The finale of Real Housewives of Orange County was last week. It was…odd. On the whole, the season was good in that the women opened up their actual lives on camera. Emily Simpson showed us the anxieties of having a loved one in the hospital with COVID. Gina Kirschenheiter showed us the aftermath of domestic violence and divorce. Kelly Dodd was an all-out idiot and Shannon Beador was exhausting (some things don’t change). Elizabeth Lyn Vargas brought nothing to the table (not even Vince Neil) until she revealed she was raised in a religious cult. And Braunwyn Windham-Burke broke her back carrying the season with the chaos that is her life.
There was no attempt made in the finale to depict these women as actual friends outside the show. The season ended abruptly on the beach with the fakest toast ever seen on a Housewives series. It was super apparent that these women are united only in their mutual disdain for Braunwyn. There is no need to reiterate that she is going through major life changes. Whether it’s all true or for camera time doesn’t even bother me because she’s imploding her own life, not her fellow cast members’. Regardless, her cast mates think everything she’s doing is for likes and camera time. But I think in one case they’re deflecting from their own ignorance.
