Katy Keene Review: Chapter Six: Mama Said (Season 1 Episode 6)
This show needs to figure out what it wants to be.
Katy Keene Season 1 Episode 6, “Chapter Six: Mama Said,” continues to make bizarre decisions for its characters, causing it to feel at times like you’re watching two completely different shows.
On one hand, Katy Keene is the story of a girl making her way in the big city. She’s finding obstacles at every given turn, being swept up in shady deals, and forced to make questionable decisions at a moment’s notice.
Life would be grim without her only solace, the rat pack of friends in which she cohabitates with.
That girl isn’t Katy Keene, however. It’s Josie McCoy, and her story continues to elevate the show’s quality with every passing episode. Within just six installments, Josie has dealt with a multitude of hard-pressed issues common among dreamers existing in the Big Apple.
It lays a foundation for an extremely grounded — and interesting — series to watch.
Josie’s problems are also serialized; an ebb and flow of wins and failures as she tries to keep her morality while achieving her goals. The characters who find themselves in her orbit are unique, and albeit, odd at times, but serve as a solid conflict between her and her aspirations.
It’s easy to root for the underdog, and in Katy Keene, that’s exactly who Josie McCoy is.
There is the added convenience of already knowing her. The perks of surprising cameos (like her mom Sierra), or name drops from her past (like Archie Andrews or Hiram Lodge), make her easier to latch onto. And tentatively anticipating juicy tidbits about our friends from Riverdale make her stories more exciting and familiar.
No one can blame Katy Keene for using these connections to their advantage.
But while Josie feels grounded in a world that’s easy to connect with, the rest of Katy Keene’s characters are living in a glossed up version of Sex In The City — sans the grittiness and foul language.
Katy, in particular, continues to exude a doll-like quality, lacking any real emotional depth. She’s given a single episode to mourn her ten-year romantic relationship, and by “Mama Said,” is cheerily able to tell her ex-boyfriend she’s happy he’s moving on as they share an early morning bowl of cereal.
Maybe that’s because she’s sleeping with an already engaged Prince, which is another absolutely outrageous plotline; one that feels part of a Netflix Christmas movie lineup. The affair is treated as mere hijinks, instead of a wrecking ball move that actually puts multiple people’s lives in potential disarray.
At least the storyline isn’t wrapped up in a pretty bow by episode finish.
Katy is finally getting a serialized arc, it’s just an ugly one. She’s finally making some big swing mistakes, and they may just see some long time repercussions.
Mary Sue doesn’t sleep with engaged royalty, and she certainly doesn’t make his fiance’s wedding gown. So there’s that.
Pepper continues to emerge as a foil for Katy in “Mama Said,” conning almost everyone she meets and feeling very little remorse about any of it.
The most surprising thing is how championed she is for her behavior; it’s as if this information only makes characters love her more.
Lying and stealing makes you antagonistic, but Pepper is meant to read as admirable. Much like Katy, things always seem to work out in her favor, which makes the situation even more jarring.
This woman is in desperate need of an empathetic backstory.
At least there’s Jorge/Ginger, who still has a strong foothold in Keene’s candy-coated La-La land, but is given moments that feel parallel to Josie’s more authentic universe.
His problems are solved through a mere five-second pep talk, but he still loses his pageant. Jorge is given room to fail, but in that failure, he shares a poignant moment with his mother.
Those small moments are where Katy Keene stands to shine. Ditching over the top extravagance for more subtly rooted scenes allows audience connection, and the room needed for the characters to grow properly.
Katy Keene is proving stories can still be colorful and uplifting without always providing answers and solving problems. It’s just only doing it with half of its cast.
Josie feels real. Now let’s get the other characters of Katy Keene to feel real, too.
Random Thoughts
- K.O has more personality in his once scene during “Mama Said” than he’s had all season.
- Ginger’s performance is outstanding, and Johnny Beauchamp deserves all the praise.
- The show is retconning Patricia in order to make viewers root for Katy and Prince Eroll. While the two have chemistry, this is a shady move.
- Sierra McCoy is a fierce character, and she should have gotten that type of writing in Riverdale.
- Alex being an addict is so raw, and so complex considering Josie’s relationship with her father. It’s a brilliant move for the show.
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Katy Keene airs on 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.