S17.E01: Katherine C.

[auntieminem]

Quote

Katherine C.

Katherine was a bright college student with dreams of becoming a journalist until she was abducted and brutally assaulted. Katherine swiftly spiraled, becoming dependent on a dangerous mix of drugs to mask the trauma. Her parents have already purchased a burial plot for her and are certain that it’s only a matter of time before they bury their only child.

Hope it is ok. I started this topic.  I think it was clear from the beginning how this one was going to end.  

[Jesse]

Ugh, I thought she might really take to treatment. But was this her first time even going?  Ken's pillow analogy (between her and rock bottom) was right on the money. 

[artemiseast]

I believe it was stated that she had been to treatment multiple times but it was never successful.  

[lthompso80]

Spoiler

Normally I get really frustrated with enabling parents. But something about her parents really touched me. They seemed so compassionate and non-judgmental, unlike a lot of the parents we see on the show. They really seemed to understand why she used.  Unfortunately, it was also to their detriment, because she could take advantage of this to never get well. But despite this I really thought her parents were good parents who had an extraordinary well of compassion and empathy, and I really wanted her to do well for their sake. 

[Stiggs]

I was so struck by how open she was about smoking crack in front of her parents, and how there was literally no judgment from them at all. I wanted to hug them, but they were doing her no favors. It's weird - I don't know how I feel about what I just watched. She seemed like a nice kid who just had an insanely insecure personal foundation, and she's just stunted. It was an interesting episode - the parents were able to express themselves clearer than many of the parents we see on this show. I dunno. That was interesting. I am rooting for her. They seem like nice people. I hope Katherine finds a way to quit.  

Did the dad remind anyone else of Gerry Fleck from Best In Show? Just me? :) 

[Sassyone]

The creepiest thing to me on this episode (which is saying something, given her doing crack in front of her parents!) was when she was talking on the phone to one of her johns in her parents' house. She was calling him "Daddy" in a little-girl voice and talking about  what she was going to wear. And you could see her mother overhearing her conversation. Yikes! 

[Cherrio]

The parents might be nice, but they live in some kind of fantasy world.

The neighbor said they smothered her and kept her isolated so I think she might of been doomed from day one.

It is just not normal to walk around your home calm, talking softly and praying while your daughter smokes crack and lines up johns.

Their religious devotion and good intentions are killing their daughter.

Ken explains it several times and they have those glassy eyes smiles and quiet explanations while they bail her out one more time.

I think the parents were sicker than the daughter.

[PrincessAndrea]

I think she was emotionally stunted at 19... Or whenever the rape had happened. She talked and behaved like a little girl THE WHOLE TIME, not just when her johns were on the phone. I found it even more disturbing that her mom drove her to one of her client's apartments (while saying the whole time that "she doesn't believe in prostitution,") not just that she drove her to dealer's. It's obvious they had her late in life, and this is probably why she was so isolated from other kids her age, because of her parents' own age in comparison to her friends'. I just had my baby at 39, and all I can do is hope she isnt isolated the same way as well.. They still gave her everything though, what a sad case for these parents!

[gonecrackers]

I know it's important to get them off the substances for survival; I'm not sure but I think sometimes addicts are getting a quickie band aid approach to their issues. She seems to need therapy for trauma, & 'tools' to handle her triggers, as many of these folks do. It's impossible to undo the effects of serious trauma in just a few months.

[jacksgirl]

One of those interventions where the family needs a week at the Betty Ford Center. They will continue to bail her out till someone dies, who will go first is a legit question. Ken does a super job, but I think Jeff VV better deals with enabling parents although Ken was very blunt in the phone call. I see a bad ending to this sad story. 

[BostonBlonde]

Hate to say it...but I think this one is a hopeless case. 

[Jesse]

On 8/1/2017 at 9:21 PM, artemiseast said:

I believe it was stated that she had been to treatment multiple times but it was never successful.  

Oh, bummer. 

11 hours ago, Cherrio said:

The parents might be nice, but they live in some kind of fantasy world.

The neighbor said they smothered her and kept her isolated so I think she might of been doomed from day one.

It is just not normal to walk around your home calm, talking softly and praying while your daughter smokes crack and lines up johns.

Their religious devotion and good intentions are killing their daughter.

Ken explains it several times and they have those glassy eyes smiles and quiet explanations while they bail her out one more time.

I think the parents were sicker than the daughter.

Agreed. They all need a ton of therapy and etc. 

[JNOW1101]

We know the father is on the Autism spectrum and the mother might be as well. I agree with Cherrio. I wonder if they went to AlAnon and how that went?

[pasdetrois]

I can't recall if either parent agreed to Ken's suggestion of Al-Anon, but I suspect that anything that is not grounded in their faith will be a no-go. Hope I'm wrong.

Edited August 7, 2017 by pasdetrois

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Katherine was doomed from the start. Only child born to older (religious) parents and generally isolated and sheltered from the outside world. No healthy coping skills to use after a traumatic event, because all her life her parents probably thought you could just pray away bad things that happen in life.

Katherine reminds me very much of a former BFF of mine from college. Only child with older parents, she totally acted out as an adult and they just made excuses for all the morally questionable decisions she made. 

[TVbitch]

I'm sure Ken recognized that those parents did NOT have the wherewithal whatsoever to deal with that situation. And certainly not in a way a week at the Betty Ford family program is going to fix. But what can he do? 

