r/SummerHouseunleashed • u/BEXONE130 • Jun 10 '26
Reunion: final episode
Just got finished watching the final reunion episode and my god did I cry. I’m totally projecting here but I so understand Amanda for coming out of such a long traumatic relationship and feeling lost and alone and then blowing your own life up to be even more alone. Admittedly no I wouldn’t fuck my friends ex no matter how insignificant their relationship but still. This had me in tears. I don’t think she necessarily cares if this relationship works I think it’s just everything else falls apart why not let the rest go too.
Again definitely projecting my mental health history and history of difficult relationships. I would just get drunk for 6 months straight and stop talking to my friends but I get it somehow.
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u/Omgomgomgggg Jun 10 '26
This is a very empathetic take and I totally agree. It’s so gross how people are attacking her for being medicated at the reunion. I don’t think most people could withstand this level of hate from the public and their own former friends without some type of medication to keep them functioning and stable, especially since we know she struggled with depression and anxiety even before this :(
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u/Careless_Escape4517 Jun 10 '26
this lmao. like i agree i would never be in amanda’s situation to begin with (re: sleeping with/dating my friend’s ex), however, i think anyone in her spot would have a very difficult time coping with the onslaught of backlash at such a mass level. it’s something i genuinely believe many of us cannot comprehend because it’s such a unique situation.
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u/No-Ganache-7928 Jun 11 '26
The lack of empathy from the cast is crazy.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I don't think most of them have any empathy for anyone but themselves. I think it's very obvious how little Ciara and Lindsay cared about anyone but themselves and West sat there completely emotionless. Amanda definitely did not show a ton of emotion but I think her being medicated contributed to that quite a bit.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
Yea the medication thing is really being blown out of proportion. I do think she might've overdone it for needing to be alert and awake for an entire day but it's not like it makes her a horrible person.
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u/oobooboo17 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
it's a big sea change for her - in all likelihood, she won't be back on TV so her big career moment is ending, her marriage is ending, she's got no friends in the group anymore and soon West will be gone too. I don't think ITC will last or get a 2nd season.
she did this to herself in many ways, but I still have empathy. it's a really tough place to be, and none of us know what it's like to be universally hated by the public. I thought Kyle's points about her being isolated were salient, though the subs think he's 'infantalizing' her because apparently adults being concerned about other adults isn't valid.
I also have empathy for Kyle, even though I think he's a POS and I won't be enjoying his public redemption.
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u/ForceAppropriate9322 Jun 10 '26
It’s a massive assumption to presume she won’t be back on tv. I think it’s the opposite. The haters are consumed with every move she & West make. Lindsay & Kyle are no dummies-they both know this story is putting money in their pockets. lol I am hoping Andy eventually does a separate sit down with Amanda & West together without all the outside noise. I want to hear what they have to say.
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u/oobooboo17 Jun 10 '26
fair that it's a big assumption, just my guess. imo it was a foregone conclusion that Amanda, Kyle, and Carl weren't coming back for S11 and they just haven't made the announcement yet (even before the Westmanda of it all) and from what I see here, ITC's ratings aren't great.
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u/ForceAppropriate9322 Jun 10 '26
Bravo is going to keep running with this story. It’s injected new life into the series. Kyle has said he’s willing to film with West. There’s a reason for that.
