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Valter is Disengaging (RHOSLC S1 Pt. 1) · Mention It All Again

• Blake: Welcome back listener or viewer or both welcome back to another episode of mention it all again pod featuring me this time I almost wasn't able to make it but I said I can't I can't keep Having Casey go out there and have to steal the show to steal the show which she did last episode was very good. I enjoyed watching it ⁓ But welcome back everyone. I am Blake. I am here with my dazzling showstealer co-host Casey. Casey: Hey guys, or maybe I shouldn't say guys. ⁓ God, do have to edit that? that? Hey, hey everybody. Blake: feel like it's not 2020 anymore. It's fine. Hey, male audience members! Casey: Love y'all, y'all. Blake: Yeah, I actually started, like I have a traumatizing story from when I was a freshman in college. I used to be, ⁓ I can't believe I'm saying this. I used to be the president of my hall council, like my dorm council. ⁓ And I would run the meetings and there was one position that was supposed to be the inclusion chair or something. And it was actually my friend too. But at the time, I don't think we were friends. ⁓ almost like kind of enemies. Mm-mm. ⁓ It's whatever. We don't have to get into the lore. But anyway, I would like address the crowd, the council as like, guys, on today's agenda and the inclusion chair, my friend, at one meeting, when it became his agenda point, he was like, so I just think it's really important for everyone to use inclusive language and maybe say, y'all or you all. I think certain words like guys, little bit like, it's a little bit exclusive and it was obviously about me because like that was my, that's the only word I ever said was guys. Hey guys! And I literally was so traumatized. I was like, ⁓ my God, have I been making people uncomfortable? So I started saying y'all and Casey: It was your tagline at the council. Yeah, you were. Blake: I was, evidently so, I was. And I was impeached and removed, just kidding. ⁓ But I started saying y'all and then like years later now everyone will be like, you're not even from the South, why do you say y'all? And I'm like, can I win? Can I have one thing? Casey: Well, I was just gonna say like, y'all and I've defaulted to that because I know that that's best, but it does make me feel a little like I'm stealing it. Yeah, like I'm not Southern like that. Like, do I need to say it with a twang? Yeah. Do I say it regular? I don't know. Blake: Yeah, performative. Co-opting. It really is a big issue for people specifically who were from the East Coast because I said it in California and never was an issue but then when I moved to the East Coast, one of my friends who's from Rhode Island, and I can get into that, she has some tea by the way about Rory, but she was like, what the fuck? If you said that in Rhode Island, people would hit you with their car. And I was like, god damn it. Should I go back to guys? Casey: Wait, hit you with your car, Alicia would hit you with her car. Whoa. And your friend was the woman that Alicia hit with her car. Blake: ⁓ wait, it's adding up. Maybe. Alicia gets paid to hit people with her car. Because I know that pizza restaurant doesn't make that much money, girl. I see you. Was it good? Mama pizza? Was it? Casey: Wait, that'd be an awesome job. Wait, my friend just went there and said it was good. And he went to the coffee shop to the Jared and Ashley's. Mama coffee. Hala Heather's coffee shop. Blake: Mama coffee? That's not a thing. ⁓ What's ⁓ Hey mama, coffee. What's Ashley's coffee shop called? Casey: I think it's Audrey's. It's somebody's name, but I think it's Audrey's. Blake: that they're like child or something? I don't know. I'm glad that they patronized that business. seems like it really needs it. ⁓ So happy for them. But you, speaking of Rhode Island, tell us what you were up to this weekend. Casey: I wish I could say. Yeah, I went to a little Bravo night at Fenway Park in Boston, ⁓ where the Real Housewives of Rhode Island were. And side note, you just said it sort of, you said like Rory, but people at the event were calling it Rory. And I was kind of like, I don't know if I liked calling it that, like in sentences, like that made me feel a little, like let's just like, let's say it in the full sentence when we're at like an event, like let's be classy, you know, but. Blake: ⁓ yeah, I- I don't like either. Yeah, Rhode Island. Yeah. Casey: Regardless. ⁓ And all of the women were there, all of their husbands and partners were there. So everyone was stepping out. ⁓ They all are beautiful, which I feel like I said this when I was there, but every housewife that I've met, my initial... thought is always, wow, they are just as, if not more beautiful than they look on screen. Like all the housewives are really stunning ladies. You gotta give it to them. ⁓ And the Rory are no different. ⁓ And they were really sweet and kind. They were getting mobbed by fans, because they were kind of just mingling. There was this little pregame with them before the game. I mean, it was a lot of people, but they were out and about, just kind of taking selfies, talking to people. The husbands were taking videos of them. Blake: They're like basking in that like brand new like Bravo Dump Bravo stardom or whatever like they're probably like give me every single sip of that shit like I I don't blame them Casey: answered like a couple of panel questions. For sure. They seemed like a little overwhelmed, but in like a positive way. it definitely was like local, local love was out for them. Like people from Rhode Island were definitely showing out and people in Boston. Cause like, I guess that's kind of fun. Like you're getting your first housewives city. Like of course the people are going to show out. Like those are, those are your local girls. I like wasn't a viewer at the time that Potomac started, even though I was growing up in Maryland. ⁓ Blake: Yeah. Yeah. Casey: So I wasn't like a part of that wave. I wonder if there was a little pop, but it is fun. So I imagine like I just moved away from there, but I still went and had a good time. Blake: Yeah, I mean, what ⁓ tea did you leave with? You gave me like a little drop of tea from that whole situation. Casey: I know, which is funny after we're like, are not that podcast that's gonna be spreading. But like, this is like an Easter egg. Like it's only for our true listeners. Like we're not gonna like market this. Like it's gonna be on the low. Blake: You It's right... If it gets picked up on page 6 though, I won't be mad. Casey: If you see it on some of our Ops pages, it originated. But Kelsey, you know, cause on the show as like, as of what we've seen so far, she has the two men. She has the man whose house she stays in and lives in that like has other women and doesn't want to settle down. And then she has the new guy that she introduced like in the last and like the second, third episode that was wearing like that vest at the Studio 54 party. Blake: Know where it started. Yeah. Casey: Second guy was at the event first guy is apparently out of the picture completely so looks like love triangle Polygamy is over now, and she is a one man lady Blake: I But I wonder if she's going to reignite the polyamory of it all and find another rich man who can give her that lifestyle and who also doesn't want to commit to her. Or if she's like, fine, I'll just be monogamous, mono-amorous. I don't know if that's a thing, but. Casey: I don't think that's, I don't think it's mono, I think it's just monogamous. Or maybe it could be mono amorous. Right, we're accepting of anything that's still being defined and brewing, even if we're making it up on the spot, welcome. But yeah, it was a good time. ⁓ It was nice to like see them. I always love a meet and greet. Like I'm a little ⁓ whore for a meet and greet. Like I will be taking a pic, so you know I'm out there. Blake: invented a new word right on this podcast. You heard it here first. You We welcome fake words. I mean, it's gonna be harder once their season starts picking up even more so. You got, you had to do it. But speaking of iconic newbies, y'all might remember that the women of Salt Lake City used to be the most iconic newbies on the scene. And I know people keep bringing up, as in like one person mentioned this in my comments once, that they were like, you know, actually Dubai was the most recent new. Casey: Right. You know I had to do it. Blake: ⁓ Housewives, but Guys, I'm sorry like it wasn't like it was but it wasn't Salt Lake City to me is like the last like Yeah Yeah, and I remember when they first came on the scene, which is what we're gonna talk about today but like it felt like the same like they're just like these literal normal people who were plucked out of some random fucking town and then Casey: Most recent successful housewives. Blake: You start to see though, like how they're gonna end up being like stars and it's really interesting. And that will segue perfectly into us getting into Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season one. We're gonna go through episodes one through eight. It's the first half of the season. Next episode we'll do the back half. With that being said, shall we play the taglines? Casey: Mm-hmm. Let's do Blake: I have to hand it to them. think that like Salt Lake City has like in Modern Housewives has been keeping up the tradition of like a real like solid campy tagline because they've been pretty bad across franchises for a while. It's like rare to get a stacked cast of like mostly really good taglines. Obviously like Heather's it like makes sense for her, but it's not it's not like Casey: You Blake: clever or like iconic and Meredith is straight up stolen from like a Twitter meme or something like Casey: Right. Right, I was gonna say like, and like, not even like a Twitter meme, like from like an iFunny meme, like from like a meme from like ancient times, yeah, like not even like... Blake: Yeah, from a while ago. I'm like, what was the thought process behind picking that, especially for her, but also like, Casey: Dude, it