Real Housewives of Orange County Recap: Vicki Gunvalson The Marriage Whisperer? [Episode 12]

Puerto Vallarta and the producers have decided to pick up with a scene from last week – Shannon commenting about how the gossip about their marriage is getting to her.  Someone is jonesing off of the Beador marital conflict – conflict feeds the Bravo beast, it seems. In a TH, Vicki provides insight into her own failed marriage with Donn and how she believes she chiseled away at the poor guy (AGREED). She feels it is her duty to help the Beadors. The Gunvalson fun bus is headed to Andale’s and Vick is ready to whoop it up. She tells us that doesn’t want to go out with Brooks in the OC  because of prying/disapproving  eyes, but feels free to have fun and let loose with him in Mexico. Vicki and Shannon dance on the bar top and because I care for you, I won’t describe it. It was funny, lovely, and scary at the same time.

Speaking of scary: Astro, who feels more real than “mommy” and “daddy”, is making Tamra feel old. The workload is more than she’s ready for at her age. It would be too much to raise a child, alone, since Eddie is so uninvolved. Astro meets big brother Ryan and listens as the family makes plans to celebrate CutFitness’ one year anniversary, by first repairing a $30,000 error Eddie made – putting padding under the wood flooring which causes the floors to pop open.  They are arguing about what will happen if sales don’t pick up. Ryan takes a swipe at Eddie saying they are overpriced with such crap floors, Eddie takes a swipe at Ryan asking if there is anything else at CF not worth the money they are wasting on it. Tamra recalls the conflict between Simon and Ryan (we see flashbacks). Hmmmm, the common denominators are???? Yeah. Astro breaks the tension by crying, and, again, he’s the only real person in the room.

Time for the Dubrow clan. Heather talks about the importance of setting a good example for her children while they are out to dinner. Her children are totally off the rails, at least thanks to editing they appear to be. She thinks they’ll eventually learn. They are joined by the nanny, who takes the kids for frozen yogurt. Heather wants a dog and thinks the rental is the perfect place for potty training (her landlord will be pleased to hear that. There goes the deposit). Terry gets his hands slapped for being honest. Heather wants a rescue, but claims allergies make having one impossible. She’d rather make a donation and buy toys and food for rescues. Just as she finishes, Terry points out that she plans to get a pedigreed dog since she needs to know the dogs genealogy ßYes, she said that. She needs to know the dog’s genealogy. I wouldn’t kid you about that. Heather is entering Gwyneth Paltrow territory in my book. She gets upset with Terry for pointing out she wants a dog with a pedigree, as if what he said wasn’t true.

The world is an upside down place when Vicki is the very best of the franchise. She plans a day together for Shannon and David since they don’t really know her and Brooks all that well and need alone time. She sends them horseback riding – Shannon later lets her freak flag fly and worries about the mosquitos biting her, that the horse will slide off the trail down the hill, it goes on… geez. Vicki is still talking about what she did wrong in her marriage to Donn. I’m starting to think that Brooks should avoid picking out his side of the closet. I get the feeling that if Donn ever decided he wanted Vicki back, Brooks would be back to …. doing whatever it is he does, and I still don’t know what that is. The two couples head down the trail when Vicki stops to let Shannon and David know that they are to go on, alone. A private lunch has been arranged for them. In a TH, Shannon lets us know she’s tired and just wants to take a nap, something she recognizes is not nice to say under the circumstances.

Lizzie is back at the OC try to sell her Sun Kitten swimwear.  She began designing in 2010 and sold a lot of her work online but wants to sell her line in “the right” stores. She was fortunate enough to have her father give her 100k to start the line and she feels that she has to be successful. I may not care for Lizzie, I do like her work ethic (work ethnic if you’re a RHONJ). Good luck to her, her meeting with a boutique owner seems to have gone well. I guess she’ll find out soon enough.

