The Real Housewives of Miami Season 2 Episode 1 Recap - A Tale of Two Miamis
by Adam Eatros
In this season 2 premiere of The Real Housewives of Miami, we are introduced to what we can only assume will be our new round of characters for this season onwards: Ana Quincoces, Dr. Karent Sierra, Joanna Krupa, and Lisa Hochstein. We all remember Lea, Adriana, and Marysol from last season, but Housewives Larsa Pippen and Cristy Rice are gone, along with their somewhat uninvolving interpersonal conflicts.
Fortunately, elder mother Elsa Patton is still here to be the life of the proverbial party, much as she was last season, although this season she may have even more help. The new characters and new interpersonal conflicts breathe some much-needed life into the series, and gets season 2 off to a promising beginning. Even the opening credits are a cut above the previous season’s clipped opening shots, and the new characters are even more memorable.
During the premiere, we met Ana Quincoces, Joanna Krupa, Dr. Karent Sierra, and Lisa Hochstein, in addition to their families, getting a feel for what their role in the show would be throughout this season and onwards. Many of these new housewives are successful individuals in their own right, and despite being married to well-connected and wealthy men, they would be rich on their own. Ana Quincoces has managed to become a partner at her law firm, a well-known celebrity chef, and a bestselling cookbook writer. Three careers of a lifetime at once would be impressive enough if she had not also managed to raise two daughters to robust adulthood. Dr. Karent Sierra is widely regarded as the top upper income dentist in Miami if not the whole state of Florida, and owns and operates her own private practice.
Model Joanna Krupa was already a well-known public figure, famous for being photographed in everything from FHM to Maxim and generating a princely film record that includes Planet of the Apes, the Underground Comedy Movie, and Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon. Lisa Hochstein is the odd man out, as far as being a largely self-made woman goes. This 29-year-old plastic surgeon’s wife loudly refers to herself as her husband’s greatest creation, giving their relationship a weirdly Pygmalion vibe that may disturb some viewers. Her husband has actually performed a substantial amount of plastic surgery on her himself, which you would think was some sort of an ethics violation. Perhaps plastic surgeons are held to different ethical standards, and it is perfectly within the bounds of their profession to bring home Botox injections for their significant others the way most husbands pick up toilet paper. To Lea’s everlasting horror, she and Lisa are going to be neighbors.
The age-old conflict between old and new money seems to have reared its ugly head a few times throughout. The dividing line between old and new money in a group of people full of self-made millionaires and their spouses is anyone’s guess, and adds a curiously anthropological undertone to the proceedings. Learning the intricacies and social hierarchies present can be a surprising endeavor for people who believe that people in these circles are rich, and that is it.
Fans of Bravo’s Real Housewives series will probably appreciate the premiere. The uninitiated may find them selves as mystified as they would be if they were launched into this peculiar world of interpersonal competition and status signaling for the first time. One of the real joys of these sorts of series is the voyeuristic look at a class that most viewers are unfamiliar with and could never dream of joining. Understanding that even the supremely wealthy can have all-too familiar conflicts with new neighbors and their expectations can be sobering. The Housewives are an entertaining ensemble cast, whether you envy their lifestyles or not.