was probably Flop Brooks who chose it for her. I actually can't even stand him. But I literally have photos of myself that were on my iPod Touch, like with those sunglasses that have like the bars across them. With that is the caption, like jealousy is a disease. I probably wouldn't have bitch. I'd probably have like bitch start out or like bitch. But like, ⁓ my God. So like that. Blake: I It's been around. Casey: I might go so far as to say I think Meredith is the worst of the group. Blake: It is because it's literally like you said, that is straight up like, that's, I almost said perjury, it's not perjury, plagiarism. That's what it is. That's plagiarism and perjury, which is illegal when you're going to jail, Meredith. But I did have this thought just right out the gate. feel like normally when you start a new TV show, you're like, ⁓ my God, all of them looked so young. Casey: Yes. And perjury. And it's theft. Blake: I feel like whenever I start Housewives, like, they all looked way older than they do now. It's like the complete opposite because as they see themselves on TV and they start to see like their style and then maybe they get like a stylist and then they like do their hair differently and they get some work done. And then it's like, ⁓ wait, you look like five years old now and you looked your actual age when you started the show. Casey: Right. Blake: So was like really funny to like not have that thought of like, wow, you look fetal. It's like, ⁓ you look, this was very true for Karen Huger, by the way. I was like, she shaved like 20 years off of her face. It's crazy. Casey: You Oh yeah, the housewife effect is real. it really, you gotta step your pussy up to be on this network, mama. Like you see it for everybody. Like they come in, no matter what, even if they come in looking fab, they're gonna get more fab. Like you can't stay static or else you're gonna be fired. Like that's just. Blake: It's hard. It's hard. ⁓ absolutely. I just feel like you, it's impossible to see your, like obviously if you're on this show, like you're somewhat image conscious, like to a degree, you know, like at least you care about what you look like. And if you're seeing yourself episode after episode from every single angle, like I don't know how you don't get like some level of body dysmorphia. Like you start wanting to like, ⁓ like, do you see how my chin at that angle looks a little like sharp? want it like, you know what I mean? Like you just start looking for anything to like, Casey: Right. Blake: Like I would go, it would be crazy. It would actually be crazy. I don't blame them. Casey: ⁓ definitely. And with the way that fans talk about the Housewives too, like it is so impossible for viewers to be happy with the way these women look. It's either like, ew, ugly, hideous, back rolls, get off my screen, ugly lady. And then they get work done and it's like, ew, so much work done. I can't take this. She looks so fake. She's on Ozempic. Like, ugh, I- We'll say this a million times over, I'm gonna look right into the camera. Leave those women alone. If you are a viewer and you are commenting on these ladies' bodies in a negative way, get outta here. We don't even have enough viewers for me to be saying that, but I mean it. Get the hell outta here. Blake: Nobody can win. You might have just changed one person's trajectory of how they speak about housewives and that's all that really would matter. If it's one person who stops talking, who starts body-shaming a housewife, I think this podcast, then we can probably stop, actually. We can probably stop recording. Casey: I honestly would feel fulfilled about that because when I used to be on Twitter, I would shout that into the void every single day, but on Twitter, it's just, it's a dark space. But yes, the women have a lot of expectation on them. So totally makes sense that we see them doll up more. And again, all of them are the most beautiful women I've seen in my entire life. So it's not like they ever needed to do anything. I'm sure they looked just as beautiful season one if I had met. Blake: cesspool... cesspool... anyway Yeah. Casey: them then, like the Rhode Island house was. back to the point. Blake: Yeah, exactly. So we start off with the opening scene being Jen Shaw in her ski chalet, her Shaw Ski, Shaw Ski Chalet, which y'all might remember is actually rented. It's huge. It's, yeah, ridiculous. I mean, just shocking. She's like, her whole thing this season is like, I feel so alone. Sharif's never home. I'm like, get a small house and get like a dog. Casey: It is, it's massive. It's like, it's a stunning home, yeah. Right? Blake: ⁓ But like I was flushed with chills when I first saw Jen and like in her like the first iteration of Jen Shaw like nothing has been done yet like nothing that we know of has happened yet Crime is occurring behind the scenes. We don't know about it. And it's just like she had such a presence She had such a presence. She she burned so close to the Sun, but she had such a presence She's explaining herself like you know they like they they're like opening package or talking about themselves and so she's Tongan Which is Pacific Islander, but she says in Utah I'm black try which you know makes sense because everyone in Utah is like white with blonde hair So they don't really they don't know their ass from their hand. What's that that phrase? They don't know their ass from their Something doesn't matter you get my point Casey: Yeah, it's not like I do, but it's not coming to mind to help you out. Apologies. Blake: It's fine. I probably have never said it before. think that just was something I wanted to say. ⁓ But there is this one scene that I thought was very fascinating. She's like her older son is like going to med school and her younger son is like young like going into high school or something. And she is like trying to tell her son to like not date yet and like not have sex and stuff. And she literally says if you kiss a girl, you know, you could get AIDS. I was like, and her son who's going into medical school is right next to her and doesn't even say anything. I'm like, this is extremely alarming to say to a child. And it's so not true. Casey: Well, they clearly are not taking her seriously. So at least we know that like it isn't getting digested by the the sun in a way that he's like, ⁓ OK. But literally in the first five minutes of the pilot of this show, they're she's laying out this line. They really edited that right on him. But it's so funny the way that she delivers it. She's like, have you ever kissed a girl? You could contract herpes. Blake: I would hope not. Casey: probably AIDS, and the whole family's like, whoa, whoa. Blake: Like that's far. That's very far. But ⁓ Casey: And that's like perfect to show Jen's character of the exaggerations, the jumps, the dramatics. Exactly. Blake: the grandeur, like the lack of filter, ⁓ you know, big mouth. And then we go to Heather at Beastly Lab in Taser. And I really forgot like how much of a Bethany type of jaw that she had and like how she and Bethany, and the thing is like, I know Bethany, her thing was that she just ended up getting Botox in her jaw because she had a really tight like, ⁓ masseter muscles or whatever. ⁓ With Heather, like, I just, it's such a transformation of the jaw. don't know. I don't really have much to say other than I really did not realize that she was like working with them chompers. ⁓ Casey: Yeah, she does look a little different. Also, like I said, I don't like to dwell too much on the physical, but one thing I noticed about Heather that I found, which I guess they didn't know if it was gonna be picked up when they filmed the first part of the pilot or most of the pilot season, but like... Her roots are so not fixed up. Like, you were filming a television show. You didn't want to go get your hair done. Like, it's just a little, ⁓ You know, like, you gotta show up to the job interview prepared. Like, you can't. Blake: But I think that that is like, I think all of this to say like, it's a perfect introduction to Heather because she starts like, I think she really, like being on the show was like therapy for her in a lot of ways, which we'll get into down the road, but like clearly she was just at a very like insecure broken place at first. And I think that really shows with like the fact that now she like really like. feels very confident about the way she looks and like steps out. And I think she like didn't even really like know that that was something she cared about or like wanted to put more effort into. Casey: Yeah, it is like you almost forget how far she's come with like the Heather that we have now. Like we all know like that she came from like full Mormon to like, you know, the version of herself and the version of her faith that she lives in now. But it is crazy to watch because like the big thing in this first half of the season and when we, presumably in the second half too when we get to that, but. Blake: Yeah. Casey: is like her talking about her Mormon identity and where she fits in with that these days, which isn't so on the same page. And she has like a line right in like her initial intro where she's talking about how she doesn't fit with Mormon expectations if we want to roll that. Mm-hmm. Blake: Oh my god, yes, yes, yes. Casey: The editing is so shady. First of all, for leaving this in there and putting it her initial intro a couple of minutes, like, shady. And the crash noises when it says, like, rap, black men, homosexuals, it's like, boooo. Blake: ⁓ Heather. Because they knew that was gonna be like, ⁓ we gotta yep, we gotta put that in but it's like Casey: Well, they clearly wanted to like hype up that like, ⁓ we have a Mormon, we have Mormon women on the show and like look at them like deviating from the norm, like especially in this first season, which I think we stray from once production probably realized that this wasn't a super Mormon group of women. Like that's why we end up getting the Mormon wives show that we get on Hulu. But like, I think that's why it's included. Like they clearly are ramping