My family instilled a set of fundamental politeness in me as a child, values that I firmly believe in today. Most of it is very walking, like never showing up to one’s home empty-handed, following up with a thank you after one took the time to network you, or taking off your shoes before entering one’s home. There is one rule, however, that, despite its simplicity, continues to be challenged whenever I navigate group conditions: been kind. I’ve witnessed countless team trips fail because a slight error was treated with utter disrespect, just for us to return to our destinations softly, muting, or leaving the group conversation 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 fundamental level, I believe everyone can understand that not wanting to be on camera in a situation that miserable and unsuitable. However, in my opinion, it’s not difficult to humor a host for a few hours, and the clothes they were presented with weren’t any less tacky than some of the most garish outfits they’ve ever donned on screen. Was there too much polyester and fantasy grid for my preferences? 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 habits, harsh, but the justifications were unique. Although most of the women have mustard on their gowns, Brooks claims it was damage because she was given the color yellow. Because there were no icons, Taylor was upset. Why wouldn’t Brooks simply make her preference known if she was present to see Lesa place the requests for the dresses in the sprinter? All of these pranks read as childish.
There is no better relationship than the one formed in selfishness, despite the couple’s emphasis on bailing from the dinner, which I found to be extremely childish. Their dancing along provides more insight into the conflict between these three women. Ayan is jealous at her for no apparent cause, and Stanley continues to hold onto the tale that she generally avoids being held accountable. I get that Ayan is generally embarrassed by how this scandal turned out. She admits that she is a little embarrassed about how she was left holding the bag full of fraudulent tea, and Stanbury is a good place to do that. That said, but, Stanbury was the one trying to create a present at that meal, and no one else was. How is she fairly assume that no one has a right to be enraged at her? Ayan was considerably hesitant to make a picture out of the condition, even in the flashback scene. In the end, I believe Stanbury’s recognition of Lesa’s possessiveness and her use of that resistance to her advantage, which I believe will result in their best conflict, is what I believe is the real issue is not the voice note itself.
Brooks, but, intrigues me as much as she terrifies me. She repeatedly refers to the people she’s in disagreements with while “opps” as if she were a young drill artist or, worse, a girl with a matt accounts on the platform formerly known as Twitter as “opps” as if they were teenagers. This is just not how a well-balanced expanded child refers to claims. Taylor continues to demonstrate her unwavering loyalty to no one. When the ladies returned from dinner to challenge them, she was the first to collapse and forgive for their impoverished behavior, even though she talked about a great game in their fetish. She continues to get tossed about in disagreements with this group because of her inconsistent behavior; she would be much better off figuring out her place and sticking to it, whether it be good or bad.
The party splits up once more on their last evening, with Stanbury and Ayan taking the famous” Bali jump” that I’ve seen all over TikTok and Instagram riding ATVs while the larger group will ride ATVs. The girls on the ATVs are ultimately chased by cows, but Ayan and Stanbury make an effort to solve their problem. As Ayan points out, Lesa had repeatedly warned her against trusting Stanbury, who had spent the entire first season speaking poorly of her, and Caroline’s actions in the evening both threatened Lesa’s relationship with Lesa and made it easier for Stanbury to “have a bit of a laugh.” If that is what she considers comedy, then we simply go to different standup shows, and it makes the conversation circular and largely unproductive, even though she does ultimately apologize. Sanbury continues to downplay that she was dead set on humiliating Sara at that dinner in the hopes of breaking her friendship with Brooks.
The palm reading the group receives when they return to the suite for the final night is what makes the play truly fascinating to watch unfold. If we have to endure another sound bath, I will simply have to start a change because The Housewives has a notoriously fraught relationship with spiritual frauds and gimmicky enlightenment trends. petition for NBC Universal, but there have been a few exceptions. Notably, the Atlanta housewives’ trip to South Africa and Kyle Richard’s medium reading have been credited as spiritual encounters that have proven to be accurate. Although this may be a little premature, I’m willing to wager that this is yet another set to be added.
Given that Sara is in a relationship with a German Instagram photo, we can chalk it up as a win because she is explicitly informed that this was not the year for love. I love the doll, but she is so obsessed with trying to be superwoman that it has had a significant impact on her filming availability this season. She is also warned about her emotional sensitivity and how it can make her cautious. I’d wager that a yearlong subscription to the Calm app would benefit her more than any other tricks Sara has been using to protect her from her emotional volatility. Brooks is also cautioned of her emotional volatility and advised to meditate. Taylor is cautioned to be cautious around a friend; I believe the conclusion is quite obvious. Stanbury’s pregnancy prediction, which I believe will be accurate, is the lone wrench in my mind. I don’t see a Stanbury pregnancy occurring in either of these lifetimes, so perhaps the reader was just referring to the embryo she has in the freezer.
When all is said and done, this was largely successful cast, but I’m not sure why the final scenes seem to have been edited to look like a season finale. There is plenty of conflict in the episodes to keep things interesting, with far more ups than downs. Lesa and Ayan’s final fracture, Caroline Stanbury and Sergio’s mythical baby, and Nina’s surprise return ( who comes with a shocking story ) are some of the highlights of the season. See you all next week!
• Apparently, Akin is trying to control Sara and forbid her from getting paid to podcast about her travels from Germany. Color me bored, but I’m really interested in knowing which shirtless athlete was willing to donate $45,000 USD to make her a sentient Canva slideshow.
• I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that Dubai customs don’t allow dildos and sex toys, but I’m itching to watch a new web series about the “unsavory” items they dump on in the name of morality.
• I was genuinely pleasantly surprised at Taleen and Brook ‘ 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. By simply asking her about global events that are related to a specific year, an eight-year age difference from her birth certificate could be quickly identified.