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A Gaslighting We Will Go

 

The episode was all about Sutton. It starts with continuing her conversation with Kyle and Crystal about race that was brought up by Kyle reflecting on what she said about Garcelle. Crystal asks her, “Are you that girl? The girl who says, ‘I don’t see race.’” Sutton says that she is, that she doesn’t see color, and she treats everyone equally. Sutton also says that the word “racist” is a virus, probably worse than COVID. Crystal libsplains to Sutton that “I don’t see color” is a bad thing and quite frankly, just very passe’. Huh? You see, Sutton saying she doesn’t see color minimizes the struggles that people of color in this country endure.

 

Crystal then pulls from what she learned in acting class and tearfully tells us how her father was once harassed at a gas station in California for no particular reason. Were blacks harassing Asians back then? Self-righteous and completely worn out Crystal decides to shut down the conversation with the two evil White women, and uses the ol’ lib cop out, “Let’s just agree to disagree”. Kyle and Sutton appease her, and they all decide to go to bed.

 

For some unexplained reason, Kathy crawls into Kyle’s bed, and then right out of a classic I Love Lucy episode, cracks open a Red Bull and begins consuming noisy snacks while Kyle lays next to her covering her ears with her pillow and writhing in agony. Kathy is so dimwitted, that she thinks Red Bull is just a soft drink. But Kathy’s hilarious comedy doesn’t end there; the next morning, she sleeps until noon and then wakes up and puts ear drops into her eyes.

 

 

The ladies all stumble out of bed and gather in the kitchen for breakfast, and we are reminded that this was filmed late Summer as the conversation turns to the 2020 election. They all pretend to be fans of Biden and Harris, and apparently aware of the widespread election fraud are all convinced they have it sewn up Rinna brags about being fired TWICE by Donald Trump, and then minimizes his Presidency by proclaiming that she still can’t believe a “reality TV star” became POTUS.

 

 

Lisa has planned a day of train biking pedaling at some dumb Tahoe tourist attraction, but sleep deprived Kathy can’t be budged and decides to take a pass. Before they all leave, Glutton (for punishment) Sutton wants to continue the uncomfortable conversation with Crystal. Sutton apologizes for getting emotional the night before, but also wants an apology from Crystal (for insinuating that she’s racist), so Crystal offers a half baked apology (just to shut her up). Suttom proclaims that she’s not a “hugger”, but Crystal says “Well I am”, and then grabs her aggressively for an awkward hug.

 

Everyone (including Kathy) goes out to dinner to a gorgeous Tahoe eatery that looks like something you would find in the Swiss Alps, but because of Covid restrictions, they are split into three tables so far apart that they can barely hear each other talk, but of course that can be a good thing when you put eight catty women together. Case in point, Dorit decides that racism is good dinner table conversation. Apparently haven gotten wind of Crystal and Sutton’s awkward conversation, she proclaims that she’s never heard of southerners being called racist before, obviously referring to Sutton. But then (knowing damn well that she’s from Georgia as well), Dorit uses Erika as an example of superior wokeness, thus insinuating the worst about Sutton. Dorit’s subtle shade does not escape Sutton, and I am sensing that we are about to have another “You’ve had your fun, let the mouse go!” moment.

 

 

Meanwhile at the other end of the table(s), prankster Kathy decides that she and Dorit are going to “bottoms up” a whole martini, but what the table(s) don’t know is that Kathy is really drinking two glasses of water (in martini glasses with olives) and the women would pretend to chug five shots at once. However, unbeknownst to Kathy, Dorit is pranking the prankster by texting Erika and Rinna that she would do another round and they would all bottoms up too (Kathy thinks they’re drinking actual martinis). Confused? It really doesn’t matter, because the poorly executed and edited scene is really all about excluding gaslighting Sutton and watching her reaction. Again, the insinuation is that Sutton is a buzzkill because she will not chug down martinis. We are then reminded (in flashback) that Sutton was a total wet blanket earlier that day at the train bike pedaling (she’s terrified of heights, and things that go fast). Now to make matters worse, she’s paranoid that something is going on at the table without her. Poor Sutton, it’s got be rough; being called a racist, a wet blanket, and paranoid all in one day!

 

On the way home in the limo, Crystal (who figured out the prank), tries to get Sutton’s attention by kicking her in the shin. She doesn’t want Sutton to tell Kathy and spoil Dorit’s prank. After telling us that the kick in the shin “really hurt” (and with those twigs for legs I don’t doubt it!), Sutton tells Crystal  Kung Foo that she doesn’t like being left out of a joke and feels like the women were texting about her at the dinner table. Her friend, Garcelle, asks the other women if they were, and they say no, and now Sutton is REALLY at her breaking point.

 

 

Sutton storms out of the limo, and as the other women exit their limo, they immediately see that Sutton is having a meltdown. “What’s wrong now?” Kyle asks, and Sutton responds, “I don’t want to talk about it!”. Well of course, that is their cue to all chime in and coddle her. But Crystal has had enough. The episode ends as we hear Crystal talking on the phone to some (real) friend, telling her that she is “very concerned about Sutton’s mental state”. Mission Gaslight complete.

 

Maybe there is something to this “second season” curse thing, because this season, Sutton surely is the target. Nevertheless, Shannon Beador has some serious competition, because Sutton Stratton is giving her a run for her money in the “on the verge of a nervous breakdown” department.