The Real Housewives of Potomac Recap: Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

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It’s hard to believe it’s been over six years since the dramatic fight between Candiace and Monique. It feels like a long time ago – Monique pulling Candiace’s wig off and ultimately losing her job – but looking back, not a lot has really changed. Everyone is now divorced, and Candiace is currently using her flair for drama on a podcast instead of in the music studio. However, we still have the same President, Ashley is still causing trouble, and Gizelle still won’t show a boyfriend on camera. Some things just stay the same in the world of Potomac.

Looking back, I realize I was so focused on being upset with Candiace’s behavior that I probably wasn’t critical enough of Monique at the time. Honestly, drama and even physical altercations aren’t new to the Real Housewives franchise – New Jersey often feels like a wrestling match, Salt Lake City is known for drink-throwing, and even a seemingly harmless Atlanta slumber party turned chaotic. The Potomac cast, however, seemed to believe they were different, clinging to an outdated idea of upper-class respectability. While the women came from privileged backgrounds, the show wasn’t a period piece. So, when the fight finally aired – over a year after it happened – we were constantly reminded that this behavior was beneath them.

Looking back, Monique’s actions at the reunion were clearly an overreaction to personal conflicts, which is what the show is all about. However, that moment will always be iconic in Potomac and Housewives history because it completely disrupted everything. Knowing she wasn’t returning for another season, she dramatically shut down Gizelle with the binder reveal – a scene everyone remembers, especially Karen’s smug question about Jamal – but more importantly, she made everyone admit that while she was the focus of the conflict, all the women had hidden issues they weren’t willing to address. Gizelle had repeatedly been humiliated by her partner’s infidelity, Robyn was stuck in a long engagement with a husband who seemed uninterested, Karen had a complicated past involving financial support from others, and Ashley’s husband was consistently negative and difficult.

The women on the show all seemed stuck in their own problems, and often blamed Monique for their unhappiness. While Monique’s departure caused some messy and awkward moments on television, it also forced them to confront their own issues. Ashley’s failing marriage, Robyn’s constant sadness, and Chris Bassett’s inability to keep a job all became more obvious when Monique wasn’t around. It’s likely that Monique leaving the first time, and essentially starting fresh, had a significant impact on the drama that played out over the next ten seasons.

Monique’s honesty, sometimes delivered quite directly, is already making her return to the show very interesting. She doesn’t shy away from talking about the difficult topic of her divorce, which is something many viewers have been anticipating. While being on reality TV can often strain a marriage, we usually hear that from women who joined the show to boost their careers. Monique, however, openly says that being on the show actually prolonged her marriage beyond its natural lifespan. Based on her previous appearances, I think she stayed married mostly to avoid letting her co-star, Gizelle, seem successful in comparison. Maintaining the image of a thriving Black family with financial stability was incredibly important to her.

Honestly, I was really pleased with how the women discussed everything. It easily could have veered into overly dramatic territory, but it stayed grounded. Seeing Gizelle offer perspective on Monique’s marriage, especially as someone who’s been through a divorce herself, felt genuinely insightful. It’s clear Monique wouldn’t have been receptive to that kind of conversation a few years ago, and I appreciate that both of them seem to understand that now. While I doubt we’ll ever see Gizelle admit Monique really challenged her at that reunion, I’m happy to take these little steps forward as wins.

Instead of focusing on Gizelle and Monique finding common ground or Monique and Wendy building their own relationship, the show continues to dwell on the repetitive storyline of Stacy’s pursuit of Chris. It’s unclear why this tired plotline is being dragged out when there were opportunities to explore more meaningful connections between the cast.

I understand Stacey is good at bending the truth – I’ve definitely been misled by men before, even finding out some were married when they claimed they weren’t. So I recognize when someone isn’t being completely honest. But honestly, I don’t care whether or not she had an affair with Chris. I also don’t care that her husband, Temu, avoids filming and can’t even bother to make up good excuses. He barely speaks – and what little he says is really irritating to me, given my ADHD. I won’t miss him if they stop putting a microphone on him.

Stacey recognizes that if she isn’t being genuine, she needs to fully commit to a character. She’s created a bubbly, somewhat naive persona—think Mary Poppins meets Kenya Moore—and she plays it consistently. Whether that persona is truly her isn’t important, as long as it doesn’t completely clash with how she acts on TV, like with the ‘Grande Dame’ character. Maybe it’s from her QVC background—the same place that launched Lisa Rinna—but it’s incredibly difficult to make her break character or deviate from the role she’s created.

Stacey consistently acts a certain way, which makes the other women seem even more unreasonable for criticizing her. Monique has already stated she doesn’t care who Chris dates, but Ashley, Keiarna, Tia, and Gizelle keep bringing it up. Now I’m expected to be concerned that Stacey told Chris Monique was unhappy in her marriage? He likely already knows that, regardless of whether this ‘Cookie’ person is relaying information to him. Given how badly the last situation involving gossip from a third party turned out, I’m not interested in pursuing this further unless Stacey dramatically changes her behavior regarding Chris.

All this drama is actually making Stacey seem really important to the group. I get why Tia is annoyed – she’s been pretty open about her life on the show, flaws and all, and wants Stacey to do the same. But Keiarna is getting upset on Monique’s behalf for no reason, since Monique doesn’t seem to care at all. Stacey handled it appropriately. Keiarna is gorgeous, but she wasn’t ready for a fight with Stacey. Stacey’s playful comment about Keiarna only getting worked up when it comes to her was a good dig, but when Keiarna tried to retaliate by saying she’d never leave her husband around Stacey, Stacey shut her down with a sharp response, pointing out that Keiarna doesn’t have a husband. I’m glad to finally see Keiarna bringing some energy to the season – I like seeing her be assertive – but she didn’t quite succeed this time. Tune in next week!

Cherry Blossoms

Angel’s continued focus on her problem with Wendy is making her seem increasingly unreasonable. Even her husband doesn’t seem to take it seriously. Each time she claims Wendy wronged her more than Gizelle by explaining what catfishing is, it just makes the situation seem more ridiculous. While Wendy and Gizelle were certainly behaving poorly, it doesn’t justify the extended drama Angel is creating.

Wendy looked fantastic with her finger waves! It’s a bit sad that she’s having her best season yet while also dealing with a lot of personal issues. While she handled herself well at BravoCon, reports about potential fake names and a large number of credit cards suggest she still has challenges to overcome.

I’m generally okay with cast members appearing on different shows if it feels natural and makes sense for the storylines. For example, the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ guys on ‘Summer House’ worked well, since they helped build that show in the first place. I also love seeing Cynthia Bailey guest star anywhere – she’s fantastic! But bringing in people from shows like ‘Love Hotel’ is too much. I don’t want to have to watch a bunch of other series to understand what’s happening. It already feels like I need to constantly check online forums to keep up!

It’s getting hard to define what GNA actually is. They’ve evolved from a clothing brand into something that includes wellness, events, and charitable work – and now they’re even building a parade float! While many companies participate in Pride parades to promote their products, it’s still unclear what GNA is trying to sell, if anything.

Wow, ten million downloads of Reasonably Shady? I’m genuinely surprised so many people are listening to that podcast!

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2025-11-24 04:56