Riverdale Round Table: Alice's Brush With Death
Justin Carreiro
at
.
Betty saved Alice from drowning, Hiram discovered the truth of the Fizzle Rocks, and Archie lost his first boxing match on Riverdale Season 3 Episode 13.
Below, TV Fanatics Becca Newton, Kat Pettibone, and Brandon Vieira debate Archie's latest reckless blunder, Gladys winning over the Gargoyles and the Ghoulies, and Alice nearly drowning in the tub.
Archie ignored Tom Keller's warnings about jumping into the ring and agreeing to a fixed fight. Share your thoughts about Archie's latest reckless move.
Becca: Characterwise, it's typical Archie. He doesn't listen nor listens until the eleventh hour. As a storyline, this felt like filler.
Josie: Well, you are sweeter than a strawberry milkshake, Arch, but I’ve got a meeting with our college advisor. Maybe we can meet up after school?
Archie: Actually, I’m training with Mr. Keller then.
Josie: Oh. Are there any college scholarships for boxing out there?
Archie: No, but stepping between those ropes, Josie, it gets me and keeps me in a good headspace. Helps me focus. Forget about everything else outside of the ring.
[A second of silence]
Archie: Well, almost everything else.
Josie: Yeah, well, just don’t go messing up that pretty face, Andrews. It’s growing on me.
Kat: At first, it was a letdown because it felt like the entire arc of Archie shedding his immature skin was rendered pointless, and he was back to being naive Archie again, who makes the worst possible decisions.
On one hand, that does remain true. On the other side of things, however, I did see some growth from Archie. He made a stupid move, yes, but he also was honest about it to both Josie and Tom Keller. Even more importantly when he was given advice by them about what to do, he actually listened and acted accordingly.
I'm over the entire "Fight Club Archie" arc in general, and I wish the writers would find better things to do with this character. But, I did at least see some sort of development this time around.
Brandon: Archie ... reckless? Never!
All kidding aside, it was pretty typical of Archie, who at first looked like he was maybe growing up. Instead, he's having another identity crisis and wasn't willing to listen to a seasoned, trusted adult, and instead, he made a boneheaded move.
The whole Archie boxing story in general just felt like another way for Riverdale to get K.J. Apa shirtless. It left a lot to be desired and threw any progress Archie made since returning to Riverdale out the window.
Let's hope this whole boxing nonsense is put to bed sooner rather than later.
Jughead offered Toni a spot back in the Southside Serpents, but she won't join unless she gets leadership abilities. Will she ever take the offer or will she stick with the Pretty Poisons?
Becca: Until an "end-of-season, everyone puts aside their differences to fight the bigger villains" moment happens, it looks like Toni will be sticking with the Pretty Poisons.
One, I doubted the sincerity of her offer; thinking it was made more to gauge Jughead's reaction instead of her actually wanting him to take up on it. Two, after this episode, I'm starting to wonder if Cheryl will be the one who ends up turning back to the Serpents.
Kat: I'm going to throw out a guess and say she'll return to the Serpents. The Pretty Poisons don't seem to be going anywhere, but the tension between her and Cheryl seems to be building to something.
I can see Cheryl refusing to call the shots and Toni deciding to revert back to her old gang. At the end of the day, she's looking for protection and community. If the Poisons aren't providing that, what's the point?
Not to mention I feel like Cheryl and Toni may be headed for a break-up this season, and if that's the case, I definitely don't see them sticking around in the same gang.
Brandon: She will eventually return to the Serpents, but not until the power struggle in the Pretty Poisons implodes. Cheryl and Toni may be a cute couple, but when it comes to leadership, they are complete opposites.
Toni is similar to Jughead in that she uses logic and reason in her decision-making whereas Cheryl is much more reckless. Cheryl also doesn't like being told what to do, which is why her stint in the Serpents didn't last very long.
Despite being Toni's girlfriend, Cheryl will inevitably try to take power away from her and when she does, Toni might have no other choice than to turn to the gang she once called her family.
Toni got mad at Cheryl for using the Pretty Poisons to beat up Fangs and Sweet Pea. Will Cheryl honor Toni's leadership or could this become an ongoing problem for their relationship?
Becca: Judging from Toni and Cheryl's last scene together, their issues don't feel resolved. Cheryl seems chastened for now, but she is going to push back.
A power struggle seems to be coming, and I'm actually more interested in exploring what would happen should Cheryl be the one who is ousted from the Pretty Poisons.
Related: Riverdale Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Requiem of a Welterweight
Kat: Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in Cheryl's nature to fall in line with what anyone tells her to do, so I don't see her listening to Toni, even if that is her girlfriend. I see it as not only an ongoing issue but a potential cause for a fallout later in the season.
Sweet Pea: Look, girls, we don’t want any trouble from your little sorority.
Cheryl: Don’t call us “girls,” and don’t belittle us.
Fangs: Or what? You’re going to challenge us to a pillow fight?
[Awkward silence]
Sweet Pea: Seriously Cheryl, what is this?
