Katy Perry Reminiscences Over The 'One That Got Away' In New Video

Katy Perry Reminiscences Over The ‘One That Got Away’ In New Video

The premise of this video is pretty straightforward – Katy as an old woman flashing back to time she shared with the love of her life. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this premise, although the makeup department could have made a few changes. Katy looks terribly strange as an old person, and her forehead is way too big. Seriously, what’s going on there?

As the video progresses, we see that she and her beau are bohemian artists (the black hair makes her artsy), which also fits. They seem like a nice enough couple, and the video spends a couple minutes establishing how cute they are. Then things get odd.

There is a shot in which young Katy enters old Katy’s bedroom and acts like she’s examining her. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does young Katy care about old Katy, when they song is about old Katy regretting what she did as young Katy? Also, why would she be time traveling?

After that, we get to the video’s main conflict, in which young Katy is standing with a paintbrush in front of a blank canvas. Even though there’s no reason to think she is a painter, her significant other gets annoyed, grabs her arm, and forces a few brush strokes onto the canvas. The impetus for this rage is never explained. Nearly as inexplicably, Katy then throws red paint on the painting that he had been working on, BECAUSE IT IS HIS JOB. Both actions are wholly unreasonable. His ensuing departure is more justifiable.

He then proceeds to fatally crash his car in a way that wouldn’t happen in real life. As he is driving, he opens the visor and Katy’s tiara falls out (symbolism!). He then takes his eyes off the road for a good four seconds to look at it. When his eyes finally return to the road, it’s just a little too late for him to notice that two massive boulders have been placed in the middle of the road. There’s no reason for them to be there, but setting that issue aside, he could have just hit the brakes. Instead, he veers, loses control, and crashes over the railing.

Back in the present (future?), old Katy goes to the crash site, sees her childhood sweetheart (that’s the way this should work), and Johnny Cash starts playing. It’s terribly forced, even with the Johhny Cash reference earlier in the song. I suppose Radiohead would be a stranger choice though.

One final question – why is old Katy wearing a massive wedding ring, especially when young Katy is not? Her man friend (Fiancée? Husband?), was an artist, and they seemed to live in some pretty cramped quarters. Where did the money come from? Did she marry someone else?

- Dan Spritz

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November 18th, 2011 | Mara | Comments Off |