Riverdale fans we are here!  It’s the mid-season finale and we’ve got many upset fans. It’s Riverdale, right!  Some want Betty and Jughead back together.  Well, I’m not sure where Bughead stands.  Others wants Archie with Betty (Barchie) but right now it looks to be Veronica and Archie (Varchie).  I’m not really going to concentrate on that right now as we still have Chad and now Glenn back in the picture.  I’m not a Chad fan and Glenn is a big question mark.  He told Alice the truth.  I understand why but with no body, I’d say “Back off dude.”  He knew nothing of Alice’s problems. 

And previews haven’t helped.  A gun, really?  Twitter had a post yesterday reminding us of how “Life with Archie” ended.  With the show picked up for another season, I can’t see the franchise losing any of the core four.  Do I think someone gets shot tonight?  Yes and I’m guessing Betty.  My reasoning is: “The Trash Can Killer,” the trucker, or Glenn.  (Okay, I sure guessed that one wrong!)  She does seem to attract serial killers!  Plus we have already had Archie and the bear and Jughead’s death only last year.  That leaves Betty or Veronica.

Jughead’s Cure for Writer’s Block

Tonight, again no opening narration but Tabitha and Jughead dancing in the diner.  From that kiss, it looks like we may have a new couple – Tabhead?  Later, while at school, Jughead’s agent calls and tells him that Popular Culture magazine wants an article and little bit—let’s say – macabre than what he has been writing.  (Well, at least I know the magazine isn’t part of the Popular Culture Conference!  They only want scholarship.)  Back at the diner, Jughead starts working on the project and he’s listening to tapes.  Are they really of Betty?

Jughead and Tabitha talks about the almost kiss that has happened.  She apologizes and he tells her about the toxic relationship with Jessica.  He’s got writer’s block again and wants her help.  It seems the book was written while on some type of “mushroom” psychedelic drug.   He wants Tabitha to watch over him after he takes a dose and starts the article.  Tabitha is smart.  She doesn’t want him on drugs and refuses his help.  Jughead is determined and orders the drug to be sent to him in Riverdale.

Tabitha apologizes for kissing Jughead but he gives her the history.  Jughead says he has had a toxic relationship.  Jessica is a writer and Tabatha stops him and says, “Let’s be friends.”  Jughead asks for her help with the Popular Culture book.  Jughead tells her about how he wrote his book on Magic Mushrooms.  Jughead hopes the maple will help him break through and he asks Tabatha to watch him.  She does not want him doing psychedelics. 

Jughead calls and asks about the Mushroom drug.  He’s going to get some sent to him in Riverdale.  The delivery person is Jess.  She issues a threat after Tabitha tells her she’s Jughead’s new girlfriend.  Tabatha tells Jughead she is against the drug plan but she will help.  After fixing him a burger, Jughead tells her she doesn’t have to stay all night and she promises to check on him.  This is what we don’t need when the jail break happens.

As Jughead starts to write, the drugs kick in.  When Tabitha comes to the bunker to check on him, he makes a play for her.  She hand cuffs him to the chair and tells him to write then leaves.  In his drug induced state, he hallucinates that first Jess shows up and throws herself at him and then Betty comes.  Let’s just say he is anticipating a good time (PG-13 version) and then sees rat running across the bunker’s floor.  As he looks around, he sees a light which appears to come towards him. 

The next day, Jughead wakes up to find a manuscript on the table but then the door to the bom shelter opens.  Later when Tabitha arrives, she finds blood on the floor, the manuscript with blood on it, and the handcuffs covered in blood.  Jughead is no where to be seen?  Has he been abducted?  Is this a new killer no one suspected?  Has one of his old enemies found him from the jail break (wait for it).  Mystery one for the season return is here folks!

