S02.E03: Partner Up

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Dating Is A Cock-Up On I Am Cait
No one yells at each other, though!

[millennium]

A couple of questions for those in the know, What happened to that other straight friend from last season? What is her name? Did she finally get fed up and walk away from Caitlyn?

 

One of the many things that bothers me about this show is that Jenner's choice of company is almost entirely transgender.

 

Part of the challenge of being transgender is assimilating into mainstream society, yet Jenner apparently is either unwilling or unable to interact with cis-women who are not members of her own family.   Furthermore, she has no interaction with cis-women in her own age group (probably so no one will need to be reminded of how old Jenner really is vs. the vain illusion she tries to maintain).   Her only interaction with men so far is in the context of dating.  

 

This show could have tried to push back the walls of ghetto-ization, which is something society does to transgender people, but transgender people also do it to themselves.    But that opportunity has been wasted.   I suppose if it took a broader view and involved more people, it would be less Jenner-centric, and we can't have that, can we?

 

Jenner never has to learn how to cope with people in a workplace or in a social setting.   She never has to face a genuine risk of rejection with ordinary people.   Even when she ventures into public places, she has protection.   Plus she is covered by the be-nice-to-Caitlyn-or-you-will-be-publicly-shamed-as-transphobic force field.

 

It's so controlled that it's sick.

Edited March 23, 2016 by millennium

[maraleia]

I remember her name now...Ronda.

You are correct millennium. I was delusional and hopeful last year when she came out but I was proven wrong on so many fronts. I guess with her dyslexia she doesn't read that much about anything and that's why, other than the fact that she hides out in the hills of Malibu, she is so woefully uniformed.

Ella the 18 year old seems like a great young woman and I hope she isn't tainted by this show.

Why couldn't they do a show with Candis, Zackary and Chandi? Now that I would watch and enjoy.

[SmithW6079]

The thing is even Chaz Bono and the Wachowski's chose to keep out of the limelight as much as possible as they were coming out and Caitlyn didn't.

Chaz Bono had either a documentary or a limited series about his transition, I forget which.

[princelina]

The really annoying thing is her saying MY girls, MY little Chandi, etc. Does anyone else find this extremely condescending? Almost like these women wouldn't exist without Jenner. Really bugs me.

 

Thanks for reminding me - that bugged me too!  Combined with her stance that anyone who wants to date Candis has to "get by me first".   It's like she can't get over her "dad" role, but these women are not her daughters.  I think in her mind it's how "girlfriends" act, but it doesn't come off that way.

 

Part of the challenge of being transgender is assimilating into mainstream society, yet Jenner apparently is either unwilling or unable to interact with cis-women who are not members of her own family.   Furthermore, she has no interaction with cis-women in her own age group (probably so no one will need to be reminded of how old Jenner really is vs. the vain illusion she tries to maintain).   Her only interaction with men so far is in the context of dating.  

 

This show could have tried to push back the walls of ghetto-ization, which is something society does to transgender people, but transgender people also do it to themselves.    But that opportunity has been wasted.   I suppose if it took a broader view and involved more people, it would be less Jenner-centric, and we can't have that, can we?

 

Jenner never has to learn how to cope with people in a workplace or in a social setting.   She never has to face a genuine risk of rejection with ordinary people.   Even when she ventures into public places, she has protection.   Plus she is covered by the be-nice-to-Caitlyn-or-you-will-be-publicly-shamed-as-transphobic force field.

 

It's so controlled that it's sick.

 

This is why I think that her conversations about dating don't ring true or satisfy any viewers in an authentic way.  I am of the opinion that she has always been attracted to women, doesn't want to date one now because she doesn't like being thought of as a lesbian, and IMO only wants to date a man now because of how it would make her feel "feminine". I think she would love to date Candis, which doesn't quite make her a lesbian (in her mind) because Candis is transgender like herself, but has to keep her cool because Candis has been clear that she wants to date a guy.  That is how I see it.  I get where others believe that she has always been afraid to admit her attraction to men because she didn't (at the time) want to come off as gay, but I don't see that myself.

