There seemed to be a lot riding on that single bouquet of roses Spencer originally gave to Heidi who went on to give them to Lauren. Heidi thought she’d be able to end this complex War of the Roses through some humor, but it didn’t work. (This rosy war began with those infamous flowers Spencer used on both Heidi and Audrina over two consecutive nights many weeks ago.) Lauren’s candidness in warning Heidi about Spencer’s untrustworthiness meant nothing to Heidi who, after granting the sleazebag the second chance of all chances, made what certainly wasn’t her first huge mistake by telling Spencer how Lauren really felt about him. It was precisely in that moment when Heidi, perhaps unwittingly, chose her boyfriend over her best friend. Lauren and Audrina’s exchange over a home-cooked meal (a first for “The Hills,” I believe) was the first sign of the imminent Lauren-Heidi fallout. Pressing drama calls for desperate measures.
The last time (that is, when cameras were present) Heidi and Lauren saw strains in their friendship, Jason’s abusiveness was the culprit and Lauren was the one who just couldn’t see the light. Heidi equated the Jason situation with the Spencer situation, though she misguidedly asserted that Spencer would never treat her the way Jason treated Lauren (um, he already did, at least twice). Whitney, making perfect use of her typical affecting interested look for a record-breaking brief cameo, wisely analyzed Heidi’s tarnished outlook: “It’s one thing to have a boyfriend, but it’s another thing to abandon your whole life.”
Spencer barely agreed to accompany Heidi on a club night with Lauren. Heidi insisted that she needed to spend more time with her increasingly distant best friend. Audrina (who never does seem to stop smiling) and Lauren looked on as Spencer toyed with another girl and, immediately, Lauren tried to protect Heidi. A ballsy Brody asked Lauren what she thought she was doing and, in a poorly edited series of shots, Heidi hugged Spencer as an insulted Lauren left the club in a cab. (Why is it we never see any happy moments in cabs?) Lauren stated her case with enviable poise to Brody who totally turned her words around (clearly, Brody does not have Lauren’s way with words). Lauren: “If I wasn’t getting along with my best friend, I wouldn’t be happy.” Brody (to Spencer): “Lauren told me that Heidi isn’t happy.” Ah, the nuanced distinctions of happiness and their extensive implications – the thematic crux of Lauren’s life.
Speaking of thematic cruxes, the image of Lauren getting all contemplative in her fashion classes, a motif of Season One, appeared for the first time this season in a stunning Lauren-is-pensive montage. Now that is the real sign of the Heidi-Lauren fallout and its grave consequences. It was borderline gut-wrenching to watch Heidi and Lauren bicker about the Spencer question (let’s just say if this show is scripted, Heidi and Lauren are in dire need of Emmys). Though it was unclear whether Heidi was just going to Spencer’s for the night or actually thinking about moving out, Heidi’s packing of her suitcase was very foreboding. Perhaps a chat with Lisa Love would knock some sense into Heidi. It may not have worked for Lauren last season when she chose Jason over Paris, but surely it’s worth a try.
