‘RHOSLC’ Just Delivered an Instantly Iconic, Top-Notch Episode of Television

Andy Cohen had been teasing that this latest episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was “Maybe Top 5 of any Housewives episode I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” but hey, he’s great at teasing. Except in this circumstance, he was underselling it, as far as I’m concerned. Sorry, “Scary Island.” Take a seat, “Dinner Party From Hell.” The latest episode of RHOSLC is without a doubt one of the best, if not THE best, episode of a Real Housewives series.

It’s very easy to start throwing around the words “Emmy nomination” but I truly wouldn’t know what would be more deserving of a Best Editing nomination here. This episode had a lot of work to do, and it was done exceptionally well in the standard 43-minutes (not a supersized ep!). After last week’s jaw-dropping episode that gave us the footage of SWAT team members approaching the luxury van in the Beauty Lab + Laser parking lot, this week only doubled the shocking moments. The way each woman reacted to the uncertainty, the news, and the aftermath of Jen Shah’s arrest was a full college course in human emotion. Every woman shined in her own way. Heather used her favorite TV shows to make sense of what was going on, Whitney busted out a wealth of knowledge we all needed at that moment, Jennie’s “I don’t have the text so I don’t know what’s going on” is an immediate classic, Lisa taught us all to have multiple lawyers on speed dial, Mary’s shock at the Jen news was only rivaled by her shock at Meredith’s “etiquette” in the bathtub, and Meredith. Ooh, boy, Meredith. The bathtub, the stoic, unsurprised reaction, the hint of glee about it all, and of course the bomb at the end of the episode that an employee of Jen’s stole a “gorgeous” and “adorable” snakeskin clutch from her store…wow. In other words, your favorite dramedy could never.

This episode of RHOSLC elevated an institution, one that is 15 years old and filled with table flips and screaming matches and drunken antics, to a whole new level. Sure, Erika’s journey on RHOBH this season was also fascinating in a complicated way. But with SLC, it’s an actual cast member accused of fraud. The cameras were rolling at all the right moments. The adrenaline around this happening in real-time is not matched on CSI or Ozark. Capturing immediate reactions from sadness to skepticism was so genuine and authentic and relatable (you know, if we all had friends that were wanted by Homeland Security) that it is nothing short of an instantly iconic episode of television.

But what the producers and editors did here was take something incredibly serious and scary and mix it with the natural humor these women bring with them in a way that kept this emotional roller coaster exciting in every minute. Rummaging through Jen’s snacks, declaring a flagging at Louis Vuitton worse than federal charges, and again, that bathtub, were all ways of showing exactly how dynamic these women, moms, business owners, and friends, actually are. This episode could’ve been a bummer or too much, but the balance of emotions was crucial in telling this story.

Because again, it was A LOT. Everything from the doorbell footage of the kids exiting Jen’s house to Whitney admitting she thought Jen had a sugar daddy to Heather sharing the story about Jen’s abandoned Uber, all of these things would warrant season-long drama in both the build-up and execution, and they were simply laid out like breadcrumbs throughout the episode. This means that our previously scheduled dramatic programming was put on pause, and that is only a good thing. Between the church allegations, her drama with both Whitney and Jennie (and others), and her general wackiness, Mary was actually pretty even throughout this episode and her shock was necessary to counter Meredith’s nonchalance. The fact that these women went away on a vacation and there was NO ROOM-PICKING DRAMA was the breath of fresh air I needed (though the same can absolutely not be said for this week’s Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock).

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Throughout everything, we were served Merdith’s hot pink dress and white fur combo, Heather’s cheery “Kev, we made it, buddy!,” as the van driver helped her out at the destination, and even Lisa’s observation that “This deviled egg looks magical.” These are all meme-worthy in their own right, and if there is any downside of this episode, I hope that these precious moments are not lost on the internet as so many others are dissected. I would also like to know more details about Whitney’s fun sneakers, but I know there’s a lot going on right now.

The bottom line here is that this particular episode of RHOSLC was nothing short of appointment viewing (with all due to Adele, I’m sure even she can understand). This is an episode that should make the general public aware that these shows are no longer simply a guilty pleasure, but important, complex, human studies worthy of respect, accolades, and appreciation amongst other critically acclaimed shows. Sure, it’s an escape, but it’s also enthralling, fascinating entertainment. It should also be acknowledged that yes, there are fraud victims involved here, but without this platform, would Jen Shah have even been caught? The way the women read the (full!) article in the van, the way they reacted, their individual outlooks on the situation; this was top-notch television and should be treated as such for a long, long time.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Sunday at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Stream The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Bravo