‘Southern Charm’ Recap ‘Ho Ho Ho’ [Spoilers]

After a break last week, we are back to Charleston for the Southern Charm Season 5 finale. The entire episode is the build-up to the event of the season, Patricia Altschul’s Winter Ball at the Hibernian Hall in Charleston. There are several events at play in the finale, which includes a resolution to the Patricia and Kathryn conflict of five years, the showdown of Kathryn and Ashley Jacobs, Thomas Ravenel’s season 5 girlfriend (which has been teased since episode one), and lastly, the explosion of the high-end escort rumor.

E! Online says that fans of Southern Charm know what’s coming because the season started off with the confrontation between Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel’s girlfriend, Ashley Jacobs, who made quite a reputation for herself this season as a woman with a serious ax to grind. It set a serious precedent when fans of the show heard Jacobs call Kathryn an “egg donor” and a “baby mama,” all with a creepy smile on her face, while Thomas stood by and said nothing.

The whole gang, including Cameran, attended Patricia’s event, which required the men to wear white tie and tails, and the women to wear full-length gowns and evening gloves. Kathryn has learned more than we thought, as she is studying Altschul’s book, The Art of Southern Charm, which includes a whole chapter called “Best Dressed” that covers everything from tiara to gloves for a night out.

As the men picked up their tails for the evening, the trend of the talk turned to Ravenel’s girlfriend, Jacobs, and Craig asked Shep and Austen if she was gone yet. The three discussed how the self-described “Cali-Girl” have propositioned them, and that after moving to Charleston, she still had no job. Fans saw the storm coming as Naomie and Kathryn have already heard the buzz that Ravenel and his girlfriend were involved in a business arrangement.

Patricia arrived at the Hibernian Hall, and the setting was beautiful. For the winter theme, the entrance was covered with bubbles or soap foam meant to look like snow. Thomas and Jacobs were early arrivals, and though Ashley admitted that she didn’t have friends, she found support in Jennifer Snowden, who has been a friend of the cast on prior seasons. Snowden was the only one who seemed shocked by the escort rumor.

Another former friend of the cast, J.D., arrived with a male friend with a fur coat draped over his shoulders. He approached his estranged wife, Elizabeth, only to be critical of her choice of dress.

Kathryn and Shep arrived, and she had confided that she could handle whatever Thomas delivered up, but she was still nervous about approaching Patricia, because she wasn’t sure how pick up a conversation after five years. She told Kathryn to wait until everyone was settled to approach Patricia and thanked her for the invitation.

But the evening’s drama truly launched after Austen heard the escort story, presumably for the first time, and decided it was a good time to tell Thomas he had been conned. Thomas seemed non-plussed, but Jennifer was up in arms and asked Austen what he would think if someone said his sister was an escort. This whipped upAshley, who tried to push her California nursing card into Austen’s hand while f-bombs flew. Fans were starting to see the same woman who lost it on Daufuskie Island, and Ravenel attempted to calm her down, but she was not having it.

“You’re drunk,” she exclaimed.

While on the other side of the ballroom, Kathryn finally worked up the courage to approach Patricia, and she confessed that she’s studied up on the history of White Tie events. Miss Patricia was impressed that someone literally got the memo. The relief of that meeting behind her, Kathryn headed out to the vestibule for a cigarette. Ashley Jacobs was shown throwing back champagne, and it was ominous foreshadowing that the upcoming conflict would be alcohol-fueled.

Jacobs approached Kathryn, allegedly to apologize, and the switch flipped quickly. Kathryn looked shocked, even though this was the second time she had been attacked in that manner. Fans had witnessed several occasions where Thomas has confided in Kathryn that things weren’t working out with his girlfriend, but Ashley doesn’t believe this was true, explaining that she wasn’t going anywhere, and had the dirt on Kathryn and plausibly, Thomas.

The confrontation ended, and Kathryn asked to speak to Thomas, all the while Jacobs was yelling. She was asked to wait outside.

“Speak up and say I’m not going anywhere. Tell her how great our relationship is, come on. Baby mama, stay out of it. Go find someone else to go screw,” Ashley Jacobs shouted.

Kathryn warned Thomas that Jacobs was unstable, and had threatened her. Thomas nodded in approval. She added that he had to keep her from their children. Ravenel agreed again.

The event winded down and Kathryn realized that she had something more to say. She told Ashley that she had crossed a line and needed to stay away from her family.

Jacobs then delivered the line fans have seen in every preview, where she told Kathryn she was nothing but an egg donor, as Thomas remained silent.

The reunion show, which will be in three parts, should be epic.