RECAP: Real Housewives of Potomac — Grand Dame Karen Huger and Spring Chicken Ashley Darby Go At It [Episode 7]

Now that she is calmer, the story is clearer.  It turns out that a “best friend”stole Robyn and Juan’s money in a Ponzi scheme, not the other way around.  It explains why she keeps her guard up and does not trust new people. Ashley is ashamed that she talked about the couple’s bankruptcy, earlier. Still in the sister circle, Gizelle brings up Katie’s charity event and learns that she and may no longer be part of the host committee. Ashley wants to know if there are deeper things Katie wants to share.

The answer is no, so Gizelle takes it upon herself to bring up her “concerns” that Katie was on something the night of Ashley’s party. Katie assures her that she is and was “clean,” though she did have a little too much to drink. Karen thinks it is the wrong place and time and wants no part of this discussion. Charrisse tries to lighten the mood by asking the women to show their best dance moves. Robyn demonstrates the “white girl’s dance.” Katie leaves and goes to her room, refusing to participate.

Not much has changed by the next morning and Ashley and Queen Karen talk about the last night’s conversations: marriages ending (Charrisse’s), dementia (Karen’s mother), bankruptcy (Robyn’s) and literal crap (Gizelle’s). Ashley and Queen Karen, who is clearly the queen because her hat says so, are disgusted by Gizelle’s superficial choice of a sharing moment about her bowel movement and are equally disgusted by her comments about Katie. Robyn and Gizelle talk more about the Dixon’s financial difficulties and Robyn says that the couple being duped by their best friend was far worse than their divorce.

Gizelle offers to stand by Robyn. Karen and Ashley pledge support for Katie, and neither woman thinks that Gizelle has her best interests at heart. Katie, who is downstairs with Brynee (bri -nay) and Charrisse, is still angry and feels Gizelle attacked her character and Andrew’s. I don’t understand why there was an assumption that Katie was on drugs, rather than an assumption that Katie and Andrew were horny.

When Gizelle walks in the room, Charrisse and Brynee tell her that they thought it was shitty that she talked about taking a shit during the sister circle when the point was to share and not attack another person’s character. Katie notes that she didn’t ask Gizelle why she felt the need to have multiple sex partners (Charrisse can hardly contain her smirk. I am openly high fiving Katie).  She also didn’t ask her why she walks around in lingerie or has sex in lobbies. WOW. DAMN! Katie can be harsh! I like the way she stands up for herself.  When Gizelle says that none of that stuff happened, Katie says “I know,” drops the mic and walks off. She has made her point, whether Gizelle chooses to learn the lesson. Katie thinks of Gizelle as a rabid Chihuahua. Brynee and Charisse are not amused when Gizelle laughs as if Katie is overreacting. Brynee follows Katie back to her room to check in on her.  Katie thinks Gizelle is a phony friend and Brynee wants Katie to learn to read her. Katie wants nothing to do with Gizelle. Queen Karen comes in to help support Katie and tells her she would have taken Gizelle’s head off. Karen wants Ashley’s weekend to be a success, but feels Gizelle brought it on herself.

Ashley wants to take the group out to undo last night’s mess, and jokes that she is taking them to old western themed “Old time Photos” to remind them of their childhoods (Shade, honey). She then says she is joking and took them because, “these bitches love having their pictures taken” — from the smiles on their faces, she is dead on. They are dressed as saloon girls and Brynee comments that Gizelle, with her top hat, thinks she is the madam. Katie quips that Gizelle is the bottom bitch. Gizelle snarks in a talking head interview that Katie, who likes the ladies, is trying to get a look at her “goods” when Katie asks her to talk while she is still getting dressed. Katie is quite serious when she tells Gizelle how disrespected she felt by her comments the night before — she is not a little girl and won’t be treated as such. Gizelle is shocked by the fact that “giggles and smiles” Katie is so strongly defending herself. She wants Katie to know that she never said anything about her parenting skills, as accused earlier, and that she thinks that Katie is a good person and a wonderful mom. Katie throws Talking Head shade by stating Gizelle is as phony as her accent and she doesn’t even know where she’s from or who her people are. Ouch!

