There are television shows I follow nearly religiously; some I catch every now and then. My daughter is the same. The Pie will want to watch nothing but the same show over and over again for a while then move on to something new. Recently, her obsession became The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. My newest guilty pleasure is the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
I did not follow any of the other Real Housewives franchises, so I am a virgin in that regard. My voyeuristic personality simply could not resist tuning in to this cycle, however – primarily for my interest in the Housewife America loves to hate: Camille. But I will get to her in due time.
Tonight, I watched another installment of the Housewives, followed by the 723rd viewing of a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show and I could not help but draw certain correlations between the two shows. There are six main characters in each series and it occurred to me that each Housewife has her own animated Disney doppelganger!
Mickey Mouse is obviously the calm, mature and learned Lisa who takes care of her little friends and teaches them life lessons. Just as Mickey solves a problem, Lisa calmly assesses a situation and finds the most suitable resolution. Lisa has a fantastic sense of humor and Mickey giggles a lot at the silly exploits of his buddies.
Minnie Mouse is Kyle, the emotional compass of the group. Kyle is sensitive, family-oriented, and very strong. Minnie matches Kyle’s emotional fervor in her love for Mickey, her close friendship with Daisy and her mothering nature with all the other friends in the clubhouse. She just wants everyone to get along – same with Kyle.
Kyle’s sister Kim is most like Donald Duck to me. She complains a lot and it’s hard to understand what she says. Notice that Bravo uses the superimposed translations more often with Kim than any other Housewife. She mumbles and like Donald’s tirades, I often have to think about what I thought was just said!
Then there’s Daisy Duck, the smart, savvy gal that tolerates all the juvenile antics of the clubhouse pals. She matches Adrienne with every step. They are both calm, analytical and strong. Daisy has her own career as a secret spy while her man Donald walks around without pants. Adrienne maintains a phenomenally successful family business despite the interference of her plastic surgeon husband, who probably walks around pantsless, too! Adrienne has no tolerance for bullshit or childish behavior, but still manages to remain friends with the crazy ladies.
Dear, sweet Taylor is our real-life Pluto. They both lovingly follow the others around, don’t have much to say and take up space in the clubhouse. Occasionally, they get their feature shows, but they are primarily supporting players who don’t add much depth to the proceedings.
And finally, little Camille is the Beverly Hills resident Goofy. They each vie for attention, put themselves before others, live in their own little self-absorbed worlds and constantly screw things up for everyone else. It’s usually Goofy at the center of a problem, just like Camille – who stirs the pot every chance she gets. They both laugh it off and smile winningly and expect everyone to find it endearing. Between the two, it’s neck-and-neck on who I loathe more, but Camille is beginning to take the lead because she just won’t shut the hell up!
Yes, I feel a modicum of embarrassment in admitting that I watch these shows. However, each show has some redeeming value. They teach morals, problem-solving and involve a little fantasy. What’s wrong with that?
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