The latest episode of Riverdale removes the gang from their typical high school drama to focus more on each of the character’s coming-of-age stories. On Riverdale last week, Veronica is slut-shamed so with the help of Betty and Cheryl they bring the jocks down, but Betty becomes a little unhinged during the process; Archie collaborates with Josie and the Pussycats and his father finally supports his love for music; Cheryl reveals Jason planned the accident to escape Riverdale; and Jughead discovers Grundy’s car was at Sweetwater River on July 4th.
The main gang are at Pop’s, where Jughead is angry about the Twilight Drive-In being closed and demolished, since he works there. He asks the trio for suggestions about what should be its last screening, and he eventually goes with Betty’s suggestion of Rebel Without A Cause.
But Betty has other things on her mind, such as finding out it’s more than likely Archie was with Grundy at Sweetwater River. She confronts him and he reveals the truth. Veronica inserts herself into their conversation and learns the truth as well, and the two girls gang up on him by telling him it’s wrong.
With all the drama happening at Pop’s, they might as well through in some more. While Hermione Lodge throws some serious sass at Cheryl, this causes Cheryl to retaliate. She discovers Veronica’s mother looking all shady and talking to a man in the car park of Pop’s, could it have something to do with her husband? Cheryl then passes this information on to Veronica and we learn the man is part of the Southside Serpents, Riverdale’s local bikie gang.
Betty is getting her Nancy Drew on (and yes, they do throw in that reference) and decides to ‘interview’ Grundy for the paper. She’s definitely not subtle about it and Grundy reveals she also tutored Jason Blossom privately. She obviously has a thing for high school red-heads, watch out Ethel Muggs.
Veronica and Betty break into Grundy’s car where they discover a gun and an ID. The two learn Grundy is new to the Internet and an elderly woman named Geraldine Grundy died seven years ago… She brings this up with Archie who drops the “if you’re really my friend” card to get her to leave it alone. But this causes Archie to come to some reason and asks Grundy, who reveals she had an abusive husband, and she changed her name.
Meanwhile for the adults of Riverdale, the Cooper’s approach Archie’s dad and tell him to stop letting Archie near Betty, which he thinks is ridiculous, Hermione uses her husband’s money to fund Mayor McCoy’s campaign in for the drive-in’s land and Sheriff Keller has created a murder board for Jason’s death.
Jughead has a mission of his own this episode as he approaches both Mayor McCoy and Archie’s dad, who will be demolishing the site, in an attempt to desperately change their minds and keep the drive-in. It holds sentimental value for Jughead as his sister and him used to sneak in, but with the Southside Serpents frequenting the drive-in, it’s no longer worth it.
The Twilight Drive-In is having its last hurrah and everyone is present. Hermione and Archie’s dad reminisce about their date so many years ago at the Drive-In, Veronica shuts down the Southside Serpents who are making noise but then catches her mother sneaking off with one to talk, and Kevin finds himself making out with one.
When Alice Cooper is putting Betty’s clothes away (do parents actually do that?) she discover Grundy’s gun. This causes her to rifle through Betty’s diary and learns of Archie’s affair. She races to the Drive-In to grab Betty and Archie’s dad who head to the school and discover Archie with Grundy. But if only they came in early as Archie is finally ending it with Grundy.
Throw in some more pop-culture references by calling Grundy ‘Mrs Robinson’ and demanding the two come forward. But Betty sticks it to her mother and blackmails her into her letting it go. Grundy announces she will quit her job if it’ll make everyone stop, but Alice has to get the last say and demands she leaves town also. Back at the Cooper’s house, Alice is crying and Betty demands her to stop using Polly and Jason as an excuse to control her life.
The episode closes with the revelation of Sheriff Keller’s murder board being completely destroyed and Jughead dismantling a makeshift room, which turns out to be at the Twilight Drive-In! He’s then approached by the same Southside Serpent who talked to Hermione and he is asked what he is going to do next when he responds with “I’ll figure it out, Dad”!
Overall, Jughead remains my favourite character and perhaps we will see him move in with Archie? This episode also threw some major The Vampire Diaries feels with the overhead narration of Betty writing in her diary. It just goes to show The CW are trying to keep their TVD viewers by hooking them on Riverdale.
What did you think of the latest episode? Let us know in the comments below!
Riverdale returns next week with ‘Chapter Five: Heart of Darkness’.
