*WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS.*
Omg, did you see the previous episode of Riverdale!? Archie’s chest was shredded by a bear and now our favorite character is leaving the series………..sike! Although the red-headed hunk appeared helpless, it wasn’t his body that left us, it was his soul. After fighting to survive the deadly grips of Hiram Lodge, the beloved boy next door became a mere stranger in Riverdale. It hurts to say goodbye to his boy next door personality, but at least the new Archie doesn’t take any crap from anyone. I admire his need to not be a victim, it shows that he isn’t okay with accepting defeat. He’s gonna need all of the inner strength he can get with Hiram constantly backing him into a corner expecting nothing, but less from him. One day he will learn that Archie Andrews is someone you won’t want to mess with. Ever.
After being tortured in the juvenile detention center, Archie returned to school to find out that he might not be able to graduate with his friend from missing so much school. To top it off, the SAT’s were the same week he returned which meant he was forced to cramp information in at the last minute. I know first hand from experience that the SAT test is a test that you have to fully prepare the test. You can’t half-study, fill in c a bunch of times, and cram at the last minute and expect to get a good score. It seems like Archie can’t get a break. The SAT score is crucial to high school student because it can determine certain school acceptance standards as well as the amount of scholarship money the student can receive. Archie can change his hair and his attitude, but he needs to focus on changing the direction of his future.
As we saw in the previous episode, Veronica grew tired of Archie not fighting for their relationship and decided to settle for the next hottest boy next to Archie which is Reggie. I actually think that Reggie is a really good guy and I can’t stand the fact that Veronica used him to soothe that void that she felt since Archie left Riverdale. We know she doesn’t love him, she’s just satisfied that he’s there for her when Archie isn’t that’s why it didn’t shock me when she was all over Archie again when he returned. It was pretty low of her to tell Reggie to push aside all of their feelings and interactions because Archie is back in the loop after he dumped her because of her crazy father. When Hiram got shot in his office Veronica turned her back on Archie and ran back into the arms of Reggie. I can’t stand Veronica, the lodge’s are a family of hypocrites and I don’t like that she pretends that her rich girl privileges have no contribution to her attitude and lifestyle. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree honey.
There’s also a new sheriff in town by the name of F.P Jones. Who would’ve known a Serpent would be in charge of protecting Riverdale. I think that Hermoine did the right thing by appointing F.P as the Sheriff since he knows the town like the back of his hand and the gargoyle King is on the loose. Speaking of the Gargoyle King, it looks like the mastermind behind the mysterious board game creature was Tallboy who was working for Hiram. How shocking? I was expecting it to be Hiram himself in the costume, but it was close enough don’t you think? I also didn’t expect the serpent to actually kill Tallboy, but it was an accident. Tallboy didn’t accidentally kill Hakeem, so it was only a matter of time before a serpent bit him in the rear. Luckily, the serpents have the law on their side, hopefully, they won’t abuse this asset.
I rated this episode a 3/5 because Veronica’s love life became distasteful, I didn’t understand the connection between Bett’s Father, Penelope, and The Gargoyle King, and Cherryl was not in this episode! Cherryl maybe a pain to the cast, but I love her! Without Cherryl, Toni, and Josie and the pussy cat’s this show would be flavorless. We need the edge that those characters bring the show to life. Season 3 is fantastic so far, I just don’t enjoy this fantasy jump that’s included. The show went from being a town feared of a murder named the black hood who was Betty’s father to fearing knock-off dungeons and dragon’s board game. The fictional story angle is just a lot to keep up with especially tying it in with Hiram Lodge’s affairs. I did like how supportive Archie’s father was when he returned from his long journey. He didn’t apply pressure when it was clear as day that everything in his life turned upside down and told him to keep fighting for his life. To me, that was the best moment of this episode. I hope that Archie will be able to graduate with his friends and the Gargoyle King fiasco will go away because it’s terrible.
*Don’t forget to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments.*
~Arganise
