The ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ are Fighting like Real Sisters

Sisterhood is a powerful motif, perhaps best explored by the many iterations of Little Women. Although not widely seen as an intellectual equal, the Real Housewives franchise has done its own exploration of the topic—both documenting the tried-and-true struggles of biological sisters, as well as the concept of chosen family.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills may not like each other half the time, but they are sisters on this journey, bound together by Bravo cameras and the symbolic ribbon Sutton Stracke brought on the cast trip to Oceanside, California.

Of course, this method of sisterhood comes with an added set of struggles, given it’s a form of competition not unlike the Roman colosseum days. Sisters have come and gone—literally, in the case of Kim Richards—while others are constantly added into the fold. They must fight enough to keep us entertained, while sowing true relationships to engage viewers in their pseudo-reality.

Maybe that’s why this season of RHOBH seems so much stronger than the past few: The stakes are high, the drama’s organic, and the dynamic feels malleable for once. The central feud isn’t some lopsided foray or fruitless endeavor. It’s one where two insufferable people lob insults at each other while their castmates egg it on, and what could be more sisterly than that?

Well, Sutton and Erika whispering “we’re going back that far?” to each other while Kyle and Dorit duke it out might be a bit more sisterly. The Southern belles are getting along for once, God bless.

The episode picks up on the Kyle vs. Dorit dinner drama, as the two argue tit for tat over who’s been a worse friend to the other. An activated Dorit launches into Kyle, doing her best to drag Erika into the mix, too. Sadly, Erika has decided to be boring this season now that she doesn’t hate her life, meaning she takes an easy escape route, aided by Kyle.

Next, Sutton jumps in to try and play convoluted peacemaker. Yes, Kyle ices people out, and yes, she hates when people are mad at her, but she’s trying to work on that, Dorit. Won’t you give her a chance to bulldoze you some more? Sutton did that, and she’s loving the results!

Even as Dorit tries to apologize, Garcelle comes in with an undercut, chiming in “no” and immediately stopping Dorit in her tracks. This leads to the coldest look a person’s ever given another, Dorit replying, “Pardon?” while trying to telekinetically blow Garcelle up. Those two seconds will be chopped and used in Twitter replies for years to come—or however long X (formerly good) is able to load video.

This leads to the first Garcelle vs. Dorit moment of the season, a most-welcome treat. Garcelle has gotten a little too comfortable on the sidelines, and it’s always nice to see her fight in the moment, rather than a confessional. Sometimes, two people just have so much chemistry when fighting, and these two have it in spades.

Once the fight hits a reprieve, the ladies decide to turn in for the night. Hopefully, with some beauty sleep and sunlight, they can find peace. Eh, no one actually wants that—least of all Jennifer Tilly, who admits she was entertained by all the fighting. Bravo may have flashed back to those boring beach games when Jennifer said yesterday was fun, but we all know her true highlight. No one likes those games, Bravo, or the lyrical music. Just so you know.

Unfortunately for Jennifer, the boat day stays pretty serene. Dorit and Kyle have a heart-to-heart over their fallout, agreeing to let bygones be bygones. Surely, it’ll be smooth sailing from now on! There’s at least one major blow up left, based on the trailer, but what’s a Housewives feud without a fake makeup session?

Just as things look up, Garcelle and Kyle go have a chat, where Kyle reveals that P.K. still texts her. That’s a nugget that resident Dorit hater Garcelle Beauvais will store in her back pocket, unleashing it just in time to break up this truce.

Meanwhile, Sutton falls in love with the captain of the boat, and hijinks ensue as Dorit does her best to set the crazy kids up. Aw! Sisters by chance, friends by choice, those two.

One of the least explored dynamics in modern Beverly Hills, Sutton and Dorit have quietly disliked each other for five years, but it’s never spiraled into a true feud. There are little moments, like the “let the mouse go!” dinner and last year’s tacoless tuesday where the disdain is clear, but otherwise, they just ignore each other.

So it’s a nice surprise when the boat day gives them a chance to bond. And it’s even funnier when that bonding goes up in flames by the episode’s end. Sutton has made it four whole episodes without getting in a fight, but alas, she was destined to slip, and in such hilarious fashion.

As the ladies take a sprinter van to their private jet home, Sutton lets everyone know she’s not super thrilled by their giggling during her sister ceremony the night before. She’s even more perturbed that—despite tying a ribbon around the ladies—they’ve continued to be petty gossips. Very uncouth.

At dinner, as Dorit tried to explain her friendship (or lack thereof) with perpetual parasite Teddi Mellencamp, Erika was off to the side, questioning if Dorit’s been consistent. As Sutton tries to throw Erika into the drama, she ends up in the hot seat herself. Although Sutton was technically standing up for Dorit and advocating for a more honest group dynamic, that falls on deaf ears.

Instead, Dorit starts screaming at Sutton. Completely missing the point is one of Dorit’s strong suits. Her fights with Sutton need at least six interpreters and a specialist from France to fully understand, so the best thing you can do is be like Jennifer and grab some popcorn.

All the diamonds are putting in work, now—well, and then there’s Erika—and things are only looking up. Finally, the dam has broken. Next week, the ladies don some cowboy hats and fight like hell, as Garcelle lets it loose that P.K. texts Kyle and Dorit calls Camille Grammer a “c---,” once again.

The Real Housewives are finally fighting like real sisters, just as Kim Richards had hoped for many moons before. One week, it’s Kyle vs. Dorit, the next it’s Dorit vs. all, and the next, it’s estranged sister Camille getting a thrashing. That’s what this franchise is all about—fluid dynamics, fights that don’t overshadow an entire season, and women not supporting other women. We could all learn a thing or two from Jennifer Tilly on how to enjoy that without taking it all so seriously.