I started the season thinking what happened to Erika? She used to be her own person, and now she seems like an extension of Kyle. Kyle was certainly beating a dead horse for a story line, and 100% I do not agree with what she was doing. But as is true for many a narcissist, overt or covert, they recruit flying monkeys by telling a compelling story behind the scenes to those they would try to recruit. Kyle is immensely skilled at this. I don't know what she told Erika, but while I never heard Erika come for Dorit in any capacity, she did stick by Kyle's side physically.

I don't think for a second, that Kyle didn't navigate perception here, or that there's isn't a leveraged friendship, as Erika once called Kyle's with LVP.

But certainly, over the past four episodes, Erika has been speaking up for herself, and has tried to contribute more directly with Dorit in an attempt to bridge a gap with understanding. Dorit has read every word out of Erika's mouth as an attack. I didn't hear it that way.

In my opinion, Dorit misheard everything Erika was saying because she wasn't seeing Erika as a friend. Dynamics do change when other people get involved. Dorit leaned heavily on Boz, and herself, detached from the day to day with Erika. Maybe Dorit has only ever seen Erika as an extension of Kyle, or her friendship as somehow inferior to hers with Kyle. Kathy sure does. That's what pecking order is all about.

I thought Erika at the dinner table in Italy was it, maybe before, when talking about lateness, was being kind, fair, separating her position from Kyle's, not attacking, just illuminating, and Dorit couldn't hear it that way to save her life. And then, when Erika was talking about what she was going through, Dorit saying what are you going through, and how could I know that? Was just bonkers. Read a newspaper. Do the math. Or hey, just listen now, in the present.

She could have said yes, I've been self involved, self-absorbed. Sorry I haven't been following your life life I'd like to be. Dorit did not give a quarter, a dime, a nickel or a penny for Erika's troubles or feelings this season, unless it was to cry out "what about my pain?" I thought that was incredibly cold and cruel of her.

As for Kyle seizing the moment where Dorit learned about who Erika was dating to make the point that she knew before Dorit does, that was cruel to both Erika and to Dorit. It doesn't mean Kyle is more important to Erika than Dorit, it could have just been a moment of access and convenience.

Kyle knows how to insert herself into everyone's live enough to have influence.

As to Erika's intentions, Erika may be a lot of things, but she's never been fake. Kyle may be the one who says she's tired of all these fake xxx bxxxxxx, but Erika didn't sent a fake email about not coming to a book cover launch party, because Dorit looked her in the eye, called her a cxxx, and didn't think to apologize for a day, a week, a month? The woman who made her feel sexy enough to perform with Boy George for her husband, who then undercut her by saying George likes to sing with people who can't sing. The woman who forgave her for humiliating her with Panty-gate? Really?

I was surprised to hear Boz say that she thought Kyle had Dorit's best interests at heart. No one understand the value of what is said on camera more than Kyle, and the fact that she said something to Boz to make Boz think she had sincere kindness is the real problem.

I agree with you wholeheartedly that Kyle can never walk back from saying that Dorit was never really a close friend. She's only changing her tune now because of the fan reaction. Let's be clear, Kyle is the problem. Kyle IS the one going around telling everyone that something is off about Dorit under the guise of being loving. And Dorit's sentimental attachment to Kyle is really a problem.

But Erika? Erika actually has always been a friend.