up Heather's package to like lead us to like, ⁓ she's having this huge religious. Blake: Yeah. Casey: you know, conundrum, which she is, but production definitely wanted that to be a selling point because that's what people think of when they think of Utah and like Salt Lake City. Blake: Yeah. And it's also not wrong. it sounds like the delivery is crazy of what she's saying, but like, they do talk about how the Mormon church didn't accept black people until like the 70s or 80s or something. Obviously they don't accept homosexuals. ⁓ So I mean, it sounds like crazy for her to be saying this, but also it's like, true. Like, she's not like really saying anything like crazy or out of line. Casey: Right. Blake: then we- Casey: Right, it's just like the image of a white woman going rap music, black men. It's like, wait, where are we going with, wait, where are we going with this one? But. Blake: Yeah, black men, homosexuals. It's like, yeah. Then we move on to Meredith's intro scene and immediately, so I mean, y'all probably don't remember, but her first rented house of the show ever, so hideous. It looks like a community rec center. It's like maroon red on the outside. It's like this weird modern, Casey: So it's busted. It does. Blake: like jagged exterior ⁓ and I don't it's it's just so soulless and lifeless and the inside is too ⁓ and that was really that was my first thought is just like There's no... You guys rent a new house every single year for filming and I feel like I've never liked a single one that they've rented. I don't know. Casey: This one is particularly bad. I feel like this has to be the worst one. You're right. That's like the perfect description is the community rec center. It like reminds me where like my like church when I was younger used to have like youth group like in like this like little dingy building on the side of the church. Like, ⁓ and it like fits the state of the Marx family in this season. I mean, even the intro is like very confusing. Like they clearly don't. Blake: This is the worst one. Yeah Casey: live there full time, like Meredith spends a lot of time in New York, Seth's job is in Ohio throughout the season, so it's a little bit like, ⁓ yeah, that's why they have a rental, because they don't live here, like they're literally just in this home for filming. ⁓ And I hate listening them talk, like their whole family dialogue is so like AI generated, and they're all so like... Blake: Yeah. They don't live here. And that's why Casey: zanned out like when they're talking. Like I like literally can't stand the Marks family scenes. Like I like almost wanted to skip it, but I didn't. Blake: It's like the opposite of ASMR where it like grates at you to hear like the vocal fry emanating from every corner of the room. And also I don't understand why Brooks is taking a semester off of college. ⁓ I think it was obviously to film, right? I think like a big like attraction to her family was like, we're gonna get like this like the first, I don't know if he's the first, but like maybe like the first one we're trying to push, like gay son that can like have that gay son relationship with like his mom. ⁓ But he just unfortunately did not deliver in my opinion. ⁓ We'll get further into that. But yeah, I don't, it's unclear to me like why they ever moved to Salt Lake City. Casey: Yeah. Blake: I think it's implied that it's because Seth probably had business there at one point and that they just stayed. I don't believe that. ⁓ And I don't know why they stayed. And I feel like I really, really strongly feel like it was because they got like wind that there was going to be this show and then they were like kind of involved in it and they were like, okay, I guess we have to stay here. But I guarantee you like she doesn't get cast on the show and She's living in New York the last six years. that's like, it's like she has one boutique store and they say in this intro season or intro like package, it's only busy December through March. So there's no reason that you can't open it somewhere else. You know what I mean? Like there's other places. Casey: For sure. Right, it's strange and to be like fighting with your husband about like wanting to live somewhere and like it's not even somewhere that you have like a home in like you have a rental like why are you fighting so hard to stay in this place that you basically have no more roots than anywhere else like just move along. It's so strange. Again, I just find them strange. Their whole family is strange. I have respect for Meredith because I have respect for all the Salt Lake City Housewives and what they've brought to us, but I really, really, really dislike Seth and Brooks and I just, hate that she brings them to my screen because I really don't like them. Blake: Right. I agree. mean, Seth gets away with a lot of creepy shit and Brooks will get into, ⁓ least pertaining to this season, why I started off like not being impressed by like the quote unquote like first gay son confessional, you know, gay son that they're pushing as like a character. You could have had it all, girl. You could have had it all. That's like, that's a sweet gig. Casey: 100%. Blake: and we'll get into it, there's a reason. then we go to Lisa, Lisa Barlow. She is like running through her house, yelling into everyone's room about something, presumably like waking everyone up for school or something. Speaking of strange houses, and I think she's been in the same house every single year, her house is literally always just this like sanitized, bright white, one giant room. I've never seen Casey: Yeah. Blake: I mean, we see a hallway, like a ⁓ whisper of a hallway in this opening, and then never again. All of their scenes are in the same kind of one big room, and it's white, there's barely any decorations. It kind of reminds me of ⁓ Kim Kardashian's house. I don't know if she still lives there, but the one that Kanye designed that's literally just concrete, like concrete furniture, like a concrete, I don't know. It's just, it's like. Casey: Yeah. ⁓ Lisa would like that comparison, but yeah, I guess there's nothing that comes to mind when I think of her house. I did notice on this rewatch when she's going in to wake up the children, mother of the year, ⁓ in the small Barlow's room, he has this big poster above his bed that says, hustle, verb, and then the definition just says, the most important word ever. And then she goes to the tall Barlow's room and he has grit. Blake: You Casey: noun and I don't know what it said underneath it but both of them they're matching and they're huge and it's the only decoration you see in their room which also looks like you just described a large white room with these big posters and they are they're hustling at the Barlow home. Blake: You You know that like required reading like I think before like they would go to sleep like she'd read them like instead of reading like bedtime stories it would be like those like hustle and grind Instagram quotes where it's like it's like the person who succeeds in life is the one who always picks up their phone or something stupid like that and it's like did someone ever actually say that is this this studied is there evidence like all right okay Casey: Yeah. Yeah. No. And wherever she'd be reading them from is probably where Meredith got jealousy as a disease bitch. Get well soon for her tagline. So they must be sharing Instagram posts. Blake: To which I say get well soon Yeah, ⁓ I also Lisa explains how she ended up becoming Mormon which was interesting because I don't remember this at all But apparently like her mom just had like growing up her mom just had this like real love of God even though She's like culturally Jewish. I don't know like if she was I don't know like when she stopped practicing Judaism but like her mom just loved God and then like a Mormon missionary opened the door one day and she was like, ⁓ my God, I've been praying for you, yes. And that's just how it happened. So I think that kind of explains a lot of like why her relationship to Mormonism seems very, I opt into this, I opt out of that. Like it's kind of whatever she wants it to be because I don't even think she like her family had a real like strong reason to even join it in the first place. It was just the first person who said like, Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Blake: God to them was like, all right, whatever you're selling, I'm buying. Casey: Which is literally what she says about it. She's like, we like had room for God in our hearts and we were just waiting for someone to come tell us like which way to go. And then the Mormon missionary showed up and we were like, yay. So yeah, not a lot of like choice going on there for sure. Well, she even says like we're Mormon by choice. Blake: Mm-hmm. Thank you. Casey: Jewish culturally, but it's not even really choice. were just, whoever came along first got the Barlow's and the religion scramble. But then they kind of moved to like her and her family in the car and you get your first dose of like the Lisa Barlow-isms of going to Taco Bell and Wendy's and getting her diet coke and. Blake: Yeah. Casey: That's one of the first things that I found so endearing about her because that's how I live my life. Like I eat out for every single meal. I love a sody, like I love a soda, a crisp fountain soda from a drive-through. Nothing quite like it. So I do really relate to her in this initial package, probably the most. Blake: I... I... I can't actually because I think that was the reason I started immediately disliking her. ⁓ I won't hide it. really have... She's been like one of the housewives I've like strongly, strongly disliked from like the very beginning. And I think it's because all of this seems like she for sure a hundred percent like does go to fast food restaurants and does eat this way. but it's also put on. I'm this relatable, quirky woman. I'm a business woman. I don't care to make food for my kids. And it's fine. I don't have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is turning it into this branding and this, my funny little