We are T-minus one week away from the winter finale episode, and if viewers thought our dynamic quartet are each in dark places now, there is a strong sense that things are about to get much, much worse. If there was one thing revealed within this episode, it was not so much the identity of the Man in Black – but the fact that his meticulous planning and scheming has caused everyone to lose sight of themselves. They are not only lost in their situations but also on who they truly are.
As this episode proved, Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) has won in his mission to disband the tightly knit group of Archie (K. J. Apa), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) – each succumbing to their own demons and insecurities in the process. The road they have each begun to travel is a dark one, and I feel our winter finale next week will have many hanging in the balance.
Jughead and Archie on the run
Jughead and Archie are literally lost. Where Jughead represents the literal aspect, Archie is losing himself further and further. With Hiram on his tail, Archie is feeling the walls closing in on him, the claustrophobia of inevitability pushing him to extremes he thought himself incapable. Leaving Riverdale and Veronica behind, Archie is in a dark place, his thoughts restricted to those of survival. Even with Jughead beside him for safety, viewers will watch as their valiant hero slips further and further away into desperation.
After traveling for some time, and convinced Hiram Lodge is not too far behind, Archie and Jughead seek temporary refuge at an abandoned farm off the road. While Archie works to prove his worth hopeful for a permanent reprieve, Jughead heads out to explore the abandoned and rundown town void of any male inhabitants. As he discovers, the town, plastered in runic symbols and drawings of the Gargoyle King, fell into its desolate state due to drugs, G&G (Gryphon and Gargoyles) and the drug lab all the men are confined too – all due to the Man in Black.
As Jughead finds more questions than answers, Archie is lured into a false sense of security, finding himself once again helpless and staring down the possibility that his time as the “sacrifice” has come. We as viewers are smart enough to know that Hiram Lodge is most definitely the Man in Black, his confirmation solidified as “the man in black” steps out of his limo at the farm exchanging Archie for the woman’s father and brother (who work at the prison drug lab!).
Thankfully arriving in time, Jughead frees Archie before the exchange can occur, but not without witnessing the dark side brewing in Archie. While Jughead was able to prevent Archie from murdering Hiram, ending the torture and fear once and for all, Hiram will continue his unrelenting pursuit – leaving one to conclude this is not the only time Archie will be faced with last resort options.
Veronica and the La Bonne Noit
The second act of the episode surrounded Veronica Lodge – and her struggles with maintaining Pop’s Shoppe and the speakeasy below it after moving out of her parents’ apartment. One of the chicest places in Riverdale, the non-alcoholic club has fallen victim to teens just hanging around – spending their entire time dedicated to G&G. There are patrons but no cash flow.
Deciding to tap into Elio’s (Julia Haig) earlier idea of putting slots into the club, Veronica enlists his help turning the La Bonne Noit into a casino for one night – high stakes and high rollers. In exchange for 25% of the profits, Elio provided the games and brings along some of his high-roller friends. Convinced the night will be a success, as the house always wins, Veronica bets it all on the evening. Yet, as her big night approaches, her father, Hiram Lodge, warns her that the man she is dealing with is a sly and cunning criminal who will take her for all she is worth.
To Veronica’s delight, her evening seems to be a hit-out-of-the-ball-park – that is until Reggie (Charles Melton) informs her that Elio hasn’t lost a round, and at the rate he is going, he will wipe out everything they have by the end of the evening. Determined to exhibit strength and virility, Veronica takes Elio on, all or nothing, everything he has in the game for the deed to Pop’s Shoppe and the La Bonne Noit. What looks like a loss turns into an irrefutable win, proving Veronica is not one to be trifled with. Though the question remains, how could she bet the one thing she was trying so desperately to save?
A heads up from her father that she is viewed as weak, and advice on how to rig the game at the right moment against Elio, was all Veronica needed to win. Veronica’s move to outwit Elio was an ominous step for her future, a move that may bring Veronica onto a darker path – one that she has spent the entire series avoiding. She has lost sight of herself and her values, and others are starting to notice. The morning after her conniving showdown, Pop (Alvin Sanders) expressed his concern for Veronica, revealing Sheriff Minetta (Henderson Wade) had been found – with his head and hands cut off.
Betty meets the Gargoyle King
How has no one realized Betty is missing? The Serpent Queen MIA, with not even her best friend concerned about her absence. I would have thought there would at least have been a question as to her whereabouts during Veronica’s high roller night at the speakeasy. I would have expected Jughead to start worrying at this point as well, but as he mentioned to Archie “Betty took down a serial killer last year,” – so he is kind of off the hook.
Betty has been confined to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, her mother thinking this the safest place to protect her from the Gargoyle King. With a plan in place to escape (as Cheryl, played by Madelaine Petsch, did when she was there), Betty tries to appear cooperative, while looking for any evidence she can sneak out with her. What she finds, though, quickly becomes too overwhelming to handle – and for once, Betty is not ahead of the game. As she discovers, her mother had unknowingly placed her in the heart of the beast.
As Betty tries to just get by until her escape plan can be launched into action, she finds her new roommate to be none other than Ethel (Shannon Purser) – her devotion to the Gargoyle King more intense than ever. As she tells Betty, she is the Queen Bee in these walls. Ethel is different than earlier, the sweetness that surrounded her cult-like following has now vanished, a new power fueling her emotions and reactions. With watchful eyes, she monitors everything Betty is doing, catching her in more acts than one – her final act of defiance and investigation resulting in a failed escape, guaranteeing her visitation rights with Gargoyle King.
Betty loses herself to the Gargoyle King – and the effects of the Fizzle Rocks – her final words at the end of the episode “My King, My Savior. Guide me through the night. Bless me with your darkness, gift me with your flight.” – mimicking that of Ethel. She seems to have become a devote follower and an unwilling participant of science. The emotional and mental manipulation may bring out a side of Betty we never knew existed.
Conclusion: “The night is always darkest before the dawn”
I think viewers and fans of the show will need to remember this quote as we enter the mid season finale. Things are more likely to get worse before they get better. Hiram Lodge, the Man in Black, pops in and out of each storyline, affecting each outcome. The focus of this episode was not who the Man in Black is, but what he does to those around him. With a central focus on the effects he has created on our quartet, we also see the the ripple effects he has caused – both past and present.
The town, the drugs in Sisters of Quiet Mercy, the medical tests, everything seems to spawn off of him. The question now remains is what is his dealings with the Gargoyle King – an answer I feel we may inch intensely close to in the midseason finale.
What did you think of the latest episode? Any predictions for the mid-season finale? Let us know in the comments below!
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