Next Gen NYC Recap: Fashionably Hate

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The long ordeal we’ve endured as a nation has finally come to an end. Ariana Biermann has secured an apartment in the bustling city of New York. She won’t continue aimlessly exploring downtown Manhattan like Buddy the Elf did, discovering the city with his naive, fresh perspective. It’s quite surprising that she was cast on a show about life in New York without actually residing there until the fourth episode. However, it seems Gia also got cast and has no plans to live in New York at all. At this pace, it might appear that next season’s cast will be living in Los Angeles, only appearing virtually.

This is how Kim Zolciak reappears on our screens; she speaks with her daughter over a video call to check out her lavish new apartment, but it’s the bottle of wine on the counter that catches her attention. Unlike her mother, Ariana doesn’t drink from a red Solo cup and is enjoying a good relationship with the Burruss family, who she shares the screen with on the show. Ariana and Riley are reviving their childhood friendship by meeting up and discussing Charlie’s microaggression from last week. Riley expresses that the hurt was particularly intense because it came from someone she thought of as a friend, and unlike others, she won’t let Charlie get away with it. Sharing memories of their time on the “Housewives,” Ariana supports Riley, stating, “If we need to toss that wine glass or adjust that wig, we will” – implying that Charlie might wear a wig.

After the incident with Charlie, Ava is at her wit’s end and expresses her frustration to her father over the phone about the whole situation. Given that she identifies as a Black woman herself, it’s understandable that this was the final straw for her, as Charlie’s microaggression against Riley could have easily been directed towards her. However, what makes this incident significant is that Ava appeared to be one of Charlie’s closest friends in the group. Her father suggests that Charlie mistreats women because he lacks the ability to love them, but before he can learn to love a woman, he first needs to learn how to love himself.

I’ve begun to ponder if this entire spectacle is designed with Charlie at its core, serving as a means to heal him. His friends and family, along with their parents, seem to be part of a Truman Show-like setup around him. They led him to believe they were all participating in an entertaining reality show, but what they’re truly doing is manipulating the situation to help him confront and overcome his complicated familial issues. It won’t be long before he wakes up to this realization. One day, amidst rolling joints on every available surface of his apartment, he’ll suddenly pause and question, Hold on… when did this production turn into a reflection of my strained relationship with my father? As “Cat’s in the Cradle” softly begins to play.

At some point, he expresses doubt that he’ll truly experience peace until his father is no more. However, isn’t it correct that the TV show will be broadcasted? Has he managed to contact his father’s cable provider and somehow remove Bravo from their plan? Furthermore, an interesting development arises when Charlie’s friends meet his father at a barbecue for the first time and comment on their striking similarities. I’d like to know how Charlie responds to this observation. When they suggest that he might find solace in therapy, he declares it’s not for him. No, Charlie, if anyone could benefit from therapy, it’s you. But in his refusal of therapy, he tells Brooks, Georgia, and Dylan that it might be something beneficial for all of them. Understandably, Brooks takes this personally. Charlie, don’t forget to put your own mask on first! Additionally, as Brooks confides in Ava later, he has previously been to therapy because, as a child, he believed his house was haunted by elves. These are the kinds of quirks that make me enjoy watching this show.

Georgia’s family drama contrasts sharply with most characters in the show, whose stories are deeply intertwined with their parents. However, Georgia stands out as self-reliant, both personally and in her storylines. This episode introduces us to her boyfriend and gives us a glimpse into her event-planning skills. To gain entry to one of Georgia’s parties, you need to be wearing heels, a suit, or work in finance – she declares herself the queen. At last, we have a character creating an environment free from the intimidating presence of the “American Psycho” types. Interestingly, Georgia suggests that this safe space could be a bowling party, as she believes the trend is to make traditionally unhip activities cool again. Apologies to the dedicated bowling enthusiasts.

In this episode, Charlie, the character often referred to as a nerd, is making amends for past actions. He takes two separate apology strolls, one with Riley and another with Ava, seemingly going through the motions. However, it’s clear that his apologies don’t hold much weight for him, seen as a way to achieve something or escape consequences. Nonetheless, he manages to make things right enough to move forward. But true to his nature, Charlie’s clean slate is short-lived, and he quickly finds himself in a new predicament — telling Ava that he’d be interested in pursuing Ariana, who not only has a long-term partner but also has been a major obstacle for him throughout the series so far.

Just as one might anticipate, news of this event quickly circulated. Not often does Brooks show any signs of excitement or distress, but when he does, such as at Chloe’s birthday party where Ava reveals what Charlie said about Ariana, it makes for some of the most thrilling TV I’ve ever witnessed. “WHAT?” Brooks exclaims, turning his head abruptly, reminiscent of a comic act. This outburst is quite fitting, and undoubtedly, this situation will not be resolved so quickly.

Regarding Ariana, an unexpected situation arises for Ava too when she casually mentions being surprised about Ariana starting a fashion line. It seems innocuous, but her straightforward delivery makes me think she wasn’t trying to be rude. Following Ava’s exit, Ariana and Riley confront Brooks to get him to reveal what Ava said. Given that they kept asking repeatedly, I suspect a producer overheard the conversation, realized Brooks wouldn’t voluntarily cause drama, and advised Ariana to look into it. True to form, Ariana and Riley manage to persuade Brooks to spill the beans, and Ariana swiftly retaliates against Ava’s shiny gold shorts. The thing is, if you’re going to criticize someone’s fashion style, it’s inappropriate to do so while wearing sequin shorts yourself.

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2025-06-25 06:55