The Real Housewives of Potomac Recap: Misery Business

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Over the past few days in New York, I’ve been bombarded with warnings about a huge snowstorm, so my social media has been full of advice on dealing with cold weather, soup recipes, and winter gear. Because of all that, I didn’t realize that this week’s episode of Potomac was actually meant to wrap up the season – the next episode will be entirely about Karen coming back! Did anyone else miss that information? I was really surprised when the quick season recap played while the women were at the Denver airport. It felt like a very abrupt and disappointing end to a season that had a lot of potential.

Let’s talk about what’s left of Angel’s disastrous trip. Last week, I thought Angel was unfairly targeted by Gizelle and had no chance of salvaging things. While I still think Gizelle’s confrontation on the jet, with the other women silently agreeing, was excessive and unpleasant, I’ve completely changed my mind about the trip overall. It might be a total failure, but if the women aren’t going to enjoy luxury, we might as well be entertained by their struggles – and that’s really all Angel provided this time around.

It’s remarkable how Angel consistently manages to ruin good situations. After successfully stopping Gizelle from taking over the last day of the trip, she immediately overlooks practical problems and insists on continuing to push her coworkers around until their flight – but instead of getting sick from a lack of supplies, they’re forced to eat gas station nachos because they’re so hungry. Her mistakes keep piling up. When offered a free night at a nice hotel, she chooses to go home to her family, letting Gizelle and Ashley continue to stir up drama. By the time they try to go fly-fishing, Angel has completely lost any goodwill with the other women – even a far-fetched story about a coyote attack wouldn’t get them to care.

I feel for Angel; she’s clearly stressed about everything going wrong with the plans. But a great event planner needs to be flexible and respond to what attendees want. If the women were excited about staying in for brunch, why push a long, unplanned trip to go fly-fishing, especially without even knowing where it was? A better solution would have been to move her team closer to the hotel, letting the women participate in some way without the difficult travel. Besides, Wendy probably couldn’t have gone fly-fishing comfortably in what she was wearing – it’s better to keep the event local to avoid any wardrobe mishaps that might distract from the fun.

This trip is proving incredibly difficult to manage, and it’s also pushing the women to create conflict while being stuck together. Thankfully, they’re all experienced at stirring up drama in close quarters. Jassi, seemingly desperate to fit in, quickly jumped at the chance to start trouble. When Stacey criticized her for partnering with Charrisse, despite Charrisse previously expressing concerns about Stacey, Jassi immediately launched into a pre-prepared defense, accusing Stacey of only agreeing to attend her wedding at the last minute, despite supposedly being a friend. Wendy unnecessarily backed up this claim, overreacting to what were minor issues.

This conflict isn’t really about the wedding itself; it’s about everyone trying to improve their position on the show. Jassi is desperate to become a main cast member and immediately targeted Keiarna, who she felt should have been her spot. Stacey isn’t attending the wedding out of genuine friendship—it’s been less than a year since they worked together—but to ensure the event gets filmed. If only Wendy or Wendy and Ashley attend, the trip won’t warrant much more than casual phone footage. However, having three main cast members there would attract more attention from the show’s cameras, and everyone understands that. Stacey was unsure if Jassi would remain relevant enough to maintain their alliance as the cast became more hostile, and Jassi was hoping Stacey would validate her position. Ultimately, Stacey seems to be acting from a position of power, while Jassi is frustrated that Stacey isn’t helping her and is instead leaving her out.

Wendy’s comments throughout the argument, and especially her private conversation with Stacey, reveal the core issue: loyalty in the ‘Housewives‘ world is based on mutual support. It’s less about genuine friendship and more about a give-and-take system. If Stacey wants to gain allies and stand up to the established cast members, she needs to support their interests as much as she expects them to support hers. This means making an effort – even attending extravagant events for colleagues who are focused on self-promotion – and avoiding quick reactions like accusing friends of recording conversations or walking away from difficult discussions. Everyone escalated a minor disagreement unnecessarily, and the scene clearly shows that while Stacey has potential, she still needs to learn how to navigate the complex social hierarchy of the show.

Everyone’s anticipating Karen’s return next week. The recent images of her looking emotional with a braided wig and bandana strongly suggest a powerful comeback. Andy seems to be fully committed to making her return work, and honestly, the last few episodes without her already showed how much the show suffered. Without Karen, Gizelle was able to dominate the group unchallenged, which quickly became boring. Gizelle is at her best when she’s fighting an uphill battle; otherwise, her controlling behavior just feels like pointless bullying.

I’m excited about Karen returning, but I was a little let down by all the unfinished storylines this season. We never saw what happened after Eddie and Wendy were arrested, how the other women reacted to Karen getting out of jail early, or what became of all the business ideas we saw. It feels like those loose ends were ignored to quickly bring Karen back, and I hope at least some of them get resolved next week before the reunion show. I’ll be sharing my season rankings and thoughts next week, along with a discussion of Karen’s interview with Andy. See you then!

Cherry Blossoms

Is anyone genuinely surprised that Gizelle doesn’t have a strong relationship with her mother?

Honestly, when Keiarna claims she loves herself more than anyone else, I have a hard time buying it. If she truly felt that way, I don’t think she’d feel the need to put on such a huge, beaming smile – showing every tooth – while her boyfriend stands there looking completely miserable, like he’s just been summoned for jury duty. It just feels… performative, you know?

I’m totally here for Stacey and Monique’s hilariously clueless act – pretending like they’ve never seen a gas station before is peak reality TV delusion.

With all the drama surrounding Gizelle’s legal battle, simply learning she lost the case with a quick on-screen message felt insufficient. I hope the reunion show provides a more detailed explanation of what happened with the will.

I’ve been watching Ashley, and honestly, her continued focus on figuring out who told Chris is starting to feel like all she has left in the story. I’m holding off on a full opinion until next week, but it’s becoming pretty clear to me that her time on the show is winding down. It’s a little sad to see, but I think her arc is nearing its end.

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2026-01-26 21:57