Okay, gang!  Ready for some Riverdale craziness?  Sure we all love the show but I want to start this recap with a brief salute to Luke Perry.  I might not have ever watched Riverdale except I wanted to see Luke as a dad.  He made Fred Andrews a person that everyone respected.  He brought a sense of reality to what others would deem a comic strip.  I must admit that it was funny to see Luke offering fatherly wisdom like he use to get on 90210.  To Luke’s family, his Riverdale family and his associates at 90210, he will be missed.  His fans will also miss his skill as an actor.  He made us believe in good fathers.  And it is only fitting that the show did the “In memory” placard at the end of tonight’s episode.

Betty’s Run-In with the Farm

Now on to Farmville, I mean Riverdale.  Is anyone else tired of the “Farm” seeming to be the main theme of this show?  So, let’s get through this as quickly and painless as we can.  Betty is on the hunt and has labeled it a cult.  She finds out they have convinced Kevin that it is the place for him.  Josie admits that he’s been sneaking out at nights to go to meeting with Evelyn Everheart.  When she finds them, he is getting ready to walk across a fire pit.

On Riverdale, the cape crusader is Betty.  She  has been labeled a detractor (although I keep hearing in my mind several other cult related labels) by the members of the cult (I mean Farm).  She is determined to bring it down and thinks she has enough to write a story about it and convince Josie’s mom and Kevin’s dad to act.  Only problem is Alice’s big mouth!  Yes, Alice has told everyone at “The Farm” about the little killing that happened at her house.  If Betty spills, they spill on Alice and Betty.

And Betty’s bad week continues.  She comes home from that confrontation to find Alice packing for the move because the house has been bought by a mysterious buyer.  Show of hands please?  How many think it was the mysterious leader of the farm?  Betty is cleaning out her room and lights a candle almost putting her hand to the flame.  Alice stops it and tells Betty to come downstairs to pack.  Betty brings the burning candle with her.  Will she burn the place down?   Apparently she does as she leaves the house and Alice returns to a wall of flame.  Either Betty did it or the Gargoyle King has come back into Alice’s life.

 Jughead’s Lessons in Leadership

Riverdale High now seems to be the home of all gangs.  Only problem:  The Gargoyles seem to have joined the Serpents.  (I knew missing last week was a bad idea but I had to see if I was right about the Masked Singer.)  Back to the story though as Jughead is having problems with his new Gargoyle members.  Former member of the Gargoyles, Kurtz, is a piece of work.  I do believe he thinks he is in charge and Jughead is not sure how to handle it.  F. P. tells him that he’s got to remake the Serpents and basically tells Jug to make changes.

Jughead is trying but Kurtz is determined to have things his way.  All comes to head when Kurtz decides to drop Fang on his head over the banister at school.  First Kurtz steals, then he wants to kill.  Wonderful guy, isn’t he.  But we do learn from him and his friends that there are other Gargoyles who are crazier than Kurtz.

F.P. shows up with a job offer and Jughead is all for it. F. P. offers to deputize the Serpents and it will give them credit in high school and help them with college. When Jughead offers the deal, it’s either you are in or out.  Guess who is the only one out!  Kurtz!  Why do I smell more problems coming from this character.

Archie’s Bad Week

I think Archie’s problem is somehow going to end up tied to Kurtz.   Archie finds a young boy named Ricky.  Ricky has the same brand as on his arm that Archie received from the Warden.  To make a 20 minute bit shorter, Ricky runs away to the old Gargoyle clubhouse.  There his name and Archie’s are marked for death.  Archie takes Ricky home with him.  Fred plans to find Ricky a home.  As Archie and Ricky bond, the social worker calls and tells Archie that Ricky is Joaquin’s brother.  Also, Ricky is a little bit crazy and homicidal.  Of course that sets up the “stalker” scenario.  As Archie looks for Ricky, Ricky has set Archie up for the kill.  If Ricky kills Archie, the Gargoyles will protect him.  He slashes Archie with a knife, Fred arrives, and Ricky runs.  Archie and Fred find a card of the floor that says:  “Kill the Red Paladian.”  Will we ever finish with this Gargoyle bit?  Archie and Jughead go to the Gargoyle club which the Serpents are taking over and Archie realizes that he’s going to have to make this end.  Jughead and Betty are going to help him.

Veronica (and Reggie) Make Their Move

We know that Riverdale’s bad guys are now Gladys Jones and Hiram Lodge.  Now, we also know they want control of Veronica’s club.  To try and get out of debt, Veronica installs games of chance but somehow Hiram and Gladys find out and want to use it for their purposes.  Hiram wants to provide the cards while Gladys wants to sing.  When Gladys takes the stage, Hiram is hosting a visiting client.  Said client decides to heckle Gladys who draws a knife.  What is it with knives tonight?  And what is it with bad parents.  (Note to self:  Remember Fred and breathe deep.)

Veronica has had it and Reggie feels that they need the Serpents back for security.  Veronica has another plan.  She’s going to hire the Pretty Poisons to do that job.  Veronica meets with Toni and works out a deal.  When Veronica asks if Toni needs to talk to Cheryl, Toni tells her no and her girls will be on duty.  The next time the club opens its doors, the Pretty Poisons are on duty and (gleefully, it seems) tell Gladys and Hiram they are no longer welcome.  Gladys has to have an invitation and Hiram has to learn to respect his daughter’s business sense.  Somehow I don’t think this will go over well even though Hiram smiles.

A Quick Recap (with my thoughts)

So for a quick recap of our favorite characters:

• Archie is targeted for death (like that will happen).
• Jughead is now a deputy (things could be stranger).
• Betty has apparently started a fire due to “The Farm” (why she didn’t do something there , I don’t know).
• Veronica is standing up to her father and the new big bad (she better watch her back).
• Kevin is a member of a cult (like I haven’t been predicting that “The Farm” was a cult for awhile).
• Josie and Reggie were present but only as confidants and support (which surprises me).
• We’ve got two new rogue villains in place – Ricky and Kurtz.
• The new cult in town is The Farm who seeks power and I feel has a tie to G & G.
• And G & G isn’t over.  (Oh, please get “The Farm” out in the open and get G & G gone.  It wasn’t even this bad when it was played as Dungeon’s and Dragons.)

Until next week, I’m out!

Okay – I’m 35 minutes into Riverdale tonight and I am hoping that this episode is another one of Jughead’s story.  If not, we either will get answers or more confusion.  Yet, this is Riverdale and are there ever any answers?  Of course not!  That’s why we keep coming back. So, let’s get into the story and see just what happens.  By the way, Riverdale producers, did you stage the sound mess up intentionally??

Archie the Angry Drunk

Archie has decided that college isn’t for him and he wants to work with Fred.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t go smoothly as Archie’s anger and drinking get out of control.  Add to that he gets fired and Fred catches him drinking and lectures him (yeah Dylan schooling Archie on drinking is funny — 90210 reference here).  He goes to Veronica’s club and Reggie refuses to serve him because Archie had had too much already  to drink.  Josie cools him off in a cold shower and Archie tells her about the dream/vision during the bear attack.  Josie offers him an alternative – music.

Archie decides that he has to confront Hiram and goes to the hospital with a gun (don’t ask me how or where Archie got the gun or how he got it into the hospital).  As Archie gets ready to shot, a masked gunman arrives (more about this later because it’s too confusing).  Archie shots at the masked man who runs (and yes, this will be revealed later).

Archie calls Veronica who comes to the hospital.  Hiram is alive and awake and wants to see Archie (as far as I can tell since the sound messed up and I was reading captions).  Hiram thanks him for being there and saving his life.  Archie says he only wants to live in peace.  They now have a truce sealed with a handshake.  Archie goes to the club and talks to Josie.  Have we got a new romance going?  Or is he going to take her suggestion and do music?  Well he does want to “jam” with her.

Betty and Her Family’s Mystery

Meanwhile Betty is off on a new mission because she’s suspicious of all the murders.  Her take is that it is Penelope Blossom.  Betty crashes Claudius’ funeral then meets back up with Jughead.  They decide to work together but Betty gets a call to meet the coroner.  Long story short (and to make the most sense), Claudius didn’t have an autopsy performed but the coroner found Clifford’s records.  Clifford didn’t commit suicide by hanging.  He had been killed by poison (or drugs) prior to the rope  being tightened around his neck.

Betty goes back to see Penelope at her sex club, Maple.  Betty’s figured it out.  Penelope has been killing the men who have died but why not women. Penelope admits that she did the crime and only murdered men because of the Blossoms adopting her at eight and her treatment as a child.  If Betty turns Penelope in, Penelope will tell about the person Betty killed.  Betty ends up visiting her father (again) who (again) asks for forgiveness.

Jughead’s Solves a Mystery (Almost) for Ronnie

Let’s be honest! If you know anything about Jughead on Riverdale, you know he writes about everything.  He’s writing when Ron shows up and gives him a case.  She wants to know who shot her dad.  Oh, and like the Philip Marlowe stories, Ron’s willing to pay.  So Jughead has a new mystery to solve (and we begin to get clues on what the surprise is for tonight).

Some of Jug’s clues are tied to Betty’s case but not all. Jughead is very suspicious of Hermione and starts to question her.  She’s the one who will get the most from Hiram’s death but she has an alibi.  Hermione was on a call when he was shot.  Hermione is upset because she had Hiram followed and gotten pictures of him with his mistress (played by Kelly Ripa).  Betty and Jughead cross paths here, but Jughead gets the most details later.  It seems that the runoff from the drug processing plant had ended up in the  Sweetwater Reservoir.  This caused the girls to have a seizure.  Hiram’s mistress had been called in to investigate and wrote the fake report that got the town quarantined (well that’s part of the quarantine mystery, I guess).

Jughead  had had Sweet Pea watching Hermione.  Sweet Pea calls Jughead and they find out about a mystery man in her life and the plot to frame FP with Hiram’s murder.  Instead FP turns the situation around and throws it back on Hermione.  And why may you ask?  Keep reading!

AND THE NEW MASTERMIND IS . . .

Hermione.  That’s right!  Hermione Lodge may have been a party to her husband’s game but says she was against the drugs (yeah, because it hurt Veronia).  She faked Sheriff Minette’s death and they had a “cabin” in the woods.  Jughead and Sweet Pea tracked them to their tryst (read sex) and heard the plan to frame FP for Hiram’s murder in the hospital room.  Only thing was Archie stopped that.

Then the sound on this episode messed up.  From what I read, FP turned the story on her and set up Tall Boy to do the shooting of Hiram Lodge.  Tall Boy was caught and died on the way to jail.  By the way, FP had called Alice to tape the story and Hermione wasn’t happy at that.  Hermione knows that Minette failed so she goes to the cabin and shots him.

Why you ask?  Well, she wanted the money to pay off someone off for something (which was highly distorted by the sound issue).  Hermione needed the money that Hiram got for protection and the sale of the drug to complete whatever she’s doing.  With Ronnie and Reggie destroying the drugs, Hermione doesn’t have her part of the bargain for  the deal (don’t ask me about this because we weren’t told).  Now, Hermione is wanting revenge on both FP and Jughead.  And Riverdale is just Rivproerdale according to jughead.

Riverdale — what are you doing to me?  Before I start my recap I have to ask other fans. Do you feel like we missed a few chapters?

Okay — now to the recap.  I know I missed writing for a few weeks but I have to say this up front.  What has happened to this show?  When last week’s Riverdale ended I thought for sure Archie was a gonna.  Guess what?  He’s back in Riverdale.  I have a bunch of questions I hope someone can answer and the one about his return will go with them.  Let’s get to the action.

Archie’s Return and the Others Reactions

So how did Archie get back?  Question I will include later!  He’s back and Mr. Weatherbee doesn’t think he’s ready to graduate.  Truthfully in Riverdale, do they even have a high school?  Another question for later.  Anyway, Jughead and Betty help him study but he’s having problems.  On top of that, Riverdale wouldn’t be complete without its power couple of Archie and Veronica.  But wait!  That’s Reggie and Ron now.  Unfortunately, Ronnie is feeling guilty and decides to throw Archie a party.  While all looks good, Archie leaves as he flashes back to his “vision” about dying (or not) in Canada.

As Archie’s story progresses, we learn that no one knows about the bear attack.  The claw marks surprises Reggie but not enough for us to get any answers on that.  As the show progresses, Archie learns everything about Ron and Reggie when Archie asks Reggie how to cheat on the SAT.  Archie goes to Ron and asks for one final night.

On the day of the SATs, Archie just can’t take the test and leaves.  He goes to the bathroom and flashes back to the “vision” of him putting a knife in Hiram Lodge’s stomach.  As Archie smashes the mirror, we see Hiram get shot.  Ron thinks that Archie did it?  Only time will tells.

Betty’s Woes Just Keep Getting Worse

Not only is Betty preparing for the SAT’s but she has just learned that her mom has forged Hal’s signature to Betty’s college fund.  Alice has withdrawn every cent Betty had for college.  What else would a good Riverdale mom do?  Whatever reason Alice has, it seems to be tied to the “Farm.”  Guess Alice drank too much of that Kool-Aid if she puts it before her daughter.

Betty visits Hal in jail and he admits that he didn’t sign the document.  Hal agrees to sign an affidavit to this fact then convinces Betty he knows all about Ascension Night.  He tells her that he knew about the Midnight Club and showed up as the Gargoyle King to kill as many members of the Midnight Club as he could with poison.  The guard tells Betty that Hal has had visits from Alice.  Say what?  Alice hates Hal and loves “The Farm.”

At home Betty confronts Alice with what she’s learned.  Alice is too busy to talk but says she never spilled anything to Hal and he knew nothing about the Ascension Night event.  And now, folks, we get another tie-in to Penelope Blossom.  Betty meets with her and learns that Penelope has been seeing Hal for conjugal visits.  I’m confused again.

Later Betty gets her affidavit about Alice’s lie and confronts her father with her knowledge about Penelope.  She asks Hal why he lied.  He explains that he only wanted to talk to his little girl.  He asks her about the SATs and wants visits because he misses her.

When Betty returns to Riverdale, she finds a party going on at the house with Evelyn, Polly and others from “The Farm.”  Betty learns that Alice, using Betty’s generous donation of her college fund has bought the “school” where the nuns kept the girls.  Wait a minute, didn’t Penelope want that for her brothel?

Hiram and His Schemes and Other Things

When we first see Hiram, or at least for me tonight, he is in a meeting with Claudius and Penelope and making plans.  While Penelope wants Sacred Heart for the brothel, Hiram has other plans and knows about “The Farm’s” desire to buy it.  Claudius is complaining but Hiram has plans for him.  Claudius will be sheriff and Hiram tells Hermione to make it happen.  She refuses but Hiram insists.

Later in the episode, he has sent Claudius to meet with the Serpents to get Archie (more on this shortly). Claudius gets caught.  Meanwhile, Hiram gets shot and ends up in the hospital.  Will he live or die?  And just who shot him?  Well, he must wait for that.  While Hiram lies in the hospital after surgery, Veronica confronts Archie and asks if he shot her father.  He denies it and no more Veronica and Archie.  Reggie shows up with balloons and flowers to comfort Ron.  Meanwhile, Hermione is up to something else.  She makes FP the new sheriff.

Jughead and the Serpents and Other Matters

Even though Jug has to worry about the SATs like all of the Riverdale crew, he still has the Serpents to lead.  He meets with Sweet Pea and finds out that there is a ceremony to make Sweet Pea a member of the Gargoyle’s.  Jughead sets up an ambush at the ceremony and takes the Gargoyle King down.  It’s none other than Tall Boy.  Jughead and FP decide to use Tall Boy to draw out the Man in Black (Hiram Lodge).  After Tall Boy calls Hiram and tells him that he has Archie for him, Hiram sends Claudius to meet Tall Boy to get Archie.  Instead, Claudius is brought down but denies that Hiram is involved (yeah right?).  He’s taken to the bunker where Jug and company find Tall Boy dead.

Word has spread about Hiram’s shooting.  FP goes to the hospital to see Hermione and is appointed sheriff.  Jughead has designed a celebration for Sweet Pea’s return and somehow conceal Tall Boy’s death.  Instead, the sheriff shows up revealing that he is FP Jones or Sheriff Jones now.

Everything’s Archie

At the end of the show, we return to find Archie punching the stationery bag and waking Fred.  It seems that Archie has a slight new problem — alcohol.  Archie tells Fred that he will be alright.  He has figured out how to survive.

Questions!  Questions!  I Need Answers

Some of these have been simmering for weeks!

• How did Archie get back to Riverdale?
• How did FP and Jughead get back into Riverdale after the quarantine?
• Since when did the Riverdale High School reopen?  Hiram had plans for the building and closed it?
• What is “The Farm”?  I know it is some cult organization but what is it’s hold over Alice?
• Who got rid (or shot) the following:  Hiram Lodge, Claudius Blossom, and Tall Boy?  Could Penelope have more of a hand in the Gargoyle King than some thought.  I always thought she had ties to that character.
• And finally, will Ronnie and Archie ever reunite?

That’s it for tonight.  Let me know if you have any answers for me.

 

 

Riverdale is fast approaching its mid-winter break and after last week, we need a minute to catch our breath.  I’m sorry I missed the recap last week but real world got the better of me.  What can I say about last week?  Well, can I catch my breath first.

Let’s celebrate Archie’s finally being found not guilty.  Notice that I didn’t say innocent.  Nothing on Riverdale is what we expect.  He got free due the bribe exchange but there was no talk of giving him an innocent verdit.  Now we need them to figure out how Hiram Lodge was involved.  Both the sheriff (prison maybe?) and the Warden (G & G death) have been found crooked

And on that note, I have to ask?  Why does playing G & G lead toward seizures?  What kind of drugs is being given that causes the seizures (too many to count) and the confusion (Jughead).  At least Jughead snapped out of it enough to travel with Archie.

And that brings me to Betty.  This farm and the convent hold more clues to whom the Gargoyle is.  I have my ideas and if the secret isn’t revealed by the mid-winter break, I may take the time and speculate.  Of course with Riverdale, that could cause them to change the script.  Anyway – away we go on Riverdale tonight.

Archie and Jughead’s Great Adventure

So tonight Jughead and Archie have left the train tracks for a very quiet and mysterious farm and town.  As they get to the farm, Laurie and Gracie stop them with a gun.  Friendly folks, right people?  Well, just wait it may get worse. It is Riverdale after all. Jug and Archie start out smart and lie about who they are.  They find a place to stay for the night in exchange for farm work (of which only Archie does his share).  After a dinner of stew, Archie is up and working before Jug gets up.  While Jug goes into town, Archie continues to help the girls.

Jug is shocked in town.  The only people that Jug sees are women and girls.  He speaks to an older woman who tells him that the town is so different since Fizzle Rocks arrived!  Fizzle Rock?  Is this a new candy or a drug?  According to the woman it is a drug and more surprising, Jug finds the town girls playing G & G.  Archie meanwhile gets a literal shave from Laurie who seems to want more.  When she finds out that he has a girlfriend, she steps back.  Then the numbskull admits that his name is Archie Andrews and things change (and not for the better).  She fixes him some eggs but isn’t through.  Isn’t it nice that Archie has a hard head because Laurie hits him with the frying pan!

When Jug returns, he finds Archie “all tied up” in more ways than one.  Archie is confused because of Laurie’s actions.  Jug has seen Hiram arrive.  While Archie wants to stay and fight and kill Hiram to end the vendetta, Jug convinces him to leave.  As Laurie takes Hiram to the barn we learn that the deal is Archie in exchange for the return of her father and brother.  They open the door and find Archie gone.  Well, we have one good outcome folks.  Archie is back to not being a killer.  He’s on the run but safe at least for now.  What is this power that Hiram Lodge seems to have.  I have my suspicions and it isn’t pretty.

Veronica’s Hopes and Dreams

Veronica can’t take it anymore so she has decided to leave home (am I hearing the Beatles song?).  Well, mommy doesn’t like it and has no idea where Veronica is going but her daddy dearest does.  Why am I hating Hiram even more?  Maybe it is because he’s in everyone’s story tonight.  Anyhow, Veronica is sleeping at her club and even beats Pop upstairs for breakfast.  Sure enough, daddy arrives and tries to convince her to come home to no avail.

