Riverdale – I’m scared. All season I’ve seen prophecy of what could be in the world.  Tonight, I’m afraid of what Riverdale has planned for us.  I mean we did get a glimpse of Lady Llorna and we all know from Rivervale what that means (especially to Toni).  Wedding blues or joy?  And which of the plagues will we see beyond water as blood, frogs and …  I’m afraid it will be the last which deals with those first born children.

So where is Jughead?  Well, at least he is narrating the story tonight.  We open with frogs escaping from the bio labs.  The frogs are lose around the school.  Students have lice and flies are swarming.  And amid all this, Toni visits Ronnie about helping plan the date for the wedding and plan it!  party planner) Archie will be a groomsman.  So already, we viewers have seen four of the plagues of Egypt.  Where is Jughead? We need him to solve this.  Well, he’s in the bomb shelter and writing.  He tells Tabitha that when he started writing the voices faded.  She asks if he’s ready to come into the “so-called” real Riverdale world but he’s not ready.  He’s not sure what will happen with the voices.  Tabitha wanted him for her date but she really only wants him to get better. 

Meanwhile, Percival isn’t finished enacting the plagues of Egypt from “Exodus.”  This time, he casts a spell which deals with water.  Kevin has listened and it causes him to stop.  He’s changing and I don’t think Percival sees it.  Someone just get rid of Percival now.  Yes, he’s makes a good good villain but I really don’t want to see this level of evil going on with what is going on with kids being killed in school. 

The next level is Sweetwater River turning red like blood.  Scientists can’t explain it (as the token Alice scene tells us). All water in the town is undrinkable and people are upset.  One good piece of news though is that Kevin arrives at Toni and Fangs’ and promises to drop the custody case.  Kevin has turned.  He also asks for forgiveness (getting a wedding invite).  Percival meanwhile calls Archie and tells him to get the strikers back to work or the plagues will continue and be much worse. 

As Ronnie works on the wedding, Tabitha sees she would like to be somewhere else.  Ronnie is having trouble and is questioning her reason for staying in Riverdale.  She has no social life or lover.  Tabitha tells her she has her own problems with not taking Pop’s national yet.  The red water has shook people up.  Percival’s threat has the gang meeting (with Kevin included) and Cheryl wants to enact a spell to kill Percival.

Meanwhile Jughead is sleeping and someone is there stealing the story he just finished.  Is that Lady Llorna?  Before I can be sure, and I think it was her, it’s commercial time, of course.  Jughead wakes and notices that the story is gone.  As Archie talks to the strikers and ask them to allow him to deal with Percival, the strikers refuse.  They want a better tomorrow.  Oh, and Tabitha gets it right.  He’s the snake from the Garden of Eden.  Betty needs more research.  Just open your Bible girl! 

Veronica and Tabitha are talking as they work on the wedding.  Ronnie lists what all are fighting for but can’t figure where she fits in.  We also learn that Cheryl now will be officiating Toni and Fangs’s wedding.  She talks to Heather and tells her that it’s nice and she’ll give Toni the best wedding gift – killing Percival.

Switch to Percival casting another spell that causes the food to rot. Thus, Toni’s reception can’t be held at Babylonia because of Percival’s evil.  Jughead has found a Pop’s hamburger and eats it but it makes him violently ill.  Who left that for him and why?  Was it Percival?  I didn’t think he knew where Jughead was.

At Cheryl’s mansion, she and Heather start a spell to kill Percival.  It’s got voodoo involved and they cast their spell and start the doll burning.  At Percival’s shop, he starts feeling pain and (literally) smoke.  Someone, after stripping to his underwear, Percival manages to counter the spell causing Nana to burse into flames.  Does this serve as the start of Sabrina’s return in two weeks?

At the rehearsal dinner, the food is plentiful and not rotten.  It’s at Pop’s of course which seems to be under divine protection.  Ronnie performs “Here’s to the Ladies That Lunch” from Company.  Find her a place on Broadway immediately.  I’ve seen it done by the best and they have nothing on her.  After her performance, Betty and Ron talk.  Betty suggests Ronnie join Archie and she at the wedding but Ronnie says no like they did for their Sophomore dance in high school.  Ronnie refuses but thanks Betty for reminding her why she’s in Riverdale – friendship.  Archie and Tabitha comes up and tells them Cheryl called and they need to meet.  They find Nana is badly burned and Heather treating her.  Kevin is definitely team gang now and spills on Percival. 

