'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' 17 Episode 1 recap: Porsha's party fuels tension between Drew and Shamea
'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' has made a juicy comeback. Season 17 of the show picks up after the divorce of the mainstay, Porsha. Last season, the audience saw her fight tooth and nail with her ex-husband, Simon, over their marital mansion. She eventually emerged victorious and was seen flaunting her win in the season premiere. Porsha organized a party for the entire cast at her mansion, calling it the 'Mystic Island' dinner party. As expected, tensions come to a head, with several housewives airing their grievances. However, the party wasn't all cattiness; there was also a sprinkle of romance, as it was a 'plus-one' event.
The episode began with Porsha rallying the housewives for the party. She started with K. Michelle, a new entrant this season, who previously appeared in another reality show, 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' on the same network. Since her last appearance on the Bravo show, she has gotten married to her long-time on-again, off-again partner, Dr. Kastan. Porsha extends the invitation to K. Michelle during a photoshoot. K. Michelle, though excited about this new opportunity, expressed doubts regarding the new group as she isn't a newbie in the world of reality shows and knows how quickly things can turn unsavory. Another newbie at the scene was Pinky Cole, who also graced the party. Kelli quickly deemed that she was not a "girl's girl," planting the seeds of a new rivalry.
Shamea, the unofficial villain of last season, also attended the party. The last time viewers saw her, she was at odds with almost everyone in the cast. Her decades-long friendship with Porsha had blown up on camera, and viewers were waiting with bated breath for the reunion of these ex-besties. However, it turned out to be surprisingly cordial. Porsha wanted to move forward in a positive direction with Shamea, adding that the latter's efforts after the reunion had touched her. One such gesture was the apology video Shamea posted, addressing her actions from last season. However, Drew brought her own beef with Shamea into the spotlight, claiming that the video in question was full of shots at her.
Shamea turned the tables on Drew and accused her of doubting Angela's statements at the reunion. Drew admitted that she went to Phaedra and expressed those exact concerns. The situation stemmed from allegations Angela made against one of Phaedra's friends. She claimed that the so-called friend tried to accost her at a Hawks game, and in response, Phaedra declared that she was lying. 'The Traitors' star added that she had seen the video footage from the venue, and no such incident had occurred. “I didn’t look at the tapes, but I asked for the tapes to be reviewed,” Phaedra later admitted that she twisted the truth a bit.
Another thing to note about the premiere episode was the cast's romantic liaisons. Porsha came to the party with a "Friend-Friend" called Mike, who might be in for the long haul. As for the others, most managed to get a partner, but none seemed to be serious enough love interests for the housewives. Phaedra arrived with Cheick, whom she had met in one of her other reality shows, while Cynthia and Drew had dates join through video calls. All in all, it was a good enough party, and Porsha shared, “I feel like I was a gracious host.” She added, “I wasn’t very ratchet. I wasn’t reading anybody. I’m saving all of that for later,” she added.