line about Taco Bell or my funny little line about Wendy's. I just feel like it's so clear that she is trying to be relatable. And I think that that's, it's not. Casey: Yeah. Blake: Like Heather is relatable in a very authentic way a lot of the time. Lisa to me it's like you're actually like such a not relatable person but then like with certain things you try so hard to be like, ⁓ like I just hate cooking. I need to go out to talk about and it was just immediately like, like, okay, we got it girl. And I knew there were going to be people who would love that and would be like, ⁓ my God, so quirky and relatable and not to come for you. But a lot of the like discourse online about her and like a lot of the like things that people will like talk about and be like, she's so funny. Like this was so funny. Like, and then it gets beaten to death, like something she said. And I'm just like, this is, it's really like really not that funny, but whatever. I, I, I'm not going to go on. ⁓ one thing is that in the package she mentioned like, she's like, ⁓ you probably heard of our tequila brands and then she lists Vita and then she lists like five other ones. And it's like, no one's ever heard of any of those. And I, Casey: Yeah. Blake: I still haven't seen Vita on any shelves, I'll put it that way. Still haven't, six years down the road. Allegedly that glass shortage that she mentioned is ongoing. Maybe the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is exacerbating that situation. ⁓ anyway, so that's our introduction to Lisa. And then we move on to Jen talking about planning this like very... Casey: Hey now. Blake: lavish extravagant party for well allegedly for Meredith's birthday ⁓ and it's clearly not it's just an excuse to throw a very lavish party but it's funny that she like pretended Casey: Yeah, I mean, she says like, she says, and it's really also for me, like she says that in her confessionals. So like, she obviously knows that like she's putting on this production, not like really for Meredith. Meredith knows it too. Like Meredith's like, I know that this is just something that we're doing because she wants to have a party. ⁓ So like the pilot doesn't like follow a super like. linear progression like they first start going like it seems like they're going woman by woman but then they start like interweaving in lunches and like this type of planning for Meredith's party so like you know that that's coming at like the end of the episode it's like a longer a longer pilot they they pack a lot in there and then kind of like spread out some of like the filler content I feel like after the pilot but they they go to like Heather and Jen talking about the birthday party and then we go back to Whitney and her opening scene rather than just like a like, hi, I'm Whitney, like come around my house is straight into a valve renewal ceremony with her and Justin. They're celebrating their 10 year anniversary. And she's basically like goes right into saying that the reason why they're doing the valve renewal is because when they first met, it was like kind of scandalous because they were both cheating on their spouses and they worked together. So it was like a big deal, especially in a Mormon community. So that wedding was like super rushed and she says she was wearing her high school prom dress to her first wedding. So like, yeah, low key, this is a valid valvrnule to me because like, yeah, if you were wearing your high school prom dress to your first one, go ahead and redo it. And she's 30, like she's doing her valvrnule at age 30. Like, yeah, go ahead sister. While you have a frontal lobe, let's redo it, yeah. Blake: Right. You get to do a redo. Right. And also, like, I don't think that this is, like, this doesn't fall into the whole, like, Housewives Val renewal curse because it's the very first episode. So, like, I think that you have to, like, we have to see your marriage, like, slowly or quickly, like, spiral out of control. We have to see, like, the thread become undone. and then see you try to like bring it back with a vow renewal before that curse can apply. And clearly they're still together. So she escapes that very smart girl, glad you did it, glad you did it first episode. And after their ceremony, we jump straight into like the after party, which involves Whitney doing her famous pole dancing, which... Casey: for sure. She's pole dancing for the guests in front of the children, in front of the guests, in front of her dad. Like I just, I love her so bad. Like you could not make me hate Miss Girl. Blake: That is your like number one girl, is it not? Like housewives. Casey: I would say, I mean, definitely in my top. I would say Miss Countess Luanne is my number one girl, but Whitney is probably like my number two girl, my number three girl. I love her down. Blake: True, true, true. You have a note, they always play this weird stock music for Whitney. Is it the like, okay, there's this transition music that's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Casey: Yes, yes, it's that exact one and they always use it for Whitney. Like it gives that like Whitney being crazy meme like wow Whitney's such a party girl like every scene she could just be like folding laundry and the music is like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ⁓ Blake: Yeah, it's like... You It's so, like, so not the vibe. It has nothing to do with anything that's going on. It sounds like we're in the middle of the desert or something. Like, I don't know why. It's really strange. And I think it's always... Casey: It is like a little bit like tribal like it's Blake: I was gonna say like it does not at all, cause they do manage to get their like churchy sounds in, but then they have this like, yeah yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. And it's like, I mean like I've never been to a choir that does that, maybe it is choiry, but it does not sound like it. And I don't know why they target Whitney cause it's like, okay that's like not party girl music. Casey: No. Yeah Well, and speaking of sounds while we're talking about it, there's this other sound that they use in like a couple episodes later, but it goes like, party every day, party, party every day. And they use that sound across all franchises. And I immediately am like, I know this one because it's... in a scene where Kelly Dodd and Shannon Bedor dropping it low to the ground and I'm like, god, I'm like a loser. Like the way I'm picking up on these like two second stock sounds in Housewives. I know this one. Blake: Hahaha No, that's like pretty... You're like, I know this song, it's one of my favorites. Yes, turn it up. All right, so yeah, we get like another kind of cut to Jen driving around with Stuart, with Stu, which again, it's so wild to watch them like be like the Bonnie and Clyde. that the, why am I like? Casey: I know the lines. Yeah. Blake: Okay, Bonnie and Clyde, it's so wild to see them drive around and be that, knowing that they are literally partners in crime. Like, actually partners in crime. they're like, the way she's introducing Stu is like, he's my right-hand man, he's my number one assistant, he knows everything, he knows where the bodies are buried, which did come back to bite her. That came back to bite her. ⁓ Casey: You you Blake: But yeah, it's like, it's just crazy to like watch them like watch Jen be introduced with this like lavish lifestyle. And I could only think like everything that you own is paid for by granny's last social security check. Like that is fricking wild to me. Casey: Right, do you think at this point, everything she owns is being, like is she that deep in the scam at this point? She is to have like everything they have right now? Blake: Yes. Yeah, at this point, at this point, the FBI was already investigating her. Like this had been going on for years before the show had even started. So that's why they get her next year because it's like already a very, like the investigation has been ongoing. Like they have a lot of information, but they probably needed like a little bit longer. But yeah, no, at this point, like it's a lot of it is granny's, granny's pennies. ⁓ Casey: Okay. Wait, and this is funny because you have you had this in your notes and I had so what I had in my notes was it's the way Lisa and Meredith don't look alike at all. And you have in your notes the way I could never tell them apart. Like I always thought they were the same. Blake: Another I really couldn't I really couldn't and I like didn't I thought that was just me like Genuinely, and then people like started talking about it on Twitter and I was like, okay Cuz that was like that was difficult for me and it's I realized it's literally because they have their hair color is the same Their their hair like isn't always done the same of course But like it's the hair color is the same and they both do their eyebrows like thick and like straight in the same way and I think that Like that changes very quickly, but like they genuinely like and they introduce themselves as like each other's twin and like how their best friends or whatever I mean it was like an issue for like five episodes which honestly like I usually have a problem like for the first couple episodes like being able to like Like what when I first meet housewives like who the hell is that like Rhode Island? I like really made an effort because I was like if I don't Casey: Yeah, they do say that people tell them they look alike, but I don't- I'd never had that issue watching, but- Yeah. Blake: It's gonna it's gonna fuck me down the road if I don't figure this out now Yeah, and they all that like leathery tan skin well and Kelsey and Rosie ⁓ Are very similar looking too like they have that like young kind of like I don't know just like young vibrant woman look But anyway, I did have that problem Casey: Yeah, and they all have like they're all brunette like they all look relatively similar, yeah Yeah. Blake: ⁓ and then this is when the women start talking about, well, the women ask Lisa, like Jen and Meredith ask Lisa about ⁓ Heather and how Heather was