I’m not a Housewives fan, but I have quite a few of these people in my life. I respect her, even if I don’t share her affection for a franchise centered around deeply unsympathetic, wealthy people and their unrelated, largely mundane dramas.
That said, I’m now slowly approaching the understanding of housewife lovers I can’t stop encountering. My education comes from an unlikely source: Zootopia+, Disney+’s new short film series based on the animated feature film and doing a delightful parody of the reality TV franchise in its second installment.
I love Zootopia more than would be appropriate for a 28-year-old, especially one who holds tight to the ACAB maxim (Judy Hopps, I love you, but you’re still a fucking cop.) What can I say— i love anthropomorphic animals that have human jobs and wear human clothes and say funny things! Zootopia+ focuses on the stories we missed during the actual film, filled with even more fun mammal characters.
The episode was apparently created in a lab to give my housewife loving friends and I a rare thing in common. The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia is an 11-minute parody of Bravo’s mantel franchise, a hilarious take on the rich ladies and the badly shot shows where they all get richer by starring.
The quintet of rich ladies starring in this parody are a group of shrews: Fru Fru, who is obsessed with her long hair; Brianca, who is generally cheeky; Christine, who introduces herself by saying that she hates cooking but likes to “stir the pot”; charisma who only texts all day; and Mandy, who says she “just got out of jail.” Already I am more invested in a human housewife than I can ever imagine.
We were told that Fru Fru got engaged in the previous episode of Real Rodents of Little Rodentia. Now she is planning her wedding and has named it Shrew of Honor. Turns out her cousin Tru Tru, who is a bigger, louder and cooler version of Fru Fru, had had that title in her pocket since they were six years old. And that’s despite the fact that Fru Fru and her cousin have been almost out of touch for years — and probably because, as Tru Tru tells the camera, ratings have dropped and the producers want a little drama to spice things up.
The six ladies make their way to Klawfeld’s – the mouse version of the bridal shop from one of my current favorite reality shows, Say Yes to the Dress. Fru Fru tries on clothes that her friends in the confessional immediately say are ugly. Tru Tru takes it a step further to say that “it seems like today is garbage day” and that she’s found something better. Unsurprisingly, and to the producers’ delight, this upsets Fru Fru.
But Tru Tru comes with the real kicker: “This show is fake, your friends are fake — I bet even your hair is fake,” she tells her spoiled brat cousin. That’s what we call telling the truth to those in power.
A Housewives parody is nothing without a good fight scene, and Real Rodents of Little Rodentia happily lives up to that. Since the entire episode is animated as if it were filmed with a handheld camera, it’s fun to see the slanted camera angles and dizzying close-ups as the cousins scream, claw, and roll into each other. (Fru Fru literally smashes a folding chair over Tru Tru’s head; frighteningly violent!) It’s cropped a little too short, probably because of said over-the-top action — or because those are shrews and the giant polar bear security guards could easily throw them out of the store.
But Zootopia+ is not committed to the typical housewife trappings. Biting confessions, lavish behavior and high-pitched screams aside, this episode is still destined for a happy ending. Tru Tru and Fru Fru make amends after Fru Fru has a near-death encounter with a giant donut-shaped shield. (This is straight from Zootopia, which is a nice way of giving some context to what’s happening.) Family is more important than overpriced wedding dresses, Fru Fru states in her tear-stained confessional. “I told you if I got married…” Fru Fru begins while Tru Tru ends her thought: “You wanted an easy wedding like your mother.” No one knows Fru Fru like their favorite cousin, no matter the wealth of her mind has distorted.
There are rarely reconciliations like this on a show like Housewives of Boise, or whichever city Bravo is focusing on now. A candid admission of wrongdoing prompted by serious self-reflection (and a potentially fatal donut accident)? Destroy the thought! But Fru Fru and Tru Tru aren’t typical housewives, not least because neither is married. That’s for the next episode – Fru Fru’s wedding, according to the little teaser at the end of the episode, isn’t without some juicy drama. Tru Tru selected Night Howlers for Fru Fru’s Bouquet, which will send all guests rabid on a single whiff. Zootopia viewers may remember this flower as the poisonous plant that drove animals feral throughout the Entity City.
Oops! Ah great. At least we know that the Rodentia ladies aren’t above hugging things.
