It’s time for The Real Housewives Of New York to get spooky! The women are off to Salem for their second trip of the season. Leah McSweeney’s chosen Salem as their next destination because why not? It’s the most on brand choice possible for the edgy sophomore Housewife. This sort of trip might not sit well with the more conservative women of the group like Ramona Singer, but it sounds like a blast.
Despite the witchy fun in store for everyone, there are still issues lingering in the group. Eboni K. Williams has rubbed many of the women the wrong way with her educational moments. She should be trying to get to know a new group of ladies, but that’s now how they’re feeling for the most part. To them, it all feels a little too preachy when all they want to do is have fun. She’s risking never fitting in with the group if she doesn’t dial it back a little.
Leah calls all over the women to invite them on a trip to Salem! The real witches of that town’s past have nothing on the New York women. She’s always wanted to take this vacation, and now she has a chance. Live it up!
She’s planning a latex and leather party which is out of a lot of the women’s element. Leah’s inviting Ramona’s friend Bershan Shaw because she’s a lot of fun. I still cannot believe she and Ramona are close friends. I’d hate to think Ramona is using her as a social token, but it looks damning.
Bershan tells Ramona she didn’t care for the event because it was too educational. I get what they’re saying here. It was a long winded speech about her culture, and that’s not what they expected. Everyone wanted to relax and chill and have a good time. Eboni’s night was fun and informative, but not the vibe they were going for.
Ramona says all of the women care about each other and these are her core friends. This is how she treats her “core” group of friends? With a BFF like Ramona, who needs an enemy? Is she even worth the hassle?
Eboni & Sonja link up to meet her matchmaker. Sonja truly deserves love. We see her get cut down by her friends, and it’s really affecting her self esteem. She needs someone who is going to love her for who she is and lift her up. Cutting her down at every turn is doing so much damage beneath the surface.
Eboni wants to have a good time with the other women. She doesn’t want to spend every moment with this group preaching to them. However, it has to get obnoxious when they constantly shut down important conversations.
It’s going to be a slow build with Eboni & Ramona at this point. When Ramona tries to shut down big conversation topics, it makes it difficult to bond with they other women. Hopefully the Salem trip goes off without a hitch.
It would also be nice if this trip isn’t dragged out the way the Hamptons one was. It felt like we were there for an eternity. A three day vacation was stretched across the majority of this season. It was highly unnecessary, and made the first half of this season somewhat of a snooze disappointment.
Sonja Morgan & Eboni link up with the matchmaker who will hopefully guide her to happiness again. They tell Sonja not to hold back so they can do whatever they can to help her through this. Sonja’s talking way too much about her ex husband during this process. Clearly that didn’t work out the first time, so maybe look for something different this time.
Sonja is trusting the process which should go a long way in helping her. She’s ready for marriage already, and she deserves everything she desires. This version of Sonja is a much sadder incarnation than we first met many years ago. It’s almost depressing to see the decline in her throughout the last decade.
Eboni fills Leah in about the matchmaking session, but it’s time for them to pack for Salem. Leah has a seance planned for the trip which will undoubtedly freak the f**k out of Ramona. Leah’s in full on spooky season mode and ready to make everything weird. I hope these ladies are ready for their freak flags to fly high.
Leah arranges for everyone to ride to Salem on a tour bus. If you’re going to Salem, you have to ride in style. Luann de Lesseps must be in her element right now. The Diva herself LIVES to embrace her inner superstar.
A few of the women look up vibrators on the bus, and they bond over that. Bershan in particular seems to be somewhat fun so far, but she’s been through so much in life. She defied the odds by beating a cancer that should’ve claimed her life after three months. That’s powerful s**t. No matter what, that can NEVER be taken away from her.
The women arrive in Salem and kick things off with a champagne toast. The hotel they’re staying at is allegedly haunted from a series of murders. Angry housewives mixed with scorned witches of the past is a combustible combination. Leah should brace herself for a trip filled with haunting drama. The vibe of the hotel is already setting the stage for an insane trip.
Luann is already feeling a lot of the witchy energy of the weekend. A witch that works for the hotel gives them a blessing that said something about ravens and flesh or something. It was a bit eerie, but I LIVE for that sort of s**t. Ramona won’t stop screaming about room service which is taking a way from the excitement of the trip. Literally shut your mouth and act like a grown woman.
Apparently the ghost of the hotel might grab their feet while they sleep. However, I’d be more concerned about one of them falling onto me in a drunken stupor. That feels more on brand for this group.
Leah is embracing her inner dominatrix for the leather and lace party. Honestly, they ALL look incredible from head to toe. Eboni is giving full on Catwoman vibes for this dinner, and it’s a total serve. Eboni knows how to turn out some looks this season. You have to give her that. Leah might try too hard half of the time, but Eboni is a natural showstopper.
The women are a bit jarred to learn they’re having dinner in a genuine tattoo shop. It’s a unique setting, but it screams typical Leah. It’s only a matter of time before Ramona has a meltdown and shuts it all down.
Sonja says she and Eboni bonded over genuine girl talk which is to prove that it’s not always heavy. This is a thinly veiled jab at Ramona and Luann, but it’s very telling. Ramona tries to shut it down, but Eboni is not giving up.
Eboni saying the group might be aligned with white supremacy is taking it a little far. This is a preexisting genuine group of friends, and they seem to be trying to get to know Eboni. However, it’s impossible to genuinely get to know Eboni. Every single conversation they have with her turns to this. It’s seemingly impossible for her to let loose and have a good time.
Luann throws Sonja under the bus for secretly agreeing with them about Eboni. Leah chimes in and talks about how she has been s**t on by most of the women before. Eboni won’t allow that to happen to herself. I get that. I really do. That’s not the issue anymore. They’ve heard Eboni out so many times, but it’s like she won’t trust them to be her friend.
Every single time they link up, she gives them some sort of life lesson. When will it be enough? Will it ever be enough? Nobody wants to sit through that when they’re expecting to be on a vacation having fun. She HAS to dial it back a bit.
Leah tells Ramona she’s what is wrong with the world. Thankfully Bershan speaks up and convinces Ramona to stay with the group. She also tells Eboni she comes across too preachy at times. Eboni respectfully disagrees with the approach Bershan is choosing to take with this group of white women.
White supremacy feels like too big of a term to use toward this group. I really don’t think it’s anything that serious at all. They just want to have a good time. I don’t align with Ramona politically, but I can’t comprehend why she’s getting attacked every episode. Have some drinks, get a tattoo, and let’s bond or something.
TELL US – DO THE WOMEN IN THIS GROUP SUPPORT WHITE SUPREMACY? TEAM RAMONA OR TEAM EBONI? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BERSHAN SO FAR? ARE YOU ENJOYING THIS SEASON OF REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