saying, I've known Lisa for 20 years. We knew each other in college and Lisa literally was like, I don't remember her. ⁓ I did hear that she was like the honor code what girl? Where she's flashing her boobs. ⁓ I guess to like the BYU school children, well the college kids. Casey: Yeah, she says like, yeah, I guess right after being like, I don't remember her at all. I didn't know her. She's like, actually, I remember her being the woohoo fun girl. Like, OK, like, God forbid Heather wants to have a good time. Like, Lisa wants to put a fun girl down. Blake: Right, but then Heather's whole thing is like Heather's whole thing is like I went to BYU like I literally would have been like kicked out of the school if I ever did that so it's like a weird like lie to like promote especially also because you say you don't know her but like see now this is like it's it happens very quickly but we're starting to see the little bread crumbs the little trail of evidence of that's building up of why I have never liked Lisa Barlow because she is duplicitous. She is dismissive. She does like to do these underhanded little things that like imply that she's better than other people. But then she also likes to do this like, I'm just a relatable like every woman like I'm so normal and fun and everyone loves me. But then she's also like Casey: ⁓ but I don't feel like she does that. Like I don't feel like her like brand is normal every woman. Yeah. Blake: She did it more at the beginning. She did it more at the beginning. Well, not like normal every woman in terms of like, she wears sweatpants and is like chill, but it's like, she wants to have it both ways. Like she wants to be someone that is like universally loved, but then she also like clearly is like a narcissist who is just like, well, you know what? You know what? You'll all see the truth. We'll get to it. Casey: I think she's got bigger issues than that, but. Blake: Well, yes, but we don't have all day, do we? Casey: Next, obviously, like literally we've spent this long just talking about the first episode, but honestly, like most of the action is packed into here, at least like the setup, but the introduction that we get then to our last housewife that hasn't gotten her intro yet is Mary Cosby. And we get her intro at a lunch with Whitney and people forget like the... The North, the North being me, remembers, but the people forget that Mary and Whitney were very good weather in season one. Like they are good friends. They are going to events together. They're meeting up. They're debriefing together. ⁓ There's always like this like random like beef of Mary calling her young. But other than that, they're really, they're on really good terms in this season. ⁓ So they're out to lunch and that's kind of how they launched Mary to us. ⁓ And Mary and Whitney. Blake: Yeah. Casey: start going over the step-grandfather of it all. ⁓ And Mary's like, you know, like I thought it was weird at first too, like, but we settled in and you know, people will get over it. They'll digest it, like figure it out. She's like, this is what it is now. So nothing can be done. Blake: you Yeah. And also, lest we forget that that's literally why the show started is because of that whole situation with Mary, so I think everyone has to be little bit grateful for that. Casey: Yeah. Blake: This ⁓ how we start the show off. This is the first beef of the show. ⁓ Is... I don't know. Would prefer to call it Hospital Gate or Smell Gate? Casey: I think Hospital Gate is a little more chic, but Smellgate has a little bit more impact. Blake: Yeah, I think that's well, it doesn't really matter but we get to hospital gate slash smell gate and ⁓ basically Jen's aunt had to go to the hospital and get both of her legs amputated and then she went to hang out with Mary and some other lady and Said it smells like hospital in here. Jen didn't hear it. The other lady told Jen that Mary said it and then I guess that really triggered Jen because she was like, that's so insensitive. My aunt is getting both of her legs cut off. Like, how could you say that? And that is, that is where we are going into the party just to like set the stage. Like Jen is pissed off. But then, so the party comes around and, ⁓ Casey: They haven't spoken about Mary saying it smells like hospital until this party. Like the event happened where the hospital smells in the air, but they hadn't discussed it. But they hadn't discussed it yet. ⁓ So they sit down and they start talking about it. And like, honestly. Blake: Excuse me, it's a little warm in here. Casey: justice for Mary, I feel like in this situation, because first of all, how is she supposed to know that a double amputation was happening? Like, what are the odds of that being the reason you were at the hospital? Like, not high. Blake: Right, well I guess that Jen's whole thing was that she knew like what was happening to her aunt and was just being insensitive about like the situation as a whole. I mean if she didn't know then like how could you even be mad at her? Casey: It's like mildly insensitive at worst, like it's not that big of a deal, but Jen is just... Blake: Right, but I think the crazier part of the whole thing is really that the reason Mary said it smells like hospital in here is because she allegedly has this like real like fear of hospitals and that smell makes her very sick because she underwent an elective surgery to get her odor glands removed and apparently was in the hospital for a whole month and so that's why she has this like trauma related to the hospital which How do you casually just drop that? And no one really like goes in on that. No one asks her like, what do mean you got your odor glands removed? I didn't know that was like a thing you could do and why, and how does that even happen? Like how does that work? How do you remove someone's odor glands? I don't know. That's why she has such a visceral reaction to it. ⁓ Casey: Yeah, but they fight about this for like at least three more episodes. So there's really all that much more said here. They don't resolve it and Jen walks away ⁓ super, super mad, which is kind of how all of their talks about it will end. ⁓ It doesn't go well. Blake: Yeah, Mary does have a funny line though in her confessional about Jen's aunt that I'll play. Casey: which is like, ⁓ my God. Blake: It does speak to, I think, everyone's curiosity about the situation. So thank you for asking those questions, Mary. ⁓ Moving along. So yeah, we don't end with any sort of resolve there. ⁓ But Lisa does end up snubbing Heather at the party, which just further creates this feeling that Lisa has a problem with Heather. That's just context for the future. Casey: Right, and Heather, Heather like finds out from Jen like all that Lisa said about her. So they're having beef over this like honor code, whatever. And Lisa's mad, who knows? It just seems that she's more so just like pretending that they don't have a relationship. So Heather's annoyed by the ignoring her and all that. And then she finds out about the making fun of her in college or not even making fun, but like. seems to be lying about her in college, but calling her like a good time girl and all that stuff. ⁓ And then, yeah, I mean, I think this is something that I noticed like watching like a lot of these initial EPs end up being just kind of what we would call filler scenes, like maybe because it's like the first season they're not because we don't know them. But it's a lot of just like everybody at their homes with their families or like with their colleagues or like whoever like. Blake: You Yeah. Casey: It's not a lot of group scenes. Like we get a group scene every like little bit here. So like we go back into like everybody's inner lives. And one of the more important things that we find out in like the next couple EPs is that Meredith and Seth are currently separated. ⁓ And we get like a bunch of 10 scenes of them throughout this season. But there's one where like they're talking about being separated and Seth is like. clearly agitated with Meredith. He's like, why are you always on your phone? Like when we're together, like I don't get to see you all that much, you know, cause he's in Ohio or whatever. And he like wants to go through her phone or just like the idea of going through her phone he brings up and she doesn't want him to. Like she's like, I don't understand why you would need to do that. Like that's weird. So they're like clearly not in a good place, but they're not super like they're open about it, but just as much as they have to be like, they're not giving any insight into like what like fully led them to be here beyond that they like. Blake: Yeah. Casey: don't see each other that much. And like it's all this weird tension that you see on screen but you're not like 100 % sure like, okay, Meredith, why aren't you showing him your phone? Blake: Yeah. And it really, if you had not seen the rest of the show, it seems like they're gonna get divorced. There's those deep issues. They've been together for decades. They've been through a lot. Obviously, they've had to move several times. I think Meredith is just, I think she's just over it, especially because, I don't know, at first I was so like, What do they have in common? And I still kind of feel that way. Like I don't necessarily I've never seen like a scene with the two of them where I'm like, ⁓ there it is Like it's they're so different. But yeah, it's very clear Like it's it's like hard to watch honestly Casey: No, it's literally hard to watch. Again, everything about their family I find hard to watch. But it's important and that's like a big scene or a big storyline for her throughout this season. ⁓ I'm not even like super interested in this drama between Heather and Lisa, but we get like a dinner scene where they are, it's just continually them. arguing over the same like you're dismissive of me Why'd you call me like a good time girl when I wasn't Lisa like isn't in the mood to argue with her? and Heather like sends her a Message while they're texting and it's a thumbs up like just a thumbs up emoji