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lostinafictionaluniverse · 7 years

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Riverdale 1x11 thoughts

This review is rather late seeing as the new episode airs tomorrow, but I wanted to get it out since I definitely wouldn’t do it after watching 1x12 and also because I didn’t want 1x12 to cloud my thoughts about 1x11.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Jason’s death was months ago, and since then none of the events in Riverdale have been cancelled. So why should Homecoming be the exception? They mentioned the football game – Riverdale Bulldogs Vs the Baxter High Ravens. When is this game happening? Will we get to see it – maybe in the finale?

Some scenes in this episode seemed so superfluous, almost as though they had to be included because Molly Ringwald was the guest star and she has to have something to do. All her scenes this episode could’ve been cut without losing anything. Her conversation with Archie showed nothing except that she knows what Archie’s been up to with his song-writing thanks to Fred. Didn’t Fred tell Mary about the important stuff – like Grundy? Why couldn’t Mary and Archie’s conversation have been about that?

So Ronnie gave evidence that would help her dad and now she’s anxious that he’ll be out of jail soon. She obviously shares or used to share a very close relationship with him, but all that changed when he so obviously threatened her in that letter. Now she seems to want nothing to do with him, that fear going to the extent of wanting him to stay in jail. Hermione – I still don’t understand her motivations for hooking up with Fred when her loyalties seem to lie with Hiram. She seems happy he’ll be released. That could be relief that she could go back to her lifestyle once he’s back or it could be from genuine affection. I thought she had some nefarious intent when she kissed Fred, but now I think she was just lonely and needy.

Jughead and FP was my most favorite scene in this episode – it was so organic, real and the conversation flowed so effortlessly between these two. FP being honest about himself and Juggie’s talent and Juggie being surprised that he actually read his work and engaged with it - truly the equivalent of tectonic plates shifting for him. That again crushes my heart when I think of how little it took for Juggie to start hoping again – his dad had shaved, not missed work and had quit drinking, and taken interest in him. Something that had never happened in 16 years. Wow! FP, you truly were a shitty dad.

“That’s what Betty says and then it’s about a dozen suggestions”. Throwback to “I’ll help, and suggest and edit but it’s your story, your voice”. Can we please have a scene with Betty talking to Juggie about his manuscript and her dozen suggestions??

Is Riverdale a place of good or a place of darkness and evil? This is something that can posited over people in Riverdale too. Betty? Veronica? Fred Andrews? FP? Alice? Cheryl? Penelope? Hal?

Juggie looks surprised and a little deflated when FP says this shouldn’t be the most important story he should be telling and that he should move on.

Ronnie was blowing off Archie because of what she found out about Hiram? Does she already sense that her hooking up with him might cause her dad to react in an unfavorable way? Or is it that she has too much on her mind?

Alice Cooper wants to include the Pussycats as suspects. Was this dialogue included to hint at Alice’s ineffectiveness in investigating the murder since she obviously suspected FP and he seems to be innocent? So the Pussycats are too? And Hiram Lodge and Joaquin?

Way to go, Betty, standing up for your man’s beliefs!

That wig room is seriously creepy. And Cliff Blossom has grey hair. This seems common knowledge since Hermione commented on it once. So why the pretence? Is it symbolic of something- like the Blossoms are good at covering things up? Or is something deeper and more nefarious? (like my Cliff’s twin theory)

Ronnie not feeling the same loyalty to the Jones family is not surprising. They are friends, yes, but kind of forced friends. It’s like Juggie said in ep 10, he would’ve shunned Ronnie two months ago. He’s only friends with her because Archie and Betty are. And Ronnie possibly feels the same about Juggie. I wish they’d thrown Ronnie and Juggie together in a sleuthing adventure to develop their friendship a little more. I guess there are more seasons to do that.

