Life is what happens when you’re making other plans — just ask the Real Housewives of New York City. On the Wednesday, June 22, episode, the ladies were all atwitter in anticipation of their upcoming Skinnygirl-inspired trip to Mexico, courtesy of Bethenny Frankel. Naturally, the subject of who did, and did not, get invited was the central topic of discussion, and the women began to take sides. (ICYMI, Luann de Lesseps and and Sonja Morgan had not received formal invites, but Lu had somehow managed to invite herself.)
Dorinda Medley and Jules Wainstein met up to shop for swimsuits (though it seemed that they simply drank free champagne and bought nothing, but that was hardly the point). After confirming their mutual desire to be roommates on the getaway, Dorinda reported two interesting pieces of information: First, Sonja was no longer drinking, and second, she heard from a reputable source that Ramona Singer had only been on one date with Luann’s “boyfriend,” Tom, after all — which hardly made him an “ex,” as Ramona had dramatically claimed. In light of these tidbits, Dorinda and Jules agreed that Sonja and Lu should be allowed on the trip.
Meanwhile, Carole Radziwill was busy preparing for her dog Baby to participate as a bridesmaid in a “celebrity” dog wedding to raise money for animals rescued from puppy mills. Of course, this would be the social event of the season — besides the Mexico getaway, that is.
Sonja Continues to Not Drink
Ramona stopped by Sonja’s for some girl talk, and Sonja wasted no time reiterating that she had quit drinking. She also mentioned something about working out and getting some sort of facial injections, but neither of the comments really made sense, and Ramona didn’t care enough to ask for more explanation.
Ramona, however, was clearly delighted that Sonja seemed committed to going off the sauce. “Sonja, when she drinks, she becomes a different person,” Ramona explained to the camera. “She’s angry. She’s hostile. She’s just not that warm, loving woman that I adore and that everyone else adores.” Sonja added, “I don’t need to drink; however, Ramona does, and that’s the difference.” (It was unclear whether this was intended to be catty.)
Ramona then gave Sonja the same advice that Dorinda had given her already: to suck up her pride and apologize about Tipsy Girl. “My partners will not drop the word ‘girl,'” Sonja shrugged to the camera, though she humored Ramona by role-playing an apology to Bethenny.
“The odds are Sonja’s not going to remember, but I’m thinking positive!” Ramona chirped to the camera after they’d practiced the apology to Ramona’s satisfaction.
Jules Asserts Her Independence
Perhaps anticipating the unraveling of her marriage, Jules set up a meeting with Dr. Praeger’s to discuss a branding partnership. Interestingly, however, her husband, Michael, attended the get-together, but wasn’t aware of the specifics before arriving. To the cameras, Jules explained that she wanted to do something to be in charge of her own financial destiny, and while she said this with a smile, it seemed like an omen of what was to come.
“It makes me feel that I am capable of doing anything that I want in the world without depending on anyone else but myself,” she said to the camera.
The meeting went well, though she admitted she’d done everything behind her husband’s back, which he didn’t seem to appreciate all that much. “You’re always f–king complaining that I’m calling you all the time for money,” Jules told him. “You might ask for half of my s–t one day!” she joked. Only, was it a joke? Michael looked relatively uneasy in the meeting but smiled through it for the time being.
In other Jules news, she did finally hire a new nanny. The only glitch was this nanny did not speak English, and Jules’ Spanish was pretty much nonexistent, so communication seemed to be a challenge.
Bethenny Is Having Serious Health Issues
As the episode wore on, Bethenny began opening up to the other women about a health issue she’d been having that seemed to be pretty serious. She first mentioned it to Carole when they met up for drinks (Diet Coke counts as a drink, right?), saying she had been “bleeding excessively” and speculating it might have something to do with an IUD that didn’t work very well. Apparently, she also was suffering from fibroids and cysts.
The two then moved on to the topic of Luann, however, and Bethenny reported her strange interaction with Lu where the countess had basically invited herself to Mexico. “I was thinking in my head, ‘I’m not inviting this bitch on this trip,'” Bethenny recalled. “It’s not about you anymore. I don’t want to spend any time with her.” Carole agreed wholeheartedly that Lu should stay home.
Later on, Bethenny met up with Dorinda to shop for home goods before she went to the doctor to check about her bleeding, but partway through their expedition for linens and pizza cutters, Bethenny decided she felt unwell enough that she better head to the doctor right away. Dorinda insisted on accompanying her after Bethenny confessed she was “nervous” about what she was going to find out.
To the camera, Bethenny reported that the doctor visit was “a wake-up call,” noting that the physician estimated she had lost 10 percent of her blood. He gave her three treatment options moving forward, one of which was a complete hysterectomy. The mere mention of that brought the normally nail-tough mogul to tears.
Dog Day Afternoon
Everyone except Luann and Bethenny gathered for the “wedding of the year,” a.k.a. the dog wedding. Jules, Carole, Sonja, Dorinda and Ramona all were decked out in their finest (as were many of their furry friends) for the occasion, when Dorinda broke some bad news.
Bethenny was going to be out of commission due to her health issue, and the Mexico trip was off. Everyone was clearly disappointed, but they all understood. Mexico would have to wait, and Sonja would have to find another time to try to mend the fence with the Skinnygirl creator.
Tell Us: Do you think Jules was anticipating her divorce?
The Real Housewives of New York City airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
