RIVERDALE “Chapter Thirty-Six: Labor Day” (S3E1): The Verdict Is In

Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead are back! And it looks like they have one devilish season ahead of them. Returning from a summer off from tumultuous family rivalries, the Black Hood and gang wars, our favorite comic book adaptations are back for more, unfortunately still licking the wounds from last season’s epic finale. When season two ended, fans were torn over the false murder charges placed on Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa) – just as he gave his acceptance speech for class president.

In a checkmate move, Archie was accused of murdering the boy who had robbed Veronica’s (Camila Mendes) cabin earlier in the season – accusations coordinated by none other than Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos). Archie had threatened to take Hiram down by any means necessary, breaking a blood oath of loyalty to the Lodge family. Yet, it is not only Archie who fans are clamoring to see recover and rise above last season.

A Crowded Premiere

While I thoroughly enjoyed “Labor Day”, there were just too many characters to catch up with, each one of them crammed into the hour long premiere. Starting off with the dynamic quartet, through the words of Jughead (Cole Sprouse), viewers are quickly recapped on the events that have happened since the end of the school year. Veronica has been working in the diner she traded with her father – a move to save the sanctity of Pop’s Diner, as well as a safe haven for her friends as the impending danger of Hiram Lodge draws near.

Betty (Lili Reinhart), avoiding the traumatic and emotional revelation that her father (Lochlyn Munro) was the Black Hood terrorizing and murdering citizens of Riverdale, buries herself in an internship aiding Mrs. Andrews (Molly Ringwald) in the fight to save her son. And Jughead, he has been fighting as the new king for the South Side Serpents, managing what is left of the once renowned gang.

As the Labor Day weekend passes, possibly the last free weekend for Archie Andrews whose verdict is expected Tuesday morning, each supporting character is given a moment to shine. The need to address each character and drag out the moments of Archie’s final weekend really put a halt to the episode, dragging each scene out unnecessarily, avoiding the tension one usually finds in each episode of Riverdale.

Cheryl “Bombshell” Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and Toni (Vanessa Morgan) have returned from a cross country motorcycle trip. Moose (Cody Kearsley) and Kevin (Casey Cott) seem to be rekindling a lost passion, while Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and Sweet Pea (Jordan Connor) toy with an ending summer fling (a summer fling only one is ready to end). Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) has followed her daughter Polly (Tiera Skovbye), giving into the “farm” as a means of recovery from her husband’s indiscretions. There were just too many characters, and not enough time.

Setting up the rest of the season

As we reached the second half of the episode, things finally started to really get interesting, and the Riverdale vibe we all know and love slowly began to seep back in. Jughead leads an expedition to save Hot Dog, the beloved pet of the South Side Serpents (you never leave a Serpent behind). Yet, a simple rescue turns into a potentially deadly face-off as Jughead comes face to face with Penny (Brit Morgan), the new leader of the Ghoulies, for the first time since his brush with death at her hand. Narrowly escaping, Jughead has exposed the North Side to retaliation and a potential setup for the Serpents to fight the Ghoulies once more. Honestly, the only feelings I had watching this was my deep disgust for Penny – why is she still alive?

While Jughead juggles his responsibilities as Serpent king and best friend to an accused murderer, Betty comes to the realization that she has been putting off emotionally dealing with the revelation of her father and the darkness from within, burying all her time in Archie’s case. Lili Reinhart stepped forward at the end of last season, asking the writers and creators of the show to put Dark Betty away, as it was becoming too much of a sexual thing. Dark Betty started off as an interesting concept, but quickly descended into chaos. It was as though the writers had no idea what to do with Betty for a while there, knowing where they wanted her to go as a character but not how to get her there. The end of Dark Betty, I think, is one of the best ideas this show could have made with regards to Betty’s character and the potential she has for the show going forward.

As Tuesday morning approaches, and the possibility of Archie’s incarceration becoming more and more of certainty, Veronica pleads with her father in vain – he can change it with one phone call – to which he declines. Veronica was given the least amount of attention in this episode, her struggles over the summer mostly assumed. Though, the revelation that it was her betrayal and not Archie’s that caused these events is one of the strongest moments in the episode – “You don’t have a daughter anymore.”.

That is until you find Archie, self-sacrificing as always, being led away, leaving his family and friends in shock and awe. I hate to admit it, but I was tearing up as the court room erupted in various reactions to the injustice forced to play out. Within that moment, it is not only a verdict for Archie, but for everyone as well. The only good thing that comes out of it is the reuniting of the fatherly trio – former Sheriff Keller (Martin Cummins), FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) and Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) – who vow to fight for Archie. Recalling back to the riots at the end of last season, this is one of the best pairings in the entire series beyond Archie and his gang.

All Paths lead to Sabrina?

In the final moments of the premiere, those hoping for an eventual crossover with Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be over the moon at the potential this season provides for that possibility. While it is too soon to tell where satanism, dark magic and the occult will bring our characters this season, the promise that the newly rebooted Sabrina will be darker (and from the executive producers of Riverdale) also lends to an unspoken promise of a crossover.

As the episode progresses, focusing on catching up with our favorites and finding out the fate of Archie, fellow classmate Dilton (Major Curda) is shown briefly at various times throughout the episode. Initially engrossed in what appears to be a Dungeons and Dragons-esque game, his mental state quickly degrades each time he is brought back on screen. In a final moment of reaching out to Jughead, he struggles to formulate words and get his message across. Distracted by Archie’s verdict, Jughead realizes too late that it was a warning – one whose fruition is as mysterious as the behaviors of Betty’s mother and sister during an occult-like ritual.

Riverdale’s premiere episode, while a slow burning start, ended with a bang, announcing to fans that season three may be their most devilish yet. Next week can’t come soon enough!