This week’s Jon & Kate Plus Eight was an hour-long clip-job: “Viewers’ Top Moments,” as voted by long-time J&K-watchers on TLC’s website. This was a smart programming decision. After so many weeks of Kate and TLC trying to make entertainment out of the muck of tabloid controversy, simply letting us watch old footage, when the Gosselins were unusual only in having eight kids, was pretty pleasurable.
Those of us who’ve watched all five seasons remember sweet little scenes such as Alexis discovering she loved alligators (“aldergators,” she fan-famously called ‘em):
A Jon-less Kate set up the clips; the producers came up with the categories. You can’t say Kate wasn’t a good sport about this. She had to sit through her meltdown in a Toys R Us, during which she yelled at Jon to stay by her side and bellowed down an aisle, “Come!” — as though Jon was a wayward dog. Yes, this and a few other scenes (how about the time Jon went to a store and didn’t bring coupons, leading Kate to mutter furiously, “You let that man out of the house and this is what happens”?) were among the ones that launched the Kate-as-oppressor, Jon-as-whipped images. These roles eventually became the pair’s on-screen personalities.
The kid footage was terrific, whether they were visiting the dentist for the first time, bopping each other on the head with toy blocks, or hearing Joel discover his manhood:
Speaking of wieners, there was some new interview footage with Kate Gosselin near the end of the hour that reaffirmed the couple’s fundamental differences.
“I was me all along,” Kate asserted after watching the old clips. Then she added, “Jon discovered he was somebody different than we had known him to be.”
Jon, of course, was nowhere to be seen on-camera. But in one old clip, he reacted sharply when Kate was fussing and yelling at him as they tried to dress the kids for some outdoor activity.
“When are you going to pull the stick out?” Jon snapped at his wife.
Kate, in a new interview, said with a sigh, “Perhaps [that] was a sign of things to come.”
Indeed.
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you blog about this show incessantly. Yet I have not seen you talk about Flash Forward or real tv with such regularity
Here you go, Marc:
http://watching-tv.ew.com/2009/09/25/flashforward-premiere/
and
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20314284,00.html
Hahaha nice bitch slap back Ken! I love your reviews!
In your face Marc!!
Sooooooooo sad!
I wish them well!
I really enjoyed this episode. I’m sorry it will stop. Hopefully, one day soon, the 8 Gosselin children can film new episodes.
*
I do think being on TV is harmful to the Gosselin children. Ron Howard was a child star as was Shirley Temple. They grew to be fine adults as did members of The Mickey Mouse Club.
Ron Howard and Shirley Temple arrived on the set at a certain time and left the set at a certain time. They didn’t work on weekends and the camera didn’t follow them home and continue filming. They had private time to play, poop, and pout privately without it being filmed. THAT’s why they turned out well adjusted and why the Gosselin 8 might not.
Correction: I do NOT think being on TV is harmful to the Gosselin children.
There’s a difference between Ron Howard and these children. Ron Howard had responsible, sane, non-egocentric parents who kept his acting and home life separate. The Gosselin parents are pretty much the opposite.
Apples and oranges KC, apples and oranges. Ron Howard, Shirley Temple and the Mouseketeers were never paraded around like circus show ponies from one staged event to the next. Ron Howard, Shirley Temple and the Mouseketeers never had their most personal, intimate moments spilled out in front of a camera’s lens for the pleasure of a rabid and voyeuristic viewing public. And I’ll tell you something else, Ron Howard, Shirley Temple and the Mouseketeers never needed to look at security guards and cameramen as pseudo father figures or to their fleet of nannies in lieu of their mother.
Well said Lea and Sandra.
I do agree with Lea and Sandra on their statements. However what kills me is the fact that no one was saying all this until the tabloids and the magazines. If everyone cares so much someone should have stepped in a long time ago. Furthermore we don’t know anything about this family. I have been watching this family from their first filming and I can’t even say I know them.
