The housewife’s authenticity was a saving grace of Potomac’s eighth season.

When Mia Thornton first joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Potomac, she arrived on the scene projecting a specific image of herself. She consistently referred to herself as a “boss,” something she flaunted primarily thanks to her husband, Gordon Thornton’s thriving business. She made some different claims about what she actually did for the chiropractic franchise. Her true position, which was a marketing role, was not as high up as she purported. Mia seemed to be focused on projecting herself like this constantly, and subsequently, she came across as inauthentic.

She busied herself with petty fights, like the rift with Wendy Osefo in Season 7, and never seemed to take accountability for the mess she made. In fact, she often turned herself into the victim, which did not help her likability. Many expected more of the same in Season 8; however, new circumstances in her life have drastically changed the perception of who Mia is. Gordon was removed from his position within The Joint, and subsequently, the couple’s financial situation suffered immensely. Season 8 began with Mia and Gordon moving into a much smaller place, which was a big adjustment. With massive life changes and her marriage crumbling apart, Mia’s genuine nature was activated on camera, and subsequently, she became the best part of the season.

Mia Thornton Had Her Best Season Yet on ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’

RHOP fans who couldn’t stand Mia initially became more and more grateful for her as the season progressed. Her personal story and interactions with the other women were the only things to cling to in a season full of lies and nonsense fights. She managed to mend her relationship with Karen Huger and became a more neutral party within the lines that divided the housewives. She stirred the pot in all the right ways as well; take the double date she and Gordon went on with Robyn and Juan Dixon. Thornton asked him point-blank what everyone had been wanting to know, while he gave the political response that he and Robyn had been giving. Even with his response, she knew something was still fishy about it and said as much during her confessional. She asked all the right questions this season, trying to get the answers fans had been desperately requesting. The move was brilliant, even if it didn’t work out the way she probably wanted it to.

Mia also showed a lot of vulnerability this season. She shared the story of an assault that occurred to her when she was a teenager, one that she partially blamed on her estranged friend, Jacqueline Blake, who was dating the person who assaulted her. Even Charrisse Jackson-Jordan’s attempt to be messy worked in her favor, as they were able to take a moment to sit and talk their issues out. Even though their friendship is far from repaired, it is clear that a new understanding was found between them and that there may be hope for their friendship to be repaired in the future. This kind of emotional honesty is something that viewers need to see from Mia.

Mia and Gordon Thornton’s Tumultuous Marriage Was the Best Part of Season 8 and the Reunion

The struggles in Mia’s marriage to Gordon were also incredibly compelling to watch. Seeing them work hard to fix things in their marriage by going to counseling provided even more insight into their relationship. When Gordon decided to put Mia on blast, saying that she was sneaking around and cheating on him, Mia filed for divorce, as this was the final straw for her. The show even went back into production to film them talking about their separation. Gordon accused Mia of cheating on him with a radio personality, Inc (short for Incognito), for over 10 years and also had concerns that their son, Jeremiah, was not his. She denied this, of course, saying that she and Inc had only recently reconnected and that Gordon had already given her permission to sleep with other people. This decision came after he had surgery for prostate cancer, which affected his ability to be physically intimate with her.

This topic was revisited at the reunion, of course. Gordon also revealed at the reunion that, in addition to being a cancer survivor, he had also been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. He shared that he received the diagnosis two and a half years ago but that he had always felt the symptoms throughout his life. He then lauded Mia for being supportive of him, even up to that moment, as she was still a source of support for him even though their marriage was coming to an end. Frankly, the fact that Gordon took it upon himself to show up to the reunion and support the woman he’s in the midst of divorcing speaks a lot about whom both Gordon and Mia are. Robyn has been with Juan in one form or another since the show began and only showed up once for her.

Another thing to consider is how much Mia has changed in comparison to her first few seasons. She did a lot of bragging and peacocking early on, but now knowing more about Gordon’s bipolar disorder, as well as some of the other issues they’d been dealing with during the time, her behavior then is worth re-examining. It’s very possible that she was doing the most to compensate for the issues going on in their marriage. The official definition of overcompensation, according to the American Psychological Association, is “substitution or development of strength or capability in one area to offset real or imagined deficiency in another.” Her focus on being a “boss” and flashing around their wealth in the past may have been a mask to cover her own inner turmoil. While no one but Mia can say if this is true or not, what is clear is that her authenticity has made her a standout housewife; she was the life jacket that kept this sorry season afloat.