| “ | I love Lacy's. The clothes, the clients-- But you girls, I-- I think of you like my daughters. I would do anything to protect you, to make sure you succeed. And I won't coddle you, or anyone else. I don't believe in it. Fashion is a tough business, cutthroat. If you think for one second, I'm the biggest bad wolf you'll encounter on your path to becoming a designer, think again. | ” |
"Chapter Ten: Gloria" is the tenth episode of the first season of Katy Keene, and the tenth episode of the series overall.[2] It premiered on April 23, 2020.
Synopsis[]
MOVING ON FROM YOUR PAST — When an allegation against Gloria is made, Katy, tries to get to the bottom of it, but instead might have discovered something about her mother. Josie and the new Pussycats have a falling out leaving Josie's close friend, Kevin Keller, to remind that she doesn't need to be that person anymore. Jorge offers Bernardo an interesting relationship proposition in order not to lose him, but it does not go as he hoped. Meanwhile, Pepper's past is starting to catch up with her and it could jeopardize more than just the Pepper Plant.[3]
Plot[]
Katy has a sex dream
Katy has a sex dream about Guy until being awakened from her sleep by Josie, who introduces Katy to her stepbrother, Kevin Keller. Josie accuses Katy of having a sex dream, but she denies it before kicking them both out her room so that she can get dressed for work.
Guy prepares Gloria for her book launch
At Lacy's, Katy and Guy help Gloria prepare for her book launch. She’s wearing one of Guy’s designs before it even hits the runway. As she assists Gloria, Katy has flashes of her dream. Guy notices Katy’s off behavior and pulls her to the side to address it, but Katy insists that she’s fine. Gloria has always wanted to publish her own memoir and is all smiles now that the time has come. She expects that Katy will wear something nice, as she’ll be representing her.
Hannah demands her money
Two weeks away from the opening of the Pepper Plant, Didi informs Pepper that they’re $40,000 over budget. And even though they're in the whole, Didi asks for 10% of profits. While Pepper admittedly would’ve never gotten this far without her, she threatens to replace Didi with an unpaid intern should she persist to see more. Hannah interrupts and gifts Pepper a pepper plant. She then demands that Pepper pay her the $30,000 she owes.
Josie reminds Trula and Cricket who's in charge
Josie and the Pussycats rehearse at the studio. However, Trula and Cricket aren’t pleased with their roles in the band. They feel like Josie’s background props and propose that Josie rearrange the song so that they can all sing. Josie reminds them that the songs belong to her, but when they start creating new material, she assures them both that they’ll be a part of the creative process.
Xandra asks to join the Pussycats
Xandra interrupts the Pussycats’ rehearsal and asks to join, however, Josie turns her down. While they may have started off on the wrong foot, Xandra wants to be a part of what Josie’s building. She recalls Josie complementing her sing when she ambushed Josie’s song. Xandra explains that was simply to piss off her stepfather, as he is the one who discouraged her from music. And now that Alex has cut ties from him, Xandra plans to follow his lead. While Xandra could be a genuine assets to the group via her connections, Josie turns her away nonetheless.
Katy is gifted a dress by Guy
Josie returns home and tells Pepper, Jorge, and Kevin how Xandra asked to join the Pussycats, all of whom agree that Josie made the right decision in turning her away. She feared that Xandra would ruin her first show. Moving onto Kevin, who reveals that he still lives in Riverdale and teaches drama at Riverdale High. He thanks Pepper for hosting his reading in hopes that it’ll get him an agent. His play is titled "La Bonne Nuit." It’s a coming-of-age noir. Set in the small town of Creekdale, where a lot of people die and hookup. Katy arrives to find a package with her name on it. It’s a dress from Guy. He hopes to see her in it at Gloria’s book launch. Her friends question if she’s having an affair with him, which she assures them she isn’t. However, she does worry about the message it’ll send if she wears the dress, especially after having a sex dream about him. Pepper informs Katy that sex dreams are manifestations of varying desires, not necessarily romantic. With that said, Katy is still unsure if she should wear the dress. Jorge then reveals that he had a threesome with Bernardo and Buzz. He thought it would make him feel powerful, but instead its done the opposite, leaving him vulnerable. Josie encourages Jorge to draw some boundaries to regain control.
Gloria's book launch
The following morning, Katy attends Gloria’s book launch at Lacy’s. She stands next to Amanda as Mrs. Lacy welcomes Gloria to the podium to read an excerpt from her book "Gloria’s Golden Rules of Fashion." Guy is among those in the crowd. As she reads from the first chapter, the members of the audience suddenly receive notifications simultaneously; a piece from the Daily Hail that claims Gloria offers sexual favors to her A-list clients, using her sales girls as bait, including a worker who slept with a member for the royal family to secure Lacy’s involvement in the royal wedding.
