Meanwhile, Derek is making no secrets about smoothing up on Ivy in public. The dancers start talking, and it takes about seven seconds for the gossip to drift over to Karen -- and nobody even LIKES Karen. So no secrets are safe on the Great White Way. Got it. Karen's response to all this is to do a whoooole lot of whining about it to Dev while he's taking Important Mayoral Office Business Calls. She gets so pathetic that Ivy's girlfriend, Jessica, finally pulls her aside so at the very least her whimperings aren't heard inside the rehearsal studio. I'm really concerned about the directions they're taking Ivy and Karen. Ivy's the more complicated character, which makes me like her more, but episodes like this (and really every episode after the pilot) are writing her as the simple villain in Karen's story. Meanwhile, Karen's being written like we're already in love with her and we don't need any more reasons to root for her. We actually do. And watching her respond to adversity with whimpering and whining is NOT going to do it.

Anyway, later, Jessica rallies the reluctant troops to come to the aid of Karen. Jessica, heretofore bitchy gay Bobby, and Some Other Girl approach Karen with an olive branch, some pity friendship, and an offer to makeover the Iowa milkmaid or however they see her. They take her shopping and tells her they'll get her enrolled in their dance class. I don't love that Karen got the bitches on her side by whining, BUT it makes her seem less weird to have friends and this closet intervention is proving to be sadly necessary. This is actually a thing that should happen to a person upon moving to New York for the first time. Better late than never, right?

After fixing her sad, country wardrobe, Karen's new group of bitches give her an intervention about being part of the ensemble. Okay, this is even better than the makeover thing. This is good. This is necessary. They actually tell her some important shit about how being in the ensemble means everybody's in synch and nobody stands out or pulls focus. Basic shit? Sure. But I signed on for a show about a newbie, so I'm prepared to deal with a newbie. I'm just glad there's value being placed on being a goddamned pro on the job. And it's fun watching this group of bitches coalesce around Karen like this. Best scene of the episode, easily.