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'Katy Keene' Episode 12: Woman with the British accent revealed as the Pepper Plant has its grand opening

This episode definitely brought more substance to the storyline, taking away the diamonds and roses and bringing to the forefront the woman with the British accent
PUBLISHED MAY 8, 2020
Julia Chan (The CW)
Julia Chan (The CW)

Spoilers for 'Katy Keene' Season 1 Episode 12 'Chapter Twelve: Chain of Fools'

Hannah Melvey (Tedra Millan), Pepper Smith's (Julia Chan) ex-wife, poured her last dose of revenge when she told Alexander Cabot (Lucien Laviscount) that Pepper used to be married to her and that she is a con artist. In this episode, we get a little deeper into Pepper's past and meet her father, as she deals with Alexander's threats. On the other hand,  Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) and Guy LaMontagne's (Luke Cook) canoodling leads to Katy finding out more than what's under her boss's clothes. 

Pepper Smith (Julia Chan) in 'Katy Keene' (The CW)

Pepper was left at the doorstep of a building as a baby and she grew up with the doorman of that "relic of a building" as her father. It is slowly revealed that Pepper has not been honest about her situation and that she has been trying to get her father a better place to live. The opening of the Pepper Plant was her golden ticket, but there's just one problem. With the information Hannah told Alexander, he has been threatening to call the cops if she doesn't give him his investment money back. As Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) confronts Pepper, Pepper tells her that Hannah was the con artist — which isn't true — and shrugs off Alexander's threats.

As she gets his threatening text, she decides to steal a $200,000 purse from Lacys' and sell it to a man named Dickie for money. Not to mention, she still owes the Palace Hotel a lot of money! Her best friend, Raj Patel (Abubakr Ali), reveals to Josie that Pepper had tried to get her hands on his inheritance as well. And after being kicked out of the Palace Hotel, she now squats in the space that would be the Pepper Plant. This was news to Katy Keene and Jorge Lopez who have known Pepper for years, but they find a mugshot of Pepper online under the name of Rosemary Woodhouse. 

Pepper is confronted by Josie, Jorge Lopez (Jonny Beauchamp) and Katy about funneling money from 'The Kiss Of The Spider Woman' into the Pepper Plant, for lying about where she lives, for "borrowing" the clutch from Lacy's to pay back Alexander and for lying about being married. Pepper admits to Katy that she doesn't know who her parents are and that she was adopted by the doorman at Georgia, and hence, she had to "become somebody" to survive.

Katy Keene (Lucy Hale), Jorge Lopez (Jonny Beauchamp) and Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) in 'Katy Keene' (The CW)

This is the first time in the series that we see the confident and clever Pepper become vulnerable and shed tears when she's faced with losing the only people she has in her life, which is her friends. It was a humbling moment for Pepper and definitely aided to her character arc. She suddenly becomes more than a con artist and gossip columnist. This woman had a sad past and is struggling just like everyone in apartment 4B. She was faced with the fact that she has been stealing from Josie's future when she conned Alexander. Katy reminds her that Josie works 80 hours a week at two jobs.

Pepper has also been stealing from Jorge by not paying him for 'The Kiss of A Spider-Woman'. Katy reminds her that Jorge has been hustling and go-go dancing to help his parents pay off their overdue mortgage. And she was stealing from her best friend, Katy, who has been trying to make it as a designer in a city filled with competitions.

We see how Pepper is finally faced with the consequences of her actions, something the series has done for the first time. Her nonchalant personality was suddenly swept away to reveal a lonely woman trying to make in the city, just like her friends. This episode definitely brought more substance to the storyline, taking away the diamonds and roses and bringing to the forefront the woman with the British accent. The Pepper Plant provided Josie and the Pussycats the perfect set for their band, it showcased Jorge's musical on a brightly lit screen and provided a space that brought to life Katy's designs. She really did do it all for the people she most cared about.

Unfortunately, on the big day, she gets arrested and we think the Cabbots who now called the Pepper Plant a "Cabot asset" because she chose to pay off Jorge's parents dues rather than pay Alexander back. With Alexander now working with his ruthless father, we think they are the ones that decided to push Pepper out of business that she created.

Pepper Smith (Julia Chan) and  Alexander Cabot (Lucien Laviscount) in 'Katy Keene' (The CW)

While most of the episode focused on Pepper, which we so desperately needed, we find out a little secret about Guy. The man has been stealing designs from the sketchbooks of all his apprentices before Katy with an excuse of "this is how the fashion world works." We were always wary of Guy and mixing business with pleasure has never worked out for Katy. We really hope she gets back together with KO Kelly (Zane Holtz). That right there was #endgame.
 
Lacy's is shutting down and the Lopezes are still losing the building. The residents of 4B have three months to find another apartment. We're 100% perfect looking forward to the season finale next week.

'Katy Keene' airs on Thursdays at 8 pm EST on The CW.

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