It's never easy to watch something very real happen to someone of reality television, but watching Vicki Gunvalson learn that her mom died on Real Housewives of Orange County was another thing entirely. On Monday's episode, the aftermath of Vicki receiving the call at Shannon's game night shook the O.C. While each women recounted the tragic moment Vicki learned her mother had died, it was Vicki's strength that truly stood out during Monday's episode. While it was absolutely heartbreaking to see Vicki go through this, she showed amazing courage to open up about the pain of losing her mother.
The Housewives each retold the story to their family and friends the day after the game night. Tamra, who was about to go welcome her new granddaughter to the world actually stopped by Vicki's home to spend some time with her. It was nice to see the women put their differences aside and come together to support Vicki. Vicki and Tamra — who have just recently moved passed a huge disagreement — have known each other for such a long time, it's nice to see that there's hope for their friendship.
One relatively surprising, and equally heartbreaking, thing that occurred before Vicki's mother's funeral was that Brooks was not attending. It wasn't because he couldn't attend because of his health, but because Vicki's family doesn't support their relationship. We knew that some of Vicki's friends don't support her relationship with Brooks, but to learn that her family doesn't either really makes you feel for her during this time.
When the show finally checked in with Vicki after the funeral, she seemed exhausted and drained. She said that she hasn't slept since she received the call at game night. She also shared how the memorial honored her mother by singing her favorite songs. After the episode of Vicki learning about her mother's death aired, Vicki shared this with fans.
While my heart feels for Vicki, I commend her strength during such a stressful and difficult time in life. Once again, Vicki proves why she is the original Housewife... it's impossible to not love her.
