And just like that, one of the finest seasons of reality TV came to a close.
Wait, it wasn’t just like that. The Real Housewives of New York City went out with a bang, not a whimper. The events picked up right where they left off: Luann de Lesseps just learned, via Bethenny Frankel, that her fiancé Tom was making out with a woman. Turns out it was right after she was with him at the Regency. Oops.
Things progressed rather rapidly. Luann went from, “I think I’m gonna vomit…I feel like somebody stabbed me in the chest. This is my worst nightmare,” to “I’m not going to let a kiss ruin my life” in just under a week. That’s fine, all the more power to her.
Back in Miami, Bethenny Frankel came clean, she told Luann she informed Ramona Singer and Carole Radziwill about the pictures and that Ramona informed Sonja Morgan However, Dorinda Medley and Jules Wainstein remained in the dark. Watching the episode it’s unclear who took the news harder: Bethenny or Luann? Bethenny was visibly shaken about her conversation, relaying the information from a man (this pleased Luann who was relieved it wasn’t a jealous woman trying to stir the pot—hey, that’s Dorinda’s job), as was Luann. But as Bethenny pointed out, Luann seemed more concerned with how this made her look rather than the betrayal. Bethenny revealed she called the Regency, pretended to be the girl Tom was making out with and did everything she could to confirm the story. Luann appreciated this at the time, but after talking to Tom, she seemed to decide it wasn’t Bethenny’s place to do the detective work. It’s a wonder what conversations can do.
And then there was Ramona. Ramona used this occasion to bring everything back to her, of course. She said she wished somebody told her about her ex-husband Mario rather than learning about it in Page Six. This came up more than once, with “tears.” You have to love Ramona. What’s the alternative?
Apparently, shortly after returning to New York City, Tom and Luann returned to the scene of the crime—the Regency—and called Dorinda. Tom basically asked Dorinda to “take a bullet” for Luann and “make it right.” This little factoid, which was relayed to Ramona by Dorinda, was seemingly dropped for the rest of the finale. Thank goodness there’s a three-part reunion coming our way.
After staying at some hotel, Luann said she and Tom talked and started their own therapy (with alcohol, Ramona wondered).
“We talked about a stupid kiss…I could clearly see he was devastated. Tom told me that this kiss meant nothing,” Luann said. Apparently they had a fight on Wednesday night, the night he was caught doing that “stupid kiss,” and he ran into a woman he had not seen in a while and she was ready “willing and able to be there for him and Tom fell into her clutches.” What does that say about Tom?
“We truly love each other,” Luann said. “Of course I’m devastated and shocked by the situation…I’m not going to let a silly kiss ruin my life. Who doesn’t make mistakes?”
The ladies assembled after their trip at a Skinnygirl party thrown by Bethenny. There, Bethenny and Dorinda hashed it out over what Dorinda was relaying to Jules, Luann thought everybody was talking to her and eventually left and everybody took swings at a piñata filled with $10,000 worth of jewelry.
“We have had men die on us, cheat on us, steal from us and we’re still standing…Here’s to the empowerment of women. I love you all,” Bethenny said at the end.
Cheers to that.
This season of The Real Housewives of New York City was not just good reality TV, it was good TV. We don’t need to qualify that. It was funny, it was dramatic, it was sad, there was a coherent storyline that drove things forward. It was filled with everything that makes TV so great. Entertainment at its best. And now for quotes that need to be repeated:
“Oh my gosh, you look like you’re dead,” Ramona told Bethenny upon finding her curled up in bed after several conversations with Luann in Miami.
“I need to start drinking alcohol. Give me one of those bottles and ice,” Bethenny said, downing Skinnygirl after telling Luann.
Luann using Siri to text: “How could you do this to me. Question mark.”
“Of all the friends, this is the couple that worked,” Bethenny said about Adam and Carole.
“The sweaty dry cleaner dipped in cologne,” Bethenny describing Dorinda’s boyfriend John.
“I have gas,” Sonja said as she assembled with the women in the photo booth.
“These women force you to grow. There’s no doubt about it,” Dorinda said about the women.
The Real Housewives of New York City reunion kicks off on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
