You did a bad thing, Daddy." This is the best episodes of Riverdale so far. Packed with tension, overflowing with emotion and effective in almost every way. The only problem is, the show is still let down by repetitive tropes that have plagued the series as a whole. With developments in every corner of the story, and secrets being revealed for every character, it had everything going for it, but because we've had so much needless drama in between Jason Blossom's death and the latest episode, everything feels unanticipated as if we've known this for a long time. But there was one outstanding shock, and that resided in the Blossom household and the monster within.
It's actually quite unnerving to think that Cheryl and Polly had been living in the house with the same person who mercilessly shot his own son. Whereas before I've criticised the show for portraying its characters with a goofiness unbefitting a drama show like this, this twist helps to sprinkle some grit on this portrayal - a seemingly over-protective and pompous, rich man who actually has an incredibly dark secret and an inhumane obsession with reputation and money. If, of course, that is the reason he killed Jason. That's still left in the air for the finale, and it seems even harder to discover now that Clifford Blossom has committed suicide. At first, the episode seemed to slowly build into a frustrating cat and mouse chase, but it came far more character-driven thanks to a few beats between revelations. Jughead discerning that his father was keeping a secret was key in exonerating him, but as he's still heavily involved in the case, he's forced to remain in jail. Cheryl, over the course of this series, has been bouncing between the good and bad spectrum, and it seems this episode has finally shown her true colours. She had great love for Jason, and that has been driving force in her portrayal and nothing else. When Betty personally rang her to reveal her father's involvement in Jason's murder, it showed that perhaps everyone has misjudged her. Yes, she has a mean streak, but it's one flaw in a very emotional teenager. Elements that irked as usual include the honestly stupid decisions made by the characters. Archie and Veronica going it alone is a bit ridiculous, and is perhaps only necessary to tie up the sub-plot of Archie staying with his father or moving away with his mother. Whilst it does help to tie up loose ends in the investigation, it seems too easy and unthreatening, considering they're entering South Side territory. If anything, this episode has helped to inject some humanity into the characters. Realising that FP Jones only confessed to the crimes to protect his son was a nice gesture and nothing short of gut-wrenching for Jughead who has been like a yo-yo of emotions, weighing between love and hate towards his untempered father. With only one episode left of the first season, I'm actually looking forward to discovering the final secrets behind this half-hearted murder mystery. Riverdale hasn't wholeheartedly impressed me, I'll be honest - the writing and and story choices are sloppy at times, but there's a charm to its amateurish style, and one that could be redeemed if the finale is as good or better than this episode. 8/10
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
October 2017
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