One question around last night's Keeping Up With the Kardashians was how the episode might handle the ground-breaking (and inspirational) announcement Bruce made during his Friday interview with Diane Sawyer, if at all. Would producers somehow weave in a relevant scene, perhaps with a last-minute edit? Or would the show just move forward as if we now don't all know the truth: Bruce "had the story." Not surprisingly, the show didn't address the news, save for a note on the scrolling E! News ticker that pointed out Demi Lovato dedicated a song to Bruce at a concert this weekend. Bruce didn't even appear on the episode, although that's not a huge change, as Bruce has been relatively scarce on the show ever since moving out of Kris Jenner's house.
It's definitely a little strange for the show to completely ignore Bruce's announcement, but it's the way the Kardashians have always done things: We learn what's going on in their present-day lives from the tabloids or from their own social media, or from a mixture of the two, and then a few months later, the show comes along and fills in the gaps. (For context, the events we saw on last night's episode took place in November-ish of last year.) That's exactly how they handled Kim's weddings, her pregnancy with North, and Khloé's split from Lamar, just to name a few. It's a strange method of storytelling, but it's the well-established Kardashian way. That said, the magnitude of Bruce's announcement makes the storylines on last night's episode seem awfully inconsequential. That's an odd line for the show to walk until Bruce's story starts actually being incorporated into the show — assuming it will be, eventually. It's possible that Bruce's journey might be entirely confined to Bruce's own series, which is set to start in July.
It seems weird that Keeping Up With the Kardashians would be willing or able to ignore Bruce's transition forever. But then again, we're talking about a show where Kim mostly just pretends not to have a husband or a child. Anything's possible. Meanwhile, even though last night's episode probably wasn't what most people were expecting, there was plenty of drama, so let's get to it.
MVK (Most Valuable Kardashian): This week, it's Kourtney, who's struggling with the fact that Scott's fallen off the wagon just weeks before her baby is due. The timing is especially bad since her sisters are traveling, and she's not sure she'll be able to count on them for support. At the same time, she's not sure that she even wants her sisters in the delivery room, which upsets them, probably because they've forgotten that Kourtney is always just a little crazy when she's pregnant. At this point, it's a well-documented phenomenon. Scott promises he'll have his shit together by the time the baby comes, but just after promising that, he heads to Vegas and gets absolutely obliterated. Things end on a super depressing note, with Scott staying at Khloé's house because he's not allowed at home. But while these aren't the best of circumstances, Kourtney gets this week's prize because she doesn't let Scott drag her down or get forced into the vortex of his crazy. Maybe this isn't the healthiest ability of Kourtney's, but I've always admired the way she's able to put her head down and worry only about herself and her kids.
But THEN, the show ran a screen at the end of the episode saying "Kourtney gave birth to Reign Aston Disick on December 14, 2014. Scott was by her side in the delivery room." On the one hand, that's great news! Good for them! On the other hand … is that really all we're going to get about Reign's birth? Kourtney's comments about wanting the delivery room to be mellow did make me think the birth probably wouldn't be filmed, but seriously? A title card? That's it?!
Hey, Where's Kanye? New York! It's a bummer though, that he wasn't at the Paper magazine party in Miami, celebrating Kim's cover. I would've loved to actually hear Kanye's reaction to that cover straight from him.
Reality TV Can Be Real Sometimes: Unlike some of the Kardashians' past parties and showers, with their over-the-top themes, huge celebrity guest lists, and product placement gifts, Kourtney's shower actually seemed small, sweet, and mellow — perfect for her personality (and let's be honest, no one needs a huge rager for their third baby shower).
Reality TV Is Fake:
I have no doubt that the Jenner/Kardashians face constant threats against their privacy and sometimes even their safety, and I think it's reprehensible that anyone would try to hack Kris's iCloud or hide in her backyard. That said, some of Kris's responses to the security risks this episode explores seemed … off. After accepting a delivery of pizzas in which the top box was a little marriage proposal/shrine to Kylie, and after hearing from the front gate that they hadn't allowed a delivery person in, Kris announced, "It's time to call more than the pizza place!!" and then called … her assistant? It felt very off, as did a later interaction in which Kris claimed she was being followed on the way to Costco — although the faker part of that interaction was Kris's struggle to name things a person might buy at Costco. "We have to get the … toothbrushes …"
Line of the Night: "Could we get a water for my pastor?" —Scott, in a bar, shortly before ordering a vodka-Red Bull for himself. Oh, buddy.
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