The latest episode of The Kardashians contemplates what it means to literally—and metaphorically—exist in the Kar-Jenner simulacrum. The family hypes Pete Davidson’s upcoming space flight, but we never once see the comedian in the flesh. Kris Jenner considers hip replacement surgery, inspiring deeper conversations among the sisters about their momager’s mortality. The family also finally addresses Kim’s Marie Antoinette-esque utterance during her now-infamous Variety cover shoot—“Nobody wants to work anymore”—and Khloe tells Kim that the constant criticism they face from the public will only “end when we end.” Plus, Kendall seeks house-flipping advice from Scott, Martha Stewart stops by the Khloe-Kris compound, and Khloe and Kris go peacock shopping. Here are three things that kept me up after watching Season 2, Episode 4 of The Kardashians:
Khloe Wants to Put Her Mom “On Ice”
Kris Jenner’s hip replacement storyline feels devised to prepare the public for her inevitable aging arc. During a confessional, Khloe reflects on her mom’s increasing physical challenges, saying, “I just want to her to stay in the cold to prolong her life.” When a producer asks whether cold temperatures can really do that, Khloe explains that the theory hinges on personal logic. “You lose a finger, you throw it on ice. I’m just going to put my mom on ice.” It’s true that ice has long been connoted with preservation, inspiring mind-bending films about cryonics like Vanilla Sky (adapted from Spanish classic Open Your Eyes) and the persistent cultural lore that Walt Disney had his body frozen after death so that he could be resurrected whenever science advanced enough. Cryopreservation is an actual industry—albeit a highly speculative one—and because with the Kardashians, no extreme use of technology seems to be off limits, it’s a little intriguing to now know of Khloe’s interest in the powers and potential of ice.
Pete’s Space Flight That Wasn’t
Though, in real life, we already know it never ends up happening, we’ve been hearing about Pete Davidson’s upcoming Jeff Bezos-endorsed space flight for two episodes now. Early on in this one, Davidson happens to call Kim while she’s telling Kris, MJ, and Khloe about how great he is. The ladies put him on speakerphone to discuss his big event.
“Are you nervous?” Kris asks. “My personal life is scarier,” he answers, ostensibly referring to Kanye’s viral Twitter spirals at the time, which had included threats and a derogatory couple’s name for Kim and Pete (“Skete”). Pete Davidson has always generated a certain kind of meme-able enthusiasm from the public, but his attachment to Kim Kardashian elevated the hoopla. His tattooed-boy-next-door image contrasted whimsically with her own self-mythologizing as a New Media icon, he was clearly a Kanye West agitator, and now he was apparently doing one of the biggest things a person can do—leaving the literal planet? At this point, you might notice that the viewer’s experience of Pete on The Kardashians has only been through “telling,” rather than “showing”—subverting a common narrative principle. It almost seems as though the hype of a rocket ship ride is a proxy for his actual presence on the show. It’s an interesting dilemma: Is a dramatic and colorful storyline enough to turn a phantom figure into an actual character?
“It’ll End When We End”
Over the past few years, we’ve seen Khloe and Kim becoming increasingly close confidants, and, while in the backseat of a black car together, Kim bemoans the backlash she faces for her Variety statements. “It never ends—will it ever end?” She asks. “It’ll end,” Khloe says, “when we end.” The answer is morbid, and probably only half-true, but it echoes a larger question I’m often asked by critics of the family, especially during Kar-Jenner scandals. When will the Kardashian reign be over? Khloe is correct—the family is, by now, too entrenched in culture—and the media cycles that uphold it—for their notoriety or power to dissolve during any of our lifetimes. But when I say Khloe’s statement is only half-true, what I mean is that the family is multi-generational, with many children to inherit the proverbial “monarchy.” Plus, Kim has plans to use her new private equity firm, SKKY partners, to invest in future media companies, and we have no idea yet just how far she’ll take her law pursuits upon achieving licensure. But beyond the known Kar-Jenner ventures certain to extend the family’s legacy, for all we know, they’ll all put themselves “on ice.” I’m kind of kidding—but the idea, at least, is likely to persist. After all, the Disney-on-ice rumors have been debunked—and yet we still hear of them. And Marie Antoinette lives on through a famous phrase attributed to her; we don’t need to see her in the flesh to know her name.
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