S01.E03: The Road Trip - Part 2

[Tara Ariano]

Conclusion. Cait is challenged to break down her walls and get personal on her road trip with her new friends.

[cherry slushie]

By golly, I think Rhonda might be in love with Cait!  I can't explain why, it's just a feeling I got from her almost lovelorn seeming talk about feeling neglected and abandoned by her, and then her flirtatious manner when they were pals again.

 

That said, I felt a lot of Bruce in Caitlyn tonight, for the first time since she introduced us to Caitlyn.

[iwasish]

By golly, I think Rhonda might be in love with Cait! I can't explain why, it's just a feeling I got from her almost lovelorn seeming talk about feeling neglected and abandoned by her, and then her flirtatious manner when they were pals again.

That said, I felt a lot of Bruce in Caitlyn tonight, for the first time since she introduced us to Caitlyn.

Is that good or bad?

[cherry slushie]

Is that good or bad?

I don't know! LOL

[jnymph]

That said, I felt a lot of Bruce in Caitlyn tonight, for the first time since she introduced us to Caitlyn.

I know what you're saying, cs. IMO Caityn has more of a masculine energy compared to the others.

I Laughed out loud when Candace Cayne struck that pose when she fell while roller skating - she cracks me up.

[nexxie]

By golly, I think Rhonda might be in love with Cait!  I can't explain why, it's just a feeling I got from her almost lovelorn seeming talk about feeling neglected and abandoned by her, and then her flirtatious manner when they were pals again.

 

That said, I felt a lot of Bruce in Caitlyn tonight, for the first time since she introduced us to Caitlyn.

I wondered if Rhonda was in love too - but with Cait or with Bruce?

[Thumper]

Maybe I am dense, but I did not see it as "in love." Just someone who had helped Cait for a long time now feeling dumped as a friend.

I am learning more with each episode of this show. Curious to see where Cait goes next in her journey.

[Cosmic Muffin]

Yes, last week's ignorance gave way to this week's revelations. I think this is highly scripted, but that's ok, and I'm glad Cait does seem to be learning about her privilege, or rather other transwomen's lack of privilege. And no Kardashians! Except in the preview. I'm curious to see how that all goes. I think Cait gets to talk about her own experience in her last marriage, and they televised years of Cait as Bruce being ignored, diminished and not being equal to Kris, so anyone who wants to can see the evidence. If that's all she's doing, talking about her own perceptions and experiences, well the Ks don't have to like it, but I think within the realm of putting everything on t.v. it's fair. We'll see.

[Coffeecup]

This show was more satisfying than Part 1 of the road trip, because Cait promised to pay for Blossom's nursing education. That was great. I hope Blossom is able to have a wonderful career as a nurse.

The segments with Rhonda were very interesting. I got a good perspective on her situation when Jennifer sat her down and compared Rhonda's current experience to what we go through when a close friend is getting married and turns into Bridezilla. Many of us have gone through that -- best friend starts ignoring us because she's so wrapped up in her boyfriend and her wedding plans. It's never the same after your friend gets married, because her attention is focused on her husband now. Then if your friend has a baby, and you don't have any children, you feel even more left out because your friend is concentrating on motherhood and talking about her baby all the time. Jennifer told Rhonda that Cait's change in behavior is like "Transzilla." Cait is preoccupied with her new life and new friends. I am starting to really like Jennifer. She's smart and she has a lot of insight about human behavior. When Jennifer brought up Rhonda's feelings to Cait, it ticked me off when the scene cut off without our being able to hear Cait's reply. I wanted to know what she said to Jennifer.

I didn't get the impression that Rhonda was in love with Cait or Bruce. I think Rhonda just has no life except for her job as Cait's assistant, and now she feels that's been taken away from her, and she's lonely. She also may be feeling a little hurt and jealous that she used to be the only person Cait could confide in, and now Cait has turned to all these new friends. Even if it's true that Cait auditioned all the new transgender friends and paid them to be on the show, she's still getting close to them and confiding in them instead of Rhonda.

I suspect that Rhonda was/still is overworked in her job as Cait's assistant (or whatever her job title is). It sounds like her job is the kind where the boss expects you to be on call 24/7. From what Rhonda said about taking Cait to the hospital at night many times and "nursing her back to health," it sounds like she had very little free time. So her whole life for the past two years consisted of being available whenever Cait needed her. Cait also made emotional demands on her by making her the sole confidant about the transgender thing. That must have been pretty stressful, and it is not a burden you should place on an employee. Although it's not unusual for a boss to get close to an employee in difficult circumstances like this, Cait's primary confidant should have been a professional therapist. If you pay a therapist enough, they will make themselves available at all hours, whenever you need to talk. Therapists have been trained to keep an emotional distance from their clients, so they don't feel hurt when the client moves on.

Cait, as a longtime very wealthy person, is probably used to having "the help." She may tend to treat them in a callous boss/employee way even if she does really like them on a personal level. Certainly this road trip was not a vacation for Rhonda, as Cait said it would be. It looked like Rhonda was at work the whole time, such as her being required to find a suitable Napa Valley rental villa on one day's notice.

