The Real Housewives of New York City Recap: Room for Change

As a seasoned observer of human nature and a mother myself, I find myself deeply troubled by the interactions between Becky and Brynn on this reality show. Coming from a family of five children, I’ve seen my fair share of sibling rivalries, and it seems that Brynn and Becky are locked in their own never-ending battle royale.

This episode illustrates why they organize trips for the women: to force them into close quarters, similar to the intense Puerto Rican humidity, thereby encouraging them to confront each other directly about issues they’ve been avoiding for months. A trip like this should have occurred earlier in the season, allowing the narrative to develop more dynamically from the start.

In this episode, the initial conflicts revolve around issues as mundane as one might expect from a group of Housewives: room sharing, room assignments, and understanding what constitutes gaslighting. When Rachel, hosting their journey to her ancestral homeland, proposes that they share rooms, she offers to share with Jenna, sparking thoughts about potential relationships between two ladies on the show – a tantalizing thought, reminiscent of premium content without the cost, until I’m reminded of Mel at home. frankly, I wish she could participate. If we’re hoping for lesbian romances on Bravo, can’t they be more than just two people? Sai also offers to share, but no one is keen on sharing with her, leaving Brynn to assign Becky Minkoff to share with Sai; she graciously accepts the worst room, allowing Jessel, Erin, and Ubah to have the better rooms instead.

Upon the women’s arrival at their villa, we encounter a handsome bartender and a liaison from the property, who are puzzled about the show they’re filming and its purpose. Oh darling ladies, you’re in for a shock of a lifetime! You’re going to be pursued by a pack of self-absorbed females, and you aren’t ready for it. However, this is the most amusing response from staff we’ve seen on cable since the SUR kitchen team reacted to Kristen Doute’s dismissal. Erin picks up her welcome drink, described as rum punch, and inquires about its alcohol content. “Rum,” comes the reply, and that’s how Erin Mew Mew Lichy, in 2024, was introduced to rum and became the first person to commercialize it in America, a groundbreaking achievement indeed.

The skirmish over rooms commences when Brynn selects one of the least desirable rooms, causing Ubah to end up with a compact space that includes its own bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. What I find irksome about Ubah is her desire for both ethical superiority and premium treatment. She acts as if selecting a room is like a Real Housewives of New York City competition, while she prepares a fruit platter, all the while insisting that it doesn’t matter as long as she’s with friends. However, this is misleading! Upon seeing the room, she essentially demands luxury accommodations akin to the St. Regis.

Although Jessel and Jenna may understand Ubah’s outburst due to her apparent size mismatch with the bed, her immediate reaction doesn’t involve finding a compromise or staying in the house. Instead, she reacts by throwing a tantrum, asserting that the room is beneath her wealth, and insisting on being transferred to a high-end hotel immediately. This suggests not just a casual guest, but someone seeking preferential treatment. At least others were straightforward about their desires.

Ultimately, Sai chooses the small room, Erin decides to share with Becky (the one with the Limp Ponytail), while Ubah gets her own space. It’s simple, right? Was there really a need for all that drama? Couldn’t Ubah have approached her friends and tried to resolve any issues? Perhaps she could have said something like, “I’ll treat you to the finest non-Mezcalum mescal if you swap with me.” But no, she felt the need to assert herself to get her way, seemingly out of pity. When the room allocation was happening, she remarked, “I can’t fathom why these women are acting as if they’re new immigrants.” Now, you know! To help you avoid a similar situation in the future.

Ubah’s major disagreement isn’t with the room, it’s with Erin. They step outside to tackle the issue because Erin allegedly told everyone that Ubah is after her, and Ubah accused Erin of gaslighting. Erin insists she isn’t a gaslighter according to the dictionary definition, but many people don’t use that interpretation. Sigh, I can’t believe I have to clarify this again. If I were the Terminator, I would travel back in time and eliminate the creators of the movie “Gaslight” as infants to prevent its creation. To gaslight someone is to convince them that what they perceive isn’t true, with the intention of driving them mad.

Imagine I’m a movie enthusiast, and I find myself on a group adventure with friends. One day, I happen to remove Jessel’s bag from the vehicle without realizing it’s hers. Later, in a twist of events, I secretly stash her bag in my bathroom, causing Jessel to frantically search for her bag all over the house, even creating quite the commotion on the golf course behind us and distracting our camera operators from their tasks. The bag in question is Jessel’s cream-colored luggage filled with essentials like her passport, shoes, and bathing suits.

If Jessel expresses feeling extremely agitated by saying “That’s driving me up the wall,” then, well done, you have likely manipulated someone into questioning their sanity. Most of this scenario unfolded, except for Brynn returning Jessel’s bag to her room. Instead, she eventually admits to taking it – quite underwhelming, given the series of mindless pranks on this show. This is not akin to Lady Jackass. Let’s put an end to these pranks once and for all!

