Riverdale: Will the Real Miss Grundy Please Stand Up?

It’s official! Riverdale is my new guilty pleasure! I tried to shrug it off as just another one of those CW dark teen-angst drama shows, but I can’t help myself. I find myself wanting to watch another episode, that I needed to review this show weekly. (If you haven’t watched the show, I would practice precaution as there will be spoilers ahead.)

For those of you who’ve been living under a rock (kidding!), Riverdale is a CW drama series based on the world of the Archie comics but darker and more… CW. The show tackles multiple plot points, but the center of it all (for now) is the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Riverdale High’s golden boy Jason Blossom on the 4th of July.

So now that we’re all kind of up to speed, let’s get to Episode 4, which is by far the most CW episode yet. (Again, spoiler warning!) We ended last episode with Betty finding out about Archie and Ms. Grundy’s affair. She digs up more information about Ms. Grundy and her real identity, hurting Archie in the end. The Twilight Drive-in is being closed down, but Jughead desperately wants to save it. We’re also introduced to the Southside Serpents gang this episode and their connection to our main characters, specifically Veronica’s mother, Kevin Keller, and Jughead.

The Kellers 😻

I know 2017 is far from over, but I’m already calling it: Kevin and Sheriff Keller’s relationship wins 2017’s Most Outstanding TV Father-Son Relationship. Before this episode, the Kevin Keller character only felt like the stereotypical gay BFF to B & V. (I even mistook the actor to be the same as the gay BFF in The Carrie Diaries.) But it’s nice to see his life outside the Archie gang. It’s cute how dad is egging on Kevin to go find a boyfriend already. A heartwarming scene in an otherwise dark and crazy show.

This episode, Kevin’s found a potential new boyfriend in Joaquin, one of the Southside Serpents. I know Moose seems to be back with his “girlfriend” Midge, and Joaquin is cute and all, but I still ship Kevin and Moose. 😍

Fake!Grundy 🔪🔪🔪

Another award, this time, for 2017’s Cougar of the Year, goes to Miss Geraldine Grundy, f.k.a. [formerly known as] Jennifer Gibson. Fake!Grundy (let’s call her that from now on) confesses about her fake identity, telling Archie about how she ran away from an abusive husband and wanted a fresh start. Of course, Archie buys her confession. But I, for one, was not convinced.

I was right: later in the episode, after being caught with Archie and her quitting school, Fake!Grundy gets back to her heart glasses and slushie looking for her next young (redhead) prey. She needs to go to jail ASAP! Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead, seems to echo my sentiments:

What I liked about this whole Grundy thing is that when we thought they absolutely butchered the Geraldine Grundy from the comic by making her younger for the TV show, they give us this twist that old comic-version Grundy actually exists in Riverdale! Well… existed, since she was reported dead 7 years ago. 😨 Good job to makeup and costume because old/real TV Grundy looked almost exactly like the comic book Grundy, down to the frilly collar and polka dots. 👍

Awww Jughead 😢

Jughead’s story this episode was a rollercoaster of emotions. He was against closing down the drive-in (which was actually paid for by Hermione Lodge’s bribing the mayor for her electoral campaign, long story). Then we find out that it’s not just because he was passionate about film but that he has made the drive-in his home for who knows how long now. Jughead’s homeless! Before he left the drive-in, we see him spraying some graffiti to leave his mark before leaving for good (Jughead Jones wuz here!). Then a Southside Serpent gang member shows up. And. I. am. immediately. scared. for. Jughead’s. life. Seriously! The man was stood there, looking like he’s about to pull out a gun or something. And then the reveal: the hot daddy is actually Jughead’s daddy, the leader of the gang. Where will poor Juggie stay now? Why does no one know/care about his situation? 😭

More random observations

• Is Pop Tate’s diner the only restaurant in Riverdale? Like do all families go there every Sunday dinner? That’s the only explanation for all the characters ending up in the diner that night.
• Did anyone notice that Betty was writing in a different diary (color black) at the end of the episode? Where did her pink diary from earlier in the episode go? 🌚
• I like the foreshadowing of darker events to come. There are many references to witches and dark magic going on in Riverdale during Jughead’s intro voice-over. Judging from next episode’s promo, the Blossoms seem to be into that occult stuff. Will a certain teenage witch turn up in Riverdale pretty soon? 😉

Favorite lines

• “If I would have known Mama Lodge was working as a waitress at Pop’s, I never would’ve given Veronica a spot on the Vixens. It’s off-brand and it sends a false message of acceptance.” — Cheryl Blossom
• “My mom’s a waitress, Cheryl, not Fantine.” — Veronica Lodge to Cheryl
• “I went to school with your mother. She didn’t know the difference between having money and class either.” — Hermione Lodge 🔥 Cheryl
• “You already went there!“ — Betty to Archie, talking about his “tutelage” with Fake!Grundy
• (Not a line but…) Betty’s face:

  

Shirtless Archie Tracker 😘 (SAT)

Every episode the writers seem to always find ways for Archie, played by K.J. Apa, to be in a shirtless situation. So across the season, we’re tracking when Archie goes sans shirt via our (patent pending 😂) Shirtless Archie Tracker (SAT).

Episode 4: No shirtless scene, except during the Fake!Grundy flashbacks.

Riverdale can be streamed weekly on Netflix (Philippines) every Friday. Are you watching Riverdale? Who do you think killed Jason Blossom? (I’m suspecting Fake!Grundy has something to do with it.) Do you also want Fake!Grundy to be imprisoned? Team Betty or Team Veronica? Sound off in the comments below.