Betty and the Cooper’s Family Drama

Yes, I said drama.  When we first see Betty, Glenn appears to have spent the night.  She’s not happy with him especially when he hints that her father may have once been involved in the highway’s killings.  The history goes far enough back to include her dad but would the Black Mas Killer be part of that plot.  Hal is dead, isn’t he?  With Hal, I never can be sure.  When Betty says that Jughead will join them, Glenn won’t have it. 

As Betty and Alice talk, they get a phone call about the twins.  Something has happened at school!  It seems Juniper and Dagwood pushed a classmate, Jared, down the steps.  He broke his shoulder but could have died.  The twins show no remorse which worried Betty and Alice.  

Betty tells Glenn about the twins and their reactions.  She’s worried that they are a bad seed.  That doesn’t seem to surprise Glenn who is working on his dissertation about the Cooper Family and the serial killer.  While Betty may not have the tendency, her father did kill people.  SHe tells him she quits, and he tells her that she needs him to find Polly.  Let’s take a vote, shall we.  Who is more manipulative:  Glenn or Chad (and you’ll have to wait on why I ask).

Later, Betty and Alice set up for the children’s birthday party.  As they sit down to eat, the doorbell rings and Juniper goes to open the door.  In comes Charles and Evelyn who have escaped from prison.  They want to be married at the family home.  Betty says there is no minister there but Charles had Alice get ordained online so she could marry them in prison. 

As if that isn’t enough, Glenn shows up.  Three guess who has ties to Glenn.  That’s right! Glenn trained with Charles at the academy and was his rival.  They tie Glenn to a chair and play a family game called “The Pin Cushion Man.”  The youngest member must stick a knife in the target, Glenn.  That means that Juniper must do it.  Betty pulls her back and tells Charles not to do this.  Charles agrees but Betty must take her place.  Betty cuts Glenn but also throw the knife at Evelyn (apparently killing her).  Alice rushes Charles and a shot goes off.  Was it Betty or Alice.  She gets up with a gun in her hand.  Luckily, (I hope) the children were out of the room.

The next day we learn that Glenn had a flesh wound and will be okay.  Charles is in ICU and looks to recover (yippee not).  No mention of Evelyn so I take it she died..  The Highway killer is being moved to the northern part of the state.  Evidently, Betty isn’t going there.  When we last see her tonight, she’s dressed as a trucker and hitting the highway.  I guess she’s a vigilante now.

Archie, the General, Hiram Lodge and Cheryl

Archie finds out about Parent’s Night from Mr. Weatherbee.  On the heels of that, he finds out he’s up for a silver medal.  The General tells Archie it is for his bravery at the mission.  Archie doesn’t feel he deserves it and uses his class to point this out.  It upsets a general when Archie question when you don’t have to follow orders.  Archie smells a rat (and it isn’t Hiram this time).

Wait, the rat Hiram is up to something.  Hiram tells Slimy Reggie he needs to redeem himself.  Hiram wants the Parent’s Night to be ruined because Archie has managed to bring the town back to life.  Hiram plans to blow up the prison (remember the clock last week) and Reggie must get the maple grove.   There is something (scrolls I think) buried there.  I’ll go into my thoughts on this in the for next time section.  Reggie must convince the Blossoms to sale the grove so they can did.

While Cheryl and her new girlfriend are walking through the grove, they check the sap buckets.  There is nothing in them.  Nana tells Cheryl it is the Blossom curse and is happening due to the outsider (Cheryl’s girlfriend).  Now wait a minute?  Why didn’t Toni cause this to happen?

When Nana gets a visit from Reggie, she signs a deed giving Hiram the grove.  This upsets Cheryl to no one who visits Hiram and tells him that the document is illegal.  Well, Hiram isn’t happy but has a plan to force their hand.

Archie visits uncle Frank in the prison (you know, Hiram’s).  After pouring out the story to Frank, Archie asks for advice.  Frank tells him to follow his thoughts.  Frank also warns that a prison break is planned. 

