Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Episode 5 “Battery Park” Spoilers Ahead
“Two sides and the truth.” We’ve all heard the adage, and whether we want to focus on it when our emotions get the better of us or not, it’s still the one truth we can cling to, along with the understanding that human beings are inherently complicated. And the honest exploration of complex human emotions is exactly what makes Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette so riveting as a series.
Long have people debated the public fight that took place in 1996, but what “Battery Park” effectively reminds viewers of is that it was not our business. It still isn’t our business to debate who’s right or wrong or whether it should’ve occurred in such a public space. Instead, the episode is a deeply uncomfortable showcase of how messy real love can be, and that’s where its strength lies. It also delivers types of scenes, like the historical incident, that will be picked apart and probed until there’s nothing left to be examined. There will be weighty words like toxic and abusive being used to describe it, and it may even trigger some viewers. While I firmly believe that we are not owed insight into the personal lives of real people, fictional interpretations allow more room for analysis, so in this case, the episode is mostly riveting.
The Vulnerability in Love Story Episode 5 Is Everything
As it stands, in this critic’s point of view, Love Story Episode 5 is an explosive showcase of the frustrating realities that are necessary when exploring romantic relationships. It’s normal for couples to ricochet back and forth—to throw out statements that are outright cruel, untrue, and messy before turning around apologizing to one another. Of all the episodes, a good chunk of this one is the hardest to rewatch because the uncomfortable reality of the Battery Park fight isn’t meant for us. Yet, the very point that the series manages to make it so uncomfortable is where Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly shine in their casting. Is every part of the execution perfect? No, but I’m not quite sure how it can be, given how little we know and the weight of the quiet truth that follows them like a shadow.
Still, Pidgeon especially floored me in the whirlwind of emotions she conveyed, bringing to life uncertainties that are so raw, honest, and vulnerable, it’s dizzying almost. We talk a lot about how gorgeously Pidgeon embodies Carolyn’s essence and conviction, but I’m enamored with the way she brings to life her vulnerabilities. The way she flinches slightly at the realization that she called Mrs. Kennedy, Ethel, first; the desperation in how she wants John to actually hear her; the way she feels her emotions in real time.
And I said it last week after “I Love You,” but the carelessness of men is a dagger here. No matter how the truth is framed, here, John’s forgetfulness is a problem. Deeply human, but still annoyingly frustrating. And it’s relatable, too, because if people take a good, hard look at themselves, they’ll see it in their own misgivings.
John’s faults aside, in every way, the episode belongs to Pidgeon because it belongs to Carolyn. She’s alienated within the context of the show and through John’s behavior, but she’s also valiantly adored by him, too. She’s easy to adore from our perspective, too, because through every decision in her performance, Pidgeon layers each of her actions with meaning. The result of her raw performance illuminates the duality of a human being because watching her warmth and levity with the kids in one open space, then contrasting it with her justifiable frustration in another, delivers an enthralling parallel. It gives us a simple, deeply moving set of events that are easy to understand, no matter how uncomfortable it is to sit with the feelings.
But as much as Love Story’s “Battery Park” is a culmination of messy feelings, the accompanying showcase of softness and the slow, achingly romantic moments in between are where the episode breaks you. The moments where we’re reminded that this love story was always meant to be just the two of them. Theirs, and theirs alone. From wrapping his arms around her once they get to Hyannis Port, to Carolyn holding him as he cries on the curb. The sheer joy in both their eyes as she finally accepts his proposal and agrees to the life together. The tears she cries. The repetition of the word “yes.”
Every raised voice and every whispered promise is a stunning exposition that a love story is, and will forever be, between two people. The softness works because of the mess. It elevates the love story with a raw angst that’s especially poignant in a day and age where news spreads even faster and farther. Where we’ll get signs of all the ugly parts before the good ones, and for what it’s worth, the type of storytelling it results in is incredibly profound, so I’ll take it.
Stray Thoughts
- It’s wild how pretty these two are just sitting in the same shot. I don’t know how to process any of it.
- Men don’t use the word “honey” enough, and tbh, I’m glad JFK Jr. is reminding us of it.
- The scene between Kelly and Calvin Klein actually broke me a little.
- Love love love Caroline saying that she agrees with Carolyn, not saying yes immediately.
- I have watched so many uncomfortable dinner scenes in my career, but, man, this one takes the cake. WHY WOULD YOU NOT WARN HER ABOUT THE BREAKFAST LIST, DUDE? Why are men like this!??!
- They really adopted the cutest dog for Friday.
- But also, can we talk about how amazing John’s loft is? Few men have nice bedrooms. He’s one of them.
- The shot of him watching Carolyn play tag with the kids is seared so deeply in my brain that it might never leave.
- Genuinely, I could’ve written an entire article solely on Sarah Pidgeon’s perfect performance as she realizes she wants to marry him and immediately proceeds to cry. GET THIS WOMAN HER EMMY. (And I’ll write the article.)
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Love Story Episode 5, “Battery Park?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©FX/Hulu