RIVERDALE “Outbreak” (S3E8): Riverdale Faces The Apocalypse In A Satisfying Mid-Season Finale

The Riverdale mid-season finale has arrived, leaving the future of Riverdale and its inhabitants terrifyingly uncertain. By episode’s end, Hiram’s (Mark Consuelo) mysterious and diabolical plan was not only revealed to audiences – ending a three year wait – but its climax launched into fruition, spelling doom for some and untamed potential for others. It will be shocking if an exasperated “WHAT?!” does not escape your lips in the final seconds of “Outbreak”.

When Riverdale returns in January, viewers are certain to find their beloved town and characters in a much darker place, swallowed by the depths of despair and defeat, succumbing to the terror within the now quarantined streets of Riverdale. It is not the outside world one has to worry about, but one that is lurking trapped within city limits.

The mid-season finale does not take long in setting up its epic showdown, starting with a mass seizure at Riverdale High. With students succumbing to the unknown outbreak, whose origins seem linked to the mysterious fizzle rocks circulating freely (literally free) around town, those who are “infected” are gathered up, while the others follow the Mayor and Hiram blindly to the finish line. “Outbreak” masterfully balances the ability to deliver appropriate doses of edge-of-your-seat intensity, alongside supplements of false hope. During the entire episode, there is faith that the good will rise above, only to have that hope snatched in the final moments – in more ways than one.

Gayle and Jellybean

Following a close call run in with Hiram last episode, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Archie Andrew (K.J. Apa) finally find a safe haven at the junkyard owned by Jughead’s mother Gladys (Gina Gershon) – yes, we finally get the chance to meet the commonly referenced Gladys AND Jellybean (JB now). What appears to be a legitimate business quickly peels away, revealing Gladys’ new “gang” is a chop shop – leaving open an interesting storyline for the future if the writers of Riverdale decide to engage a further inclusion of Jug’s mother and sister. There is definitely more to Gladys than meets the eye.

The feeling of safety does not last long, as Penny (Brit Morgan) shows up, attempting to kidnap Archie and return him to Hiram. Her plan is swiftly foiled as Jellybean (Trinity Likins), and her slingshot, save Archie, giving Jug the first chance at obtaining the information he needs behind Hiram’s devious pursuits. While Jug is interested in the information Penny may be able to provide, Gladys finds her motherly roots, determined to exact revenge on Penny for the scar she had left on Jug’s arm – and the brutal attack she lead at the end of last season. While it seems as though Penny is permanently no longer a problem – though it’s impossible to kill a c*ckroach – Gladys informs Jughead that Hiram will never stop in his mission to kill Archie, and that keeping Jughead out of Riverdale was his plan this whole time. Realizing their time on the road together has ended, Jughead rushes back to Riverdale, while Archie heads for the border.

What was most interesting within this segment of the episode was Gladys – there is definitely more than what meets the eye, as well as a feeling that pieces were quietly laid for her character’s future in the series. There was certainly more Penny had told Gladys, information that she did not relay to Jughead, which leaves much in question for her involvement in the future. Personally, I think Penny is gone, yet, could Gladys have known what the grand plan was all along, exchanging Penny’s life for the lives of a select few in Riverdale (Archie, Fred, F.P. and Jughead)? And what did Penny mean by “that’s rich coming from you” when Gladys mentioned Penny’s wishy-washy allegiances – could Gladys be that untrustworthy as well? Could she be just as wishy-washy, abandoning her family – both biological and created – for a darker, and seemingly more fruitful scheme?

Where it all began

A the end of “The Man in Black”, viewers were left fearing Betty (Lili Reinhardt) had succumbed to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy – and the powers of both the Gargoyle King and his Fizzle Rocks. It seemed as though Betty had fallen in farther than ever before, immersed in her investigation and over her head. Yet, Betty is more cunning than the sisters of Quiet Mercy – and Ethel – vomiting the Fizzle Rocks she is fed and giving the sisters what they want to hear. She knows she is in a game, and the only way to win is to play it wholeheartedly.

