RECAP: Real Housewives of Potomac — Ashley’s Husband Grabs Katie’s Boyfriend’s Butt [Episode 9]

So we move from The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion with Kim Fields, Phaedra Parks, and Porsha Williams making excuses for violence against women to The Real Housewives of Potomac and Katie Rost bringing up the marriage b.s. again? Physical violence to psychological/emotional violence? Luckily, we were treated to scenes of Robyn and Gizelle meeting for lunch, prior to Katie’s rehashing her non-marriage woes with Andrew (a relationship which makes her former relationship with Russell Simmons seem like a blessing at this point. At least she knew where she stood with him). At the ladies’ luncheon. Gizelle and Robyn joke about Juan and Gizelle’s attempt to get Juan to admit that Robyn is his forever love. Robyn is willing to recommit to their relationship, if she could be sure he wouldn’t hurt her again.

Over at the Huger homestead,  Karen is giddy at the thought that she and equally giddy Ray can run around naked now that Rayvin is leaving for college. Ray also mentions that Karen can get started planning on the O-gala for next year. While Karen has thrown the Darby’s out of their home (shown again in flashbacks), it is Katie she should have been concerned about. Katie  is mocking her family event and planning skills during the luncheon meeting with her good friend, T. Katie also mocks the “genuinely spiritual” Gizelle, who sometimes dresses like a prostitute. Katie expresses to T how overly concerned she feels Robyn and Gizelle are with race. I had to put my captions on to make sure those words actually came out of Katie’s mouth, a woman I find to be more obsessed with race than the other two. Our last cut is of the Hugers, on their way back to bed. The less I say about that, the better. You, my dears, are welcome.

Ashley is spending the day with her mother, Miss Sheila, who is not impressed with the low riding, gas saving Porsche. Unfortunately, Sheila bought a contaminated home, won a lawsuit against the former owners, but still didn’t have enough to take care of all of the bills. She feels that the mother who changed her poopy diapers should not have so much pride she won’t accept help from her. She doesn’t like living well knowing that her mother is struggling and declaring bankruptcy.  I like this kid. The Darbys are going to buy her a new home. An emotional and crying Sheila doesn’t want to be burden but Ashley won’t have it.  It’s time to let her give back.  She thinks Karen was wrong not to see her for the successful ambitious young black women she is and that she would have been a great role model for Rayvin. That talking head interview killed it for me.  The scene was about her mother, not whether she gets to mother someone else’s kid. 

Charisse is having another party, and it’s CATERED! This one will celebrate her 50th and she looks great.  She starts, at home, with a photoshoot to take pictures of herself and pictures with her children. She wants them displayed the night of the party. Katie arrives to use her modeling skills to help Charrisse. For the second time this episode, Katie throws out L’chiam as the toast the party planning and pictures, causing Charrisse to try to repeat it to make sure she has it right. Katie is happy to attend the party to share her “white girl moves.” Eddie won’t be there, too bad because Charrisse is killing the photo shoot, despite Katie’s scary feedback. To get her pics to “pop” Katie tells her to think of something, like math, like she does because she isn’t good at it.  To demonstrate, Rost shows her the face she makes when she has to think about solving 7 + 7.  Oh, Charrisse, you are wearing my emotions on the outside, woman.  Now I am siding with Andrew. Hold on to that ring. Keep it for the woman who can figure out the answer to that problem. Let’s hope the Rost treasurer is an honest soul.  

While her party planning is going well (a party that will cost 80K), Karen is losing her cool trying to get the family cookout on track for Rayvin’s going away party. Karen’s 26-year-old son from her first marriage, Brandon, is introduced. He is a cutie. He has completed a master’s program and is now living on his own. Everyone is happy, except Karen, who goes inside to break down when Rayvin tells her how much she’ll miss her. It is  a genuinely sweet moment.

At home, Gizelle is asking her children how they feel about her dating. They want her to sign up for a dating service and are happy for her. Charrisse stops by and Gizelle is shocked that Eddie isn’t planning to attend. Charrisse, in a TH, thanks him for footing the bill. Ironic, given the news that he is no longer a head coach at Rutgers.

Robyn and Juan have a lunch date. Sadly, he didn’t get the job and will stay in Maryland. The head coaching job would help the family, financially, but at least they don’t have to make tough decisions about moving.

Party night arrives and it is just what you would expect of an $80K party. It is over the top. Not receiving a ring is making Katie cranky. She quips that Karen should be taking notes because this is how you throw a party. Ashley attempts to be friendly with all of the cast. Karen gives her the cold shoulder.  She admits to the others that when she reflected on Karen’s comments, she was mistaken in reporting that Karen didn’t want them around when it was the case that Karen didn’t want HER around Rayvin. Gizelle thinks it means that Ashley is dumb and that she can’t trust what comes out of her mouth. They tell Ashley to let Charrisse have her night, but that won’t happen since Ashley is determined to hash things out. Karen refuses the conversation and walks away.

Karen puts on her sour patch kids face in a TH when she says that she thinks Ashley doesn’t belong in their world and belongs at a petting zoo. Uh. What?  Luckily we are distracted by Charrisse’s wardrobe change and a sweet toast from her daughter (who looks like a 15-year old Charrisse). Brynee let’s it slip that Charrisse used to rap, and with a beat she shows us her skills (#FiftySense). Fun. I wish we’d met her at the beginning of this show. When she and her hype woman, Brynee are done, the dancing starts and Gizelle gets worked up because Michael squeezes Andrew’s butt.  They act as if the men were dry humping on the floor and wonder if butt grabbing is a white guy thing. Ashley and Katie think (an offended) Robyn is biracial and should know. Gizelle throws herself in the mix to tell them that she is black. Katie, who is biracial, is offended that Robyn is offended and walks away.

Ultimately, Ashley wants the women to know that her man loves her, gives it to her good and he was just having fun. They accept her explanation, though Robyn does remind Ashley  that she humped her when they first met. Katie complains to Andrew and a visibly upset Brynee. Ashley interrupts Michael, who is pointing out how tall the man he is talking to is, and then asks the man if he works out. Michael says he didn’t grope, he says he patted his butt. I just can’t help but think of how much outrage there would have been if he had grabbed a woman’s butt. This poor guy can’t win. I think poor Michael and Ashley are expressive and that has been translated into something nefarious by this group of women. Ashley thinks it is odd that a pat on the butt is enough to bring to question a man’s sexuality especially since Juan Dixon was in the NBA and they pat each other’s butts all the time.

While Gizelle is outside snarking about Michael and his sexuality, he is inside telling his wife he is sick of the crap and telling her how much he loves her and is happy he has her in his life.

Charrisse, oblivious to the B.S., is having an amazing party and that is all that counts.

 

“Like” us on Facebook  “Follow” us on Twitter and on Instagram