However, I burst out laughing watching the scene at the end of the show where Rhonda told Cait she missed going to the movies together. Cait said, "Let's go to a movie right now! Get your stuff!" and they got up and left. That was such a male thing to do. When women are upset with our partners, we want to sit and talk about our feelings for a long time. Men don't want to listen to us go on and on about how we feel, especially if we want to cry. They get fidgety. They are action-oriented: "You have a problem? Okay, let's do something about it right this minute!" I've had that kind of experience many times.

Edited to add: I made the above comments based on the assumption that Rhonda is Cait's paid employee. If she isn't, and instead is just a friend volunteering her time to Cait, please excuse my mistake.

Edited August 11, 2015 by Mya Stone

[Cosmic Muffin]

I think the pink cloud is a name for the honeymoon phase of coming out as trans, perhaps. Many new lifestyle changes have an initial, euphoric phase followed by coming back to earth. I think Jen has seen this before.

[iwasish]

How can she get her in if the reason for the rejection was her trans status? Cait can't change that. Blossom said she met all the criterial, how can Cait get her in school? Just the pressure from her celebrity?

[truelovekiss]

I have to admit, I haven't been keeping up with "I am Cait," (they're all on my DVR, I just haven't gotten to it yet!) So when I flipped by and heard her friend talking about the pink cloud, and how she might be ignoring people she loves, I was ecstatic that someone might finally be addressing the disaster that is Kylie. Unfortunately, it was just about Ronda.

[Starchild]

Hopefully the publicity will help Blossom during her next application.

 

As for Jennifer talking to Cait about Ronda's issues? What I saw in that scene was:

 

Jennifer: Try not to be too selfish.

Cait: *Ignore*

[Human]

 

That said, I felt a lot of Bruce in Caitlyn tonight, for the first time since she introduced us to Caitlyn.

I know what you mean.  For the first two episodes Cait was still speaking in third person and she felt very different from the person people have known for years or decades.  Not just that her gender presentation is different or that her name is different, but that the fundamentals of her character and personality were a little more up in the air.  But this episode, it felt like the Cait we've known.  Settling into the transition, so to speak.  

 

 

Is the transzilla/pink cloud thing real?

 

Oh yes.  I nearly spit my water out when Jenny B mentioned it.  It's often one of those inside jokes we whisper to ourselves, don't want to say too loudly, sort of like how you talk in hushed tones of your friend who is getting married who has turned into this crazy person.  The transition can be overwhelming.  Even when things were really bad, the act of being able to be perceived as I saw myself felt almost like seeing in color for the first time.  I couldn't imagine if I had ended up having to live a whole lifetime as though I were completely invisible.  And yes, when it's all so new and shiny and overwhelming, it's quite easy to be an asshole.  I'm surprised it was mentioned on the show but I'm very glad it did because it's probably a good thing if we stop talking about it in hushed tones.  

[Cosmocrush]

When Jennifer brought up Rhonda's feelings to Cait, it ticked me off when the scene cut off without our being able to hear Cait's reply. I wanted to know what she said to Jennifer.

 

As for Jennifer talking to Cait about Ronda's issues? What I saw in that scene was:

 

Jennifer: Try not to be too selfish.

Cait: *Ignore*

Ha!  When Jennifer told Caitlyn she needed to, "find a way to get outside of herself" I thought, "That's gonna be a tough one - as far as I've seen Caitlyn has been living in her own little world forever. 

 

Rhonda's conversation with Jennifer was interesting.  I too liked the 'girlfriend getting married" analogy - it's one many women,  including myself, can relate to experiencing.   I don't know what kind of friendship Rhonda and Cait had before the divorce (I thought she was actually Kris' friend pre-divorce but I don't really know) but back in the first episode when Caitlyn breezed out the door, past her pile of luggage leaving Rhonda to haul them to the car I thought, "Those two aren't really friends; they are employer and employee for sure."   Clearly Rhonda thought they were real friends but  the only people I expect to haul my luggage are the people I'm 1) married to or 2) paying. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by Cosmocrush

[Kromm]

Yes, last week's ignorance gave way to this week's revelations. I think this is highly scripted, but that's ok, and I'm glad Cait does seem to be learning about her privilege, or rather other transwomen's lack of privilege. 

Yeah, the very fact that a story arc is so visible certainly tells us that. It bothers me more than it does you, I guess, but I can see why this end of things feels more satisfying.

 

I find that Cait's attempts to problem solve rather than sit and listen to be something that many of my more practical friends (many, but not all of whom are male) do. One of my female friend does this a lot and I find it to be very frustrating and it can seem insensitive since not all problems can be easily "solved." I saw Cait do the same thing when she wanted to get Blossom on Ellen and pay for her tuition. I hope that Cait realizes that she can't save everyone, no matter how much she wants to. And getting Blossom to nursing school is a very kind and heartfelt gesture, but it wont change the systemic problems. I do hope that Cait is able to help Blossom, though!

