By Ile-Ife Okantah, a freelance writer focusing on Black media and popular culture
The finale returns to the tried and true Atlanta equation of being silly, messy, and dramatic. Photo: Bravo
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to deliver a Real Housewife season finale. No more of this silly end on the last day of the international trip nonsense we’ve been getting in recent years, but a genuinely exciting final installment to preclude a decent reunion. The episode returns to the tried and true equation for a Housewives finale, which combines wrapping up storylines, one last group event, and an explosive revelation to finish the season with a bang. We have to thank our season 16 MVP, Miss Angela Oakley, for the big reveal. This time, her contributions were so juicy that even Brit’s continued gutter behavior couldn’t derail the entertainment.
The first chunk of the episode focuses on tying up the loose ends of the heavier storylines, including Porsha and her sister consulting Phaedra about services for their late cousin and Drew and Kelli coming to terms with their volatile divorces. Kelli remains in the thick of it with her ex, driven to pour liquor in her morning coffee (she says she “doesn’t want to be confused as a wine-o,” but she’s “definitely a wine mom”), though she keeps a brave face for her girls.
