"Look at that cover, baby!" The opening moments of I Am Cait, E!'s new eight-part series following Caitlyn Jenner as she goes public with her gender transition, featured a tense Jenner waking up at 4:30 a.m. the morning of her Vanity Fair cover debut.
She couldn't sleep because she was so anxious about the now-iconic cover reveal, but once it hit the Internet, she received nothing but positive responses. The episode showed phone calls with Rob Kardashian and Kim Kardashian, plus a glam squad making up an ecstatic Caitlyn.
The first hour of the show went from tense to happy to tearful and back again — a much more serious affair than the typical episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Below, relive some more of the most emotional moments from the hourlong premiere.
Caitlyn Awaiting Her Mother's Arrival
After Caitlyn introduced herself to the world via the Annie Leibovitz-shot photo spread, her mother, Esther, and two sisters, Pam and Lisa, traveled to her Malibu home. As the women neared, an incredibly nervous Caitlyn sat in a chair, her leg shaking, awaiting their arrival.
Pretty Much Any Time Esther Reflected on Caitlyn
As Caitlyn mentioned in her big interview with Diane Sawyer, the person she was most scared of telling about her transition was her mother, Esther. But despite the fact that the 88-year-old will need time to get used to calling Caitlyn by the right name and using the correct gender pronouns, she had beautiful things to say every time she reflected on the transition. "It's a lot of getting used to, but I will," she said. "You have the same soul you were born with," she told Caitlyn.
Meeting Kylie in Person for the First Time
The first glimpse of Caitlyn that Kylie saw was via FaceTime after having dental work done, and Caitlyn was so nervous that she kept pointing her phone's camera away from her own face. The first time the two met in person was while Esther, Pam, and Lisa were in town. Kylie dropped by for a casual visit, and Caitlyn continually fretted about how her daughter was feeling. "I don't want to scare you," she said. Responded Kylie, "You're not scaring me, you look pretty!"
Kanye's Words of Support
Kanye West is usually seen and not heard on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but when meeting Caitlyn for the first time he spoke up with sweet words of support. "I think this is one of the strongest things that have happened in our existence as human beings that are so controlled by perception," Kanye said. "You couldn't have been up against more."
Outlining Her Mission
Throughout the episode, Caitlyn spoke about the alarming murder and suicide rates in the transgender community. At the end of the episode, she traveled to San Diego to speak with the mother of a transgender teen named Kyler Prescott, who committed suicide. They then traveled to a beautiful beachside park where they released balloons in Kyler's honor and Caitlyn spoke to friends of the late teen who'd also contemplated suicide. "Seek help," Caitlyn said. "You just have to get through the day."
I Am Cait airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on E!.