 

WRT what millenium is saying, she is very cloistered and doesn't ever really have to interact with normal people of any class or gender.  And her real problem with dating, which can't really be addressed on a show where she is supposedly just "one of the {transgender} girls", is that anyone who would date her at all would know that it would be televised, publicized, etc. etc. as "Caitlin Jenner's date" and the world would be thinking "Bruce Jenner - famous Olympian from the 70s, Kardashian famewhore, Vanity Fair cover in lingerie, etc. etc.".  And judging anyone who would date her on many levels.

Edited March 23, 2016 by princelina

[millennium]

 

 I am of the opinion that she has always been attracted to women, doesn't want to date one now because she doesn't like being thought of as a lesbian

 

Or perhaps because being intimate with a cis-woman would be a painful reminder of all the things surgery can't solve, no matter how much money one spends.    Good genes and good surgery can enable a person with a Y chromosome to approximate the physical appearance of a woman, but at the end of the day even the best results fall short compared to the factory model.   Maybe Jenner, who seems to relish the experience of being belle of the ball, fears that being with a cis-woman would make her feel plastic and inferior, and less spectacular than the world tells her she is.   Maybe that's also why we see no cis-women in close proximity on the show.  Easier to surround herself with transgender women to whom she can feel superior with her million dollar surgeries.   I have always thought the problem Jenner had -- and still has -- with her ex-wife was pure envy.

Edited March 23, 2016 by millennium

[princelina]

Or perhaps because being intimate with a cis-woman would be a painful reminder of all the things surgery can't solve, no matter how much money one spends.    Good genes and good surgery can enable a person with a Y chromosome to approximate the physical appearance of a woman, but at the end of the day even the best results fall short compared to the factory model.   Maybe Jenner, who seems to relish the experience of being belle of the ball, fears that being with a cis-woman would make her feel plastic and inferior, and less spectacular than the world tells her she is.   Maybe that's also why we see no cis-women in close proximity on the show.  Easier to surround herself with transgender women to whom she can feel superior with her million dollar surgeries.   I have always thought the problem Jenner had -- and still has -- with her ex-wife was pure envy.

I agree with your point as far as those of us analyzing her goes, but as far as she sees herself, I don't think she can extend it that far.  She seems to stop at seeing herself as "belle of the ball", and only caring about her hair, make-up, etc. and the unrealistic wish to have a guy hold doors for her and make her feel girlish.

[millennium]

 She seems to stop at seeing herself as "belle of the ball", and only caring about her hair, make-up, etc. and the unrealistic wish to have a guy hold doors for her and make her feel girlish.

 

IMO, her entire "journey" has been a glorified "glamour shots" photo session.   A dress-up fantasy.   Her ideas of what it means to be a woman and/or a leader are grotesquely superficial.   She doesn't seem to take any of it seriously unless the script of the day has "serious moment" penciled in between hair and makeup   And perhaps that is one reason why many people don't take her seriously and question her credibility.

[iwasish]

The thing is even Chaz Bono and the Wachowski's chose to keep out of the limelight as much as possible as they were coming out and Caitlyn didn't. This has only exacerbated the problem we are having with her. She hasn't taken the time to find herself without everyone fawning over her. I hate that her stylists travel with her like she can't do anything by herself. The only good part of this episode was when she left the bus and the rest of the ladies did their thing as they traveled toward Chicago.

BTW I'm so glad that the first city to shame her was my city, Chicago just like activists (I wasn't there though) got Drumpf to cancel his rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

A couple of questions for those in the know, What happened to that other straight friend from last season? What is her name? Did she finally get fed up and walk away from Caitlyn?

Rhonda, was her friend and confidant, also a close ex friend of Kris. She's been mentioned interviews by Cait and referred to as her assistant. So I guess she's merely an employee now. Sad, because I think she had genuine feelings for Cait.

[millennium]

Does anyone know where to obtain weekly ratings for TV shows such as this?   It's easy to find ratings for the top 25 shows every week but for the rest not so much.

 

The poor ratings for the first episode of season 2 were announced up and down the web, but since then I haven't seen a word about how Jenner's show is doing.

[ClareWalks]

Agree that if Caitlyn has difficulty dating, it won't be because she's trans, it'll be because she's CAITLYN JENNER. And everything that entails.