You know how they say wine gets better with age? I think Riverdale is most certainly getting better as time goes on. I'm sorry this preview is coming at you so late, but I'm glad to be giving it to you nonetheless. Last week, we got our first glimpse into what seems to be a deep seated crazy inside of Betty Cooper and I found myself amazed at the brilliance that is Lili Reinhart. I can definitely report that this week Lili is once again fire bringing Betty Cooper to life with such fire that it's walk away from Chapter 4 not rooting for her once again. Though the best part of Chapter 4 is that almost everyone has something to do making for an entertaining hour of TV.
The promo for this week pretty much spoiled what's going on in the A-Plot with Miss Grundy, but even though it did, I'm not going to get into much detail on it. What I will say, is that the revelation that Miss Grundy and Archie are sleeping together definitely sends Betty into a crazy-obsessive spiral to find out the truth about her. Sure, she's not quite dunking anyone in syrup infested boiling water, but the way she hones in on Grundy because she wants to know the truth has shades of crazy that I'm starting to love about Betty. If you ever seen anything where a woman takes on a new identity, you can pretty much figure out where this story is headed and I can say that for now there will be resolution for this icky little plot thanks to Betty's diary, a gun and a heated confrontation. Things can still be good between Betty and Archie if she ruins Miss Grundy's life right?
Elsewhere in this episode, Jughead is trying to find a way to save the local drive in where he works that holds special meaning to him in more ways than one and Veronica is trying to figure out what her mother, Hermoine, is up to. You'd be surprised that these two plot points actually share a common thread. (Hello, Skeet Ulrich!) With Ronnie, she's first put on to her mother's sketchiness by Cheryl (Whose motives I still can't figure out) and finds that her mother has something going on with the local gang, the Southside Serpents.(She's not the only one....Kevin....insert looking eye emoji here) We'll learn that Hermoine is not quite the innocent woman that the show wanted us to believe she is and that she's probably just as motivated as her husband is when it comes to making money. The serpents are also part of Jughead's woes (in more ways than one, and I didn't see one little twist coming) as they are the reason that the Mayor cites in her decision to sell the drive in. Fred's company gets the contract by the way, so he's uninterested in helping Jughead save it and we learn a bit about Fred and Jughead's father and their history as well. Of course, the presence of Jason Blossom looms over the episode and things get a little bit more murky when the Sheriff Keller finds his investigation is being targeted by someone unknown for now.
Chapter 4: The Last Picture Show is a really solid episode that has a lot going on. Everyone has a bit of a role to play and there are definitely more questions being added than answers being given, which isn't a bad thing so early in the season. The acting is definitely getting better and it's nice to see the parents have some heavy involvement this week. I'm looking forward to the presence of the Southside Serpents to shake things up for multiple characters.
Quotes:
"Your faux concern reeks of an ulterior motive"
"You may be a stock character from a 90's teen movie, but I'm not"
"Nice murder wall, true detective"
"You know what happens to a snake when a Louboutin heel steps on it? Shut the hell up or you'll find out"
Riverdale, Chapter 4: The Last Picture Show airs 2/16 at 8pm CST on the CW following Supernatural. Will you be checking it out? Sound off below!
About the Author - Winston Mize
I always have the most trouble coming up with a blurb to describe me. Which is really weird for someone who wants to make a career out of writing. If you think I'm awkward online, it's just because you haven't met me in person. I'd like to think I have other interests outside of TV, and maybe I do, but TV is the one that gets me most excited. I live a pretty boring life so TV's the way I get my fix, and I'd love to chat about it with you. I'm also always looking to guest on podcasts and become a podcasting sensation, so if you've got the opportunity, I'm in there like swimwear. You can check me out with different previews of various shows or read my reviews of iZombie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Legends Of Tomorrow here on the site. If you're a fan of One Tree Hill you can check out my podcast about as well by checking out our twitter page @OnlyOthPod.