I wonder though if that "instinct" is the same thing we've been talking about elsewhere as Caitlyn's "hero" complex.  The same thing that seems to make her think these people need a "champion' and gosh darnit, that's something a Jenner can do for them! Judged on that basis the whole show, manipulation and all, may be Caitlyn's attempt to do this. I jokingly referred to Caitlyn as "The Transgender Superhero" a while back, but at times I find myself wondering if that's really what Cait really thinks she can bring to the party.  That's not to criticize Caitlyn actually doing something (when earlier we were complaining about her lack of action), but of COURSE it had to be for the cameras, didn't it?

 

However, I burst out laughing watching the scene at the end of the show where Rhonda told Cait she missed going to the movies together. Cait said, "Let's go to a movie right now! Get your stuff!" and they got up and left. That was such a male thing to do. When women are upset with our partners, we want to sit and talk about our feelings for a long time. Men don't want to listen to us go on and on about how we feel, especially if we want to cry. They get fidgety. They are action-oriented: "You have a problem? Okay, let's do something about it right this minute!" I've had that kind of experience many times.

 

Heh. This is why I laugh occasionally when I've read the occasional person writing something somewhere that makes it seem like gender is a lightswitch you can turn (or I've heard the insistence that "Caitlyn was always female"). To me it's just common sense that gender is not a binary state. Cait's got some highly masculine-shaped traits and some of them may never change (and if they don't, so what?)  She may or may not have had female aspects always, but there's also plenty of reason to say she has male attitudes and traits trained into her (the whole nature vs. nurture thing from a new angle--even if you believe that nature made a mistake and assigned her the wrong gender, that doesn't also preclude the way she was raised being very hyper-masculine in some ways).  That's not to say that specific women don't also sometimes have the same (or similar) traits, but as long as we have certain traits that fathers teach sons, or that society piles on respectively to men and women, or that are imposed by peer-pressure on a playground, or that just feel right due to hormones and other biology, then we'll have what gets called male and female traits.  And they won't always go away when the biology does, because they become mental artifacts, not hormonal ones.

[truelovekiss]

Clearly Rhonda thought they were real friends but I the only people I expect to haul my luggage are the people I'm 1) married to or 1) paying.

This made me laugh :) and it reminded me that I need to get a husband!

[mwell345]

 

In Blossom's case, I don't understand how an admissions committee can find out that an applicant is trans and deny admission on that basis?

 

I also wish they had gone into this in more detail, because I had the same question.  She would have put "F" for sex and been done with it.  Who would have been the wiser?

 

 

I suspect that Rhonda was/still is overworked in her job as Cait's assistant (or whatever her job title is). It sounds like her job is the kind where the boss expects you to be on call 24/7. From what Rhonda said about taking Cait to the hospital at night many times and "nursing her back to health," it sounds like she had very little free time. So her whole life for the past two years consisted of being available whenever Cait needed her. Cait also made emotional demands on her by making her the sole confidant about the transgender thing. That must have been pretty stressful, and it is not a burden you should place on an employee. Although it's not unusual for a boss to get close to an employee in difficult circumstances like this, Cait's primary confidant should have been a professional therapist. If you pay a therapist enough, they will make themselves available at all hours, whenever you need to talk. Therapists have been trained to keep an emotional distance from their clients, so they don't feel hurt when the client moves on.

Cait, as a longtime very wealthy person, is probably used to having "the help." She may tend to treat them in a callous boss/employee way even if she does really like them on a personal level. Certainly this road trip was not a vacation for Rhonda, as Cait said it would be. It looked like Rhonda was at work the whole time, such as her being required to find a suitable Napa Valley rental villa on one day's notice

 

I think this is accurate - I would also add that IIRC, Rhonda was friends with Kris when the rumors started about her and Jenner.  So, it probably cost her a friendship too. 

[apollonia666]

Let's say that being trans was why Blossom didn't get in. I don't understand why being a HRC volunteer couldn't get her access to attorneys (and there are good pro bono attorneys who do this work) who could advocate on her behalf. Wouldn't a lawsuit, or even the threat of a lawsuit, be enough to deter admissions committees from engaging in this sort of discriminatory behavior? Why would her going back to school and taking more classes help if the reason she was rejected was because she was trans?

I'm not doubting her story, and I know that discrimination can be hard to prove. I wish we had heard more. Mostly because I'm a bit of a social justice warrior, I am really angry on her behalf, and I know people who've advocated on behalf of trans women.

HRC doesn't actually do the type of work that you're describing here -- they do lobbying and legislative stuff, and they're really talented at marketing and positioning themselves to make it look like they do more than they really do.  They also are notorious for making minor contributions to coalition projects and then taking all the credit for themselves, and they have a pretty shoddy history of working on trans rights and working with queer people of color.  Just Google HRC people of color or HRC transgender.  They're highly skilled at sidling up to newly-out celebrities, co-opting other organizations' work to make themselves look good, and they have a great logo! 

