Nobody Puts Betty In A Corner On Next Week’s ‘Riverdale’
by Rachel Bellwoar
It’s hard to imagine what could be so scandalous about a twirl that it would have Alice (Mädchen Amick) frantically yelling for a commercial break, but next week’s Riverdale seems to be channeling both Hairspray and American Bandstand, and there’s nothing wrong with that combination:
One thing’s for certain: Betty (Lili Reinhart) looks pissed, and given that this week’s episode ended with her dad (Lochlyn Munro) walking in on her wearing lingerie for the benefit of Archie (KJ Apa), one can assume her parents reacted badly and this is Betty striking back.
It’s crazy, though. Toni (Vanessa Morgan) and Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) deserve all the happiness in the world but, given how dogged Evelyn Evernever (Zoé De Grand Maison) was about exposing Toni as a lesbian (never mind that Toni is bi), that they weren’t caught kissing in the girls’ locker room, but Betty was caught in her own bedroom is truly wild.
I mean, what were the chances that Hal and Uncle Frank (Ryan Robbins) would both walk in at midnight to check-in on their respective teenagers? One adult maybe (and they would’ve undoubtedly told the others), but there’s no reason Archie and Betty should’ve been found out.
Jughead (Cole Sprouse), however, only has himself to blame if Brad Rayberry (Riverdale‘s answer to Ray Bradbury, played by Christopher Shyer) doesn’t want to be his mentor anymore, because stealing his manuscript? In what universe was that going to be well-received? It was interesting, though, to see Jughead’s reaction to Rayberry suggesting he use his own experiences for story fodder. Jughead has never had any problem cribbing other people’s lives for inspiration but his own? Why, the mere suggestion…
Some other thoughts on this week’s episode:
- It’s been a while since F.P. (Skeet Ulrich) was mentioned. Now we know why he hasn’t been around this season (he’s been on the run from the law).
- It’s hard to say who had the best line this week: Cheryl with her “razz my berries,” comment while complimenting Toni’s “pom pom technique,” or Toni’s “knuckle sandwich” threat against Evelyn (“can you dig it?”).
- Archie might’ve said it was fine that Betty and Veronica (Camila Mendes) were “peeping patties,” and countless films have shown teenage boys doing the same, but it’s not really ok. Just because Archie’s a guy doesn’t mean his privacy shouldn’t be respected.
Riverdale airs Wednesdays on The CW.
