Riverdale season 6, episode 3 had us asking why the devil can’t just vacation on the beach like everyone else.

Admittedly, Mr. Cypher made a pretty good call showing up in Rivervale, because these souls have never been more lost. This smooth-talking fallen angel claimed a lot of lives in Riverdale season 6, episode 3, but he should have known not to mess with the true soul of the town, Pop’s Chock-Lit Shoppe!

I was definitely surprised when Mr. Cypher came to take Pop Tate, of all people, but it was a brilliant way to raise the stakes of the episode. It also made perfect sense that Pop Tate would bargain his soul to save someone else’s. When Pop went down, I found myself channeling Molly Weasley and yelling, “Not Pop Tate, you bitch!” at the screen.

That being said, I love Pop, but he was part of an infuriating trend in Riverdale season 6, episode 3. What’s with these men making wild promises to the literal devil and just expecting the women in their lives to figure it out?

First, Pop gave Tabitha the impossible task of sacrificing neither herself nor the diner to save him while offering no ideas on how to accomplish that. Then, Reggie oh-so-casually mentioned that he bargained a soul for the casino’s success because he knew Veronica could figure out how to get them out of it. A head’s up might have been cool? Also, if Jughead’s promised soul causes him any grief past this episode, he will 100% be turning to either Tabitha or Betty to save him. Get it together, guys!

Other than that, I liked how we actually got to see Tabitha and Pop together in Riverdale season 6, episode 3, and I would’ve liked to see even more of it. They were the only ones to outsmart Mr. Cypher with the help of their guardian angel, so I just hope that doesn’t come back to bite them.

Most of Riverdale season 6, episode 3 took place in Veronica and Reggie’s newly opened casino, the Babylonium. Mr. Cypher quickly identified it as a place that would be crawling with lost souls, and if Kevin was any indication, he was completely correct.

Kevin has been truly lost for a while now, so it makes sense that he was the first to eagerly sign over his soul. I don’t know if it was the moderate fame, the promise of performing, or the fact that he and “Finn” were back together that sold him, but I honestly think he would’ve taken any change from the life he was currently living. I’m very interested to see where this leads Kevin going forward in Riverdale.

I predicted in my review for the previous episode of Riverdale that Veronica or Reggie would be the next body thrown on the ever-growing Rivervale pile, and I’d hate to say I told you so, but…

This storyline was full of backstabbing. It began when Reggie, whose soul is a “miserable, paltry thing” (line of the episode), stabbed Veronica in the back by promising her soul to the devil. You know, as lovers do. Then, Veronica gave Nick his due. Finally, Veronica took Reggie’s knife and stuck it right back into him!

Through all of this, I appreciate that Veronica stopped short of selling Alice out. Even though she’ll now be handing the devil one soul per week, which is insane to think about, but at least she has some boundaries and won’t be sacrificing truly innocent people. Or at least not innocent people she knows? I don’t know. It’s all a little bit uncomfortable.

Riverdale season 6, episode 3, made me think that Veronica and Reggie might actually be too similar to make it work together. It might always be a slippery slope that leads to one choosing success over the other. I think they both need a more earnest, less shrewd presence in their lives to keep them in check.

Man, Betty has now gone three for three in seriously scaring me in these Rivervale episodes! And this one was by far the worst. When Glen told her that the TBK wasn’t actually in custody, I got chills! Well done, Rivervale. You got me again.

Of course, those chills paled in comparison to the ones I got when Betty accidentally full-on murdered Glen. That is, after I realized that I wasn’t being vindicated for predicting that Glen was the TBK. It was all just a scheme by Mr. Cypher, and now I fear that dark Betty is mere moments away from returning. Murdering a colleague would mess anyone up, but it could be the thing that finally pushes Betty over the edge.

Finally, one soul whose bargain did surprise me was that of Jughead Jones. I was honestly shocked that he would trade acclaim for the ability to write. However, this could just be because we haven’t really checked in on how Jughead is feeling about writing in Riverdale season 6.

Alas, it looks like it wasn’t worth it, because he ended up trading his soul to get his ability back. As with all the characters, I’m so curious to see how this affects Jughead when we return to normal episodes of Riverdale. At least he has his trusty, taped-up typewriter from Betty to keep him busy until his eternal damnation!

Two Rivervale episodes, likely two deaths, and countless more crazy occurrences to go in this five-episode special Riverdale event. I can’t wait to talk about whatever comes next!