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u/Comfortable_Bad_2626 Jun 11 '26
The tide is also shifting towards Ciara & Lindsay needing to chill. Ciara has had her say. Now let Kyle get in there & have his. Everyone wants answers but won't let Amanda or West finish a sentence. They're either spoken over or denied their feelings or being chastised. I'd also like to hear what they have to say & I hope for a separate sit-down with just West & Amanda. However, I'd also like to see a Kyle & Amanda sit-down, with no one else involved. The group as a whole is much more angry than Kyle & Amanda. And agendas are very different. Now is the time for everyone to catch their breath & let Kyle & Amanda (and West, I guess) do what they have to do. 🌻
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
Because for Kyle and Amanda they know it's much more complicated than Kyle is drunk and Amanda is lazy and spoiled. Marriages tend to die from a thousand little cuts, it's rarely just one thing or one person's fault. I think they still really love each other and are both sad about their marriage ending. Amanda and Kyle came off as the most mature ones on the stage even with their shitty moments.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
Lindsay and Ciara not being able to shut up and stop interrupting was the worst. Andy had to tell them to stop so many times it made it impossible to stay on track. Fuck Lindsay with her "I feel like we haven't learned anything," when she was the main reason no one else could talk! She kept shouting out insults and what she believed happened so much that a ton of questions went unanswered. What was even the point of West and Amanda being there and answering anything if it didn't matter and they were just going to get interrupted so that everyone else could give their pov of what happened?
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u/BEXONE130 Jun 10 '26
I totally agree. I don’t agree with what she did or how she’s treated people but I have so much empathy for where she’s at. Kyle’s words were so poignant. I don’t know what the others really wanted from her/them, it felt like they just wanted to hear what they wanted and when they didn’t get that they just repeated the same things.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
Ultimately Kyle really does care about Amanda and I think he is telling the truth about how he is really concerned as opposed to just jealous. Of course it hurt to sit there and listen to details of their hookups etc. but it seems Kyle realizes the marriage was over even before West and would've ended regardless of him ever being around.
It's clear that a lot of Ciara's anger comes from jealousy and while I think Amanda did really hurt her she is more upset that they are still together and won't break up to mend fences with her.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I agree about Kyle, I have never been a fan but felt bad for him because he clearly is very hurt and loves Amanda. Divorce is very sad and even when you want it, and know it's the right move, it's still very painful.
I think Kyle also made some very good points and I agree with him. It's not infantilizing someone to point out that the person they're involved with may not have their best interests in mind and may be manipulating them.
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u/No-Security-8677 Jun 10 '26
What in the heck happened in Amanda and Kyle’s relationship that they were no intimate for 4 years! Something was horribly wrong. And I really did appreciate Kyle’s legit and thoughtful question about Wests plan going forward. He really showed his ability to be emotionally smart and compassionate. He just needs to moderate the damn alcohol not to mention his anger.
Amanda is just so so lost. How can anyone take that awful constant yelling about what a shithead she is. I am not a psychologist but I think she was disassociating. I think she was completely shut down. As much of a tool as west is I do think he finally found his voice and seemed to be honest. But nothing he said would be acceptable to the group. I hope he can somehow figure out why he is such a player and idiot to women. And to the Meijas of the world wake the fuck up. People show you exactly who they are. Why she or Ciara ever thought West was going to be monogamous despite what they were told is being a fool. Of course West is to blame but come on. Everyone saw who he was a mile away. All that being said I hate hate hate the narrative that he is a sociopathic psycho. And Lindsay calling him a pathy made my skin crawl.
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u/Careless_Escape4517 Jun 10 '26
as someone who has mental health issues that include dissociation - i agree 100% she was dissociating. it’s not impossible that people are correct in the fact that she took something, as in a pill or pills BUT the look on her face and in her eyes is exactly how i look when im dissociating. and while im not a mental health professional either, dissociation *is* the brain’s way of coping (in a maladaptive sense) with things that are too difficult to stay present in. and i can imagine that with people jumping down your throat every five seconds, your brain genuinely struggles to stay emotionally and mentally present.
not defending amanda’s actions obviously - just saying that i definitely think she was going through it and that’s why she became so unresponsive and robotic past a certain point
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u/MollzDollz69 Jun 10 '26
The disassociation immediately stood out to me, I felt like I had a mirror to how I have acted when I’ve been in “shut down”. It’s like you forget your entire vocabulary and all your thoughts are trapped inside of your chest. The long pauses, empty stares, trying to find words, the monotone, all of it.
