As “Riverdale” learns that Jason’s death was a homicide, Archie wants to tell the police about the gunshot he heard the day Jason went missing, but Miss Grundy won’t let him. Jughead also discovers one of Archie’s secrets while Betty tries to go back to just being friends with Archie.
Archie’s guilt is misplaced
Archie spends much of the episode wallowing in guilt over hearing a gunshot at the river, but not telling anyone. He wants to say something, but Miss Grundy decides they can’t because then people would know about them. This might be the dumbest decision made by the show.
In a simpler storyline, one of them could simply come forward and say they heard a shot while they were out alone and not involve the other person at all, moving the story along to another obstacle. Instead, Archie continues to be tormented by guilt while Miss Grundy can’t make up her mind about their so-called relationship. First, she tells him they can’t see each other, then decides that if they still want to be together, he can’t say anything.
Setting aside the fact that I do hate student-teacher romantic relationships on teen shows, this is so inconsistent it gives me whiplash. There’s no reason for Archie to feel guilty about hearing something when he didn’t know what it meant and to torment the audience with this relationship as a result.
My dislike of this storyline aside, the rest of the episode is still really fun.
Jughead knows
Archie and Miss Grundy’s relationship is proving to be the worst kept secret in “Riverdale” seeing as how Jughead spotted them together in only the second episode. Not only did he catch them together and confront Archie about it later, but it prompted Archie to tell him about that gunshot.
Jughead does make a good point when he talks to Archie though -- he tells him that Miss Grundy is just playing with him. If she’s just out to manipulate him, it would explain her constant flip-flopping on their relationship. Two episodes in, and Jughead is still the smartest person on this show.
The women are the best characters on this show
Betty and Veronica had the best chemistry of any of the characters in the pilot, but as we get to see the two of them interact a little more with Cheryl in this episode, it’s evident that all of the women have better chemistry with one another than they do with the men on this show. They also feel like they’ve got more layers beyond the cookie cutter characters we’re used to seeing on teen television. The guys? Not so much.
Veronica drops truth bombs on Betty about the unfairness in falling for someone who doesn’t love you back. Betty retaliates by trying to bond with Cheryl. Cheryl thinks Betty’s sister killed Jason. Betty snaps back. Cheryl later breaks down in her grief.
Yes, there are the petty moments you see between young women on TV in all of that, but Betty grows from the experience, Cheryl opens up, and Veronica continues to strive to be a better person as a result. It’s much more compelling than the usual catfighting.
Give Josie and the Pussycats something else to do
My love for the growth seen in Betty, Veronica, and Cheryl aside, the Pussycats are really being underserved on the show. I know that there are a lot of characters to juggle given how many people at least recognize them from the comics, but these young women need to be allowed to have storylines of their own and not just trotted on stage to sing and dance when someone else wants them to.
The verdict and what’s next
Because my dislike of the student-teacher relationship weighs heavily on the storyline in this episode, I had a harder time getting into this one than the pilot. I still really enjoy the spin on the “Archie” characters, but “Riverdale” has a lot of potential to live up to.
3 out of 5 stars.
In next week’s “Body Double,” Cheryl’s story will be revealed, while Betty attempts to revive the “Riverdale” high school paper.
