Real Housewives of Potomac S5 (2020)

It’s taken me a while to have a real grasp on the essence of Potomac. Every Real Housewives city is about money, and who has it, and how women of a certain age and class relate to it, each city through its own distinct filter. RHONY’s is the intoxicating New York combination of charming alcoholism, emotional intelligence, and complete lack thereof that runs this town. Beverly Hills communicates that unbearably tragic sludge that seeps up through the pristine facades of Hollywood. Orange County is about the brutal farce of the American Dream (stay with me now…)

As the ritzy suburb that relies on DC for its caché, the Potomac franchise is about politics and proximity to power. For a zip code no one else in the country could give a shit about, let alone identify on a map, the upper echelons of Potomac society (apparently) have especially stringent rules about who can claim it. We see a small glimpse into this dynamic when in a recent episode, Monique breaks down crying for the first time since getting into a physical fight with Candiace, saying the stress of feeling like she has to prove something to her peers is what made her lash out. It was the first time I’ve seen anyone on the Potomac cast show that level of emotion (as opposed to say, Ramona Singer crying face-up on a bed in Morocco). Poker-faced and plotting, this Housewives cast is also the most beautiful, making their sophisticated interpersonal strategies that much more compelling.

Plus, Monique has a parrot named T’Challa who has his own subtitles. C’mon now! — Delighter #2