How I learned to stop hating and enjoy the Real Housewives (of Potomac)

In the Before Times, I was someone who didn’t watch Reality TV.

While I didn’t (outwardly) judge people who did, I had a lot of pride in being someone who didn’t really do reality tv and especially not the Real Housewives franchise.

But then 2020 happened and all bets were off.

I didn’t have a lot of goals for 2020 post-COVID-19’s emergence in the world, but I did decide I wanted to be (slightly) less judgmental. So I started by pickingr up (checked out ebooks from the library) a romance series from the library and realized that not only could I be a romance reader, but it was possible that I was missing out on other fun stuff by being a snob. Several months later and the Reluctant Royals series is EXTREMELY my ish. 

What else had I been missing out on?

So I mentioned to a few close girlfriends that I wanted to try to get into a Real Housewives franchise. Turns out many of the most brilliant women in my life had been having fun and I had been missing out for no reason than my arbitrary thoughts about what “good” “worthwhile” entertainment was. Wack.

I selected Potomac because it felt like the barrier to entry was lower-5 seasons compared to 5011 like other franchises. I was quickly hooked by these larger than life women cutting up on my tablet screen. Turns out, disliking something isn’t a personality trait. In a year where joy was harder to come by, I’ve relished the shenanigans of these ladies and the ensuing recap conversations with my girlfriends. Additionally, 2020 has taken away a lot of the usual venues for gossip that many of us have had with offices closes, happy hours cancelled, and more, many of us are separated from the quotidian gossip and banter that makes life interesting.

So what I have gained from watching RHOP besides laughter at how outlandish these women are?

A study in plot and character development, hunny!

Because I assume that the conversations and carrying ons are heavily edited, I’m able to look at the show as fictionalized story. From a narrative point of view, despite changing alliances and plot lines, the ladies have their characters down pat without being mere caricatures. 

The conceits of the show over the seasons are great reminders of how a change of setting can advance the plot along. For instance, if the drama is getting low, have someone suggest either a girls trip or a good old-fashioned girls night out and see what happens. If there are too many separate plot points or conversations happening, have one of the characters (it’s almost always Ashley, no?) not directly involved in the drama try to get to the bottom of the tea. 

It’s been fascinating watching storylines from the earlier seasons re-emerge and I can’t wait for tonight’s season finale.