Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the CW’s Riverdale season 2 episode 16 last night, it seems like everyone is running in different directions, whether it be a path toward the truth or one to chase away nightmares. Either way, Jughead got it absolutely right when he talked about two trains on the same track going in opposite directions, destined to collide. The question now becomes, who is going to derail first? Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. In last night’s episode, “Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors,” Veronica makes the bold decision to run for class president and asks Betty to be her running mate. Meanwhile, Jughead goes on a hunger strike to make a point to Mr. Lodge, Archie’s mother returns to town, Andy Cohen shows his support for Hermione Lodge, and Cheryl hosts a sleepover party that ends in disaster. My top 5 moments from Riverdale season 2 episode 16 are:
5
“Take deep breaths, keep smiling, and turn the other cheek.”
Now that Hermione Lodge has announced she is running for mayor, the Lodge family was forced to show their poker hand early and reveal that they are planning on opening up a for profit prison. The town of Riverdale is not so pleased with this announcement and many of the kids at school are taking it out on Veronica as a result. Her parents discuss the importance of maintaining a low profile, but it’s hard to oblige when Ethel Muggs is pouring a strawberry milkshake over your head in front of the entire cafeteria. Surprisingly, Veronica handles this embarrassment with grace and shrugs it off. She is not able to keep her composure, however; when Reggie confronts her in the hallway. While Veronica is able to successfully take a deep breath and smile, she refuses to turn the other cheek in this situation and punches Reggie in the face. A satisfying moment for sure, but it gives Veronica the wrong type of press and her family is outraged by her behavior. They remind her that they need her to be a “good obedient little girl,” but will Veronica comply?
4
A cupcake and a kiss.
Veronica fails to listen to her family and decides to run for class president rather than lay low. “As the Thelma to her Louise,” Veronica naturally asks Betty to be her running mate and it seems like they have a great campaign going. Veronica even provides everyone with a cupcake and a kiss to associate them with something sweet. Unfortunately, everything goes more than sour after Veronica mistakenly trusts Josie with a celebrity endorsement. While Josie appears to be on board with this, she secretly goes to Ethel and provides her with intel on Veronica, revealing that she knew about her family’s plans to turn South Side High School into a prison. A harmless concert goes horribly wrong when Ethel hands out flyers with all of this information; causing everyone to turn against Veronica…including Betty, who tells her that she can no longer be her running mate as a result. Will Veronica be able to earn everyone’s trust again? Unfortunately it looks like she will need to make a very difficult decision between her family and her friends to do so.
3
Cheryl’s fears become a reality.
Cheryl has been having nightmares and hallucinations ever since she overheard her mother’s plan to get rid of her and Nana Rose. She decides to hold a sleep over party with her “inner circle and cousin Betty” to distract herself, but it’s really to confide in them about what’s going on. Everyone is not really sure what to make of Cheryl’s fears, but Betty steps up and tells her that she feels like strangers are lurking behind every corner at her house too and empathizes with her. Cheryl is beyond terrified and gets even closer to Toni. Choni is about to share their first kiss, only they are interrupted suddenly. Nana Rose has fallen badly and is rushed to the hospital, but Cheryl knows deep down that this cannot be an accident. She is convinced that Uncle Claudius and her mother pushed Nana down the stairs but doesn’t have any proof. Her mother intervenes when she tries to talk to the doctor and takes her into the car ominously saying that they will “make her all better.” Noticing Cheryl’s disappearance, Toni shows up at the Blossom house to find her, but her mother mechanically tells her that she is out of the country at boarding school. Toni knows this cannot be true, but the door slams in her face before she can get in another word. The end of the episode reveals Cheryl locked away in some type of mental institution, her hair done up in pigtails, as if to bring her back to some sort of childhood state away from the rest of the world. Will Toni be able to rescue her? Why is Uncle Claudius wearing his dead brother’s pajamas? It looks like the Blossom family is not done with secrets and deception just yet, but we will have to stay tuned to find out more.
2
“You know nothing about my darkness…but you will.”
After Betty confronts Chic about the DNA results, Alice explains that Chic doesn’t have any trace of Blossom blood because Hal is not his father. While it seems like a reasonable explanation, Betty is still not buying Chic’s act and is determined to get to the bottom of this and protect her family. Betty is outraged when she finds Kevin over at her house who told Chic about her “catfishing scheme,” and sold her out in the process. Betty warns Chic to stay away from her friends and threatens him with a lighter right over his face, reminding him that she “catches bad men” and for him to “consider himself warned.” Chic does not listen to her threat, however; and goes behind Betty’s back and tells Alice what she did. He then shows Alice Betty’s role play wig, revealing that her and Jughead have taken their relationship to the next level. Alice is shocked by this information but has a heart-to-heart talk with Betty later on and confides to her about her past relationship with FP. While she rules FP out as Chic’s father, it begs the question, who is his real father? Betty tells Chic that she wants a truce for their mother’s sake, but it’s clear that she is not giving up anytime soon. Go Betty!
1
Archie vs Jughead.
Jughead makes the brave decision to go on a hunger strike to continue his stand against Mr. Lodge and the destruction of South Side High School. While Betty supports him on this, Archie is having conflicted feelings yet again. Jughead tells Archie that they are like “two trains running on the same track in opposite directions, destined to collide” and he is absolutely right. Jughead clearly gets Mr. Lodge’s attention and asks the serpents, “Who is ready to go to war?” They make the decision to chain themselves to South Side High School creating a lot of publicity in the process. Archie’s mother returns to Riverdale and is appalled by Archie’s behavior. She tells him that he needs to respect his father who has always done everything the right way to support him and cannot get over his allegiance to the Lodge Family. Mr. Lodge steps things up when he tells Archie to take force against Jughead. Archie clearly does not want to hurt his best friend, but Mr. Lodge ominously reminds him about the consequences of breaking an oath. Archie takes this opportunity to ask for a favor in return and Mr. Lodge agrees to let his father out of his contract. This leads to Fred announcing that he will run for mayor against the Lodge Family, which will clearly cause even more drama. While Archie is trying to protect his family with his decision, he cuts Jughead’s chains, creating a rift that could shake the entire town. Jughead refuses to fight him and reminds Archie that there are cameras all around, capturing exactly what he is doing. In Jughead’s mind he is winning the good fight, but it looks like he is losing his best friend in the process. He makes the brave decision to run for class president and wants Betty to be his co-president. The collision is becoming all too real now, as Archie and Jughead become that much more divided. Who will wind up victorious? Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Riverdale below. Happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
@TV_Fanatic_Girl