Veronica realizes the club isn’t making money because of the teens.  All they are doing is playing G & G.  My question is:  why aren’t they in school?  Anyway, Veronica decides to do a “Casino” night and calls in Mr. 21, Elio for help.  They agree that he will help her for 35% of the take.  Reggie’s a little worried but Veronica has a plan.  Of course, Hiram finds out and calls Veronica to his office for a meeting.  He knows that Elio will cheat and tells Veronica how to win.  At Casino night, Reggie tells Ronnie that Elio is winning every hand.  Veronica, who has gotten a second mortgage on Pop’s, offers to play one hand as winner takes all.  She wins and scores!  Why is Elio suddenly looks like Elmo.  Maybe he needs a friend.

Ronnie tells Reggie that her father told her to bring in a special dealer, Johnny Goldwater.  The dealer has slick hands and he deals the exact card Ronnie needs to win.  While Ronnie feels good about the night, Pop Tate has a problem with what she has done.  He has always run the place the way his father wanted – a crime free zone.  Pop doesn’t want her to become like Hiram and she feels she thinks that sometimes her father gives good advice.  Well, Ronnie now knows the truth.  The Sheriff’s body has turned in in the marsh minus his head and with his hands sawed off.  Why do I smell a rat by the name of Hiram.  (Yes, I know.  I pin all the bad stuff on him but most of the time he is behind it.)

Betty Convent School or Something More?

Betty is now the narrator and we learn that she is trying to act normal.  They show her ink spots and Betty gives her answers that she thinks Sister Woodhouse wants.  When Betty gets In line with the rest, she is given Fizzle Rocks (enough with ruining this candy).  Betty realizes it is a drug and throws it away in her room.  Guess who her roomie is?  Not only is Betty the only sane person in this place, now she has to share a room with Ethel who is major crushing on Jughead.  Ethel is one of the Gargoyle King’s disciples (yes I used that word).  Betty will probably never get to meet him according to Ethel.  It also seems that the Gargoyle King wants Ethel with Jug (say, what?).  Add to that the fact that Ethel knows that Betty didn’t take her “Fizzle Rock” candy but promises not to tell.  Yeah, right.  You know Ethel can’t keep a secret!

The next day, a shipment of molasses arrives in a delivery from one of the Blossoms.  He’s followed closely by the man in black that the girls have seen.  The man in black is none other than Hiram Lodge who gives Sister Woodhouse a package.  As Betty continues her sleuthing, she reaches the Gargoyle’s King room in time to hear a girl scream.  What happens behind that door?  I have my suspicions and I’m not amused.

Betty gets a paper clip and decides she needs to read her records.  She gets into a fight with Ethel about Jughead.  She falls and fakes a seizure which gets her to the infirmary.  There she finds her records and sees that Hiram Lodge is behind her treatment.  Did Alice know this?  If so, she’s crazier than I thought.  As Betty tries to find a way out, Ethel and Sister Woodhouse find her.  Betty is forced to take the drug and dragged to the Gargoyle’s King room. They toss her in and we hear Betty scream.  What goes on behind that door and why do I feel it has ties to not only Hiram but Penelope Blossom? (Whoops I have revealed part of my thoughts on the identity here.  Can you guess what it is?)  The next day, Betty takes her medicine and is as stoned as the rest of the group (except for Ethel).  Her ink blot responses give Sister Woodhouse the responses she wants and Betty sees the Gargoyle King standing behind the sister.

Clues or Are We Fools

Okay, we have a few answers tonight.  The man in black is Hiram Lodge who has been working to get rid of Archie and apparently introduce a new drug into the world called Fizzle Rocks.  Fizzle Rocks reminds me of something like Pixie Sticks of the 60s.  Back on track though because the Fizzle Rocks have moved beyond Riverdale.  Hiram is rounding up men and teens to build a prison.  The Blossoms are involved and if I remember correctly, Penelope not only played G and G but was promised the “red light” district in Southside by Hiram Lodge.   Betty may have found something very dangerous which makes me ask:  how much does Alice know and participate?  What are the ties between the convent school and the farm?  How does it tie to Hiram Lodge?

Sheesh with the clues came more questions didn’t it and next week doesn’t look much better.  Will we get any “real answers” before the mid-winter break?

Next week:  Let’s just say that previews are confusing (aren’t they always).  We do get to see Jug’s mom and Jelly Bean.  Is that town in the same situation as the last or will Jug and Archie get answers.  And just who declares war?  While it looks like Cheryl, I thought she was too into G & G to think straight.

When last we were in Riverdale, things look bleak.  The Riverdale High kids were getting into Gryphons and Gargoyles.  Even the Serpent King, Jughead, was ready to play the game.  Did he go too far under?  Betty, on the other hand, knows the scoop about the parent’s part in the game.  She was surprised but I think she was in for more.  And poor old Archie can’t shake the prison blues or in his case, the black and blues.  So where will Riverdale take us tonight?  It’s Riverdale so hedge your bets.

SAY WHAT?

Okay, when did the game and prison become the same thing?  As Jughead narrates, we see a link between G and G and the prison situation that Archie is in?  What gives?  Of, I get it.  The escape from the Game Master’s situation in G & G is like the prison break that Archie and his friends want to make from Warden’s L & L demented jail.  Only thing is that Archie and company forgot that guns are involved.  As they run, the guards come and fire “real ammunition.”  The warden doesn’t play it safe with juvies!  Meanwhile, I have to wonder just how far Jug will go into the game to investigate?  My guess, he’s already too wrapped up to realize he’s now part of the cult.  Will he end up on the “farm?”

RIVERDALE OR IS IT?

Let’s just call tonight’s episode a “Tale of Two Riverdales.”  The one Riverdale exists in the real work and has lines that run to Hiram.  The fantasy version runs to an unknown source.  My question is:  Is it unknown?  If Hiram Lodge, as the warden says, has eyes everywhere, why couldn’t he behind the other as well.

ARCHIE’S VERSION OF G & G

Okay, this is too intense not to just put Archie’s story here (including spoilers).  If you want to watch the show first, don’t read this until afterwards.

Let me just state what we all knew from the season premiere.  This whole thing was rigged.  First, after the failed prison break attempt, the Warden marks his prize fighter with a brand.  Archie now will carry that brand for life!  Personally, I couldn’t believe that they would go to these extremes but they did.  As weeks go by, no word is heard about  Archie but he’s the one being blamed with the prison escape and a supposed murder during a riot that the warden starts.

As time progresses in this fight club, Archie realizes that things are changing.  When the Warden treats Archie to a meal before a fight, Archie realizes that this will be his last fight.  What the Warden doesn’t know is that Veronica has a plan going on to save Archie (we’ll get to that in a few minutes).  Archie asks some key questions and learns that each of the people who testified that Archie pulled the trigger was paid $10,000.  Now, they have seemingly disappeared.  Archie’s next question is what I’ve been waiting for weeks to hear.  The Warden won’t admit that he’s in Hiram’s  pocket but he does admit that Hiram is a puppet master and pulling the strings.  Hiram Lodge is controlling everything.