Archie’s songs make you wanna slit your wrists in a good way, Juggie? LOL, that wasn’t very kind. But Betty skeptical look was surprising, she was all over Archie and his songs earlier. Shows how much her judgement was clouded by the fact that she liked him then, she didn’t have one bad thing to say about him. But now? She looks at him more objectively now. Juggie finishing Betty’s sentence was so Bughead and Ronnie standing up for Archie was nice. But dude, she only agreed to sing with him so she could inveigle a favor outta him? Cheap! Kevin’s facial expressions are so cute, I really want Casey to have more scenes in Season 2, he’s so good.

Archie is such a fuckboy – omg his expression goes from overeager to ididn’tsignupforthisshit in 2 seconds after Ronnie talks about the “favor”. LOL!

Ronnie is completely focused on her dad’s release and what it would mean for her if he were indeed tied up with Jason’s murder. Understandable. But couldn’t she spare a thought for Jughead and the fact that it’s his dad she was so callously suspecting? And she did think Juggie could be protecting his dad – she suspected Juggie too! Not kosher Ronnie! Archie said the first sensible thing in weeks when he said “There’s a difference between vandalism and murder”. Yeah right, Ronnie. FP is a thug, but that doesn’t make him a killer?

This episode was about the power of manipulation and how one can use it effectively to get someone to play into one’s hands.

Ronnie used it for Archie, she tried to use his attraction to her to get him to help her snoop FPs trailer, but when that wasn’t enough, she used his affection for Jughead, which worked. “I hope you’re right or Jughead could find himself in the middle of something very messy and very dangerous”. When just minutes before she was ready to believe that Juggie was an accomplice who would warn his dad or protect him! This was clearly a manipulation technique that she used to get Archie thinking. The seeds were already sown in his head. Juggie talking about his dad’s interest in the murder provided the fodder for him to agree to Ronnie’s scheme. He didn’t want Juggie to get hurt, but he ended up hurting him anyway by his betrayal. Foolish Archie!

Alice manipulated Betty by using her love and loyalty to Juggie. She cleverly invited him and FP to dinner and then when Betty confronted her about her scheming, she cunningly played the “He was so excited, so you really want to break his heart by telling him?” card.

I get why Betty and Archie tried to protect Juggie, but why do they think he’s so fragile? I mean this guy has been hurt over and over by the people he cares about, and he still yearns and longs for love. He maybe cynical and sardonic on the outside but internally he always hopes for sunshine after darkness. He’s the epitome of resilience as I’ve said earlier in my meta (X), and it’s strange to me how his friends are all walking on eggshells around him. It��s sweet, but inexplicable.

So Hermione was a mean girl in school and thinks it’s karma that’s bitten her in the ass now. And Mary feels sorry for her and invites her to the dance. Glad to see there was no bitching between Mary and her, it was just old friends/ acquaintances catching up after a while. Mary must have known about Fred carrying a torch for Hermione back then, which is why she didn’t bat an eyelid when Alice outed their fling while they were in the restroom.

How happy was Juggie that Alice had invited him and FP over? This boy so wants his family and wants to feel part of Betty’s family too. “It’s important for us, you know” and his smile! UGH! Just protect him from all the hurt that keeps coming at him! He deserves the world!

Okay, so the Blossoms protect their bedroom obsessively but Polly already discovered 2 secrets – the wigs and the ring. Penelope may have truly loved Jason but she was quietly menacing as she told Polly with sugary sweetness to stay away from the East wing. (dun dun dun). And lacing her milkshake with a sedative (even if it was a natural relaxer that wouldn’t harm the babies) was a just creepy.

Archie and his parents scene was so ho-hum, I know it was there for Archie to see the possible rekindling of romance between his parents and make him yearn to have his family back together but it was such a yawn fest, until Juggie walked in. And didn’t Archie already know his mom was coming to hear him play at the dance? Or was he just surprised his dad and mom were coming together? And he was gonna play wasn’t he? But that glance for Juggie’s approval and Juggie’s “of course you’re playing dude how can u think of not” was supercute!

