Riot Women (S1, Ep. 4-5) The High and the Hangover

 

Okay. We need to talk about Episodes 4 and 5 of Riot Women, because together, they feel like one emotional punch followed by the bruise that blooms the next morning.

While episode 4 gives us the moment we’ve been building toward: the band finally stepping onto a real stage, episode 5 reminds us that every act of defiance has consequences. And wow, does this show make us sit in both. Here are my thoughts. 

The Stage Is Finally Set (Episode 4)

After weeks of rehearsals in Beth’s living room, the band makes its debut at the Hebden Bridge talent contest. They initially plan to play it safe with a pop cover, something digestible.

But at the last minute? They pivot.

An original track. Loud. Messy. Honest.

It’s the first time the band truly feels like Riot Women instead of a hobby project. The performance is cathartic, not polished, not perfect, but earned. These women aren’t asking for permission anymore.

And just when the episode lets us breathe in that triumph, it yanks the air back out.

Backstage, Kitty comes face-to-face with her abusive ex. What follows is less a fight and more a pressure valve finally exploding. She throws the punch. It lands. And suddenly she’s in handcuffs.

Rosalie Craig is electric here. She lets Kitty be furious, vulnerable, reckless, and wounded all at once. It’s messy, and that’s what makes it powerful.

Meanwhile, Nisha’s storyline takes a devastating turn. After her patrol car is overturned, she’s assaulted in the line of duty in a sequence that’s intentionally difficult to watch. The show doesn’t soften it. It doesn’t stylize it. It forces us to confront it.

Episode 4 ends not in celebration, but in fracture.

The Morning After (Episode 5)

If Episode 4 is the adrenaline rush, Episode 5 is the emotional hangover.

Kitty spends the night in custody, her hand broken, her legal future uncertain. The bravado fades. What’s left is exhaustion and the weight of years of trauma surfacing all at once.

Craig takes Kitty even deeper into darkness here. You can feel how much that punch cost her — even if part of her needed it.

While Kitty sits in a cell, Beth and Tom are left to navigate the fallout of the parentage bombshell. Tom is trying to reconcile the biological mother he’s just discovered with the volatile woman he’s seen implode. Their conversation is quiet but devastating. No big speeches — just truth sitting heavy in the room.

That dynamic between Beth and Kitty continues to be the emotional spine of the series.

And then there’s Nisha.

Still in the hospital, her visit from Holly begins to peel back the systemic rot inside the police force—particularly involving PC Rudy Rudenko. It’s bleak. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s consistent with what Sally Wainwright has been building all season: this isn’t empowerment as a slogan. It’s survival in systems that weren’t built for you.

Triumph, Then Consequence

What makes these two episodes so effective together is the tonal whiplash, and I mean that in a good way.

Episode 4 said, "Look what happens when women stop shrinking." Episode 5 asks, "And now, what does that cost?"

Some viewers may feel the portrayal of male characters leans relentlessly toxic. It’s a deliberate choice, clearly. At times, it borders on heavy-handed. But the show’s punk spirit has never been subtle.

And honestly? The emotional honesty outweighs the blunt edges.

There’s even a flicker of hope, Jenny Lennox expressing interest in managing the band, but it feels fragile. Like momentum could slip away at any moment.

Together, Episodes 4 and 5 mark a turning point. The band finds its voice, and then the world pushes back. This isn’t just a show about women starting a band. It’s about rage, trauma, motherhood, systemic failure, and the terrifying vulnerability of being heard.

Overall, I give Episode 4 an 8/10 and Episode 5 a 9/10.

Combined? This is the show at its boldest.

Now the question heading into the finale isn’t just whether Riot Women can make it. It’s whether they can survive the fallout of finally stepping into the light. Did the tonal shift work for you? Or did it feel like too much, too fast? Leave a comment.

You can catch Riot Women on BritBox.