Watching last night's one-hour season premiere of “The Little Couple” should have been pure joy. Jen Arnold and Bill Klein have finally “completed their family” with the adoption of tiny Zoey from Mumbai, India. Despite worries about how their other son, Will, would accept a newcomer, he seemed to love her right off the bat. Yes, Zoey seemed a little clingy and doesn't have Will's easy, effervescent personality, but Jen seemed delighted that she finally had a baby who was small enough for her to cradle in her arms.
While most of the episode revolved around Zoey and, to a lesser extent Will, the prospect of a darker storyline weaved cruelly through the episode. The heat was getting to Jen. Jen didn't feel well. We all knew these weren't just idle complaints.
One of the drawbacks of reality TV is that fictional spoilers are far more easily contained than a real person's life. Magazines and the Internet revealed months ago that Jen was diagnosed with stage 3 choriocarcinoma shortly after retuning home from India.
While we already know that this season will revolve around Jen's cancer story as well as the challenges of incorporating Zoey into the household, life continues on and — spoiler alert — Arnold says she's finished her last chemo treatment and is in remission.
We couldn't ask for better news, and if there had to be a spoiler for the season, this is one I can live with. Watching the premiere not knowing this happy news was painful. Wondering if Arnold's bliss of having a new baby would be short-lived, fearing that these two adorable kids might grow up without a mother colored every happy moment.
Sometimes real-life spoilers give you insight, an ability to pick up subtle cues of upcoming events even before the players involved realize their weight. And then, when you like the people you're seeing on screen, there are bad news spoilers that you would really rather not know.
How do you feel about knowing Jen Arnold has cancer this season?