This week's episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians: "It's Good to be Home" shows the emotional toll it takes on a family when the husband and father suddenly decides he wants to become a woman.
Of course you know by now that Bruce Jenner left his wife of almost 25 years, Kris, to transition into "Caitlyn." All we hear about is how "stunning" and "brave" Jenner is for being transgender, but behind all this celebration what we finally see is the broken family left behind. Kris is an emotional wreck, it is affecting her work, and their children are left confused and bereft, with Kylie having a panic attack at the thought of the press asking her questions about her dad.
In this touching scene, daughter Kendall reveals that she has avoided meeting "Caitlyn" because in her mind that will be the moment she lets go and loses her dad forever:
KHLOE: Bruce's interview on Diane Sawyer came out recently, and the "About Bruce" special is about to come out this week. Our emotions are incredibly raw in this special, and I think it's high anxiety for all of us. Kendall's been all over the place. I think keeping herself busy and occupying herself is good, but I also think you do have to address your problems. How are you dealing with everything?
KENDALL: I'm all right. I feel like it's a process.
KHLOE: For sure.
KENDALL: It's something to get used to for sure, but, um, the only thing is, I haven't met her, so...
KHLOE: I haven't either. I think that's a process as well.
KENDALL: Yeah, well, it's also a "Letting go" thing. It's, like, when you officially meet her, it's like he's gone.
KHLOE: Yeah.
KENDALL: I think that's what I'm holding onto. That's why I-I've taken so long to meet her.
KHLOE: At this point, Kendall and I have not met Caitlyn. I just feel like we all have to do things in our own time. I mean, this is hard for all of us, but Kendall says as soon as she meets Caitlyn, she's gonna feel like Bruce is gone forever, and I think that's really hard for her to understand.
This 19 year old girl just wants to hold on to her father and her memories of him before he is "gone forever." How sad is that? (Forget for a moment that they're all vapid reality star millionaires and think about it on a basic human level.)
The final scene in the episode is eerie in that it is exactly what you'd see from a grieving widow going through her deceased husband's clothes. Kim Kardashian brings back the men's clothes that "Caitlyn" doesn't need any more for her mom to choose items to "remember" him by. Kris cries and reminisces about her ex-husband and says things like, "It's just crazy that he's gone," as if he's dead. And in a way, he is.
KIM: I have all the other stuff, too. Did you not get it?
KRIS: Mmm, yeah, but I haven't gotten... I didn't have the... Nerve to open the bag.
KIM: I thought this suit is, like, a... This is a David Rickey jacket that I know you guys got in Malibu.
KRIS: Yeah. It makes me really sad.
KIM: You can use the handkerchief to wipe your eyes.
KRIS: No, that's okay. (Sniffles) I think going through something like this is... Difficult, because the whole thing is something I've never dealt with before. And I realize that I still have a long way to go before I can process all of this and understand it. And seeing these clothes and realizing that Bruce has thrown them out... Makes it real.
KIM: This, he wore on our Burberry Christmas card.
KRIS: Yeah. Long time ago.
KIM: And this Prada suit.
KRIS: It smells like him. How did you remember all this stuff, Kim?
KIM: Just anything that I thought would remind you of him.
KRIS: Yeah.
KIM: Like this polo velvet, I felt like you would like.
KRIS: Yeah. (Sniffles)
KIM: I thought Kendall and Kylie and Khloe and all the kids could each take whatever polo shirt reminded us of him.
KRIS: Mm-hmm. All right, I'll hang it all up and let the kids go through it. Thank you.
KIM: You're welcome. Don't cry. Don't cry.
KRIS: It's just crazy that he's gone.
KIM: But he's not.
KRIS: Yeah.
KIM: No, he's not. (Kris sniffles)
KRIS: He's gone.
The episode really drives home how selfish "Caitlyn" is and the emotional devastation left in the wake of his decision to abandon his family as a husband and father to wear a dress.
"He's gone." In more ways than one.
