Katy Keene Review: Chapter Five: Song for a Winter’s Night (Season 1 Episode 5)
Airing out dirty laundry is exactly what Katy Keene needs to stay fresh.
Katy Keene Season 1 Episode 5, “Chapter Five: Song for a Winter’s Night,” finally raises the stakes for its characters, using a winter storm to dig into its core friendships and their underlying tensions.
The biggest criticism regarding Katy Keene has been it’s almost defiant determination to be everything Riverdale is not. In its stark resolve to be anything but dark, Keene tends to land on the side of the uninspired, afraid to delve into a missing, and necessary, depth.
“Song for a Winter’s Night” alleviates a large portion of that hollowness, allowing its characters to explore the nitty-gritty of their relationships, as well as the emotional repercussions of rising inner (and outer) conflicts.
Josie has continuously been the most captivating character, and her story continues to evolve in interesting and complicated ways.
Things never feel easy for Josie — she’s always fighting one conflict or another, whether it be inner demons or untrustworthy confidants.
Everything is genuinely on the line for Josie McCoy. Unlike Katy, things don’t always feel like they’re destined to work in her favor; making her the most accurate and realistic portrayal of a young dreamer trying to make it in New York City.
Jorge isn’t far behind.
With his hustle to make ends meet through drag shows, mixed with a compelling story about navigating oneself to a place of true authenticity, Jorge’s screentime becomes more interesting with each passing installment.
Katy Keene isn’t afraid to let Jorge make mistakes — driving him away from a stereotypical one-dimensional queer token, and instead, granting him the breathing room to grow and develop like any other character.
He’s undeniably selfish, but that’s okay — flaws only add opportunity for complexity in situations that would otherwise read flat.
Flaws, in general, are something “Song for a Winter’s Night” helms into.
Bringing Pepper’s love for lying to the forefront of the conversation, leads to a much-needed backstory regarding her wealth and newfound loss of funds.
Katy Keene is finally using Josie to its best advantage. Giving her intimate moments with each of the other characters opens up these low context situations and grants viewers insight we wouldn’t be privy to otherwise.
Her dynamics with Jorge and Pepper throughout this latest chapter teach us more in one snowy night than we’ve gotten from the four previous episodes combined.
Katy herself is finally gaining depth, although less prominently than her series counterparts. Her stakes still feel stagnantly low; the more she succeeds at everything she does, the further she falls towards the dreaded Mary Sue archetype.
Katy Keene has to learn to be fearless in letting its main character falter once in a while if it plans on giving her any room for growth. Her inner struggle around her mother’s death adds layers, but without any other complexity, she’s little more than a titular showpiece.
Please, someone let Lucy Hale play an actual complex and compelling protagonist.
Katy’s criticism is nothing against Hale herself, who continues to give her all in every scene — ones where she’s actually allowed to feel emotion, that is. The heartbreak over her mother’s sewing machine wrenches the heart in a very raw and powerful way, proving that given the chance, Lucy Hale knows how to deliver.
The show is never going to be a critically acclaimed drama series, but there’s no shame in allowing it’s four main characters to deal with realistic conflicts and face practical consequences for their failures.
If “Song for a Winter’s Night” proves anything, it’s that the more friction, the more interesting the series becomes.
They say you either evolve or die. Five episodes in, Katy Keene needs to evolve into a more maturely intricate series and move away from its reliance on fun fashion and beautiful cinematography.
The cast has got the talent, and if this episode is any indication, things are headed in the right direction.
Random Thoughts:
- Josie could have helped Betty and Jughead back in Riverdale. Her sleuthing is quite good!
- The moment Jorge reveals Ginger to his mother is the most beautiful moment of the series to date.
- It makes no sense for Pepper to continuously lie about her financial state when it comes to the people she loves.
- Jorge’s comment about experiencing menopause is brilliant.
- Josie’s entanglement with the Cabot’s makes me very uneasy. Then again, she was best friends with Cheryl Blossom.
- If it’s overwhelmingly hot in your apartment, why wouldn’t you open a window?
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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.