Katy and Gloria retreat to her office, where they question who could be responsible for leaking this information to the tabloids. She’s worried that she’ll never recover from this. Mrs. Lacy enters and asks to speak with Gloria privately.
Gloria tells Katy not to make a scene
Katy wonders why Amanda is smiling. She is merely happy that she was at the center of the entire debacle to see it unfold. As Gloria is escorted out, she reveals that it’ll only be for a few days. Katy tries to stop her from leaving, but Gloria pleads with her to not make a scene. Gloria puts on her sunglasses and exits Lacy’s, where she is bombarded by paparazzi.
Jorge suggests that they make boundaries
Bernardo asks Jorge to join him on his workout, at the very least come running with him, but Jorge decides against it. Bernardo asks him to at least give it a chance. He then gets a text from Buzz. Jorge grows concerned having learning that Bernardo and Buzz are texting outside of their group chat. Jorge questions if Bernardo likes Buzz. Since they had a threesome, he’s starting to feel left out. He worries that what started out as a casual hookup is now turning into a throuple. Jorge suggests that they establish rules and boundaries.
Kevin and Pepper plot to expose Lester
At Chubby’s, Pepper informs Kevin that she’s assembled the guest list for his play reading, including Lester Darin, who Kevin is familiar with. He moved to New York City one summer to pursue acting. Lester is the reason that Kevin didn’t come back. They met during an open call. He promised to help Kevin out, but he ended up being a creep. Kevin’s entire life, he’s loved watching the Tony Awards, but ever since his encounter with Darin, he can’t bring himself to watch. Pepper offers to help Kevin expose him by writing a take down piece in the Daily Hail.
Gloria asks Katy to write a letter in her defense
Katy informs Pepper how they "perp walked" Gloria out of Lacy’s as if she’d stolen something. The article is filled with lies, and Katy is determined to find out who’s behind it. In Pepper’s experience, these types of articles are planted for a reason; someone wants to take Gloria down. Katy hears a knock at the door. It’s Gloria, who asks that Katy write a letter explaining how Gloria has never coerced her girls into using sex as a tool in the workplace. Gloria has a close friend at the Times who has agreed to publish it. She’d do it herself but Lacy’s lawyers have put a gag order on her. In the meantime, Katy assures Gloria that she’ll suss out the leak.
Trula and Cricket asks about the previous Pussycats
Kevin arrives at Chubby’s with lunch for Cricket and Trula. Josie’s manager at Plunkin’s wouldn’t let her off for rehearsal, so she had Kevin bring them some snacks as an apology. Kevin refers to them as the new Pussycats, which Cricket and Trula weren’t aware of. He tells them about Melody Valentine and Valerie Brown, as well as Veronica and Cheryl, who also joined or at least performed alongside the Pussycats, making Cricket and Trula the fourth iteration. Leaving them to question what happened to the Pussycats before them.
Katy and Amanda discuss Gloria's reality check
Katy enters Gloria’s office to find Amanda at her desk. Gloria asked her to text her a to-do list. Katy asks Amanda if she knows who leaked the story to the Daily Hail, though Amanda doesn’t seem too concerned with Gloria’s fall from grace. As far as she’s concerned, it was a much needed reality check. She’s been running things in a backward, sexist way for years. However, Katy insists that Gloria isn’t as bad as the article depicted. Amanda would beg to differ, reminding Katy how often Gloria pits women against each other, the two of them included. Gloria also only ever hires the prettiest women as personal shoppers. Lastly, Amanda reminds Katy of Allie, who Gloria kept assigning to a client who relentlessly pursued her. She felt uncomfortable, but Gloria only cared about making the sale, so Allie quit, which Katy was unaware of.
Trula and Cricket arrive at Molly's Crisis after learning about the history of the Pussycats from Kevin. They’ve decided that if Josie wants to sing her own song by herself, then she can do it without them.
Guy tells Katy about the board's plan to push Gloria out
Guy asks what’s been bothering Katy. She reveals that the girls are talking about how abusive Gloria is. While she’s always been hard on them, she’s never encouraged them to use sex to get ahead. Guy recalls the night at Studio 34, where Katy tracked him down in hopes of convincing him to join Lacy’s. He wonders whose idea that was. Katy says it was her idea. Katy flirted with him. They even came close to kissing. Guy has friends on the Lacy’s board, and they’ve told him that they down want "mad men" anymore. They want someone young, diverse, and inclusive. This article is their chance to push Gloria out.
