Southern Charm Recap: The Vagina Dialogues

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I’ve been waiting for this fight since I first saw the trailer! Molly finally confronting Salley is exactly what this season needed. The showdown itself was fantastic, and it really highlights why this season is so good. It’s similar to how Summer House improved when West and Jesse Solomon joined and the guys started supporting the women – Southern Charm seems to be hitting its stride now that Molly, Salley, and Charley have been added, and the women are supporting the guys. Maybe ‘fascinating’ isn’t the right word to describe the guys, but you get what I mean!

For years, Southern Charm has focused on flawed men and the women who put up with them, and that hasn’t really changed. But the usual drama between Austen, Shep, and Craig is getting repetitive. Now, it’s the women who are bringing something new to the show. Sometimes their storylines revolve around the men, but often they don’t. Watching Molly, Salley, Venita, Madison, and Rodrigo (who surprisingly has a bigger influence on the relationships than the guys) try to cool off in Craig’s sweltering kitchen, I wondered if this was the show’s new focus. Could these women be the heart of Southern Charm going forward? I really hope so.

The drama between the women, and the fight in particular, is connected to the men, but mainly because Salley defines herself by who wants her. She’s relentlessly pursuing Craig, seeing him as both a desirable partner and a way to stay on the show, and this is causing problems with the other women. During a coffee cake baking session with Charley, she makes it obvious she’s interested in Craig, essentially warning her to stay away. Salley subtly shows off her ability to cook for him, something Charley can’t do, and then casually mentions she and Craig have been discussing their future together, including getting chickens. It’s all a way of demonstrating her connection with him.

This is a really bad idea. Don’t involve animals in a relationship that’s already going wrong. If someone tries to change your appearance to please them – like getting bangs or taking on a huge responsibility like raising farm animals – it’s a red flag. While those chickens might not be around forever, Salley is repeating past mistakes. She’s letting someone else dictate her choices, just like with her ex, who pressured her into getting breast implants she later regretted.

Salley focusing on Craig is causing problems with two of her friends. Charley feels like she has to be very careful around Salley, but admits in a private moment that it’s hard to avoid all the men her friends like in a small town like Charleston. Plus, it’s becoming clear that Charley is the one gaining Craig’s attention. He even made her awful piña coladas and had his assistant, Jack (who has feelings for him), buy a slushy machine – even though he couldn’t use it properly.

The drama between Salley and Venita over Craig is still going strong. Salley told Charley that Venita is upset about the possibility of Salley dating him – which is pretty obvious, considering Salley is making a clear effort to win him over. Salley is saying one thing – that she’d be open to a relationship if Craig showed interest – but she’s already spending a lot of time with him, even going shopping together. She’s trying to appear casual so she doesn’t upset her friends, but she’s clearly putting in a lot of effort to get Craig’s attention.

The major conflict started with a conversation between Salley and Venita. At a Memorial Day party, Venita told Molly and Rodrigo that Salley had been discussing Molly’s reconstructive surgery. The episode jumps around in time, so here’s what happened: Venita heard a rumor that Molly had undergone surgery and that someone else was paying for it. She shared this with Salley, hoping to win her over and keep her away from Craig, who Venita dislikes. That plan failed. Later, at Whitner’s birthday party, Salley repeated the information to Rodrigo, who then told Molly. Unknowingly, Molly passed the gossip back to Venita, who was the one who originally heard it.

Venita finally understood how unreliable Salley was and quickly apologized to Molly, promising not to repeat her mistake. Molly readily forgave her, as she liked Venita and wasn’t bothered by the fact that everyone knew she owned a cat – she just clarified that she had bought it herself. Rod also pointed out that he had warned Venita to be cautious of Salley in the first place.

Salley went looking for Venita, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, and Venita simply told her to be nice. This immediately made Salley feel like she’d done something wrong. Salley reacted as if she knew she’d upset Venita in the past, but wasn’t sure what she’d done to cause the current issue. She started trying to figure out what she needed to apologize for, worried that she’d accidentally make Venita even more upset by apologizing for the wrong thing.

