RIVERDALE (S3E18) “Chapter Fifty-Three: Jawbreaker”: Tension Runs High As The Finale Approaches

Can anyone else believe we are now four episodes away from the finale? That’s right, on May 15th, season 3 of Riverdale will conclude, and with so many balls in the air, it is impossible to predict where they will all land. One thing is for certain, not everything is as it seems, and games are meant to be finished.

The El Royale Gym

Unfortunately, “Jawbreaker” brought back the feeling that the writers have no idea what to do with Archie Andrews (K J Apa), or Veronica (Camila Mendes) for that matter. There has not been much advancement for them this season, and while some may disagree, both characters seem to be falling on tired storylines warped to look new and advancing. Archie continues to fall back on the fighting from earlier this season and Veronica on her family’s ability to run business behind the scenes. My only hope, with just four episodes left in the season, is that this mundanity proves to be a trap, one that will rip us forward in a shocking turn of events. For now, that hope remains just that – hope.

Tonight, the El Royale Gym Hiram (Marc Consuelos) gifted to Archie tries to build itself up, offering free classes to those who sign up and a challenge to Elio’s (Julian Haig) gym and their fighters. Archie wants a rematch against Randy Ronson (Darcy Hinds), fighting in memory of Baby Teeth. Though as Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and FP (Skeet Ulrich) chase down tainted drugs around town, Elio has found a use for them amongst his fighters. With a warning from Mad Dog (Eli Goree) that the stuff Elio is giving his boxers makes them fight with uncontrollable rage, Archie pushes forward as he always does, ready to live up to his challenge and to become a part of the gym.

There is some intensity and concern the valiant Red Paladin will fall, succumbing to the fighter boosted with tainted drugs, yet Archie reigns true – as do his feelings for Veronica (which slowly begin to bubble to the surface). Victory, though, I am sure will be short-lived, as Elio doesn’t like to be crossed and does not like to be shown up. Archie may have won the battle, but it feels as though a war is one the horizon. Oh, and there is the question of whether he killed a man… again. After the final knockout, Randy lays on the ground unconscious, viewers unsure if Archie has give a final blow or the drugs have found their first victim.

A Family Business

If Jughead thinks keeping the truth about his mother a secret from his father is the best route, he is in for a rude awakening. The devestation his father is sure to experience when he does discover Jughead knew the identity of the kingpin they have been chasing the whole time, it will not just break him that his wife is the drug lord, but that Jughead lied to him. I don’t think it will be too long before he finds out, especially not with the events of the next episode played out like a real life game to save Jellybean.

At the conclusion of “The Raid”, FP discovered a ritualistic murder set in a clearing in the woods – a ritualistic setting mirroring the one Jughead had found earlier in the season. Putting all that has transpired between them behind, FP enlists his son’s help. Though what starts as a murder investigation quickly turns into a more immediate search for the source of tainted drugs making their way through town – drugs Jug does not seem convinced came from his mother.

As they weave through broken information and confusion, staking out individuals and rounding up the infected, they come to the understanding that it is not necessarily an individual but a king – a Gargoyle King. As they discover, YOU are not done with the Gargoyle King, the King is done with YOU. Hard as they try to beat the game, there is still one challenge left for the Hellcaster, one that has unknown ramifications on the princess – Jellybean.

The Illusion of Healing and Letting Go

Grief and coping have been a strong highlight with season 3 of Riverdale – especially within the Cooper family. Last season, it was discovered that Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro), Betty’s father, was the true Black Hood, his murderous rampage on the town finally ended, leaving his family to pick up the pieces of their broken family – a family whose fractures predated this reveal. While Betty has pushed forward, trying to return to some normalcy of life, her mother (Mädchen Amick) has given herself to The Farm completely – without question. What started off as herbs and meditation quickly escalated to giving away all possessions, selling the family home, and now possibly an engagement with the cult’s leader Edgar (Chad Michael Murray). All the while, Betty fought to bring her mother back, to reunite what was left of her family and keep the talons of those who prey on the weak as far away as possible. As she found out in “Jawbreaker”, though, sometimes the best thing you can do is let go.

After the kidnapping of her mother and forcing her to remember her past, to embrace it, Betty found that the only thing she could do was to give up control, allowing her mother to return to The Farm. It is heartbreaking to watch Betty return her mother, knowing Betty is right, yet understanding we can not dictate how someone grieves, copes and heals. This is what her mother needs, no matter how wrong it is. Thankfully, though, Betty has found a way to give her mother what she needs, as well as a means to get the intel SHE so desperately wants. With a new ally and a woman on the inside, time will only tell how long this freedom will be extended. Betty is not going down without a fight.

Let the Countdown begin…

With only four episodes left, there is an immense amount of material for the series to conclude, or leave us obsessed with, before the finale. I do not think season three will go out with a whimper, though the implications of all that is to come may be delivered in an unexpected punch. As of right now, all bets are off.

Riverdale returns to The CW on April 24, 2019.