Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the CW’s Riverdale season 3 episode 11, I learned that “it’s not what things are, it’s what they appear to be.” But when everyone in town is holding on to a secret, it’s hard to know who to trust. After all, “no one’s innocent in crime town.” Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. In last night’s episode, “Chapter Forty-Six: The Red Dahlia,” Riverdale embraces the noir genre, as Jughead Jones tries to uncover the secrets in town. Meanwhile, Archie continues to spiral out of control, Veronica is determined to find out who tried to kill her father, and Hermione Lodge proves to be a femme fatale you do not want to mess with. My top 5 moments from Riverdale season 3 episode 11 are:
5
“A safe place as long as you know the safe word.”
I wonder if the safe word is “syrup.” Penelope Blossom has been trying to get her brothel up and running in Riverdale for quite some time, but it looks like she is starting off with her secret sex club, “The Maple Club.” Betty and Jughead uncover it while they are looking for information on Hiram’s mistress and get a lot more than they bargained for when they witness what is going on here behind closed doors. While I’m not too sure on the scenery here, it’s nice to see some screen time for our couple, Bughead, as they get back to their roots and try to get to the bottom of the mystery in front of them.
4
“Well played, Miss Veronica.”
During the episode, Veronica embraces the noir genre and her fashion is on point, complete with an elegant hat, as she goes to hire Jughead Jones to find out who tried to have her father killed. After confronting her mother, Veronica discovers her mother’s connection to the Fizzle Rocks drug fiasco and decides to have the drugs destroyed once and for all. This may not have been the wisest decision, as Hermione is far from pleased, but Veronica reminds us that she is very capable and has been paying great attention to both her mother and father for quite some time. At the end of the episode, Veronica no longer wants to find out the information, but is she perhaps a little bit too good at being a Lodge? After all, manipulation seems to run in the family, but we’ll have to see what our girl Veronica does next.
3
“I’m going to face and kill one more demon.”
Archie continues to abuse alcohol and Fred is not pleased, as he reminds him that “this does not solve your problems.” Archie receives some unexpected advice from Josie, which is actually spot on. Josie talks to him about dealing with his demons head on, but Archie decides that he needs to finally face Hiram Lodge after all this time. After initially going to shoot Hiram, Archie ends up saving his life and the two make a deal to stay away from one another. But can you really ever make a trustworthy deal with the devil? Archie listens to Josie and decides that he wants to channel his anger into boxing and start playing music again, which seems to be a step in the right direction. Thanks Josie!
2
“You’re not so innocent, Betty.”
After talking with her father, Betty realizes that the murders around her have all been made to look like suicides by poison and that this trend definitely screams Blossom. After some more detective work, Betty learns that Clifford Blossom was actually poisoned by the “black widow” or “Red Dahlia,” Penelope Blossom. Cheryl and Toni have already warned Betty to back off, as Cheryl is mourning the death of her Uncle Claudius, although I’m not sure that there are that many tears here, but Betty continues to use all her resources to figure out the connection. Penelope reveals that Claudius was responsible for the seizures, suggesting that the Fizzle Rocks run off in the river caused them. However, Penelope Blossom is no medical doctor for sure, as we are still not able to understand why the seizures only impacted girls so far. After Betty confronts Penelope about what she did, Penelope tries to explain that she only punishes men and that they are the “real poison.” She also reminds Betty that she talks to Hal quite a bit and knows that she left Chic to die. Secrets will get the best of you every time, but I’m sure our girl Betty will be able to figure out a plan.
1
“We should agree to keep each other’s secrets.”
After confronting Hermione Lodge, she appears to have nothing to hide. Hermione is great under pressure and it seems like she may be off the hook, but Jughead Jones knows better. Hermione may not have pulled the trigger on her husband, but she is pulling all the strings. Jughead quickly learns that Sheriff Minetta is alive and well and having an affair with Hermione. Only FP was the one to actually take the shot at Hiram. Jughead tries to warn his father that Hermione plans to finish the job and frame him, but FP uses his new connection to the media to keep her quiet. It seems like we are witnessing a strategic game of chess here, but Hermione is not about to let any loose ends remain. She warns Jughead not to reveal her secrets or she will bring his father down too and she shoots her lover, Sheriff Minetta, proving to be the ultimate femme fatale.
Overall, I was slightly underwhelmed by the noir themed episode. Shows like Supernatural and Charmed have pulled this off successfully in the past, using the genre as a filler episode. However, I am still recovering from the filler episode 9 so I was hoping for something more concrete here. I will say that the plot did continue to move forward, but I was slightly confused with all the twists and turns and almost felt like I had to take notes just to keep up. While I love the mystery behind Riverdale, I almost felt like it didn’t even need the noir theme or perhaps it didn’t need it to be present for the entire episode. Either way, it looks like everyone still remains a suspect in some capacity, but we’ll have to stay tuned to see what happens next!
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Riverdale in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
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Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
@TV_Fanatic_Girl
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