There’s little I hate more than watching a reality series struggle through seasons. While the overall quality of the ladies has improved this time around, the thin plot is starting to fall apart at the seams, and it pains me to see the Dubai girls call it quits with this result. I mean, arguing about stickers and spa treatments? I know I said I enjoyed the lighter fare, but this feels a bit like grasping at straws.

To recap: Lesa Milan invites the group to the launch of Mina Roe’s new skincare line for moms by hosting a launch event with a spa day. For all we know, the women knew the services being advertised in advance and were willing to support the event because Lesa connected them to the postpartum awareness several of the women have been talking about. Suddenly, we learn that Brooks is turning down her planned services because it would pose a “conflict of interest” with her spa business, Glass House. Plausible, but probably false. Whatever—we can give her that. The taunts don’t stop there, though. Now the women are gossiping about how tasteless it is that Lesa did so much promoting her business at her launch event. Am I missing something here? The whispering just seemed a little over the top for the alleged crime, but it allowed Brooks to get into a frenzy, her favorite hobby. Suddenly, she’s insulted about Lesa’s insult; how dare she not ask Glass House to sponsor her spa day? Without saying a word, Lesa became both tasteless and inconsiderate.

It’s a shame, too, because the event itself provided plenty of entertaining material: the women’s pathetic attempt at yoga; Ayan’s blonde braided wig shock, which desperately needed tinting to better match her complexion; the newfangled “belly masks” that I will immediately Google to get my own stretch marks. We should have spent more time laughing at how Ayan managed to look like a crab in every yoga pose she attempted; instead, we waste our time pretending she committed a major sin by sticking Mina Roe stickers on the walls. I’m sure she didn’t think she was fooling anyone about the venue, especially since everyone claimed to be regulars of the spa.

For that reason, I don’t hold it against Lesa for attacking the women at the golf events that followed. If you want to talk about tawdry, let’s start with Raffi co-hosting a Housewives event before having a private chat with Brooks about how he yelled at her. Regardless, the girls dress up in their best outfits for the golf course (Ayan wears a monstrous feather dress) and bring their partners. In Saba’s most significant performance so far this season, she seems to have made a big show of being a “near-pro” player on the tee, only to unceremoniously embarrass herself by looking worse than rookie Ayan. On the lawn, Lesa takes her time trying to make sense of the hype she’s heard and begins by harassing the weakest link: Taleen, who collapses the second a gust of wind blows past her.

After Taleen nervously confirmed that Brooks had a problem, Lesa brought it up during the girls’ brief drinking break. Finally, the Lesa we’ve seen all season shows up—indignant, unmoved, and argumentative when pushed. She has every right to roll her eyes at Brooks, as she feels her services should have taken priority. Not only did Brooks not even invite her to the spa opening, but according to Lesa, she doesn’t even use the services herself. And with all due respect, I don’t think Brooks should be promoting herself by saying she makes Ayan’s wigs. I say that with love… I don’t think that’s too much to brag about. Stanbury, excited that the drama has nothing to do with her for once, continues to have her giant goblet filled with champagne while the girls bicker.

For some reason, Taleen, who was more nervous than Smeagol when Lesa asked her in private about problems with the event, suddenly finds her mouth to criticize Lesa in the group. Lesa rightly freaked out, and Ayan immediately jumped to her defense. It remains shocking that whatever happens in the next episode, the two won’t speak for a year – up until this point, aside from minor things, the duo have continued to stick together publicly and leave their squabbles at home. Lesa’s possessiveness seems a little stronger in more recent episodes, and she admits that she felt Ayan was pulling away and blaming Stanbury. It’s still hard to imagine that could be all, though.

Unfortunately, the tension doesn’t stop at the drinks. During the couples’ dinner — where the couples played an updated version of the game “Newlyweds” — ugly heads reared once again, with Brooks outraged at Ayan’s insinuation that her antics were based on jealousy. I wouldn’t say it was driven by jealousy, but it certainly wasn’t dictated by a rational emotion — I’m honestly shocked at how much this cast pulls things out of thin air. Yet somehow we end up back at Taleen and Lesa yelling at each other, only this time Raffi is standing between them. Taleen is still mad that Lesa called her all kinds of unemployed bitches at the last event, and as an underemployed bitch, I understand her frustration. Lesa, however, isn’t interested in any form of apology at the moment, and remains insulted that they belittled her event for the sake of pretty reviews. It’s the best kind of Housewives argument because both parties think they’re right, even though they’re both a little wrong for taking it so seriously. As the rest of the cast notes, they’re in a public place arguing about each other’s business, or lack thereof. I’d say they should have a little self-awareness, but if they already did, they probably wouldn’t be Housewives.

All in all, despite Lesa’s return to top form, it was an unfortunate mediocre setback as we enter the home stretch of this Dubai season. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the girls to make the landing next week in the final. See you then!

• It was interesting to find out that Stanbury, an old English financier, is half Jewish and that her family changed their name from Steinberg after World War II. I went to a few bar mitzvahs myself, but I can’t say any of those affairs came close to what Stanbury did for her children.

• It is also interesting to see Stanbury navigate her relationship with her mother and come to terms with where she has let her down at this point in her life. If you have seen Ladies of London then you know that Stanbury has always had a strained relationship with her family, and I can sense in her actions how she tactfully chooses to preserve her development rather than criticize her for her mistakes. Her mother reinforces this by continuing to defend the life skills learned at boarding school at the expense of emotional competence. Hopefully Stanbury will avoid repeating the same mistakes with her children and encourage them to come and talk to her from a younger age.

• Akin is still not contributing emotionally, physically or financially from Germany and we are all shocked. How much longer must we put up with this? No one, not even her friends, is asking Sara to settle here.

• Speaking of her, I’m a little shocked by Sara’s arrogant reaction to exposing her son to adult topics. I’m not anyone’s father, but I agree with Lesa’s point of view about preserving children’s innocence as much as possible. I hope that therapy and healing are productive for her son at least.