Liam Hoofe reviews the tenth episode of Riverdale season 2…
Oh Riverdale, how I’ve missed you. Wasting no time in getting back on track following its brief hiatus, ‘The Blackboard Jungle’ kicked the season half of season 2 off with a bang, introducing us to new characters, and creating a whole new set of problems for Archie and the gang to deal with.
With The Black Hood now out of the way (at least from their perspective) Riverdale has a new host of problems to deal with. Cheryl’s mom has become a prostitute, Southside High has been closed down, oh and Archie is now working with the FBI. That’s right, the episode’s first big reveal is that it wasn’t The Black Hood taking photos of Archie and Veronica before the show went off on its jollies, no, it was the FBI. Turns out that the feds have decided that Archie would be a nice way for them to get to Hiram Lodge, so they send our ever caring, and so often stupid hero on a quest to find out what he can about his girlfriend’s father. All this eventually leads to Archie confronting Nick St. Clair, who quickly figures out what Archie is up to, leaving our confused looking hero with no choice but to beat him up.
The escalating civil war in Riverdale between the north and the south was also amplified this week, with the South Side Serpents moving into Riverdale High after the closure of their school. This plot allowed for some fun moments, and it’s great to see Cheryl being some much-needed exposure. It’s taken a while but it looks like she finally has a storyline to sink her teeth into, and after her brief exchange with the Serpents this week, I can’t wait to see what else she has to offer. I also like the fact that Jughead has become the one who is a stickler for upholding Serpent traditions, he is slowly but surely turning into a strong leader for the group and he could, somewhat ironically, end up being the reason the two sides can’t make peace.
Finally, this episode, we were also introduced to Chic, Betty’s long lost brother, who, I’m still convinced is the real Black Hood. We first met Chic in a motel working in ‘fantasy fulfillment’. After initially rejecting his mother and Betty, he returned to his family home after Betty saved him from a disgruntled customer. The last shot of the episode saw Chic leering over Betty’s bed, with the lighting focusing on his eyes. I’m standing by my theory that he is 100% The Black Hood. I know many suspects that Betty’s Dad is the man behind the mask but such focus has been placed on The Black Hood’s eyes, and Chic’s are identical, I really can’t see it being anyone else. He is clearly obsessed with Betty as well – which would explain a lot. He also admitted to having travelled past the house once – so he would know where they live. No-one has seen him since he was a child either, so he would be able to attend the town meetings and not be recognised by anyone. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. Betty’s sister, Polly, also made a brief appearance at the start of the episode, revealing that she is now living on a farm with some sort of cult. What does this mean? It means we are definitely getting an episode of Riverdale focused on the farm and its cult, and it should be brilliant, but in terms of the bigger picture, probably not a great deal.
Heading into the second half of the season half of the season, an exposition-heavy episode of the show was just what we needed to get things going again. The Blackboard Jungle had a lot to juggle but it managed it well and the episode never felt over-stuffed. There is so much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Welcome back, Riverdale.
Liam Hoofe – @liamhoofe
