On this episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Heather invites the girls (yes, even Katie… in the “spirit of inclusivity”) to her fundraising event with Family Equality in Sonoma. Heather felt it was important to extend the invite to Alexis too because this cause also supports her children. Even though things are out of hand between Alexis and Shannon, Heather is hopeful that the ladies can control themselves. But when Shannon finds out about *the* video Johnny J. has of her on the night of the DUI, things go downhill…
We get a glimpse into Heather’s back-and-forth lifestyle. She is paying a lot of money in tolls now that she is splitting her time between L.A. and the O.C. However, she is doing it for her kids. The faster speed of L.A. and the clean slate gives them the opportunity to thrive, which is important to Heather and Terry, who want to protect their kids as they find their own paths. Heather is looking forward to her upcoming fundraising event with Family Equality for LGBTQ+ families, and she is having the women walk in a fashion show to support the organization.
Before the trip, Jenn calls Katie to explain she will be meeting them all in Sonoma after her temporary child support and alimony court date, which has finally arrived. After all this time, Jenn is still feeling overwhelmed, but Katie understands where Jenn is coming from. Katie reminds us that when she left her then-husband, she had nothing. Katie wishes she could be there to support Jenn in court, but alas, Heather’s private plane to Sonoma is calling!
You better believe Fancy Pants has a seating chart on said plane (mainly to keep herself away from Katie and to separate Alexis and Shannon). BTW, Alexis has yet to say hello to Shannon. Shannon is reeling from the recent photos of John and Alexis at their “red carpet debut,” and she shares, under her breath, that she bought John the Ferragamo shoes he is wearing in the pictures. OF COURSE, Tamra yells this out to Alexis, juuuust to stir the pot, and OF COURSE, Heather scoffs at the cost of the shoes that were on sale for only about $375-$475, “not bad.” This is a reminder that Tamra is no one’s friend and that Heather is rich.
Once they touch down in Sonoma, Alexis wonders if she should talk to Shannon, but she worries she might make things worse between them. Gina questions if Alexis really wants to be Shannon’s “executioner,” particularly when it comes to this ticking time bomb video.
The women check into their glamping houses, and I cannot imagine what they would be like if they really had to huff it in the wilderness. After coming to terms with their quarters, they split up for lunch. Gina wonders why Shannon would feel like she needs to drink, especially if she has a sober buddy to team up with. There is only one reason Shannon would order a cocktail: Alexis.
Over lunch, Shannon’s group chuckles about Alexis and John’s “red carpet debut.” This is blowing Shannon’s mind, considering John claimed she ruined his life for being too public. What is with John? We all know one thing he DOES want: money. I mean, he is suing Shannon, she offered an amount, but it’s not good enough, thus leading us to believe this lawsuit isn’t about the money. And why DOES he need this sum from Shannon? To buy Alexis her engagement ring??
Shannon knows this is a power move by John, who clearly wants to ruin her reputation. Shannon tells Emily, Gina, and Katie that she offered to pay about half the amount he asked for, but this whole thing feels like extortion.
In the meantime, Alexis is just happy to be included in Heather’s event since this subject is near and dear to her heart with her children. She wants everything to be put to rest within the group, yet she continues to bring up all the drama between Shannon and John…
Heather brings Tamra and Alexis to one of the wineries that she has teamed up with for a champagne collab. Family Equality asked her to do this, and so she came up with four different sparkling wines “loosely” based on each of her children. Before tasting the wines, the women hear some great news. Florida was sued for the Don’t Say Gay Laws, and with the help of Family Equality, the law has been changed, which is a huge change for families everywhere.
Jenn meets up with the group after her court case, and she shares that it did not go how she thought it would. For one, her ex didn’t even look at her, and for another thing, she gets a measly $6,000 a month for five kids. This isn’t a lot of money, but we all know Jenn ain’t planning on getting another job…
This crew then brings up the picture circulating of Shannon, solo, at a bar with a short glass. They conclude Shannon went to the bar after spiraling once seeing the newest public pictures of Johnny J. and Alexis.
In the meantime, Emily, Katie, Gina, and Shannon head to the spa. They work with a perfumer (Emily wants taco perfume), and we learn that Gina has a new dog, because why not try to fill up the void of Travis moving out? Gina explains that her remodeling their old place is a trigger for Travis, but for now, leaving separately feels good.
Shannon has to excuse herself when her lawyer calls, and we learn that John did not accept her offer. Shocker. Sure hope Shannon still has those crystals in her teeth. She’s gonna need all the help she can get with this lawsuit. It all seems very vindictive, and the ladies wonder how they can all go to dinner with Alexis.
This whole weekend is about inclusivity, and Heather shares how she invited Katie “in the spirit of inclusion.” Tamra is hell-bent that Gina set Katie up with the paparazzi photos, and because of this, Heather continues her strictly cordial relationship with Katie. The same cannot be said for Alexis and Shannon’s relationship, or lack thereof. According to Alexis, even after she asked Johnny to settle with Shannon, he refused since she “smeared his name.”
Emily suggests that Shannon simply pay John what he wants, and messy Gina enters the chat when she agrees, citing the “video thing…” The video thing that everyone promised not to bring up to Shannon. Gina seems like she knows exactly what she did, but Katie is the one to fill a shocked Shannon in about the Ring footage of Shannon almost running John’s daughter over. Allegedly.
Shannon tearfully calls John a monster, and she leaves to go call her lawyer to discuss the possible extortion of this video. The timing of everything is too much, considering Shannon is hanging by a thread. Later, Shannon thanks Gina and shares that she is just going to pay John whatever he wants to end it all. While talking to Katie, Emily explains that she feels comfortable enough to pull Alexis aside and talk to her about her “path of vengeance” to destroy Shannon.
Post afternoon excursions, the ladies get ready for dinner… well, everyone except Shannon, who is still in her bathrobe. She pays a visit to Heather, and despite not wanting to put a damper on Heather’s trip, she fills her in on what she learned earlier. Shannon shakes when she tells Heather she knows about the video John has of her, and she promises that she was the one who paid for most things during the first half of their relationship. Shannon knows the truth, and she knows that John is not a good guy.
According to Shannon, on the night of her DUI, she hit the planter kitty-corner to John’s house and woke up in the hospital. A friend asked her how many seconds the accident happened after she backed out of John’s driveway, and Shannon remembers it being a short amount of time, which makes you wonder why John didn’t come running to check on her. Shannon goes on to tell Heather that she sent a picture of herself to John post-accident, and when he finally texted her back, he ignored the picture and played dumb, wondering where she was (despite the bloodied face she sent earlier).
Heather is appalled by this and states, “If that’s true, that’s f*cked.” Perhaps Johnny J. really IS the monster Shannon claims he is? To be continued…
