RECAP: Real Housewives of Potomac — Beach Drama & Crabs! [Episode 6]

Gizelle, Robyn, Ashley, and Katie get together to talk about the Rost Foundation Fundraiser. Gizelle flirts with young waiter, to Katie’s amusement, who is shocked to learn that Gizelle likes white guys. “Only for the night,” Gizelle corrects her. Michael’s pants dropping behavior is brought up, again, and the situation is quickly defused as the women move on to a discussion about the fundraiser with no advance notice or confirmed venue, and to a discussion about the “girls trip” to the Darby’s Bethany Beach vacation home.  Shouldn’t the citizens of any city the HWs visit receive public notice and a 2-day mandatory evacuation order, for their own safety?  

Karen and Ray have an obnoxious discussion before she leaves for the trip. It is even more obnoxious than her talking head telling us that she considers it charity work for her to help Ashley learn how to be a good hostess. For whatever reason, Karen decides to bring up Katie’s past interests in women. She tells her husband she is strictly “Ray Ray” and that he wouldn’t want her sleeping with Katie. She’s wrong, by the look in his eyes. He tells her it might be something to cross off of her bucket list. She informs him that it was never on her list. Ray seems like a nice guy, but this couple is even more boring than their furniture. Karen’s conversations with almost everyone seems to include her put downs of the other wives. Why is it we never see Karen in a group of people who adore her or who swoon whenever she enters the room at one of her famed charity events?

The trip to the beach is a cluster pluck as Karen, who is riding with Ashley and receiving the Queen’s treatment, talks about mentoring her, but making sure that Ashley stays away from her daughter. Ashley made the mistake of saying that she would love to get close to Karen’s family especially Rayvin. I agree with Karen that Ashley is too old to be Rayvin’s friend and mentor, but her tone says, to me, that she doesn’t think Ashley is good enough to be her friend even if they were the same age.

Katie is being slut shamed, during the trip, for the number of men she’s dated in the past (including Pharell, Russell Simmons). The rolling eyes and talking heads basically suggest that the judgy wives are entitled to give Katie a pap smear and force her to write out the details of her sexual history for their amusement. Gizelle even googles Katie’s blog to read, aloud, about the humiliation of Russell Simmons bringing another woman home and leaving Katie in a face mask – standing there speechless while he went to bed with his new fling. Gizelle thinks that blogging your pain is “white girl’s stuff” and that black women go Angela Bassett in “Waiting to Exhale” and burn everything a man owns. Um, no. 1 – setting fires is a criminal act and 2 – It is revenge fantasy, not “black girl behavior.” I don’t recall hearing about the Baltimore fire department being called to her home to save Jamal’s shoes and fancy suits. Katie ( in a talking head) reminds us of the hypocrisy of Gizelle ripping open her wounds given Jamal’s cheating history. I wish she’d said it out loud.

Of course, Ashley and Karen are the first to arrive. Karen states that the home is beautiful, but not something she would ever own. Well, no #@*!!!! The place is up to date with modern kitchen appliances and furniture that wasn’t manufactured when the tv show “Dallas” first hit the airwaves. Despite the fact that Ashley is giving her the best spare room, Karen seems less than pleased. Robyn and Gizelle will room together, as will Brynee and Charrisse. Katie also gets her own space. Karen becomes the host as other women arrive. Robyn wonders if Ashley has become the maid in her own home. A little levity is added when we learn that 26-year old Ashley is the stepmom to her husband’s 21 and 23-year old children. When asked how the drive was, Katie comments about being googled in the car. (In her OWN car, someone reminds her).

Gizelle thanks Katie for sharing and reminds her that they have all been through tough times. Katie’s tough times were in the past. Ashley’s first world struggle is immediate. Her ungrateful guests are complaining about everything from the food, the drinks, the size of their rooms, the spelling of their names, sharing bathrooms, the decor, etc). They even mock Ashley as the cook and server present her with a bill in front of the guests. Robyn, is horrified by their behavior. Gizelle and Charrisse make plans to leave, but the local hotels are filled and they feel they have no choice but to stay. In Ashley’s shoes, I would have given them no choice but to catch an uber ride home, my treat.  For women who thought they were filming a show about etiquette, they are absolutely classless.  

They still haven’t redeemed themselves the next morning but are much better by working on breakfast together, all except Gizelle – who was up complaining most of the night and who wakes up complaining about the AC being out in her room. Ashley admits that she felt the ladies would be less inclined to attend if they knew they had to share rooms — but as she said in a talking head, earlier, who else has a beach house to offer? All go surfing that morning except Charrisse, Gizelle, and Karen. The community elders sit under umbrellas and rate the younger women’s butts and comment on Ashley’s tattoo deeming it tramp stamp – confirming that she is a tramp. Karen, Ashley’s mentor, laughs but tells the women to keep the insults above the belt.  Makes sense? Not to me either.

As they get ready for dinner, Ashley gets a call from Michael, who is checking in and making sure she knows how to turn on the grill – she doesn’t. On the drive into town to pick up crabs for the grill, Katie is getting sympathy from Charisse and Brynee for the treatment she received on the drive up and the lack of support for her Rost event. Charrisse and Brynee think Katie deserved more support and pledge to help. As the grill is going, Ashley shows a stain from body sweat from when she was sitting, without underwear. Robyn is clearly not honored to bear witness to the sweat stain. Luckily the women return with the steamed crab.

Ashley, who just congratulated herself on being a decent hostess, disrupts dinner by bringing up a friend’s text that her  husband walked in on her while she was in the bathroom having a bowel movement. We learn that Michael stands and talks to Ashley while she’s in the bathroom. Katie never lets Andrew see her go – trying to never “fart” in front of him. Charrisse changes gears and opens a “sister circle” –  something she started with the NBA wives. You say something you like or admire about someone at the table. Robyn praises Charrisse for 13-years of generosity and friendship. Karen thinks Ashley is fierce and fun and can’t wait to see where she goes. Katie dittos, and appreciates receiving her own room. Gizelle gives Katie a backhanded comment about how smart actually she is – which offends Katie who notes that Gizelle has also insulted her race and religion. Brynee thinks that Katie is real, and admits that she didn’t know that when she met her the night of Ashley’s party with Andrew stuck to her face. Gizelle is convinced that something is still not right with Katie.

The conversation moves inside. Gizelle opens up about a tea she drinks that makes you go (defecate) in a huge way. She was  meeting with Mr. Miami and drinking the tea led to a disaster in his presence. That was her “sharing” moment with the ladies. Robyn asks Charrisse about her marriage and she says she has not made a decision, yet. Karen’s mother has been diagnosed with early dementia. She is fearful about calling and not having her mother know who she is. Robyn begins to share, tearfully, that a BFF of hers and Juan’s has been taking their money and lying about it. WHAT.THE.HELL! We stop there.  

Next week we will probably hear the rest of the story and we find out that the Potomac wives find yet another reason to become angry at Ashley. This time she stands up. I can’t wait.

 

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