Put simply, Melissa Etheridge deserves a Nobel Peace Prize after the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The Aug. 10 iteration saw the Grammy Award-winning artist make a surprise appearance at Dorit Kemsley's charity dinner, and while Melissa might not have known it at the time, she inadvertently saved the ladies from spiraling out of control à la season one's Dinner Party From Hell (or the more recent season 11 sequel).
What had happened pre-Melissa's arrival was simple: Whether she meant to or not, Kyle Richards had reignited Lisa Rinna and Sutton Stracke's argument over the Elton John Oscars party fiasco. Soon, what started out as a lighthearted exchange between the two—albeit one that required they yell across the room—quickly evolved into an expletive-filled screaming match.
Lisa and Sutton continued to argue over the validity of Sutton's apology to Lisa's husband Harry Hamlin, all while the dinner party's guests looked on in horror. As Crystal Kung Minkoff put it in a confessional, "We're not alone! There's other people here, including my friends who are totally freaking out and texting me, 'What the f--k is going on?'"
Kyle even compared the situation to that of the glass-shattering fight between Lisa and Kim Richards in season five of RHOBH: "We're not at Amsterdam-level yet, but we could be getting there."
Thankfully, they didn't—and it's all because Melissa began descending Dorit's stairs. By the time she finished an incredible performance of "Come to My Window," there were no more screams, just happy tears. Lisa even apologized to Sutton and the rest of the group, explaining that she had simply been misdirecting her anger at Sutton when in reality, she was just struggling to deal with her mother's death (especially that day, as she had just received all of Lois' belongings).
"I'm trying to figure out how to live without my mom," Lisa said through tears, "and I don't know how to do it."
As Garcelle Beauvais put it, the moment seemed to be a much-needed "breakthrough." Props to Melissa Etheridge!
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)