A Recap of the Fifth Season Premiere of Jon and Kate Plus Eight

The Fifth Season Premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8 aired tonight on TLC. Here is a recap of that episode.

For several weeks now, rumors of affairs and relationship problems between Jon and Kate Gosselin have been the topic of media scrutiny and many a gossip column. These problems were addressed in the fifth season premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8 as quickly as the firestorm started. Jon admitted that he did not think before making some of his actions, calling some of them irresponsible and saying that they were not thought out well enough. However, Jon denied that there was any affair, saying that he knows what he knows and that Kate knows what she knows. Kate noted that she is required to travel as part of promoting her books.

Jon expressed concern about whether his kids would believe him or not, and what the consequences would be if they were to Google him. He then apologized to his family for his actions and the results of them, but neglected to explain what actually went on.

Kate talked about how Jon might feel frustrated staying at home with the kids while she travels for book promotions, and also feels that her being hard on him might have made him feel more frustrated. It is important to know that she spoke of everything in a manner that made it seem as if Jon had done something, and that the rumors may have been grounded, to some extent, in fact. Especially I noticed the phrasing "...drove him to this..."

During this portion of the show, the couple decried the reliability of the media and the viciousness of tabloids and paparazzi. Kate stated simply that she was profoundly angry at the entire situation. The sextuplets' fifth birthday party was then brought up and the show went to commercial.

Upon returning from commercial, the show shifted gears and showed some of the preparation for the sextuplets' fifth birthday party. Jon was not present. Kate explained that he "needed a weekend off." The kids seem more vocal and articulate, and Jon explained that the boys have begun to wrestle with one another. Some of the boys were using words such as "pooper" and "weiner."

Kate took the kids to the party store. This segment of the show emphasized the fact that the paparazzi are following the Gosselins, as they were at the party store when the family arrived and Joel asked what the term "paparazzi" meant. Kate explained that she doesn't want them to know the word, and prefers that they use the term "P-people."

Upon return from commercial, Kate talked about her book tours and how her perspective of fans has changed from being somewhat put off to being more appreciative of how fans have welcomed the Gosselin family into their hearts and living rooms. Kate mentioned how Jon's feelings towards fans have shifted in the opposite direction, and mentioned "erratic behavior." Jon said that he felt as if his life had become a career, and aimed a slight dig at Kate for her past accusations that he could not talk or breathe. He then restated that he loved his kids. Kate mentioned that she was called by the babysitter's name for the first time in her life, and expressed some sadness at that. She also mentioned that she had never thought that she'd be at such a point in her life before recently, but was glad that her kids are healthy and happy.

Jon and Kate Plus 8 returned to a scene of the sextuplets standing around a table and Kate talking about party preparation. Kate was shown in the home talking about her frustration at having to prepare the party by herself. Again, Mady and Cara were shown to be helpful in the absence of their father. Kate talked about how nice it was that they were stepping into "big sister" roles.

The premiere cut to scenes of party preparation. Bugs were present at the scene of the party, so Citronella candles were obtained and used to repel them. Again, the paparazzi affected Kate's ability to arrive at the site early. Family friends provided help for Kate in setting up the party. The show made probably the saddest cut to commercial ever, with Kate wiping a tear from her eye as she talks about how she "thought [they] would beat [the high divorce rate for parents of multiples]."

The kids had a bouncy party and were able to invite school friends to their party for the first time. The entire class was invited to the party, as was their schoolteacher and her children. Mady and Cara were also allowed to invite a friend. Jon talked about how it was interesting how each of the Gosselin children gravitate towards different people in their class. Jon finally arrived at the party and explained some lateness by having to pick up the cakes and Kate's phone from the house. Kate obviously gave Jon the cold shoulder upon his arrival, and he returned it as she asked him to help with something. The paparazzi was again shown being present on the outskirts of the party. Jon and Kate sat separately while eating. There was a sweet moment between Jon and Alexis, at the end of which she requested that he "not leave anymore."

Upon the return of the season premiere of Jon and Kate Plus Eight, the family was shown taking pictures at the birthday party together, the parents on opposite ends of a bench. A magician was shown performing at the birthday party. The kids are shown enjoying a rabbit that the magician brought along. The other kids then sang to the Gosselin sextuplets six times, one for each of the children, as per tradition. Kate is shown commenting on what she perceived to be the undue length of the party. The partygoers then took turns hitting piñatas. Kate noted that she enjoyed ripping the piñatas open as a way to get out frustration. Collin was shown having trouble getting candy. Cara managed to break a piñata. Each of the kids talked about their favorite part of the party, and Kate seemed overwhelmed with emotion when she was thanked by her children for the party.

One of the final scenes before the end of the Jon and Kate Plus Eight premiere was a montage of the kids growing up and various past birthday parties, and Jon and Kate expressing disbelief at how the kids have grown up.

At the very end of the show, Jon and Kate finally appeared on camera together. Their body language spoke deals about the status of their relationship. Kate talked about how everything she does is for the kids. Jon expressed similar sentiments. Kate said that she could only speak for herself with respect to what she was thinking. Kate admitted that the birthday party was "pretty much" bittersweet, then began to cry. She said that she knew that it could possibly have been their last family picture. This was the point at which Kate said she was not sure if the Gosselins would be able to beat the high divorce rate for multiple parents. She noted that they had very rapidly become different people, and that the problem had been going on for about six months, and that her attempts to remedy the problem were futile. Jon said that the party was good for the kids to see their parents together at the birthday party.

The family was shown eating a meal together at the very end of the episode, and Jon and Kate were talking again. Jon talked about the importance of being friendly, even if he and Kate are not married in the future.

From the fact that the show addressed the media rumors at the very beginning of the premiere, I feel that some of the rumors may in fact be true. They were addressed in an "elephant in the room" fashion, and the wording of both Jon and Kate made me feel as if there were validity in some of the allegations.

The shift to the birthday party early in the episode relieved some of the tension of the first five minutes, letting the show take a lighter tone. Likewise, the scene with the paparazzi at the party store emphasized the fact that the family is facing a deluge of rumors and media attention for which they were not prepared.

After returning from the second set of commercials, the Jon and Kate premiere featured separate interviews with Jon and Kate again, where the couple talked about how their perspectives on fans and attention have changed in the show. This was interesting, and the back and forth mellowed out the seriousness of the possible relationship problems.

Jon's absence right before the birthday party is inexplicable and inexcusable. Why he would force Kate to take care of the kids and plan a birthday party by herself right before the kids' birthday is puzzling. The explanation of Jon "[needing] a weekend off" does not suffice in this circumstance.

Jon and Kate were obviously not on good terms at the beginning of the party. Both were purposefully ignoring each other and it was palpably awkward. It was heartbreaking when Alexis asked Jon to not leave again. He clearly struggled to find a response.

All in all, the future of the Gosselin family looks bleak. Jon and Kate appear to be having serious problems, and I am not sure if they will be able to fix them. For the kids' sakes, let's hope that they can.