Katy Keene Review: Chapter Two: You Can’t Hurry Love (Season 1 Episode 2)
My teeth hurt from how sugary sweet this show is.
Katy Keene Season 1 Episode 2, “Chapter Two: You Can’t Hurry Love,” presses on with its determination to be everything its counterpart Riverdale is not — even slathering itself in golden tones to contrast the town of Riverdale’s ice-cold blues and greys.
I cannot believe I’m saying this but, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
It’s not that there aren’t aspects of Katy Keene worth loving.
The focus on friendship between the four main characters is extremely endearing — anyone would love to eat late-night Chinese takeout alongside this gang.
The series is far better paced and structured than Riverdale, whose stories often get far too convoluted with all the characters it introduces and attempts to maintain a mystery/murder plot that’s supposed to make sense (emphasis on supposed to).
Katy Keene doesn’t have to worry about murdering people, so it has some weight taken off its shoulders.
This show favors its characters driving the story over the plot itself. The relationships are allowed to take up more space, adding to the overall richness of varying dynamics.
Katy Keene has clear arcs that promise to be well fleshed out. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be interesting.
The characters themselves have plenty of potential. They have a degree of built-in likability, but their individual journeys toe the line of unrealistic — almost too whimsical and disconnected from reality.
The exception here is Josie, whose storyline is by far the most grounded. Ashleigh Murray plays the role understated, which ends up landing like a person you’d meet while living in the city.
Small moments, like being shocked the rent is 3x what she planned, makes watching her settle into this new life an enjoyable experience.
The relationship with the Cabot twins is a touch outlandish — bumping into a billionaire who wants to date you and make all your dreams come true doesn’t exactly track. Still, her naive introduction to the biggest, most intimidating city in the world feels organic.
Plus you can still glamorize a series while keeping your audience connected. Sex And The City executed it well.
Jorge’s story is similar to Josie in that he’s is also finding a way to make his dreams come true while making ends meet. There’s an added level of empathy behind watching him find ways to stay authentically true to himself; he’s existing in a world that perpetually wants him to read more masculine, and ingenuine.
That certainly makes him relatable and worth rooting for.
Johnny Beauchamp plays a little too hard into the emotional beats, but learning to deliver poignant scenes with more subtle nuance will no doubt come with time. He’s still a firecracker on screen.
The real trouble comes from the other two main characters, Pepper and Katy.
Pepper is still a bit of a mystery, and our lack of knowledge as to why or how she was so rich (and now so broke) forces a disconnect. I need a reason before sympathizing with someone whose blown through their millions and failed to pay 60 grand in rent.
There’s also Katy, who reads like such an out of touch protagonist. Her conflicts feel a lot like her boyfriend KO’s personality; stiff and wood-like. It’s clear she’s kind-hearted, but her issues stem from the world always falling in her favor.
She is fired and re-hired by episode two. She’s stuck deciding who she should work for (Everyone wants her! She’s just so great!) and her bosses magically allow her to split time between them.
Her boyfriend KO proposes, and while she does stress over her answer — making her just a little bit more human — the problem resolves itself with little to no bumps by the episode’s end.
It’s heartbreaking if a character’s driving force is the loss of a parent, but that isn’t enough depth for your lead character. If you don’t have a complex protagonist, you don’t really have much of anything.
Right now, Katy is little more than a Mary Sue trope, and — newsflash! It’s 2020! — that’s no longer acceptable for our female characters. While she’s the centerpiece of her friend group, those friends currently all have stronger, higher stakes story arcs.
Riverdale has its shortcomings, but one thing it’s never afraid to do is stray away from keeping it’s characters two dimensional. The show takes wild chances and gives a new flavor to its iconic archetypes.
Just because Katy Keene isn’t a dark and mysterious series, doesn’t mean its title character can’t have a little more flavor.
Random Thoughts:
- Katy has about 100x more chemistry with that Prince than she does with KO.
- Pepper and Didi’s kiss was a nice twist representation wise, but it felt forced considering how the episode played out before it happened.
- Historical rap musical named “Jefferson?” I can’t. I cannot.
- The 10-second camera focus on Katy’s breasts during the sex scene made it crystal clear this episode was directed by a man. Dead give away.
- Despite its shortcomings, and the question of how these kids afford this kind of wardrobe, the fashion on this show is *chefs kiss* fantastic.
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What did you think of this episode of Katy Keene? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Katy Keene airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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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.