Last night’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale was all about closure and new beginnings with the wedding of Lisa Vanderpump’s daughter Pandora being the centerpiece of the entire episode. While the wedding itself was financially jaw-dropping, emotionally uplifting and visually stunning (thanks to Kevin “Chi-Chi-Chi!” Lee), the latter part of the episode sort of played out more like a series finale and not a season finale for me.
The dénouement, which was clearly edited in after Russell Armstrong’s death, was somber and an eyesore within the entire episode. Was it needed? Yes… and no. Yes, because the fans wouldn’t have stopped yapping on the blogs and forums if Bravo didn’t acknowledge something about Russell Armstrong’s death. No, because it completely clashed with the festive atmosphere of the first 35 minutes of the show and reminded us of the behind the scenes tragedy that took a back seat to the show midseason on. Plus, the ‘final’ meeting with the Beverly Hills Housewives (sans Kim Richards) had a sort of ‘conclusiveness’ to it that transcended the mood of a typical season finale, entering a “farewell for good” atmosphere. Then there are the recent rumors and gossip about Bravo looking to replace some of these women, namely Taylor Armstrong and Kim Richards for obvious reasons, which didn’t make my weary viewing of the episode any better.
So while Pandora’s wedding showcased everything we love about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (the slick one-liners, the over the top parties/gatherings, the banter between the Housewives and their equally interesting husbands), it quickly became an after-thought for me after I saw the three-week epilogue. The ending seemed like the end of an era for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which I (and several others) feel helped reinvigorate the franchise by injecting it with a shot of light-hearted fun. It’s sad that the show has become a sort of shadow of itself, and it will be even more sad if those rumored casting changes actually do take place.
The reunion is next week and we all know that Kim Richards will not be in attendance, meaning Taylor’s issues could get a lot more screen time. However, Lisa VanderPump’s and Adrienne Maloof’s little ‘feud’ will also be brought to light, which I am dreading more than Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice’s fallout in this past season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I just hope the basis for their tiff is more than that “You didn’t use my venue for your party!” issue Adrienne had earlier in the season. If it really is the catalyst for their argument, then consider me done with the situation as if it never happened.
So what did you guys think about the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale? Am I overreacting?
