Real Housewives of Orange County recap: 'Reunion Part One'
This season of Real of Housewives of Orange County ended with the cast taking shots together and swearing that everything was good between them. Didn’t believe them? Good — because part one of this season’s reunion special proved there’s still plenty of bad blood in this squad. Here are the most interesting revelations from part one of the reunion:
Meghan did not come to play with you girls. It’s probably an understatement to say that Meghan had an underwhelming season — when launching a candle line is as exciting as it gets for you, you know you didn’t bring your A-game. And it appears as if Meghan tried to make up for it at the reunion, because she was gunning for Lydia right away, calling her out for playing the victim at Drag Bingo and the hurtful way she treated Meghan’s psychic friend. I wish I saw more of this Meghan over the past few months!
Lydia sets the record straight. No, Doug did not actually get his balls cut off, and, yes, she understands that vasectomies don’t work like that. Her clarification was a charming moment in the reunion, and probably her only one during this reunion. She comes off worse here than she did in pretty much any other episode this season. It starts when she tries to explain why she felt uncomfortable at Drag Bingo and somehow only ends up sticking her foot in her mouth. But it crosses a line when Shannon asks her about all the mean things Lydia has said to her — that she’s crazy, that she’s a psycho — and Lydia tells her that she stands by all of it and has no problem saying it to her face again. I know I shouldn’t expect the housewives to be the woke police or anything, but shouldn’t she know that comments that stigmatize mental illness aren’t cool?
Tamra gives an update on her estranged daughter. During last week’s season finale, it seemed like Tamra and Sidney were on their way to reestablishing their relationship, but the postscript during the credits sequence revealed that they had another falling out and were no longer speaking. Tamra explains why: She posted a picture of her and Sidney against Sidney’s wishes, saying she was hurt by all the photos of Sidney and her ex-husband and, specifically, the way they were covered in the media with a hurtful anti-Tamra bend. Tamra also explains why she continues to talk about her daughter on the show even though Sidney has explicitly asked her not to do so: because being estranged from your kid really sucks and it’s hard to hide that heartbreak from the world.
All the single ladies, put your hands up. Two housewives revealed that their marriages are over, though we kinda knew already that was the case. Kelly has moved out of her house and initiated a divorce with Michael and seems to feel great about it. Less excited about her life change is Shannon, who reveals that she and David are separated and that things fell apart on their Hail-Mary trip to Hawaii earlier this year. It’s not pretty, but they’ve agreed to keep it amicable and still meet for dinner every Sunday.
There might be hope for a Vicki-Shannon reconciliation. While Shannon opens up about the end of her marriage, Vicki starts to break down, first to express her shock, then to apologize if she played any role, then to tell her how much she wants the best for her and how she and the other housewives are going to be there for her. The thaw recalls the one between Vicki and Tamra that took place over the Iceland trip — maybe this reunion is paving the way for their friendship in season 13. If, that is, they can survive part two of the reunion.
