It’s always nice to escape the everyday world for a relaxing trip to wine country, where worldly concerns fall away in favor of spa dates and seaside lunches. If you are not that is Shannon BeadorA woman whose existence is a magnet for pain.
In each episode, a Jenga piece is removed from her ever-shaking tower of terror, pushing Shannon closer and closer to the brink of destruction. It’s daring storytelling, toeing the line of cruelty, while also providing a polarizing best-case scenario for a post-DUI Housewives season. The Real Housewives of Orange County Airing its most classic season in years, a good old-fashioned hero vs. A villain arc that has given the entire cast something to chew on. The season’s only flaw is the constant use of ridiculous musical cues, but we’ve long since lost the battle Sale of Sunset– The adaptation of reality TV. Please bring it back Beautiful style Alan Lazar’s!
This week the women begin their second trip – and first as a full group – with gay rights activists Heather Dubrow Sonoma County at its mecca for the Family Equality Fashion Show. In the spirit of inclusiveness, Heather invites both Alexis and Shannon, despite the Jon Jensen legal drama hanging over their heads. No one can tell RHOC Women don’t know how to come to work.
The cast does their best to keep the two apart, except on the bite-sized private jet that flies them around. The night before, John and Alexis made their long-awaited red carpet debut on the “We Hope Shannon Dies” world tour, and John wore none other than the Ferragamo shoes that Shannon bought him. Subtract that $475 from Shannon’s fee. #Shannonisnt.
The ranch itself is very picturesque, the perfect balance for a domestic cast trip. take note, Potomac Manufacturers are more than active construction zones in the continental US. Obviously, when your life is as bad as Shannon’s, it doesn’t matter where you film. She could be pulling herself out of a ditch or filming inside an exploding house.
At lunch, the group splits into two, but the topic remains on Jon Jensen’s red carpet appearance. Shannon was surprised by his turn, as she was anti-fame when she was dating him. John Jensen’s experience is one of extreme confusion, as the man we’ve seen over the past three seasons has been mild-mannered and had little screen presence. However, he is now running a borderline sociopathic campaign behind the scenes to drive Shannon to the brink… Alexis Bellino? Or is it just a pawn? No boring men too RHOC Has amazing storytelling ability.
Shannon breaks it down: John wants to look like a good guy, and the way to do that is to get rid of Shannon. Maybe this is a case of hindsight being 20/20, but trying to win a battle by claiming her for $75K when her entire arc over the past few years has been that you’re a deadbeat who doesn’t pay and drinks too much. Sounds like an uphill battle.
It’s almost easy to believe that John has had a longstanding beef with Alexis and is doing all this to ruin Shannon’s life instead of hers. Maybe Shannon and John are trying to distract from his DUI and get a cast on his side. Bravo QAnon is everywhere if you open your third eye.
After all, Alexis’ entire arc this year has revolved around anchoring this ticking time bomb. It’s barely a footnote to this episode—dedicated to LGBTQ+ equality—that Alexis is the mother of a transgender child, who bonds with Heather on the same journey of motherhood. It’s a sharp 180 from his homophobic arc a decade ago, when Alexis thinks the “problem with liberal America” is that women have rights.
It’s an interesting dichotomy, as this episode could be one to peel back the layers and give audiences a more nuanced Alexis. Instead, it’s full steam ahead on a villainous arc that has exploded in many people’s minds.
At least we escape the polarizing arc on which all Americans support: LGBTQ+ equality. right? right…?
Heather meets with family equality organizers along with Alexis and Tamara, also meeting with Jim Obergefell, who was named in the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage across the country.
This is a classic RHOC Episode plot structure. Heather meets with a civil rights activist to start a champagne collaboration in support of the queer community. Meanwhile, Shannon breaks down over Alexis’ threats to release horrific videos of her teenage drunk driving. Heather is Charlotte York RHOCHaving cute brunches and family outings, while Shannon “Miranda Hobbs” Beador must venture into the dark, unknown for a humiliating arc, week-in, week-out.
You think it can’t get any worse and then it’s revealed that Shannon Ubered went drinking by herself after seeing red carpet photos at a mall. painful
Shannon finally finds a sister in grief, however, as Jane continues to push the boundaries of destruction in each episode. She joins the trip late to reveal that her court hearing went poorly, she is awarded $6,000 a month in child-support, which may sound good but, in the context of Jane’s Brady Bunch and Orange County living expenses, it means she Not likely to pay. Its ever-increasing debt anytime soon.
Thank goodness Shannon takes a break from it all with a nice spa day, though! Surely, nothing can go wrong there. But as he does, something truly terrifying happens. The perfumer comes in and asks the ladies their favorite scents and Emily says tacos.
Gina follows this up by discussing her relationship, only to dump things on Shannon that she doesn’t need to hear about. Shannon has already established that she does not know the names of Gina’s children (except for Star Sienna). Somehow, Shannon’s lawyer called to inform her that her settlement offer had been rejected, which was probably a relief, since she had to avoid discussing Gina’s relationship for a second.
It is interesting to note that Alexis thought she should accept the settlement before puppeteering John in a new direction. I hope people understand that Alexis is a very humble woman, whose whims go in whatever direction she’s infatuated with. Does that justify her threat to release a video that could ruin Shannon’s life? Well, no, but it does explain why she can’t see that this is more damaging to her than anything she can prove about Shannon.
Shannon eventually becomes aware of the video, as Gina “slips up” and tells her during a spa day. This is the final straw in the destruction of Shannon’s facade, causing her to break down in tears. She and Gina share a heartwarming moment, as their growing friendship turns out to be Gina’s best use of television in her six years. Maybe Shannon will learn her kids’ names soon, if she keeps this up.
Shannon excuses herself before the actual spa part of the spa day, muttering that “God has a plan.” Yes, he had a plan for the job too, Shannon. See how it turned out. The second coming of Jesus Jugs might be God himself, as Shannon’s suffering is so heightened that it seems personal. God is not End with the girl – and it is a threat.
Our beleaguered diva pulls herself together to go see Heather, pleading with her all-inclusive companion. Appearing in shower shoes, an umbrella and her robe, Shannon meets up with the Evil Queen, who is dressed to the nines for dinner.
It’s a gripping scene as Shannon finally regains her strength, revealing more details about the night of her DUI. Apparently, she crashed her car seconds after pulling out of John’s driveway – and he didn’t even come running. He then shows Heather a bloody photo that he sent to John shortly after the crash, further revealing how devastating that night was for him. Imagine you crashed into a house while driving drunk and sent a bloody photo of your ex… and he ignored it.
“If that’s true, that’s bullshit,” Heather says as the episode ends.
Heather’s stepping into one of the season’s most interesting lines, balancing friendships with Alexis, Tamra, and Shannon with ease, makes her an easy “audience surrogate” or moral compass housewife. If Shannon can get her on his side, it’s more than ever for Alexis. This is Shannon’s 270th electoral vote to sweep the BravoCon.
The only silver lining for Shannon this week is that Tamara has given up trying to destroy Gina instead of continuing her slow-burn affair. It’s a more manageable task considering Gina’s own hairstylists have been breaking it down for years.
The following week, Heather headlines a fashion show for LGBTQ+ equality while “Shannon’s lawsuit takes a turn as she deals with the aftermath of the video news.” The carousel never really stops turning.
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