 

Full disclosure: I've worked at LGBT legal nonprofits for 15 years.  The groups I've worked for actually do file lawsuits in discrimination matters.  The type of discrimination Blossom describes is VERY hard to prove.  You'd have to have very clear evidence, such as a statement from someone in the admissions office saying that's why she was rejected, the judge would have to determine that statement is true and the person testifying doesn't have some other axe to grind, and you'd have to be able to prove that any other justification being offered isn't plausible.  So even if Blossom has consulted attorneys, there may not have had enough proof that her being trans is the reason she was denied admission.  I can understand her feeling that it must be the reason, and she could very well be correct.  It sounds like her being trans is the only difference between her and other students who easily get in.  That's probably not enough for a legal nonprofit or pro bono attorney to take on a lengthy, expensive, time-consuming, difficult to win effort.

Edited August 10, 2015 by apollonia666

[Cosmic Muffin]

I wonder if Blossom's transcript span her transition, and she had to share that she used to be male, her name was this, and she graduated from x school in 20xx, and that was how they knew?

 

Since gender and sexual orientation aren't protected classes, I really don't know what they could do to help her. Maybe publicly call out the school and also guarantee Blossom's tuition. I wonder if Cait understands how the Supreme Court legalized marriage, but failed to go further and protect GLBT from discrimination? Not that she could fix this, but she could see what difference a few more sentences in their ruling (not by Scalia) would have made.

[Primetimer]

In which I Am Cait basically hands Chanel the headline.

Read the story

[iwasish]

If Cait isn't ready to wear a revealing two piece bathing suit, why does she have one abd why did she bring it on this trip? My cynical self says just to have the exact discussion she had even with the Kim reference, just to make sure we know she's not a Kardashian wannabe, I'm betting she's wearing that suit by episode 8.

[cooper16]

I wonder if Blossom's transcript span her transition, and she had to share that she used to be male, her name was this, and she graduated from x school in 20xx, and that was how they knew?

Since gender and sexual orientation aren't protected classes, I really don't know what they could do to help her. Maybe publicly call out the school and also guarantee Blossom's tuition. I wonder if Cait understands how the Supreme Court legalized marriage, but failed to go further and protect GLBT from discrimination? Not that she could fix this, but she could see what difference a few more sentences in their ruling (not by Scalia) would have made.

Blossom is a woman but she is still a male, not a female. Id think that if she checked the female box despite being male, it could be argued that she was being untruthful. Remember- male and female refers to ones sex, which can not change.

That said, if the box was woman/man and not female/male- Blossom would be well within her rights to select woman.

Edited August 10, 2015 by ppp38

[jonesingjay]

It's been interesting to see her interact with a group of women with different social, racial, and economic backgrounds. I think these friendships will be important in possibly opening up Caitlyn's eyes to the plight of others.

[bagatelle]

I love all Cait's "friends" and enjoy listening to their thoughts and stories. Cait is not very compelling and her need for the camera comes off as crass.

 

I almost felt this could be the final episode, seem like for Cait, there isn't much more to tell.

[princelina]

I think Blossom lived in the south, IIRC? If she applied to a liberal, east coast nursing school, I'm sure she'd get in very easily. They love stories involving people overcoming obstacles and she said her grades were good. It would also be easier to find a community of trans women.

 

I am pretty sure she said that she went to a women's college (not when she was telling her original story but later in the episode) and then she also said that she would be the first transgender person to graduate from her school.  Which had me thinking "Do you want to be a nurse, or break transgender ground in an all-women's college?"  Because they are 2 different things.

 

Also, I thought we were to believe that Cait is having the hardest time ever hiding from the paps and keeping herself secret until the sports awards, but Ronda wants  to see a movie and she's all "Let's go!"  I smell a couple of disingenuous stories being told.

 

 

[Thula]

I'm not sure if Rhonda is in love with Cait (or at least was in love with Bruce), but there certainly is a weird dynamic there. If she went on the trip as Cait's "friend", she shouldn't have been acting in an assistant capacity. If she came along as an assistant (searching for place to stay, packing for Cait) she can't really complain about being left out. I can't believe there are 5 episodes left to fill. They'll probably have a two-parter on the Espy awards, and Kendall, Khloe, and Kourtney will probably pop in, but...that's about it.

[bichonblitz]

 

Jennifer: Try not to be too selfish.

Cait: *Ignore*

She was more concerned with taking better care of her boots. Are you kidding me? This woman is as superficial as you can get. Time is not going to change who she is. When you just have to make it known to the motorcycle teacher (or whatever her title was) that her hair is so beautiful and everybody is jealous, or you have to mention to Candace her feminine voice and how did she get that voice, in front of all the other ladies, some with still masculine voices, and you have to be told to stop treating your best friend like crap, it tells me you have no consideration for other people's feelings. At 65 years old, that's not gonna change.

Edited August 10, 2015 by bichonblitz

[Mya Stone]

Discussing Cait's genitalia, even in terms of how a bathing suit fits, is off limits.

Please respect this.

[iwasish]

Jennifer: Try not to be too selfish.

Cait: *Ignore*

She was more concerned with taking better care of her boots. Are you kidding me? This woman is as superficial as you can get. Time is not going to change who she is. When you just have to make it known to the motorcycle teacher (or whatever her title was) that her hair is so beautiful and everybody is jealous, or you have to mention to Candace her feminine voice and how did she get that voice, in front of all the other ladies, some with still masculine voices, and you have to be told to stop treating your best friend like crap, it tells me you have no consideration for other people's feelings. At 65 years old, that's not gonna change.