And this is a point of contention Lisa's like this is a clear like a few Blake: Yeah. It's fu- it- it- it is. Like, it is. In that context, it for sure is. ⁓ but it's funny that, like, Lisa is deflecting- like, whenever you come after Lisa, this is another huge flaw of hers, ⁓ to put it mildly. But whenever you, like, go after Lisa, it's like, she- Casey: It is. Blake: It's like, you misinterpreted that, like that's not my intention and like you're just always looking for a reason with me and like it's all deflected back on you and like you're making it all up and you're being unreasonable, blah. But then it's like Heather sends her a thumbs up and she like is trying to crucify Heather for that when Heather's like that wasn't my intention and she's like no that was, like that was so evil of you and it's like you, like Lisa is such, such a hypocrite and it was just so obvious from the very beginning. ⁓ was much harder. was just, it was very difficult for me to not immediately see her and just be like, you're so fucking annoying. Like, especially cause I really did like Heather at the beginning. Like the first couple of seasons, I was a Heather stan and I just felt like Lisa was being so unfair to her. ⁓ But that's like their issue. That's their drama. It's kind of like ridiculous. Casey: Yeah, it's dumb. Again, you kind of have to like, at least I do when I watch an initial season, especially one like this that came about in the modern era of Housewives. They also all know at this point the formula of being on Housewives. You need to have some feuds going on, you need to have some drama, you gotta have something and you wanna have the upper hand in it. So this could also just be Lisa getting an early, like, let me kinda launch this little feud in, beginning of the show, put myself as above her, kind of make myself look like the cooler, more baddie housewife. ⁓ So maybe that's what it is, who knows? Blake: Yeah. Or she's just a horrible person. Casey: It is, it's like strange and it's dumb. ⁓ Another... Blake: But I do think that there is one truth to like, I mean, Lisa does say like, you know, Heather, you're triggered by me and you have to figure that out. And typically I would say that's just, again, her being dismissive and rude and like thinking that she's hot shit that everyone wants a piece of, but Heather is. like desperate for validation from everyone at the beginning and that's like part of her journey. So like that part is very true. It's very clear that like the fact that Lisa could so easily say like, don't know who that lady is, makes her feel like so small. And I think that's why something like this is such a big issue between them and continues to be as we go down the road. Casey: Yeah, and like again, I am exhausted by this. I like some of this, I have to be honest, like, cause I love Salt Lake and like it's one of my absolute favorites. I love every season of it. I love every episode. I remember season one being a little bit more interesting than it is I feel like on this rewatch. Blake: You look exhausted by this. I've always thought season one was like, think that if we're ranking, like three is obviously like the worst. But I've always thought one was kind of, was, when it came out, it was like, ⁓ these women are interesting. But like the season itself was mid and I think a lot of its midness comes from the second half. So we don't have to get into it now. But I agree with you and listener, like Casey said earlier, like, We're on, we just moved on to episode three, but like it's about to be an hour into this episode and a lot of our conversation has been episode one because they really do stack so much exposition into the first episode and then our notes like going down like for the rest, it's like maybe like 10 bullet points for each episode or less because A lot of it is just like family scenes or like driving in the car. ⁓ and lest we forget also a big part of this season too was talking about Whitney's fucking dad and his opioid addiction, which is sad, but like honestly not the vibe. ⁓ I don't not to ⁓ characterize opioid addiction as not the vibe, but like just for this show and especially not knowing Whitney and to come out the gate with this like very deep, dark, depressing and time consuming storyline. Casey: Yeah, it's a lot. Blake: ⁓ I skipped all those scenes, I'm not gonna lie. I couldn't bear to see Ghislaine Maxwell on my screen with his roadkill hair. I mean, it was... Like, ⁓ yeah, I forgot. That's a huge fucking reason. Anyway, ⁓ Casey: Right, but I think let's, like we said, even the stuff that like is important, like almost isn't, like I'm looking at certain things and I'm like, but you could skip over this completely and it wouldn't affect what you know about this season. And everything that you kind of need to know about the season is in that pilot. They really talk on like a lot of the dynamics, a lot of the issues that we're gonna see. I mean, the main conflict in this season is Marion. Blake: Yeah. Casey: Jen, so like we get that right out the gate. ⁓ But I think since, yeah, of course, but where they would have benefited, I think, is more group scenes, because it's almost like we get like to like around like episode four for our next group scene, like that's like an actual like everybody there, like party, like event, not like a lunch with like a few of them. ⁓ We get to like. Blake: Yeah. Well, it does get worse. Yeah. Casey: an actual party here and like these women are best when they're together and I think they figured that out like in like the newer seasons but here I don't think they fully caught on to that yet but since we've spent so much time like breaking stuff down I want to make sure we go to like the main main stuff so let's jump to Whitney's 1920s party Blake: Yeah, that's very true. Well, we do need to give one piece of context about some of the drama that goes down at the 1920s party. And it's basically that Jen goes over to Meredith's house and she's supposed to have like a girls night with Meredith, but Meredith's children are there, Brooks and Chloe, and Jen is doing high kicks. I honestly forgot why. She's demoing, like kicking her legs up in the air and she's going, Grindr, Grindr, Grindr. I don't know what that even means. Is that supposed to be like the sex app? ⁓ Like, it does not look like this, like it doesn't look like Brooks can see, but allegedly Brooks saw Jen's vagina because she wasn't wearing panties while kicking her legs up and like he makes this huge fuss, he's like a huge prude about it, he and Chloe like leave the house, and then like that, then basically like Brooks makes ⁓ Jen cancel this like sleepover that Meredith was gonna have with Jen and then that's context going into the 1920s party. because Jen is pissed off at Meredith, and then also knows that Meredith went to Whitney's church. So Jen thinks that Meredith is taking Mary's side in their beef. It's this- Casey: Yeah, mean, the bulk of it is that she's mad at her is not, is that she feels like Meredith is staying friends with Mary and Jen feels like that's not being a true friend to her. And she like really feels like her and Meredith are close friends. So it's like, she thinks that they're on like a different level than. that someone would treat her like to do this. ⁓ But yeah, that's the issue at hand. The hospital issue with Mary and Jen is still hanging in the air. ⁓ Right before the party, Jen had just found out that Meredith went to Mary's church. So that's a big issue for her. She's like, why is she going? Like Whitney's going because she has this thing going on with her dad, but I don't understand why you're going. ⁓ And yeah, pretty quickly, like, Blake: Galain Maxwell. Casey: Jen shows up, says she's already off 10 drinks. So Jen shows up drunk. Whitney's pretty drunk. Everyone else is getting drunk. But we waste no time and we get right into an iconic scene for both Jen and Meredith's lines. But I think let's play their interaction at the party. Blake: I love how Meredith was like, I think I'm disengaging, I'm not engaging. Like she like reworded it in case you didn't understand at first what she was saying. But yeah, so she immediately goes up to her, up to Meredith and starts basically like, I mean she's drunk, Jen's loud, she's screaming at Meredith. Meredith is like, why does it matter who I'm friends with? And Jen, it matters to her I guess. And then that's, yeah, she screams. You fucked your grandma, whatever, grandpa. Sorry. And... And this is the first episode where, because basically what happens is Jen storms out. She's like, I'm going home. I'm not gonna be here anymore. And she's crying and really angry and whatever. And she goes outside and... Casey: you That would be another one. Blake: Literally, Heather tries to chase her down and she's screaming, shouting, shrieking. I've never seen... It's the definition of crashing out and it's over this. So that's how you know Jen is ultimately going to be kind of a problem on the show because if she can't regulate her emotions to not be at a 10 all the time, that's not going to work for the rest of the show. Casey: care. And this kind of immediately gives like what the dynamic is between Heather and Jen because Heather like you think any normal friend would be like this is like kind of insane person behavior like at a point you'd probably get annoyed maybe mad probably definitely mad like Heather is chasing her around this parking lot she's calling her husband for her getting her in a car calming her down going back in and making like a case for her to everybody else like Blake: Yeah. Casey: It's actually ridiculous. It is like stand up Heather. Obviously she has some insecurities going on and they're reflected in this friendship stronger than anything else we see coming from Heather, honestly. This is a lot. And you don't know it at this point, but we know it now looking back on it. Come on. Blake: Heather was in. I mean, Heather was in an abusive friendship. Like she was like, it's because she saw Jen is so cool and rich and like had everything and just this like bombastic