You must mean the old Mouseketeers as some of the new Mouseketeers have had a pretty rough time of it.
But it’s apples to oranges. Child actors have protections such as amount of time on screen and money put back in their names. Reality shows do not have the same requirements. These children have no separation between their private lives and what is out on the airwaves for the entire world to see over and over again on YouTube.
I really do not understand Ken Tucker’s obsession with this show. Both parents are attention seeking and irresponsible, and he keeps rewarding them with more attention. Can other shows, good shows, be discussed?
How hard is it to figure out that it’s his job? He writes about this show and then a few hundred people come to the website to comment and see ads.
Personally? I’d love a job like that.
good grief, did i watch the same episode you did?! kate is a stupid, insensitive jerk. it’s okay when she’s berating jon but we’re supposed to feel for her when jon tells her to pull the stick out? and hey, the dog could have DIED and kate’s only worried about the 2000 bucks it cost for the surgery to save the dog’s life? did you notice how many times kate said “i wasn’t there..” when all these things happened? KATE, STAY HOME AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS IF YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS STUFF. and PLEASE don’t let kate have anymore animals EVER.
Agreed – she has now taught the kids that dogs are disposable. Yeah – that’s great parenting
I agree too! She proved her true mindset with the dogs. Watching the children’s aggression only shows they constantly feel it too! TLC ought to be ashamed of themselves for continually airing Kate, oh and lets not forget the money they will spend to sue Jon.
Oh my heck – get over yourself! She is a refreshing REAL mother. I wish I lived close enough to her, our group of mothers would love to have included in some of our discussions.
Kate you are disgusting. You use the show to get free things and if you don’t get it for free, you over work your kids to pay for what you want – like a boob job. Shame on you. You eyes scream “im dirty”, you probably spend your free time laying on your back with your body guard on top of you. You said you love the kids, so why do you use them to make you money? Let those kids be kids. You make me ill. By the way b4 you dressed bad because you had no money – no choice. You abused and abused Jon to the point of divorce – it was all your doing. You had a good man and you destroyed all that. Its good that you did the show so your kids will see how ignorant you have been and how bad you treated their dad and they will hate you. You know how we call you in Canada? Jon and BI_CH plus eight. Shameless, Shameless BI_CH PLUS eight… How dare you use those poor kids for money, how dare you rob them of their dad. Sl_t plus eight thats what the show should be called. May God have mercy on your soul.
more…
What are you?!? The lead mouthpiece for Mens Rights Now? What part of Canada are you from? Do the rest of us Canadians a favour and quit puporting that you speak on behalf of all of us. I’m not for Kate and I’m not for Jon, they each in their own way contributed to the breakdown of their marriage, but this has to be one of the most vulgar and tasteless comments ever to be published in all time. You’ll be wanting to put that bottle of screech away now. It’s made you ugly.
Sandra, I agree the comment from slutpluseight is vulgar and tasteless. I wonder if that person would kiss their mother or children with that mouth! If the vulgar and tasteless comments are removed I agree with the jist of the post.
How about cleaning up the potty fingers slutpluseight. How do we know which of the posts someone might print off for the Goddelin children to read later in their lives? The message was great, the delivery was terrible.
Can everybody try and remember the Gosselin children, who are inocent victims in this mess, nay read these post at some point later in their lives. Let’s try and have some class. Thank you.
Slut plus eight I agree totally with your post. I don’t condone the vulgarity you use but the gist of your posting is right on. It was all Kate’s fault. Anybody she tired of was “done” to use her words.
I think that you are the one who needs to be asking God for mercy, yikes. How judgmental you are!
You make me ashamed to be Canadian. And all the Canadians I know have never said any of what you stated in your post.
slutpluseight is a perfect example of the nasty, dissatisfied and mean-spirited women who hang out on the Kate hate blogs. Name calling and profanity are the norm.
Ladies – you need help. Step away from your computers and forget about Kate Gosselin for a while, you’ll feel a whole lot better about yourselves.