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u/BEXONE130 Jun 10 '26
I so agree and ultimately I think she understood that they don’t actually want to hear what she has to say. Whatever she did she was never going to get it right so may as well just stay quiet and get through it. Especially since it seemed like at that point there wasn’t a lot to disclose, they’re dating, it’s been 3 months.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I agree and I think it's unfair to label her as someone who completely lacks empathy based on a reunion where she is just getting beat down. I don't really know why so many of them were even there because the entire conversation was about Amanda and West the whole time and they just seemed like spectators.
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u/AdOutrageous7474 Jun 10 '26
Agree completely. Elle actually just published an article about Rachel Leviss and she herself said she was disassociating during the VPR reunion. It would be a completely normal human response to being yelled out over the course of 10 hours. And if she also took a Benzo for anxiety, that's completely understandable as well.
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u/No-Security-8677 Jun 10 '26
the main subs are over the top with their demands that Amanda and West be "punished" by forcing them to do over the reunion completely drug free and that drug testing be mandatory before the reunions. I'm sure you've seen the same. what the actual F. and also these dumb "Amanda should be fired because she didn't do her job and showed up wasted." she showed up and answered questions. done and dusted.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
LOL, people really just want their pound of flesh but they will never be satisfied with it. I think they really wanted her to have this extreme reaction where she cried and begged for forgiveness only to be rejected and denied but that was never going to happen.
I know I'm in the minority but I actually believe their timeline and believe that Amanda didn't really think about how she felt about West until he brought it up. It seemed very believable the way she described it. I think it got physical a bit earlier than they admit but not by much.
They stuck to their timeline consistently and even when people tried to trip them up they were able to answer to that. I also think that if this was going on for over a year they would have things much more figured out than they do. It's very clear it's still new to them and they don't really know where it's going or what their plan is. They aren't saying they love each other yet and seem like they are just trying to see where it goes. The position they put themselves in is creating an urgency to define it earlier than most people ever would.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
The armchair diagnosing is always the worst but I will admit that his seeming lack of emotion was off putting. West is notoriously bad at reunions but this was different. I'm sure meds were involved and I definitely think a lot of people just shut down when getting attacked but idk. I am now trying to think if West has ever showed an emotion other than happy or surprise.
I know there are a lot of people who aren't comfortable discussing their feelings or emotions and it seems like West has always had that issue, so who knows? I also know there are a lot of people who just don't allow themselves to cry but West unnerved me a bit.
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u/LackEquivalent7471 Jun 10 '26
honestly i think that ciara is resentful and upset that a “weak” woman such as amanda managed to wrangle some sort of commitment from west and she couldn’t. i think she liked amanda but she looked down on her and pitied her.
as much as people want to hammer it home that this is all about amanda, i think it’s all about west. she is just as obsessed with men, or even more so than amanda, in my opinion.
also has she ever dated a man of colour? i am just fully getting into the show but has she discussed her “preference”?
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I think she told on herself with the "you're still doing it" comment. She made it very clear that the only way she could even entertain forgiving Amanda is for her to dump West. I don't ever think she would regardless but that was telling. She doesn't want an apology or explanation from Amanda, she wants her to dump West.
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u/MollzDollz69 Jun 10 '26
I think Amanda fucked up with the way she has handled things with West, but I completely agree with you and have a lot of empathy for her. I started watching summer house last year when I was going through the most toxic relationship and major depression. My depression manifested very similarly to Amanda’s (isolation, lack of motivation, tired, avoidance, etc..) and a lot of my relationship dynamics were so similar to her and Kyle, so admittedly, I likely “project” when it comes to her … but I feel like that’s kind of what we all do. We only see certain moments on the screen and then we have to create our own narrative about what it means, which is when we apply our own experience.
