Tuesday has seen us again which means it’s time for the Ladies of London. We have queen bee Caroline Stansbury circling soon-to-be-Countess Julie like a shark in deep waters. Party girl Sophie Stanbury is going through a divorce from Caroline’s brother. How long will the Stanbury name protect her from Caroline’s razor teeth? Juliet is Caroline’s number one soldier, nipping at everyone’s calves like a little piranha. Martha Stewart wannabe Marisa just had a baby under very dangerous circumstances but that won’t keep her from being pulled into the drama. And Caroline Fleming is trying to float above it all on a cloud of Danish quirkiness. They seem more sophisticated because of the accents but at it’s heart this is pure, soapy reality television. And it’s amazing.
A week after having the baby (and a hysterectomy) Marissa is still in the hospital. She and her husband Matt cry tears of joy as they hold their baby girl. She’s an adorable little nugget.
Julie is living her hectic life. She has too many kids and no help. Plus, she and her husband just took over Mapperton, his family’s estate. These old British estates are very expensive to run and have to make a profit to keep afloat. Julie thinks her gift shop in a horse stall is going to do just that. Her husband isn’t so confident. You’d have to sell a lot of trinkets to save the farm. Her employees have worked at Mapperton for years and they’re very British. They don’t take Julie very seriously. They argue about the tea towels and branded tea cups and when Julie asks about numbers, they chuckle. They’re not selling much.
Caroline Fleming visits her friend Kim, who is engaged to Liz Hurley’s ex-husband. Really? This is a claim to fame? Kim is heartbroken over Caroline’s father’s illness. She kind of makes it all about her. But Caroline assures us she has a beautiful heart.
Caroline Stanbury visits the interior designer about her Dubai house. They drink Champs. They brag about how opulent Caroline’s new home is. They have a framed portrait of her new closet. Caroline didn’t lose much when her business closed down. I wonder how her former employees are doing.
Sophie visits Marissa and baby Sadie. Sophie does the standard, “You look great.” But she really does. Marissa is ready to get right back into the mix. Sophie rehashes the party. She originally thought Caroline was protecting her but now she realizes that Caroline was using her to have a go at Julie. Really? Marissa asks if Caroline shows the same loyalty to Sophie that Sophie shows her. She suggests Sophie talk to her about it. Yep, Marissa’s back.
Caroline Stanbury goes shopping with her annoying friend Adela. Adela tells her she must get a Burkini for Dubai. Ha ha ha. Making fun of other cultures is so hysterical. She does tell a great story about how Caroline steals everyone else’s fashions. I enjoyed that. Then Adela asks if she’s made up to Sophie. “You did kind of throw her under the bus.” Hmm, I might be rethinking my Adela hatred. Caroline gets pissed. It gets worse. Adela had dinner with Julie. Traitor! Caroline is shooting daggers out of her eyes. Adela wants her to reach out to Julie but Caroline doesn’t care what anyone wants. Julie is her prey this season and nothing is going to change that. They get into an actual row about it. “Caroline thinks the louder she shouts that you’re going to, like, sort of pander to her. And I don’t give a shit.” I heart Adela.
Caroline Fleming brings Juliet to a fashion event in Denmark. Why don’t I have friends like that? Caroline remakes her hotel bed. Juliet finds it a weird as I do. I mean, this isn’t a Motel 6 we’re talking about. Tori Spelling also attends the fashion event. High class. Juliet loves how famous Caroline is in her home country. “When Caroline’s in Denmark it’s like she’s Oprah.” Caroline gets caught off guard when the press ask her a lot of questions about her dad. She says too much and it’s all over the internet. It’s not the royal way. She blew it.
Sophie and Caroline have it out about the divorce party. Sophie gets some balls and tells Caroline she threw her under the bus. Caroline turns it around and claims it’s Sophie’s fault she’s feuding with Julie in the first place. Sophie won’t take responsibility. Caroline brings up the “loyalty” word. That’s a step too far for Sophie. “I really don’t need you to do what you did to Julie to me now.” They go round and round, making the same points over and over, until Caroline throws out her final dagger. “Now I know I can’t trust my family.”
Next week: The ladies head to Mapperton. Marissa can’t go because her baby is back in hospital. Julie frets because the last time Marissa didn’t attend a group event Julie was attacked. Caroline Stanbury utters the soon-to-be iconic line, “I’m not here for your amusement. You’re here for mine.”
The last 2 seasons, Caroline was literally able to mean girl mow down the American ladies. It was equally terrifying and fascinating. It looks like Sophie and Adela know Caroline’s game and aren’t playing. It’ll be interesting to watch play out. TT, can we find out what hair products Sophie uses? Her hair is amazing!
Great recap! I was surprised at just how nasty Caroline Stanbury can be. Last year I liked her overall. Could all these hardships be embittering her character?
