We’re still not mentally recovered from last week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and after this week, things are only getting worse.
When we last left off, Shamea and Porsha descended into the pits of hell with back-and-forth accusations about each other’s mothers. Since then, Porsha has been dropping even more claims online, and it’s getting grosser and grosser by the minute.
These women are at war, there are no signs of things letting up, and in The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17 Episode 15, “Waking the Dead,” their mess continued to cast a dark shadow over the entire group.
What Happened in The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17 Episode 15?
Phaedra’s Traitors-inspired birthday trip to Scotland came to its conclusion, and the vibes were not positive in any way, shape, or form. Shamea and Porsha’s toxic dynamic had already put a damper on things. Then, Phaedra made matters worse by dragging half the cast to a cemetery and spearheading dinner conversations about death. Between the existential dread and the Shamea of it all, Episode 15 was full of tears and unfortunately, devoid of fun.
Shamea crashed the club after her fight with Porsha
What do you do when you’re all the way in Scotland, and you’ve just accused your former best friend’s mom of trying to sleep with your dad? You cry it out, and then you get your ass to the club.
Episode 15 kicked off with Shamea and Kelli decompressing from the dinner dustup before immediately switching gears to link up with the rest of the ladies at a nightclub. They’re in Scotland for Phaedra’s birthday, and by no means were they about to let their fabulous tartan outfits go to waste.
When Shamea and Kelli waltzed into the club, Porsha turned around and immediately hightailed it straight for the nearest exit. Understandable. What was harder to understand was how quickly the rest of the cast followed her out the door. They were like a flock of ducklings trailing behind their mother goose.
Phaedra, Cynthia, Drew, and Angela all scattered behind Porsha, putting on full display just how much power she holds over these women. It also shows how deep a hole Shamea has dug herself into, but she’s refusing to let them ice her out.
The morning after the mess
The next morning, Phaedra knew good and well that a full day together as one group wasn’t going to work. She decided to split them up, pulling Shamea, Cynthia, and Kelli for a trip to a well-known Scottish cemetery. Allegedly, it inspired J.K. Rowling’s writing. Meanwhile, Porsha led the rest of the ladies for a “spa” experience. That turned out to be a lukewarm hot tub in the backyard of the property. Needless to say, neither option sounded particularly fun.
On the way to the cemetery, Shamea apologized to Phaedra for derailing the dinner the night before. That was the first of what would become approximately three dozen apologies over the course of this episode.
Shamea also tried to reiterate that Porsha brought up the drama between their moms first. Her anger has been festering. She wanted the ladies to know that she’s coming from a place of hurt, not pettiness.
It’s Shamea’s truth, but it’s an uphill battle to get anyone to understand. These ladies are extremely loyal to Porsha, and Shamea doesn’t have the best track record with any of these women.
Back at the property, Porsha gave her side of the story. And she’s not taking the high road so much as the high-and-mighty road. Every chance she got, she delivered a fresh sermon about Shamea’s character and intentions behind their feud. At one point, she theorized that Shamea “hates” her. She told her sister Lauren that Shamea might be attempting to pull a “destiny swap” on her. If you don’t know what that means, Google it so we can roll our eyes together.
Whatever side you’re on, one thing is undeniable: this friendship has reached a point of no return. There’s no way in hell they’re going to resolve this in Scotland.
Death and dying at the dinner table
Shamea and Porsha spent the entire day successfully avoiding each other, all the way through Phaedra’s birthday dinner, which took place inside a library on the property. It was a stunning setting for what would become another emotionally-charged meal.
At dinner, Porsha got back on her soapbox to gush to the group about how close she and Phaedra are. Several of the ladies clocked that this felt less like a genuine depiction of their friendship and more like a pointed message to Shamea. She wanted Shamea to know: you’ve been replaced.
The high point of the evening came when Porsha presented Phaedra with an official proclamation, bestowing her with a Highland title. She is now the Lady of the Glen, so go ahead and add that to her ever-growing list of titles. She’s a mortician, a lawyer, a Reiki master, and now, the Lady of the Glen.
After that, things took a much darker turn. Phaedra started recapping their cemetery visit and slipped into a conversation about death. She’s at ease with the topic. Most people are not.
Phaedra’s morbid dinner conversation prompted K. Michelle to open up about how she nearly died on the operating table during one of the many reconstructive surgeries on her derriere. Drew and Angela, both having recently lost parents, were visibly rattled by the death conversation and had to step away from the table to cry it out. Porsha went with them, which gave Shamea a brief window to address the group.
Did anything get resolved between Porsha and Shamea?
With Porsha away from the dinner table, Shamea used the quick moment to apologize for the toxic energy she helped create. At this point, everyone is a bit exhausted by her apologies, but they’d probably be even saltier if she said nothing.
“I hate to make people feel like they’ve got to choose or pick a side,” Shamea told the rest of the women, reiterating that their feud had been “festering for a long time.”
Then Porsha came back, and Shamea closed her mouth. Just like that, the conversation was over. It felt like when a strict teacher walked into a classroom, and all of her students suddenly got quiet.
As predicted, nothing between Shamea and Porsha got resolved during the final stretch of this trip. Nonetheless, they toasted to Phaedra’s birthday, bagpipers played, Scottish dancers sent them off, and the Traitors-inspired trip came to its end.
When they get back to Atlanta, Shamea is going to have to figure out how to claw her way back into this group’s good graces. Because right now, she’s stranded on an island with Kelli, and neither of them has much ground left to stand on.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta continues on Bravo every Sunday at 8/7c and streams the following day on Peacock.
TELL US — WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA SEASON 17 EPISODE 15? ARE YOU TEAM SHAMEA, TEAM PORSHA, OR ARE YOU ROOTING FOR NEITHER OF THEM?
