I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a little international flair. Bring on season three of the Ladies of London! They’re just as petty and bitter as the rest of the Bravolebrities we love and loathe… But some of them do it with an accent.
We start off at Mapperton, the family home of the Earl of Sandwich. Julie and her husband have recently taken over the estate from his parents. Julie is really feeling the pressure. If she fails she’ll always be known as the American who brought down the Montagus. But, as much as she complains about it, she loves how close she is to becoming a Countess. “Kate Middleton’s got nothing on me.”
Marissa is getting ready to have her baby. It hasn’t been an easy pregnancy. She has to deliver two months early and get a hysterectomy. The whole thing is pretty dangerous. Marissa and her husband look genuinely scared.
On the other side of the spectrum, Sophie and Caroline Stanbury wake up in a trashed hotel room, hungover. They just celebrated Caroline’s fortieth birthday and look fairly worn out. How do they deal with it? Vitamin infusions! These are Yolanda Hadid’s kind of girls. Caroline moans about losing her business but the big sob story goes to Sophie: she’s getting a divorce from Caroline’s brother. She talks about what a good friend Julie has become and Caroline gets upset. Caroline calls Julie the “village foghorn.” She’s still angry that Julie got between her and Juliet last year and she’s afraid the same thing will happen with Sophie. Sophie defends her new friend. You mean you can be friends with two people who don’t get along? Gasp. I wonder if the Vanderpump Rules girls watch this show.
Caroline Fleming is packing again. She films with the one child that isn’t a Fleming. Her father is ill and it’s bringing up lots of emotions around their tricky relationship. Her son gets crumbs in her bed and we get a “cute” storyline about how particular she is.
Matt, Marissa’s husband, cries when he learns his daughter was born healthy. Now he just has to wait for news about whether his wife survives.
Caroline is moving to Dubai. She rented out her posh Surrey home, furniture and all, so she’s slumming it in a little rental until they go. Hello, Shannon Beador. Adela, the new friend-of, stops by. Luke the makeup artist lurks in the background. We get a back and forth between them talking about how loose-lipped Julie is and Sophie telling Julie what Caroline thinks of her. Yay! Our first game of telephone. Caroline calls Julie a puppet master and Julie freaks out that Caroline is threatening her “brand.” Apparently Julie has become quite media savvy since last season. Sophie defends Caroline and Luke almost defends Julie. Interesting. Julie decides Caroline is jealous of her because she has the one thing Caroline doesn’t: a title. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Countess on our hands.
Party-girl Sophie claims her marriage fell apart because her husband wasn’t ready to quit partying. I think she doth protest too much. She’s having a party to celebrate her re-entry into the single life. She brags about how good she is at dancing on tables and acting the drunken idiot. Hmmm… Forty minutes in and we finally see Juliet (in passing). I wonder if she’ll get any lines this episode. Julie is visibly nervous to see Caroline and she’s decided to pretend everything is fine. Maybe she’ll give her another “I’m sorry you were a bitch to me” present.
Oh, I was wrong. That wasn’t Juliet I saw in the crowd earlier. It took forty-eight minutes but she shows up, lips a-flapping. Sophie couldn’t stand Juliet last year but now that friends = camera time, Sophie thinks she’s a sweetheart.
The party is physically split between Sophie and Julie on one side and Team Caroline (everyone else) on the other. Caroline spends the entire party bitching about Julie. When Sophie wanders over, Caroline calls her a flip-flopper. Juliet instantly backs Caroline up. Wait, am I watching Vanderpump Rules or Ladies of London? Caroline Fleming puts it best: “I don’t understand how grown-up women cannot have grown-up friendships.”
Caroline isn’t interested is being a grown-up so she tells Julie to “bring it.” Julie is shaking in her boots and Caroline is grinning like a shark. Sophie tries to jump on the bomb but Caroline is out for Countess blood. We get a David and Goliath thing where Caroline’s cockiness turns into verbal diarrhea while Julie makes clear, concise points. Until Juliet jumps in. She claims Julie preys on people with weaknesses. “Don’t put her in these positions. She’s got enough going on.” Caroline’s shark grin is back in full effect. Sophie tries to take the blame again and Caroline is fed up. “Oh, Sophie. Get a pair of balls. Last night you were going, you were in tears, going, ‘What the fuck? I’ve been bulldozed by her… this bitch.'” Caroline manages to put a wedge between the friends and chase Julie out of the party in one fell swoop. Gauntlet thrown.
Sophie can’t believe her divorce is getting overshadowed by this petty argument. Welcome to reality TV, Sophie.
Next week: Marissa gets to hold her baby girl. Julie is overwhelmed by Mapperton. Caroline Fleming reads unflattering headlines. Sophie and Caroline continue “the argument.”
Thanks so much for recap LC! Your efforts are very much enjoyed and appreciated. I love this show for some reason.
Great recap, thank you! I love this show and I love to watch Caroline, but she needs to talk to Luke about her makeup. She looks 60, not 40. On the other hand, Julie has certainly upped her glam game, and Juliet’s styling was better than in the past, as well. Now if they could all just get along…
Morning Lady, as a past viewer your intriguing recap has me reaching for my remote to watch Ladies of London.
News about Marissa, her husband and baby sound awful with a punch of good news.
I cant help but see Austin Powers in Carolyn Stanbury.. Yeahhh babyyy
Why is Caroline S. so mad at Jules? Does she blame Jules for the friendship between her and Annabelle ending? The disappointment at not making Jules cry was too much.
I think Caroline is jealous of Jules. Jules has several successful businesses and is still able to be connected to her own children.
Jules kinda stabbed her in the back last season. I had forgotten but the flashbacks brought it all back .
