‘P-Valley’ Recap: ‘White Knights’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘P-Valley’, to revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this article contains discussions on domestic violence and sexual assault, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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We love to believe in fairy tales. Simply because those magical stories lift our spirits up and help us to believe that everything is going to be okay in the end. For stories in general are oft grounded in something realistic and if the people in fairy tales can go through it and come out the other side okay and find true happiness in the end, then so can we. So, we hold to these stories and pass them down in the hopes of lifting others up in need, in the same way that they supported us during dark times. But what we don’t talk about enough… is the other reason we love a good fairy tale. Because at some point down the line, we come to learn that the world is a cruel place, and that fairy tales are indeed just fiction and happy endings are rare in life. So, in a way, we hold to them because they instead serve as a grand escape, one where we can have some semblance of hope that life can in fact… not be the hellish nightmare that it is, in the moment we need that pick me up.
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If anything, that darker aspect to our belief in the fairy tale is top of mind today… simply because it served as the focus of the next episode of P-Valley on STARZ. For ‘White Knights’ is a tale that explored the origins of Keyshawn and how she came to be an exotic dancer that was hoping for more in this life and a her quest to be more and obtain more… related to the fact that she learned that fairy tales are a damn lie, at an early age. For as a teenager, she seemingly found her own. Because she and Derrick fell in love in high school and despite being from different worlds, their love found a way to persist and grow. To the point where passion brought them a child to call their own and that’s when the fairy tale was shattered. Since she quickly came to learn that Derrick had a mean streak and was happy to harm her in the name of ‘love’ and stability and sadly… the reality that the world can be a cruel place extended into her modern life.

Because while she was on the Dirty Dozen tour in this story, and side hustling to build her brand, the only place where she was seen as a fairy tale princess of sorts, more dark forces were conspiring against her. Since Rome saw her as nothing more than a conquest, and went the extra mile to curry her favor and entice her into a sexual relationship that she didn’t want, and force that, if need be, and that painful reality and crashing down of her dream world once again… sent her home to fresh nightmares. Since she also came to learn that Derrick was beating their children badly and that in turn, led to more suffering and strife for Keyshawn… the kind that once again left her battered and bruised and broken and unable to comprehend, why she couldn’t have her fairy tale. One where she was beloved and admired for who she was, not what her body could do and that was… a powerful lesson on why the fairy tale stays in our hearts for all the wrong reasons.

However, rather than just leave us with a message that happy endings don’t exist, and that we shouldn’t bother to believe in them because people can be so rotten and selfish, there was another lesson present within this tale. In that, if we want a happy ending in life, or at the least, one that brings us peace… we cannot rely on the belief we are but a victim of fate. We have to take control of our lives and push toward a better tomorrow where what we want is in sight, and that lesson was hammered home in a dark way for certain. Since Woddy took the time to be judge, jury and outright executioner of Rome. All by lacing his cocaine with fentanyl so that he could put Rome out of commission and make the world a better place, and of course… teach him a lesson about respect and humility in his final moments. And while that isn’t the right way to handle one’s destiny… because just say no to murder, the act of taking charge is what matters.

For that is what Keyshawn needs to make her life better and it will of course, be no easy task against an abuser since they are cunning and strong and evil in their own special way. But while we wait to see how Keyshawn will take charge now that her babies are in danger, we can revel in the majesty of one powerful tale. One that held nothing back regarding the cruelty of the world and how storytelling helps us to cope with that very cruelty and this show deserves a hard round of applause for being that frank with us and for showing us the plight of the many women out there like Keyshawn. Who are trapped in lies of relationships designed to harm them and keep them down for the sake of making a monster whole that can never be whole and well, this episode just goes to show that this series really is as smart as they come. And it will be quite fascinating to see what other powerful lessons await us, as this incredible season continue along. Until next time.  

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