No one can make mountains out of molehills like the women of the Real Housewives of Potomac. This week we’re back in France. The scenery was fantastic and the French were charming. But how can these women be at dinner and not showcase the food and wine? Personally, I could have done with fewer petty fights and more culture and scenery. Should we still be caring about Monique Samuels’ guest list offending Gizelle Bryant when she wasn’t even at the gala (which was months ago)? I vote no, but obviously, some thought otherwise.
We begin back at the hotel lobby where the argument between Gizelle and Karen Huger continues. Surprisingly, it’s Candiace Dillard to the rescue. She drags Karen out of the hotel and into the awaiting black van like she’s in some James Bond movie.
Gizelle sits in the lobby and waits for Robyn Dixon to arrive. She’s only an hour late, so she can’t believe the group didn’t wait for her. She’s on vacation, y’all! What’s the rush? The two walk seaside and take selfies. Let the haters hate! Gizelle and Robyn are the ones having all the fun and they’ll have the pictures to prove it. They head to a food truck to order crepes. The vendor takes Gizelle’s money, doesn’t offer change, then leaves to go inside to make the food. Let that be a lesson to us Americans: Appreciate that the food truck food is actually made in the truck!
Meanwhile, the rest of the group is off to Caussols to tour the essential oils distillery. Between the rolling hills, the cattle grazing in the pasture, and the log lodge, it looks a lot like Montana. Monique is excited because you can use essential oils on everything from bug bites to menopause. She’s still looking for the right combination that will turn people who are jealous of her into super-fans but give her time. Inside she pulls on some paper booties and stomps out all her frustrations on some innocent peppermint. The owner tells her that she’s done enough, but she needs a little more stomping to get the previous night out of her head.
Back in La Croisette, Robyn asks Gizelle why everyone ditched her. Gizelle claims that Monique had given them the option of going to either the oil distillery or to the perfumery, but flashbacks show clearly that Monique wanted everyone to do both. Now I think we could all forgive Gizelle for misunderstanding Monique’s intentions, but then she shows off her puppeteering skills by telling Robyn that all the women just wanted to leave her. Gizelle tried to stop them, but NO! They just left without her. Only Robyn’s true friend was willing to wait. Once again we see a flashback that proves otherwise, but Gizelle’s not done yet. She throws Charrisse Jackson Jordan under the bus and just can’t believe Charrisse would go with Monique. Gizelle’s like a Svengali to Robyn. Remember Robyn, didn’t Charrisse say she has issues with Monique? Robyn is completely under her spell. Yeah, Robyn now thinks Charrisse is a flip-flopper.
As everyone at the distillery pulls on their coveralls, Monique asks Ashley Darby why she didn’t go with her new buddies. Ashley’s a free thinker and goes where she wants. Monique thinks she came just to spy on them and report back to Gizelle. Ashley thinks Monique needs to worry less about Ashley’s friends and more about her own. Raise your hand if you see yet another big dinner blowup coming. Just once I’d like to see a dinner where people use humor instead of vitriol to entertain us. Just one dinner….It’s not like I’m asking for an entire day. Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, they make the oils and everyone had fun – even Charrisse.
The ladies head to Grasse which is really beautiful. They descend the stairs arm in arm and are feeling the love until they meet up with Gizelle and Robyn. Robyn immediately puts a damper on everyone’s good mood by asking why they ditched her. Everyone denies Gizelle’s version, and she admits she may have fudged the truth in order to spend time with Robyn. Anyone else think they had this planned all along because (a) Gizelle made it very clear in the last episode she didn’t want to go see baby oil being made and (b) they always need something to complain about. They walk around the gorgeous town and stop for some coffee. Candiace wows them by counting in French. Then from out of nowhere, she tells us she worked for the Obama White House and on his re-election campaign. To me, no matter which party you back, working in the White House is pretty cool. Candi Girl, why are you burying the lead and wasting our time on all this wedding nonsense? Also, her singing voice when she’s annoying Karen isn’t bad either.
They arrive at their second location, the perfumery, and Karen is in her element. The perfume maker the shop owner uses costs €3,000 and the process takes a month. The owner kindly offers them each a scented candle, and I didn’t like when they made fun of a few of the scents. Who returns generosity with stank face?