The evening picks up with Ashley taking the ladies to the drag show as “Blue Moon,” a favorite of hers and Michael’s. They stop for dinner first as Ashley notes in a Talking Head that hosting these “bougie bitches” is no small feat. Karen thinks that they need to figure out how to get Andrew to pop the question. Katie thinks he is ready but needs help ring shopping. Karen wants her to cut out the milk supply. As the topic of divorce comes up, we learn that Ashley gets “homes” and a huge cash payout if they divorce. Michael, like Andrew, is fiscally conservative, prompting Katie to state that talking to white businessmen about conditions in black neighborhoods is hard since their eyes glaze over. Gizelle thinks Katie spends too much time checking the “other” box to care whether #blacklivesmatter. She feels Katie is spending too much time identifying with whites when in reality, they don’t like her.

Gizelle needs a good PR person, and to STHU, on occasion. Asked by Robyn how she would approach her second marriage differently, a question that impresses the ladies, Katie says that she would do premarital counseling to make sure her second marriage is better than the first — when she simply wanted to be married and have children after she turned 30. Gizelle compliments Ashley, and her mentor, Karen, for the wonderful weekend.  She reminds Ashley there were doubts about her ability to pull it off. Karen is surprisingly gracious and gives Ashley credit for standing on her own. Ashley is happy to finally be accepted.

The ladies are dancing, badly, and having a genuinely good time! The show is fun, and Charrisse is giving the stage dancers a run for their money. The women are stunned to see Michael show up. Karen is uncomfortable with him being there. In a Talking Head, Karen doesn’t know why he is there if he is not gay or a woman. She thinks that her husband would be upset by his presence in the home – yeah, Michael’s own home. What do they think this guy is going to do? They all go to the bus and are stunned that Ashley is staying at the bar with her husband. Gizelle and Karen have now teamed up and are on her ass, hard. They think Michael can go to a hotel for the night. Ashley, in a Talking Head, calls it a menopausal mood swings. They comment that they were walking around in their panties, and can’t, now. Where is that in the etiquette book? Of course, Karen brings up Michael’s dropped pants on the yacht, during her event. Gizelle, who feels like a victim of Michael’s actions, wants to know whether he knew they were there or if he was already there, himself (Seriously? More questions about his sexuality. To answer her question, the couple did talk earlier in the day, before going to the bar) In a Talking Head, Charisse is sure he doesn’t want them, they need to let it go, she openly supports Ashley. Katie is on Ashley’s side, too.

When the couple arrives home, Karen and Gizelle are still peeved. Michael states he doesn’t understand the drama but whatever is happening, whether he is staying or going, he is going to have a good time. Charrisse, stating that she understands both sides, notes that Ashley could have handled things differently. The ladies feels that Ashley dumped them when he arrived. Michael felt that he was lucky to be a man among seven women. Gizelle, in a Talking Head, threatens to castrate him if he comes into her room. I did NOT know I was capable of laughing that hard or that long. AS IF, he wanted to get into her room. Robyn thinks that Karen and Gizelle are going too far, especially after Queen Karen makes it clear she is done, will never come back again. In a Talking Head, the queen says that you never invite strays in, they piddle the carpets. Did I miss the Darby’s request for a drug-fueled, videotaped threesome with Karen? WTH? Stray dog analogies?

Robyn and the other women play beer pong with Michael and Ashley all night, minus Karen and Gizelle, of course. King Ray, as Karen predicted, was not happy about Michael showing up. The two angry women can’t get out of there fast enough, the next morning. As if their attitudes didn’t stink enough, the fallout continues next week. I can only pray that there is a network outage and Bravo is forced to give me two weeks to recover from the madness of this episode.

 

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