It’s beginning to look a lot like the good old days of Riverdale in season 7, episode 2!
Now that the whole gang has embraced their new reality, the 50s are in full force in Riverdale season 7, episode 2. Also, the gang has grown significantly since the season premiere with the inclusion of some of our favorite familiar faces.
The alternate reality the characters find themselves in provides a really fun opportunity for Riverdale to bring back former characters, and it looks like they’re capitalizing on that as much as they can. Riverdale season 7, episode 2 gave us the return of Ethel, Midge, Dilton, Smithers, and Fangs! Sadly, there’s still no sign of Reggie, and the return of Fangs really made me wonder what’s happening with baby, or not so baby Anthony.
The return of Fangs gave us some insight into the status of the show’s beloved biker gang, the Serpents. Excitingly, they are still alive and well, and might I add, doing better than ever. They’ve traded in the rough and tumble Whyte Wyrm for the cool and classy Dark Room, “a coffee house for bikers, beatniks, and badasses.” I’m really excited to see more of what the Serpents are up to this season!
It’s clear that a Choni reunion is at the top of the priority list in Riverdale season 7. Unfortunately, the return to high school means that Cheryl has to wrestle with her sexuality all over again, but fortunately for us, it means we get to watch Cheryl and Toni fall in love one more time. I loved how this episode showed them both bonding over their mutual badassery and getting sparks of romantic feelings. Choni is built on a deep mutual respect as well as passion, and so far, I think they’re doing an even better job of building them up than they did the first time. Principal Featherhead needs to keep his comments about godly chastity to himself.
The return of Midge was fun, especially since her character met a grotesque and untimely death at the hands of the Black Hood. However, her return also reminded me of another familiar face that we haven’t seen in Riverdale season 7. Of course, I’m talking about Moose.
Much like Cheryl, Kevin has also been forced back into the closet by this 50s reboot, and this time, he’s deeper in than ever. It would have been nice to see him rekindle his flame with Moose in the final season. That being said, I’m also very excited about the addition of Clay Walker, because the chemistry is already crazy between those two. Do I detect an actual storyline for Kevin Keller budding in Riverdale season 7, episode 2? *Gasp* I’m both shocked and thrilled!
Tragically, Betty may end up getting hurt in Kevin’s journey of self discovery, but I’m sure she’ll be fine, especially since once again, a great deal of her heart seems to belong to Archie. The dance lesson scene was undeniably sweet, and the dialogue of “that’s it?” and “it’s pretty simple, right,” set up what could be a really good arc for them, which could be far better than what Barchie received before.
I loved Betty’s speech to Kevin in the car after he accused her of being a “sex maniac” for simply wanting a kiss from her boyfriend. I also thought it was hilarious how emphatically Alice was encouraging her daughter’s gay boyfriend to lock her down, knowing exactly what was happening. It’s a fun twist on the old Alice and one that I’m hoping will lead to a really good storyline for Betty and her mom in Riverdale season 7.
I’m still not thrilled about how Veronica’s story is going in this season, so far, although her “rude awakening” could be the start of something better and the beginning of a really cute Varchie courtship. I love that she now sees Archie as more than one of the simple boys that she can bend to her will, and I hope that she gets to show him her strengths as well so they can return to being the power couple they once were. They were always comfortable calling each other on things and building each other up to be the best versions of themselves, and I like that Riverdale season 7, episode 2, gave us another glimpse of that.
My fear is that the love triangle will continue for most of season 7 toward a Barchie endgame, and in the end, Veronica will be left alone. Although I often like a “she chose herself” ending for a character, I don’t want it for Veronica. She has always been a strong and independent woman, even though the show pushed the narrative that she couldn’t be single in season 6. She deserves the partnership she wants, and I desperately want her to find that before the series ends. In my ideal world, that would be with Archie, but either way I just want her to have a good love story.
Of course, there’s another factor that has yet to be introduced that could still change the direction of Betty’s affections. We’ve yet to see any signs of the iconic Bughead in Riverdale season 7, and I can’t imagine they’re going to let the final season play out without a mention of one of the show’s most beloved couples.
However, in Riverdale season 7, episode 2, the show brought one of the comic book couples into the spotlight. Similarly to the comic, it was more of a one sided love, but Jughead and Ethel were certainly partners in crime in this episode. I was so happy to see Ethel again, and I absolutely loved the dynamic the two characters brought to their Pep comics story. Sadly, Ethel’s parents had to be extra as hell about the whole thing, and it might be ruined forever.
Throughout this whole episode I was thinking, “wow, what a wholesome episode of Riverdale,” but of course, I should have known better. True to form, the episode ended with a bloody cliffhanger. Ethel stumbled into the sock hop, that she was so excited to attend with Jughead, in a blood soaked stupor, claiming something terrible had happened.
Considering her mom claimed that she would attend the dance “over her dead body,” that could have become a reality, either by Ethel’s hand or someone else’s. It would be cool if the show recycled some of their old villains throughout the final season, which could include the Black Hood who’s still dining comfortably at his family table. Could he be the culprit here? We’ll have to wait to find out!