Sumith Prasad
Keyshawn AKA Miss Mississippi and Derrick’s relationship is one of the prominent storylines of Starz’s drama series ‘P-Valley.’ Derrick, an extremely toxic boyfriend, makes Keyshawn’s life miserable by hurting her physically and emotionally. Still, she continues her life with him, despite Diamond’s offer to save her from him. The first season of the show ends with Diamond confronting Derrick concerning his abusive behavior towards his girlfriend.
Although Diamond stands up for Keyshawn against Derrick, she holds a gun against him for hurting her boyfriend. Since Derrick continues to be a toxic presence in Keyshawn’s life, one must be eager to know whether she will part ways or continue living with him. Let us share our thoughts! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Will Keyshawn and Derrick Break Up or Stay Together?
Keyshawn has suffered unbearable hurt from Derrick multiple times during her time at The Pynk. Still, she doesn’t leave Derrick even when she has a home and family in the strip club to seek sanctuary from him. The stripper ignores Diamond’s repeated offers to help her. When Diamond confronts and fights Derrick without the permission of Keyshawn, she stops him. Choosing Derrick over Diamond paves the way for her exit from The Pynk as well. But her choice doesn’t mean that she is ready to endure Derrick’s abusive behavior for the rest of her life.
“She [Keyshawn] understood the choice she had made to protect her abuser probably wasn’t the right choice,” Katori Hall, the creator of the show, told EW. After leaving The Pynk, Keyshawn is trying to establish herself as a celebrity figure through Instagram and her association with Lil Murda. She tours with the rapper and the duo gets celebrated for their performances greatly. Keyshawn’s resilient attempts to build an independent career can be the start of a new chapter of her life, possibly without Derrick.
According to Hall, Keyshawn will try to put an end to her abusive relationship with Derrick. “In the second season, we see her [Keyshawn] wrestle with that regret [of choosing Derrick], but we also see that regret kind of ossify and harden her and make her stronger. She’s like, ‘Oh, I made the wrong choice, and so I, as a woman, have to grow up and make better choices, not only for myself, but also for my children and my future,’” Hall added to EW. Since the only better choice Keyshawn has in front of her is to leave her abusive boyfriend, Hall’s words indicate that the couple will most likely break up.
In the fifth episode of the second season, Keyshawn realizes that Derrick had started to hurt their three-year-old son. As a mother, she realizes that it is impossible to lead a life with Derrick. She has been always ready to endure any hurt for the sake of her family’s unity but she cannot stand her children getting hurt. Keyshawn even takes her first step towards freedom by proclaiming that she is going to leave him with their children. Even though Derrick hits her and makes her stop, the incident indicates that Keyshawn has exhausted all her patience and most likely will leave her abusive boyfriend at the earliest.
Keyshawn knows that leaving Derrick right away will only provoke him. She may wait to gain as much money as required to start an independent life. Especially after what happens with Rome, Keyshawn needs her career as a dancer to make enough money. If provoking an already angry Derrick will result in him hurting her face with a hot iron box, she may choose to wait until he gets calmer and she is financially stable enough to part ways with him. Keyshawn is yet to find her footing in the world all alone and she may need to fulfill that before leaving Derrick.
With the support of Lil Murda, Keyshawn may start leading an independent life after possibly leaving Derrick in one of the upcoming episodes of the second season. If she manages to do the same, Keyshawn may even consider a future with Diamond, who has feelings for her. If that’s the case, we may finally see the much-awaited union of Keyshawn and Diamond as well.
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