The penultimate episode of The Kardashians is premised on the concept of winning. We watched the sisters prepare for their first Met Gala as a whole group while discovering Blac Chyna’s verdict against them for defamation and contract trial interference. Plus, Kim built a mini Marilyn museum in her hotel suite, Kendall revealed she was breeding Olympic-caliber horses, and Pete Davidson made a rare on-screen appearance about the first time he asked Kim for her phone number (and “sweetly” declined). After episode 9 of The Kardashians, three things stuck with me: the word
How many times have uttered “victory”
before heading to the red carpet at the Met Gala when women find out they’ve been acquitted in Blac Chyna’s civil suit. Cheers erupted in the hotel suite — and lasted really long) — while Kris, who was already on her way to the event, chanted tearfully, “We won.” Using the word in this episode could have sparked a chaotic drinking game, and they used it again when recounting Khloé’s red carpet appearance. “Khloé won the Met,” Kim declared.
Granted, we haven’t seen much of the trial yet, and it’s not open to the public, so the Kardashians have maxed it out. Abstract to hone their public image. Last week, Kim told us that the trial served as a useful supplement to her own legal research, and this week, the family observed that whenever someone tried to undo them, “the truth always wins out.” Court cases are famous narrative mediums, but given our lack of access to this, the Kardashians have chosen to “tell” rather than “show.” I mean tell us which winners they are.
The red carpet is also a medium, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is some of the shots we did see. The multi-episode build-up of Khloé’s public appearance angst led to its own triumph, strongly suggesting that she was positioned as Kim’s “celebrity” successor, who was gravitating towards her apparent role as Kris Jenner’s apparent heir. Whether it’s in a legal setting or a more glamorous setting, the Kardashians want us to know they’ve been escalating.
Ripley’s director told Kim she should work in Archives
Glam at Kim’s hotel During the process, Ripley’s director, John Cocoron, told her, “If this idol thing doesn’t work out, you can come and work on the dossier for me, okay?” I’ve written a lot about Kim’s impressive dossier instincts in the past, Vogue even got to witness these instincts firsthand on a trip to scrapbooking last year. One can read this incarnation of the family reality show as a meditation on how to make an American icon in the new media age. Italian semiotician Umberto Eco probably won’t be surprised by the outsized role past, imitation and preservation have played in fostering Kim’s dominance: as he does in Travels in Hyperreality wrote, “There is one constant in the imagination and taste of the average American, the past that must be preserved and celebrated in complete and authentic copies; as the immortal philosophy of reproduction.”
Hillary Clinton driving the car ahead of them
It was a moment, but it was one of the funnier episodes episodes, mostly involving ornate preparations, prayers, pizza and the announcement of various victories for the family. As traffic jams slowed their way to the Met Gala, Khloé and Kylie’s driver, Jose, commented, “Hillary is actually right in front of us – Hillary Clinton.” Nothing on this show we don’t want to see moment, considering that just last month, Kanye compared Kim to Clinton (and performance artist Marina Abramović and, fittingly, Marilyn Monroe) a now-deleted Instagram post. In recent years, there’s been more talk about whether Kim will further court the political establishment (perhaps leaving room for Khloé to deliver Kim-level protagonist moments). Will Kim really run someday? Who knew at this stage! One thing is certain: This country has proven itself capable of electing a former reality TV star and business mogul to office – a man who often talks about the world in terms of winners and losers of.
