Dom Torres and Kyla Denanyoh overanalyze The Real Housewives of New York Season 16, Episode 4, where Martha Stewart casually reminds us that regular people do not attend the World Cup, Sai reveals the heartbreaking reality of her relationship with her mother, and Erin and Hailey continue to figure out whether they actually like each other.
First, Kyla is fascinated by Daisy’s career as a celebrity makeup artist. Watching Daisy coordinate her schedule with Martha Stewart and Martha’s publicist raises so many questions about the logistics of being responsible for a celebrity’s face. Does Martha check Daisy’s schedule before accepting an appearance? Does Daisy have backup makeup artists? Either way, Dom and Kyla are invested, and Dom thinks Daisy needs to write a book.
And speaking of Martha Stewart, Kyla loves her completely unashamed elitism. When Daisy asks how a regular person attends the World Cup, Martha simply explains: they don’t. No apology. No embarrassment. Just wealth! Between Martha casually appearing on Housewives and Erica mentioning that “Anne” invited her to the Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere (yes, Anne Hathaway), RHONY is delivering the kind of glitz and glamour Kyla expected from Beverly Hills.
Meanwhile, the popcorn ceiling conversation refuses to die. Jessel insists that she thought everyone was laughing together, but Kyla remembers Daisy stuffing food into her mouth like she was trying not to cuss someone out. Dom has an even bigger problem with Jessel’s continued comments about the Kennedys and feels she repeatedly misses how personal this history is for Carole.
Overanalyze: Sai’s conversation with her aunt completely changes the episode. Sai reveals more about her mother’s alcoholism, the decision to make her leave Sai’s home, and the guilt she carries because her mother died only three months later. Even more heartbreaking is learning that Sai has been carrying much of that grief without emotional support from her husband.
Suddenly, her marriage problems feel much bigger than a disappointing birthday dinner. Yes, discovering that your husband charged your birthday dinner to your own credit card is rude, but combined with feeling lonely, grieving your mother, lacking intimacy, and feeling unsupported inside your marriage, that dinner represents something much larger.
Dom and Kyla were glued to this scene because Sai’s grief, guilt, marriage, motherhood, and financial pressure all seem connected. It also gives more context to her earlier argument about rent-controlled apartments. When Sai says she would happily live in one, it doesn’t feel like she’s simply arguing about New York real estate. There may be some relief in imagining one less financial responsibility when she already feels like she is carrying so much.
Honorable Mention: Erica casually saying that “Anne” invited them to the Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere. Anne WHO? Oh, just Anne Hathaway. Kyla officially declares this an Anne Hathaway fan channel.
This episode is produced by Skip The Boring Stuff, a podcast strategy company for business owners and creatives: skiptheboringstuff.com.
