The first episode of The Real Housewives of London season 2 is now streaming exclusively on Hayu — and as one of the lucky few who got to watch the premiere with the Housewives themselves, I can confirm that it's an absolute riot.
It goes without saying that arguments and ever-changing alliances are part and parcel of the format, but fans are likely to be incredibly surprised with just who is chummy with who when season 2 picks up.
Amanda Caroline Cronin and Juliet Angus' infamous "back to Paddington" feud has held strong, but #Lipgate, a clash stemming from Panthea Parker getting lip treatments done at Amanda's clinic and being unhappy with the result, seems to have been smoothed over.
Nobody is more shocked at the seemingly stable Amanda-Panthea friendship than Parker herself, who initially teased that fans would be shocked at just how much friendships have changed between seasons on the Hayu Presents... podcast.
After speaking to her and fellow Housewife Karen Loderick-Peace, I'm surprised they've kept up with who is and isn't getting on.
'You have to take us for who we are here and not listen to gossip'
"Very," Parker responds when I ask her if she's as surprised by what happens in season 2 as fans are set to be. "Especially between me and Amanda. We left the season and I thought I really got to know her, and when at the reunion, she had said, 'You have to take us for who we are here, and not listen to gossip, but not listen to everything that you've heard,' we then really built on that friendship. I think me and her got very close throughout when we weren't filming.
"Coming back, I was a bit shocked at that. Now... I'm just in a place where I think, 'Well, actually, everything everybody said was true, and why should you take people as they are?' If you go to get a plumber, or a good school, you would go and fine one with good recommendations."
"Sadly, that's not how it works in a friendship group," Loderick-Peace adds.
From episode 1, you might think this remark is a little strange. In the season 2 premiere, we see Panthea and Amanda as thick as thieves, even going so far as to go out to lunch with fellow Housewife Nessie Welschinger without so much as a harsh word shared between them. Jokes and non-alcoholic cocktails are flowing, and the vibes are good.
But while we haven't seen the real of RHOL season 2 yet, the trailer alone tells us that the tide is going to turn once again. In my favorite clip of the reality TV series that's been released yet, we see Amanda and Panthea having lunch in a rooftop restaurant, with Panthea saying, "You have Ryanair customer service, and I'm used to flying first class."
When other diners look over to where the pair are loudly arguing, Panthea apologises before adding, "The lady is a tramp." Oof.
What got us to this point is something that I do not know, but if Real Housewives is anything to go by, the catalyst could literally have been anything. Strap in for a turbulent time, is my advice.
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