I’m wondering if her marriage is in trouble. There’s got to be a reason she is so miserable.
Could be it. You have to be very unhappy to be so determined to see the worst in everyone. But I do hope not, I thought he was hot and I liked their chemistry.
Wonderful recap! After the double treat of Beverly Hills and London in one night, it will make me feel cheap and dirty to wallow in Atlanta on Sundays.
OMG, Caroline just gets worse and worse. She isn’t even someone I can love to hate. It isn’t even hate but disgust.
Totally Team Marissa and Team Julie. Could totally watch a show just about them and their adjusting to living in a different culture. Maybe because they are American born. They need to find a non-bitchy Brit so those who have never traveled won’t get a biased idea.
Am I the only one who could walk around the house just saying “Mapperton”? There is something about that name.
Mapperton. Mapperton. Mapperton.
Oh… and Julie’s fears about that are very real. I’m involved with some historic preservation groups locally. One woman studied and lived in the UK – they have some real danger of losing some of those historic estates because of the costs involved just in upkeep, let alone restoration, etc. They’ve lost some historic sites over the years because of it.
I get Mapperton is Julie’s story line but she needs a side story line to keep from being completely insufferable.
I’m not sure if she would have time for that. And isn’t Caroline’s absurd viciousness towards her kind of a side story line?
Those ladies at the gift shop (and the pop up video type of comments) were funny!
All I know is that if you took a drink every time she said “Mapperton”, you’d be dead at the end of the hour.
lmao! truth.
I wonder if they hold events there? I would think you could make a pretty penny using the estate for weddings and formal affairs and such. That really is an awful lot of upkeep for anyone. Hats off to them for trying.
I bet there are so many options for people to do that there maybe it is not in demand, but yes I’d love to have an event there.
But would you buy a tea towel or a mug with a green imprint of Mapperton as a keepsake? Lol. I loved that scene.
YES! Am I the only one who wanted the stupid tea towel? These are the sorts of souvenirs I buy on my travels. I almost NEVER check a bag, And take basically an all black wardrode of like five looks and one pair of black shoes. Even so, I have little space for bringing shit back. I’ve take to bringing back magnets (tasteful ones from the museum shops!) and a tea towel would fit as a great souvenir. Then I like to bring back weird shit from drugstores. Potions and creams and basic firstaid shit in different languages. It makes me feel super intercontinental to uses cortisone cream or talcum powder (which will kill you, so don’t buy that) with the foreign language on it. I’m weird like that.
I don’t get what Juliet brings to the table? Her loud snarkiness is why Americans have such a bad reputation in Europe. Why do the Carolines even like her? Is it because she has a fashion blog? Juliet’s look and what she wore the first 2 seasons make it clear that she has no prior history in the fashion industry – clearly all made up for the show.
Haven’t liked Caroline Stanbury from the start. The house she is “renting” in London is more than just a rental as she’s been picked up and delivered there in past seasons.
Julie seems to have calmed down from last season. Has anyone heard how her Jub Balls are doing/selling? I don’t envy her position, she’s right – the Estates are a drain on finances and the Brits historically marry wealthy heiresses from the US to use their fortunes. Except, I don’t think Julie is a wealthy heiress, so she’s definitely having to prove herself. She’s such a hard worker, I hope she does really well.
Caroline’s house this season is absolutely nothing like the house she used to live in on the Wentworth Estate. Her former home was red brick, the new one is white/gray.
Juliet does indeed have a long history as a stylist, regardless of how we view her fashion sense. She worked in the US with celebs like Lindsay Lohan, who may have an unfathomable aesthetic, but I don’t doubt it costs her a great deal of money. Juliet also worked in fashion PR, and she has a history in reality TV as part of the winning team on “Beg, Borrow & Deal” on ESPN in 2002.
It’s cute that you think “Downton Abbey” is representative of the situation faced by the aristocracy, but quite inaccurate. Despite the storyline on that period drama, British aristos are not trawling the US looking for poor little rich girls willing to pour daddy’s coins into their estates. Since the 1960s, most of Britain’s oldest families have been working diligently to diversify (gift shops, food stores, museum/gallery tours, souveneirs etc.), or selling off the family silver so that they can hold on to their homes. Frankly, Viscount Hinchingbrooke’s family (the Montagus) are very late to the game, and even with Julie’s best efforts probably aren’t going to be able to establish Mapperton as a serious tourist destination. There are far larger, far grander, and far better-run estates throughout the UK, they’d be better off trying to trade on the “Sandwich” heritage with a chain of cafés or something.
How sweet that you think my knowledge comes from Downton Abbey. LOL
I am well aware of the grander estates as well as some of their histories. My point was wishing Julie well in her endeavors. While I’m sure you are one who would quickly tell her she can try all she wishes, but no matter because she won’t succeed.
