“Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli lolli lolli, lollipop.” Not sure about the rest of you, but I had this song stuck in my head after watching yesterday’s episode of the CW’s Riverdale (season 2, episode 5). Betty’s ringtone played over and over with this song while the black hood toyed with her, threatening her image of kindness and perfection. I’m not sure if I was left with a sweet or sour taste in my mouth at the conclusion, however. I have become a fan of Riverdale after binge-watching the first season on Netflix and have been really excited to see where the show is going after solving the first major mystery from season one. Growing up, I loved reading the Archie comics and I enjoy how Riverdale has transformed into a saucier, more mysterious version of the comic series. It has just the right balance of bubble gum pop with a hint of Gossip Girl nostalgia along with a Nancy Drew like quality.
Episode 5 had a vortex of story-lines going on, however; which split my attention a little too much. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode. We had the mysterious black hood calling Betty and testing her left and right, threatening her sister’s life is she would not comply. Who is the mysterious villain on the other end? So far he or she has been outsmarting Betty with every move, convincing her to bring her mother’s secrets to life, spoiling her friendship with Veronica, and destroying her relationship with Jughead. As I started to think about who the black hood might be, their motives seem focused completely on shattering Betty’s world, unleashing her own darkness in the process. The black hood even leads her on a wild goose chase only for her to end up looking at her own reflection so that she would understand that they are very much alike.
While this story-line has my full attention, episode 5 also sprinkled in Jughead’s tests to become part of the Serpent gang, leading him to kiss Toni in the very same day Betty sent Archie to break up with him, which begs the question: is the love between Jughead and Betty really that epic? Will Betty and Archie get together instead? They have been growing closer and closer trying to decipher the black hood’s clues, while Veronica has been distracted by her old lifestyle, desperately trying to win the approval of her father. Speaking of Veronica, her old friend visiting only to bring havoc onto the small town of Riverdale and ultimately trying to attack Cheryl seemed forced. While my heart goes out to Cheryl, was this necessary for the episode? Was this only to set up a convenient bad guy for Betty to target, rather than the black hood going after her family? Either way, the secrets and lies beneath the surface of Riverdale have not all reached the surface, so I will continue to watch to see them unravel. Will you?
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl