Selling Sunset season 4 review: High tension and new drama in most awkward season yet

When we left the gang, they'd never been further apart from each other. Two sides had been clearly formed and Davina had left the group. Quite the drama.

But as season four proves, the drama hadn't stopped – in fact, it's worse. And that only makes it a whole lot better.

When we catch up with the group, Christine is heavily pregnant and there are two desks to fill at The Oppenheim Group. Enter the first new recruit to fill in for Davina: Vanessa Villela, 43, from Mexico. She's a former soap actress and thus makes for perfect casting. She's bubbly and very insistent that she can deal with female drama... into which she's thrust right away, thanks to Christine. In fact, by episode six, you soon forget Vanessa insisted she wouldn't get involved in the gossip.

A battle for her affections takes over as Christine tries to secure at least one friend in the office, while Chrishell, Mary and Heather try to get Vanessa on their side. It seems she picks Christine, and gets into her battles while she's on maternity leave. Now that's loyalty.

The main storyline in season four surrounds newcomer Emma Hernan, who has a big past with The Oppenheim Group. There's a bit of confusion around the specifics, but it seems she dated Christine's ex – and there may or may not have been a crossover. Regardless of the (very) messy details, it makes for some whopping drama and some pretty neat editing. The cliffhangers are strong this time around, if a little obvious at times. There are countless occasions when Christine will bring up Emma, only for Emma to then strut into a room with some very dramatic music as the episode closes. It might not be the classiest of cliffhangers, but boy, did I gasp.

One thing is clear: Selling Sunset has never been about the houses. Their bid to bring it back to the real estate feels disjointed at times. Rather than being centred around The Oppenheim Group's comings and goings, the office is really just a place for gossip now – as are the homes.

In a bid to bring the focus back to the real estate, the Netflix series pumps in some very special guests. French Montana, DJ Alesso and Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, all step into the office for some help. Now the girls themselves are stars, it makes sense their clients are, too.

Perhaps the best thing about Selling Sunset season four though is simply how awkward it all is. At times I found myself curling up due to cringe, like when Jason read out a poem to celebrate his dogs' birthdays at a party for them (yes, you read that right). But the biggest cringe moment is when season three leaver Davina returns and asks for her job back (!!). The editing in these moments is *chefs kiss* and the pauses, silences, and shocked reactions from the team are delightful. Needless to say, she returns, in full baby pink dress and a complementary bashful look.

And no, she still hasn't sold the house.

While Selling Sunset isn't the most sophisticated series out there, it's a reality show, and with that in mind, it's perfect. Full of drama, engaging characters and luxury lives, 10 episodes just simply isn't enough. But with the quality we have in season four, it's clear we definitely will get more episodes. Long live The Oppenheim Group.

Selling Sunset seasons 1-3 are now available to stream on Netflix. Season 4 arrives on 24th November. Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.