If we’re going to discuss “ill will”, let’s talk about why you felt the need to make up stories about Caroline’s home and Juliet’s livelihood….
Did your “knowledge” of the British aristocracy come from the same place that told you Caroline had sneakily changed the façade of her home since last season but it’s really the same place? Or was it from the other place, that told you Juliet has no career despite her fashion PR resumé and endless articles about her styling being easily available on Google?
“Knowledge” lol. Good one!
LOL, perhaps you should pay more attention to my original comment. I said nothing about Caroline’s “red” house – only the “rental”. Referencing previous episodes in prior seasons will show you what I’m talking about.
I have no interest in Juliet nor her history, just commenting on my opinion of her fashion-sense – or lack thereof.
I guess no one can possibly have familial ties to anything that ever took place in the UK? wink wink
The End
Oh, I paid attention to your original comment. You made something up about Caroline’s house. You made something up about Juliet’s career. And then you made something up about Brits being gold-diggers.
Stop making stuff up on the internet. And go die in a fire, as TT would say.
Johnny,
Stop trying to put words in my mouth. There are no lies here, just opinion and my original statement stands.
Grow up and go pester someone who cares what you have to say!
Turn it into an exclusive spa/hotel? Live in part of it or seasonal?
@ Johnny- I think you are going a little too far to say she made something up? and go die in a fire? are you that ticked about a couple of comments on a blog? seriously???
I think you lack (i). an appreciation for tone, and (ii). a sense of context.
I’ll try to help you out. (i). Sarcasm. It’s of course well known that many Americans lack a flair for the comic arts, so there’s perhaps a cultural explanation for you missing this. (ii). There’s another of TT’s posts where the expression “go die in a fire” has been used extensively today. I believe it was intended sarcastically rather than literally there too, but regardless if you couldn’t pick up on that you’re just not trying hard enough. Read TT’s post and the comments about her mail bag, hopefully all will become clear.
As for saying she “made something up”, I think it’s important in the post-truth Age of Trump that we’re very clear on that. She made something up. Then she made another thing up, and then another thing. She lied about Caroline’s house, she lied about Juliet’s career, and she lied when she shared her wild theory about British gold-diggers. (I don’t know that she’s a she, she could be a man, woman, genderless blob, or a dog with a lobotomy; but I’ll follow your lead and use the pronoun you chose. I’m curious why you assumed you knew that, are you in fact the same person? Again, TT’s other post may explain why that thought comes to mind – apparently there are some commenters here who maintain an alter ego.)
Could you be any more sanctimonious or just downright offensive? I DO NOT need any instruction from you on how to evaluate something. I am perfectly capable of reading and making my own judgment on what transpired. Just because I did not see it exactly the way you meant it does not mean I am an idiot or need some sort of help from you to understand what you meant.
As far as TT’s “expressions” go…you ARE NOT TT and therefore one does not assume you have the same sentiment as TT when you refer to one of her comments.
As far as your statement that this poster “lied” let’s review the definition of a lie -it is “a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood” You have no idea what the posters intention was, in particular her comment about the house, she thought Caroline had been picked up there previously (in previous seasons) how is that “making something up”? She relied on her memory so therefore the worst it can be is a mistake. As far as Juliet goes, she may have had those jobs you referenced, but I agree with the other poster that she needs a serious upgrade on her look, not to mention her attitude.
How unfortunate that you found my response to your questions offensive.
Let me try to clarify what you’re saying: “I know exactly what you meant, but you can’t possibly know what Observer2 meant.” I’ll leave you to figure out the logic of that, because I don’t have the right kind of drugs to make sense of that argument.
You asked a number of questions. Your curiosity seemed quite urgent, given the excessive use of punctuation, so I kindly attempted to share with you where you had misunderstood my intentions. As the leading expert in the field when it comes to my own intentions, they’re not really up for debate. If you don’t like the answers to your uninvited questions, you’re welcome to retract them or, in future, keep them to yourself.
Thanks Lawstangel, but Johnny’s response is that of a zealot, imho.
Being zealous about the truth is a bad thing in your world? Interesting.
I’ll pray for you, ma’am.
Seriously, guys?
I need a support group now. Anyone that can gofundme?
Is it wrong that I LOVE THESE COMMENTS MORE THAN ANYTHING I’VE READ HERE IN MONTHS?
I love me some heated discussions and these were quite civilized and I don’t think anyone’s knickers were over twisted.
Also, I’ve not recalled a lot of Johnny’s posts but I kind of love him now. I’m a sucker for a well placed crude and overused Internet insult that has completely lost it’s literal meaning. Well, if you are aware of all that.
