As Shereé’s Gucci event evolved into another rehashing of Marlo’s delusions, my mind drifted to anything but the nonsense being presented to me. With the ladies not giving much to focus my brain on, I started thinking about how drab, as many fans have pointed out, the experience of watching the show has become. It reminded me of a study published by the Science Museum in 2020; according to data collected from the many photographs of household items in the museum’s collection, things in our everyday life are becoming increasingly grayer over time as the years pass.
From the modern decor in the casts’ homes to their trendy wardrobes dominated by neutrals to even their surroundings at dinners and on trips, visually, the show, like the rest of the world, has lost some color. But the tone has also gotten darker this particular season. For most of the episodes, we have dealt with heavy topics like gun violence and the premature deaths of very real people. And the cast is filled with women with deep resentments toward one another, creating a massive gray rain cloud looming over the show. And by “people,†I’m mainly referring to Marlo. Marlo’s obsession with Kandi and Kenya, that’s most likely a result of a culmination of years of feeling like she’s not good enough for a peach combined with years of them actually having said peach, has created fissures in the cast so deep that it’s near impossible to have productive group events.
After the failed escape room, Shereé knows that the group is fractured, so during a cryotherapy session together, she presents her idea to get everyone back on the same page to Sanya. She comes up with a “let’s make sure we’re Gucci,†Gucci-themed brunch. It’s her version of the season 10 Elephant Room: get the woman together to air out the major issues so they can move on as a group. I would’ve preferred for Mbele and her chaotic presence to return, but Shereé supplied some silliness amongst the misery with her rap invitation (and if you want another giggle, here’s the song Shereé recorded that Kandi was talking about).
I’m a lover of the Alessandro Michele era of Gucci, so when Shereé came up with the Gucci brunch, I was sure we’d see some fabulous colors and fashions, as Dwight would say. When Michele was creative director, Gucci became known for its maximalist, over-the-top aesthetic. Once Michele stepped down, Gucci pivoted, embracing the current era of fashion and design that prefers minimalism over flamboyance. The women’s choices for the brunch were more reflective of this toned-down, classic Gucci, each showing up in a wave of neutral colors with splashes of Gucci’s signature red. These dark and boring looks were uncannily representative of how dark and dull the brunch became.
The aesthetic of the Gucci brunch was muted and subdued (outside of Marlo’s glasses), so much so that you would think that Shereé requested everyone to wear business casual attire. Marlo’s comment that Shereé looked ready to give a deposition was the only thing that came out of her mouth this episode that made me smile. During the brunch, and for most of her scenes in the seasons, Marlo continues to drag out this hackneyed storyline with her sights set on tearing Kandi down. But this time, she has an audience that includes not only Kandi but her enablers by her side. I refuse to believe that Shereé or Sanya truly believes the bullshit Marlo is parading as a storyline — they know damn well Kandi didn’t snub her — but they still support her on camera, giving credence to the lies.
At cryotherapy, Sanya and Shereé both agree that the way the information was carried to Kandi by Drew and Kenya was the issue, not the actual content of the message. Shereé’s motive is most likely getting any bit of revenge after feeling slighted by Kandi’s comments about She by Shereé, while Sanya appears to be scared of being on Marlo’s bad side. Sanya, in her sophomore season as a Housewife, is still struggling to navigate having a friendship with two feuding castmates. In this egregious instance of wrongdoing, it’s unfortunate that she remains a fence sitter by trying to remain neutral, thus losing some of Kandi’s trust in the process.
Before the brunch, Kandi and Sanya have a one-on-one and discuss the mess that occurred at the escape room, and Kandi is frank about her feelings that Sanya is playing both sides. Sanya explicitly says she doesn’t want to be burned by Marlo and minimizes the situation, making it seem like Marlo’s statements about Kandi aren’t out of control but merely a misunderstanding. She tries to play peacemaker in a situation that’s beyond peace. Kandi opens up about her late brother once more, choking up about how the accident hardened her, turning her into someone less inclined to get swept up in emotion. But that doesn’t mean she’s a bad friend; she points out how she shows her love in other ways, like by being motivational or being a provider. Sanya witnesses this rare moment of vulnerability from Kandi but still sits firmly on her fence when things boil over at brunch.
Everyone arrives Gucci’ed down to Toast on Lenox (which is Black woman-owned if anyone wants to support!), ready to get some use out of those blazers by getting straight to business. A teary-eyed Shereé invites everyone to put their issues on the tables with the hopes of co-existence. I’m unsure why she was crying, but we’ll roll with it. Kandi and Courtney officially bury their beef while Sanya and Kenya go back and forth about a statement Sanya made on WWHL about whether or not Kenya’s butt is real. With the baby elephants out of the way, it’s time to talk about the giant elephant in the room now that Marlo and Kandi are literally sitting across from each other.
Lacking any semblance of self-awareness, Marlo proclaims that she’s “in a great place,†and whenever she’s around the women, she can “definitely respect them and get along, it’s not that serious.†She was merely “sharing†with Drew that she wanted a “different reaction†from Kandi. Earlier in the episode, she answers the question we’ve all been wondering and states, with a straight face somehow, that the reason she hasn’t brought any of these feelings up with Kandi before now is that she hasn’t seen her — as if we haven’t been watching year’s worth of footage of them interacting. Shereé chalks it up as a “miscommunication,†and Kenya starts hilariously pretending to choke on all the bullshit around her while Shereé pretends to give her the Heimlich before quickly backpedaling to her neutral position faster than the tears dried on her face earlier.
Kandi finally has a chance to stand up for herself in a civilized setting without yelling and pointing fingers, and says that she doesn’t think Marlo is being genuine and that no one would want their name to be attached to a murder. Marlo slips into her worn-out victim role, saying Drew triggered her. Then, after episodes of going on and on about all these issues with Kandi and gun violence, Marlo says it was simply about the funeral flowers and Kandi not being a good friend. Marlo can’t take the heat (or Kenya’s peanut gallery insults) and storms out of the restaurant into the rainy weather that’s equally as gloomy as what’s happening inside.
Shereé is able to wrangle Marlo back into the brunch after promising to keep Kenya quiet. When she returns, she agrees that Kandi had nothing to do with Quentin’s death but doubles down on her belief that Kandi could’ve done more. She says if Kandi’s nephew had been shot and killed, she would’ve been at her door. Sanya tries to speak on behalf of Marlo, but Kandi isn’t having it and responds definitively: “Fuck her flowers.â€
Peach Tea To-Go
• Not to sound too much like Drew, but it’s getting uncomfortable to keep using the word “shooting†in every other paragraph and writing about a young man who lost his life too soon in a violent way. Hearing Marlo talk about Kandi’s nephew getting hypothetically shot was jarring. I need this storyline to come to an end.
• Shereé’s excitement about the Rihanna shout-out tickled me because sometimes I wonder to what extent Shereé knows that we’re laughing at how silly the lore is behind her brand and how watchable she was in past seasons, not praising her actual design skills. Either way, I love that she has a sense of humor about it, even if it feeds her ego. A RiRi shout-out is major!
• Every week, Marlo says Kandi should’ve done one more thing when her nephew died. First, it was the flowers, then it was catering, and now Kandi should’ve gotten Quentin’s mother’s phone number. Then, of course, Kandi should’ve gotten her record expunged. Next week Marlo will say Kandi should’ve paid her rent and adopted Michael and William while she grieved. It’s too much.