Riverdale Season 6 Episode 9 Review: Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Serpent Queen’s Gambit
Justin Carreiro
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Nothing good happens under a blood moon in the town of Riverdale, especially when there's a powerful evil witch with revenge on the brain.
Abigail Blossom put her master plan into action on Riverdale Season 6 Episode 9. The grand attack was the final nail in weeks of build-up for this witchy plot.
Did the reveal leave us with spellbinding satisfaction? Or, was it a curse upon the Blossom name?
"Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Serpent Queen's Gambit" was full of fire and chaos. This plot was peak Riverdale shenanigans at high velocity.
In the grand scheme of Riverdale, there are chapters where the heroes come out on top and succeed with '50s-style milkshakes at Pop Tate's diner. Other times, the villains rise with one gaslighting victory after another.
This case was the latter. Percival Pickens, Twyla Twist, Abigail Blossom, and the many minor villains were riding high on their ego boosts like they had won the lottery.
Granted, Abigail got defeated (we'll get to this shortly), but if you get frustrated seeing the Big Bads take the win, this chapter will be a tough pill to swallow.
Abigail putting her plan into action was a long time coming. She teased the revenge against Betty, Archie, and Jughead for weeks now, so it was great to discover what she had hidden up her sleeve.
Poison was a great idea; none of the trio would've expected something as sinister as tainted desserts. But bless Betty and her evil detection powers!
And with that, a huge congratulations to the newest member of the Riverdale town council, Percival Pickens!
Alice
Anyone who believes in the power of auras will agree that the warning signs are not something you ignore. And Abigail's glowing red aura was one big red flag that screamed trouble.
Could you imagine if she had known about the trio's superpowers?
She probably wouldn't have tried to poison them or throw the molotov cocktail on Archie. Abigail was too focused on her revenge and love, but she was a cunning and resourceful witch who would've changed her plans.
I loved how Jughead immediately believed Britta's truth about Abigail and the witchy plot. It would've been easy for him to dismiss the story, but this is a new era of Riverdale where the paranormal isn't a theory. The supernatural is part of the fabric.
And just like all Scooby-Doo shenanigans, Betty, Jughead, and Archie jumped right in with their overconfidence. Plus, they had amateur witches Nana Blossom and Britta by their sides.
A powerful ancient witch controlling their friend's body? Forget about it. They've got this!
Archie: Come on, Cheryl, we’re the good guys.
Cheryl: Spoken like a true villain.
It's great having Cheryl back in her body again. The possibility of losing the character would've been heartbreaking, and the brutal reality during Riverdale Season 6 Episode 8 would've been a fate worse than death.
It's not to say Abigail won't ever return (she is in the doll's body, after all), but the group can now mend their fences once again. They have to bury the hatchet after all this mess.
In the case of Reggie and Veronica, they have a bit more to do before they're back on track. Why can't they be open and communicate with each other?
If Veronica had known about Marty's health condition, she would've understood the gambling and debt issues more.
Veronica only knew that Marty was spiraling with losses, and he lost the car dealership. Hiram did many bad things, but she would be the best one to understand how to handle a reckless father and stop it from getting worse.
Reggie is going to regret keeping this all from her.
Opening himself and his father's dealership to the wise guys will only create more problems for him. And if Veronica finds out he's double-dealing with Heraldo's associates; the lies will ruin any remaining trust in their relationship.
Though, Percival Pickens was the true Big Bad of "Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Serpent Queen's Gambit." If we needed any more reasons to love to hate this villain, this chapter wrapped it up in a nice bow.
No one messes with Toni and Baby Anthony!
Percival didn't just try to sabotage Toni; he nearly got her killed and ruined her life. He thoroughly went out of his way to make things worse for her as the days went on.
Archie: Cheryl, have you had any private contact from Percival Pickens? Did he stop by to interview you?
Cheryl: For a census? Yes, but I was taking a buttermilk bath, so I couldn’t receive him. Why for?
Betty: We’re worried his intentions for Riverdale aren’t above board.
Jughead: We think he’s recruiting people to his side.
Cheryl: For some nefarious agenda? Honestly, I’d be more worried about an angry mob dragging me into the forest in the middle of the night and burning me at the stake.
The town of Riverdale doesn't deserve Toni. I can't wait until they're all eating humble pie after realizing their mistake in voting Toni out of the town council. She was too good for them.
Plus, Alice has slid back into villain mode. Hopefully, she and Frank are just being brainwashed by Percival because their snobby and sneaky attitudes are rubbing me the wrong way.
Percival always seemed to have the upper hand on Toni and Fangs. Like, how did he know that Fangs stored guns at his apartment? Did he whisper Fangs into doing it?
He seemed to outmaneuver everyone, even before they realized what was happening. It's evil, but it makes him a good villain.
Kevin: I should tell you, Toni. It’s not easy for me to say this, but I’m filing for primary custody of Baby Anthony.
Toni: Don’t! Kevin, please don’t do this.
Kevin's manipulation was a clever move since it got to the heart of Toni's problem.
I wondered why Riverdale kept Kevin in town when he was destined for Broadway, but this twist made sense. If Percival wants to hurt Toni and Fangs, turning Kevin into a villain and taking Baby Anthony was the easiest way.
Kevin could win the custody battle, but would he want to raise the baby alone? Any other outcome than Toni getting Baby Anthony back wouldn't help anyone.
The failed rumble between the Southside Serpents and the Ghoulies brought up an interesting question: if Percival used his powers for the Ghoulies to kill themselves, why didn't he do it for the Serpents?
Don't get me wrong, I loved the moment Toni shut down Percival with the live streaming. You know he was foaming at the mouth to open fire on them, but that recording would've ruined all his plans for town council.
If he had the ability, why didn't he make it happen?
There's more going on in these schemes between Percival and Twyla Twist. He let her live, so a deal had to have been made for her safety. And he wouldn't have constantly charged in on the Serpents and Toni if there wasn't something he needed.
Archie believes Percival wants to destroy the town, but why? Could this have something to do with his ancestor, General Pickens?
Ever since the "Rivervale" event ended on Riverdale Season 6 Episode 5, many strange happenings have been going on in town. For instance, Percival's mind-control ability.
A mysterious, handsome stranger strolled into town with a powerful ability to manipulate and control minds. The last person who did that was Edgar Evernever, and he tried to escape the police on the side of a giant rocket! (Not saying they're equals, but we can't ignore that.)
If the superheroes need to stop a Big Bad, it's good they know who they're fighting. Based on the facts, Percival is giving off major Killgrave vibes from Marvel's Jessica Season 1!
Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:
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Who would be the more sinister doll: Abigail Blossom or the Annabelle doll from The Conjuring series?
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Abigail on the roof throwing the molotov cocktail felt like Riverdale's version of Harley Quinn.
- Toni experiencing the deja vu of Rivervale is a warning sign. Could the worlds be blending?
Now, over to you, Riverdale fans.
What did you think of "Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Serpent Queen's Gambit"?
What evil will Percival cause on the town council? Is Abigail Blossom trapped forever in the doll? Will Reggie and Veronica last as a couple?
If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you could watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and share your thoughts below.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
