On this page
01The take
The Expanded Circle.
The foundation was laid in season one. Season two is where the builders started arguing about the floor plan.
02The shape of the season
A rhythm worth tracking.
Kelly Bensimon joins an established core cast and immediately shifts the dynamic. The original five had found a working rhythm; a sixth voice on a different frequency produces the kind of productive instability the format thrives on. The New York social world expands, the cast gets sharper in its edges, and the show settles into what it actually is — not just a document of how wealthy Manhattanites live, but a record of how they argue.
03Where it sits in the canon
The #05 slot.
Slot #05 of 5 in the Real Housewives of New York City Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.
No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in