Shannon Beador is constipated. But the rest of The Real Housewives of Orange County are letting it all out, as Jenn’s explosive rant has blown the entire group up, leading to skeletons coming out of each and every closet, etiquette be damned.
Did Gina push her boyfriend down the stairs? Is Katie’s daughter trying to turn 8-year olds against Heather? Is Ryan going to put a hit out on Tamra? Who really knows? What we do know is RHOC is flying toward its finale in the most dramatic fashion possible.
The episode picks up with Jenn coming back for round two of reaming out Tamra, moderated by mother Dubrow. It’s kind of like the vice presidential debate in the sense that Heather is supposed to be the neutral moderator but clearly is slanted to holding one candidate a bit more accountable than the other. Did Jenn lie about where she was during the Tiananmen Square Massacre? Maybe so.
Jenn’s epic monologue is even better this go around, as she cries angry tears of betrayal while Tamra stews in sociopathy. Despite Tamra’s best efforts to pin her detective work on Shannon, that line of defense doesn’t work on Jenn, who’s seeing red at this point. Tamra has burnt too many bridges. There’s no saving her now.
Nevertheless, she persists. The next day, Tamra shakes it off and recruits Heather and Gina to turn things around. First, she goes after Katie, resuscitating an old drop of tea and trying to make an entire drink out of it. Apparently, Katie’s daughter Kylie babysat Emily’s sons, who allegedly told her they don’t like Heather because she’s mean to their mommy.
We’ve reached new levels of drama now that 8-year olds are being accused of idle gossip. Emily denies that was ever said, claiming that her sons said Kylie actually tried to indoctrinate the boys with anti-Heather propaganda, which is absurdly funny. This is the kind of last-minute drama the season didn’t need, but certainly adds to the fun. It’s actually my favorite Katie story of the season simply because it reveals she’s a little bit twisted beneath the surface.
It’s fitting, then, that these nice and normal ladies decide to attend an etiquette dinner, so they can practice proper behavior, as always. Of course, that’s aside from Tamra screaming that Shannon’s a drunk, Jenn launching at Tamra for calling Ryan a bookie, and Tamra questioning if Ryan will put a hit out on her. The dinner was pure class.
Now that Jenn has unleashed, she can’t go back to being a wallflower. She may have lost her manners, but she’s finally found her voice—and that’s much more important.
Tamra’s full-throttle throwing anything at the wall, even though all her tricks are out in the open now. She was once a backseat producer of the highest decree. Now, she’s just three podcasters in a trench coat, relentlessly trying to create something, anything substantive to keep the plot moving. It’s kind of sad to see, but her flailing attempts are growing increasingly hilarious.
After a disastrous dinner, she and Heather retreat to their evil lair to plot up the next scheme. Now, Tamra’s ready to reveal that once upon a time, Gina may or may not have pushed Travis down the stairs, and Shannon tried to use Taylor Armstrong’s husband to dig up the dirt.
This is one of those rumors I’ve seen now and again on Reddit and shrugged off because it’s unhinged. And I stand by thinking that, although it’s kind of funny to see it make it to the big screen. Maybe Gina does push men down the stairs in violent rages, what do I know? It’s irresponsible to discuss, but it’s also funny! After all, Shannon may be the one needing an enema to poop, but it’s clearly Tamra who’s full of s--t.
Time running out, the evil queens attempt to salvage their tarnished reputations at a Sunday roast. Here, Heather pulls Shannon aside to hash out their issues. Shannon wants to know why she’s put her story on blast, which Heather stands by, justified by the fact Tamra already knew the story, and therefore, so had she. It’s arguably fair to assume that Tamra knowing a story means it’s not a secret, given she’s a bad friend who can’t keep a secret to save her life. It’s also proof that Heather and Shannon are oil and water. They won’t ever trust each other, even if they’ll never have a full-on feud again.
Unfortunately for Shannon, Heather’s just a distraction so Tamra can tell Gina about Shannon’s prior inquiry into the alleged stair-throwing in an attempt to sway Gina away from Team Shannon. It’s not Shannon who Gina has an issue with, though, as Tamra’s the one who has brought it to the cameras. That’s a fair point, although Tamra could shoot back that Gina’s entire solo storyline hinges on her confusing living situation with Travis, so it’s arguably fair game.
This is the first thing that has actually contextualized any of that, and it reflexively makes the storyline narratively significant. Yet, Gina successfully scolds Tamra because she’s so narrowly focused on scorching Shannon she doesn’t even realize she’s burnt herself to a crisp in the process. Sloppy, sloppy, Tamra.
What’s weird is this is an explosive issue, yet the entire cast sleepwalks right through it. For, as much as Gina has supported Shannon all year, she doesn’t trust her either. Finding out that Shannon betrayed Gina while the two were engaged in a nasty feud is simply par for the course, and not the truth bomb Tamra believes it to be, leaving her stranded on an island of her own delusion as the season comes to an end.
Sure, Shannon storms out of dinner (again), but she’s won the season. The coup d’etat is complete, and Tamra’s no longer the queen of Orange County. Shannon has taken the throne (one she’s certain to lose in record time), and she’s ascended the throne. Tamra has simply become a jester, the town crier whose gossip goes in one ear, out the other.
Next week, the explosive season comes to an end with the return of Alexis—as well as John Jannsen’s first non-confessional appearance of the season—while Jenn and Ryan’s FBI inquiry hits the fan just in time for Tamra to find a lasting thread to pull on. It’s futile, ultimately, but Tamra’s never been one to give up before exhausting all options.
