It’s been a fabulous season of Ladies of London but now it’s time to say goodbye. Two months ago the ladies came roaring back into our lives with tales of risky births (Marissa), divorce (Sophie) and the first big fight of the season (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie). Then we met my darling Adela and Liz Hurley’s ex-husband’s fiancée and got our second big fight of the season (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie). We visited scenic Mapperton, the Earl of Sandwich’s estate and the site of our third (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela) and fourth big fight (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela Sophie).
When Marissa finally rejoined the ladies after numerous hospital stays we got our first episode without a major row, just lots of drunken mummys and balloon hats. To make up for that reprieve, we got an episode with pub crawls, drunken snooker and two big fights (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela Sophie Caroline Fleming and Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela Sophie Caroline Fleming Sophie). Whew! That was a busy week. The fabulous trip to Scotland gave us kilts, haggis and the fight about the “rumor” (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela Sophie Caroline Fleming Sophie Marissa). When Caroline Stanbury took a week off, the rest of the ladies took us, and their hats, to the historic Henley Regatta. And last week we shared in Caroline Fleming’s charming midsummer party that was almost (but not quite) hijacked by the final fight of the season (Caroline Stanbury vs Julie Sophie Adela Sophie Caroline Fleming Sophie Marissa Adela).
Looking back, I feel like we were watching two separate shows: elegant ladies living a life of leisure and travel and the Caroline Stanbury vs everyone hour. Ugh. Well, tonight we get to say goodbye to La Stanbury as she heads off to Dubai. I’m sure her castmates will get teary but all I can say is: don’t let the Burj Khalifa hit you on the way out!
We start with Caroline Stanbury ordering around her bewildered hotel butler. This man is used to catering to the demanding elite and even he is shocked by Caroline’s behaviour. Once he escapes, she picks up her phone to bark at her assistant about ordering more hair. On her day off. But it’s an emergency! She needs to get ready for her Goodbye, Fuck You party. Or so she claims. In truth, it’s because she has no one else to talk to and nothing to do. Too bad she’s alienated all of her friends.
Over at Marissa’s, things are decidedly different. The house if full of love and joy. The boys are bonding with their sister while Matt and Marissa discuss moving to California. Marissa has given in and the move is really happening.
Caroline Fleming meets with her book editor. She’s very excited about the book proposal she submitted and the editor tells her they’ve accepted it. It’s not her first cookbook but it’s the first to be published in Britain and the States. The Barefoot Baroness is going global.
Sophie’s ex stops by to pick up the boys so they discuss telling them about the divorce. They both agree to be very active in the boys’ lives but Sophie balks when her ex mentions them staying at his house. It’s like she hasn’t ever considered sharing custody.
Julie helps her daughter prepare for a European vacation before she starts university. Julie is having major empty nest syndrome. Sure, she still has too many sons at home but this is the first kid who’s moving out..
Super successful blogger Juliet has a photoshoot to celebrate hitting 100,000 followers on Instagram. Last week she tweeted that she loves these recaps. Um, okay.
Julie and Sophie have Pims in the park. Sophie ruins it by complaining about Adela. She completely denies that she told Adela Caroline Stanbury said she traded her kids for money. Julie doesn’t believe her so they call Adela. Adela won’t play along and Sophie goes HAM. She’s terrified that Caroline Stanbury will get mad at her.
Luke does Caroline Stanbury’s makeup for her Goodbye, Fuck You party. They both cry. Luke might be a paid friend but he’s good at it. Sophie arrives and tells them she told the kids about the divorce. They cry some more.
While Julie and Adela get dressed for the party, Julie tells her about Sophie’s kid drama. She asks her to be gentle on Sophie. Adela is totally prepared to drop everything as long as Sophie apologizes for going ham on her. Something tells me this isn’t going to just go away.
And finally it’s party time. Caroline Stanbury is like a pig in shit. She’s the center of attention and no one can deny it. Luke pounces on Julie with La Stanbury’s final salvo: Julie is single white femaling her. Sigh. Ironically, Adela and Sophie pull the cameras away for a “talk.” Ha! After ruining everyone’s else’s events with screaming and fits, Caroline Stanbury is getting a taste of her own medicine. I hope they actually come to blows, just to show her how ridiculous it looks. But, no. They talk it out rationally. Damn!
They sit down to dinner. Caroline Stanbury sits on a Maleficent throne. Juliet makes a teary, annoying toast. I can’t even listen to her. All I hear is ass kissing. Adela and Sophie both make final episode speeches about friendship. Juliet interrupts to chastise them about their lack of loyalty to Caroline Stanbury. It turns into a row and Caroline sits on her throne and smirks. Adela calls Juliet a “poisonous dwarf in polyester” and that is why I love her. Juliet, on the other hand, can’t stop saying “loyalty.” It’s starting to remind me of Ramona’s lecture about class when she met, and insulted, Alex and Simon in the first season of RHONY. I’m over it.
