Growing up, my mother instilled a set of basic manners that I abide by today. Most of it is pretty pedestrian, like not showing up to someone’s house empty-handed, following up with a thank you after someone took the time to host you, or taking off your shoes before entering someone’s house. There is one principle, however, that, despite its simplicity, continues to be challenged whenever I navigate group situations: Be kind. I have seen many group trips crumble because a minor slight was treated as massive disrespect, only for us all to return to our destinations silently, muting or leaving the group chat that brought us together.
I couldn’t help but think of this as I watched this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Dubai, and Stanbury, Brooks, and Taleen threw a tantrum over honoring Lesa Milan’s wish to dress in Balinese custom for dinner. On a basic level, I think anyone can understand not wanting to be on camera in something that makes you uncomfortable and may not fit well. But, in my view, humoring a host for a few hours is simply not an impossible task, nor were the dresses they were presented any tackier than some of the most garish fits they’ve donned onscreen. Was there too much illusion mesh and rayon for my tastes? Sure, but I still would have been a good sport, and at the very least, I would have given the group a heads-up that I was bowing out so they wouldn’t be waiting for me to show up for dinner. Not only was their behavior, rude, but the justifications were peculiar. Brooks insists it was sabotage because she was given mustard yellow, but most of the girls have some form of mustard on their gowns. Taleen was upset because there were no buttons? If Brooks was there to witness Lesa placing the requests for the dresses in the sprinter, why wouldn’t she simply make her preference known then? All of these antics read as immature.
While I found the behavior remarkably childish, the trio’s insistence on bailing from the dinner allowed them to take the time to mend fences — after all, there is no truer bond than the one formed in pettiness. Their frolicking together adds insight into why these three women find themselves in conflict. Stanbury continues to hold onto the narrative that Ayan is mad at her for no real reason and mostly avoids being held accountable. I can appreciate that Ayan is largely embarrassed by how this fiasco blew up in her face. By her own admission, she is a bit ashamed of how she was left holding the bag filled with fake tea, and Stanbury is a convenient outlet for that. That said, however, Stanbury was the one trying to create a show at that dinner, and no one else was. How can she reasonably believe that no one has a right to be annoyed with her? Even in the flashback scene, Ayan was noticeably hesitant to make a scene out of the situation. Ultimately, I think the real issue isn’t the voice note itself but Stanbury recognizing that Lesa feels possessive over her relationship with Ayan and Stanbury exploiting that to create friction to her benefit, which is what I think will lead to their ultimate falling out.
Brooks, however, intrigues me as much as she terrifies me. As they are lounging, she keeps referring to the people she’s in disputes with as “opps†as if she was a teenage drill artist — or, even worse, a teenager with a stan account on the platform formerly known as Twitter. This is just not how a well-balanced grown adult refers to arguments. Taleen continues to show that she is loyal to no one. While she talked about a big game in their threesome, the second the ladies came back from dinner to confront them, she was the first to fold and apologize for their poor behavior. Her lack of consistency is why she continues to get knocked around in arguments with this group — she would be much better off figuring out her position and sticking to it, whether good or bad.
On their final day, the group splits up yet again, with the larger group going to ride ATVs while Stanbury and Ayan take a trip to hop on the famed “Bali swing†that I have seen all over TikTok and Instagram. The girls on the ATVs end up being chased by cows, but Ayan and Stanbury do earnestly attempt to resolve their issue. As Ayan points out, Lesa had repeatedly warned her to not put her faith in Stanbury, who spent the entire first season speaking poorly of her, and Caroline’s actions in the evening not only proved Lesa right, but also threatened the sanctity out of her relationship with Lesa also so Stanbury could “have a bit of a laugh.†Stanbury continues to downplay that she was dead set on humiliating Sara at that dinner in the hopes of breaking up her friendship with Brooks — if that is what she considers comedy, then we simply go to different standup shows — and it makes the conversation circular and largely unproductive, although she does ultimately apologize.
What is truly interesting to watch play out is the palm reading the group receives when they return back to the suite for the final night. The Housewives has a notoriously fraught relationship with spiritual frauds and gimmicky enlightenment trends — if we have to endure another sound bath, I will simply have to start a change.org petition for NBC Universal — but there have been a few exceptions. Notably, the Atlanta housewives’ trip to South Africa and Kyle Richard’s reading from the medium have been etched in lore as spiritual moments that have borne out to be true. It’s a bit premature, but I would be willing to bet that this moment may be another to add to that set.
Sara is expressly told that this was not the year for love, and given that she is in a relationship with a German Instagram photo, we can chalk that up as a win. Lesa is warned about her emotional sensitivity and how it can make her guarded and the fact that she has taken on a lot and become busy — and listen, I love the doll, but she is so consumed with trying to be superwoman that it has taken a significant impact on her filming availability this season. Brooks is similarly warned of her emotional volatility and recommended to meditate — I would be willing to bet that a yearlong subscription to the Calm app would do wonders for her more than whatever schemes Sara has been putting her through. Taleen is warned to be careful about a friend — I think the conclusion is obvious. The lone wrench in my prediction these palm readings will come to fruition is Stanbury’s, who is told she will have a baby boy. Maybe the reader was simply referring to the embryo she has in the freezer but I cannot see a Stanbury pregnancy happening in this lifetime or the next.
When all is said and done, this was a largely successful cast trip, although I am unclear why the closing scenes seem to be edited like a season finale. There is plenty of conflict to keep the episodes exciting, with way more ups than downs. There is some great glam, a lovely locale, and a good swath of material to lead us into the remainder of the season — Lesa and Ayan’s final fracture, Caroline Stanbury and Sergio’s mythical baby, and a surprise return from Nina (who comes bearing a shocking story). See you all next week!
Golden Nuggets
• Apparently, Akin is attempting to control Sara and prevent her from making paid podcast appearances all the way from Germany. Color me bored, but I am genuinely curious as to which shirtless athlete was willing to give her $45,000 to be a sentient Canva slideshow.
• I guess it shouldn’t be all that surprising that dildos and sex toys aren’t welcome in Dubai customs, but now I am itching at a new web series on Emirati TSA and all the “unsavory†items they dispose of in the name of morality.
• I was genuinely pleasantly surprised at Taleen and Brooks’s ability to mock Stanbury’s mannerisms, posh theatrics and all. Well done!
• I don’t find the conversation around Ayan’s age all that compelling, except for it offering even more insight into the circumstances from which she emerged. That said, I think she is clearly closer to 45 than 50. An eight-year age gap from her birth certificate could easily be clarified by simply asking her about world events associated with specific years.