Absolutely true!!
yea, as another Canadian I think you’re ridiculous.
you don’t have to like either Jon or Kate, and you don’t have to watch the show. But there’s really no need for such brutal and cruel language.
slutpluseight says: “You know how we call you in Canada? Jon and BI_CH plus eight.” You Canadians, you’re mighty clever.
YOU ARE SICK!
Okay whack-job get a life!
Kate NEVER abused Jon. She was a terrific mother and a wife to a juvenile. Jon is a user and he used her and he is using everyone he is DOING these days. And TLC will show him what pain TRULY is when Jon is found liable to them for buku millions.
GO TLC!!
how dare you call yourself Canadian with such ignoranace spewing from your fingertips?
Ken Tucker, you are in serious need of some therapy. get some help. now.
slutpluseight – you are an idiot and anyone who sides with your worthless post is too !!! Jon G. was a terrible husband and did need to get the stick out !!! Geez, that man is worthless ! What father would move to another state and not be near his kids if he could. Talk about in it for the money….
Best moment? The ONLY moment remotely considered good in this piece of garbage is when it was CANCELED! This show was a terrible idea, exploited children for their fame–ore parents and was salivated about by too many morons in the press.
If I NEVER hear about John, Kate or the Plus Eight again, it will be way too soon.
PLEASE GO BACK TO TALKING ABOUT REAL TELEVISION SHOWS – from Glee to Flash Forward, there’s a lot of good new series out there that don’t rely on Octomoms or narcissistic dimwits.
You guys keep bashing on Ken Tucker, but he’s only doing what he’s getting paid to do; reviewing a show that entertains millions. But I mean, if you guys don’t want to read about it… don’t click on the link. -_-’ That way you don’t need to continue reading what you consider to be useless and dumb.
On another note though, I miss watching the show when the family was intact. I stopped watching after the first episode of this season. The prospect of a pending divorce was obvious; that’s when the show stopped being about Jon & Kate Plus Eight, it became Jon & Kate and their messy divorce.
TLC should hired a hitman to kill the hussy responsible for this mess in the 1st place.
Slutpluseight I know this is you trying to hide behind a new name. Smarten up! If you can’t stay civil at least stay away from your computer, you’re out of control. You want to remember that you can be traced through your e-mail address and that you’re nudging right up to the line that separates legal from illegal. Keep it up and you’ll have the law at your door. Something tells me that won’t be an entirely new experience for you.
Kate and TLC have not been trying to make entertainment out of this situation! Your reporting is far from the truth. Jon in fact is the one on the Insider, and talking to the media non stop. Jon has some serious issues. I applaud Kate as she has her hands full and is handling herself much better compared to Jon.
You support Kate because she’s a woman, you must hate men. Kate is a bad mom, whoring her kids just to get freebies.
Yesterday, Jon Gosselin left for Hawaii for ANOTHER MUCH NEEDED VACATION, lets see, France, Vegas, Hamptons, Hawaii??????
Kate is the responsible parent, she had been away earlier in the year for a book tour (by the way that is when Jon lost it, he could not take staying at home with the children he long to have)
I will be sooo happy to see this program go. At one time I enjoyed it, but not anymore. Kate is so used to having alot of money now -I wonder how much time she actually spends with the kids and how much more time a nanny spends with them.
I liked the show, despite Kate’s overuse of the word ‘precious’. I don’t harbor the hatred for J and or K that many people do I guess.
I don’t get why so many people spend so much time on the internet bashing this family. Life’s too short to spend hating on a couple of strangers, and if I want to feel good about myself I’ll try to do something nice for somebody, not try to convince people how terrible I think that somebody else is.
AGREE! So much energy wasted on this.
More unnecessary Jon and Kate moments reporting. It makes me kinda miss the overly obsessed Megan Fox and Twilight blogs. *sigh* those were the days! I’ll even take Levi Johnston news…wait…no I won’t!