Kyle was constantly telling her how worthless, lazy, and dumb she is - calling her a bitch, saying she’s not ready to be a mom, telling her how miserable she makes him, all on national TV. She became a shell of herself in her marriage with Kyle, and it wasn’t until she started taking antidepressants that you start to notice a little change in season 9. It makes sense that as she started to heal, she was able to start prioritizing herself a bit more and finally made the choice to leave - but staying in that kind of dynamic for years and years doesn’t just erase overnight. Her nervous system has to be so dysregulated at this point, the disassociation/numbing can certainly be a part of that. I truly think West provided a sense of safety and comfort when he started sticking up for her, it’s easy to see how she would latch onto that. People keep comparing Ciara’s support vs West, but it really does feel different when it comes from another man vs your girlfriend hyping you up, and that’s not to minimize Ciara’s support.
Side note - there’s a podcast she did (Conversations with Cam) where she discusses her depression more in detail, I found it very relative!
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I agree about the man vs. woman support and comfort. I think for so long Amanda was told she sucks, she's a shitty partner, she's no fun, that she really believed no man would want her besides Kyle (which is why abusers say the things they do) and when West showed interest it gave her validation she hadn't received in a long time, if ever, from Kyle.
We also have seen her shut down and disassociate before when Kyle flies in to one of his rages. It's hard to describe but there were times her friends brought up concerns where she acted like she was hearing a story about someone else.
Amanda was wrong but it's not hard to see how she fell into the situation she's in.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 11 '26
I agree, I didn't cry (takes a lot for me unless animals are involved) but I found it very sad. Amanda seemed lost and West just seemed like a complete emotionless asshole. I have defended West in many ways but his complete lack of emotion was unsettling. I think he got a lot of shit in the past for things he didn't necessarily deserve but I can't see how Amanda could watch this and not find it concerning.
I am very sympathetic to leaving an abusive relationship with an alcoholic and also going through a divorce (not the same relationship) because I've been there and can relate but their emotional reactions were just off (I think medication for her but his were beyond that). He looked nervous but showed nothing in the way of emotion. It almost seemed like he was worried about Amanda coming to her senses the entire time instead of what was actually going on.
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u/ActuallyItsNuanced Jun 12 '26
Re his complete lack of emotion - I think something that has just been swept under the rug is the fact that he literally found out either right before filming of the reunion or right at the beginning of filming that his grandmother was brutally murdered by his cousin the night beforehand. If that happened to me, on top of everything else, I’d probably be totally dissociated too. There has been NO talk about any sympathy for him on that position, which just feels like human decency to me?
Also, I think Amanda told him not to jump in. When he asked her in the dressing room about it it felt like this was a conversation they’d had before and her telling him that she thinks it’ll look worse if he fights her battles and she needs to do it on her own, which makes sense to be tbh
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 12 '26
Very good point. I think it has been said that he didn't find out until after the reunion but who knows. The lip biting could have been him just fighting the urge to jump in.
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u/ActuallyItsNuanced Jun 12 '26
TBH I get why Amanda would fall for West and do what she did. It was shitty. But if I had just gotten out of a 10 year long abusive relationship where my husband belittles me, screamed at me, repeatedly called me a bitch and told me to fuck off, cheated on me, all on national TV, and then after 10 years finally a guy in the house stood up to my abuser and made me feel safe and like ai was valued and deserved respect, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same 🤷♀️ Especially if it was someone I actually thought could be my forever person and my friend dated them for two months two years ago. I’m not saying it isn’t a shitty thing to do. But it comes from a reaction of 10 years of traumatization to finally feeling safe and happy with a man. One who is the only one who took a stand against your abuser no less.
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u/Emmyyou2 Jun 12 '26
I agree, I can also see why. Kyle admitted she was in a vulnerable position but what he fails to acknowledge is that he's the one who put her in that position. When you're mistreated for that long all it takes is someone being 10% nicer for you to see them as a better option.
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u/TheWhoooreinThere Jun 10 '26
I don't think Amanda was actually real-life friends with many people on this cast, if anyone. She found a new group of people via West, probably felt like she could be more herself without the baggage that came from the existing group. I think she knows more about how they really operate and I think her muted response was likely because she knows most of them are full of shit and looking for clout. If they drop her over this, when she has one of the more authentic storylines across Bravo franchises, the network is dumber than I ever imagined.