Vanderpump Rules: What Season 9 Lacks In Plot, It Gains In Editing

Vanderpump Rules season 9 lacks a really compelling plot, but it’s making up for it with campy bits. The series has always been known for its emphasis on silliness. Each member of the ragtag group of celebrity wannabes takes themself seriously, while the show editors never do. The former SURvers turned aging Los Angeles friends still want fame and fortune, but don’t have the same drama-filled lives that they used to. With Stassi Schroeder fired after accusations of racism, there isn’t a clear protagonist to follow or a clear pack leader.

Vanderpump Rules is often goofy, from Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval’s matching outfits to Lisa Vanderpump’s omnipresent sex jokes. The friend drama definitely tended to be a bit convoluted, but there was always a thread to follow. Emotion overflow kept the wheel of chaos spinning. Back in the day, drama used to reach Shakespearean proportions, bringing Vanderpump Rules fans Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Khloe Kardashian, Issa Rae, Selena Gomez, and even Martin Scorcese’s attention to the onscreen action. Silly antics always filled in the storyline holes, and such tactics are now needed more than ever.

The relationships between everyone now seem a little more forced than they used to be, and conflict shows up like blips on a radar. To be fair, most Bravo content in the context of the pandemic is lacking to a certain degree. There have been numerous paddleboard yoga sessions across housewives franchises, and none of them have been fascinating. Unlike many other Bravo shows, there are a lot of maskless events and dinners. Vanderpump Rules was luckily filmed during a very open period of the pandemic. However, when plotless storylines start catching up to each other, the editors resort to the campy bits. So far, Lisa had donned a dog costume and made lewd overtures towards Tom Schwartz, and the gang has held endless themed parties and pickleball tournaments. Most recently, Tom Schwartz took the ride of his life to confront Tom Sandoval.

Tom’s been on a long journey of trying to step up to his friend. The trip on the tiny bike with high knee socks appeared production-inspired and was highly amusing, even if the ride didn’t end in a real intervention over Tom Sandoval’s hot temper. Editors also did a great job assembling a montage of feet pic portraiture to fund Raquel Leviss’ nose job. Then, there was Ariana Madix’s birthday at the Madcap Motel, with retro backdrops for everyone’s moods.

The Toms got another chance to showcase the power imbalance in their relationship as they conversed on an intentionally lopsided bed, reinforcing the trippy aesthetics. Ariana’s drunken behavior was a whole bit of its own. Finally, there was an ice bath, emotional reckoning, and Tom tattooing Lisa’s name on his butt cheek after losing a bet. The show might seem like it’s grasping for straws at specific points in season 9. However, the magical combination of utterly ridiculous camp humor, paired with sparkling personalities and transparency, has yielded more than enough magic to keep it afloat.

Hopefully, a season 10 would bring a more united cast and a more fluid storyline. Lala Kent’s breakup with Randall Emmett seems more than sufficiently juicy to spark another season. The show’s celebrity fanbase is also likely loving the cheesy energy and thirsty for more. If the notoriously talented editors have anything to say about it, Vanderpump Rules will be around for years to come.

Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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Olivia Landon
(262 Articles Published)

Olivia Landon is a digital creative working in entertainment media and television production. A graduate of Occidental College’s Critical Theory and Social Justice and Media Arts & Culture programs, Olivia believes in entertainment as a springboard for curating intersectional cultures of care. Visit her website https://www.livlandon.media/

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