Regarding Erin’s behavior, I don’t believe she intentionally manipulates others through gaslighting. However, I do see a pattern where Erin tends to rewrite history and twist events to suit her narrative. For instance, when asked about the Becky Minkoff prank, Erin seems to subtly manipulate the term “being in on” for personal gain, without admitting full involvement in the prank while also not revealing all details. This isn’t gaslighting or outright lying, but rather a form of obfuscation that she frequently employs, and if I were her friend, it could become quite frustrating. Is this behavior gaslighting? It might border on that territory, but it’s not entirely the same thing.

Gaslighting, in its traditional sense, involves deceiving others to make them doubt their own sanity. However, Erin’s behavior doesn’t seem to fit this description perfectly. Instead, it appears that she lies primarily for her own benefit, not to manipulate or confuse others. This isn’t gaslighting; it’s more like being dishonest or inconsiderate. Similarly, Ubah and Brynn are engaging in a similar pattern where one accuses the other of lying (gaslighting), but it seems more like they are arguing persistently to make people believe their version of events, which could be described as a form of persistent argumentation rather than gaslighting.

The significant conflict during the episode unfolds between Becky Minkoff and Brynn. When Brynn flaunts her provocative behavior, claiming to be the third lesbian in an offensive manner, by entering Jenna and Racquel’s room dressed in a flesh-toned bikini, Becky enters the scene. Becky explains that she requires her own bedroom because of her four children who constantly interrupt her sleep. Brynn counters by saying she too doesn’t get uninterrupted rest, to which Becky responds, “You’ll understand when you have kids.

Brynn gets very upset upon hearing Becky’s comment, expressing her belief that this is one of the worst things anyone could say to her. Despite Becky’s intention to provoke Brynn, she herself fuels the conflict as she harbors strong dislike towards Becky. The situation becomes even more frustrating for Brynn because, as far as we understand, she has the option to have children. She has her eggs frozen and could easily obtain a sperm donor. Her inability to conceive is not an issue, making Becky’s comment seem less malicious than Jenna’s embarrassing experience with her bodysuit wedgie. However, the situation doesn’t reach that level of unpleasantness.

When Brynn talks about the slight in the pool with Sai, Ubah, and Racquel, she explains that she feels she doesn’t need children to comprehend life. “I believe I understand everything there is to know,” Brynn says, but the truth is, none of us do. I find it bothersome when Becky suggests, “You’ll understand when you have kids,” but in a way, she’s correct. There are some aspects of life that can only be truly grasped once they occur. For instance, despite watching countless videos and reading numerous biographies about Neil Armstrong, none of us will ever know what it feels like to walk on the moon until we actually do so.

The concept holds true across various aspects of life, such as child-rearing, marriage, and many others. For example, I can never truly understand what it feels like to experience menstruation. I may empathize, educate myself, or imagine, but until I personally go through it, my understanding remains incomplete. Similarly, Brynn cannot comprehend what it’s like to have an erection, no matter how often she claims Jenna Fucking Lyons gave her one.

To clarify, I’m not giving Becky a free pass for her actions, but it’s the same issue we had before – her words were intended to cause harm. The passive-aggressiveness displayed by Becky is something I strongly dislike both in real life and on the show. Earlier, during the discussion about room assignments, Becky made a comment about Brynn that was meant to provoke a reaction but failed to get one from her: “Because this is petty ass shit.” This is exactly why Becky is difficult to watch on the show. The Housewives series revolves around reactions, particularly towards petty situations. It’s about interacting with these people emotionally and trying to resolve conflicts for our enjoyment. If you view this as insignificant or beneath you, then perhaps it’s time to leave. At least at dinner, Becky is finally standing up to Brynn, telling her that she has never been kind to her and that her bullying needs to stop.

As a film critic, I must confess my apprehension that Becky’s standoff with Brynn comes too late, much like Tom Cruise showing up to a play during intermission. Throughout her life, Becky has never shown the tenacity to match Brynn, a woman who has honed her sharp-edged tactics since her middle school years. In essence, Becky is akin to a palm tree in Puerto Rico, weathering storm after storm without ever breaking. However, just as one strong gust can uproot even the sturdiest of trees, I fear that Becky’s roots will be sent airborne, her trunk rolling down the dunes towards the tumultuous sea, until all that remains is a splinter of driftwood, leaving a hapless tourist to ponder if it was once a tree or merely a broken bone.

2024-12-11 07:54

The Real Housewives of New York City Recap: Room for Change

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