With Betty’s sister escaped from the institution her parents stashed her in, Betty is worried about what will happen if the Blossom family finds her first. She and her friends set out to track Polly down before she can get in serious trouble. Meanwhile, Jughead and Archie set out to fix another problem - the relationship between their father’s and Jughead’s living situation. It seems like “Riverdale” can be “A Lonely Place” for just about everyone.
Not the comic book nod you were expecting
Even those who don’t necessarily read the “Archie” comic books have been having fun picking out nods to the print series during the first few episodes of the show.
In “A Lonely Place,” the show turns those nods up to eleven with an opening sequence that puts the main characters into their comic book costumes in a dinner party right out of the ‘50s with a creepy Stepford twist.
This was such a fun, and not to mention creepy, way to give a call back to the comics while still keeping with the tone of the show. Jughead, of course, is dreaming, but the scene allows us to see what he really wants - a relationship with Betty - while also showing us that he’s more than aware that a picture perfect family is an illusion. We get a whole lot more about his family backstory, and families in general, in this episode too.
Jughead and Betty are a thing
They don’t seem to be defining just what that thing is just yet, but Betty and Jughead, Bughead if you will, are definitely a thing.
He can’t bring himself to call them a couple and she can’t explain more than he’s been there for her when Veronica asks, but they’re holding hands, he’s walking her home, and she’s surprising him with a kiss when he gives her an idea. They’re in that cute, awkward stage of a relationship that is sweeter and more natural than what you usually see on TV and that’s refreshing for a network like the CW.
Jughead and Archie play peacemakers
At least, Jughead and Archie attempt to broker the peace between their dads. Their dads were good friends in high school, into football, in a band together, and even fixed up cars together. As FP tells it, the two of them also started Andrews Construction together before Fred pushed him out when he got into some trouble.
As Fred tells it, FP was stealing from the business and Fred didn’t know what else to do to save his investment.
The audience can tell FP’s a mess. He’s the leader of the Serpents, he’s got a serious drinking problem, and he can’t seem to be there when Jughead needs him, as is evidenced by Fred having to show up and get the police to release Jughead when they’re ready to accuse him of killing Jason Blossom. It’s easy to take Fred’s side here, but something tells me Fred isn’t as squeaky clean as he seems: no one on this show is. So, what’s Fred hiding? FP is apparently hiding a love for setting cars on fire since we see he’s got Jason’s jacket hanging in his closet after the car was torched.
Or maybe he was just hiding the evidence of the drugs that were in the car. The Serpents are into some shady deals, after all.
Veronica shows her petty comic book roots
Veronica has been much more well rounded than her comic book counterpart thus far in the series, but in “A Lonely Place,” she punishes her mother for forging her signature by spending money on clothes she doesn’t need and going clubbing with friends on a school night. Veronica, who always seems ready with quick with and a sharp tongue decides to go the spoiled rich girl route instead of actually speaking to her mother - a strange dance of negotiations that they’ve apparently done many times - and it’s one of the few truly annoying things the show has done.
The show has worked so hard to make Veronica more than her shallow comic book past, but “A Lonely Place” took her two steps backward.
The verdict and what’s next
A few missteps don’t make “Riverdale” any less fun or enthralling.
4 out of 5 stars.
“Riverdale” won’t return until March 30. When it does, the Blossom and Cooper feud explodes.
