Each week, for the full 60 minutes I'm investing in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I find myself believing Erika Jayne. I fall for the tears. The mascara streaks. I even fall for the snot bubbles. Then, I go to sleep, wake up, and log onto Twitter or Instagram. And as I scroll past Erika's socials, I realize it: God, I am such a sucker.

Because the woman we see on our screens is not the woman we see on social media. The woman we see on our screens is sensitive, hurt, and even verging on pitiful; while the woman we scroll past is thirsty, bold, and even verging on inappropriate. To borrow from Erika herself, the dichotomy is a pretty mess — it leaves us feeling confused. Because whatever anger we harbor seeing Erika still board a private plane despite everything we watched in The Housewife & The Hustler, RHOBH airs again, and the emotional cycle resets. How can we reconcile the Erika we see on Housewives with the Erika we see on social media? (I've said it before but... if this is all an act, give her an EGOT, because what a fucking performance.)

But let's go back to the very beginning to illustrate my point: the opening chapter of The Tale Of Two Erikas. (And people say Housewives isn't art.)

November 3, 2020

Erika filed on Nov. 3, 2020, an announcement that came as a huge shock to the women of RHOBH. After all, she seemed to be doing just fine back in Lake Tahoe, voicing platitudes about Tom with no indication of trouble in gold-plated paradise.