RIVERDALE (S3E20) “Chapter Fifty-Five: The Prom”: This Isn’t Your Typical High School Prom

“We still do this?” – yes, Prom is still a major storyline for young adult shows, and as Jughead asks with this question, still Riverdale High as well. As Prom approaches, many of our beloved characters find themselves fish out of water, trying to navigate to safety and to acceptance. Some, however, come out on the other side faring better then others.

A Fighter to the End

With the death of Ronson behind him, Archie (K J Apa) is ready to embrace the world of boxing as a career choice and all that it entails. Though as ready as he may be, his mother is not fully behind him. Staying with him while his father is away on business (yes, take a moment to wipe that tear), Mary (Molly Ringwald) expresses her concern for her son, fear about the dangers of boxing preventing her from throwing her support.

While she does refuse to sign a slip allowing Archie to fight in a local tournament, she does reach out to an old friend working at the Naval academy, a place she believe Archie could continue to get an education and improve his boxing. While she sets Archie up with a fight to show the recruiter his skill, Archie accidentally double books himself for two fights while forging his mothers signature.

Against everyone’s advice, Archie pushes himself to lose the weight required to qualify for his match, all the while assured that he can make both fights happen. What Archie doesn’t expect is the toll it will take on his body, and the potential consequences that lay before him as he fails.

Archie and Veronica

While Archie may not be winning the big battles in the ring, he is certainly starting to win them in his love life. With his relationship with Josie ended, Archie and Veronica (Camila Mendes) seem to be getting a bit more chummy. While she is his manager now, eager to invest in him as a fighter and the gym, the time together may just be what the two need to rekindle their relationship.

Now throw in Prom and family drama an you have a recipe for reigniting old flames. As Veronica finds out, disclosing it to Archie like old times, her father (Marc Consuelos) never gave her the real deed to Pop’s Shoppe, instead giving her a copy. Without the legal document proving her ownership, she has been working for her father this entire season. Wait until she finds out the truth about the gym! Thankfully, she may have Archie once again by her side.

Wavering Farm

The exponential growth of The Farm can only go so high before it begins to plateau, even begin to dip a bit. As Prom creeps closer and closer, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) – as expected – begins her vigorous campaign for her and Toni to be co- prom queens. Envisioning success, all eyes on them and a special night with her girl, the carpet is ripped out from under her as she discovers campaigning for such things is strictly against the rules of The Farm. As Cheryl is starting to discover, not everything is perfect in Walden Two.

Though to contrast with Cheryl, The Farm may have a new strong hold as its members begin to ebb and flow – Betty.

The Black Hood and the Gargoyle King

Is Hall Cooper (Lochlyn Munro) really dead? This is an all encompassing, dose of paranoia that Betty finds herself drowning in at the begging of “The Prom”. Fear for her life and her mother’s, Betty (Lili Reinhart) frantic cries that the Black Hood is back are stifled as Dr. Curdle Junior (Nikolai Witschl) confirms that, even though the bodies were mangled beyond recognition, he was able to sample a severed hand for DNA and it was in deed her father’s.

As relief calms the air, Betty and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) set out on a new mission – to finally catch the Gargoyle King. With his gospel in hand, they read of a ritual involving the Gryphon Queen – one that not so strangely parallels the upcoming teen ritual of prom. Determined to end this once and for all, Jughead and Betty change the theme of the Prom to medieval theme – Cheryl can’t be prom queen so she doesn’t care what the theme is anymore – setting the stage for his welcomed arrival. What they didn’t anticipate was they participation in his game.

Just as Prom Queen is about to be announced, all the exits guarded by Serpents and Pretty Poisons, Betty receives a letter to come finish the game where it began, to come alone and tell no one. As the pretty blondes often do in these situations, Betty does exactly this. Though while she may have been expecting to come face to face with the Gargoyle King (which she does), the return of a murderous Black Hood was not. Running through a funhouse of Gargoyle and Black Hood rampage, Betty survives the ordeal, only to throw herself into a new horror – The Farm.

Conclusion

Is the Black Hood really Hal Cooper come back to finish what he started? Or is there a different wizard behind the curtain? The Farm had shown is clear intent at the end of “Fear the Reaper”, could they stoop this low just to bring Betty into the fold? Whether it be Hal or The Farm, the follow-up question here is, why are they working with the Gargoyle King? There are so many questions left unanswered with only two episodes left in the season, but each storyline throughout the season – and season before – are coming together nicely in an intense and uncertain turn of events.

Riverdale returns May 08, 2019.