Caroline Stanbury is a special kind of bitch…wow! She cannot stand the fact that Julie is not quivering in her boots anymore. There is no arguing with Caroline, she only cares that she is the winner and nothing else. If I were Julie I’d have left as well. Is was Sophie’s party and she was seeking support, not blood-sport. Caroline is fun to watch, but she is pretty mean. I was disappointed to see Juliet return, I was done with her when she made a big deal over how Thanksgiving was going to be celebrated.She is now firmly inserted into Caroline’s arse. It will be interesting to see how this all rolls out….
Thank you Lady Cocotte for the re-cap. It is nice TT got a break to deal with her life. I am also a west coaster!
Great recap LC! I think I need a British hairstylist because all these ladies have flawless hair, I could hardly concentrate on the storyline I was so distracted by hair envy.
OMG … I thought I was the only one obsessed with their hair. I’m dying with jealousy.
Caroline S reminds me of that cartoon Wallace and Gromet with that big mouth
Spot on! I will never look at her the same way.
lol I’m glad someone else agrees
There’s been some big improvements on the glam this season. Julie’s hair is no longer yellow, Juliet’s is no longer greasy.
Does anyone else think Sophie is like a braying pony? Both in how she looks and speaks. I’m not surprised she’s divorcing Caroline’s brother, her party vibe last season definitely seemed more “single-girl-in-waiting” than “happily-married-wifey”. It was nice to see a little bit of her as a mother this time round.
Julie and Caroline Stanbury both seem to be going through identity crises. Julie has reinvented herself as a “brand” (ew), in the hope that she can make enough money to run Mapperton, and it came off as really inauthentic. I preferred the more humble “messy mom with the smallest house” vibe she had last time around. Caroline came off as Bravo’s biggest ever b—-, especially when she said she was disappointed not to make Julie cry, but I think she’s just trying too hard to hang onto her “queen bee” tag following the closure of her business. She’s not sure who she is without Gift Library, and she doesn’t just want to be the “rich white lady in a skyscraper in the Middle East” who everyone in London forgets, so she’s acting out. I think she’ll probably calm down as the season progresses.
It was a shame that we saw so little of Juliet, yet the editors had time for several minutes of Princess Caroline’s OTT acting about OCD. Juliet’s gripe with Julie seemed more genuine and heartfelt than Stanbury’s, so it was odd we didn’t see any build-up to that.
Love Sophie…
If she could just stop being a tattle-tale, she has so much on her plate to worry about (Divorce, Future, Job).
Enjoyed her story – before marriage – when she had a great job, travelled the world and enjoyed her single life.
I am a sucker for stories about smart, independent woman.
Hopefully she will be O.K with her two boys, since it seems that their father at least is still very involved in their lives.
Her “Freedom Party” was a bust… too much bickering.
Oops…
smart, independent women.
“Grinning like a shark”!! What a fantastic description of super-bitch Caroline S. She says she’s only cruel to her friends, in which case, everyone she comes across must be her friend. As an Englishwoman, her sadistic behavior embarrasses me. When Sophie told her that Julie didn’t want to pursue their problems at Sophie’s party, Caroline was determined that she wouldn’t let that happen. She’s a horrible person who pretends to be nice. Also, Juliet didn’t need to stick her nose into the fray – it wasn’t her fight. Caroline F. is a breath of fresh air – she’s as nice as Caroline S. is horrible. Love seeing the beautiful English countryside – this show makes me homesick.
Caroline S. plays this show like a fiddle. She knows exactly what role to play, and how to play it. She makes for great TV, but I’d be very wary of her if she was in my circle of friends or acquaintances. She kind of sucks the air out of every room, as if there’s only space enough for her and everyone else needs to squeeze in behind her. I’m actually confused by my reactions to her. I love her ability to confront people head on without reservation, but I’m also turned off by her need to control her friends.
Excellent analysis of Caroline S! I’m equally fascinated and turned off by her.
I am amazed at how thin and beautiful everyone is on this show. No middle age spread for these ladies! I gotta get to London and see if any of that will rub off on me.
Dear Lord, LC had to email me to point out there was in fact a recap post. Then I came here and realized I had already read it. Apparently, I am taking amnesia pills. If I ask you again in five minutes how this all ended, just ignore me. Clearly, I will forget your answers in five minutes. I feel like Drew Barrymore’s character on 50 First Dates.
I’m happy Ladies of London are back. I was surprised Annabelle did not return. Though I like Carolyn S, she’s a bully and goes for the jugular when in conflict with others. I really like Carolyn F, and her style of fashion. 🙂
Excited to see the season unfold.
Great recap LC! So glad Ladies of London is back.
Caroline is ALWAYS bitching about someone in every scene. I’m so tired of everything being about Caroline – nonstop. She’s so jealous. Jealous of Caprice the first season and ran her off. Jealous of Jules’ success where Caroline failed in the 2nd season – and now in the 3rd season Jules and her husband have taken over the Mapperton while Caroline had to flee to Dubai.
Jules broke under all the pressure last season: raising 4 kids alone in London while her husband is running Mapperton, yoga classes, her new business, all while juggling the show’s shoots and relationships. Now add to all of that the fact that she and her husband have taken on full responsibilities of Mapperton AND Caroline is gunning for her with both barrels loaded…I can’t imagine. I hope Jules keeps her chin up.
Hopefully we’ll see very little of Juliet this season, she makes Americans look so bad!
Does anyone actually care?
You do.
Hello! This is such a trivial question, however, I’d like to know what model of cell phone is Sophie usually carrying. The white case is very attractive and unusual looking & I’d love to know where she purchased it in the UK plus the make of it.
I am really enjoying this season with the addition of Adela and Sophie. They are both like a breath of fresh air!!
I look forward to your reply.
Thank you,
Annie