S01.E07: Chapter Seven: In a Lonely Place

[Snookums]

Quote

I'm also so not surprised that the Coopers have a dusty attic filled with broken mirrors, creepy old dolls, and ancient wedding dresses.

I focus on the weirdest stuff, I swear...I watched this time and space twisting, "announce your sister escaped but don't tell anybody, guys!" as the Greek chorus starts texting in the student lounge, fox hunting garbed, posed in front of the church episode, and my biggest snag was somebody leaving that wedding dress out for the moths and spiders to ruin. Those things are expensive! But I suppose if it's Alice's she goes up there every week to cut another snip out of the hem and drink while glowering about her do-nothing beta husband (say, where are we on that whole "he broke into Sheriff Cooper's office and stole his murder board" thing, by the by? I thought Keller was there to arrest Juggie for that, which would have made at least one shred of sense.)

I am getting frustrated by the magical grow/shrink thing that is Riverdale: as many have pointed out, this is supposed to be some bucolic small town that people grow up in, marry in, and never leave--yet it contains dozens of the super-rich and powerful, a brisk downtown nightclubbing scene, a gang everybody knows about but apparently the membership is a total secret to everybody, and so on. It reminds me a lot of how Under The Dome tried to have it both ways with what did and didn't exist where--the zoning and impossible tax bases gave me migraines.

Archie and his dad finally seemed to be integrated not only into the plot, but into the town. Up until now they seemed much more like mannequins propped up in the foreground while we leaned around them trying to see the interesting stuff, but Archie finally caring about something beyond music and football (he was frustratingly oblivious to what was happening, especially since Betty is supposed to be his damn lifelong friend/soulmate/whatever until now) and trying to be a good friend without betraying Jughead anymore was nice. 

Veronica got a really good scene in the club when she was talking about her mom stealing her name like it was nothing and the actress did a wonderful job; like she was just now grasping the full dimensions of her mother's betrayal. Her mom was all she had left, her only anchor, and to realize that the whole "us Lodge Women against the world" could be tossed aside was devastating. It's one thing to put up a front of sophistication and daring, quite another to see that you truly cannot depend on the person who basically controls your life.

Another great scene was Jughead and his dad outside the police station where FP was pulling that classic alkie move of "make my problem your responsibility." When he was gassing on about needing time and you can give me time, right, Jug? You believe in me, don't you? you could see the pain in Jughead's face; he can't believe this again, he KNOWS his dad is manipulating him, but he still is terrified of what will happen if he says no. His loyalty is snared into this gross web of drinking and deflection and he sees it but that's not helping him get out.

 

Quote

Can you imagine what the Blossoms' attic is like?

Nothing but bodies. Dozens of them, neatly stacked and labeled by year. Like a wine cellar! But in the attic! And with bodies!

Edited March 14, 2017 by Snookums

[Oscirus]

On 3/13/2017 at 0:09 PM, jay741982 said:

So they have to do it cause Comics? Sorry that doesn't interest me at all especially when this show has set up Archie as not deserving of those two awesome ladies and currently he's with Valerie. Plus the awesome friendship Betty and Veronica have Yes they should ruin that so both girls can fight over a fuckboy. I think it would be awesome if there was no triangle at all.  But I guess I'm disingenuous cause I don't want to see a love triangle on screen cause like I said Archie doesn't deserve them and him getting everything he wants is annoying 

It's an adaptation, the triangle  was an important part of the story.  If they didn't want to do the triangle, they wouldn't have called it Riverdale.  It's not like this story had to be set in Riverdale.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Oscirus

[Chicago Redshirt]

8 hours ago, ybrik said:

So I wonder just how aware Fred is of FP's Serpent affiliation. Then at the end Fred tells Archie that he has his skills (making fake work papers) and FP has his. Does this mean that Fred has this before and if so under what circumstances?

FP has a line to Hermione that "Dudley Do-Right," aka Fred, didn't know that FP was a Serpent and Hermione shouldn't tell him. FP could be mistaken, of course, since FP's cavorting in public with the Serpents and IIRC having at least a fairly large Serpent tattoo would make Clark Kent's pair of glasses look like a masterstroke in terms of keeping a secret.

Faking the work papers is not really that complicated. 

