Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Bravo
Tonight’s Southern Charm was a return to form after the tragic passing of Olivia’s brother, Conner, put everyone’s BS on hold last week. Now the group is trying to balance supporting Olivia in her time of grief and putting on a good show. So JT modifies a party he’s hosting for his Airbnb business to a sophisticated dinner “out of respect.” Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, given that this cast can act up in any setting (ex. the pheasant dinner from hell.) As expected, this formal feast quickly turns into a debate over Taylor’s nudes.
We begin this episode with Shep and Taylor going for a walk on the beach with their respective puppies. And unfortunately, I’m beginning to admire Shep and Taylor’s friendship. (Don’t hold me to this!) While Shep started off this season nagging Taylor about her salacious behavior, he seems to have let go of his feelings of betrayal. Now, he’s offering her advice on how to mend things with Olivia. And, dare I say, I was kind of awestruck watching Shep offer his ex good advice without shaming her about her fling with Austen. The bar for men is extremely low on this show, but it’s hard not to rejoice in their rare displays of decency.
Then we have a random boys’ night at Whitney and Patricia’s house with this season’s sprawling male cast. We spend a good 20 minutes watching everyone walk in and play with Patricia’s expensive antiques. When the guys all sit down, they don’t have anything that urgent to discuss. Whitney asks Rod about his pursuit of Olivia despite his friendship with Austen. Austen hardly seems threatened by this man.