According to Rhonda, Cait called her up one day and invited her over for a glass of wine. Up to that point she was a close friend of Kris, and obviously knew Cait. She comes over for a drink and Cait shocks her by telling her the whole story. Rhonda and Cait bond and she becomes Caits confidant/friend/substitute wife ( in the take care of me sense, not the sexual sense) she buys female clothing and does girly things with Cait, who has no one else. I guess at some point she starts to give Rhonda a salary ( I think she's a divorcee, and not as well off as the Kardashians). When Cait told the other ladies the story, she stressed it was Rhonda's taste in clothing that she liked and seemed to downplay the friendship, making it seem like Rhonda was a trusted assistant. I thought her treatment of Rhonda was thoughtless and kind of mean girl, as if she hung out with her only because there was no one else and now that she's with the in crowd, Rhonda is merely a paid assistant.

[Starchild]

Judged on that basis the whole show, manipulation and all, may be Caitlyn's attempt to [be a spokesperson].

I get the sense that, after so many years with the K's,  "reality show star" is the only job qualification Cait has left, so I'm sure the show idea came first. Once that decision was made, she would have known there was no way to avoid the heavy stuff, so might as well jump into that concept head first.

[cherry slushie]

Discussing Cait's genitalia, even in terms of how a bathing suit fits, is off limits.

Please respect this.

Ooops! So sorry about that! 

[Febgirl]

The two Jens and Chandi won this episode for me.

 Jenny's conversation with Rhonda was great, and Jenn's admission that " I don't know what that means" when Caitlyn was talking about the bathing suit being something that Kim K would wear, was just wonderful.  Life does exist outside of the  Kalabassas kardashian bubble, and these women are doing some truly phenomenal things.

I sadly, somehow think that Cait will never come down off of the Pink Cloud, though I am hopeful that she will.  She's so vain, she probably thinks this show is about her....  Almost everything that issued from her mouth last night was about her appearance

[iwasish]

She's spent 25 years with an appearance obsessed family, and she was a pretty vain person even before that. Remember her smart ass comments about how much weight one of her former team mates had gained over the years. Look at Kylie, Kris and Kim! The external is all they care about. You can scratch the surface all you care to, there's nothing but more surface underneath.

She's going to get Blossom on the Elken show? She's going to get her into nursing school? Messiah complex much? The only way Blossom will be on Ellen is if Cait goes on too. And that's probably set up already. Along with lots of other appearances.

I hate the way she summons all the ladies together including her producer, as if she's the quarterback of the team. The motivational speaker aspect of her personality really comes thru.

[Misslindsey]

I am torn on the Rhonda issue. I do think a lot of people have been in her place when a friend gets a boyfriend/girlfriend, gets married, has kids, or meets new people, but I also think that it is good for Caitlyn to have other friends. Obviously before Caitlyn went public Rhonda was the person she confided in and hung out with, but now she has a new group of friends and she does not focus so much on Rhonda. It sucks, but it probably wasn't healthy for Rhonda to focus that much on Caitlyn either. I thought Caitlyn was oblivious to Rhonda on the trip, because she was excited to be hanging out with other trans women and talking about those issues, and with women who went through similar and not so similar things. I did not see it as her being intentionally distant to Rhonda. Though I have no idea what their friendship was like before Caitlyn went public.

 

I did not mind Caitlyn's comment about Kris in the Vanity Fair article, because from what I saw on "Keeping up with the Kardashians" it seemed accurate. How many times did Kim, Kris and some of the others bash Caitlyn, but now it is not okay for Caitlyn to comment on Kris' treatment of her and how she felt? Hell, Caitlyn was married to Kris for a long time I think it would be strange not to mention her in some capacity. 

[itainttippithebird]

 

Remember- male and female refers to ones sex, which can not change.

 

This is neither medically nor legally true. There are various routes to changing one's legal status from male to female or vice versa.  These routes can more or less difficult, costly, or time-consuming, depending on where you live, but yes, you can change your sex legally. Medically, people who have had sex reassignment surger(ies) (also called gender confirmation surgery) are considered to have medically transitioned from one sex to another.

[Coffeecup]

About those motocross boots. Cait's concern with her boots -- "These are my motocross boots. There's dust all over them! I need to take better care of my things." (approximate quote) -- puzzled me. When the group was at the motocross place, Cait said "I've been doing motocross all my life." Okay, then she would have gotten dust and mud on her boots a few hundred times by now. Why fuss about it at this point? I got the feeling she was complaining about the dusty boots as a way to avoid getting into the serious conversation.

About the bathing suit: I fail to see what was such a big deal about Cait wearing the one-piece white bathing suit. I'm not sure exactly when this episode was filmed, but hadn't the Vanity Fair issue with Cait on the cover already been released by then? The white corset thing she wore for the cover photo was just as revealing as the white bathing suit. The whole world had already seen her like that. Well, maybe her nervousness was about wearing a bathing suit in front of her new friends, instead of wearing almost the same outfit in the safety of a photographer's studio. Or it could have just been a scripted storyline about "I'm so nervous wearing a bathing suit for the first time." Then the script would have called for the other women to all go "Yay! You look great!" Yeah, what else could they have said?