As Archie prepares for the fight, Joaquin enter.  Ever heard of being betrayed by a kiss?  Joaquin not only gives Archie a kiss but sticks a knife in his ribs/stomach area.  Archie is facing a fight while possible bleeding to death.  A guard comes in and drags Archie out.  For his betrayal, Joaquin gets his freedom and Archie . . . well I’ll return to that story shortly.

VERONICA’S PLAN TO FREE ARCHIE

Veronica is trying to figure out a way to free Archie.  The Innocence plan isn’t working so she must go another route.  She calls in Elio (I hope that is right) whose family has casinos.  He knows how to find out what’s going down at the L and L prison complex.  So it doesn’t take long for him to call Veronica and tells her to prepare for a date.  The date is at, of course, L and L pool where they witness the Warden’s fight club.

Veronica isn’t going to let this stop her.  She talks to Reggie, Josie and Kevin and get them to agree to help her.  She works on a plan but she needs more help.  Again, wait for it because it is beginning to come together on what is going on.

THE G & G GAME GETS MORE INTENT

Betty has gone to Dilton’s  bunker and finds the game going on.  Jughead has gotten into the game in a big way.  He’s becoming the “game master” and it scares Betty.  She also needs some support but it won’t come from Jug.  He think that if he plays the game enough, he can figure out what is going on in the fictional town of an anagram of Riverdale, Everidale.  (Okay, so the spelling is off?) The two warring groups in the town (Serpents and Ghoulies) are echoed in the fantasy version’s warring tribes.  Betty realizes that Jughead is hooked in the game and nothing that Betty or his dad says can draw him out.  In fact Jug thinks that FP knows more than he’s telling.  When Jug mentions Alice’s version of what happened in the past to FP, he denies it.  Maybe it’s the fact that we know what has happened, we could see this coming, right.

ARCHIE’S HELL AND GAME MERGES

Are you confused?  If not, you may be as the action continues.  While Veronica arranges an escape plan for Archie with Betty, Reggie, Josie and Kevin’s help, Jug is promising the Serpents a new game of G & G.  Cheryl, Toni and Sweet Pea are really into G & G.  When Betty asks Jug and the Serpent’s help with Archie’s escape, Jug sees it as the element of the game that was missing.   He now knows how he will play the game with Cheryl and the other Serpents.

Say what!  This I hadn’t seen coming.  Is what Archie is going through in prison a version of G & G being played?  Apparently, it is because we see the two having parallels.  Archie must fight Mad Dog but the fight is only a pretense.  Lodge wants it to be the way Archie dies.  In fact, he’s there for the fight and recognizes Veronica and tries to stop her.

Veronica, Reggie and Josie cause a distraction inside, Kevin is trying to open the drain pipe and Betty comes to his aid.  Kevin has seen Joaquin running to freedom and goes to catch him (he doesn’t, of course).  Meanwhile the same scenario in a fictional world is playing out in the G & G game that Jughead is heading.  As the fight starts in the real world, Cheryl must fight in Jug’s game.  Veronica signals the gang to launch smoke grenades’ and Mad Dog realizes that Archie will need a head start.  He breaks it off and allows Archie to leave.  Jughead’s narration of the game follows a similar path.  When the Warden and Hiram realize what is happening and orders the guards out, Jughead is taking the Serpents through the same pattern in the game.  As Archie escape the tunnel and Betty helps him to escape, Jug announces that Cheryl is safe in the game.  While we think it is Betty and Archie trying to outrun the guards, the play is similar in the narration of the game.

By now viewers have to be confused or so intrigued there is no leaving the show.  What are we watching?  Are the two stories merging?  The Warden and the guards think they have Archie and his helper but it turns out to be Betty and Reggie.  With a threat, the guards and Warden leaves and Archie is taken to a car and loaded into the back seat.  As the game ends, Archie falls down the tunnel into Dilton’s bunker.  Jughead’s group is confused but it is Toni  who patches Archie up.  Veronica swears everyone to keep this a secret because the bunker is the only safe place for Archie at this time.

THE AFTERMATH OF THE PRISON BREAK AND GAME

I’m going to leave the Archie bit for last because I think the implications of it is strong so bear with me.  When Veronica returns home to do some “damage control,” she finds that Hiram and Hermione are fighting.  She sees the two of them making the “detention center” situation worse and Archie being the victim of the resulting mess.  She basically calls both of them “control freaks.”  She also knows that this mess with Archie will destroy them all.  She leaves Hiram and Veronica staring after her as she slams the door.  I don’t even think Hermione knows how bad the situation is?

The parent’s role is going to have to be discovered.  Not only has FP denied what Alice has said but Josie’s mom and Kevin and Reggie’s dad are in denial mode.  What could have happened that makes them lie and clam up?  Add to that the fact that there is an “all points” out on Archie that makes him sound like a dangerous wanted criminal.

We don’t see Hermione’s arrival at the detention center, but we see the reaction from the Warden.  Not only does he know G and G, he has the “tools” to play the game.  He is viewing a card when she is announced and he pulls out not only a book but a game piece.  He grabs a goblet, fills it with water and poison.  He drinks the poison before Hermione comes to his office and dies.  What  knowledge of the Gargoyle King did he take with him to the grave?

And what about Archie?  Remember the brand that the warden put on him after the failed escape attempt.  The symbol is from the Gryphons and Gargoyle’s game.  It represents the Red Paladin which Jughead understands but I didn’t.   What role does Archie play in this game?  And let’s not forget Jughead.  As he leaves the bunker, he runs into the Gargoyle King and falls down to worship.

What does all this mean?  Is the game building a cult?  Does it have ties to the farms?  Are Jughead and Archie going to be on opposite sides?  More importantly can they wrap this up before the break for winter?   Does anyone else have a headache because I sure do!

Next episode on November 28^th:  The game gets more complicated.  What can the teens find out from their parents?  How did Kevin and company find Joaquin and what does he know?  What does the brand symbol on Archie really mean?

Riverdale is promising to look into the past tonight by revisiting the parents years in high school.  While this may be entertaining, it’s really about advancing Riverdale’s mysterious game of Gryphons and Gargoyles.    My take:  this “dungeons and dragons” — oops — Gryphons and Gargoyles” game all tie back to Alice’s second home — the farm.  And what is it about this game that has people dying to play?

While the game tie-in is all well and good, I think that the past and present co-existing is even more so.  Where else do you have parents and children with connections like the Jones and Coopers. With FP and Alice in one room and Betty and Jughead in the other, isn’t it a little strange that their lives are turning into a mirror?  Are there any other secrets to be learned tonight.  Could Hermione and Fred secrets lead to trouble for Veronica and Archie?  Where in all this does Reggie and Kevin fall?  Will we have another death tonight?  Many more questions may surface on Riverdale “Dungeons and Dragons” — no “Gryphons and Gargoyles” as the night plays out.

