Greetings, Riverheads! Apologies for taking so long to get back to you. So much has been happening in our little land of the gingers! Love blooms and wilts, intrigues are being hatched, treachery and subterfuge are the rule of the day! Corporate competitions turn into bloody beatings!
You didn’t think you’d get this from a show based on characters originally appearing in Pep Comics, did you?
When last we left off, Polly (remember, she’s real, and she’s preggers) had gone on the run, and her and Jason Blossom’s escape car had been torched. Ronnie was enraged at her mom for faking her signature on papers to get Fred Andrews Construction a gig developing the old drive in theatre (and who was surprised to see that an icon of the past such as a drive in theatre being closed would be a major plot point in Riverdale?), where Jughead had been living.
Episode 7 found us in Jughead’s new home. After an adorable dream sequence that’s 100% evocative of the Pep days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE4ZpJKPEUw
We find ourselves in Jug’s new residence, a cupboard under the stairs at Riverdale High (and does he think he’s Harry Potter now?). Of course, this secret gets out pretty darn quick as Archie catches him showering (in a scene that probably has its own category on archiveofourown.org by now) and gets him to spill the (No-Name) beans.
It’s not that bad; I mean, he’d be paying $2400 a month for that in San Francisco.
Jughead’s decor betrays his style. He’s got his CUTS (Cupboard Under the Stairs, people! Keep up!) populated with classics of western literature, including Kafka, Twin, Steinbeck,and possibly Ludlum. Ohhhh, Ludlum’s books star an amnesiac named Jason. Could there be MORE mysteries about Jason Blossom’s past to be uncovered?
The Riverdale Crew hold a meeting in a student lounge, which is a bad idea, as one of Cheryl’s informers overhears them discussing Polly being at liberty. Jughead and Betty’s relationship is as well kept a secret as anything in this show. I mean, don’t touch affectionately if you’re trying to keep a relationship on the DL. It’s that simple.
We were treated to duelling search parties. Face Search Party is Jutty, Archie, their friends and the football squad. While outlining her plan to get revenge on her mom & blow off steam, Veronica describes Reggie as dim-witted, disposable, eye candy. Fair cop.
The Heel Search Party is clad in tweed and has bloodhounds. Of course they do.
The searches are fruitless, but Betty eventually realized that Polly probably went home and hid in the attic, which, yeah, surprise. Coop Ma & Coop Pa tell Betty that Polly has agreed to give her kid up, which is not actually true. The Blossoms offer cash and “love” or whatever passes for it in their reptilian hearts.
Archie, upset that Jug is sleeping loose, gets his dad to rehire the senior Jones. Of course, he was always one of his hardest working crew. Things go well until secrets begin to reveal themselves (literally, the main theme of this show) and we (and Jughead and Archie) discover to Fred cut FP out of the construction company they founded because of FP’s inability to stay on the straight and narrow. Seriously, he enters
Veronica seeks vengeance on her mom by shopping and carousing with Reggie, Josie, and Kevin (please seek parallels to Dorothy and her companions elsewhere). An uneasy agreement is reached between her and her mother.
Jughead gets busted by Sheriff Keller because his prints on the car brought up a juvenile record, which follows the logic trail of “Guy is named Jughead — Guy gets bullied — Guy plays with matches/gets busted for arson — continues to get bullied by football team — murders Jason Blossom”. Apparently, in spite of Betty pointing out it’s 100% bs circumstantial evidence, Jughead is afraid he’ll get sent up the river (and drops. a West MEmphis Three reference). Fred Andrews pulls off a little felony of his own, saying Jughead was working for him during the summer (and falsifying the records to prove it!)
In the end, all lost lambs find a a place to bed down. Jughead stays with Archie, Polly stays with the Lodges, and Jason’s letterman jacket, presumed lost in the blaze that claimed the getaway car, finds a place in FP’s closet.
Duh Duh Duhhhh!
