Keeping up with the Kardashians (Thursdays at 8pE on E!) is back and this week was all about... Malika? While the second half of the episode featured more KarJenners than we had bargained for (Khloe's Kris impression is seriously scary), the majority of the first bit was about honourary Kardashian Malika Haqq. The mom-to-be (and her identical twin Khajiah) got some serious screen time in the first episode of season 19 as she struggled with the reality of having a kid without support from the father. Is the focus on a non-KarJenner a distraction from the super complicated on-and-off relationships between Scott and Kourtney, Kylie and Travis, Kim and Kanye and Khloe and Tristan? Maybe, but we digress.The episode starts with Khloe, Malika and Khadijah shopping together at an upscale baby boutique. Khloe and Khadijah are into it but Malika looks more anxious than excited. “I never envisioned that I would have a child and be single,” she admits on camera. “I always thought that my baby would be made in love and I’d eventually be married or at least be living together.”
Malika and her baby’s father, rapper O.T. Genasis, dated for over two years before breaking up around the time their baby was conceived. Malika explained that O.T. wasn’t being as supportive as she’d hoped and they hadn’t really discussed a co-parenting plan yet—she was busy calling potential nannies and pediatricians while her ex kept his distance and put off setting up the nursery.Later, Malika broke down into tears, overwhelmed, saying she was close to calling off the baby shower. Khloe insisted the stress was coming from Malika’s situation with O.T., not the event itself, and pointed out she totally gets her situation (
hi, Tristan). Saying she was heartbroken for her best friend and wanted to give her a sense of security, Khloe explained, “I just want her to always feel reassured that I'm there for her.”In the end, Khloe threw a lavish baby shower with approximately seven hundred million balloons in shades of cream and beige, two giant topiary teddy bears and a bunch of guests dressed in coordinating neutrals and teddy bear ears. The bear theme was cute (speaking of which, why does Khloe have a massive animatronic polar bear in her living room?) and Malika seemed genuinely thrilled. During a tearful speech thanking all the women in her life for their support, O.T. walked in and got a warm shout out from his ex. A sign of great co-parenting to come? We sure hope so.[video_embed id='2036367']MORE KARDASHIANS: Kim Kardashian’s new maternity shapewear line receives mixed reactions [/video_embed]Need a little more Kardashian in your KUWTK? The episode also brought back the epic Kris Jenner pranks led by Khloe and Scott while Kourtney introduced the family to a cuddle coach (yes, that’s an actual thing). Basically, Khloe and Scott set up Kris, with the help of Kim and Corey, convincing her she’d taken a dumpster dive behind a liquor store while drunk—and the paparazzi had photos to prove it.Of course, it was actually Khloe in character as Kris in a scarily accurate representation of the vodka-fueled matriarch. When Scott and Khloe do a Kris prank, you better believe it's going to be realistic, edgy and totally inappropriate.Later on, Kourtney convinced Kris, Khloe and Kim to cuddle in a special tent set up in her backyard. (“My initial reaction to the cuddle instructor is what the f--k?” Khloe bluntly explained in the confessional). It was somewhat forced and awkward, to say the least, and about as intimate as you’d ever want to get with your entire family plus a stranger whose job is to encourage affectionate touching. That said, the end result was some pretty relaxed, consensual family spooning that seemed relatively comfortable for everyone until the cuddle coach suggested adding a “gentle arm caress.” (No one opted to add a caress to their cuddle fest).After starting the year with a fist fight, a family hug was pretty nice.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians airs Thursday evenings at 8pE on E![video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Corgi chomps down on tasty watermelon [/video_embed]