Later, Betty and Kevin talk.  He admits Percival fooled him and talked about the journal Percival is always writing in.  He volunteers to try and get it and almost gets caught.  He tells Percival that he was feeling lonely and upset since he gave up Baby Anthony and Percival gets him to help unload a package just received.  Archie asks to meet with Percival to arrange the strikers return only to find out that the plagues will ease if Archie builds the railroad by himself.  (I’m going to be honest here.  The way they staged this made me think of Jesus and the Cross). 

Boils is next. Betty realizes it from the crime board.  Again I can only think of Monkey Pox.  As the strikers play basketball, boils start appearing.  Archie goes to see Percival and that’s where he learns he has to build the track by himself.  That doesn’t stop the plagues though as Percival sends darkness to the land of Riverdale.  At Jughead’s bomb shelter, he has a dream that Cheryl shows up with a knife to kill him and finds his latest story is gone.  Kevin reports back to Betty that he was unloading medieval and Babylonian weapons including a stockade.  Betty flashes to the “whore of Babylon” riding a beast.  She flashes back to the Trash Can Killer telling her that they were more alike than she knew.  Betty is the Whore of Babylon and Percival plans to put her in the stocks so he can get evil into our world.  Guess the gang didn’t go to church (or take Bible in school).

Betty visits Percival the stocks and imprisoning her.  If that will stop the plagues, she will get in them.  He seems surprised that she realizes she is the harlot but he needs her to do one thing before she is imprisoned.  She must bring him baby Anthony as Kevin has deserted him.  Later the gang discusses the next signs (earthquake, fire, pestilence and death of first born).  Cheryl realizes from a book that the stocks could stop Percival and a plan is hatched.  Betty arrives with a bundle in her arms and Percival demands to see it.  When he realizes it isn’t the baby, he starts his threats.  Cheryl has casted a spell which make the gang invisible and they all appear with guns.  Cheryl blows a powder in his face and he awakens in the stocks himself.  Meanwhile, Jughead is trying to find out more and receives a bottle with a message inside.  The question is:  What was the message. 

The plagues disappear after Percival’s capture and the stocks moved to Veronica’s to a supposedly protected vault.  As Ronnie leaves for the wedding, she taunts Percival and he starts to free himself.  Meanwhile the wedding goes smoothly (for Riverdale) and the party start.  Percival isn’t through.  He manages to get free of the stocks (destroying them) and out of the vault casting one more spell.  He stops at Blossom manor and kills Nana by smoothing her (her spirit survives though).  At the party, Veronica talks to Tabitha about the trips she made to the future.  She asks who ends up with Archie?  Suddenly, all first born children start to collapse beginning with Archie.  With roughly five minutes left, I have to ask will Lady Llorna arrive to take Anthony to safety?  Is she the “good” sent to protect the baby?

Jughead has not apparently been free of the curse.  He awakes in him bunker to someone taking the story.  The visitor turns around and it’s the Rod Sterling Jughead (I think) from Rivervale.  Suddenly Jughead starts to choke as the Rivervale Jughead watches in horror.  At Babylonia, the survivors are in tears.  I know how Betty, Ronnie,  Cheryl survived but didn’t realize that Kevin, Heather and Tabitha had older siblings.  The surprise is that Anthony is still alive in Kevin’s arms.  Heather realizes she knows someone who can help.  Her name is Sabrina. 

In two weeks:

Sabrina comes and she will make Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the girls into witches to combat the Percival threat.  She’s going to help solve the Riverdale mess.

Another note:  I just replayed the opening of episode one from this season with Jughead as the “Twilight Zone” Rod Sterling character.  I don’t think any of us picked up on his use of “plagues” then.  So I think we can see that he moves as Jughead two (Rod) through the dimensions.  He will play a role in this as much as Sabrina, I think.  Also I now realize how much those Bible classes taught me.  I thought I forgot the bad stuff! Also, every time it is a recap like this, I have computer troubles.  The keyboard locks up or the battery is drained.  It’s almost like Quantum Leap has returned.