After her time with the Gargoyle King, Betty realized the true nature of the King, as well as the psychological torture the sisters were inflicting on the girls. The Gargoyle King was nothing more than a statue, the effect of the drugs heightening and bringing the Gargoyle King to life. As is revealed, to cope with the fear, the sisters and the drugs inflicted, the girls at the sisters of Quiet Mercy created Gryphons and Gargoyles to rationalize and cope with what they were experiencing and seeing. The game was never supposed to leave the walls of Quiet Mercy – the power of the game born of fear was too strong for others to play.

Finally defeating the game the sisters had paced before her, Betty, with the help of an awakened Ethel, tries to free the others of Quiet Mercy, only to find that their fear of retribution prevents them from making an attempt to leave. Where the Gargoyle King was born out of fear, Betty and Ethel realized a new comparable addition must be added to the game, gracing the players with a new quest. Born out of hope rises the Gryphon Queen – brought to life by the Serpent Queen herself, furthering the parallelisms of the game to the lives of Riverdale. The quest: to leave the walls of Quiet Mercy. Feeling the hope course through their veins is short-lived as the sirens ring out through town, and Betty’s mother arrives in a panic to get Betty out before it is too late.

While the focus had been on Betty, the most interesting element was the arrival of Alice (Mädchen Amick). How did Alice know to come get Betty, that things were about get bad? Could it be possible that Penny told Gladys more than what was originally disclosed? Could Penny have relayed Hiram’s entire plan, thus giving Gladys time to get the people she cares for out of Riverdale? F.P. (Skeet Ulrich) is out of Riverdale, as he came to retrieve Jughead (an interesting note to make was the look given to F.P. by Gladys before heading back to Riverdale). Fred (Luke Perry) too is out of town, as he was called to come help Archie escape to the border. F.P. could have easily alerted Alice of the need to get her child out as well – though I would have assumed Kevin’s father, the former sheriff, would have also been notified, as he is a member of the fatherly trio.

Perhaps then, it was the farm, specifically Edgar that alerted Alice. Could the farm be behind it all? A wizard behind the curtain, eluding everyone of the true nature of events? As viewers, we embrace the ending of the finale, with the understanding that Hiram is the Gargoyle King and he has finalized his plans to create his kingdom. Yet, it is literally in the final seconds that we begin to understand that Hiram is just as much prey to the game as anyone else – and darker forces are at work here.

Conclusion: Nothing is ever as it truly seems in Riverdale

“The simplest explanation is always the right one” – Occams Razor

Riverdale takes this classic quote and turns it on its head season after season. The midseason finale last year, it was a simple explanation as to who the Black hood was, only later in the season to be revealed as someone completely different, a puppet master crafting the perfect illusion. This season seems to be pulling the same strings. While it seems as though the true nature and origin of the Gargoyle King had been relayed, there may be more truth lurking in the shadows.

Has Hiram been playing the same game since high school? Like the Warden, is he given quests (i.e. conquer the kingdom)? While Hiram Lodge seems a rational and simple explanation as to the identity of The Gargoyle King and the parallelism of the game and Riverdale, in the finale moments, viewers are left questioning not only his sanity, but again the identity of Gargoyle King. Is he a delusion? Or is The Gargoyle King something more, as he has been viewed by many outside of the walls of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?

Then there is the farm. It has been mentioned many times over the last 3 seasons – and Edgar’s daughter was introduced earlier this season, yet we haven’t met too many other members or dived into what exactly the Farm is. Could there still be a connection between the game and the farm, or is it an underlying storyline, waiting to begin its ascent into the foreground as Hiram’s takeover has been a patient and meticulous play over three seasons?

It will be a long wait until Riverdale‘s return in January, with more questions than answers rising as we draw closer.

What did you think of the mid-season finale? And what are your predictions for the future of Riverdale when it returns? Let us know in the comments below!

Riverdale returns to the CW on January 16, 2019 at 8PM ET.