Bravo to you all, even though you may have given Lady C the vapors as the poor dear has been tasked with the holding the fort as i lolled around on painkillers and xanax.
Again, Bravo to all parties for a very grown up and spirited debate.
And Jen dear, please contact a liberal group in your area. In particular if you live near a major university there will be safe spaces where you can hang out and be coddled and gently wrapped in bubble wrap. No GoFundMe needed. Sadly, we have so safe spaces in the ghetto, because liberals are racist.
Kidding, sort. But it is a glaring fact that safe spaces with Xanax licks and soothing music and shrinks on call are only at fancy Universities.
LOVE this show! In many ways it’s what the Housewife shows used to be. I have a love/hate relationship with Caroline S. I’m over Julie. I know Caroline S can be mean but I can take her better than people like Julie and Marissa who I feel pretend too much. Julie plays that “I’m so weak and afraid” card with women like Annabelle and Caroline S and when anyone defends her they pay a price. Last season Julie ran to Annabelle crying that Caroline S was mean and Julie made it appear Annabelle was dominating her . When Annabelle tried to advise Julie how to defend herself against Caroline S and when Caroline S tried to help defend Julie against Annabelle, Caroline S and Annabelle lost their friendship.
Now Sophie befriends Julie, feels she has to then defend Julie and same outcome. Hopefully Caroline S’s friend Adela doesn’t fall for Julie’s act. If the last two episodes are any indication of the how the season will be then it’ll be a good one.
I loved, no adored, Adela! Anybody who can stick it to Caroline like that is fine by me. She more than held her own. I almost yelled back at the TV, I was digging it so much (yes, I need to get a life) The scene where she talked about Caroline’s early fashion faux pas was also delicious. Caroline is a spoiled, entitled nasty bully. I know that word is over-used but I think it’s applicable. She’s obviously very used to getting her way and believes that by bringing out the low personal shit, shaming, and out-screaming, she’ll get what she wants. I’m hoping the tides are turning.
Caroline F can come over and make my bed anytime. I hate to make my bed.
She just used to be at least kind of fun now she is just a bitter, entitled judgy bitch. Ugg Ill still watch though. I like this show over the housewives also but everyone on the RHBH post said its a good season so I’ll give it one more try.
I continue to be amazed by Lady C’s recaps. I watched this show twice. Not sure if I was off the pain meds yet or not but I kept dozing off. I really like the show, but it seems really hard to recap this season. It seems like there is not the overly complex storylines of shows like RHOA. This show always seems a bit more real which leads to people saying things like, “We need Julie to have more storyline than just Mapperton.” I don’t I’d watch an entire hour of Julie trouncing around Mapperton wringing her hands and dealing with the English version of the Old Lady Gang.
Then again, I rewound Julie on the train three times just to watch Julie on the train. I’ve become more and more leery of European travel and if I ever get my damn passport renewed will probably be sticking to the Caribbean for a bit if I can even muster that. I knew on my last trip to Paris that it might well be my last European trip. Old ladies traveling alone is getting a bit dicer. So I because I am enamored by civilized nations with great train systems, I just loved that part. Perhaps one day the US will have a great metro and long distance train infrastructure like the rest of the free world, but I’m not holding my breath.
I love this show. And I love it more when I don’t have to recap it.
I agree about the Julie working with the ladies from Mapperton Gift Shop thing. That could even fuel one of those English comedies (kinda sorta like Agatha Raisin) except a high-energy American becoming Mistress of the Estate and tries to work with the laid-back villagers.
That is so u fortunate that you feel that way. We are huge travelers and have gone to Greece, Italy & Germany (while pregnant) , 4 countries in Africa and more countries. Travel seriously fuels the soul. There are definetly more places hank 10 years ago that I would avoid. Example we wanted to do Bali and now I don’t know if that window will ever open again, but when my kids are a little older I plan to take them to Africa and other countries. I dot. Want to live in fear. There are so many countries you can still travel safely. You have said you are in 50s?? That’s not OLD any any means. And there are so many people you could travel together with. Or do a partial vacation with tour and then branch off on own with people you meet there. I just hate to see anyone give up on travel. Is it terroirst attacks that stifle you? You have a better chance getting hit by lightning and I highly doubt you fear lightning.
Oh you know what would be cool,instead of daily tea… a travel post every so often
I would go to a fancy University but they don’t have cable, so..
Thanks Lady for the recap. I went in and out of this episode due to my littles and I missed the entire Adela portion and your recap makes me kick myself for that. Sounds like that was the best Part!
I love Caroline! She has snark and is a birch, but she is not nasty at the core. She is the perfect nemesis and antagonist and I’m glad bravo didn’t give up on this show.
Would LOVE the tea on why Juliet was cut from the show? She is like a background artist this year. Anyone know why? TT??