Riverdale Season 7 Episode 8 Review: Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams
Justin Carreiro
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Two familiar faces are back in town! We've missed them so much; the Riverdale group feels whole again.
Reggie and Tabitha made their grand re-debut on Riverdale Season 7 Episode 8.
A lot has changed in Riverdale 1955 since Tabitha stepped away, but she fit right back in. In Reggie's case, his big entrance ruffled the feathers of some bigger personalities.
"Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams" was an all-encompassing chapter that tackled each teen's plot. It was a jam-packed episode!
Though, the pacing never felt rushed or bloated. Everything moved seamlessly, and we learned some big lessons about how Riverdale 1955 isn't the quaint town it appears to be.
Reggie's arrival was a long time coming. It was a big surprise that he wasn't in town with the other teens on Riverdale Season 7 Episode 1.
So, naturally, we all waited for the big reveal of how he'd pop up. (If he even made it through the comet crash, at least.)
Frank: I finally convinced our lead sponsor to recruit an outside. A kid who knows how to win games.
Archie: You know me, I’ll any help we can get. Who is the guy? A ringer?
Frank: Just a farm kid out of McCreedy. Six foot three, 220lbs, pure muscle but fast.
Archie: What’s his name?
Frank: Mantle. Reggie “The Blur” Mantle.
Archie: The Blur?
Frank: Because you never see him coming.
It's an interesting choice for this version of Reggie not to be a showboating playboy like his comics counterpart. The present Riverdale version had much of the same smug energy, but this Reggie felt different.
Humbler, more mysterious, and colder.
He seemed like the type of guy who kept a few secrets. An exciting and intriguing choice to keep us interested.
One of the best things "Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams" did was build up to how Archie realized the racist reality of his town and teammates.
Throughout the chapter, you can sense how naive Archie is about Reggie's arrival. He was so quick to brush off Julian's behavior that he didn't take in what was actually being said about (and to) Reggie.
And I loved how Reggie called him out on it!
He fully told Archie what was going on, but none of it sunk in.
And Reggie's experiences at Stonewall Prep should've been a clear sign to Archie that being a star recruit wouldn't be enough to remove their biases. History was already repeating itself at Riverdale High.
It shouldn't have taken hearing Clifford Blossom speak to turn on the lightbulb. However, Archie finally caught up and did something about it, so I'm grateful he took a stand against the team.
Reggie: Hey, Reggie Mantle. I just got recruited to the Bulldogs.
Veronica: Ah, I suspected a tall drink of water like you were a sportsman.
Cheryl: Careful, Veronica, you might get a ticket for speeding.
This chapter did a great job showing how cutting and powerful microaggressions can be.
Sometimes it's as direct as the teammate saying they couldn't room with Reggie, or it's Clifford saying Reggie should be "thankful" for the opportunity given to him and his family.
It can be subtle and hidden, but the impact is still there.
Veronica had a rough week.
For a confident and smooth operator, she was rejected a lot in a short amount of time. Between Clay and Reggie, it was one savage blow after the other.
And I had expected her flirt game to be stronger than that. She's direct, I'll give her that, but she needs to work on picking up the signs and reading the room. Clay was not feeling her, and Reggie was a man of mystery.
Betty: You now own the Babylonium?
Veronica: The paperwork was finalized this morning.
Betty: Right, and weren’t you the popcorn girl two days ago?
Veronica: What can I say? Veronica Lodge likes to burn rubber.
Thankfully, Veronica is the queen of confidence. She let every subtle dismissal wash away like water off a duck's back and moved forward like it didn't matter.
Seriously, major goals. Bring on that level of confidence into our lives.
Betty might need a small dose of that as well.
Reggie coldly brushing her off was so rude. Like on Riverdale Season 7 Episode 7, Betty is getting shamed at every moment simply for exploring her sexuality.
You couldn't help but feel bad for her when she looked embarrassed at the lounge table. Something needs to change.
Why can't she and Archie get together again? They were so close and clearly were still into each other. It's not fair they're not trying again.
At least we have some hope for "Choni." Things looked dark, but the shipping angels gave us some light here.
Their story seemed grim when Toni rejected Cheryl's proposal to go steady. It fit everything we knew about Riverdale 1955's Toni: she wouldn't be interested in a relationship; dating would be too conventional for her and have too many strings.
And when she quit the River Vixens, the plot felt like it was setting up their eventual end.
It wouldn't be the first time Riverdale tore Cheryl and Toni apart. History seemed to be repeating itself and closing in on the gap.
However, Toni opening up to Cheryl and exploring dating was a big thing for her. She's letting down her guard, which lets her figure out if this is something she wants.
Toni will never know if she doesn't try.
Cheryl: What if you and I went steady?
Toni: You want steady? How would that work? It’s not like you can pin me, or like we can walk down the halls holding hands.
Cheryl: I know, but it can be just for us. Our secret. Only we know.
The same can be said about her literary society.
She loves writing, and it's a driving force for her. Cheerleading was more inspired by her crush and her need to prove everyone wrong. Revenge is great energy, but it can't sustain you.
At least the literary society will fill her passion, help do a lot of good to change minds at Riverdale High, and give students more writing opportunities.
Were you excited to see Tabitha and Jughead pick up right where they left off?
Even the new alternate reality of Riverdale 1955 can't hide their chemistry. A little sci-fi book and some geekdom was the perfect recipe.
Just look at how cute they were bonding over stories and writing. Plus, they picked a good date night balance for them: a movie for Jughead and reading a favorite story for Tabitha.
Veronica may be surprised by the connection, but they seemed like a match. I wish Tabitha got the chance to meet Mr. Rayberry before his untimely end.
Speaking of Rayberry, can we all agree the suicide cause is a red-herring? We all saw the creepy milkman, right?!
It can't be a coincidence that the milkman appeared, just like what Ethel said on Riverdale Season 7 Episode 4, and now all of a sudden, Mr. Rayberry is dead.
There is something fishy going on.
Someone wanted Mr. Rayberry dead and made it happen. Hopefully, Jughead's intuition kicks in, and he investigates this mystery.
Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:
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Reggie and Archie's new friendship was like a pair of sitcom opposites. You had quiet and stoic Reggie with smiley and upbeat Archie. We love to see the buddy-buddy opposites.
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Steal that money, Cheryl! The team doesn't need a new gym; the money would've definitely been better used elsewhere.
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Veronica loves her mind games. Her conversation with Kevin was reminiscent of their first meeting on Riverdale Season 1 Episode 1.
- I agree with Betty and Toni. Having to help the basketball players and bake cookies doesn't seem like a good use of their time.
Now, over to you, Riverdale fans.
What did you think of "Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams"?
Will the team fall in line to support Reggie? What will Jughead do with the news of Mr. Rayberry's death? Will Cheryl and Toni thrive as a couple in this new timeline?
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.
