Vanderpump Rules Recap: Men Are From Venus

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There’s a quick scene with Marcus that reveals a lot about his character. While sampling the evening’s specials at SUR during work, he casually asks a busy coworker – one who isn’t part of the show’s cast – for a spoon, calling them “papi.”

“You have hands, no?” the expediter says without even slowing his pace.

Marcus, with a confident smirk, challenged, “Are you seriously expecting me to eat this soup with my hands?” He then took another bite.

This situation highlights a few issues. Marcus, while essentially on a break himself, asks a working colleague to do extra work, framing it as a small favor with a casual term of endearment. He then completely misreads the response. His coworker isn’t suggesting Marcus doesn’t need a spoon because he has hands; they’re pointing out that Marcus is perfectly capable of getting the spoon himself, given he has all his limbs. Marcus then twists this misunderstanding into an argument, portraying himself as the victim, despite initiating the request and reacting poorly to a reasonable answer.

The recent drama between Marcus and Venus, which unfolded in the now-famous SUR alley (a location gaining recognition within the Bravo franchise), stemmed from Venus deciding to end their friendship. It’s unusual to have such a conversation during work hours, but Venus handled it calmly and made some valid points. She explained that she had previously excused a lot of Marcus’s behavior, understanding he was dealing with difficult personal issues like the loss of both parents and a particularly challenging romantic relationship – one of the worst ever seen on Bravo, excluding those involving the Osmond family.

Marcus is stuck focusing on the wrong issue. He angrily asks Venus why now, but Venus calmly explains that it was Marcus’s hurtful text ending their friendship that triggered everything. Marcus then bizarrely acts like it’s irrational that Venus is upset, as if sending the text and Venus reacting is some strange sequence of events. He just doesn’t seem to understand that he sent a mean message, Venus got upset, and now their friendship is over. He’s struggling to grasp a very simple connection. Marcus even tries to portray himself as the victim, claiming Venus is looking for a problem, conveniently forgetting he initiated this whole situation. This outcome was completely predictable, a direct result of his own behavior. It’s unclear why he’s acting so confused about what happened.

Venus breaks things off with Marcus, telling him she no longer wants to be friends. This leads to the intense confrontation shown in the trailer – a stubborn standoff where they lock eyes and neither one will budge. They stand facing each other in the alley behind SUR, with the show’s signature twinkling lights adding to the tension. They glare back and forth, each hoping the other will give in. Eventually, Marcus relents and goes inside, attempting a clumsy pat on Venus’s rear. It was an awkward and strangely specific gesture – he ended up hitting a very sensitive, unnamed spot between her thigh and butt, which, according to the narrator, is probably a popular topic online.

What really sets Marcus apart is how natural he seems – he’s convincingly awful without appearing to try. Shayne’s excuse for showing up to a date with a coworker while Natalie was working – claiming his AA meetings conveniently happen at the bar – feels totally manufactured by the show’s producers. Chris and Audrey’s flirting also seems forced, but Chris is so incredibly dull that it doesn’t create any real drama. I’m still undecided about the fight between Jason and Angelica; those identical cousins are something else. They come across as desperately trying to be interesting, and it just feels unnatural – the more effort they put in, the less authentic it seems.

Most of what happened between Jason and Angelica occurred away from the show. Angelica explained that after the pool party, where they were clearly interested in each other, they went to Barney’s Beanery – a popular spot with young people thanks to TikTok. She said Jason knew a lot of people there, and one woman got overly flirtatious with him, even sitting on his lap. Angelica left the bar, and Jason subsequently unfollowed her on Instagram. It’s a clear sign things are serious when a real-life event impacts how these young people interact online. Chris believes Jason can easily fix things by following her again, but I think he doesn’t realize how significant this rejection is.

I’m recounting what happened from Angelica’s point of view, presenting it as if there’s disagreement, but Jason tells the exact same story, so they both agree on the facts. However, Jason thinks Angelica should have proactively approached him, physically pulled him close, and kissed him. Chris even joked that he’d have been thrilled by that, calling her “mommy.” Honestly, that’s a bizarre comment! I’m not even focused on the ‘mommy’ part; it’s just a strange way for a straight man to refer to a woman he sees as dominant. It doesn’t make sense that he’d flirt with someone all day, then expect her to initiate a bold move to demonstrate her attraction. Is he expecting her to get over any hesitation and then assert dominance over another woman just to satisfy his ego? It’s completely illogical.

