Riverdale Season 6 Episode 14 Review: Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Venomous
Justin Carreiro
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Magic is the new be-all solution for any problem in the town of Riverdale. All we need are Cheryl and her magical bag of tricks to get the job done.
On Riverdale Season 6 Episode 14, her powers saved Archie from a fate worse than death. (Well, it would've ended in death regardless had she not stepped in.)
Though Riverdale's resident Superman is back to save the day, a few potential hiccups popped up during a mellow and uneventful chapter.
"Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Venomous" rested on its momentum for many of the plots. Much of the story focused on the past or the powers we had already known.
This chapter was a building blocks episode, one where the work was put into diving deep into their character development or setting characters up for the future. Unfortunately, it also fell into a bit of a formula.
If one of the characters had an issue with their powers, Cheryl would get involved to dish out words of wisdom. Then, magic would happen, or the harmful effects from the powers/past would hurt the characters in the present.
The individual pieces together made it feel like we were building something, but it would be needed in another chapter.
Like, Archie's highs and lows of becoming invulnerable.
The palladium hurt him a lot, but he was going to do anything possible to solve the issue. And since the withdrawals could've caused his death, Reckless Archie came out in full force to do anything possible to stop it.
Cheryl: Archie, you do realize you’re playing with forces far beyond your understanding or the natural world? You don’t know where your powers come from, or why palladium specifically weakens you and now the others. Are you certain chasing immunity is worth the risk it imposes on you
Archie: Percival hasn’t left me with many options, Cheryl.
Do you agree that drinking the palladium drink was a bad idea?
A tiny piece of palladium rock made Archie a weakling, but him drinking an entire glass would no doubt make it worse. A pure liquid form of palladium, even if it's mixed into a drink, would still seep into his body to mess with everything.
Cheryl's heart was in the right place, but that original method could've done more damage.
It's great that her second experiment (the magical ritual) worked out because it solved everything in one quick swoop. We could jump right into the next phase without worrying about the negative effects.
Cheryl has mastered her way around a spell in such a short amount of time. Could you imagine if she'd been on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? She would've destroyed all.
And now that Archie is invulnerable, he can pack a serious punch against Percival Pickens.
He might be ready for the big fight now. Hopefully, a different kind of kryptonite doesn't come into play to mess things up. We don't need Archie passing out again from the palladium stress.
Jughead's journey into Betty's memories seemed a little out of place than everything else on Riverdale Season 6 Episode 14.
We had Archie's palladium poisoning, Cheryl's witchy mishaps, and Veronica's venom, but the Betty/Jughead story was about lies and an investigation. Sure, Jughead had to use his mind powers to uncover the truth, but the plot felt so separate from everything else.
Uncovering the truth about Betty's past with Hal and Alice won't play a big part in the coming battle against Percival.
It's emotional character development for her; a way to unpack the trauma of her dad being The Black Hood. We needed this growth a few seasons back, but now it felt side-lined compared to the Riverdale Season 6 storyline.
I did enjoy, however, how the journey to the past tied to Riverdale's overarching story.
The memory flashbacks added a bit of nostalgic flair for the "Bughead" fans out there, showing some of their special moments. But, how Riverdale tied this latest plot to Alice's treatment of Betty during Riverdale Season 1 made me smile.
Betty: How about the fact that Dad was grooming me to be a murderer just like him! Did you know?
Alice: No! Absolutely not. That didn’t happen, Betty. Where is this coming from? Is this your persecution complex again?
Betty: Oh my God, whatever. I promise you I will get to the truth, Mom.
We'll never forget how controlling Alice was of Betty in the early seasons. Interestingly, her Type-A control came from her fear of Betty possibly being evil like her father, Hal.
It explains a lot because early Alice was vile at times.
I agreed with Betty about how she reacted to her mother.
Alice can justify it, but she abandoned Betty to Hal's grooming. Her "wait and see" attitude to Betty was completely wrong as it gave Hal more time to corrupt her.
Alice hiding the deputy's dead body out of survival was only a bandage for the bigger problem in front of her.
Betty could've avoided a lot of hurt and pain had Alice stepped in. It's a classic case of Alice reframing the problem to suit her needs and creating her perfect picture. Her waiting for the big moment only caused more damage to Betty's life.
At least in Veronica's case, she's standing up to Reggie right out of the gate.
Come on, did he think he could defeat Veronica so easily? A hostile takeover of Babylonium during a shareholders' meeting is peanuts compared to her long list of tricks.
All she has to do now is cut him down with her poisonous words to finish him off. And that's only when she's furious at him.
Reggie: Veronica, is that you?
Veronica: Yes, it is, Reginald. Can’t believe you’re here though considering I banished your ass.
Reggie should take a breath and get out of the ring.
He's hurt over the breakup, and his pettiness is showing. He wasn't thinking clearly during his many failed attempts at fighting Veronica; her business skills alone had already crushed him.
How far do you think Veronica's black widow powers could go?
"Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Venomous" broke down Veronica's new powers and some exciting benefits of the toxins. Like, alcohol not affecting her, she can eat poisons, and her body unleashes toxins under her control.
Veronica: Thank you for risking cocktail hour with the Spider-Woman.
Betty: Of course, Vee, but we’re not in any danger from you. You would have … and aura.
She is the Poison Ivy and Black Widow of Riverdale.
If she can get the toxins under control, she could use that ability to affect her enemies, especially Percival. It's a powerful ability that could wipe out the waves of his followers. Hopefully, he doesn't already know about her new ability; the element of surprise is best for a spider.
The one troubling part of her new ability was how it limited her love life. And it brought up a frustrating question that came to mind, which is starting to seem like a reality.
Are all these powers and plots just an excuse to get Veronica/Archie and Betty/Jughead back together?
It's pretty convenient how the only person who can kiss (and hook up with) Veronica now is Archie, the only invulnerable person. And how Jughead's trip into Betty's mind brought up all their romantic memories from high school.
Those two storylines seemed to fall into place, teasing relationship drama that's coming up.
Come on, Riverdale, let's not dredge up the past again!
Veronica and Archie came to terms with them not working as a couple (she wants New York, and he wants Riverdale).
Betty and Jughead didn't work as a couple due to their many trust and communication issues. Plus, they're with people who lift them and make them better. Jughead/Tabitha and Archie/Betty are great matches.
We don't need these high school romances again. Let's focus on other things than romances from the past.
Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:
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Heather is back in town. Could it be a sweet romance for Cheryl, or does she have a hidden motive?
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The comics theme seems to pop up a lot since Rivervale. The comics could be part of why the group has powers now.
- Veronica singing "Toxic" by Britney Spears is the kind of cheeky nod that is both cheesy and fun.
Now, over to you, Riverdale fans.
What did you think of "Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Venomous"?
What will Betty do with the knowledge of her dad's grooming? Has Veronica stopped Reggie from selling the casino? Is Archie completely invulnerable against palladium?
If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
