This new, inside look at the family of the late Whitney Houston does not, at least at first, have the effect either the participants or the viewers might want.
Houston’s family, notably including her mother, Cissy, have made no secret of their frustration with a media they felt sensationalized both Whitney’s life and then tragic death this February.
Instead of now dimming the spotlight, though, many of the Houstons have turned it up.
Led by Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, Pat, who has been developing a reality show for several years, they are betting that if viewers see more rather than less of the family, they will understand it is loving and supportive, not faction-riddled and dysfunctional.
Wednesday’s premiere shows a family of deep faith and caring.
It’s also a family where Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, makes Cissy and others visibly uneasy by announcing her plans to marry Nick Gordon, who was raised in her house as a brother.
This delicate dilemma may not define the family. It does define the first show, because someone has decided Krissy is the most interesting story. In reality TV, that means the producers focus on her dramas and the subsequent reactions of everyone else.
Maybe she’s going through normal teenage drama, compounded by the loss of her mother. Or she may have picked up the periodic lack of discipline that plagued both her parents — Whitney and Bobby Brown, who will not be seen but is clearly an X factor.
“On Our Own” could ultimately paint the Houstons as solid, regular folks using their faith and love to cope with life’s troubles.
After the first night, though, most viewers will likely understand some of the unease.
Source : nydailynews[dot]com
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