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This week’s Riverdale was interesting but I’m still not sure what the endgame is as the series finale gets ever closer. This episode mainly focused on Betty and Veronica (loved the use of the original comic book font at the top of their segments which paid homage to the comics of the episode’s title) with just a touch of Jughead. Juggie spent the entire episode in a booth at Pop’s, still reeling from the apparent suicide of Brad Rayberry. He was consulted by both girls at different points in the story, but his major point came at the end of the episode when Sheriff Keller asked him to assist in their investigation into Rayberry’s death (which will play out in the next episode).
But on to the main stories …
Betty
Poor Betty is still being questioned by Dr. Werthers about her ‘abnormal’ sexual desires, about undressing in her window for her neighbor’s gratification, about flashing her panties on television. So it seems Werthers is a therapist now, jotting down notes during the conversations with Betty, refusing to tell her what exactly he’s writing down. But his questions about Betty’s sexual fantasies — which involve Archie, Jughead, Reggie and even Veronica — really makes Betty question what Werthers is up to.
After asking Betty about marriage, noting that sex is only for married couples for procreation, she asks him why can’t sex be for pleasure? And what if she doesn’t want to get married? And what about the girlie magazines in his father’s sock drawer? Even more strange, Alice just drops in on Betty in her bedroom with a collection of bridal magazines. What are the odds? And after another session where Betty tells Werthers she writes down her fantasies in her diaries, Alice has them all on the coffee table along with their priest waiting to hear Betty’s confession … and perform an exorcism if needed. Needless to say, Betty is apoplectic and storms off.
Considering what Alice did as ‘breaking and entering’, Betty decides to break and enter into Werthers’ office to find out what he’s been writing on his notepad. She couldn’t find that but she did find a copy of the new novel Lolita (a rare instance where the show uses a real title by a real author). Asking Jughead what the book is about, she’s horrified to learn it’s about a sexual relationship between an older man and a 12-year-old girl. Reading the book for herself, she then confronts Werthers and basically calls him a pervert, maybe he’s using that book for his own pleasure, not research. She later confronts her mother, who tells her she’s relieved Werthers of his duties, and Betty begs Alice to just talk to her. She feels their relationship is broken but she doesn’t know why because Alice won’t talk to her. Betty touches a nerve when she tells her mother that she can see she’s unhappy but before Alice can really respond Hal storms in after hearing the conversation. He tells Betty her mother is fine and that Betty is the problem, but it’s clear from Alice’s face that she’s very upset (some nicely subtle acting by Mädchen Amick), and the next morning the fallout is tragic. Alice informs Betty that since she thinks she knows everything, she no longer needs a mother. Betty is very confused but Alice is adamant, walking out and telling Betty again that she is no longer her mother. And she can fix her own damn breakfast.
Veronica
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Veronica’s problem is different, but ultimately ends in much the same way Betty’s did. Her biggest issue is drawing audiences to the Babylonium to keep the lights on. Her scheme is to give away free passes to everyone at school for a James Dean double feature (again using a real person and real movies). Her toughest sell is Cheryl, the president of the local James Dean Fan Club, who would rather see the movies over in Greendale on a much bigger screen. But Cheryl eagerly takes the free passes Ronnie offers and it looks like there will be a full house. Kevin and Clay are wondering how she expects to make money by giving away tickets so she reveals the truth about movie exhibition to them: movie theaters make most of their profits at the concession stand (fact) so it doesn’t matter if she gives away tickets. But because of some snafu, the films Veronica receives are completely over-exposed, rendering them useless and forcing Ronnie to offer the crowd vouchers for a return visit. No one wants that, they want full refunds on the food and soda they bought. Before a complete riot ensues, she is forced to give in to the crowd’s demands.
In the middle of everything, Veronica is also asked for a date by Reggie but she has too much to juggle at the moment so she offers a raincheck. Getting back to business, Ronnie finds that she’s been blackballed by every major Hollywood studio and finally comes to the realization that her parents probably have something to do with it, still smarting from her buying the theater out from under them. Kevin suggest that while the majors are snubbing her, there are still many B-movie studios eager to have their movies seen by audiences.
Heading over to Pop’s, Ronnie asks Jughead if he’s ever heard of a movie called The Crawling Eye (yes, a real movie). He has, of course, because it came out two years earlier. But it sound intriguing enough to Ronnie and she’s hatching a plan after Jughead tells her about William Castle (real person), who sold his not-very-good movies with gimmicks. Ronnie comes up with her own gimmick for The Crawling Eye — a 4D experience (as far as I know, the real movie wasn’t even in 3D so this is a stretch). She employs Archie and Reggie to help with the gimmick, and at the appropriate moment of the movie, the theater fills with fog and the boys jump out in some crazy eyeball costumes, scaring the audience silly.
The gimmick is a hit and there is a line around the block the next night. But Archie and Reggie only signed up for one night, not a regular gig, and they turn down her offer of $2.00 per night to go to basketball practice. Hopefully she got Kevin and Clay to fill in. One benefit is that Hollywood is suddenly eager to work with her, but when Reggie came to collect on his raincheck, she was so busy doing business he left. Returning home Veronica discovers that her key doesn’t work. Smithers informs her that her parents have decided that she doesn’t need her allowance anymore and they have arranged other living arrangements for her while Smithers packs her belongings. Ronnie tells him not to worry, she knows where she’s staying the night … and she tucks herself in on the sofa in her office at the Babylonium. But where will Veronica go from here, and can she keep her parents’ claws out of the theater?
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 9:00 PM.
What did you think of this episode? Let us know in the comments section below.
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