'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Rebounds Better Than Ever on Astini News

Sorry O.C. fans. "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" make "The Real Housewives of Orange County" look like "The Beverly Hillbillies." The ultimate wives from California are back.

Bravo tiptoed into the second season of the Beverly Hills series last week without much fanfare. There were no extended marathons of the first season or rebroadcasts of the nightmarish reunion special or lost footage episodes. The subtle and subdued approach for the usually brash and extroverted network was in response to the suicide of Russell Armstrong, husband of cast member Taylor Armstrong. Russell reportedly hanged himself in response to the divorce and allegations of physical and emotional abuse and financial dishonesty. The couple's marital woes were supposed to be central to this season but understandably producers re-edited the series when the sad news broke.

The season premiere "Back to Beverly Hills" opened with the gals and husbands discussing the suicide (without Taylor) in a surprisingly raw and honest support group-style conversation. Since then Bravo has been airing suicide prevention public service announcements throughout the broadcasts. The producers did a good job easing us into the traumatic story line. The episode focused on an extremely awkward dinner party where castmate Adrienne Maloof and husband Paul pretty much sniped at each other the entire time. Yikes!

This week's episode "Blame It On the Altitude" took us to Camille Grammer's Colorado vacation home, which she is being forced to sell off due to her divorce from actor Kelsey Grammer. Most importantly, this week's episode took us back to the reason we visit our Beverly Hills ladies, opulence, extravagance, bitchiness and temper tantrums. Strangely, the ladies flew commercial, on Frontier Airlines no less, and then settled in for a four hour limo ride from hell.

Camille's home did not disappoint. There was not only a ski concierge but a cookie concierge waiting in the slopes. There's a new Camille in town who is more at ease in her skin. We squealed with delight, however, when we saw glimpses of the old Camille who decided to let the ladies duke it out for the best sleeping arrangements in her mansion-sized cottage.

Kim Richards and Kyle Richards picked up right where their previous sibling feud left off. The main difference seems to be that Kim's supposed issues with substance abuse have become an open secret. Previews show Paul saying that Kim sounds drunk and new Housewives "friend" accusing Kim of doing meth in the bathroom. Wow. Kim spent this episode babbling nonstop with many comments about her seemingly boundless "energy." A mystery illness momentarily befalls her and then she's right back into the fray. Kyle seems generally more supportive this season however.

That brings us to the skinniest elephant in the room. Taylor, to put it kindly, was a distraught hot mess. It's heartbreaking to watch her on the edge of a personal crisis knowing what is waiting for her at the end of the story. So far it appears that Kennedy and Russell have been completely edited out of the show. Kyle is a supportive friend asking the ultimate question about Taylor's marriage, why fight for something not fighting for in the first place? Ouch.

Our girl Lisa Vanderpump, appropriately dubbed Lisa Vander-fabulous by Camille is pretty much the same. It seems that she may be painted as the villain this season but she is endlessly watchable. Between making out with Giggy, over the top fashions, the bitter husband Ken and her sniping comments, the show just wouldn't be the same without her.

So that's how it all kicked off with our favorite girls on the West Coast. I can't wait to see what happens next. Our hearts go out to Taylor and Kennedy.

More from this contributor

Jane Fonda Shares Her Key Life Lessons in a Brand New Book

When to leave a relationship: How do I know it's over?

The Kim Kardashian Fairytale Wedding Special Preview: 5 Things You Will See on Screen

Minka Kelly and Derek Jeter Split: 5 Things You Need to Know About the 'Charlie's Angels' Star

Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own articles.