You don't have to be a faithful Keeping Up With the Kardashians viewer to know that Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have had a rocky history; they've been front-page tabloid news for years. The show, the media, Kourtney's family, and sometimes even Kourtney herself continually drive home the point that Scott is bad news and that Kourtney would be better off if they separated.
There's plenty of evidence to support that theory: They've fought in almost every episode of Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons so far; the season is largely about Scott's possible substance abuse problem and the strain it's put on his relationship with a pregnant Kourtney. There was also that time Scott stuffed money into a waiter's mouth while plastered in Las Vegas. And, in general, he's known to get fall-down, puke-everywhere drunk at important events like Kim's wedding weekend.
Yet there's something about Kourtney and Scott as a couple that makes fans want to see them stay together, despite all the reasons why they probably shouldn't. (Maybe their drama is all for ratings? That's one hopeful explanation.) As they navigate another rough patch in their relationship, here is a look at three pros and three cons of Kourtney and Scott's romance.
PRO: Their history is deep, and their chemistry is undeniable.
I don't always get Kourtney and Scott's chemistry, but it's always there. I don't think they're faking it when she promises, for example, to "do him dirty" on top of a piano. Kourtney's deadpan delivery of almost everything she says can make it sound like she's less than enthusiastic about Scott, but if you look closely enough, you can tell that when things are good between them, there's a lot of fun, flirty love there. And while "we've been together a long time" isn't a good enough reason to keep a relationship going all on its own, it's definitely a factor. Scott and Kourtney have been together on and off since 2006 — they've seen each other through a lot, and that's worth something.
CON: Scott's … going through some stuff (but so is Kourtney).
Half the fun of watching reality TV is providing armchair diagnoses about each character's issues, but it hasn't been fun at all to watch Scott struggle with what really seems like textbook alcoholism. He seems to be taking some steps toward recovery, and he's asked Kourtney for help more than once — but sometimes maybe those steps are something Scott could (or should) be tackling on his own.
At the same time, Kourtney's got emotional issues too. It's not her job to fix Scott, but the way she keeps herself emotionally closed off makes it hard for him to feel supported by her, especially as he tries to cope with the loss of both of his parents. Couples shouldn't break up solely because one or both of them are having issues, but there comes a point when those issues are so incompatible that they force the two apart. Have Kourtney and Scott reached it?
PRO: Kourtney and Scott are good parenting partners.
Everyone always points out that Scott's a good dad when they talk about why Kourtney should stay with him, and that's true. Mason especially seems really close to his dad, and Scott seems comfortable getting down on the floor to play with his kids, something that's rarer than it should be. But it seems a little bizarre/probably a little sexist that we never hear the inverse: Scott should want to keep their family together because Kourtney's a good mom.
CON: They want different lives.
Scott claims that he wants to be a family man most of the time, with a little causal drinking on the side, but his behavior so far has shown he's not really capable of doing that. It's all party, all the time. Kourtney, meantime, wants a quiet life. In the first several episodes of Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons, it's became clear that she'd be perfectly content to stay home in that big house in the middle of nowhere, playing with her kids and doing craft projects. She's also already asking Scott for a fourth kid, in spite of the fact that he called her third pregnancy a disaster, on camera. A difference this big is probably when you'd sit your real-life friends down to explain gently that while they seem to really love each other, maybe they're just too different. Even if Scott dials back the drinking, that won't magically transform him into the sort of person who likes quiet nights at home.
PRO: They seem to thrive on a little bit of chaos.
Kourtney swears she's a no-drama kind of woman, and even though Scott's a bit of a drama king (drama lord?) he claims he wants his relationship with Kourtney to be peaceful and laid-back. And yet for years now, they find themselves in chaotic situations, from mirror breaking to kicking each other out of the house. I'm not saying they're creating that drama on purpose, but maybe they're subconsciously returning to those crazy situations because they thrive on chaos a little bit. Supposedly they're both astrologically inclined to loving ups and downs, so it must be true, right?
CON: They've been having the same fight for years, and nothing's changed.
On the most recent episode of Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons, after Scott comes home from a very short stay in rehab, Kourtney tells Scott she's hoping to have a talk with him after everyone's in bed. (It's unclear whether or not this is code for "once the cameras are off.") Scott shrugs it off, saying they've been having "these kinds of talks" for five years and that he doesn't think another one is worth it.
If they've stopped having the fight — or, in other words, if they've stopped fighting for themselves as a couple — maybe we should stop rooting for them too. More and more, Kourtney seems like she just doesn't care all that much about whether Scott finally changes his ways. Maybe that's just her patented poker face (Kourtney's a champ when it comes to keeping her emotions under wraps) but maybe she's finally realized she could be OK without Scott too. Not happier, not necessarily better off. Just OK.
If she's all right with it, there's no reason for us not to be.
Follow Lauren on Twitter.