That night they head to dinner. They see a guy that Ashley thinks looks like Michael. Either Bravo focused on the wrong dude or Ashley’s already drunk because he doesn’t. At all. Candiace brings up that her Chris has to wear a goat-tee or he looks like a rodent. But he calls her a chipmunk, so it’s even. Random. Karen tries to apologize to Gizelle for going after her business partners the previous evening. She explains that she’s going through a lot. Gizelle asks if that’s why she’s not wearing her wedding ring. Karen denies that there’s trouble in paradise. She doesn’t think that it’s any of Gizelle’s business, but Ashley obviously thinks it’s hers because she says she’s heard Ray is moving to Florida with or without Karen. Karen claims he wants to retire there, but she likes Maryland. Ashley calls Karen a liar several times. I just have to know, where is Ashley getting all this dirt on everyone? Maybe I watch too many spy shows, but Karen needs to have a sweep of her house for bugs. Did Ashley hack into Karen’s phone and Suri’s spilling the tea about all the Hugers’ coming and going? Karen ignores Ashley and apologizes again to Gizelle who accepts it graciously and they move on.
Ashley sees she’s getting nowhere with Karen, so she moves on to Charrisse. Monique did you know Charrisse has been saying you’re poaching all her friends to claw your way up the social ladder? Cha calls Ashley a liar. Monique claims she has her own contacts. Robyn asks why she is bringing Kyndall around all the time. At first, Monique said it was just her gala, which Gizelle wasn’t at so it doesn’t even matter. Apparently, it does for some reason, but I’m distracted by the waiters in the background staring at the ladies. The waiters look concerned. Then Monique admits that Charrisse wanted her to bring Kyndall around which makes a lot of sense. Flashbacks remind us there’s been quite a bit of bad blood between Cha and Gizelle in the past. There was a bunch more bickering, but their waiter walks up and tells them to either order more food or leave. Candiace tries to bring up being laughed at the night before, but her timing is terrible and it just makes them laugh at her again. I feel sorry for her, and I’m glad at least Monique apologized. Back at the hotel, Ashley tries to persuade Karen to have a nightcap, but Karen declines. Ashley tells us that maybe the reason they butt heads is that she’s a Millennial and an open book both in real life and online. Karen’s a different generation and keeps all her secrets locked away.
The next day Karen and Candiace are having a seaside tea. Candiace is sad and Karen coaxes her into telling what’s wrong. Candi knows she’s not being taken seriously. Karen did warn her at the beginning when they were at the bubble ball picnic. She’d said not to tell them everything because they will twist it and use it against you. Candiace didn’t listen but she knows she needs help. Karen tells her that her timing is all off. If she has an issue, she needs to take the bull by the horns and do it up front. If you wait until the end, what happened the past two nights will always happen. Listen closely, potential new housewives. Karen is giving you a master class in Ratchet 101. Charrisse joins them and her advice is ‘Princess, don’t be so braggadocious.’ This makes Candiace cry. Karen tells her to just own her stuff and don’t cry. Charrisse says she’s a great girl but needs to let these friendships happen organically.
Back at the hotel, Monique asks Gizelle to breakfast which has been set up on the terrace. Monique admits it got so stressful last night that she feels like she lost 20 pounds. Monique again says that Charrisse is the one that wanted to bring Kyndall around and since Cha is Monique’s girl, she kept her mouth shut. Gizelle isn’t buying this for a second. After all, Monique is the one that spearheaded the whole Kyndall scandal by inviting her to the gala. Monique disagrees because Cha had the initial contact with her. Gizelle thinks Monique is showing hater behavior and Monique thinks Gizelle will always find a problem with her no matter what. Gizelle warns her that she took a shot and missed. Gizelle doesn’t miss. She’s like a ninja and her shot will “blow your brains out”.
Author: Dana S.
TELL US: IS GIZELLE OVER-REACTING ABOUT KYNDALL BEING AT THE GALA WHICH SHE HAD RSVP’D “NO”? DO YOU AGREE WITH ASHLEY’S VIEW THAT MILLENIALS ARE OPEN AND HONEST AND OLDER GENERATIONS ARE SECRETIVE?
Photo Credit: Bravo TV