THE PRESENT

You have to know how the past affects the present.  Last week, when Jug saw those “bibles,” we knew it would be something big.  In the introduction tonight, Jug calls the game a virus and it seems to have caught on with all cliques in Riverdale. The adults try to talk to the students about the game and the deaths being caused by it.  Hermione speaks to the gang’s classes about the dangers and the psychological effect the game has on people.  Betty has the doctor doing some digging.   Betty gets the dirt.  Alice was involved.  Confronting Alice, Betty learns about the past.  The game was involved with a murder.  Alice agrees to tell the story in hope of giving Betty a source of protection.

THE PAST

Alice relates the history to Betty and tells her everything.  Alice, the bad girl, finds out she is pregnant.  She is also a “Serpent” (believe it or not).  Hermione is a goody two shoes who lost her love, Hiram, when he decides to get out of Riverdale and go elsewhere to school.  Penelope is — well strange — and has been adopted by the Blossoms from a bad orphanage to be their son’s wife.  Fred is the jock and FP has been challenged to streak.  He teams up with Fred to take Mantle’s dare.   While this was going on, Alice, Hermione, Penelope and Sierra were in the girl’s bathroom.  Well, let’s just say a fight breaks out and all six gets detention.

Well, the Saturday detention does resemble the “Breakfast Club” until the fight breaks out. but that’s jumping ahead.  The assignment for the first Saturday was a 1,000 word essay (sound familiar).  The principal hides in his office.  Tom Keller stops by with lunch for Sierra.  Wait!  Josie’s mom was with a hot dad.  With 80s/early 90s music as the sound track, we watch Alice crave her initials into the window sill.  None of them have anything in common and eventually things go from bad to worse.  We  see them getting four more weeks of detention and the game of secrets being told (how else would I have know known the strategies above).  This time, Hermione and Penelope gets into a fight with the others trying to stop it.  That doesn’t matter to Principal Featherhead who awards all of them four more weeks of detention.

THE PAST GANG FINDS THE GAME

After that first disaster, the six of them bond and becomes friends.  Wait!  Penelope was their friend.  She’s the one that surprises me the most.  Anyhow — one rainy Saturday, they decide to break into the teacher’s desk in that room and find a drawer full of items confiscated from students.  They also find the Gryphons and Gargoyle book and decide to play.  Once they start, they can’t stop.  Penelope had heard that someone who played the game had a heart attack which makes it more of a challenge in Alice’s eyes.

So the “Breakfast Club” morphs into the “Midnight Club” because this group of six can’t stop playing the game.  Penelope serves as the game master and each take a character that could be compared to who they actually turn out to be.  As the game is played, I realize I watch this same game played at a convention back in the 90s.  It’s definitely similar to Dungeons and Dragons with dice being rolled and cards being drawn to determine play.  During a “couples” play, FP makes a move on Hermione and Fred and Alice bond.  While this makes present day Betty laugh, I can honestly see it.  It still doesn’t explain though how Alice and FP got together!1

Anyway, back to the past.  One night in the school, they run into another group of players that include Hiram, Tom, and Darryl Dilton (dead Dilton’s dad).  As the game continues, they play at the school every chance they get and always at the school.  One night, all are invited to the Ascension Party.  HIram decides to spice things up with some street drugs that are hallucinogenics.  (My note:  He was into selling drugs as a teen.  No surprise considering his “red light” district.)  Funny thing though is that Penelope thought Darryl spiced up the game and he thought she did.  So, there is still a mystery player out there who is the Gargoyle King playing deadly game.

The gang form a band and perform.  So we get a musical selection by the strange band of The Archies (check out the comics if you don’t know the group.  “Sugar, Sugar” was the big hit during the 60s.)  Alice realizes something is off and the drug makes her throw up in the bathroom.  Suddenly, the lights go out and the generator kicks in.  When she exits the bathroom stall, she finds the “flip for your fate” written on the walls in red and the chalices set up. Alice sees the Gargoyle King in the hall.  In addition, the principal has shown up and Alice decides to split.

The next day, Alice doesn’t see any of the game players and decides they ended up in jail (for playing the game or being in the school after hours, who knows).  Running into Hermione, Alice learns that Fred’s dad died while he was high on drugs at the Ascension Party.  She goes to the principal’s office but he isn’t in.  Later, at Pop’s, Fred admits to feeling guilty over not being with his father when he died.  Alice tells all about Featherhead and wants them to tell someone.  Penelope tells them to keep their mouth shut.

THE PAST AND THE AFTERMATH

Rumors swirl about where is Featherhead’s disappearance.  In true Riverdale fashion, we can’t have a mystery without a body.  As the weeks pass, a noticeable smell starts in the school.  Opening a closet, Featherhead falls out dead and decomposing (what — heading for the Afterlife series here, gang?).  Alice learns that there was blue around his lips and  he was poisoned.  She wants them to go to the cops and tell what they saw.  FP puts the blame on Alice (what and you are together in the present), and Penelope and Darryl gets accused with the crime.  Alice realizes that one of the Midnight Club was meant to be the victim.  The group decide to get rid of all the game pieces and take the secret to the grave.

As the days pass, they all return to reality and become different people.  Fred sales his guitar and goes to work.   Hermione goes against her mother and picks Hiram.  Sierra and Tom break up while Penelope and Clifford Blossom grow closer.  FP goes from jock to gang member, just like dear old dad.  Alice — well she’s the most dramatic in her eyes.  She leaves the gang behind and moves on to Hal Cooper.  Can we say jumping into the fire from where he ended up.  Each ignores the others and do not speak.

THE PRESENT AGAIN

Alice has been telling Betty all of this.  She admits that Featherhead’s (it may have been Featherstone but I like Featherhead) death was ruled a suicide.  Alice thinks one of the Midnight Club was the murderer.  While Betty has questions, Alice explains that the game is dangerous.  The more  you play the bigger your mortal risk.  The game “gives you permission to hurt or kill others” (well, I never saw that when I watched Dungeons and Dragons being played!).  To Alice, the game is linked to death and wants Betty’s promise to not investigate (yeah, right).  Betty admits to seeing the Gargoyle King and thinks it is the same person.

The next day, Betty goes against Alice and starts looking for clues.  She finds the initials in the window sill.  She finds the goblets in the trophy case.  That night, she goes to Dilton’s shelter and finds Ethel and others playing the game.  Surprise, surprise.  Juggie is there and reached level three.  He plans to be the king.  Now how can Juggie be the king when we already have an idiot dressed in the costume running around the town.

Next time on Riverdale:  Archie is still in jail and gets a surprise visit in the gym.  Juggie goes to meet the king.  The game gets out of control. Well, at least the first one is accurate but who can tell with the rest.  I’ll be watching and hope you will join me!

 

 

 

Ah, it’s Wednesday and we know what that means.  It means it’s another chapter of Riverdale! The question is:  which way will we go tonight.  Will it be prison?  Will Riverdale revisit the Serpent Ghoulie fight?  Will Betty and Jughead meet the gargoyle or get wrapped up in a game.  And more importantly what do the parents know.

