Here's a couple things I've learned while watching "The Real Housewives of Dubai": bad bitches can throw shade anywhere, even in the desert, and the dumbest show ever is not entirely stupid in its representation of the Gulf.
The latter point may cause you to dismiss me, or this piece, as totally delusional. Understandable. I'm actually finding it difficult to write. But as someone who has traveled extensively in the region, has family who lives in the United Arab Emirates, and who's witnessed a lifetime of television misrepresenting the Middle East, the latest installment in Bravo's juggernaut reality franchise is a surprising change of pace from the insulting "Sex and the City 2" or the fear-mongering "Tyrant." Or maybe my expectations were so low that when Episode 1 wasn't just a swill of orientalism and xenophobia, it felt like a small victory. The bar is low, of course. I can't think of another American reality show set in the region, or a scripted drama that's as comfortable moving around the Gulf. And this show is not about war or terrorism. The only Middle East conflict here is among the women.
Though there are numerous international spinoffs of "Housewives" — as is common with reality formats, such as "Big Brother" — this is the first time Bravo's mothership has gone international, setting the new season in an Islamic region that shares a border with Saudi Arabia and a waterway with Iran. The multinational Housewives aren't afraid or in awe of their surroundings, perhaps because they're afraid of one another and in awe of themselves. But whatever the reason, the fact that the Persian Gulf metropolis is their home rather than an exotic tourist destination or a war zone is itself is a victory for TV series set in the Arab world.