I smell a scripted storyline coming up about the two-piece bathing suit. Are the producers building up to an episode where Cait wears a bikini? (Or is there a bikini photo shoot coming up?) I don't mean just any old two-piece bathing suit, but a Kardashian-style T&A-hanging-out suit. A "Kimberly" type of suit, as Cait said.

Let's get real here. Why is the question of Cait wearing a two-piece or bikini even coming up? She is 65 years old. Most women over 60 don't look good in a two-piece. No matter how much plastic surgery and liposuction you've had or how much you work out in the gym, your body just isn't going to look as good as a younger woman's body. Your skin will have saggy areas, and your skin/muscle tone is not youthful-looking. I'm not talking about regular women going to the pool or the beach; that's real life, and they should wear whatever kind of bathing suit they like. I'm talking about Cait the celebrity, and Cait who is so concerned about looking youthful, beautiful and glamorous. She should wear a suit that flatters a 65-year-old body, when she's wearing it for a TV show or a photo shoot. It would be aiming for sensationalism for her to pose in a bikini. (For example, the tabs would be posting side-by-side pictures of Cait and daughter Kylie in their respective bikinis.) But it would also be worth a lot of money and media attention, thus my suspicion about a Cait bikini storyline being in the works.

[Cosmocrush]

... and Jenn's admission that " I don't know what that means" when Caitlyn was talking about the bathing suit being something that Kim K would wear, was just wonderful. 

I almost forgot about that moment, it was one of my favorite moments of the episode  The other was in the pool when Cait announced she was not going to get her hair and makeup wet and Jennifer Boylan responded with , " I'm going to perform a magic trick.  Watch my eyelashes disappear!"  as she dove into the water. 

 

The other thing I noticed was how many times Caitlyn used the word "normal" to describe everything.  I didn't count but if we'd made a drinking game out of it I might not have lasted the entire episode.  It's such a subjective word and I thought she kept using it like she was trying to convince someone (us? herself?) that's it's all very normal which of course is ridiculous because Caitlyn's definition of normal will always be different from someone else's normal.  She has accomplished exceptional things [the Olympic Games, this]  and lived an exceptional life for 40 years.  What is normal????  I rarely even hear that word in that context anymore. 

[Muffyn]

I also wish they had gone into this in more detail, because I had the same question.  She would have put "F" for sex and been done with it.  Who would have been the wiser?

 

 

I think this is accurate - I would also add that IIRC, Rhonda was friends with Kris when the rumors started about her and Jenner.  So, it probably cost her a friendship too. 

Blossom's school records might be under two different names, which would out her immediately.  If she is attending a women's college, then the fact that she has transitioned could be very obvious.  While it is nice to think that discrimination would not occur, college admissions are not done blindly; there is a lot of discretion in the process, especially at highly sought schools or programs.  I had cancer in high school with a recurrence in college.  I never mentioned it on my applications because it was well known that schools do not typically give scholarships to people with life-threatening disorders.  Of course, there are the occasional high profile cases where they do, but in more typically they don't.  Cait may be able to help Blossom get into nursing school because it would now be high profile, not a trans woman of color without a lot of money trying to get in based on hard work only.  

 

The two Jens and Chandi won this episode for me.

 Jenny's conversation with Rhonda was great, and Jenn's admission that " I don't know what that means" when Caitlyn was talking about the bathing suit being something that Kim K would wear, was just wonderful.  Life does exist outside of the  Kalabassas kardashian bubble, and these women are doing some truly phenomenal things.

I sadly, somehow think that Cait will never come down off of the Pink Cloud, though I am hopeful that she will.  She's so vain, she probably thinks this show is about her....  Almost everything that issued from her mouth last night was about her appearance

I love it anytime there is a suggestion that people don't give a damn about the Kardashians.  Jen is so wonderful.  And my Chandi love grows every day.

 

Whenever I hear the term pink cloud, I think about pink mist.  Then I get worried someone is going to blow up.

 

Cait has spent so much time on reality TV that's she's a pro.  The verklempt "I want to say something" with a long pause before she speaks is a classic.  It's gives the editors a perfect place to break for a commercial and a great clip for the teaser.  Sometimes the sausage-making is much too clear on this show.  from the previews, it looks like it is really going to go downhill as we get more Kardashian influence.  

[ClareWalks]

Still trying to decide how sincere Cait is. But I am so, so glad there are so many "guest appearances" (for lack of a better term on a "reality" show with air quotes, haha) by other trans women. They are just such a breath of fresh air. I love them all. I remember seeing Candis Cayne on various episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race, she usually choreographs the final RuPaul music video challenge. That pose after falling at the roller rink was everything. Jennifer is clearly brilliant and open minded, just a great person to talk to. Jen Richards is adorable. Chandi puts it all out there. I just really want to hang out with them.