In Mexico, David talks and Shannon just nods – he’s just making small talk. The only time she speaks is when he brings up the conflict from the night before. From their conversation, it seems clear that they are each misinterpreting the intent of the other in basic conversations. David feels that Shannon should stop telling him what he can and can’t drink. She feels is just trying to let him know she doesn’t recognize who he is when he drinks and feels that he’s slipping away. Shannon feels that David snaps at her when she’s speaking. 

David feels that he can’t take hearing from Shannon that she wants to spend more time with him, any more. He is concerned about the way they live and if I understand what he’s saying, he feels that he’s killing himself to keep the lifestyle up. He tells Shannon he just wants to feel happy – he wants to come home and feel loved. He feels they don’t have happiness any more. She doesn’t feel that he loves her since they don’t share a room among other problems. She brings up the word “divorce” and he tries to tell her he’s not talking about divorce, he only wants to be happy, to have them both be happy. He doesn’t think she’s happy with herself and that she can’t be happy with him if she’s not happy with herself. She keeps hearing that he doesn’t want her. He feels that they have to learn to forgive each other and communicate differently.  It’s the most brutally honest conversation I think I’ve heard on any RH franchise.

Tamra and Eddie have packed Astro up and sent him back. They are calling in to the company to hear the results. Tamra, of course, was the primary caretaker. Eddie doesn’t give a flip. He does not want children (flashback to scenes of him telling Tamra, while they were dating, that he wanted children). Am I the only one who keeps expecting to hear Eddie say that he wants children, but not with Tamra? The results are that Eddie cared for Astro 13 times to Tamra 34 times – their percentage of care constitutes a fail. She is clearly emotional about his not wanting children and Eddie, being Eddie, asks if she’ll breast feed him.  #WhoNeedsSensitivity

The interstitial is of Lizzie and Heather having dinner together, at the same restaurant where Christian proposed to Lizzie.  Heather mocks the restaurant where it happened – with Lizzie joining in. Heather then complains because Terry proposed to her on the plane ride to Paris, and not in Paris itself.  I wonder how generous the return policies are on rings – especially with this footage as evidence.

David and Shannon join Brooks and Vicki for dinner. Brooks refers to the two of them as the Beador’s favorite couple, which of course brings up Tamra’s betrayal of Shannon’s trust. Shannon takes things too far, in my opinion, when she claims that trusting Tamra may have hurt her family. I’m thinking the rocky relationship between her and David did that. Brooks follows up with a complaint about Tamra and Vicki’s friendship. He’s not over the attack at the Dubrow’s party – the fight that led Tamra making Gretchen her BFF for about ¾ of a season. Vicki brings up Tamra joining with Brianna to go after Brooks. She indicates that she thinks Tamra turned Brianna on Brooks. Whoa! This does not look good for Vicki and Tamra’s relationship. Vicki doesn’t think her relationship with Tamra will ever be the same.

The Dubrows puppies arrive and the children are excited. Heather is still going on about her love for rescue dogs even if they couldn’t have one. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Vicki is finally back at the OC when Tamra arrives at her office with her new bangs and coffee. They talk about Astro and giving up on having children. Shannon’s email message comes up. Tamra feels that she’s 100% to blame, but she’s upset with Heather. Vicki feels that Tamra should stand up to Heather that Heather was wrong, too. Vicki realizes that neither did it to support Shannon, and feels that it was malicious behavior by the two. Vicki reiterates that Heather was not being nice when she did it. In a TH, Vicki says that she loves Tarma, but feels that Tamra has destructive tendencies. Tamra feels, and says, that Vicki hurt her worse by disclosing the things she told her in private, to Simon, to throw things in her face (flashback to a Simon – Vicki fight with her telling him that Tamra’s happiness was all she cared about). Vicki thinks Tamra is full of it, and asks Tamra to call her before she gets the urge to do something as stupid as disclose someone else’s trusted information.

WHAT THE HELL?  WHY am I enjoying Vicki so much???

Next week?  OG Gunvalson takes on Heather. I have a feeling that I’m going to love Vicki even more after next week.

 

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