Cheryl: We’re the Pretty Poisons, Pea Brain. And we’re here to deliver a message to you and your leader that we are not to be dismissed or trifled with.
[Cheryl starts walking away and the Pretty Poisons move forward]
Cheryl: Ladies, introduce yourselves...
Fangs: Hey, take it easy.
Sweet Pea: We don’t want any trouble.
[The Pretty Poisons beat up Fangs and Sweet Pea]
Brandon: Honorable isn't a word I would use to describe Cheryl. Toni's biggest struggle as the leader of the Pretty Poisons won't be any of the girls, it will be attempting to rein in Cheryl.
Eventually, Cheryl will have to pick between the love of her life or power, and since she's a Blossom, power will eventually win causing the lovebirds their biggest obstacle as a couple yet.
Betty saved Alice from nearly drowning in the tub by Polly's hand. React!
Becca: The sequence was nicely shot and well-acted, but it wasn't something that had me on the edge of my seat. I knew Betty would make it in time and wasn't surprised with how the aftermath played out.
The predictability doesn't annoy me though because this strand of the plotline is contributing to the rising action of the overall story.
Evelyn: Your mother is on the verge of discovering something that some people spend their whole lives looking for and never find. There’s no need to be afraid or to stand in the way of that.
Betty: Umm, there is if she’s going to get hurt!
Polly: This is just like Edgar said. You’re a “detractor.” I’m not going to let you ruin this day for Mom.
Betty: Fine, but if Mom dies, her blood is on your hands, Polly.
Kat: I find the general concept of The Farm extremely intriguing, but there weren't really any stakes to that storyline. Obviously, Alice wasn't going to die, so no real twist there. What I did like, however, is how Polly was the one to hold her mother down and the aftermath of Alice's shift in personality.
Polly being willing to drown her own mother, and Alice wanting to sell the house and give herself over completely to Evernever, really highlights just how hypnotizing and dangerous The Farm is.
Brandon: Lili Reinhart was excellent in this sequence and proved that she really is the MVP of Riverdale. Having said that it's going to be hard to redeem Polly after this, even if she is completely brainwashed. She was just totally cool with drowning her mother. WTF Polly?!
Alice also seems to have lost her mind, and I imagine Betty's going to have her hands full moving forward as her family has fully emerged themselves with The Farm and have dived head first into the cuckoo's nest.
Who would've thought that besides Betty, that Hal Cooper would be the most psychologically stable Cooper this season?
Gladys convinced the Ghoulies and Gargoyles to join the Southside Serpents after Jughead failed to win them over. Do you think her pitching was innocent or could she be planning a more nefarious scheme behind the scenes?
Becca: Gladys definitely recognizes when an opportunity has multiple benefits. Getting the Ghoulies and Gargoyles to join the Serpents strengthens her control over the drug trade. It also lessens Veronica's leverage about spilling the beans to Jughead.
If doing this also helps Jughead then that's a bonus.
Kat: I'd say she has a bigger plan in mind. If that is more devious than just simply wanting complete control of the town, I don't know, but I don't think her ideas are for Jughead or FP's benefit. It's all about what it can get Gladys, at the end of the day.
Veronica: My father is going after the Ghoulies. He says they’re the cooks and the runners. So, if you want to win this war, you’re going to need soldiers to fight it.
Gladys: Well, it looks like the pretty bird bought herself another day. Keep up the good work, little magpie.
Brandon: Nothing that's done in Riverdale is ever innocent. Gladys can clearly manipulate with the best of them and is bound to wreak havoc. Convincing the Ghoulies and Gargoyles to join the Serpents was clearly a move she needed to make in order for whatever scheme she has cooked up to work.
Jughead and FP better be careful because the mother and wife they once knew are long gone, and she has been replaced by a woman who will take no prisoners. She is giving the Lodges' a run for their money.
Alice plans to sell the house and live at The Farm. What will it take for Alice to finally break through her brainwashed state?
Becca: Hal was the reason why Alice was open to going to The Farm, so maybe if she gets actual closure in regards to her relationship with him, she'll realize she doesn't need The Farm.
Another possibility is her finding out The Farm was somehow involved with The Midnight Club's Ascension Night. Whenever The Midnight Club comes up, Alice doesn't seem as dependent on The Farm.
Related: Katy Keene: Riverdale Spinoff Casts Two Key Roles
Kat: My guess is quite a lot, and I wouldn't be surprised if either Polly is killed, or Betty almost dies. I think one of her children's lives have to be at risk in order for her to break through the fog. Either way, I have a sneaky suspicion things are going to get a lot worse before they get better!
Brandon: At this point, it seems almost helpless. Betty might be stuck with this crazy lady as her mother for a long period of time. There are only two ways I can see Alice breaking through this brainwashed state.
A visit from Hal Cooper may scare her straight or something horrible may have to happen to Betty or Polly by The Farm's hand in order for Alice to see that these Farm people are actually horrible.
Missed the latest episode of Riverdale? You can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and join the discussion.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
