Selling Sunset Recap: War Has Come

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The show truly shines when it contrasts stunning visuals with the harsh reality that enables them – a beautiful but unsettling combination. Even the title, Selling Sunset, hints at turning something lovely into a product. These episodes come closer to achieving a poetic quality than any others this season. It’s especially effective that we finally see a scene with all the current agents together. The dinner with Sandra and Mary is perfectly executed, feeling like a familiar and comforting melody. Jason’s toast – that their jobs are “more rewarding than ever” because they’re helping families displaced by wildfires – is a cleverly understated way of pointing out they aren’t charging commission to those victims. And finally, we get the Mary and Chelsea confrontation that’s been building all season. But before we get to that, let’s talk about Blake.

Blake proposed to Emma, and the show dragged out the suspense, making it seem like she was seriously considering accepting for an entire episode – and they got me hooked! Emma even went ring shopping with Chelsea, but Blake didn’t propose with a ring because, true to form, he hadn’t planned that far ahead. It’s concerning that Emma is framing marriage as a “fairytale ending,” a clear sign she’s not thinking clearly. While Blake managed to dodge Chrishell’s initial anger, she’s found a powerful ally in Chelsea, who steps in to help. Chelsea has wisely stayed neutral, allowing her to subtly plant doubts in Emma’s mind. It probably helps that Chelsea seems unconcerned with Emma’s choices, especially considering her own incredible engagement ring – reportedly worth a million dollars! The jeweler, Jason of Beverly Hills, even suggested she could trade it for a $750,000 bracelet and a $180,000 diamond ring. Honestly, seeing all this makes it easy to poke fun at everyone involved.

Emma reveals to Chrishell, while they’re in a beautiful home in Encino, that Blake proposed – but she turned him down! It’s a really sweet moment between the two friends, and it’s satisfying to see Blake get called out. Chrishell jokes that he was probably drunk when he proposed, which is clearly true. Someone needs to intervene and get Blake help, especially since he has the resources. Things finally seem to be improving for Chrishell, as she’s dealt with this latest problem. Though Blake was annoying, I believe Emma was always going to tire of him. The true threat, in my opinion, is Mary Bonnet – she’s much more manipulative and dangerous.

Mary is considering becoming a Republican and moving to the suburbs, hoping to feel more secure after a frightening experience. While I understand her desire for safety, I believe therapy – which her ex-boyfriend and former boss, Jason, has offered to pay for – would be more helpful. True safety isn’t about location; it’s an internal state of mind. Many people in seemingly safe neighborhoods still live in constant fear, worrying about imagined threats. Mary is letting fear control her, and she needs to either overcome it or let it consume her. Her close relationship with Bre, who secretly struggles with fear herself, suggests she may be heading down a path where fear dictates her choices.

I went into the dinner expecting Sandra to cause trouble, since she seemed brought on the show just to create drama. But surprisingly, it was Mary who started the argument with Chelsea. As I said before, I don’t think this fight is really about Chelsea, and I hope it isn’t. Mary’s reaction seems extreme given their past issues – even Chelsea’s harsh text doesn’t justify this level of anger. It’s odd that Mary would escalate things and give Chelsea attention when she claims that’s what she’s trying to avoid. Unless, of course, Mary is fiercely loyal to Chrishell and wants to protect her. It’s worth noting that two of Mary’s close friends have previously tried to undermine Chrishell. I’m starting to think this isn’t a coincidence. I believe Mary is actually upset with Chrishell, and resents the fact that Chrishell and her friends are the focus of the show, despite Mary being a long-time, loyal employee who has earned her position at the brokerage.

Mary avoids conflict by withdrawing, but she’s certainly not naive. Realizing she can’t directly confront Chrishell, she uses others – Nicole, Christine, and Jenn – to attack Chrishell and her allies, first Emma, and now Chelsea. She’s also been befriending Bre, likely to enlist her help in undermining Chelsea and ultimately diminishing Chrishell’s power. This isn’t a simple disagreement; it’s a full-blown battle.

Unlisted Observations

The house in Encino is gorgeous, though I do have a few thoughts. I’ll never get why wealthy people choose furniture that looks like it came from a dot-com bust. However, this house feels different – it has a real lawn, mature trees, interesting walls, lovely windows, and an entire wall of books! So many luxury homes feel cold because they’re built for people who just spend their time on social media and gambling. This house feels like it belongs to creative, book-loving people, and that makes all the difference.

Honestly, as a longtime viewer, it was pretty wild seeing things unfold. Just a few episodes after Amanza revealed they all used to do cocaine together, Mary was casually talking about parties at this guy ‘Smilez” house and claiming she couldn’t remember a lazy river because she’d had a little too much to drink. It felt… dismissive, to say the least. Like, come on!

I was looking forward to strongly criticizing New York City realtor Eleonora Srugo from Selling the City – she’s visiting to learn about houses, which is funny since they’re not common in NYC! I had a whole speech prepared. However, I just found out she’s no longer involved in helping Eric Adams fight against Mamdani’s plan to freeze rents. While I’m disappointed, I need to calm down and support any progress we can get, even if it’s coming from someone I disagree with.

The house where Alanna and Chelsea met is actually really lovely! I especially like the design, although the artificial grass is a bit disappointing. Overall, great work to the team who created it!

Reality star Chrishell Stause showed singer Tinashe a house featuring a dramatically narrow fireplace – the kind that looks almost intentionally menacing.

• Chrishell and I both got shit on by birds this year. Twins!

During a dramatic scene with Emma, Chrishell admitted her teasing of Blake was her attempt to fit in. I’ve noticed a lot of references to Taylor Swift throughout this season – maybe it’s the cast, or maybe I’m just focused on it! From Eleonora’s snake imagery and Nicole’s earlier *Reputationinspired hairstyle, to the constant and random use of the word “savage,” the connections are everywhere. Honestly, if I discover Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have attended a party at Smilez’s house, I’ll be completely overwhelmed!

I have a strong opinion: I think it’s actually good that Sandra allows Jason to explain things to her as if she doesn’t know them. I’ve started to believe that being patient with this behavior, to a certain extent, could help address the problem of men feeling lonely. Building relationships requires putting up with some annoyances, and it’s a price worth paying.

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2025-11-01 00:56