Juggie notices everything and he seems truly happy Fred and Mary could be getting back together. But why does Archie say it would’ve been Little Archie’s pipe dream? I mean Little Archie did have his parents together, and Mary left only 2 years ago, so Archie would’ve been around 13 and not so little? Or had the trouble started way back? Was Archie’s childhood tainted with fights and arguments too?

Poor Juggie is so excited about the tectonic plates shifting in his life finally with his dad shaving, quitting drink and showing up at work that he’s considering moving back with him. And this somehow triggers warning bells in Archie – Is Archie capable of even this little bit of logical thinking? Good to know. Archie rushing off to get almond milk for his mom and Juggie teasing him about his tryst with a raven-haired princess was so funny, I Lol-ed. I love Juggie in his light-hearted moments, let the poor boy be happy, damn you!

Archie rushes off to Ronnie’s and Ronnie is immediately worried this is a booty call! LOL. She’s kinda read him correctly,(not in this instance though) but why then does she think he’s boyfriend material? Must be because her mind is constantly there too (Remember- I’ve had every flavor of boy but orange?)

So they conspire to break in because Archie in his dimwitted way thinks he’s protecting Juggie, but Juggie can never know and neither can Betty. How were they hoping to cover it up? What if they had found something in FPs trailer to incriminate him? How could they hope to keep it secret from Juggie or Betty? Clearly they hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Polly cunningly gets Cheryl to show her her parents’ room on the pretext of borrowing some vintage bling and Cheryl seems happy enough doing it – she knows she’s breaking a rule and her parents won’t like it, but that seems to compel her even more. Polly blatantly searching the drawers with Cheryl looking on was so unbelievable! Also, Cheryl’s comment about her dad’s hair turning grey when he saw the ghost of Grandpa Blossom with his throat slit – does she mean her grandpa or her dad’s grandpa? And if she means Cliff’s grandpa, then wasn’t he the one that offed Hal’s Grandpa? Then who slit his throat?

“We Blossoms live and die by our curls” – what is that supposed to mean? Truly these Blossoms are so cryptic! “Hands off, Gollum” – how does Madelaine utter her lines with a straight face?? I was laughing so hard!!

Now the mystery of Nana Rose’s ring – how did it get back to the Blossoms? Is Penelope’s story about Jason throwing it at Cliff the last time they saw him true? Again with the cryptic – Nothing is lost forever, everything comes back. WTF does this mean?

The dinner – ahh – in-laws bonding, Alice is in her element, being sweetly nasty and FP just reads through her. He’s more than equipped to deal with her but I wonder if Juggie knows about FP trashing the drive-in for Hiram Lodge. I’m guessing he doesn’t, and FP looked kinda trapped there, he was saved by the doorbell. That will be one of the secrets that comes out in the next episode I guess. Juggie and FP standing up when Betty walked in with Hal – so gentlemanly! Swoon! FP was so amused when he heard Hal talk about Alice throwing a brick at his window. Perfect cue for him to start talking about the Homecoming years ago and when Alice and Hal were king and queen and the argument they had. It’s got to be about Alice being pregnant and Hal wanting her to go for an abortion. FP knows about Chic. And he knows about Alice’s penchant for keeping up appearances. His turn to manipulate her into silence now. I loved Juggie’s expression when FP said – Don’t jerk me around in front of my son. He looked a little taken aback – that FP actually cared what Juggie thought of him and was looking to make a good impression on him. Betty and Juggie handled that awkward as heck dinner from hell with so much panache – is it any wonder they make such a good team?

Archie and Ronnie’s search of FPs trailer was so laughable – did Archie even look in the closet or did he just move on after preening in front of the mirror? And they made out in the trailer right after their clandestine operation – wtf Varchie? I think Archie kind of hit the nail on the head when he said – Do you want him to be guilty? Ronnie seemed to want to find some clue that connects her dad &/or FP to Jason and that seems to me to be really desperate because she started out sharing a real closeness to her dad. And then along the way there came revelations about his dealings – trashing the drive-in, ruining Ethel’s dad and not-so-subtly threatening her – that made her realize he was twisted and she probably does not want him in her life anymore.

