The OC is back, but I’m honestly not sure how excited anyone is about that…which is strange to say because I’m always excited for a new season of Housewives. The OC has never been my favorite of the franchise, but I definitely enjoyed it more during the Heather Dubrow and Megan King Edmonds phase. Those two women both had their downfalls, but they were also intelligent, gorgeous, rich and a nice calm counterpoint to the shrieking Tres Amigas. When they left, the show seemed like it was trying too hard and a little shrill. Now that we’ve said goodbye to Tamra and Vicki, I’m honestly not sure what we’re left with. Gina and Emily might be most bleak and boring housewives who’ve made it more than one season. Shannon and Kelly can both either be great or terrible depending on their mood. Bronwyn and the new girl seem to have potential.

I think the editors broke out the ghost of Jeana Keough in the beginning of this episode to try to bridge the gap between the past and present and to convince us that this new season could be as good as ones of yore. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, so I’ll give this season a try, but I’m not sure how long that will last.

Who’s Not Invited:

Gizelle: I wish that she could have been a little more generous to Karen during this trip. Karen was so happy to have Gizelle and Ashley join her and to show them her home and farm and tiny town, and I think it made Gizelle look mean-spirited that she made fun of everything from the reason she was invited to the size of the parade. Ashley was great though, climbing on the tractor in those pink heels and embracing the scene.

Candiace and Her Mom: After one episode on Team Candiace, I’m back to Team Monique. Do you think that Candiace and her mother googled “how to make people like you” and came up with the idea to surround themselves with puppies to make themselves look more sympathetic? I mean, we all know that Candiace would never actually adopt a dog, right? It was such an obvious ploy that rang false to me.

Robin’s Accounting Skills: Note to Robin: please hire a licensed professional for any future activities that involved money, taxes, or math.

Michael Darby vs Shane: Which one of these house husbands is the worst? I’m going to go with Michael Darby because at least Shane isn’t cheating on Emily and sexually harassing people, but Shane is also pretty soul crushing to spend time with.

Gina and Emily: I just can’t get on board with these two. I like my housewives to be aspirational or else very funny, and I’m not getting either of those qualities from these two. Their lives seems so depressing and bleak and while I wish them the best and I think they’re nice ladies, I’m just not interested in watching them every week.

Who Made the Guest List:

Karen: Karen forever! I loved seeing her relationship with her family, her teeny tiny home town and her pride in her heritage.

Monique’s Pastor: Wow, I was shocked by this whole scene! When they sat down at the table and Monique began her defensive account of the events, I thought the conversation was going to go in one direction and then her pastor sliced right through all of her pretenses and cut right to the heart of the matter. What he said rang so true to her that she was immediately in tears and able to see that the situation had nothing to do with Candiace and everything to do with how Monique was feeling about herself. I hope that this helps Monique get to a better place and move forward.

Shannon: I’m always here for happy Shannon, and I loved seeing her with her boyfriend and their kids in the new house. Being teased by her daughters brings out the best in Shannon and as a mother of three girls, also makes me very afraid for me future.

Kelly’s Uno Pack: Watching Shannon pretend to find Kelly’s Uno burn amusing was so forced, but she knew she had to move forward with Kelly if she wanted to stay on the show, so she sucked it up and gave the fake laugh, and that made me laugh for real! Is there something wrong with me? Shannon is just so terrible at hiding how she feels, so it tends to crack me up when she does.

Bronwyn: I was very impressed by how open Bronwyn was in this episode, but also worried about how fragile she seemed. Her first season was marked by her over the top party girl behavior, so it will be interesting to see how she handles this season. Hoping for the best for her!