Salley eventually realizes the issue involves Molly. She admits to the group – which includes Molly, Rodrigo, and Madison, who always seems to be present for drama – that they both treated each other badly. Molly agrees, but adds that Salley continued to talk negatively about her. Salley presses for specifics, unsure which of her harsh comments reached Molly’s ears. Rodrigo then confesses he was the one who told Molly about a particularly offensive remark she’d made.

“You were being shitty,” Molly says.

“You’ve been fucking shitty,” Salley says to both deflect and project it back onto Molly.

Molly explodes, directing her anger at everyone and everything around her – the kitchen, a broken drink machine, the outdoor ceviche station, Kory’s questionable outfit, even the beehives and the local grocery store, and basically the entire city of Charleston. She finishes with a harsh assessment, telling them they’re awful and need help. Salley, completely stunned, tries to appease Molly and offers a hesitant apology. Even Venita, usually calm, now feels uneasy around Molly.

Honestly, this whole situation comes down to Salley and Venita’s friendship, and I’m really seeing a problem. Salley keeps saying how great of a friend she is to Venita, but then immediately tells Venita she’s still going to pursue Craig! That just doesn’t add up – a good friend wouldn’t do that. It’s different than what Charley’s doing, because Charley’s letting Craig make his own choice, even though she likes him. But Salley knows Venita has serious issues with Craig – he’s been disrespectful and doesn’t want anything to do with her, and Venita has clearly explained why. So, if Salley is still actively going after him, she’s basically saying Craig is more important than their friendship. It feels like she doesn’t respect Venita’s feelings or trust her judgment, and that’s just a terrible way to treat a friend.

Salley’s behavior reaches a new low when Venita politely kisses their host, Craig, goodbye, prompting Salley to dramatically complain, “She can kiss him, but she can’t hang out with me?” It’s her most hurtful moment of the episode, as she publicly reveals Venita’s private feelings for Craig, seemingly to impress a man who isn’t interested. Molly is spot-on – Salley really needs to see a therapist. Salley then has the nerve to call Venita two-faced, but it’s just basic politeness! Perhaps Salley should learn the difference.

Craig seems totally unaware of the drama unfolding around him. The guys have been really focused on Austen, who’s still upset with them. He chose to spend time with his girlfriend in Charlotte instead of attending Craig’s Wednesday afternoon party – and honestly, who even goes to those kinds of parties? It was an influencer event! Even Whitner, who’s basically the Vicki Gunvalson of the show, had to step out mid-party to take a work Zoom call in the living room, saying his job comes first. I love that about him – he’s so real.

Craig has a significant conversation with Madison, where she directly addresses his recent behavior. She tells him she was upset seeing him drunk and yelling at the party, and simply asks if he’s doing okay. Unlike the guys, who focus on who’s angry with whom, Madison gets to the heart of the matter, questioning why he’s acting this way and if he needs help. Craig admits he’d slipped up, didn’t like how it felt, and contacted his therapist to resume treatment after a two-year break. While this information comes directly from Craig, so it should be taken with a grain of salt, it’s likely Austen and Shep would have appreciated hearing this – it’s the closest he’ll ever come to admitting he has a problem. All it took was someone asking the right question, just as Madison did.

Regarding all the drama with Craig, Salley, and Kory – and everything we’ve discussed this episode – I’m still confused about what happened during their final conversation in the hot tub while Charley was busy around the pool. Craig reminisced about good times with Salley in the hot tub, mentioning a rainy night they shared, and it’s unclear if Charley was there too. He said they had breakfast together the next morning, prompting Kory to ask if they stayed over. The Southern phrasing makes it ambiguous – did Kory mean just Salley, or both Salley and Charley? Both Salley and Craig seemed to confirm something happened between them in the past with winks and nods. However, with the noise of the hot tub, the drinks, the beehives, and everyone’s distractions, it’s hard to know if we’ll ever get a clear answer.

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2025-12-18 06:59