[iwasish]

About those motocross boots. Cait's concern with her boots -- "These are my motocross boots. There's dust all over them! I need to take better care of my things." (approximate quote) -- puzzled me. When the group was at the motocross place, Cait said "I've been doing motocross all my life." Okay, then she would have gotten dust and mud on her boots a few hundred times by now. Why fuss about it at this point? I got the feeling she was complaining about the dusty boots as a way to avoid getting into the serious conversation.

About the bathing suit: I fail to see what was such a big deal about Cait wearing the one-piece white bathing suit. I'm not sure exactly when this episode was filmed, but hadn't the Vanity Fair issue with Cait on the cover already been released by then? The white corset thing she wore for the cover photo was just as revealing as the white bathing suit. The whole world had already seen her like that. Well, maybe her nervousness was about wearing a bathing suit in front of her new friends, instead of wearing almost the same outfit in the safety of a photographer's studio. Or it could have just been a scripted storyline about "I'm so nervous wearing a bathing suit for the first time." Then the script would have called for the other women to all go "Yay! You look great!" Yeah, what else could they have said?

I smell a scripted storyline coming up about the two-piece bathing suit. Are the producers building up to an episode where Cait wears a bikini? (Or is there a bikini photo shoot coming up?) I don't mean just any old two-piece bathing suit, but a Kardashian-style T&A-hanging-out suit. A "Kimberly" type of suit, as Cait said.

Let's get real here. Why is the question of Cait wearing a two-piece or bikini even coming up? She is 65 years old. Most women over 60 don't look good in a two-piece. No matter how much plastic surgery and liposuction you've had or how much you work out in the gym, your body just isn't going to look as good as a younger woman's body. Your skin will have saggy areas, and your skin/muscle tone is not youthful-looking. I'm not talking about regular women going to the pool or the beach; that's real life, and they should wear whatever kind of bathing suit they like. I'm talking about Cait the celebrity, and Cait who is so concerned about looking youthful, beautiful and glamorous. She should wear a suit that flatters a 65-year-old body, when she's wearing it for a TV show or a photo shoot. It would be aiming for sensationalism for her to pose in a bikini. (For example, the tabs would be posting side-by-side pictures of Cait and daughter Kylie in their respective bikinis.) But it would also be worth a lot of money and media attention, thus my suspicion about a Cait bikini storyline being in the works.

Cait flashed her son her new tits, I doubt she's all that shy about exposing them in a bathing suit. She makes sure her bathrobe is open just enough to give us a hint of cleavage. And they aren't 65 yr old boobs, they're only months old.

There's only 8 episodes, by the end we'll have a gotten a pretty good look at most of Caits body. She's obviously proud of it and for her it seems looks are as important as if not more important than substance.

Throwing money at Blossoms problem... Is it any different than when the K family befriended a "homeless" person and thought getting him new teeth solved all his problems? Or driving thru skid row once a year and handing out sandwiches and warm clothes?

[TomGirl]

Someone unthread mentioned Cait's need to function as the coach/motivator of the group and I agree that it can get annoying. In fact, the one single thing that irritates me the most is Cait's constant cheerleader routine of yelling, "Yay! Yay" while throwing her arms up in the air. It seems so patronizing to me, like something you'd do with a group of kindergarteners. Maybe I wouldn't mind it so much if she didn't do it so often!

[CousinAmy]

I wonder if we will see the "new friends" again. It looks like upcoming shows will focus on the family.

About the boots, surely she has had housekeepers or assistants - I can name one, I bet - who took care of cleaning her shoes, boots, other clothing in the past. What was up with that? She will be responsible for laundry and shoes-shining now?

[Kromm]

Cait flashed her son her new tits, I doubt she's all that shy about exposing them in a bathing suit. She makes sure her bathrobe is open just enough to give us a hint of cleavage. And they aren't 65 yr old boobs, they're only months old.

And they're freaking HUGE. I mean I didn't realize how huge till I really looked at the still on the front page here.

 

[freeradical]

 

I almost felt this could be the final episode, seem like for Cait, there isn't much more to tell.

 

      It was sad when the ladies said goodbye and left. That would have been a satisfactory conclusion to me. They were all teachers in their own way and in my opinion they were the best thing about "The Road Trip"  I like the way they held a mirror up to Cait. I worry about where the show goes from here.

 

 

Whenever I hear the term pink cloud, I think about pink mist.  Then I get worried someone is going to blow up.

 

      Same here!  Greys Anatomy put that in my head forever!

 

    Also, at the table when Cait said "You would feel more feminine if you were with a guy who treats you that way"  and someone at the table said "Wait, what?"  (she needs to stop using the word you when she means me for one thing) but she doesn't realize the subtext of what she is saying and what the other ladies heard when she said that.

  As a cisgender woman, I can totally relate but the comparison would be feeling more feminine with a man who treats me as his 'lady" (say, arm around my waist  when we go for a walk) vs a man who walks beside me like a friend would.

   Ellen DeGeneres was a catalyst to the greater acceptance of the gay community we are seeing more and more. Cait coordinating someone else to be on Ellen and helping Blossom is a good start in helping people.

