Narrative Theory & RHOBH: Characters & Unreliable Narration

Introduction

Approximate time to complete: 60 minutes

In our last session, we pulled back the curtain on the "invisible hand" of the producers and editors. We saw how RHOBH isn't a simple documentary of events, but a narrative meticulously sculpted through story bibles, beat sheets, and post-production wizardry like "frankenbiting."

Today, we analyze the result of that sculpting process. This lesson directly addresses the learning outcome: Applying Narrative Theory to RHOBH: Identifying Protagonists, Antagonists, and Unreliable Narrators. Your background in English Literature and Philosophy provides the perfect toolkit for this task. We'll be taking classic concepts from narrative theory, which you might apply to a novel or a play, and using them to deconstruct the characters on screen.

We will explore:

• How to define the roles of protagonist, antagonist, and unreliable narrator within the context of reality TV.
• How production actively casts and molds cast members into these archetypal roles.
• A case study of Kyle Richards as the show's designated protagonist.
• A deep dive into the Erika Jayne saga as a masterclass in the unreliable narrator.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to watch a scene and not just see a fight, but identify the narrative function each woman is performing, whether she knows it or not.

1. The Cast of Characters: Defining Narrative Roles

In literature, we understand that characters serve specific functions to drive a story forward. Reality TV, in its quest to "narrativize reality," does the exact same thing, often simplifying complex individuals into more digestible archetypes.

As the video below explains, our brains crave stories with clear roles and resolutions. Reality TV producers exploit this by constructing "flat" characters who embody one or two central traits, making the narrative easier to follow and emotionally satisfying.

What to watch:

• Characterization and Flat Characters (8:24 - 9:33): Pay attention to how documentarians (and by extension, reality TV producers) use "selection and omission, emphasis, [and] plotting" to portray subjects in a specific way, often creating simple, "flat" characters.
• Narrativizing Reality (13:11 - 15:10): This segment explains our innate appetite for stories and how reality TV feeds it by presenting life in neat narrative arcs with heroes, struggles, and resolutions.

With that in mind, let's define our key terms for today:

• Protagonist: The main character whose perspective the story often follows. They drive the action and are typically positioned for audience empathy.
• Antagonist: The character or force that creates conflict for the protagonist. They are the obstacle to be overcome.
• Unreliable Narrator: A character whose telling of events is not to be trusted. Their credibility is compromised, either through deliberate deception, self-delusion, or as a result of producer editing.

The following images provide excellent visual summaries of these roles.

This diagram clearly lays out the functions of and relationship between a protagonist and an antagonist.

This image perfectly captures the essence of the unreliable narrator—a storyteller whose account we are invited to question.

These roles are rarely static in RHOBH. A housewife can be the protagonist in one season's storyline and the antagonist in another. The key is to recognize how production is positioning them at any given moment.

2. The Protagonist: The Show's Center of Gravity

Every story needs a center, and in RHOBH, Kyle Richards has long been positioned as the show's protagonist. She is the constant, the original cast member through whom we often experience the group's dynamics. However, this role is not passive; it comes with narrative demands from production.

• Reading (Approx. 5 mins):
  Please read the section titled "Character Archetypes and Unreliable Narrators" in The Real Housewives of the Fourth Wave - louisarogers.
• Focus on:
  • The author's description of Kyle as the "Stepford wife archetype" and a "functional metaphor for America." This positions her not just as a character, but as a central, symbolic figure.
  • The observation that she "approaches her female friendships with the strategic consideration of an army general," which highlights her active role in driving the show's plot.

This manufactured role as the protagonist means Kyle's real life must serve the story. When her life lacks inherent drama, production applies pressure.

What to watch:

• Kyle Richards: The Protagonist Under Pressure (0:21 - 1:20): Notice the language used: Kyle was the "biggest question mark," but she has to "step it up." Producers need more of her personal life and dating life to fuel the central narrative.

Kyle's role is a contract: in exchange for being the show's central figure, her life must be an open book for the plot. She is the axis around which the world of RHOBH often turns, a classic protagonist whose personal journey is the main story.

3. The Unreliable Narrator & Her Antagonist: The Case of Erika Jayne

No storyline in RHOBH history better illustrates the concept of the unreliable narrator than Erika Jayne's legal saga. Here, we see a character attempting to seize control of her own narrative, only to have it unravel under the scrutiny of her castmates, who in turn become antagonists to her story.

The Vulture article, "Erika Jayne and the Runaway RHOBH Narrative," is an exceptional analysis of this dynamic.

• Reading (Approx. 15 mins):
  As you read the article, focus on these key narrative stages:
  1. "Erika Jayne as Roxie Hart: Controlling the Narrative": Erika begins by consciously performing a role, trying to use the scandal for her own narrative benefit, just like the character she played on Broadway.
  2. "Shifting Narratives: From Sympathy to Scrutiny": Here is the turning point. Her initial story of a neglected wife garners sympathy, but inconsistencies begin to emerge (e.g., the car accident story, the waterproof mascara). The audience and cast start to question her version of events, marking her transition into an unreliable narrator.
  3. "Antagonists and Narrative Challenges: Sutton and Garcelle": Sutton Stracke, in particular, steps into the role of the antagonist. She's not a villain in the traditional sense; she is the antagonist to Erika's narrative of innocence. She asks the questions the audience is thinking, challenging the story Erika is presenting and exposing its holes.

Sutton's role as the "detective" or "viewer's voice" is not accidental; it is a narrative function encouraged by production to create conflict and drive the story forward.

What to watch:

• Sutton Stracke: The Viewer's Voice and Narrative Driver (7:02 - 7:48): This clip confirms Sutton's role. An exec is quoted as saying, "She's becoming the viewer's voice... She asks what fans are thinking." Production is "doubling down on her" to stir the pot.
• Erika Jayne: The Ice Queen's Narrative Challenge (5:39 - 7:02): This segment shows the consequences of Erika's failed narrative. Producers are asking, "Who are you really?" and demanding she "Bring it or lose it," because her "Ice Queen" persona is no longer a sustainable character arc.

The Erika-Sutton dynamic is a perfect example of how narrative theory plays out. Erika presents a story (as the narrator), but her inconsistencies make her unreliable. Sutton challenges that story (as the antagonist), forcing the narrative to evolve from a simple tragedy into a complex mystery.

Conclusion

Today we've applied a literary lens to RHOBH, moving beyond simply watching drama to analyzing its narrative architecture. We've seen that the women on our screens are not just people, but characters performing specific, producer-molded roles.

• Key Takeaways:
  • Reality TV constructs "flat characters" who fulfill classic narrative roles like protagonist and antagonist to create easily digestible stories.
  • Kyle Richards often serves as the show's produced protagonist, a central figure whose real-life story is mined and shaped to drive the seasonal narrative.
  • The unreliable narrator is a key figure in RHOBH, a character whose version of events is deliberately put into question.
  • The Erika Jayne saga is a prime case study of an unreliable narrator whose story unravels. Sutton Stracke was positioned as the antagonist to Erika's narrative, acting as an audience surrogate to expose inconsistencies and generate conflict.

Preview of the Next Lesson:
Now that we've identified the key players and the roles they are assigned in the narrative, we can begin to analyze their interactions. In our next lesson, "Foundations of Interpersonal Politics: Mapping Alliances and Power Structures within the Group," we will use these character archetypes as a foundation to map the show's complex web of alliances, hierarchies, and power struggles. We will move from the literary to the political.