You admitted that during the season, you became unhinged, which is a pretty accurate assessment. With that said, I don't know if I would recommend coming back next season. This may just be too stressful of an environment for you. But I'm proud of you for being open and honest and taking responsibility for your words and actions. Which is really, all anyone can ask of you. Aviva's grade for the week: B (for taking responsibility, no matter what the reaction was, and for apologizing, regardless of whether it was accepted or not).
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