At Parent’s Night, Archie and Kevin seem to have the town under control.  The General and Mr. Weatherbee is there.  Meanwhile, Hiram watches the time clock down to zero when a bomb goes off at the jail.  That’s why Charles, Evelyn, Frank and Cheryl’s mom are lose in town.  As the lights go out at the meeting, Archie goes downstairs to find a prisoner messing with the lights.  This guy could make two of Archie! They fight and Archie ends up beating him only to find two more determined to make trouble.  In the classroom, the parents have been robbed while a machete wielding prisoner watches outside the door.  When the one who killed the lights doesn’t show up, the prisoner goes to investigate, and Archie gets the upper hand.  He takes him out and grabs the machete.  Just as all looks lost for the townspeople who have a gun trained on them, Archie arrives and saves the day (of course he does).

Archie finds out that the prisoners are determined to close the school for good and Archie knows that Hiram is behind him.  When he suggests leaving the general says the room would be safer.  The general follows Archie to find the inmates storming the school but Frank is there.  Archie gets him in and the general still wants to wait it out.  Archie tells him they can go a back way to the sheriff’s office where they’ll be safe. 

The next day, Fred and Archie at eating breakfast.  Mary is going to use this to get Frank out of jail.  Meanwhile, they learn that Riverdale sustained damage and must be left closed and that the maple grove fire had taken out buildings in town.

Oh and Archie and the medal?  Archie has learned that the paper is writing a story about the mission and something suspicious with it.  He refuses the medal and asks the general what is going on.  The general tells him that if Archie won’t accept the medal, he’ll be the scapegoat.

And why did the maple grove fire hurt the town.  As the fire rages outside and Nana says they must sacrifice the outside, Cheryl’s mom arrives.  She tells them they must pray that the wind changes direction.  This is what happened, and the town caught the worse of the fire.  I think I see the direction this is going so wait for it.

In his little kingdom, Hiram is upset over the fire but  doesn’t seem worried.  He’s got the town disheartened again which means he can take it over and build his new development with no one to bother him.

Veronica’s Divorce Woes

Veronica loves Archie but has to get a divorce first.  Smythers delivered a package to Veronica which she assumes were the divorce papers.  Instead, there was blackmail in the package.  She calls Chad and blasts him but he asks her to come to New York to talk.  While Archie is against it, Ronnie is going.  She has a purpose for the trip.  It seems the helicopter accident is behind it.  She and Chad had fought on Martha’s Vineyard.  They were heading back to New York when the helicopter malfunctioned.  Ronnie blames herself for the accident because she wanted Chad dead.  She has to facehim to get closure. 

At the apartment, Chad has a Chinese dinner set out with candle light.  After dinner, they lok at pictures from their first date (in London) and listen to their wedding song.  If I had been Veronica, I would have left and not eaten the dinner.  Later she asks Chad about the accident.  Did he do it on purpose to try and kill them so they could be together for eternity?

The next morning, Chad gets hit with the wrath of Veronica.  She has the papers and see no signature.  The whole thing was a set-up.  Seems Chad has been a crook.  He has borrowed from investors (including the jewelry store) and lost money in the exchange.  Veronica can heave their divorce after she helps clean up his mess.  Otherwise, she will find that he testifies against her and turns this into her fault.  He needs time and her help.  Veronica calls Archie and tells him she’ll be New York to settle business for a few more days.

Next Time after the break:

Hiram and Slimy Reggie wants something from the maple grove.  Will they successfully find it.  Will Archie be the General’s scape goat or the hero of the town.  Will the Klines find a way to prove Hiram’s involvement.  Can Veronica turn the tables on Chad (she’s smarter than he is)?  What will Betty find on her “road trip” and as a trucker.  More importantly, does Sabrina and company show up to do magic in the maple grove and does Cheryl’s family have ties to magic?  We’ve got three months to speculate on what Juggie is doing and if he’s in a flying saucer.  So, stay tune and hold on your hats as we wait for July!