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After a couple of weeks of pretty dreadful episodes, Riverdale ramped back into action again … just in time for a month-long winter break. We’re still having to deal with this ridiculous Gryphons & Gargoyles storyline but the real juice in this week’s episode came from the first — and hopefully not last — appearance of Gladys and Jellybean, or JB, Jones. Please Riverdale poobahs, more Gina Gershon!
Yes, Juggie and Archie made their way to Ohio — quite a journey considering Riverdale is apparently in Vermont based on the proximity to Quebec and the predominance of maple syrup — to hide out with Jughead’s mom. Gladys set the tone right off the bat with her excitement that Jughead and Archie finally ‘got together.’ And kudos to everyone for not making a big deal out of the situation. Jughead laughingly denied the best buds were anything but and they all moved on. But it was a laugh-out-loud moment.
But then they got down to business with Jughead bringing mom up to speed on Hiram Lodge, his vendetta against Archie, and the game. Gladys knows a thing or two about the game and Hiram Lodge, and warns Jughead that his vendetta doesn’t just involve Archie, it will touch everyone who has anything to do with Archie and that includes Jughead. Archie overhears the conversation and agrees, advising Jughead to return to Riverdale and let him go on his way. Juggie helped get him this far, so he can’t ask him to go any further (curiously, Jughead does not mention Betty).
But someone else has tracked the ‘breadcrumbs’ Archie left during their travels — Penny Peabody. Threatening to slit Jughead’s throat, Jellybean steps up with a warning of her own to leave the premesis immediately. Penny hesitates a bit too long when faced with a young girl and a slingshot and ends up with a rock to the forehead, David and Goliath style, which incapacitated her long enough to get her tied up for some questioning by Gladys … who is none-too-pleased by Penny’s mutilation of her son (of course the fact that Jughead sliced Penny up first is overlooked).
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We didn’t get to see Gladys’ interrogation techniques, but they must have been pretty gruesome considering Gladys’ demeanor afterwards, and the amount of blood covering her hands. Did Gladys … murder Penny? We don’t know, but it sure seems like it considering she also told Jughead they wouldn’t have to worry about any retaliation from her. *Gulp* But she did get some valuable information about Hiram who isn’t just looking to build a prison, he’s looking to build an empire in Riverdale, and with his wife as mayor and his lackey sheriff now dead, leaving the Riverdale police department rudderless, Hiram basically has all the power. But the question remains — is he the Gargoyle King?
Back in Riverdale, serious events are playing more into Hiram’s hands as the entire cheerleading team, including Veronica — but excluding Cheryl — suffers seizures at the same time, leading to a hazmat team converging on the high school and dragging the girls away. Cheryl was able to get Ronnie and Toni to safety but the fate of the other girls is unresolved. But the event has led to talk of closing down Riverdale High, which makes Veronica’s suspicions about her father grow even more. After all, he was responsible for shutting down South Side High.
Ronnie even attempts to expose her father’s plans to Principal Weatherbee and some parents, but Penelope Blossom stages a seizure of her own to shut down the conversation and accusations. Cheryl and Ronnie, though, decide to extract some information from Penelope by attempting to ‘syrup board’ her, dumping maple syrup over her head to force a confession from her. She finally admits that Hiram is attempting to remake Riverdale almost in his image, turning it into a place where people can live the way they want to live (and we know very well what vocation Penelope Blossom is interested in continuing). And he’s using the G&G game to control everyone.
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Betty basically learned the same information while at the girls school. She forced Ethel to detox from the ‘candy’ the school provides them, courtesy of Hiram and Claudius Blossom, by locking her in the Gargoyle King’s chamber. Ethel was a bit incensed when Betty was spinning tales about becoming all chummy with the King, which helped Betty carry out her plan to help Ethel come down from her high. And Ethel finally realized Betty was telling the truth about the school. So their next move was confronting Sister Woodhouse.
With Ethel acting as a distraction during ‘candy time’, Betty was able to get Woodhouse to the Gargoyle King’s chambers where she and Ethel learned that the G&G game has been used for decades to control and calm the ‘inmates’ at the school, and the statue of the Gargoyle King has been a deterrent to bad behavior. When they’re stoned on Fizzle Pops and taken to the room, they believe the statue is the real thing. Armed with this information, Betty and Ethel attempt to rally the girls but they feel safe and secure where they are, under the auspices of the Gargoyle King.
Ethel suggests there is only one other being who can control the game players, the Gryphon Queen. Manipulate the game to manipulate the players, and they do just that. But it really wasn’t a well thought out plan because where exactly are all of these children going to go? That may be a moot point, because armed with the information extracted from Penelope, Veronica and Cheryl enlisted the help of Kevin and the RROTC to stop Hermione from carrying out Hiram’s plans. Arriving at the mayor’s office, they believed they were able to put a stop to his actions but they were too late. Hermione had already made a call and air raid sirens began to howl around the town.
With Fred and FP arriving to collect Jughead and say a final goodbye to Archie, with Fred offering to go with him (sending the family dog instead), FP and Jughead return to Riverdale — again demonstrating the show’s very confusing geography — as the sirens are wailing and the town’s border is sealed (where’s Fred?). No one is getting in and no one is getting out. And in his home office. Hiram Lodge is raising a glass to .. the Gargoyle King.
The final moments of the episode offered enough intrigue and excitement and questions to pique my interest again, which is a good thing, because I would have really be uninterested in returning had the previous episode been the mid-season finale. But they packed a lot of good stuff into this episode so I won’t write Riverdale off as a lost cause just yet.
Riverdale returns Wednesday, January 16 at 8:00 PM.
What did you think of the Fall finale? Was it enough to keep your interest? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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