Riverdale Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!
Justin Carreiro
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Poor Josie! It's no wonder she's so set on being a star. Her parents' expectations are exhausting.
We finally got a Josie-centric story on Riverdale Season 1 Episode 6. It took weeks for this to happen. I couldn't be happier.
Has anyone else officially joined #TeamJosie? I've been here a while. Welcome to the group. (On Thursdays we wear cat ears.)
In her few appearances so far, Josie has always come across as the ambitious yet snobby band leader. She would show up to perform a song or demand attention to rule the group. I never understood why this was her only personality trait shown.
That is...until we finally met and learned more about her parents.
Her father is one of the worst. I. Can't. Even...
Granted, her mother isn't picture perfect either, but at least she's there and cares for her daughter. Mr. McCoy is so critical of his daughter, and her musical aspirations, that he WALKS OUT during her song. Is he serious?! That is heartless.
It's no wonder Josie is a domineering and straightforward leader. Her parents have hounded into her the pursuit of a music career. She is striving for their affection and acceptance.
Josie: Mom, Valerie quit the Pussycats.
Mayor McCoy: Replace her!
Josie: Val writes our songs. She's irreplaceable.
Mayor McCoy: No, Josie, you're irreplaceable. Everyone else is...disposable. You know...maybe it's not such a bad thing to try a new voice? A different sound? You know how your father feels about pop music.
Josie: But it's not pop music this time.
Mayor McCoy: Well, he's catching a Red Eye and missing two concert dates to see you in this Variety Show. I would hate for you to let him down.
Josie: I understand, and I won't.
Mayor McCoy: Good. Because if you do, he will somehow blame me.
I felt bad for Valerie when Josie lashed out at her. There was clearly tension brewing in the band for a while. Something needed to be said to set Josie straight.
It's great to see her stand up for herself and explore options elsewhere with Archie. However, the band needed to get back together. That was an absolute must – they work so well together. I would've been devastated if they stayed broken up.
Though, seeing Veronica perform with Josie and the Pussycats was a fun treat. Hopefully this bit of performing gives her the urge to sing again. Maybe this time with Betty?
Speaking of Josie's parents, why are the adults on Riverdale the absolute worst?
With the exception of Sheriff Keller, every adult who has appeared so far has either been stubborn, creepy, devious or downright evil. The teens clearly don't take after their parents. I can't believe they're the ones acting the most mature and down-to-earth.
Hermione Lodge was all over the map on Riverdale Season 1 Episode 6.
I didn't understand her actions or reasoning. She initially turned down a date with Fred on Riverdale Season 1 Episode 5, but now she's kissing him and forging business documents for him? That didn't make sense.
Her character's personality completely changed. She turned into this selfish schoolgirl with a crush. I thought she would choose Veronica over a guy...
Don't get me wrong, I don't want Archie's dad to see his business fail. I'm happy Mr. Andrews will get the money and keep everyone paid/Archie protected. However, it's sad to see the strong family bond between Veronica and Hermione take a hit.
Mrs. Lodge: When your father was arrested, he made you a legal officer of Lodge Industries. Surprise! And two out of three signatures are needed to override the contract, which your father wants to give to a less than legit outfit.
Veronica: And you want my help to give it to your boyfriend? [Scoffs] I was going to apologize to you. If I sign that, will you stop seeing Fred Andrews?
Mrs. Lodge: Honey, I can't agree to that.
Veronica: Then that case, Mom, I'm sorry, but no. However, you're rationalizing what you're doing with Archie's dad, I don't want any part of it.
[She leaves]
[Hermione forges Veronica's signature]
The Coopers, on the other hand, need a miracle to save their family bonds.
When it comes to murdering Jason, I'm starting to believe Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.
The father is involved in stealing evidence and tampering with the investigation, but I don't think he killed Jason. Mrs. Cooper is vengeful; she would jump at the chance. But that answer is too easy.
They're guilty of being bad parents. Why keep Betty and Polly apart? It's 2017. An unplanned pregnancy does not warrant all these lies and masterful plans.
Betty: The night of the drive-in. Did you break into Sheriff Keller's house and steal his case files?
Mr. Cooper: What?!
Betty: You weren't at the drive-in. You weren't with mom when she put Ms. Grundy on trial. Where were you?
Mr. Cooper: Betty, what do you think I did?
Betty: Did you kill Jason Blossom?
[Alice Cooper laughs]
Mrs. Cooper: Him? You think that he killed Jason? Your father? You think that he has the stomach for that?!
Mr. Cooper: Alice...
Mrs. Cooper: I wish he killed Jason. I wish I had. After what Jason did to Polly. I swear Elizabeth. You're sounding crazy just like your sister.
Betty: Stop saying that, Mom. She's not crazy!
I need to take a moment and pat myself on the back. I called this pregnancy prediction last week. And twice, for that matter!
Did anyone else see this twist coming? The signs were popping up. There had to be a reason why the parents were keeping Polly away from anyone seeing her.
Betty reuniting with Polly was a touching scene, and the flashback added more depth to their sisterly love. However, something seems off about Polly. Maybe the parents are right and she is crazy?
She did make a big escape from the facility. And the parents are positive she's not telling the truth about Jason. Though, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are still untrustworthy narratives to me.
Let's take a moment to talk about "Juggy" and Betty. Are you shipping these two?
They're cute together; I don't deny this. However, this isn't a relationship I'm invested in romantically. They're good friends and great investigative partners. Unfortunately, they don't seem like endgame.
Valerie and Archie were cute too. It's great to see Archie moving on already from Ms. Grundy. However, it's still too early to tell if this relationship will last.
Archie overcoming his stage fight was an interesting choice by the writers. He's always wanted to be a songwriter, but performing is par for the course. Though, this news came a bit out of nowhere.
He has performed in front of his friends, and he's worked with the band before. This could just be a comfort thing. I'm glad he fixed it – his performance was beautiful. K. J. Apa has a great voice.
However, even with a great singing voice, it was good someone called out Archie on his bad behavior. This shadiness was a long time coming.
Veronica: Not to be "that girl", Archie, but I didn't get the memo we were adding another voice to the mix.
Archie: Hey, Ronnie, great news! Valerie quit the Pussycats.
Veronica: So that makes me...what then...backup?
Archie: No, I mean, you were just doing this as a favor to me, right?
Veronica: You're unbelievable, Archie. You literally have zero loyalty. You, Ginger Judas!
Why was the wolf mask used to represent Archie's fear? Is it from somewhere? The editors made sure to highlight it a few times.
The imagery looked terrifying, and being worn by his tormentors was a nice touch. I can't quite figure this out. If anyone does know, please share the reference in the comments.
Polly wasn't lying about the car. Her and Jason's supplies were in the truck, ready and waiting for them. And now they're burned.
The fire officially rules out a bunch of suspects. Well, for the arson at least. Everyone was at the Variety Show, so Archie, Veronica, Betty, Kevin, Jughead, Sheriff Keller, Hermione, Fred, nor Josie and the Pussycats could've done it.
I like twists like these where you can follow along the investigation.
Though, that's not to say more than one person isn't involved. There are still so many questions. But we're getting closer to the murderer.
What did you think of "Chapter Six: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!"? Who do you think set the car on fire? Will Veronica forgive her mother? Where could Polly be heading?
If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and let us know what you think.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
