After the latest episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, it seemed that Lisa Barlow and Meredith Marks would have a difficult time mending their friendship. The Vida Tequila founder believed accusations made by Monica Garcia that Meredith was the author of suspicious DM’s sent to the RHOSLC newbie about Angie Katsanevas’ business finances.
It echoed the same treatment that Lisa got regarding her filings for Vida Tequila in Season 3. A researched and deliberate presentation of financial documents once again.
So it’s understandable why Lisa could have gotten that impression. And she went with it and told Meredith she was “done.” Where does that leave a friendship and what will go down for the rest of the season?
Meredith identified “meddling” in her friendship with Lisa since Season 1
Then there’s the Season 4 reunion to consider. Were the former besties able to work things out?
Us Weekly got the exclusive answer during a conversation with Meredith on Tuesday, December 12. Apparently, the reunion was as hectic as the “roller-coaster” season. Yet the fashion designer did not get the “closure” she wanted with Lisa. Not for a lack of trying. Meredith showed up with 14 pages of receipts from the season.
“There were a lot of issues at reunion that I feel like were a lot bigger than some of the things I needed to tackle, and there’s only so much time in the day,” she explained as to why she was not able to address the issues.
Meredith added, “Obviously, if it was the biggest thing under the sun, I would’ve raised my hand. But … I don’t like to upset Andy [Cohen] by interrupting.”
The RHOSLC star is unruffled by the conclusion but would have preferred having a thorough conversation with her friend.
“It’s not so much bothersome, but I would love a little bit of closure. I feel like LIsa and I definitely had some underlying conflicts. Some were not so underlying that I don’t feel like we really touched on at all [during the reunion],” Meredith explained.
The former best friend did make some headway though. Meredith thought there was an understanding between herself and Lisa that their co-stars tend to get in the way of the friendship by pushing their agendas.
“It’s not to say that we don’t have some sense of resolution because I think we both understand, in seeing things playback and everything else, that there were other parties involved that exacerbated the situation, which I think has pretty much gone on with me and her every year,” Meredith explained. “So, I think she and I are mentally at a place of understanding, but it’s not something that we’ve really talked about.”
The trust is trusting
As for where the two stand post-reunion, Meredith revealed that they have a “high enough level of trust” to “come to terms” to function for now.
“It’s about finding footing in a new relationship that works for us,” she stated. “And the place that we’re in now, trying to go backward, I think is unhealthy for both of us. I don’t have the same level of trust that we had years ago. Yes, I have a certain level of trust with certain things and other things, not as much. You just have to build and grow, and it’s going to take time.”
Meredith continued, “We don’t have to have trust 100 percent [now]. We have to be at some level where we have enough trust within each other that we can give [the] benefit of the doubt [and] we’re able to have a discussion with each other rather than letting someone else get in our ear and exacerbate some feelings we may be having.”
But before anyone starts shifting blame, it seems the issue has been going on since the first season.
“I think that there has been meddling in our friendship since Season 1. I mean, I don’t think this is anything new. It feels like it’s almost everybody at some level. I don’t know if I can point fingers, so to speak, because it gets confusing and everyone always wants to point a finger. At the end of the day, I really don’t care,” she concluded.
This bodes for an interesting reunion. Fans can expect it to air in January 2024. In the meantime, there’s the whole fallout from the current fight to watch.
Catch The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF MEREDITH AND LISA’S FRIENDSHIP? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HER COMMENTS? WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN BETWEEN THEM DURING THE REST OF THE SEASON?