Kevin advises Josie to stay true to herself
Josie blames Kevin for Trula and Cricket’s dissertation. However, he merely informed them of the history of the Pussycats. Josie has moved on from Riverdale and all the drama that came with it. She accuses Kevin of dwelling on the past and suggests that he move on too. Kevin would give anything to have Josie’s life, but he doesn’t. He still lives in Riverdale, working at Riverdale High. That’s unfortunately his life. As for Trula and Cricket, they were unhappy before Kevin spoke to them as Josie’s too controlling. Kevin accuses Josie of ignoring her past and thus making the same mistakes she did with Mel and Val. Kevin tells her that just because she’s starting up the old band doesn’t mean she has to revert back to the old Josie.
Jorge and Bernardo invite Buzz over to set ground rules for their relationship, starting with making them an official throuple. While Buzz is flattered, he only just came out of the closet. As much fun as he had with them, he wants his first relationship to be with one guy. Jorge takes offense as he recalls the fact that they were together for a year.
Kevin's play reading
Pepper and Kevin convene as Lester Darin arrives at the Pepper Plant for his play reading. Pepper introduces Kevin to Lester, who doesn’t even remember him. The play reading at the Plant begins. Katy portrays Betty. Jorge portrays Veronica. Pepper portrays Cheryl. And Josie portrays herself. Afterward, Lester approaches Kevin, impressed with his play. He wasn’t expecting such an evocative piece from someone with a "baby face" like Kevin’s. Adding that he "looks so fresh and innocent." He’d love to discuss the play further and how he might be able to help. He slips his card into Kevin’s front pocket. Pepper watches from afar as Lester exits.
Gloria discovers how the girls truly feel about her
Katy calls Gloria over and tells her that she couldn’t write the letter. And instead, confronts Gloria as some of the claims in the article were true. She’s not only pitted them against each other but has also criticized how they look. Some days, working for Gloria is beyond rewarding while other days, Katy feels disposable and unworthy. Katy reveals that not only does she feel this way but that it’s the general consensus among the girls. Gloria loves Lacy’s, and she loves the girls. She thinks of them as her daughters, and it’s for that reason that she refuses to coddle them. She only wishes to see them succeed in a cut throat business. She’s far from the biggest wolf they’ll encounter on their path to become a designer. Katy explains that if Gloria wasn’t so hard on people, they would have her back. Furthermore, she thinks Gloria is a good person.
Kevin sits with Lester
Kevin has a drink with Lester Darin at Molly’s Crisis. He’s heard urban myths about Riverdale but is doubtful that the Gargoyle King terrorizing the town is a true story. However, Kevin promises him that it is. He never thought he would survive high school let alone live long enough to write a play. Lester places his hand on Kevin’s thigh and asks if they’ve met before. Kevin removes his hand and continues to discuss his play with Lester, who asks Kevin to come back to his place, where they’ll recreate the bunker scene and maybe he’ll consider work-shopping his play. When Kevin asks what that’ll entail, Lester whispers into his ear. All the while, Pepper watches from the bar.
Pepper blackmails Lester
As Lester washes his hands in the men’s restroom, Pepper confronts him with the recording of him and Kevin discussing the exchange of sexual favors and funding his play. Pepper demands $70,000 or else she’ll share the recording with her editor at the Daily Hail.
Josie asks Trula and Cricket to meet her at the rehearsal studio. She's considered their feedback and has worked them into the song. She admits that they’re just as important to the band as she is and asks them to come back.
Mrs. Lacy refuses to hear Katy out
Katy meets with Mrs. Lacy to discuss Gloria’s position. Katy argues in her defense, but Mrs. Lacy’s isn’t interested in her input, stating that Gloria made a mistake by breaking her golden rule. She made it about herself instead of Lacy’s and that’s unforgivable. She refuses to allow Gloria to continue the propaganda that she is the rightful heir.
Katy suspects that Mrs. Lacy is the leak
Katy meets with Gloria at Molly’s Crisis and reports her suspicion of Mrs. Lacy. Katy suspects that she’s the leak. She recalls how Guy told her that the board is looking to make an internal change so that the store could appeal to a new generation of customers. Mrs. Lacy is threatened by Gloria and wanted to remove her as a potential heir to her throne. It all adds up, except for the fact that Mrs. Lacy didn’t know about Katy and Errol. Gloria admits that she told Mrs. Lacy in order to protect them all. She then reveals that she’s already released a statement to the press; an apology as well as an official resignation. Katy wonders why Mrs. Lacy is so determined to see Gloria's downfall. Gloria shares with Katy what she describes as being a cautionary tale. Many years ago, she had an affair with one of her superiors. At the time, she thought she was in complete control. She had the man of her dreams as well as the job of her dream. However, Mrs. Lacy found out and it changed their relationship for the worse. With that, Gloria’s affair came to an end. Even worse, every so often, she lies awake at night wondering if she’s only so successful because of a man. And Gloria doesn’t want the same for Katy, who assures Gloria that her relationship with Guy is strictly professional. When the time is right, Gloria promises Katy that she’ll rise again. Until then, she asks Katy to collect her belongings from Lacy’s.
