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This week’s Riverdale put the core four in some interesting situations, and then Cheryl blew everything up. While Archie’s been enjoying his fling with Betty, he’s still obviously got feelings for Veronica, and doing demolition on her apartment doesn’t make things any easier. Betty is still hoping to find Polly alive while keeping her mother from going off the deep end. And her nightmares about TBK don’t help her own mental state. Veronica is realizing that her marriage to Chad is doomed, and having Archie around makes it all the more obvious. And Jughead is dealing with his bout of missing time. Did he experience something otherworldly or is he repressing something that he’s medicating with booze?
The biggest news of the week actually came from Toni, Fangs and Kevin — they’re having a baby. Yes, Toni revealed that she is the surrogate for Kevin and Fangs, who are also getting married, and they are going to live together and raise the baby as one big unconventional family. But is Kevin actually ready for all of this commitment? At the top of the episode, he was still cruising the truck stop of a quick hookup, but it turns out he and Fangs currently have an open relationship … that is about to close with the impending nuptials so he’s very conflicted.
Cheryl, however, is not happy at all about Toni’s situation. now feeling like Toni lured her out of Thorn Hill just to toy with her emotions so as Cheryl does, she needs to plan a serving of revenge. While making restitution for her forged artwork by painting a portrait of art dealer Minerva Marble, Minerva is the one who suggests how Cheryl can cause some chaos — hold a baby shower/bachelor party. But not just any run of the mill party, this one will be a ‘key party’ allowing everyone to indulge in their wanton desires one last time before actually becoming ‘adults’. Surprisingly, everyone is game and Kevin even tells Fangs to bring his truck stop hookup — who, Kevin discovers, is his truck stop hookup. Awkward. Even more awkward, Veronica brings Chad. Let the pairing begin.
Things get off to a rip-roaring start when Veronica draws Archie’s keys. Cheryl said the rules were that whoever’s keys you got that’s who you were paired with, no do-overs. Chad was not about to let Veronica run off with her ex, so before he caused any more of a scene than he already had, Veronica put Archie’s keys back and took Chad’s so they could go home. Cheryl wasn’t happy with the rule infraction but said married people were boring anyway so good riddance.
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With Archie back in the mix, it was Betty’s turn and she drew … Archie. Reggie got Fangs, gave him a kiss and said he wasn’t promising anything but he was willing to see where this went (according to Fangs later, Reggie is 100% straight). Kevin drew his own hookup, Rick. A very drunk Jughead drew Tabitha. Minerva got Archie’s friend Eric, and that left Cheryl with … Toni, of course, almost as if that had been the plan all along. It was because Cheryl wanted to show Toni that she could come back to Thorn Hill and they could raise the baby there. Cheryl had one of the most horrifying nurseries that would make Rosemary’s baby feel right at home. Black and red just do not scream nursery. But Cheryl’s plan backfired. Toni’s certainly not going to allow Cheryl to keep her a prisoner at Thorn Hill so that party was over before it even started. But there does seem to be something blooming between Cheryl and Minerva.
The party only solidified Veronica’s feelings about Chad, and the two have decided to divorce. Archie and Betty also came to the conclusion that they are better off just being friends because (a) Archie is still in love with Veronica — although he doesn’t know yet about her impending divorce — and (b) Betty is heading into some really dark places where she’ll need a friend more than a lover so they are actually on good terms now. They got the sexytime out of their systems and can move on. Jughead, who has been experiencing horrifying visions of an alien coming for him, has decided that maybe he does need therapy after all to find out what’s going on before he loses his mind. And Veronica pays a visit to Archie at his new fire station to deliver the news that she’s now a free woman. Archie tells her about Betty, but Ronnie says the past is the past and she’s focusing on the now, so there is at least one fire rekindled.
Another, however, is dying out as the party, his talk with Rick, and his own impulses have him putting the brakes on things with Fangs … who isn’t happy because all of what they’ve been going through was Kevin’s idea in the first place. If he still wants an open relationship after they marry, fine, but there’s a baby on the way and now is not the time to get cold feet. It’s safe to say Toni isn’t going to be happy about this either but … she has a place to escape to if she needs it. Maybe Cheryl’s plan worked after all.
Earlier, Alice told Betty that Polly had called. Betty wasn’t sure she believed her when a frantic Alice said it sounded like she was calling from a spaceship (that comment came completely out of left field). But after the key party, the phone rang again and Betty rushed to pick up before Alice did. And it was Polly, desperately calling for help. Betty said they were on the way, and to call her cell phone but where is she? All Polly could tell them was that she was on the Lonesome Highway. Trying to find Polly, Betty and Alice made their way along the dark stretch of road and found a phone booth, destroyed and covered in blood. Was it Polly’s?
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM.
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