Bravo shows tend to be their most interesting and most depressing when we’re watching something dissolve, whether that’s a longterm relationship or the remaining space between reality TV cast members and their audience.

“The Valley,” “Summer House” and “Vanderpump Rules” all ended their seasons with something fundamental shattering. On “Summer House” it was Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke’s engagement. On “The Valley,” it was the marriages of Michelle and Jesse Lally, and Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright. (Hopefully the latter sticks.) And on “Vanderpump Rules,” the fourth wall was shattered after Ariana Madix decided to walk away from an on-camera conversation with her ex, Tom Sandoval.

There is always an element of voyeurism when it comes to reality television — that’s in fact kind of its fundamental draw — but all of these finales (and for VPR, the three-part reunion) provided an even greater peek behind the curtain. Watching these people, who we have come to know (in a parasocial way) for years, navigate the boundaries of acceptable behavior provides a way for us to negotiate our own boundaries and norms. As Danielle J. Lindemann put it in her book “True Story,” “part of what tantalizes us about these freak shows is that the freaks are ourselves…The experience of watching these shows, like looking in any mirror, is interactive. We see ourselves, and then we groom ourselves accordingly.”

In this Bravo check-in we discuss the Ariana vs. Lala discussion during the VPR reunion, why Brittany may have “woken up” to Jax’s terrible behavior in this moment, the weaponization of parenthood we saw across several shows, and the calculations both Carl and Lindsay made during their breakup. Hope you enjoy! Xo

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