personality. And she like thought it was cool that Jen would even give her the time of day and like want to hang out with her. So I think that's why she always ended up going to clean up her mess or like to be there for her because she was so afraid of like losing that. mean. Casey: Yeah. Blake: that's like not even really that crazy of like an analysis because she fucking let herself get punched in the face by this woman and didn't tell anyone for a year so your next note is I love Mary House need to smoke there because I think this is the first time we this is the first time we get like a we get to go inside behind behind the the the gated fence or whatever behind the doors and Casey: Right. I would love to smoke at Mary House. Yeah. Blake: It is shocking to say the least. It's an acid trip in there. And there's... Casey: It's a cl- Lisa's visiting and she describes it as very eclectic and not exactly what you'd expect based on her style like you'd probably expect it to be a little bit more like classy like designer elegant and then it's a little bit more like ⁓ It almost like it makes sense why her and Bronwyn get along in later seasons based on their houses because it is like it's like colorful like she has like funky furniture She has a lot of like cool bags and shoes all over the place ⁓ Bright colors like bright color floors and wallpapers. So like it's there's a lot going on Blake: Mmm. Okay, she has a green carpet and it's like, I don't even know what color green. It's like a sea foam, like bluish green algae color. It doesn't look right. It doesn't look right. And also we find out that ⁓ Mary's great aunt's daughter's cousin or something is like her housekeeper. And she says this like crazy line. She's like, I like have no idea what goes on in her life. We're not close. I only know about what she does for me. But at end of the day, we're family. And I was like, that's weird. Like that's deeply strange. Casey: It's so, it's so weird. like casually dropped in a scene. Like, yeah, that's my aunt that works for me. Like I know literally nothing about her next scene. Like, and that's what I mean of like some of this editing and like some of this like weaving of storylines are a little like, ⁓ my God, okay, where are we going right now? Like, you know, like Mary's employing her aunt. ⁓ now we're going to Mary's like next event. We're moving on from the employed relative. Like, ⁓ Blake: Where are we going with this? Yeah, guy. ⁓ So we have that going into the iconic ⁓ Met ⁓ Lungin? ⁓ Not cohesive theme at all, but iconic, very iconic. ⁓ Casey: Right, she really just meant like dress up. It's more so the trend that's been around this past year of wear something in your closet you have nowhere else to wear, party. That's basically what they're doing at this lunch. She just meant wear something fun and fashionable. ⁓ Even Heather says, she's like, this theme doesn't even make any sense because the Met Gala changes its theme every year. like. Blake: Yeah. Casey: A Met Gala themed luncheon is what theme? Like, we don't know. We're not sure. But Mary likes to do things classly and she's making sure the event is up to her standards. We're not always sure what those standards are, but they are up to her own code of conduct. And one of the things that she wants to really make sure we have at the luncheon, which is a very popular clip from our Salt Lake City girlies, is the Dom Perignon. Blake: Right. Casey: 2003. Lisa's face. Blake: I like how Lisa was like, she was like, should I smile or be mortified? Casey: She is kind of funny in these scenes. ⁓ But yeah, obviously that's funny. And also another thing to note about the decor, Heather mentions this, there are live beta fish on the tables as centerpieces. They have fish in vases swimming around. There are these toy soldier men escorting them inside on a red carpet walk up. It's absurd. It's actually like, it's everything. Blake: Yeah, ⁓ It's yeah, it's definitely like I I think that like Mary's brain is like a kaleidoscope like I feel like that's how she sees the world and like nothing makes sense. Nothing is consistent, but it's always gaudy and extravagant and ⁓ It's definitely a memorable luncheon for that reason, but it's also ⁓ it doesn't that I think that her point of it was to bring everyone together and you know, that whenever a housewife says that she wants to bring the women together to like make everyone make peace that is quite the opposite of what's about to happen and basically that's what we have here Casey: man, I feel like Mary's the only person that reacts to Jen Shaw in like a normal way like is like Processing the bullshit. She's spewing like the women at this point are so like under this like Shaw spell ⁓ they are literally like Yeah, like that makes total sense like valid experience for Jen to have this upbringing in Utah. I'm sure that she did get a lot of shit for being a mixed race person in a very white Mormon area, but. That also isn't any reason that you act the way that she acts in public. Like she's she's she's making a big reach here to be like guys like I get so because she's talking about what she's specifically apologizing for is actually to Meredith. It has nothing to do with Mary. I mean she is like trying to relate to Mary but she's not apologizing to Mary. She's apologizing to Meredith and she's like saying like the reason why I started screaming and yelling and you know cursing is because I care about you so much and the reason why I don't know how to express that and why I Blake: No, that's true. Yeah. Casey: I have a I'm more sensitive to like a betrayal is because of these experiences that I had so like it is a fully like It feels a little bit like Well, yes, I'm sure that all those things are true But that really has nothing to do with the way that you act it you like the way that you act it It's nothing to do with the way an adult acts like Blake: It's not acceptable and I think it's funny because... Casey: It's just not acceptable, especially these are grown adult women. Like I wouldn't take that from somebody my age if they acted like that to me in public, let alone, I can't imagine I have the patience for it when I'm in my 40s, 50s, 60s. Blake: Right. Right, especially when you're married to your step-grandfather and someone screams it at you in public. It's like, girl, I- shh. Like, it's already embarrassing enough! Casey: So I think Mary is just kind of like, I can't take this seriously because I was the one that got like really thoroughly insulted. Like, yes, you yelled at Meredith, but you were speaking about me, screaming about me in public at a party on camera. So Mary's number one annoyed that the apology is not directed also towards her. And then on top of that, Jen's like, you know, Mary, us black girls in Utah, like, okay. Okay. Blake: Yeah. Yeah. It's like, like, you've- Casey: Okay, no, you for sure had an experience too, but don't look at her and be like, us too. Blake: Yeah, you know how it is. ⁓ And yeah, basically it just devolves between them because basically Jen says something like, you know, that's why I, she's like, you know, I don't think people would say the things I say or whatever. then Mary's like, no one would say this stuff you say, sweetheart. And then Jen's like, don't blink your eyes at me. Don't open your eyes at me. ⁓ And, Casey: Mm-hmm. Blake: Basically, ⁓ it just devolves into well then Jen also drops this like bomb where it's like she's saying that Mary like is racist towards ⁓ black people or like says like she's she like has this like internalized racism because if she sees she said made this comment if she sees a black people in front of a 7-eleven she goes to a different 7-eleven so that also adds fuel to this fire Casey: Right, and there's this undercurrent of throughout it, Mary says a couple things to Jen. She says, ⁓ don't get ghetto with me, and you're a hoodlum, ⁓ and something else that Jen particularly takes offense to. So she says something in her confessional of like. I try not to use these words because they carry connotations around them usually about people of color, like usually black people. So like she has this agenda on her brain clearly of like Mary isn't super thoughtful. ⁓ And like, so she's kind of already forming this idea, but then she does bring up at the end of the lunch, like. Yeah, Mary, guess, made a comment about not feeling safe outside of a 7-Eleven. If there's black men outside specifically, like that crew specifically makes her feel unsafe. And she like, and Mary's confessional, she's like, I have a thing about hospitals and convenience stores. I just don't feel safe around them. Blake: Here's the thing ultimately though. It's like it's like to your point like We're dealing with two people who are like not I think a hundred percent like well adjusted ⁓ and so it's like there are like I feel like it's like ping-pong where it's like you you like ping the ball to one end and it's like you're acting crazy like that's unacceptable and then you ping the ball back to like the other person it's like ⁓ now you're acting crazy that's unacceptable because Casey: Right. Blake: Yes, it's insane for Jen to try to act like, ⁓ like, it's kind of like giving Ramona when she's like, I was abused as a child and Bethany goes, you're 60 years old. Like, for Jen to be like, the reason I like screamed at you, Meredith, and lost my shit and like became like a fucking catastrophe is because I like had a tough upbringing. And but then it's also insane for Mary to say the stuff that she's saying about like, you know. Casey: Yeah. Blake: black people in front of a 7-Eleven and like generally Casey: Yeah. Which that isn't said, like that was said off camera. Like we didn't get to see that. But that's what Jen starts referring to towards the end of the conversation, ⁓ which again is totally like pivoting this to somewhere it didn't need to be. Like none of this had anything to do. I mean, OK, lots of most of life has things to do with race. You know what I mean? This specific argument didn't like this argument between Mary Jen and Blake: It was