The Real Housewives of Vancouver: More booze than brains
By Manisha Krishnan - Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 0 Comments
Thankfully, for all of Toronto at least, the Housewives are back on the West Coast this week where we’re taken straight to matriarch from hell, Jody’s house.
Jody has Robin over and immediately starts to dig into Robin’s alliance with Mary. “I’m not going to stand here and pretend I’m unintelligent,” she says (I didn’t realize it was an act). “Mary is Lucifer, she’s a terrorist.”
Unable to convince Robin, Jody writes her off. Interestingly, she also rants about how Mary has tried to mess with her business. This week, Vancouver media reported that the Animal Liberation Front vandalized Jody’s fur-selling West Vancouver boutique (Karma: 1, Jody: 0). She blamed the attack on Mary for publicizing the fact that she sells fur, though perhaps the giant mink coats, Russian trapper hats and feather boas she sports around town are also a giveaway.
Mary, meanwhile, bids farewell to her son Cole, who is moving to New York to pursue an internship with former President Bill Clinton. She’s sad that he’s leaving but it’s nice to see her cry about something other than Housewives-related rubbish.
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This week on Real Housewives of Vancouver
By Manisha Krishnan - Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 6:03 PM - 0 Comments
The gloves — and a whole lot of other clothing — came off as battle lines hardened on last night’s Real Housewives of Vancouver. The episode centred on a bikini fashion show at the swanky Opus Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Amanda, in good faith, invites Ioulia to model with her but soon regrets that decision as Ioulia hogs the spotlight, fussing over swimsuits and fishing for compliments during a rehearsal.
“I might have wanted to punch her out,” says Amanda, who heads over to her Jodi’s West Vancouver mansion to unwind. The two of them and Ronnie enjoy a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly while Jodi prepares chocolate cake for the homeless. “There’s nothing like feeding the impoverished cake,” she muses. Ronnie secretly thinks a healthier meal, such as sandwiches, might have been more appropriate but then states the obvious, “Hey, beggars can’t be choosers.” Feeling that it’s safe to vent, Amanda tells the ladies what went down with Ioulia earlier. But her personal attacks about Ioulia being a gold-digger rub Ronnie the wrong way, prompting her to tell Amanda that she’s “a little bitch.”
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Real Housewives of Vancouver ready to ‘throw it down’ at start of a new season
By Manisha Krishnan - Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 11:53 AM - 0 Comments
Canada’s favourite mean girls from The Real Housewives of Vancouver kicked off their second season last night and while there was little actual drama, the snarky and at times dumbfounding commentary provided plenty of entertainment.
First we’re reintroduced to West Vancouver jet-setter Ronnie Negus, who, in light of her new sobriety, shares these words of wisdom: “I want to go out and make a difference in the world — and I can’t do that drunk.”
Negus explains that she is hosting an intimate bash for those who helped save her daughter Remington during a choking incident. Throughout the episode, however, she and her friends more or less invite anyone and everyone they meet to the affair —art consultant, horse riding instructor, recovering alcoholic, etc.
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The Real Thing
By Jaime Weinman - Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 4:52 PM - 0 Comments
Emily Yoshida argues that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills became a very compelling and powerful show as it faced up to Russell Armstrong’s death:
Genre, network, editing, intention, manipulation, and undeniable exploitation notwithstanding, season two of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills was one of the most important, morally complex, thought-provoking bodies of work I’ve ever seen on television, and even if I’m not necessarily “glad” it exists, I think it had to.
She also links to some other articles making the same argument, including this piece by Kate Aurthur. Both pieces inspire a lot of arguments in comments about whether there is any value in such an exploitative piece of work – in other words, if the show leaves you riveted, or makes you re-examine our relationship to TV and celebrity culture, does that mean it’s actually doing good work?
Without having watched much of the second season, I can’t personally answer that, though I do think that it’s part of the strange power of television that insight can be found in the strangest places. Also, since we know reality TV is very carefully assembled and produced to create the effects the producers want to get, it’s not far-fetched to say that it can be as compelling as a scripted show. Or a serious documentary. But the insight into television or life would have to be incredibly compelling to justify the exploitation. Otherwise it could be just the same old story of presenting horrible things and all but ordering us to feel bad about them.
