The Kardashians Episode 5 Recap
Kim contemplates her eras, Kendall self-identifies as a hypochondriac, and Scott feels left out - but the main character is the veil of darkness over Kris's birthday party
As always, for a basic summary and overview, check out my Vogue column!
This episode emphasizes the concept of time in a few funny ways: it sets Kim up as a Madonna-esque era icon, for whom time is divided into chapters — and, by way of omission, it rewrites some of the history around Astroworld. Let’s jump in!
1. Right off the bat, Kim gives us a little exposition.
Imagine introducing the events of your life so episodically. Would it feel cathartic or dissociative? Some combination of both? I find myself wanting to brush up on my Michael White, the beloved co-founder of narrative therapy. White once wrote: “The most powerful therapeutic process I know is…rich story development.”
2. Just feels like useful information that Kim is filming this confessional ON her birthday, which is October 21st.
I’m always curious about the timing of those confessionals. They’re often threaded into the stories as though the speaker is narrating the situation in real-time, but then you remember the confessionals all seemed to have been shot in one day after the fact.
In fact, that might be one of my main questions for the Ks if ever given the chance. How, exactly, do the confessionals work? This might be a case for the magnificent Mariah Smith, who spent years deconstructing the continuity of KUWTK for The Cut.
3. Kim is telling us about how hard she’s been working on Baby Bar prep.
Why are the zoom ins of Kim’s studying materials always a little funny?
It’s the handwriting. I think it’s the handwriting. Or maybe the strong sense that some unseen assistant was the one to bundle everything together for her.
4. Now we’re planning a surprise birthday party for Kim amid her test prep.
Have you ever noticed how heavily the show relies on celebration to move the stories forward? Parties = purpose, and content.