If the Real Housewives were an Olympic sport, the most enticing event would be the 1-on-1 sitdown. Long before seasons ended on cast trips and every group dinner was a costume contest, the 1-on-1 was born out of the realization that nothing is as entertaining as two women going at it in the public sphere.
And nothing quite scratches the 1-on-1 itch like a game of she said, she said, where the most unreliable narrators in human history recount events of hysteric horror in the only way they know how: by lobbing accusations, starting fires, and making waiters everywhere incredibly uncomfortable.
It all starts with the final day of the Below Deck yacht trip, before everything comes crashing to shore. After a few days of cheating accusations and rumors about leaking to the press, the ladies decide to lay low in the trip’s final hours, as Bronwyn recruits yet another woman to put on one of her classless inflatables, this time to throw Britani’s unicorn overboard.
True love always finds a way, though, as unicorn Jared washes its way to shore right before the ladies depart. Love wins, once again, just in time for hate to take flight.
Accounts from Angie, Whitney, Heather, and Mary tell a story of Meredith essentially threatening to crash the plane in a manic meltdown that sent Britani into witness protection. What’s true and what’s not is ultimately up in the air, as no footage exists of this motherquake—something Bronwyn (absent from the ride) points out is suspicious if the allegations are true.
The story, as told, goes like this: Meredith grew irate with Britani while grabbing her bags in Barbados, before launching into a full screaming match that held the entire cabin hostage. Joined by Lisa, the duo shot absolute terror at anybody who would listen, shaking Britani’s chair and screaming at the others to pull up TikTok, while Meredith even tossed some wine at Britani and pulled her hair.
Meredith’s account is a bit different. She recalls 15 minutes of heated discussion with a good friend, Lisa, which Britani may have overheard. She took a nap and streamed two movies, which might include Crazy Rich Asians. It was a nice, peaceful flight.
This launches us into a most titillating series of 1-on-1s that carry this supersized episode home.
First, Mary recounts it all to Bronwyn, then Britani and Heather have a sycophantic sitdown, in which Britani finally rises to the Disney princess status she’s always wanted. Casting Meredith as the Ursula who tried to steal her beautiful voice, Britani reveals she can’t sleep. She can’t eat. All she can do is be stunning, perfect, and eloquent in the face of vicious bullying.
“I keep saying that I’m the unsinkable rubber ducky, but I feel really broken right now,” Britani shares, before Heather co-signs her in full: “You deserve support, and you deserve dignity, and you deserve protection. And, if our friends can’t apologize and provide that for you, then they don’t deserve your friendship. They don’t deserve my friendship. They don’t deserve the friendship of this group.”
That’s a harsh rebuke of Lisa and Meredith that reveals Heather’s true intentions, which she carries right into a sordid sitdown with Lisa. Once a fierce warrior for the brunettes, Heather has jumped ship to save the unicorn of love.
So, she orders some beignets to split with Lisa, while fishing for her side of the story. Lisa can’t fathom where everyone got this version of events. What she remembers is acting like a rational friend to both Meredith and Britani, shooting down Heather’s criticisms while laughing off Britani’s bullying claims: “I did nothing to Britani.”
“Okay, well why did four women have to gather around her, physically help her off the plane, pull her hair out of her face, get her re-dressed and get her through customs?” Heather asks, to which Lisa replies: “I was preserving my peace.” Self-care queen.
With each sitdown, the truth becomes more diluted, as both sides of the story further and further contrast each other. It’s yet another example of the unreliable narrators of Salt Lake City, and your mileage simply varies on who you’re inclined to believe.
I want to believe Heather, as she’s so often hailed herself the narrator, but I can’t help but feel she’s moving puzzle pieces into place with no regard for how well they fit. She’s just… too giddy to take this moment and run with it. Maybe had she waited a few weeks for something this reasonable, rather than trying to create a smoking gun out of a Nerf toy with the whole “leak” spin, I wouldn’t feel so skeptical.
Yet, there’s some substantial footage of Meredith melting down over the past six years, while Lisa’s relationship with reality has always been casual, at best, so it’s really not hard to believe. The biggest wildcard of all (Mary) co-signing the story is another devastating blow to Mother Marks.
That’s where Mary really shines in this cast, not as a kooky character or Greek chorus. She’s out for herself, and that means a lot with alliance lines so sharply drawn. Mary’s version of events argues that Meredith “tormented” Britani, and Lisa “just sat there and let her.” Whereas Whitney implies it was fueled by alcohol or sleeping pills and Heather argues it’s proof Lisa and Meredith need to be exiled from the group, Mary simply wonders: What does Meredith think happened?
That produces the kicker of the episode, a sitdown between the show’s two manic matriarchs. This might be the most interesting scene of all, as the two refuse to see eye-to-eye. Mary and Meredith barely even raise an eyebrow, yet alone their voices, at each other, and that creates something chilling.
Mary nudges about as lightly as she can for Meredith to admit the meltdown was more than a blip on the radar, as horror movie music creeps into the scene. Even the most pro-Meredith account of things (Lisa) implies the tirade was far longer than a 15-minute rant, but the best Meredith can do is concede: “So it was 30 minutes? I mean, there’s only so much time on the flight.”
Mary seems supremely disturbed by it all, and the episode ends with nothing at all resolved. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is always at its best when it’s a murder mystery, and this haunted tale of the Meredith Marks meltdown is a pitch-perfect note to carry the season into the second half.
Ultimately, it barely matters what happened on the plane because RHOSLC, like the modern political cycle, has so many gaffes and scandals that even the most pearl-clutching moments fail to catch weight. A decade ago, this might have been something akin to Teresa flipping a table. But, in a world where Watergate happens every other day, it’s simply another week on the slippery slopes. Everyone’s in a constant state of colluding against each other in a city where facts fall to fiction every week.
Maybe that’s why Bronwyn only spends a mandatory minute dissecting the plane ride with Whitney before shifting gears back to her storyline. Yeah, yeah, Meredith stabbed seven flight attendants, but have you heard that I’m having even more marital troubles?
Bronwyn has a divorce scheduled for the Season 7 reunion, and nothing’s going to steer her off course. So, she launches into the most bizarre story of the entire episode, admitting Todd has a wandering eye.
Apparently, Todd was caught on a plane scrolling through photos of women. It’s so bizarrely brought up, as Bronwyn spearheads a story that might have evaded the show entirely had she not told it. I spend every day on Twitter and this was truly a blip on the radar.
And, apparently, Bronwyn is good with the idea of opening up her marriage, or letting Todd cheat, so long as they develop an agreement. That’s quite the change of tune from telling Lisa she’s dead to her last week for saying Todd cheated, but hey, this is adapting in the moment. We’re learning so much!
Bronwyn’s mission is to continue soiling her own image in an attempt to gain something more esteemed than the socialite status she’s long held: the love of Bravo fans. If that means filming with a mother who torments her and a husband who farts and cheats on her, then so be it.
I’m remiss to believe Bronwyn’s ambitions will allow such an unsavory story to define her marriage, as I am to believe she sees Whitney’s marriage as something to strive for. Circle back in a year or two, and this scene will be a most incriminating flashback of the demise of the Newport union. But, trust and believe, the Wild Roses will always be in bloom.
Until then, we’re left with a plethora of mysteries that might never find answers. In a week, there will be several new mysteries to chew on, all thinly veiling a hierarchy shift that threatens to end a once-impenetrable status quo. The midseason trailer promises a breakdown in all directions, as the group simulates a Greek tragedy of epic proportions that could end the OG era for good.
Come the reunion, Meredith’s flight meltdown will probably be a five-minute segment at most. That’s the beauty of chaos.