It also is bizarre, as is the question "Where were you the week of July 11?" How are you supposed to answer that? It would be a rarity for someone to be able to account for their time for an entire week. And even if Fred Andrews was telling the truth and Jughead was working for him that entire week, it's not like he could not have killed Jason when he got off shift (or for that matter, during a lunch hour, on his way to or from a job installing drywall, etc.)

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, Oscirus said:

It's not like this story had to be set in Riverdale.

I often wonder why it was. I only remember the old Archie comics so when the commercials for this show began I honestly had no idea it was Archie's Riverdale until I started to hear the character names. Even then I my reaction was mostly WTF? I almost didn't watch because of the Archie angle because I thought it was going to be a spooky, weird murder mystery, which, so far it is, but being cosplayed by Archie characters. It's a very weird combo for me. But reading here I am guessing the comics themselves seem to be taking this darker turn, so maybe this show is to get a new audience to try the comics.

[ketose]

5 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

FP has a line to Hermione that "Dudley Do-Right," aka Fred, didn't know that FP was a Serpent and Hermione shouldn't tell him. FP could be mistaken, of course, since FP's cavorting in public with the Serpents and IIRC having at least a fairly large Serpent tattoo would make Clark Kent's pair of glasses look like a masterstroke in terms of keeping a secret.

Faking the work papers is not really that complicated. 

It also is bizarre, as is the question "Where were you the week of July 11?" How are you supposed to answer that? It would be a rarity for someone to be able to account for their time for an entire week. And even if Fred Andrews was telling the truth and Jughead was working for him that entire week, it's not like he could not have killed Jason when he got off shift (or for that matter, during a lunch hour, on his way to or from a job installing drywall, etc.)

In this case, it's probably not that hard. July 11 would have been 1 week after Jason's "death" at the lake. It's supposed to be a big deal.

[Mabinogia]

Before they go looking for alibis they really should narrow the window down to less than a week. If the idea is that the person who abused him killed him, do they think that person just abused him for a week straight without going about their normal daily routine? Then the killer would be easy to find. Who hasn't been to school/work for a week? It's just a pointless question.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

Doesn't Hermione own the condo she and Veronica are living in? I thought it was the only place the Lodges had left because it was in her name. Yet now she's telling Veronica that the money they have will barely cover the rent?

[imakicola]

2 hours ago, BaskingsharkGTX said:

Doesn't Hermione own the condo she and Veronica are living in? I thought it was the only place the Lodges had left because it was in her name. Yet now she's telling Veronica that the money they have will barely cover the rent?

Did she say "rent"? If She did, then fail on the writers part. If not, she could just mean the expenses like Smithers and the food and electricity and stuff. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

12 hours ago, ketose said:

In this case, it's probably not that hard. July 11 would have been 1 week after Jason's "death" at the lake. It's supposed to be a big deal.

My point was more that it would be pretty much impossible to account for enough of one's life over the course of a week to have any meaning.

If someone asks "Where were you between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on July 11,"  that's substantially easier than to answer and to check out than "Where were you from July 11 to July 18?"

Even if one were to have perfect recall of what one was up three months ago, there would be no reasonable way to prove up an alibi that lasts for a week.

[dwmckim]

Fred can fake the timecards but when is someone going to wonder "Archie got very buff as a result of working for Mr. Andrews all summer - why didn't the same happen to Jughead?"

I was really hoping Jughead would stay with the Andrews - even though the show doesn't do so much of the broad humor that the books are classic for, i still like to think that Archie/Fred would be driven up the wall by Jug continually emptying the contents of the fridge!

[ketose]

8 hours ago, dwmckim said:

Fred can fake the timecards but when is someone going to wonder "Archie got very buff as a result of working for Mr. Andrews all summer - why didn't the same happen to Jughead?"

I was really hoping Jughead would stay with the Andrews - even though the show doesn't do so much of the broad humor that the books are classic for, i still like to think that Archie/Fred would be driven up the wall by Jug continually emptying the contents of the fridge!

I think Fred said something about a week of drywall with Jughead. Archie did a whole summer of concrete. Concrete is how a 15 year old turns into a buff 19 years old.

[Snookums]

Quote

Even if one were to have perfect recall of what one was up three months ago, there would be no reasonable way to prove up an alibi that lasts for a week.

