RIVERDALE: “Chapter Forty-Eight: Requiem For A Welterweight” (S3E13): Kings Fall, Victors Rise

Things are definitely heating up in the town of Riverdale, yet while in the real world, sadness hangs over the remainder of Season 3. With the passing of Luke Perry, Riverdale already doesn’t feel the same, even with his final episodes still left to air. There has been a feeling of change coming for some time, yet not in the way we could have ever imagined.

Looking back to “Requiem for a Welterweight”, this was the most intense episode – an intensity that has long been missing from this season. It is not immediately felt, but rather the result of a slow boil, a simmer that catches you off guard as it boils over. There are so many pieces at play from a variety of players, each moving in for their checkmate – each with the intent of owning Riverdale. While this episode felt as though it was the boil, I think we are still simmering, patiently waiting for the explosive end this season appears to be culminating into.

Can a King Rule Forever?

This is definitely a question Riverdale has kept alive since Hiram’s (Mark Consuelos) fall from grace, his weakened state a constant reminder of how great he once was and the fallen empire that lays in ruins around him. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) now too seems to be facing devastation as the Serpent King. Loosing members faster than he can recruit, Jughead finds the rise of the Pretty Poisons detrimental to Serpent numbers and standing. After Sweetpea (Jordan Connor) is pummeled by the newly formed gang as a message to the King, it seems as though the Serpents are once again staring down the barrel of extinction. There is always someone in the wings ready to take the throne, and this episode was loaded with potential rises of power.

With a tip from Gladys (Gina Gershon), Jughead ventures out to try and recruit the remaining members of the Ghoulies – who have been leaderless since Penny’s disappearance. Hesitant at first, Jughead sees it as the only way to protect their numbers and remain alive and relevant. Yet, when he finds their current “leader”, he and the remaining Ghoulies have become lost within Gryphons & Gargoyles, their mind irrevocably trapped within the belief of the game’s truth and the King’s rule. It was an interesting, and intense, means of keeping the game of G & G alive without making it a focus within the episode. The game is not done with its players yet, and neither are the writers with the potential it offers to the story.

A Lodge will always be a Lodge

As Jughead struggles with his crumbling kingdom, so too is Veronica (Camila Mendes). Stretched farther than she can reach, Veronica is finding that being in the game is more difficult than she could have ever anticipated. Protecting her mother, preventing her father from rebuilding his illegal empire and faced with the threat that could put the nail into the coffin for her family, Veronica has her hands full.

As her father tries to rebuild his empire, starting by cleaning house, sniffing out the traitor under his own roof, Veronica is faced with committing the ultimate betrayal against her father, or protecting the life of her mother. Nothing is ever easy in Riverdale. As she slowly maneuvers through each obstacle thrown at her, she finds that self sacrifice is the only thing that can save her and her family – for now. Gladys is determined to run Riverdale, and seems to have all the cards in her favor. With the Jones family placed in prime positions of power, and the Lodge’s barely clinging to their once menacing image, it looks as though Riverdale is ripe for the taking.

The Valiant Paladin

Archie (KJ Apa) has had a long difficult road to travel this season, and his path to absolution is sure to involve some bumps in the road along the way. Tonight was the first major obstacle of his morality and ethics Archie has had to face – thankfully with virtuous Josie (Ashleigh Murray) beside him.

With the prospect of college a distant possibility for Archie, he tries to deal with his own anger and anxieties through boxing. Yet the forever impatient Archie craves a chance to prove himself, not just to his fellow boxers but to himself and others. Yet when Keller (Martin Cummins) denies him his chance in the ring, Archie snatches the first shortcut that comes his way. Elio (Julian Haig) offers Archie $5,000 to enter the ring with his opponent and throw the fight. Seeing this as his only means to get what he wants, Archie finds himself falling on old habits.

As the episode shows, though, the fight for absolution and one’s identity is just that – a fight. While there is a literal boxing ring for Archie to fight in, it is only a representation of the fight Archie is constantly battling. He feels victim to the evils that enticed him last season, changing his own perception of himself. One does not just come back from that without a fight.

The Farm

As The Farm encroaches on Riverdale, there is a sense that they are the true evil. That all of the other turmoil and power struggles throughout the town are just bit players. The power of The Farm to sway individuals to their beliefs and culture is a terrifying concept, the weak-minded and lonely individuals prone to fall prey to drinking their Kool-Aid – Alice (Mädchen Amick) after everything with Hal, Kevin after losing Moose, Polly after Jason. And as they begin their move into town, culminating a larger mass of followers, if feels as though they will cry “Checkmate” by the end of the season.

Betty (Lili Reinhart) struggles as she is faced with the powerlessness of watching her mother sink further into the clutches of The Farm. When she hears that her mother is to be baptized into the fold, terror strikes Betty, the intensity of the unknown and the implications this could have on the future unknown. While Betty initially tries to embrace it in order to gather Intel on The Farm, she finds that the only ones who may be able to provide insight are those who have escaped themselves. Yet, what Betty finds culminates into one of the best scenes this season, and can have lasting effects on those around her.

The Future looks Bleak….

There is much to come this season on Riverdale, all the intricate pieces to the game slowly taking down their opponents and setting the perfect match-ups. The time is counting down for the remainder of the season, and not everyone can come out on top. With much unknown still remaining, especially in the wake of a lost cast member, all we can do is hold on and wait.