Edited August 8, 2017 by TVbitch

[mythoughtis]

They couldn't deal with this situation for  multiple reasons. 

Their age

 Their over-reliance on prayer rather than any Action at all 

their enabling - the most enabling I've ever seen on an episode 

Their complete faith that Katherine was the most perfect daughter in  the world and she should be capable of stopping her addiction by basically blinking her eyes like a genie. 

She will die, her dad will die. Mom will be left with no understanding of how that happened. 

[Sassyone]

Sara, the best friend featured on the show, has posted on the Intervention Facebook page. Apparently Katherine C. got arrested for heroin possession and tried to claim she was Sara!  

"She is exactly where she was before the intervention and nothing has changed. She was just arrest at the beginning of June for possession and impersonation of me. She drove home drunk and high two days ago. It's really sad. She blew a great opportunity and now she's left with insurance that will only cover two weeks somewhere."

She also responded to commenters in the thread:

"it's so sad and so bad though. Her mom is super codependent on her. Almost like she likes taking care of her like a child. And she excuses all her behavior and blames everyone else. She was never held accountable for anything."

"Really I feel like I don't even know her anymore. And we were best friends/sisters since very early childhood. But now even though she is still living it's like the ny best friend I knew is dead. She's not the same person, and it's so hard because I wish she would come back to us. When she's not on drugs she's a very sweet and funny and caring person!"

"oh I know.. I actually was still talking to her after she left rehab when she would call- mainly just to see how she was doing but after she got arrested trying to impersonate me to pin a heroin possession charge on me I will not talk to her. I know it's the drugs but that made me feel like she does not see me as a friend or care about me. I will not talk to her again until she gets herself help. I will always care about her but she needs to start caring about herself and others."

https://www.facebook.com/Intervention-8770211279/

Mods: I assume this is okay since this is from a publicly available page. Please let me know if it's not. Thanks!

[Pers]

Sara (the friend who applied to Intervention for Katherine) has also posted on the intervention-directory website as well. It's heartbreaking and the parents keep on enabling their daughter. I don't see this ending well, sadly.

[Neurochick]

On August 1, 2017 at 9:57 PM, Stiggs said:

I was so struck by how open she was about smoking crack in front of her parents, and how there was literally no judgment from them at all. I wanted to hug them, but they were doing her no favors. It's weird - I don't know how I feel about what I just watched. She seemed like a nice kid who just had an insanely insecure personal foundation, and she's just stunted. It was an interesting episode - the parents were able to express themselves clearer than many of the parents we see on this show. I dunno. That was interesting. I am rooting for her. They seem like nice people. I hope Katherine finds a way to quit.  

Did the dad remind anyone else of Gerry Fleck from Best In Show? Just me? :) 

It's a disease.  It doesn't discriminate.  There's no rhyme or reason about a disease; person A can get it while person B doesn't.  Her parents were lovely, but I wonder if her rape was ever addressed.  Did she go to therapy for that?  They said she didn't tell anyone about it, but eventually her parents found out.    Katherine had issues (eating disorders) before she was raped, she wanted to be perfect for her family.  After she was raped Katherine probably felt that on some level it was her fault, her friends went home but she wanted to stay out and party.  I think on some level, Katherine feels that she's failed her family so she gets high and feels worse about herself, so she does more drugs and on it goes.

ETA:  I think it's bullshit that her parents age has anything to do with this.  My mom had me at 27 and she was one of the youngest moms of all of my classmate's moms; most of my friend's mothers had them in their late thirties and their dads were even older, and I was born in the late 1950's.  

I do think her parents bizarre interpretation of Catholicism probably hurt Katherine more than their ages.  They mentioned they waited 12 years to have Katherine, I found both her parents stunted, Katherine, for all her messiness, seemed more mature that her parents.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Neurochick

[mythoughtis]

i have nothing against her parents  age when she was born. My last  child is 33 years younger than me.  He's a few years younger than  Katherine's age.  I just meant that her Dad is now 73 and is frail to some degree. Her Mom appears in her 60s, and just seems no longer capable of having to supervise someone ( besides her husband)  24/7.  Im younger than both  of them and I wouldn't want to deal with a Katherine at my age.   I frankly do not have the energy I did 10 years ago, and will have less in 10 more years. 

I also think her parents insistence that she excel at everything was too much for her.

 

As to therapy- Ken tried to tell her they would give her the therapy she needed for the rape(s), since she's now been raped again by a few of her prostitution customers. 

Edited August 19, 2017 by mythoughtis

[Mk202]

This whole situation would have made the greatest, most hilarious reality series...if it weren't reality. :o

[iknow]

Poor Katherine, what a depressing outcome. I felt so bad for her. She reminded me a lot of Pennsatucky of OITNB. I just wanted to reach out and give her a big hug. 

[WordWarrior]

What convoluted, messy family dynamics. The parents were obviously keeping Katherine an addict for their own emotional needs, without a clue what they were doing. Nor did they want to learn, or to change anything.

They've got their family narrative set in concrete, with haloes. And if Katherine dies tragically--which she certainly will--the parents' haloes get that much brighter in their own minds. And Katherine will be in heaven so they can remain content in their constricted fantasy world.

That mother's smug, self-involved smile with martyr mask--oh so beatific--drove me crazy cuz of course she'd been killing her daughter since she was born.