They finally drop it and we get the wrap ups. Marissa is excited about California, especially the avocados. Sophie looks forward to being happy again. Caroline Fleming plans to give Martha Stewart a run for her money. Literally. Juliet likes herself even if no one else does. Julie is Mapperton, Mapperton, Mapperton. And Caroline Stanbury is ready for her new, rich, tacky life but warns that she could be back.
And with that we say goodbye. It’s been a blast. I really hope Bravo gives the ladies another season. Even if it includes Caroline Stanbury.
My favorite HW show. I hope there is another season and that Caroline S participates.
Absolutely cannot stand Juliet! She’s like one of those algae eaters in a fish tank… but attached to Caroline’s bung hole…
LOL, Shanon. The visual of that was hysterical.
I haven’t read anything yet. Watching now. I LOVE Marissa’s husband.
Oh my, me too!
I love this show and want them all back except Juliet who manages to suck the joy out of every scene she is in.
Caroline Fleming is my favorite and is the real Queen Bee despite what Caroline Stanbury may think. Without Fleming it would all fall apart. She is a pro.
Isn’t she refreshing? I enjoy watching her—she does something for me!
Dear GOD what is Juliet wearing? I can’t wait to read Lady C’s comments on this.
Juliet looked like a bedazzled sister wife! Unfortunately, at every formal event this year, this has been her go to look.
My favorite gown was the one that Sophie was wearing…classic and timeless.
Thank you! I was about to comment that it looks like she’s wearing the flag of some obscure Eastern European nation. She’s a fashion blogger and dresses other people????? WTF?
“poisonous dwarf in polyester” was the best line of the night.
Juliet managed to take a farewell dinner and turn it into the friggin last supper while Caroline S. sat there like a Cheshire cat.
Thank you, Lady Cocotte for taking us on a lovely journey.
This is my favorite show too. Sorry to see it end so soon. Juliet and fashion is an oxymoron. How did she get that hot and successful husband? Matt Hermer seems like such a good guy. The new baby looks just like him. Adela has been a good addition. Julie needs to lay off the guilt trip on her daughter being best friend and all, not healthy. Stanbury is what she is and for some I reason really like her. Her dry wit makes the show. Wish much success with Caroline F. cookbook. Great recap as always, Lady C, thanks.
Caroline S is the show. I live for her bitchiness and snark. She says things I want to say and does it without an ounce of remorse. If it’s Caroline’s world, I wanna be there.
“Caroline Stanbury sits on a Maleficent throne.”
Dear God all of my writers show me up. Sucks that I just use them for clicks, as I have been told.
This was an AMAZING season. I hate that people don’t watch this show more.
The HUGE difference between LOL and RH is LOL leaves me wanting more. I WANT MORE OF ALL OF THEM. Even Caroline Stanbury and our national treasure, Juliet, I don’t want to miss a thing,
Marissa has already said she will be back for the summer. I’m hoping Caroline Stanbury will be too.
Whose dress did you like best? I loved Julie’s and I think she deliberately sent Adela in the wrong direction, Which makes me love Julie even more. And I also ADORED what Caroline Fleming wore.
Thoughts?
Can we take a moment to imagine if Caroline Stanbury and Caroline Fleming were locked in a room with housewives Porsha, Phaedra, Sheree, Ramona, Tamra, and Teresa?
I’d pay to watch that. Stanbury would chew them up and Flemming would throw holy water on them. And the housewives would be none the wiser.
If was a season of HW All-stars I imagine it’d be Stanbury clutching her pearls in horror and judgment with Fleming and Ramona cojoling her to be nice. I could see Teresa,Tamra, and Porsha teaming up in a “they hate us, we hate them more clique”. Phaedra and Sheree would be the carrier pigeons.
If I could add to the list, LVP. I believe her and Stanbury are old friends so it’d be interesting to watch them interact. Would they end up competing for queen bee or become a two headed beast of condescension and derision disguised (often unsuccessfully) as humor?
I nearly died laughing when Adela called Juliet the “toxic little troll in polyester” (or some such).
She really is, she’s insufferable.
Love this show and I hate to see the season end! I wish Bravo would make this show as long as the House Wives seasons because it so much better!
I think there will be a season 4 and it will definitely have Caroline Stanbury because in my opinion there is no show without her. I think she’s an easy target for viewers because no one wants to have sympathy for a very rich and willful woman but I see the logic in every fight she had this season except her fight with Caroline Fleming. My view is that all of Caroline S’s fights were started by the person she was engaging with at the time except the Caroline Fleming fight. I think she and Luke have a real friendship and I liked that we saw some real emotion from her this season especially in this episode with her and Luke and with Sophie. I also want to see how Caroline and Sophie are getting along. Sophie was kind of a let down for me with her messiness but I’ll give her another chance and hopefully by next season she would have learned how to be independent of Caroline S without being two faced about it.