“You’re a Blossom through and through” – Cliff’s turn now for the cryptic one-liner. And how well he knows how to manipulate Cheryl. Approval and acceptance are what she’s been craving from her parents and she never had that when Jason was around. But Cliff didn’t feel like that two episodes ago when he was pimping Archie to be by his daughter’s side because of her eccentric ways. Saying those words when he did definitely means he does not believe them but wants Cheryl on their side. It’s clear Cheryl does not trust her parents though and full marks to her for not falling for their trap. She lied about the ring – but again, - her saying she flushed the ring to destroy proof, because that way if Polly said anything, it’d be her word against ours. How is the ring proof? There’s more to this than meets the eye and we will know in ep 12 of course.

During the dance she rushes back because she’s concerned for Polly. This indicates that Cheryl is going to change allegiances as the spoilers have forewarned.

The Homecoming – I will never forgive the writers for not giving us a Bughead dance!

He always is, Mr Jones! How cute is Betty vouching for her man? And Juggie gallantly holding out the umbrella for her? And Betty waiting at the steps for her man to escort her in? Aaahhh I’m dying of feels!

Also, FP how could you? How could you hang that Toledo bait for Juggie? You know he wants to be with family and he wants to be with Betty? So how could make him choose? That scene was so poignant with Juggie looking out the car and seeing Betty standing there and “Bette Davies eyes” playing! Siiiigh!!

Of course, it’s a no-brainer for him! He wants to stay with Betty. His mind is possibly already made up but he still wants to figure it out together! How adorable they are! And then that kiss and Betty’s concern – will you be alright for a minute? She knows her man’s lack of comfort in huge social gatherings and she doesn’t want to him to feel awkward. And his reassuring smile he says I think I’ll be fine – as long as she comes back to him, he’s going to be! All those casual, intimate touches, the hand placements, the little cheek kiss, his arm on her back, that look of concern for her when she realizes Varchie have been in cahoots with her mom – arrgghh! Just kill me now! This ship!

Betty cornering Varchie about their betrayal and Juggie walking in on them – why do I feel left out? Oh no – my poor boy, the past is coming back to bite him again now after he’s found a safe place with his friends – he discovers he’s been betrayed. “To think I was gonna pass moving to Toledo with my family for you” – and Betty’s face – broke my heart, and then her tears when she’s reaching for him and saying she didn’t wanna disappoint him – my heart shattered and then Juggie finding out FPs been arrested and rushing out (Fred, couldn’t you have shown a bit of compassion for the boy while breaking the news dammit? You were like his guardian!)

And then the most heart breaking scene of all when Juggie makes his way to FPs trailer and breaks down – I don’t think I will ever recover from this, my heart!

Alice likes Jughead, yet she didn’t have any qualms about hatching a plot to snare FP – you truly are heartless Alice! But I don’t care, Bughead will find a way out of this mess and they will get together because BETTY LOVES JUGHEAD! And considers him family – more than her own family! And she’s not gonna stop until she finds him and makes it okay! She’s hella determined, my girl and I have all the faith in her – she rarely gives up if ever, remember?

Varchie – you fucked up. Admit it, even though it may seem like a good thing you snooped before FP got arrested so now you know he’s being framed. That doesn’t make what you did okay. I’m okay with Juggie being pissed at them for a while. But not with Betty. He has to see that Betty had the best intentions and she clearly had no idea what Alice was upto behind her back. Who did call Keller though? And planted the gun? It would have to be someone who knew FP was going to be away at dinner and someone who knew they’d have a small window of opportunity after Varchie left and FP returned.

Do they know already that’s the gun that killed Jason? Do ballistics reports come back so quickly?

I’m not prepared to see Juggie cry again – it will break me. Who’s he calling? Why does he decide not to leave Riverdale? Cheryl, you bitch – don’t touch my son! Oh God I cannot take the waiting!

#riverdale 1x11 #riverdale reviews #my riverdale reviews

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