set off camera. Yeah. Casey: Meredith was about Jen being an absolute spaz freak Anger issue ball of a woman like that has nothing to do with what any of them look like it was actually just about Jen having issues Blake: Right. Well, it's giving when a friend is mad at you and then they'll just like to like bolster their case, they'll bring up something that they didn't have an issue with two months ago, but they're like, and then it also kind of bothered me and it's like now it seems like, ⁓ you're like really a shitty person because I have other things that I don't like about you too, but it's like, no, that's just strategic on your part. Like that's not. Casey: ⁓ my god. Right. Blake: I feel like that's what Jen was doing here was like and then also Mary like you have things that you said that you don't want me to bring out about you and it's just it honestly like like now I'm exhausted It felt very much like she just like, you know what, let me go in on you, Mary. ⁓ So ⁓ it's And then we do get this like funny, ⁓ comedic relief kind of element. I'll play the clip. Casey: It's it's somehow Lisa's sorry Walter in the background Blake: You Sorry, sorry, Valter. No, for me, it's Jen being like, you're not the only one who knows Valter. I know Valter too. the whole... And Arturo. Arturo. ⁓ No, yeah, anyway, so we literally just end the luncheon with... I think everyone is chill with each other now except for Jen and Mary. ⁓ Casey: and Arturo, whoever that is. Blake: I mean Heather and Lisa are like never really chill, but... Casey: Yeah, for the most part there's still some like lingering tension, but for the most part everybody's fine. The only like big active feud is Jen and Mary. There's like a little bit of like lingering Lisa Whitney. There's a little bit of like Meredith. I wouldn't even say Meredith Jen. She like forgives her really quickly and easily after this. Blake: Yeah, they move on. I do have to say that like I remembered when I was rewatching this like a lot of like Several cast members were asked by like Andy Cohen and like other like Bravo podcasters and whatever like Are you afraid of Jen Shaw? And I think that really like they're like looking back at it's like I get why people were Asking them that question because like you said she acts so crazy and everyone is able to move on from it It does kind of give like where where's your boundary with this lady? have ⁓ Justin's birthday ⁓ Whitney says like is a whole thing every single year they have a party bus and they go to their friend's house and they just ball out and they like ⁓ they're like that are they're just scattering around it's like a whole freaking ⁓ Casey: ⁓ yeah, they're getting down on the party bus. ⁓ And one thing that I was thinking of, because there's this undercurrent of, it doesn't get a lot of traction, but Lisa accuses Whitney and Justin of being swingers earlier on in the season. And it just made me think, wow, Whitney and Justin have really successfully pivoted away from their initial torrid, scandalous affair. They really don't carry a lot of that. air around them. Like, low-key people be forgetting that. Like, they've really, they did a good PR job. I know, like, they've done a good PR spin on their relationship because, like, we know it, but, like, you wouldn't, like, it's not the first thing that comes into your head, which it would be for anybody else. So good for them. Blake: I about that. No. But I also have to say, like, it is funny how whenever there are new young housewives, ⁓ they're, like, with Joellen on Rhode Island, like, there's, like, the swinger allegations or whatever, it's, so funny because it's, I feel like I never hear people talking about swinging unless it's on housewives and unless it's, in... what? Casey: Wait, it's so funny that you say that because I have a different experience. My hometown when I was growing up, our viewers were like, Loki the pod is wrapping up here and we're taking a sidebar into Casey's hometown swinger community. But growing up, my hometown where I grew up, there is a swinger community and one of them was this guy that my parents were in business with and he would bring the couple that he most frequently swang with. Blake: Sway. Casey: He would bring the couple that he that he swang around with into the the restaurant and like people knew about it I think they're there's still a swinging Trio like to this day, so it's a real thing But Joellen says on Rhode Island that it's like a common thing in Rhode Island So I feel like it's where like rich people like rich bored people are Blake: I mean, I love that. It's, I, it- I mean, I... Yeah. Bored. Rich, bored. I feel like you're suburban, whatever. Like, it's for sure a real thing. It's just funny. It's like... It's like... It has been weaponized specifically on Real Housewives in a very similar way several times. It's like... And no one has really copped to it. No one who's been accused of it. at least to my memory has ever actually been a swinger but also okay but you probably have three Sims and stuff I think Joelle and such she has like three Sims and stuff it's like okay Casey: has openly been like, yeah, I'm a swinger. She said they had one, yeah, which like, right. It's like the, where's, where do people, people can like call it whatever they want and be like, no, I'm not technically a swinger, but yes, me and my husband are hooking up with people every night. Like, okay, like, so yeah, I agree. It's like, whatever. Blake: Right. Right. Right. ⁓ Where we off, Mary and Jen ⁓ at Justin's birthday have a very tepid, like, let's move on from this, whatever, but they both don't... They're like not friends anymore, but like... ⁓ my god! ⁓ Yeah! ⁓ Casey: Jen won't admit that she said, you fucked your grandfather at the party. She won't admit to talking about Mary at that scene with Meredith at the 1920s party, which is just insane. You obviously said it, you screamed it multiple times in multiple different ways. It's on camera. So many people witnessed it. You gotta at least fact check, have someone fact check you. Call Heather and be like, hey, what did I actually say before I go talk to Mary? Blake: Right. Right. Well, cause her whole thing was like, I'm, you I was drunk. don't remember everything I said. Okay. But if I woke up the next morning, knowing that I got into it at a party, I probably would text my friend like, what happened? Like, what did I say? What was going on? Casey: not even a producer you're close with that you can say, hey, what, what did we capture? What did I spit out there last night? Like, there's no way to check that before you go talk to Mary. Like, people piss me off with that on Housewives, like when they say they didn't do something that like we're clearly gonna end up seeing. Like, what did you think was gonna? Blake: Right. It's... yeah. Like, you're just gonna wait until it comes out and then have to address it and be like, I guess I did. It's like, yeah, we all knew that. Like you- Casey: It's the same thing with certain housewives when they have a storyline and they're like, this is so private, I can't believe you would like share that with someone and it's on camera, like you're filming it. Blake: That's one of my biggest pet peeves when they're like, I told you that in confidence. It's like, please be so fucking for real. I know most of this is like fake, like whatever, but, but let's, let's not pretend that we were, the audience was born yesterday. Right? Like it's anyway, so that's where we leave off. ⁓ we will get into the second half next week. ⁓ the second half is even fucking like more dis, incoherent and like, Casey: Right? Like at least have some continuity. I agree. Blake: discombobulated because this is when Mary starts to like live in her closet, ⁓ which yeah, I mean, we'll get into it. I will say like, I've always been of the mindset that season one was like, it was a good debut because they're all very interesting, but the actual season, very like mid. Compared to what they've given us. Casey: Right, it is a good debut, like objectively, especially like in the context of this isn't like an OG Housewives 2, like that's a hard thing to do. It's a good season, but yeah, I like was surprised. I think in my mind, like I just think of Salt Lake as being so amazing and so good and delivering all the time, which like they are, they even are in season one, but just it being slightly a step down from the other seasons has me sitting there like, ⁓ Why am I watching so much of the Marx family in their house? Like, ⁓ my god. ⁓ my god, next. ⁓ like actually get Brooks out of my face. Blake: Yeah. Brooks go back to college. But I do think that where we head next time as a little teaser is we get the ⁓ Jen Shaw Sharif hip-hop party where Jen throws the glass which extra but like that's where we're heading next so you know thank you all for tuning in it's good to be back don't forget to give us a like subscribe comment. ⁓ You can DM us on our Instagram which all of our socials are in the show description. DM us what you want us to review or rewatch I should say. DM us like if there's any topics you want us to cover. DM us if you have like questions you want us to answer like on the pod whatever. We love interaction. Casey: Yeah. Literally anything. Yeah, especially like, too, if you're watching along with us, if you're actually like tuning back into Salt Lake City and you're like, wait, you guys didn't talk about this and this was one of my favorite things that I rewatched. Like, we'll re-hit it. Like, we've got another app. We're going back to the the SLC. So like, let us know what you liked, what you didn't like. We'll bring it up in our next episode because we'll be in the in the SLC, the dirty SLC for another another week. So, yeah, check up. Blake: Yeah. Casey: on our Instagram and all of our other socials to see little teasers and stuff and we'll let you know what next week is looking like. But we'll be back for the second part of the season. Blake: See you guys next week, thanks for tuning in. And don't forget to mention it all again. Okay, bye. Casey: Bye.