Russell Armstrong Makes His Uncomfortable Posthumous Debut

Do you remember how you felt when you heard that Bravo would air footage of the late Russell Armstrong and his wife Taylor’s deteriorating marriage in the upcoming season of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills? Well, whether you reacted with disgust, morbid curiosity, or simple felt not-so-fresh, last night was the real deal — Russell was included in the show’s plot for the first time since his death.

The episode begins with Lisa inviting Taylor to the engagement party for her daughter Pandora, but contingent on the fact that Russell was Not Invited due to a “falling out.” Falling out and Pandorafest aside, Taylor decided to invite Kyle and her husband over for the most awkward dinner party of all time. The tension between Russell and Taylor is hard to miss, particularly when Russell brings up “today’s headline” — an item in Us Weekly that had been published about how Taylor and Russell were separating. Even worse, Russell suspected Lisa for leaking the story to the press. The entire scene is all kinds of uncomfortable to watch, in so many ways.

We have to put aside the Russell business, because there was something else worth noting: Pandora’s engagement party. It was Crazytown. There was booze flowing, mermaids flapping about, and an acrobatics performance that veered into disturbing territory when Lyle, Taylor, and Camille decide to join in the fun. Ladies, there is something to be said for abstaining from the act of lifting up your legs over your head and exposing your nether-regions to everyone around you at an engagement party. Clearly, that wasn’t on anyone’s mind that night.