Last week’s Riverdale had Archie getting blamed for a riot he didn’t commit.  We lost Dilton to some bizarre ritual he and Ben were having in the woods.  Betty and Jughead find a new mystery only to lose a clue (Ben) as he falls out a window.  And Veronica, you ask?  Riverdale’s big, bad daddy Hiram Lodge is heading for a fall if Ron has her way.  And what is this Gargoyle character?  What is concerning the parents, especially Hermione?  Well, it is Riverdale which likes to play things strange?  And they also never give us a clue!

A Tale of Our Parents (NOT!)

What!  Alice and FP are in bed together while Jug and Betty are also?  Mom and daughter are already shadowing each other.  Why would Ben’s death be bedroom talk for Jug and Betty, oh, the mention of the game.  Better y)et!  Why is FP counting weeks???

Wait, I just realized that we are 20 minutes into the show and still not seen the story of the parents.  Wasn’t this billed as “that” show?  And why do I see this sequencing into the Jug and Betty story of . . .  Oh, and there’s a surprise twist at the end which I won’t spoil here.  Let’s just say Alice needs her head examined.

‘The Game’s Afoot

At school, Ethel is back and Jug and Betty watch as Ethel and Evelyn have a talk in the hall.  Did I mention that Evelyn’s dad owns the farm that Alice loves??  Is there a connection here between the game and the farm?  Wait!  I’m getting ahead of myself.  I have to wonder if Alice sees the connection already?  No, Alice is blind and dumb, I think.  Too many questions at once folks!

Betty and Jug later talk to Ethel about her collapse.  Betty asks Ethel if she had visions.  Oh a reference to the baby sacrifice (almost) that we saw in the first episode of this season.  Evelyn then enters the discussion when Ethel mentions the “peer group” Evelyn is starting called “The Farm.”  Oh, I see.  She’s recruiting for dear old daddy’s little experiment.  Jug mentions Ben and asks about other players’ names.  Jug asks for a game book (the scripture) which he wants to know who else plays but Ethel doesn’t tell him anything.  She finally tells him she will show him the next night at Dilton’s bunker but Jug must come alone. Somehow I think “something wicked this way comes.”

Betty meanwhile investigates Evelyn’s “Farm” group.  No one is there but Evelyn’s brought pizza.  When Betty seems willing to go along, Evelyn asks her if she takes meds.  Betty says she doesn’t and I’m not liking the way this is going.  Haven’t I seen something about this before. And again, I won’t say anymore until a little later due to spoiler.

When Jughead arrives at the Bunker, Ethel is ready to teach him the game.  He choses Ben’s character, Hellchaser, and it isn’t long before Jug must make a choice.  Ethel presents him with two goblets.  Somehow I knew this was coming and I saying quietly — don’t chose Jug.  The temptation offered by Ethel is too strong.  If he plays and drinks, he gets the “bible” of the game.  He drinks but it doesn’t affect him.  Ethel drinks and almost dies.  Luckily (for her) Jug is there to get her to the hospital  Of course, we should have seen that coming.  Jug is the hero of this piece.  It seems Ethel has another plan for Jug.  He’s to become the one to spread the gospel of the game to others.

Betty meanwhile has her own problems.  Remember the spoiler I just skipped over.  Well, it seems that Alice, Evelyn and Polly think that Betty’s ready to confess all her sins.  They have set up the house for her confession scene but Betty’s not having any of that.  In fact, she’s ashamed that her mom told “Edgar” all their secrets.  When Betty asks where Edgar is, she learns that she’s not ready to meet the “big man.”  Big man, oh, the one that scams everyone and I believe definitely has ties to the Gargoyle.  I’m beginning to have many suspicions of that person’s plan.  There’s also another interesting development here folks!  Evelyn seems a little too nervous when Betty asks her if the “farm” has ties to Gryphons and Gargoyles (I’m still seeing Dungeons and Dragons).  Cue the seizure!  That’s right folks.  Betty almost has one of those again but manages to stop it.  Did her mom drink something that is passed on to the child.  Well, it’s either that or Evelyn slipped something into the pizza.

And the Winner is . . .

Poor Archie seems to have been passively fighting the prison warden about taking Mad Dog’s place.  He fights or stays in solitary.  Fred tries to visit Archie and refused admittance.  Told you last week not to trust this warden.  Now Fred is really goofing up.  He’s threatening the “crook” with a lawyer.  Fred, I thought you were smarter than that!

Archie is rudely awaken by the dirty guard who takes him to an (cough) ring for a fight.  It seems Archie must learn a visual lesson as he watches Joaquin fight.  As Joaquin is beaten to a pulp, Archie finally agrees to fight.  Only thing I can figure about this whole change in story is that they had to do something with Archie.  The other option is that this is how Hiram wants him to die.  Anyway, it’s more punishment for the “good guy” but it’s not a rating grabber for me.

For his first fight, Archie goes in strong as the warden and guards watch.  He takes his opponent down fast which earns him a “reward.”  Being the nice guy he is, Archie asks for burgers from Pops which he shares with the others that belong to the prison “Fight Club.”  I think I’m channeling too many 80s movies here folks.

Later, the warden informs Archie that he has to go to a party.  Archie must entertain him when he returns with a match that should go more than one round.  In fact, the warden would love for it to go four to six rounds.  The warden must really love to watch the fights or else he’s into watching the prisoners knock each other out.”  I hate to put this here but can’t stop.  As the night goes on, we see a party which I won’t mention yet with Josie singing.  Archie has had a visit from dad who gives him advice.  With the guards and warden watching, Archie fights a young man who is scared to death.   Archie tells him not to hold back.  Both take punches and Archie finally knocks his opponent out.

Archie returns to his cell to find some of Mad Dog’s stuff there.  It’s a “reward” from the warden.  A reward, I ask, or a “lesson” of what happens when you fail.  Anyway, the warden gives Archie a bottle of alcohol which he throws through the cell.   Now, why did he flash to Hiram and the trial.  Is Archie realizing just how deep Hiram plays.  Archie does have a plan.  He tells the other “Fight Club” members that he plans an escape and asks who will go with him.  Joaquin joins the crew.  I see a set-up coming.  Somewhere in this group is the rat.

Veronica’s Scheme and Dream

Okay, why do I feel like I’m watching a mish-mash of 80’s movies.  Maybe it is because in some sense I am.  Anyway, Veronica has a secret under Pop’s.  She’s ready to open a speakeasy.  A speakeasy!  I’m surprised Ron knows about those but this whole bit is going to surprise me.  She’s got Reggie stocking for her and has invited Josie and Kevin along.  They enter through a secret door and learn Ron’s plans and dream (no, I won’t mention the movie).  Josie is going to perform and Kevin, well, he’s master of ceremonies. Of course, there is a kink in the plans when Penny shows up demanding protection money.  It seems dear old daddy Hiram will pull out any stop to — well — literally stop Veronica’s plan.

