Riverdale Round Table: Why Is Archie The Worst?
Justin Carreiro
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Cheryl invited Archie to the annual Riverdale Maple Harvest as her escort, Alice plotted an editorial against the Blossoms, and Veronica tried to right some wrongs caused by her father on Riverdale Season 1 Episode 9.
Below, TV Fanatics Mandy Treccia, Paul Dailly, Jack Ori and Justin Carreiro debate Archie's less than stellar dating habits, the Blossoms' move against Hiram Lodge, and the ticking time bomb that is Cheryl Blossom.
1. Clifford and Penelope Blossom, as well as the Board, have their doubts about Cheryl. Would you trust Cheryl with running the Blossom business?
Mandy: I trust Cheryl more than I trust her parents. They're way too shady. Cheryl has some maturity issues, but she's still in high school. She has time to grow and learn how to run a business. I think they're judging her too harshly.
Paul: I'm with Mandy on this one. I definitely think if Cheryl was born into any other family, she would not have the issues she has now. She always feels like she can never match up to her brother and that's down to her parents' blatant favoritism towards Jason.
Jack: I agree with Mandy and Paul. Cheryl acts out because she's treated as inferior and worthless all the time. She definitely has the drive and determination to run the business successfully, and if I were her parents, I'd cut out the negativity before she decides to use that determination to run their business into the ground!
Justin: Cheryl has the cunning aptitude and confidence to run the business. She's always been treated as the spare or the worthless Blossom. However, I think she all the ability to rule the company and prove everyone wrong.
2. Veronica was racked with guilt over what her dad did to Ethel's family. Do you think Veronica and Hermione will turn things around for the Lodge name?
Mandy: I'm not sure Hermione's motives are as pure as she wants us to believe. I think she knew about her husband's business tactics, and she chose to be okay with them. She's waited too long to tell Fred the truth. Veronica's heart is in the right place. But I'm not sure she'll be enough to turn around all the damage.
Paul: To me, Hermione is very sketchy. Her motives could be sincere, but it's difficult to imagine them being that when she's still very much in cahoots with Hiram.
Jack: I think Veronica is going to have to work against her mom here. Hermione seems to make selfish decisions that'll benefit herself in the short run and is okay with Hiram's shady business tactics. Like everyone else, I really don't trust her motives too much.
Justin: Veronica will try to change things, but I don't think it will last long. I have a feeling her father will return to reclaim power. Hermione will switch sides and go back to her old ways of going with the Lodge flow.
3. Polly has gone undercover to find dirt on the Blossoms. What do you think of her 'Nancy Drew' mission?
Mandy: I'm relieved she's not under their spell. But it's a terrible plan. She needs to think about her baby, who she obviously loves. And the Blossom household is not a safe environment for the baby or Polly.
Paul: Polly is playing with fire. Her mother must have been proud to learn she was using her stay at Thorn Hill to find out the truth, but the family could refute these claims and have the paper closed down.
That's the issue when you have characters who basically own the town. The Coopers are going to be in for some tough times when it comes to the Blossoms finding out the truth.
Jack: Oh, Polly is definitely in over her head here. But I have to admit I'm a sucker for this type of story. I love the fact that Polly is the opposite of the helpless hostage Betty and Jughead were worried she'd become.
Justin: I'm glad she didn't side with the Blossoms for selfish reasons, but this could be dangerous. They've already shown that they will do anything to get her baby. I hope her life isn't in danger if she's caught.
4. Valerie broke up with Archie over his shady ways. Why is he a disaster when it comes to dating?
Mandy: How much time do we have? Archie is the worst. We're supposed to see him as a "good" guy, But he's always only thinking about himself. I'm glad Val dumped him. He wasn't treating her right.
Paul: I agree with Mandy. Archie is coming across as an opportunist who would do absolutely anything to further himself...even if it means hurting those around him. I was not entirely fond of Valerie at first, but I'd much prefer her to find a guy who is not going to ditch her to make shortcuts in life.
Jack: I don't see Archie as an opportunist as much as really gullible. I think he honestly thought that he could help his dad out and protect Cheryl from her parents at the same time, but he just refused to hear what EVERYONE was telling him about the Blossoms.
Honestly, other than being musically inclined, there's nothing much about Archie that interests me. I'm glad Valerie broke up with him. I'd much rather see Jughead and Betty's relationship develop more than another second of Archie and any girl.
Justin: Archie is the worst. Even though he may have wanted to use Cheryl/the Blossoms to help his dad, he's fooling himself if he didn't think getting into the music program wasn't fueling his motivation more. He wanted it to progress his career; he didn't care that it was hurting Cheryl and Valerie until it was too late.
This isn't the first time Archie has used or hurt people who liked him. He hurt Betty (who he knew liked him) by kissing Veronica, he kept having the affair with Ms. Grundy, and he jumped from that affair into dating Valerie. He thinks he's genuine, but he doesn't care.
5. The Blossoms were the reason Hiram Lodge got sent to jail. React!
Mandy: Not surprising because they're shady about everything. But this story is a little on the murky side. If the Lodge family lived in New York, why was Riverdale and its residents so affected by the scheme? And why would the Blossoms target them?
I think we're at the point where they need to start answering questions rather than adding new mysteries.
Paul: Yeah, it was not surprising. Like I said earlier, they have such an impact around town, and elsewhere, apparently. I do want to see Hiram on the show to get more information on what's going on.
Jack: Yeah, the "Blossoms vs. Everyone Else" is a major theme in Riverdale so I was not surprised that they got Hiram sent to jail.
The Lodges were in town prior to living in New York, I thought – didn't Fred and Hermione go to high school together or something? – and if so, it makes sense to me that the Blossoms would have kept track of the Lodges after they moved.
Justin: With a powerful family originally from Riverdale who had their roots in the town, it's not surprising that the Blossoms and the Lodges were know each other. I have a feeling that Clifford Blossom and Hiram Lodge have shady dealings together. There's more to the story of what Clifford and Penelope wanted Hiram out of the way.
6. Cheryl scratched out Archie's and Polly's faces in the family photo. What revenge do you think Cheryl has in store for them?
Mandy: I'm Team Cheryl, whatever it is. They both used her. She might not be the nicest girl in Riverdale, but she's hurting. Everyone's treating her like a pawn. Whatever she does, I think it'll be over the top, and likely backfire on her.
Paul: She will try to get revenge, but she'll turn things around and go after her parents. For now, she seems like this powerful, stuck up character, but those ones always become good in the end.
Jack: I have no idea what kind of revenge she wants to get. I'm fine with her getting revenge on Archie, but Polly is trying to protect her unborn children and the memory of the man she loved, so I don't want to see Cheryl hurt her, though I'm sure it will happen.
Justin: Cheryl looks like she's reached her emotional breaking point. I'm scared for Polly and Archie. I think Archie's revenge might have to do with romance. Polly, on the other hand, might be safe until she's given birth to Jason's baby. After that point, Cheryl could be on the warpath.
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Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
