We Want to See More of MJ on ‘The Kardashians’ -

Season 6 of The Kardashians is coming to an expected close. As the season is winding down, it’s obvious the famous family is having trouble coming up with storylines without repeating history. Khloé Kardashian‘s uncomfortable meeting with her ex-husband Lamar, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner as a part-time duo, Kourtney Kardashian maintaining her boundaries, and Kim Kardashian cramming her schedule full to the brim, this season delivered pretty much exactly what was expected.

With everyone in the family so busy with their independent schedules, it was rare to see them come together at all. North West appearing in the anniversary tribute for The Lion King brought the cousins out to celebrate. Kim’s birthday is always an event that brings many of the family members to the table. But there is one family member who has been able to unite everyone like no other over the years, and that is the matriarch, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon. Season 6 was no exception, and proved that viewers want more scenes with MJ that bring the family together.

More Scenes With MJ Is What ‘The Kardashians’ Needs

Kim Kardashian checks out her grandmother MJ's wig on 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' — Image via Peacock

The season has been filled with transparent filming opportunities, like meeting with a “wellness expert” or traveling to camp at Joshua Tree, where only Kim, Khloé, and their mother Kris Jenner showed up for the assignment. Kendall was annoyed that she missed the chance to speak with a fellow health connoisseur, but the camping trip happened to coincide with her 818 Tequila “college tour” and she happily missed out on the family bonding. Everyone in the family basically acknowledges that Kourtney and Kylie will only attend the events that align with their own schedule and personal feelings from moment to moment, so it’s clear that the days when the family filmed continuously together and share their authentic opinions about each other’s lives are well and truly over.

In recent years, MJ has typically been the exception to this rule, the person who is still able to draw the Kardashian family members out of their personal orbits to meet together. Her ability to draw out the best in her grandchildren, and bring together the brood of great-grandchildren the family now has, means MJ is still an important figure on The Kardashians. The show needs a figure like MJ with the power to connect the family.

MJ is still spry and sharp-witted, although her health is understandably a concern as she continues to age gracefully. Last year she suffered a devastating loss when her daughter, Kris’ sister Karen Houghton, passed away unexpectedly. The loss caused great hurt to both MJ and Kris, who hesitated to speak about her feelings about her sister on camera and even seemed to be pushing them away. It appeared Kris felt the need to stay professional and suppress strong emotions, but the way this loss was discussed came across as a missed opportunity for the mother and daughter to come closer together in their mourning.

Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner and Kendall Jenner

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Season 6 Showed How Much MJ Needs Her Family

It became clear from a phone call Kris received from her mother while she was in her hair and make-up chair getting ready for an event earlier this season that MJ was in need of care. Although she has made similar promises as Kim has when it comes to slowing down, Kris has proved equally bad when it comes to keeping her schedule clear. It was heartbreaking to see Kris panicking at the thought of her mother in need, and instead of committing to spending time with MJ herself, deciding to send an assistant. Sticking to professional obligations is always an understandable concern, but Kris also appears visibly uncomfortable sitting with grief or difficult emotions. She appears to prefer to express herself through lavish parties and large gestures, as her daughter Kourtney has frequently observed.

It seems what MJ needs from her family is more time together, which is exactly what the series needs as well. The more the family comes together to spend time with one another, the more authentic moments will be captured on the series, rather than the staged events that are clearly strictly for production. Which has been Kourtney’s point for several years now, that the famous family is great at celebrating each other in big events, but not as skilled at dealing with each other’s thoughts and feelings at the moment. Kourtney wasn’t able to attend the lavish party Kris threw for MJ that was filmed for Season 6, but she made the point that she would be having an overnight visit to spend quality time with her grandmother, so she could spend time with her newborn great-grandson. These kinds of moments that feature more intimate scenes of family bonding, interspersed with the expected scenes of the Met gala, Kim’s SNL appearances, and various business promotions, are exactly what The Kardashians needs as a series moving forward.