With each week of expert analysis from Movieline's Julie Miller, The Real Housewives of New York's mosaic of glitz and gaucheness separates into pure shards. Jill's the problem, Bethenny's a bit put on, and no one ends up looking like a saint. But perhaps the issue with RHONY's cast is their format: If they were characters in a piece of literature, would we be so cavalier to dismiss them? After piecing together bits from the Bravo blogs, it turns out we have the makings of a Victorian bildungsroman on our hands.
And now, an oral scene from the future classic Wuthering Gripes. In it, Bethenny Frankel uses the announcement of her new engagement to try and rectify things with Jill Zarin, and Ramona Singer and Kelly Bensimon use their blogs: to contribute key details in the night's drama.
Ramona: There could not have been a more perfect time than the Gotham party for Jill to bridge the gap with Bethenny. For goodness sake, last year all summer long Jill was helping Bethenny lick her wounds over her breakup. Bethenny was thinking she may never find the right man and Jill was there the whole time consoling her. How could Jill not go over and congratulate Bethenny?!
Bethenny: It was definitely awkward seeing Jill at the Gotham party. My intention was simply to be nice and try to be casual. I never imagined that she would bolt the minute she saw me.
Jill: The truth is, I was mad that Bethenny only decided to talk to me on camera. After my initial shock, I asked Bethenny if we could talk privately OFF CAMERA in the bedroom. That was my test. She said no. She would only talk to me on camera. It just reinforced that this was for a TV show and nothing was real.
Bethenny: It definitely took the wind out of my sails. She could have just been normal and polite. Instead she chose to make a grand exit. I didn't really think about how Jill would react to my news. However, I never imagined she would be so dramatic. Silly me.
Jill: My head was spinning. I wanted to run away, but I stayed. I was scared. I was in front of a room full of 30 people with four cameras in my face. How was I supposed to act? What do I say? I wanted to make up, but not on TV. I resented it and was not going to be a puppet for anyone. I felt "set up," "ambushed" or whatever you want to call it. I was pissed. Ramona's heart was in the right place, but I wish she had given me the heads up.
Ramona: This was never aired and was edited out, but I went running over to Jill as fast as I could and said, "Bethenny is leaving. She is so hurt and upset by you! She's crying; you must go over now before she leaves!" Jill kept saying to me, "No, I have to wait for Bobby." I do not know why she needed him. I was freaking and telling her that if she didn't go talk with Bethenny, their relationship might never be repaired. I went home so upset that night. Poor Bethenny was hysterical in the car with Mario and I on the way home. It should have been one of her happiest nights ever and Jill ruined it.
Kelly: The Gotham magazine party was so much fun.
Bethenny: I really couldn't wait to get out of that club. I was so excited at the beginning of the evening, and I simply felt awful by the end. I felt like something so special had been ruined and I truly felt sorry for myself.
Jill: If Bethenny had called me to talk off camera, things would have been different. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. We have all been there. Now let's move on.
Bethenny: Poor Jason couldn't even imagine why I would subject myself to any of it, and I was embarrassed. I think he was really questioning some of the people that I surround myself with and thinking about whether we would want them in our lives together. I can't say I blamed him.
Kelly: Jill always tells me I look great. I dress more unusual for the show to show the viewers different fashion. A lot of the viewers even go on my Facebook page to see "EVERYWHERE EVERYWEAR," which shows daily photographs of me and how I dress. The women are always commenting on the way I dress. Maybe it's their way to jab at me, or to get a rise out of me. I never respond and that makes them more crazy.
Bethenny: That night couldn't end quickly enough.