Trigger Warning: SA survivors should be wary of reading this recap, which includes descriptions of scenes that could be triggering for those who have shared experiences.
Welcome back for another round of The Real Housewives of Potomac, with Season 8, Episode 9. Thankfully, Ashley’s miserable cast trip to Austin is officially behind us, and this week’s episode kicked off with the ladies returning to Potomac. They’re getting back into the groove, and it’s much needed.
Throughout this whole season, there’s been a major divide in the group that seems to get worse every day. They’ve been fighting about social media posts, Season 7 feuds, prayer shrines, and a bunch of other nonsense. Luckily, Season 8 Episode 9, “Hard Conversations,” gave us a much-needed break from that cycle of drama. Instead, the ladies delivered a poignant message and shared some genuine bonding time like actual friends should. Here’s what went down in RHOP Season 8, Episode 9.
Double dating
After all of the Juan-related drama in Austin, Messy Mia thought it would be a good idea to host a double date with Gordon, Robyn, and Juan. She planned for them to have a private cooking class. Mia explained that because they no longer have their nanny, they have to cook for themselves more than ever. She thought Robyn and Juan could use some bonding time, too.
The chef guided the couples through a creamy pasta recipe. While they mixed up their pasta dough, Mia decided to grill Juan about his recent controversies, the hotel fiasco in particular. Mia asked, “Can you tell me what the hell happened?”
Juan retold the same story that we’ve all heard a million times: The random lady lost her credit card and called Juan to help her book a hotel room. Mia couldn’t hide her disbelief. She said the same thing we’re all thinking. Why would you need to physically go to the hotel to give them your credit card?
Although Mia was clearly being messy, Juan handled her questions pretty well. Dare we say, suspiciously well? In all seriousness, he owned up to his mistake. It was just interesting how neither he nor Robyn batted an eye at Mia’s questions.
In Mia’s confessional, she expressed some lingering hesitation about the hotel story. She joked that the Dixons may have rehearsed it. She quipped, “His story matches Robyn, so they definitely practiced that one.”
Checking in with Candiace
Candiace made her rounds through Potomac this week and had two surprising conversations. The first one was with her mom where she told her the results of her first-ever mammogram. She shared the doctor saw two lumps, but they appeared to be non-threatening lymph nodes.
Breast cancer runs in Candiace’s family, so the test results left her feeling uneasy. The doctor told her they would monitor the lumps, but Candiace wanted them to take the treatment plan further. Why not do something about the lumps ASAP before they become a problem?
When talking to her mom on the phone, Candiace was clearly seeking comfort. Of course, Mama Dorothy couldn’t give her any of that — not even an ounce. Instead, she told her to stop overthinking. Thanks, Mom. Every time these two interact, it serves as a solid reminder of why Candiace is the way she is.
After getting that useless advice from her mom, Candiace met up with Nneka for lunch. Of all people, Nneka is the last person you’d expect to see Candiace befriend, right? However, it turns out those two have a lot in common, and Nneka feels pretty confident that they could be friends if it weren’t for Wendy and her prayer warriors.
During lunch, Candiace told Nneka that she wanted her to try to make peace with Wendy. On the other hand, Nneka said that she wants them to build a friendship independently of Wendy. It could happen, but Candiace admitted to feeling a little scared of stepping on Wendy’s toes. We’ll see where this goes.
A word from Wendy’s mom
While Candiace spent her time checking in with Nneka, Wendy visited with her mom, Susan. When the ladies were in Austin, Wendy found out her mom was rushed to the hospital. Now, she’s back up and running and clarified that she had some complications related to an elective procedure. It’s all strangely vague, but whatever happened there, we’re just glad she’s better.
With her mom on the mend, Wendy decided to fill her in on the fact that she’s been the center of all of Season 8’s drama. So, we finally got Susan’s side of the story — kind of.
Wendy filled her mom in on how she’s been implicated in the drama between Nneka, Wendy’s sister Ivy, and Nneka’s cousin-in-law Lebe. Just like her daughter, Susan pretended like she didn’t know anything about it. She claimed that she had never heard of Nneka. It was a masterclass of acting, Susan was like, “Nneka who? I’ve never heard that name before.”
Susan did admit to making one odd phone call related to the Ivy and Lebe drama. However, she was adamant that the call had nothing to do with Nneka and was 100% about Ivy and Lebe. The only thing she had to say about Nneka was that she’d be praying for her, and she meant that in the most non-threatening way possible.
Grace is leaving the nest
Gizelle’s daughters are growing up fast, and Grace is getting ready to head off to college. Grace is eager to leave Hotel Gizelle, but Gizelle is nervous as hell about her kid going off on her own. So, like any reasonable parent, Gizelle decided to take Grace to a self-defense class.
“I want her to feel confident in every way, so yes, we’re going to take a self-defense class,” Gizelle quipped in her confessional.
The mother-daughter duo arrived at their lesson and learned how to throw people over their shoulders and defend themselves against kidnappers. Then, after the class, they sat down and discussed the reality of Grace leaving for college.
Grace is prepared to branch out on her own, and she’s ready for it. Gizelle knows that, but it doesn’t make it any easier. She said it was ripping her heart apart. With Gizelle cutting up like this over Grace, you know she’s really going to lose it when it’s time for her babies Angel and Adore to head off for college.
Uniting for a cause
Of course, the RHOP group has a deep divide, but we’ve seen several times this season that Karen is the one person who can bring them together. Once again, this episode proved that point as she rallied the ladies together for an event with PAVE.
PAVE stands for Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment. Their mission is to help “shatter the silence of sexual violence.” You might remember Karen raising awareness for this organization in the past, and she shared her story of surviving sexual assault.
With such a powerful mission in mind, Karen managed to gather the entire cast for her event. It was wonderful seeing the whole RHOP gang get together without any drama for the sake of delivering a powerful message.
In their confessional interviews, Robyn, Candiace, and Ashley all bravely shared their own experiences with sexual assault. Although we usually come to this show for silly drama and shade, this was a much-needed reminder of how prevalent this issue is.
Another person in the group impacted by sexual violence was Mia. Before she left her house for the event, she told her husband she was feeling anxious about attending. She shared that the topic triggers unresolved trauma. Sure enough, she got overwhelmed with emotions during the event and had to leave for a few minutes.
Ashley went to check on Mia, and in a vulnerable moment, she shared more details about the night she was assaulted. Mia explained that her friend Jacqueline Blake left her by herself with her boyfriend the night it happened. So, she’s always held some resentment towards Jacqueline, and she admitted that it impacted their friendship all of these years later. Now, it makes much more sense why Mia seemed so unaffected by their friendship imploding last season.
Ultimately, Mia mustered up the strength to finish out the event. Karen felt proud that the event was a success, albeit an emotional experience. She was able to offer a safe space for her friends while “sounding the horn” about an important cause. This is why Karen is the Grande Dame.
The Real Housewives of Potomac continues on Bravo, Sunday nights at 8/7c.
No means no. Every single time. National hotlines can help connect victims, survivors, and their support networks connect with local resources. For more information and resources, you can visit: https://victimconnect.org/resources/national-hotlines/
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC SEASON 8, EPISODE 9? DO YOU HAVE ANY ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR MIA AND THE OTHER HOUSEWIVES WHO SHARED THEIR STORIES?
