I’m back with a mid-season recap of the first 10 RHOD episodes. I mean…. It’s been a minute so thanks so much for coming back for more. Since it seems silly to go back three episodes to catch up, I thought a Top 10 would be the perfect way to bring everyone up to speed. So here it goes!
#10 – Kameron used to camp!
That’s right, everyone, before she became a self-proclaimed “Couture Barbie,” Kameron used to enjoy time in the outdoors. And how grateful are we that Bravo dug up the photographic evidence?
#9 – Brandi’s bunny died.
Playboy Bun-Bun Redmond’s funeral (episode 8) was quite the spectacle, especially the children as pal bearers and creepy reincarnated human-bunny that mysteriously appeared after the burial. Even more creepy was the fact that Brandi kept her dead bunny in the freezer for six months while she figured out what to do with its body. And she looks to have frequently retrieved said frozen dead bunny from its icy tomb to snuggle (or at the very least pet). Given the choice between stuffing Bun-Bun for taxidermy or the requiem for her furry friend, I’m pretty surprised Brandi ultimately went with the burial service.
#8 – We miss Cary (with a “C”).
I mean no disrespect to Kary with a “K,” but Mrs. Deuber remains my favorite despite not starring this season. She’s teased us with her lingerie party and affirmed that she’s a true friend by crashing Kary’s not-so-inclusive ladies’ night with LeeAnne and Kam. I hope she’ll keep coming around even after all of the wedding festivities are over.
#7 – Brandi and Stephanie are still Ride or Die, and they have the podcast to prove it.
While Stephanie and Kameron seem to be feuding an awful lot this season, Brandi and Stephanie’s friendship is going pretty well. Somewhere along the way, they even started their own podcast, Weekly Dose of B.S.
It will be interesting to see how things play out with Brandi’s adopting Bruin’s biological sibling (his birth mom is pregnant again and the Redmonds have been approached about placement with them, in case you missed a step), especially given Stephanie’s ultimately being responsible for bringing sweet Bruin into their lives in the first place. Momming is really hard, and I’m encouraged to see that there’s no B.S. in the support these two have for each other.
#6 – Eduardo needs the “Travis Treatment.”
Remember how we all used to hate Travis because he treated Stephanie like a paid employee? All of those annoying lists and spousal micromanagement made us feel like he was borderline misogynistic. He seems completely transformed over these last couple of seasons. Now it seems Kary’s husband, Eduardo, needs to take a few lessons from Travis about how to be a supportive, non-patronizing husband.
Those telling moments during Eduardo and Kary’s datenight (episode 10) at Talum provide us with a glimpse into the control issues we’ve heard about all season. Eduardo’s smug lecture about how “we” talk at dinner was especially cringeworthy, and I can only hope he learns as much from watching himself on the show as Mr. Hollman apparently did.
#5 – Daughter Wars: The Saga Continues between Brandi and Brooklyn.
As I’ve said in previous posts, this story line highlighting the struggle between otherwise-bubbly Brandi and her oldest daughter, Brooklyn, is one of the most real things about the Real Housewives. I think every mom watching can sympathize with the dynamics here. It’s easy to get frustrated with Brandi’s essentially laissez faire approach to discipline, but there’s also real truth in the complexity of mom-guilt.
#4 – Travis and Stephanie are holding strong as our cutest couple.
It’s not to say that D’Andra and Jeremy aren’t as cute as pie with their cooking contests, but Travis and Stephanie’s relationship seems to be strengthening every time we see them. Travis’s 50th birthday party is teed up to air, and I can’t wait to see him in full midlife-with-a-hot-wife crisis!
Also, we know Casa Hollman is amazing, but how do we feel about the Jacuzzi in the master bathroom? Stephanie wasn’t thrilled with the pool in the living room when Travis originally purchased the home (Recall that he bought the house without consulting Stephanie. Consult #6 above.), and she makes a sideways comment about filling in the hot tub during her confessional. While I’m pretty concerned about humidity-levels in their bathroom, I absolutely love dynamic between Stephanie and Travis this season.
#3 – LeeAnne really does have mama drama.
Listen y’all, we saw this coming. LeeAnne has made no secret of her tumultuous childhood, in part because of her mother abandoning her at the carnival gates. We’ve met LeeAnne’s mother, Margaret, before when the two attempted to (unsuccessfully) work out their differences during a counseling session. Rich, in a pretty endearing moment over dinner, encourages has betrothed to cut her mother some slack because she won’t be around forever. Clearly LeeAnne still struggles with issues from her childhood.
It’s obvious LeeAnne is afraid of her mama drama taking center ring at the wedding. She makes no secret of the fact that her mom almost didn’t get an invitation to the wedding (neither paper nor text invite!). And we can feel the air chilling as LeeAnne’s mom is so late to the wedding that she almost misses it. Pardon the cliche, but this picture is worth 1,000 words:
#2 – Turns out Mama Dee is a villain.
Speaking of mama drama, turns out Mama Dee REALLY doesn’t give a rip! We learn over a series of really uncomfortable conversations that she intentionally left D’Andra a company in financial ruin, and she’s completely unapologetic about it. The dynamic between Dee and D’Andra is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating with the struggles over money and power central to their story this season.
I don’t know whether D’Andra is making a real effort to preserve her mom’s legacy along with the company or how much she really cares to, but the thread of financial strongholds in Dallas is front and center. And Mama Dee appears to be vying for the role as spokesperson for the Society for People Who Control Other People with Money. D’Andra’s wounds are deep, and Dee appears to still see her middle-aged daughter as a petulant adolescent.
Sidenote: Is the richness of the irony in character development of the D’Andra vs. Dee saga and Brandi vs. Brooklyn conflict apparent to anyone else? Okay; just wondering.
#1 – LeeAnne is married!
So D’Andra and Brandi didn’t go, and there wasn’t any food for the guests at the reception, but LeeAnne and Rich finally got hitched! Despite all the questions I have about the five-hour time lapse after the ceremony, the weird mirrored people milling around at the party, and why there really wasn’t a meal served at the evening reception, my absolute favorite part of the entire wedding episode was the trip to the Sonic drive-thru for chili dogs.
Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple! Now back to the drama…
Did your mid-season highlights make this RHOD Top 10? Let me know via social media or comment below. I can’t wait to see the drama that unfolds in Thailand and beyond!