Katy returns Guy's dress
Katy returns Guy’s dress. She admits that Guy was right about them almost kissing that night at Studio 34. And with everything going on with Gloria, she wants to keep their relationship professional. Guy is understanding of her terms and expects nothing less from his protege.
Amanda helps Katy pack up Gloria’s belongings. While doing so, Katy finds a love letter addressed to Gloria from Leo Lacy, Mrs. Lacy’s son. In that moment, Katy realizes it’s the same L.L. that she found engraved on her mother’s sewing machine.
Pepper pays Hannah her money
Despite Lester Darin paying Pepper the $70,000, she publishes the article on the Daily Hail nonetheless. Hannah arrives and Pepper repays her. Hannah goes in for a kiss before parting ways, but Didi interrupts. She quits the Pepper Plant after taking a job working for Hannah after learning what Pepper did to her. Pepper begs Didi to stay, as they are so close to realizing their dream. However, this is Pepper’s dream, not Didi’s. Despite their deal in which Hannah would leave Pepper alone after getting her $30,000, she instead decided to stay in NYC and has partnered up with Didi to take Pepper down.
Bernardo breaks up with Jorge
Jorge gets drunk at Molly’s Crisis as he and Bernardo await Josie’s performance. He explains that he always gets drunk after a break up and one of the girls holds his hair back while he pukes. It’s tradition. Bernardo is concerned. While they both wanted to make things official with Buzz, he doesn’t consider it a breakup. Bernardo draws the line at comforting Jorge through this. He wonders if he’s not enough for Jorge, and if that’s so, then they shouldn’t be together. As Bernardo leaves, Katy approaches, and Jorge informs her that Bernardo broke up with him.
Josie, Trula, and Cricket get dressed backstage as they prepare for their performance. They exit the dressing room to find Xandra performing their song. Katy, Pepper, Jorge, Kevin, and Alex watch in shock.
The Pussycats confront Xandra
Josie, Trula, and Cricket confront Xandra backstage for stealing their song. However, Xandra informs Josie that she recorded her songs under a deal with Cabot Entertainment, and thus they own it. Furthermore, Josie would be breaking the law if she performed any of the songs she recorded with them. Xandra tells Josie to take it as a compliment. She wrote great songs that’ll be perfect for Xandra and the Kitty Cats. And one by one, Josie will watch as each song rises on Billboard, sung by Xandra.
Kevin, Pepper, Jorge, Katy, and Josie match the initials L.L.
Katy, Josie, Pepper, Jorge, and Kevin return to the apartment. Katy offers to call KO and see if he knew anything about this, but Josie advises her against dragging him into this. Josie remarks that the good thing about cats is that they always land on their feet. Jorge also accuses Xandra of using auto tune. On another note, Kevin thanks Pepper for helping him expose Lester Darin. Kevin also asks about Bernardo. Jorge admits that he may have messed up the best relationship he’s ever had. Kevin suggests that Jorge make a romantic gesture to show he cares. Josie recommends a simple letter. Katy then reveals that she plans to quit Lacy’s and stand with Gloria. Lacy’s doesn’t feel the same that it once did. She then shares with them the love letter from Leo Lacy to Gloria. He said that he would always love her. The letter is signed L.L., just like Katy’s sewing machine. She wonders if her mom and Gloria were dating the same person.
Jorge spots Buzz running with Bernardo
Taking Kevin’s advice, Jorge plans to surprise Bernardo on his morning run. However, he turns away after watching him meet up with Buzz.
Just as Katy is about to give Mrs. Lacy’s her letter of resignation, she appoints both Katy and Amanda as co-interim department heads.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Soundtrack[]
- Katy Keene Cast feat. Camille Hyde - Bad
- Scene: Xandra steals Josie's song and performs at Molly's Crisis
Trivia[]
- The episode title comes from Gloria Grandbilt, on whom the episode primarily focuses on, and it's the first episode of Katy Keene to directly reference a character by name.
- Kevin wants to see The Stepford Wives musical, likely a future stage adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ira Levin.
- Pepper says she can get Adele Dazeem to Kevin’s opening. That's how John Travolta infamously mispronounced Idina Menzel’s name at the 2014 Oscars.
Gallery[]
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Screencaps[]
Videos[]
Episode Guide[]