This Jon and Kate Gosselin thing has me so upset ya'll. We have been fans for several years. JC is just a little bit younger than the sextuplets so watching their show has always been something we did together as a family. Curtis and I would laugh at Jon and Kate's bickering (and let's face it - Curtis and Jon are a lot of like - overgrown kids themselves) and we all loved watching how this family of 10 lives day to day. In other words, we feel like a part of their family. I am not a big tabloid reader, so I might have been a little late hearing about Jon's so-called affair, but when I did it broke my heart. I also know that tabloids are full of lies, so I am trying to remain objective and not believe everything I have been seeing
Like many of you, I was anxious for last night's season premiere. We were going to hear what was going on "in their own words" as TLC teased us. I wanted to hear Jon and Kate tell us that they were working on it and that everything was going to be ok. THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED...
The show started off with Jon and Kate being interviewed separately - directly addressing their issues. Jon maintains that yes, he might have made some reckless and irresponsible choices, but that he never cheated on Kate (no matter what anyone believes. It is insinuated that maybe Kate does not believe this.) Kate addressed the implications that she had cheated with her bodyguard and explicitly denied them. Anyone can tell that something is wrong in this marriage. Jon seems aloof and annoyed about even being there. (He made no secret of the fact that he did not want to make another season of their show.) Kate seems distant and less confident than normal, but still says that everything she does is for her children. The first awkward segment of the show lasted for 10 minutes with the back and forth (he said - she said). JC even said that Jon looked and sounded different (although he had no idea what they were talking about.)
The next segment features the children... Yay - lets lighten the tension for a minute! But, we soon see that Kate is planning to take the kids to pick out their birthday party decorations ALONE because "Jon needed a weekend off." She takes the kids shopping, they come back home, and she and the older girls fill the pinatas and get the goodie bags ready for the party. Next, we see Kate (with helpers) setting up the party. Jon is still no where to be seen.
The party finally starts and Jon shows up with the cakes and Kate's cell phone (which he seems annoyed that he had to go home to get for her.) The cameras do not even show Jon and Kate speaking to each other at the start of the party, but Curtis reminded me that they have edited to make it look as bad as possible. They would have to have spoken to each other for Jon to know to go home and get her phone and pick up the birthday cake. We finally see them talking and Kate tells Jon to work on getting the water out of the inflatable for the kids. Again, he seems very annoyed and makes some sort of little gesture that looked like a puppet on a string as he goes off to complete the task. One of the saddest moments of the show was when Alexis was loving on her Dad at the party, and it was quite obvious he has not been around much. Then, she very tellingly asks him not to go away anymore. Oh my GOSH...
After the party we go back to separate interviews with Jon and Kate where they discuss the party and more marital problems. Kate gets very emotional when the topic of divorce comes up. She cries when she says how important the family photo at the party was because it might be their last. (Ripping my heart out here...)
Finally we have Jon and Kate sitting together (but apart). They are asked what the status of their relationship is. Neither really has a clear answer. Both want to be there for the kids, but viewers have the impression that they do not want to be together.
The show ends with a family cookout. Voice overs from Jon and Kate make me think they are separated but they see the importance of coming together for the children.
The producers of the show definitely spun this episode in Kate's favor. She planned the party and pretty much carried it out on her own, because it was what was right for the children. They gave us a nasty impression of Jon and left me wondering about the stability of his mental state.
As much as I love "Jon & Kate Plus 8," and as sad as I would be, I think it may be time for them to take a break from the show. Jon obviously does not want this lifestyle anymore. They need to get their lives back on track and get God back into the center of their marriage. I wish them the best.
