Part 2 of the “About Bruce” special continued with more round table talk between Bruce Jenner and his daughters. The same concerns were discussed, and it seemed like the kids just wanted to know fully what was going on. No more secrets from Bruce. There was a little sex talk, which was kind of weird between this dad and his daughters, but it was likely prompted by the show runners. The audience was probably curious anyway and it added controversy to the episode.
Bruce told his girls that they would “just know” when it was appropriate to refer to him as “her.”
I got introduced to Scott Disick in this episode…and I am worse for it. He’s kinduva dick. That’s my assessment by having seen him on camera for all of two minutes. I did about ten seconds of research to find out who he is and this is what I found to sum up his career: “This ‘entrepreneur’ rose to fame by dating reality star, Kourtney Kardashian.” The only reason anyone knows his name is the fact that he dates or is married to a Kardashian (I won’t be bothered to find out which it is). He has impregnated a Kard multiple times, from what I’ve read. Congrats. He appears to be a leach who says semi controversial things to make tiny waves that make him “interesting.”
Scott and Bruce talked over the upcoming gender change, although Scott’s presence added nothing of substance. I imagine his girlfriend requested he get some camera time to keep him relevant. Scott stated that Bruce could open doors for many people in the same transgender boat. He also called Jenner the “biggest male athlete of our time.” Dude was special, but certainly not Michael Jordan, Ali, or Joe Montana. Scott needs help with his lines if he is to continue his reality TV “stardom.”
Bruce mentions how life may not be easy going forward with all the media pressure of L.A. He’s right of course, but I’m guessing it would be easier than living as a transgendered person in Easley, South Carolina.
We get more of the same from Khloe as we did in part one. She seems to want to control what Bruce does and how he communicates his plans to the family. Khloe should get as little screen time as possible. She is quite bothersome, and if she had not lucked into being born into a rich family, she would be cleaning bathrooms at a Motel 6 in Kansas. The difference in the kind hearted Bruce Jenner and Khloe Kardashian is painfully obvious. He is fully aware of how his actions affect others, hence keeping his secret so long. She clearly only thinks of herself…and ice cream….and texting.
One surprising tidbit from this episode came when Bruce talked about telling his mother the plans to transform into a female. He stated that he and his mom were not that close, which is both surprising and a real shame.
We see the first mention of keeping more secrets when Kourtney doesn’t want her kid to hear talk of this new Bruce. Kids aren’t stupid, so they are going to find out eventually. That said, I have no idea the right thing to do in that situation. Ignoring it isn’t the proper way though. Open talks with even small children seem to work best. They’re young, not stupid.
The most painful talk that Bruce had was with his ex-wife Kris. I don’t know much about their relationship since I am not a regular watcher as I mentioned in part one. I can see how she would be super confused about all this. She shared a bed with this man who is going to soon be a woman. They had babies together, no small bond indeed. Kris seems to blame Bruce’s condition and secrets that went along with it for most of their marital issues in the past. Maybe that’s true, maybe not. Bruce says he was always trying to figure out his life. Ain’t we all!
Kris talks about how angry Bruce was in the last few years of their marriage, and I can imagine keeping one’s real identity secret would make a guy irritable. The two say they still love each other, but this situation must be harder on Kris than the kids, even though they are no longer married.
The feel good portion of the episode was when Kim Kardashian came in to help Bruce with his new female wardrobe. This was likely a set up by the brains behind the show, but it played nicely. Kim is known for her style from what I can tell, so it was a cool scene. Bruce even copped to stealing an outfit from Kim. It was weird seeing Bruce Jenner holding up dresses that he plans to wear, I have to admit. Does it bother me? No, it’s just out of the ordinary. He owns his life, not me.
The main theme I carried away from this two part special on Bruce Jenner was how he wished others to be happy, mainly his family. He also hopes to help other transgender folks deal with their lives. I’ve no doubt that he will have a positive effect on some people dealing with similar issues as himself. Whether or not the publicity surrounding his own steps toward transformation make people more tolerant about multiple issues, as he hopes, is debatable. This planet is inhabited by a great percentage of dingbats who think they have a right to force their will and ideals on others. Bruce Jenner isn’t going to change that very much, I am afraid.
Bruce will receive some hate for what he is doing, while many will just think it weird. Those opinions do not really matter. What matters to Bruce is how his family accepts his transformation. We get one life to control, our own. Bruce lived a life that others expected of him for most of his 65 years. Now he is doing what he believes is best for him, while still taking into consideration the ones closest to him.
The fact that much of this has played out on reality TV is just part of life here in 2015. I have no idea what was sincere in the interviews and interactions I watched during this special. I don’t trust reality TV to be very real at all. I did, however, believe this family cared about each other and what Bruce was going through. That will make it harder to insult the reality “stars” of this show going forward. Harder, not impossible.
To read all the articles in our six-part series, go here.