Kim Kardashian and family return

Kim Kardashian is by far the most famous of the bunch, but in this reporter's mind, she is no the show's star. That distinction, or distraction, belongs to her mother Kris. In the season premiere, entitled Free Khloe, the Kardashian clan almost had me with their story of 'doing the time for committing the crime.'

The crime in this situation is Khloe received a DUI and instead of reporting to court, she and her sisters took off to Australia for "work." After witnessing video of the girls partying like rock stars, the judge decided work was indeed a loose word to describe it and sentences Khloe to 30 days in the slammer.

How the family comes together is great television. Especially high marks go to the not-seen-enough Bruce Jenner whose injections of reality into this reality series is a must-have of which audiences need more. His grounded nature is the perfect foil for the rest of the Kardashian clan in all their dramatic glory.

Where the premiere episodes slides off a cliff is when Kris begins to bring up the Kardashian patriarch, super lawyer Robert Kardashian. Robert famously defended OJ Simpson in his murder trial and Kris concludes that if "daddy was still here, Khloe would not be in this mess."

Although Kris is correct in that fact, Khloe throughout the episode is steadfast in her commitment to doing her time and putting this mistake behind her.

The problem arises when Kris announces she needs to visit Robert's grave. All this legal talk has brought up all the memories of the ex-husband she divorced who died five years prior. The entire sequence feels forced and untrue as Kris, followed by cameras, makes her way to Robert's grave. When the audience discovers this is Kris' first trip to Robert's grave since his death five years ago, I decided to stop Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Robert Kardashian was a brilliant and insightful lawyer. This reporter thought the world of him and his legal prowess. To see Kris invoke his name and 'whoa is me' tears about his passing rings hallow when we learn she has yet to visit his grave since his death.

What is a triumph about the Kardashian family is how the Kim and Kris' other children, even with their wild-child reputation, ground their mother. Maybe it's a Hollywood family thing, but shouldn't it be the other way around?

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