Same with Adela. I like her and want to see her back next season and see more about her rather her playing the role of defender of everyone against Caroline Stanbury.
I agree with Truth and Justice that Caroline Fleming is a real pro! I love her and think she is a friend worth having and the only one besides Juliet that didn’t try to make conflict with Caroline Stansbury part of her story line . In my opinion, Caroline Fleming is like the Erika of LOL in that she’s the true Queen who has come in and taken the crown using silent power.
Juliet the national treasure is annoying but I like her. If nothing else she is loyal and I think this season I understand more why she’s better friends with Caroline S than she is with Marissa. I hope there is a season 4 and we will finally see the real Marissa because I’m not buying what she has packaged so far and her talking heads seem to validate my assumptions. I could like her more if she was authentic. That said I love her husband Matt.
After 3 seasons of making fun of Jules and all of her tears I’m going to shamefully admit that I shed a few with her when she was dropping her daughter Emma at the station for European vacation. Did anyone else notice how when Caroline S asked who would take her seat in the thrown Jules quickly raised her hand?! Was she joking or is she finally dropping the pretense and owning it?
Does anyone think Liz Hurley’s ex’s fiance’ will be full time next season so that her wedding will be filmed? Or has her wedding already happened? I don’t don’t follow her on social media so I’m clueless.
I think people don’t like her because she’s spoiled, hypocritical, entitled and an unrepentant snob. I don’t like Caroline but I enjoy watching her because she’s, “good tv” as opposed to Juliet who represents all that is the, “Ugly American”
I always think to myself that for someone who’s from old money, Caroline acts very nouveau riche.
So, Jules is going all SWF on Caroline S.? Funny, Adela said the same thing about Caroline.
Forgive my verbosity! So I wanted to wait til the end of the season to tell my theory regarding Caroline S.overly bitchy, critical & distancing attitude toward the rest of the women all season. I bet everyone here has done this in their lifetime at least once, tell me what you think. Best to explain with an example. In college my bestest, bestest friend whom I just adored graduated 2 years before me from U. Texas, She was American, and super rich,her dad anyway.( Swiss boarding school & all). She was going back to Euro where her dad was immediately after classes were over. In 1991 when someone was leaving to far away parts that was it they were gone! Long distance calling was super expensive and letters?? No. The closer we got to graduation we started squabbling. Over nothing, and we never argued. Then more, and more. We bickered until it blew up. She was gone without a goodbye,. It occurred to me after Gina & I subconsciously did it on purpose. The sadness and pain that comes with parting due to extenuating life circumstances especially, is just too much to bear so we (humans) subconsciously sabotage the relationship(s) in advance to convert the pain into something the brain can rationalise thereby alleviating future misery due to missing that person.
From episode 1 Caroline was distancing herself from every single woman at one time or another throughout the season. I’m not saying CS was in love with all her castmates, gosh no, lol!! But even the loathed women, when grouped together, represented the end of a big part of her life at the moment, which is the show, and her life in London. Good luck, Dubai!
Bravo keeps making this show so limited in episodes! Please make more! There aren’t enough to have an actual satisfying story arc with a semi-(bravo)resolution. Mini arcs, but come on! Oh and there’s never a reunion!! Aarghhh!!!! More effort Brava! Thank you for entertaining my theory I’ve been dying to get that out TT xxoo
That’s a really interesting theory Tex, thank you for also sharing your story. Definitely food for thought.
Has there been any explanation this season as to why Sophie and her husband are divorcing? I haven’t heard anything mentioned and she seems so heartbroken it doesn’t appear to be her idea.
CONVEIDT, I don’t think they gave a reason on the show, but just from what I saw, it was a case of he kept forgetting that he had a wife and kids and kept up his hard partying lifestyle.
I was hoping people would cut Sophie some slack. I’m newly separated- six months and I’m still a nervous, depressed wreck. It’s a huge and stressful change, especially with children. I wish her well.
Hey Slice, I sent an email to the account you use here. And on an unrelated note, I’m sorry for all you are dealing with. Hang tough. The whole country is in a weird place and that can’t possibly be helping.
The only hw show i I watch. Yes, there are characters I like more than others, but mostly it’s about women with means living their lives. No fake illnesses, no super wackos, a limited amount of promos, no ridiculous screaming fights. I will miss it.
And the estates! And LONDON. I will miss this show, and your wonderful recaps, Lady.
Me, too. I will not miss Stanbury. She is an insufferable snob with very little substance. Yes, she has some good snarky moments, but that’s about it for me. Juliet needs to move to Dubai with her. It must have been very painful to remove her nose from being so far up Stanbury’s ass. I adore the Baroness. I still like Sophie and want to see her sort it out without her harridan SIL around. I want to see Julie come fully into her own and learn more about running such a large estate. I want to know more of Adela’s story. Marissa is kind of meh. I want a longer season with deeper story lines. This show beats the RH’s, hands down.