Family drama steals the spotlight on "I Am Cait"
This week, the fourth installment of E!'s eight-part docu-series I Am Cait dealt more with the impact of Caitlyn's transition -- and specifically her interview with Vanity Fair -- on her family than any episode before.
Caitlyn had some emotional confrontations with Kim and Khloe Kardashian, who explained how her words -- mostly those criticizing Caitlyn's ex Kris Jenner -- impacted the family and hurt a lot of feelings.
However, the show didn't shy away from its goals of bringing the audience closer to the transgender community and dealing with important issues with a level of intent and understanding not usually associated with many E! Network programs.
So, as we've done with the previous episodes in this illuminating, emotional series, let's take a look at some of the night's most interesting, memorable moments.
1. Caitlyn reads about her family on the Internet.
Toward the beginning of the episode, Caitlyn gets a call from his friend Candis Cayne -- an actress and one of the ladies Caitlyn went on a road trip with in the previous episodes. Candis calls Caitlyn and asks what she's doing, to which Caitlyn replies, "Well, I'm just sitting here, seeing what [online tabloids] are saying about my children." It's a quick moment, but it's a telling look at the side of celebrity life, and especially celebrity parent life, that we often don't realize or see.
2. Caitlyn goes to a sleepover with Candis Cayne.
One of the show's through-lines has been Caitlyn's possible/rumored/hinted-at flirtation and infatuation with Candis. During the road trip, they flirted and chatted, and this week Caitlyn spent time with Candis during a sleepover. They got dressed together, exchanged some proactive banter and the majority of their time spent together continued to tease this possible burgeoning relationship.
3. Kim confronts Caitlyn about her Vanity Fair article.
Kim came over to Caitlyn's house in Malibu to talk to her about the way her sister Khloe has been feeling in regards to Caitlyn's Vanity Fair interview, in which Caitlyn got very candid about her relationship with Kris, and even her relationship with her kids - specifically Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
"You've got the fame, but you're losing your family," Kim said, hammering the point home for Caitlyn and establishing the conflict I Am Cait will likely be addressed for the remainder of its episodes.
4. Caitlyn speaks with Chaz Bono.
When Caitlyn and Candis went to speak with transgender children and their parents at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital, they met Chaz Bono -- who began his public transition in 2008. Caitlyn opened up about how she's wanted to meet Chaz for the longest time, and had only seen him briefly when Chaz competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2011, alongside Rob Kardashian.
"Obviously I couldn't tell him my story," Caitlyn said, as she was still living as Bruce at the time. "He came out publicly before I did, so finally getting an opportunity to spend some time with him, I think it will be great. I can learn a lot from him."
5. Caitlyn meets with the families of transgender children.
In what was easily the most emotional segment from Sunday night's episode, Caitlyn met with a number of children and teenagers who had already begun transitioning. She sat with them and listened to their stories, before meeting with their parents separately.
The whole group of parents were made up of people who, at one point or another, were unable to understand or deal with their children's desire to transition. However, through the help of this support network, had learned to understand, accept and embrace their kids for who they really were.
This one moment felt like the point of the entire series: Shining a light the issues of the trans community and showing how loving, normal and supportive the community can really be.
6. Caitlyn and Khloe hash out their problems.
The show came to a close with something a little closer to the drama found on E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," but it still managed to avoid falling into the melodrama trap. Caitlyn sat down with Khloe to talk about the tension that had been building between them.
Khloe brought up many of the same issues as Kim -- including Caitlyn "bashing" Kris in VF and making off-handed comments about Kendall and Kylie Jenner -- but in the end it seems that they are able to work past some of their points of contention with this open and heartfelt conversation. And, in the end, Khloe proposes a solution to the lack of communication between Caitlyn and the family: Group texting.
Who knows? Maybe group text messages between everyone could ease some of the in-fighting. Who doesn't love getting a group text from their parents that includes their half-dozen siblings?
In the promo for next week's episode, it looks like the family drama dynamicwill continue to be explored in a tear-filled confrontation with Kris -- as well as a behind-the-scenes look at Caitlyn's powerful ESPY Awards night. "I Am Cait" airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on E!