 Jen Richards did made a great point that "People also make up the reasons they clock you after they know."   I really appreciate their contribution, it was invaluable! 

 

 

 

 

[SmithW6079]

I don't know what kind of friendship Rhonda and Cait had before the divorce (I thought she was actually Kris' friend pre-divorce but I don't really know) but back in the first episode when Caitlyn breezed out the door, past her pile of luggage leaving Rhonda to haul them to the car I thought, "Those two aren't really friends; they are employer and employee for sure."   Clearly Rhonda thought they were real friends but  the only people I expect to haul my luggage are the people I'm 1) married to or 2) paying. 

Their friendship could have been something along these lines: Paid Friends: Weary of Genuine Relationships, Rich New Yorkers Hire Stand-Ins. This is from a New York Observer story from 2013.

[Cosmocrush]

Throwing money at Blossoms problem... Is it any different than when the K family befriended a "homeless" person and thought getting him new teeth solved all his problems? Or driving thru skid row once a year and handing out sandwiches and warm clothes?

 I think it is different and here's why:   Cait's life experience has generally been that if she just worked hard enough she could reach any goal and Blossom's story completely contradicted that principle.  [ I liked that Cait also mentioned the privilege she'd had as a white male in America. ]     I was impressed that she not only came up with a plan but the steps to the plan almost immediately.  Getting her into school* and paying for it made it personal and arranging a meeting with her hero Ellen [blossom had mentioned that Ellen Degeneres' career victory keeps her inspired] was a really neat touch -  after all, Cait is the only person in that room that could get a call returned (or answered) by Ellen.    Caitlyn can't "fix" everything but she can change the course of this one person's life in a significant and lasting way by using her resources to help Blossom achieve her dream of becoming a nurse.

 

 

*Something like less than 20 states (but 200+ cities) have laws prohibiting discrimination against transgender people and not all of those include access to education.  Laws that do  ban gender identity discrimination mostly apply only to public (state and city) employees and institutions.  A private school probably wouldn't have to comply.  I don't know the specifics of course but I have no doubt that Caitlyn and her crew can get Blossom admitted to nursing program if she meets the qualifications.    

[xls]

About those motocross boots. Cait's concern with her boots -- "These are my motocross boots. There's dust all over them! I need to take better care of my things." (approximate quote) -- puzzled me. When the group was at the motocross place, Cait said "I've been doing motocross all my life." Okay, then she would have gotten dust and mud on her boots a few hundred times by now. Why fuss about it at this point? I got the feeling she was complaining about the dusty boots as a way to avoid getting into the serious conversation.

About the bathing suit: I fail to see what was such a big deal about Cait wearing the one-piece white bathing suit. I'm not sure exactly when this episode was filmed, but hadn't the Vanity Fair issue with Cait on the cover already been released by then? The white corset thing she wore for the cover photo was just as revealing as the white bathing suit. The whole world had already seen her like that. Well, maybe her nervousness was about wearing a bathing suit in front of her new friends, instead of wearing almost the same outfit in the safety of a photographer's studio. Or it could have just been a scripted storyline about "I'm so nervous wearing a bathing suit for the first time." Then the script would have called for the other women to all go "Yay! You look great!" Yeah, what else could they have said?

I smell a scripted storyline coming up about the two-piece bathing suit. Are the producers building up to an episode where Cait wears a bikini? (Or is there a bikini photo shoot coming up?) I don't mean just any old two-piece bathing suit, but a Kardashian-style T&A-hanging-out suit. A "Kimberly" type of suit, as Cait said.

Let's get real here. Why is the question of Cait wearing a two-piece or bikini even coming up? She is 65 years old. Most women over 60 don't look good in a two-piece. No matter how much plastic surgery and liposuction you've had or how much you work out in the gym, your body just isn't going to look as good as a younger woman's body. Your skin will have saggy areas, and your skin/muscle tone is not youthful-looking. I'm not talking about regular women going to the pool or the beach; that's real life, and they should wear whatever kind of bathing suit they like. I'm talking about Cait the celebrity, and Cait who is so concerned about looking youthful, beautiful and glamorous. She should wear a suit that flatters a 65-year-old body, when she's wearing it for a TV show or a photo shoot. It would be aiming for sensationalism for her to pose in a bikini. (For example, the tabs would be posting side-by-side pictures of Cait and daughter Kylie in their respective bikinis.) But it would also be worth a lot of money and media attention, thus my suspicion about a Cait bikini storyline being in the works.

I think older women can wear a two-piece if they want to, he!! nobody needs to look perfect at the beach. After all men wear what they want with huge bellies on display. But of course Cait will face the same brutal scrutiny every other female celebrity does, so, welcome to the club!

[iwasish]

Wait, what?!

Yeah, Brandon said she pulled up her shirt to give him a look at the new additions and he was kind of put off by it. Like... Hey, you're still my dad.

P.S. Love me some Milania Giudice!!

[Thumper]

Well I give Cait credit for wearing a WHITE bathing suit. The only time I wore one I discovered it showed waaaayy too much once it got wet! lol