Katy Keene Review: Chapter Three: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (Season 1 Episode 3)
Nothing like a little incest on Valentine’s Day.
If you forgot Katy Keene is part of the Riverdale universe, have no fear. Katy Keene Season 1 Episode 3, “Chapter Three: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted,” is here to remind you with every chance it gets.
The show is still hard-pressed on riding the coattails of its predecessor, Riverdale (we have yet to hear much about Greendale), but you won’t find any complaints about that here.
Those references are just about the only thing keeping this show interesting.
Josie’s arc continues to be the most compelling, as well as the most relatable. Her witty remarks about hiding bodies back in her hometown and swoon-worthy reminiscences of high school sweetheart Archie Andrews certainly help matters.
But what really makes Josie worth watching is her familiarity with the audience.
She didn’t always get her time to shine on Riverdale, but viewers had three seasons to warm up to Josie McCoy. You learned about who she is, where she comes from, and what her dreams are. More so, you watched her scrape and struggle to break free of her cursed town.
By the time Josie steps into NYC with the Katy Keene gang, you’re wholeheartedly rooting of her success, because you’ve already seen her failures.
It’s hard to feel similar about Katy Keene’s other characters; the show doesn’t slow down long enough to develop them. Spending its time instead, on frivolous plots that rarely feel weighted with any real long term stakes.
Their histories remain mysteries, and if you can’t see where they’ve come from, it’s hard to root for where they’re going.
Pepper could be someone worth getting behind, she certainly has the chutzpah, but lack of backstory makes her antics feel underhanded. There’s no enlightenment around her time as an escort, or explanations for why it should justify her swindling men for cash.
Yes, it’s a big middle finger to old white men who cheat on their wives, but it doesn’t do Pepper’s character any favors. If there’s a story there, Katy Keene needs to show it. Without reasoning for her actions, she just feels lazy.
Katy’s life is also difficult to invest in, considering there’s little to no insight into her life before the pilot. Sympathizing over the loss of her mother is enough to cheer her on as she becomes a flourishing designer, but there’s still an underlying detachment.
Which is why the show needs to utilize Josie every single chance they get.
As the audience, we’re a lot like Josie Mccoy. We, like her, are stepping into NYC fresh from the streets of Riverdale, playing catch up on these character’s lives and built-in dynamics.
Jorge, Pepper, and Katy already know everything about each other. To have long overly expositional monologues in such high context situations would feel off base. Josie, as a newcomer, is the perfect way to bridge a gap between the disconnect.
Josie and Katy’s talk about what to do with KO is a perfect example of this, with Katy reiterating that Josie doesn’t know the history of her relationship. She’s right, Josie doesn’t, but neither does the audience. By explaining that history to her new friend, she’s also giving the audience a glimpse into a past life we know nothing about.
Telling an audience a couple has been together for 6 years does not an OTP make. Katy Keene gives no time to the Katy/KO dynamic until their rocky breakup, and that doesn’t do much to sell the heartbreak.
Lucy Hale delivers her best performance in this episode; she does what she can with the material she’s given.
Her hesitation to sever a connection she’s relied on for so long lands as earnest and believable. It’s a reminder of what Hale is capable of when given the chance.
It’s also enough to buy into Katy and KO’s chemistry, maybe for the very first time.
That buy-in comes too little too late, though. The two lovebirds are over before we ever get a chance to register why it’s all so hard for Katy to begin with.
One thing Katy Keene does do well is balance screen time for its main characters. Everyone gets a storyline, and no one is forgotten. That’s something Riverdale has never been able to do.
Unfortunately, those stories are given at the expense of depth and complexity for its characters, forcing them to remain at surface level, delivering one missed opportunity after another.
Random Thoughts:
- Alex and Alex are just as weird and incest-like as Cheryl and Jason Blossom, except they both share the same name and somehow that makes it so much worse.
- Katy’s boss feels like a knock off Meryl Streep from the Devil Wears Prada.
- Jorge not hesitating to show Buzz the door after being disrespected is a BIG mood (the firefighter is cuter anyway).
- The show is set in NYC, which allows Jorge to live a full life as a gay man, as opposed to Kevin’s constant struggle to even meet another gay person in Riverdale. That’s refreshing.
- This show actually gets Bernadette Peters to guest star and only utilizes her for a single 20-second scene. Shameful.
—
What did you think of this episode of Katy Keene? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Katy Keene airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Kat Pettibone
Kat Pettibone is an aspiring TV writer, artist, and poet. As a Pacey Witter Fan Club lifer who never missed a TGIF, she has dreams of becoming your generations small screen Nora Ephron. She's also an avid lover of coffee, dogs and all things spooky.