Veronica needs help (of course) and goes to the Serpent’s camp looking for Jug.  No Jug, but Cheryl and Toni will help.  Ron’s problems don’t end there as her shipment has been messed with and the sheriff appears after — get ready — protection money.  Hiram has no respect for his daughter, now does he??  Veronica plans to get even though and Toni has a plan.  It seems Toni knows some of Hiram’s plan and knows where the drug base is.  Now, that calls for an excursion to said drug den where the trio of Cheryl, Toni and Ron make pictures.  Ron uses these to shakedown her father and demands that he leaves her club alone or she’s goes to the FBI.  Also, she wants a $10,000 payment (in nice sequences).  Ronnie has learned that at least from dad.  Always get paid for evidence.  Of course, after leaving the pictures, we know what Hiram will do, don’t we.  He moves the lab before the party.

The party goes off without a hitch.  Everyone s there but Archie (who must endure a fight while Josie sings “Anything Goes”).  I will say Josie did a beautiful rendition of the song.  Reggie tells Ron before the song that she has a visitor upstairs.  Dear old dad has shown up to wish her luck and bearing the gift of a painting of Ron.  She tells him to come downstairs and watch how an honest business operates. Reggie is given the job of watching Hiram.  Does anyone else have trouble telling the difference between Kevin and Reggie or is it me?

The Wind Up (ending of the episode)

There is too much in the last 10 minutes to put anywhere but here.  Everything seems to be tied together from Archie’s planned escape to “The Farm.  When Betty and Jug gets back to FP’s,  Alice and FP is waiting for them.  They’ve found the book and plan to destroy it.  The game is pure evil, FP says while Alice looks scared.  So we know that the parents know about it.  Jug admits that he was told that was the only copy and FP burns its.  Yet later, the book shows up in everyone’s locker at school confusing Jughead.  In the hospital, Ethel gets a visit from the Gargoyle who she bows to.   I’m definitely see ties to “The Farm” here and that troubles me.  Just who is the mystery leader.  I have to think he has ties to Hiram (just because I dislike Hiram that much).  By the way, later in bed, Betty and Jug talk about the game and Betty buys the clue that their parents have played.

Speaking of Hiram, he visits his daughter in her room at home.  He didn’t stay for all the party.  My thoughts is that he was busy watching Archie’s beautiful face getting beaten to a pulp.  Ron’s not stupid and realizes that dear old dad moved the drug lab.  Somehow that look she gave as he left tells me that Ron isn’t through with dad yet.

Coming Soon:   Looks like the show is taking a break for Halloween.  I don’t see why thought because we have all the Halloween elements here.  When it returns on November 7th, we FINALLY get the parents’ episode where they are in detention — wait for it — on a Saturday.  Cue “Breakfast Club” here.

Can you wait or do you want more?  With no spoilers, we will have that wait.  Sorry folks.  No clue on where we go next.

 

 

 

Big Brother this year has a show worth viewing!  Most people who know me know that at this point in the year, I am so disgusted with Big Brother that I’d rather not watch.  I usually have a good idea of who will get the money and feel like the show is rigged.  While I have that feeling slightly in regard to one player this year, I don’t think anything went as planned.

The House Guests and Alliances:  From the start, you had people who had their own mindset on how to win.  The Alliances formed early.  FOUTTE was very visible.  Level 6 was hidden and originally known “as the other side of the house.”  I’m not even sure at present if FOUTTE realizes that there IS another alliance.  The reason:  While FOUTTE has been in your face with their so-called team work, Level 6 has operated as individuals going about their lives.  While they talk, it is not as visible as what FOUTTE does.  The silently meet and chat as friends or meet one-on-one.  While Tyler seems to have been the leader, he doesn’t show it when in the group and they discuss things and not get dictated to.

FOUTTE (Swaggy, Fessy, Haleigh, Kaitlyn, Scotty, and originally unofficially Bayleigh) had the misconception that Swaggy was the best leader and beloved by America.  Well he didn’t get America’s vote for the “good” apps and the other side quickly figured out a way to make him depart.  While he can boast and brag, he didn’t have the cunning needed to go far in the game.  His attitude was that he and his group deserved to win which filtered down through the pack with each member assuming that their decisions were law and people would follow their dictate.  Each week, they were proved wrong.  Even their own alliance didn’t understand that an alliance is only as powerful as the team behind it as first Kaitlyn and then Scotty went against the pack!

Add to this mix the fact that Bayleigh had a power app but didn’t play it.  Sure she didn’t see any purpose when Rockstar and Scotty was put on the block this week (August 9).  Scotty was expendable.  Yet with two of your alliance on the block, it would have made sense to play the app and keep both safe.  Then with the “hacker” lose in the house, it turned out to be her fellow team member Hayleigh in control.  Yes, we all knew that Hayleigh hated Tyler so the “block for him” didn’t surprise me.  The thing that did surprise me was that Hayleigh didn’t check the scenarios at the door when putting Kaycee up to play in the HOH competition  When you alliance is down to four, the stack the deck in your favor.  All she did was add another person to the Level 6 side who would protect Tyler.  Then to call a house meeting to out yourself only to have a team mate go off  . . . well that’s going to be good viewing for the fans!

Level 6 on the other hand has silent and carefully made their plans and played their game.  Even with Bayleigh as HOH and her down spiral this week, they’ve played it relatively cool with each having a part and keeping in character. I really thought Bayleigh would catch on last week when her choice to stay walked out the door, but didn’t seem to have a clue until her backdoor.  Now, with her app revealed and her performance at the house meeting on Tuesday, August 8, I think she is pretty much sunk. Level 6 didn’t have it planned but set the wheels in motion until everything worked perfectly.  Last week, Brett played his part on the block and helped Rachel self-destruct while Tyler was in mourning for losing Kaitlyn.  This week, Brett is the odd man out and Tyler has played his part by being on the block and showing defiance.

Wildcards this year are Sam and J. C.  Sam tends to follow Tyler’s lead and J. C. is friends with Fessy and Tyler.  Where they fall is anyone’s guess as J. C. has already given one “hinky” vote.

And the Tantrum Winner Is . . .

The award for tantrum so far this year goes to Bayleigh.  The temper tantrum she had yesterday was over the top.  Yes, she’s on the block, but she has too much power for Level 6 to keep her.  Also, she’s too visibly aligned with FOUTTE.  She should have figured out a long time ago that if you have only 4 or 5 members is your group, you can’t guarantee where the others will vote . . . no matter what you dictate.

Stupidest move of the game (so far) . . .

This award goes to Haleigh.  You have a power.  You secretly put up your number one target on the block.  You pick a POV person you don’t think will win.  You don’t consider whether the POV player is a friend of one on the block.  You don’t study all the angles.  Then when you find your plans evaporating, you call a house meeting and confess all.  Stupid move.