Honestly, it really bothers me when people fall back on old-fashioned gender roles, like expecting a guy to automatically ‘treat a lady’ a certain way. If you’re spending time with someone, going out with them… that’s a date, right? And it’s just rude to then ditch that person to flirt with someone else. It shouldn’t be her job to fix his behavior or suddenly be nice to him after he’s been disrespectful! But then he acts like he deserves special treatment just because he’s a guy? It’s so frustrating. He’s telling her he wanted her to ‘save’ him from another woman, but how would she even know he needed saving? He can’t just pretend he needs to go to the bathroom and then go back to Angelica and trash-talk the other woman! It’s just… seriously, what is his problem?

Things quickly go downhill from there. When Angelica tries to tell him she’s upset by his behavior, he completely misreads it, assuming she’s trying to start a relationship – which she explicitly says she doesn’t want. He then points out he’s not interested either and has other choices. He even asks why she’s acting like he’s a cheating boyfriend! Honestly, it’s just disrespectful, and her being upset isn’t “clingy” – it’s a normal reaction. I can’t even deal with these guys; thankfully, I’m older and gay, so I’m safely out of the dating pool!

Angelica was right to leave the conversation – she clearly wanted nothing to do with this guy. But when he learned she was out with her friends, he tried to win her back with a text, dramatically overthinking what to say. Honestly, after acting so badly and refusing to take responsibility, crafting a simple text became a huge, ridiculous effort. His attempt? A rambling message asking her to join him, Marcus, and Kimberly for drinks. Sadly, she responded. It’s frustrating to see someone fall for such a transparent move.

It’s frustrating to see the women spend so much time and effort on a seemingly pointless outing. Kim organized a trip to Orange County – a ninety-minute drive – just to go to a restaurant and ride a mechanical bull. Why couldn’t they have done that closer to home in Los Angeles? It feels like a repeat of the messy, alcohol-fueled drama we saw with the ‘Witches of WeHo,’ and frankly, those ladies were more entertaining.

Kim and Natalie are stuck in a drama-filled situation. Kim is upset that Natalie texts her boyfriend, and Natalie is angry because Kim called her names. It’s odd that Kim even invited Natalie to girls’ night, but Kim claims she did so to avoid Natalie constantly bringing up being excluded. Kim’s logic is sound, but having Natalie there is still awkward. Natalie wants to address their issues immediately, cornering Kim to talk, but Kim wants to put it off until they’re both sober and in private. However, considering they’re in the OC, Kim seems to think they should just confront the drama head-on since these people aren’t particularly important.

Kim offered a reasonable response, but Natalie refused to accept it. She dramatically escalated the situation, insisting Kim wasn’t a true friend for not wanting to argue, and essentially manufactured a conflict Kim was trying to prevent. Natalie’s behavior is reminiscent of a spoiled child demanding attention – in this case, a reality TV career – and she’s willing to cause a scene to get it, even though no one appreciates the drama. Audrey tries to calm things down, but it doesn’t work. Angelica correctly suggests Natalie should take a step back, but Natalie reacts by pushing her away, acting as if she’s new to the group despite being several episodes in. Throughout the bull riding event, Natalie’s sulking ruins the fun for everyone because her attempt to start a fight failed. She complains about being portrayed as the villain, but it’s clear she’s creating that role for herself. Now she’s upset that no one is sympathetic to her feelings and is openly crying about it.

Katie was relaxing at home, wrapped in a blanket and waiting for a show to load when she received a text from a friend. The text contained a video of a fight between some new girls, and Katie’s friend asked if she wanted to watch. Though she didn’t want to see it, Katie clicked play. The scene was familiar – shouting, accusations, tears, and unsteady steps in uncomfortable clothes. She didn’t even need to turn on the sound; she already knew the drama, the outcome, and that ultimately, it didn’t matter. Katie glanced between her phone and the TV, then tossed her phone onto the couch. She switched off the TV and threw the remote beside it, deciding she just wanted to retreat to the peace of her bedroom.

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2025-12-31 06:56