Exactly! Unless you were out of the country you'd be alone some of the time--sleeping or whatever. Even nowadays with the cameras in the microwaves you can't prove where you are every single minute of every day.

[Honey Bear]

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 11:19 PM, SeanC said:

I think Melody had a few lines in last week's episode.

Thanks. Finally got a chance to re-watch the episode. On the first viewing, I blinked and missed it. I was distracted and mistakenly thought Valerie had spoken Melody's line. I guess, for now, Melody is a person of few words.

So far, Riverdale's take on the iconic Archie characters has been interesting. I still find sexy Jughead to be somewhat disconcerting. However, in the context of the show, his characterization works. Josie and the Pussycats have been the most disappointing to me. Josie seems to have Alexandra Cabot's personality. Valerie seems to have Josie's traditional comic persona. And Melody seems reticent--currently, nothing like the bubbly, ditzy, bombshell classic character. Other than being a musical band, they're virtually unrecognizable from the original source material. Riverdale Reggie has a race change, but he's still recognizably the lovable louse Reggie Mantle of Archie comics. I wish Riverdale's Josie and the Pussycats weren't In-Name-Only characters.

[Dee]

Josie & The Pussycats seem right in line with this show. Assertions about Josie's 'attitude' vs. what's played out onscreen are way overblown imo.

Riverdale's Josie is an ambitious perfectionist who doesn't mince words but she's also passionate, warmhearted and a very loyal friend; not so much different than Josie from the comics imo.

Valerie is quite sweet too but she's not perfect. She's just as driven musically, just as prone to acting first and thinking later, and just as stubborn about admitting she was wrong as Josie supposedly is, especially when she believes she has 'better' alternatives, which is why she & Archie get along so well.

Unlike the source material, Riverdale's Melody isn't bubbly or ditzy; however given that music isn't her primary love, the way it is for Valerie & Josie, her mellow disposition makes a lot of sense.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Dee

[Miss Dee]

Maybe they thought a bubbly ditzy Melody, whom all the boys want to date because of her boobs, was too disrespectful for a modern audience? Like the doormat Betty of the comics?

[MarkHB]

Yeah, I can't imagine giving Melody the Carol Wayne / Misty Rowe character personality would have flown very well today.  Maybe they just haven't figured out how they DO want to portray her; they've got Josie down, and Val set up as her counterpoint, so maybe just let Mel sit there and drum and they'll figure her out later.

[dwmckim]

On 3/16/2017 at 3:24 PM, Honey Bear said:

Other than being a musical band, they're virtually unrecognizable from the original source material. 

Dare we hope that in an upcoming episode we find out that they were actually pulling a Grundy and stealing another band's identity?  (No wonder they're so desperate to establish themselves as "a brand")

I could just picture the scene when the real J&tP show up - strutting down the RHS hallway and all the male extras doing Tex Avery style jaw drops over Melody.

[methodwriter85]

On 3/16/2017 at 10:58 PM, Miss Dee said:

Maybe they thought a bubbly ditzy Melody, whom all the boys want to date because of her boobs, was too disrespectful for a modern audience? Like the doormat Betty of the comics?

Probably. Ten years ago, when they launched Gossip Girl, they pretty much killed the "Jenny has big boobs" storyline from the books when it came to the show, because they didn't want to ask a 14-year old girl to wear falsies and because it just would have been distasteful.

Don't forget the town is apparently small enough that there's no modern multi-plex there at all and the drive-in was the only option for a movie theater.

[MV007]

Just got around to watching the episode and I have one complaint.  They spent the first couple of episodes playing up this Archie music thing as a conflict between him and his dad who was all "der, whats music?"  To find out, like 2 or 3 episodes later that he started a band is shockingly bad continuity.  

Edited March 20, 2017 by MV007

[methodwriter85]

Actually, if you think about, that might be WHY he was pushing for football instead of music. Maybe Fred tried for a music career and then failed. He then decided that he would have been better off just focusing on football because that would have gotten him a scholarship to a better college.

Quote

I still find sexy Jughead to be somewhat disconcerting. However, in the context of the show, his characterization works.

I don't know if I'd call him sexy, but the guy playing him is very pretty. (And this is coming from someone who usually isn't into twinks at all.) It's a shame he has to keep his hair under a beanie because he's got fantastic hair.

I haven't been that into Cheryl but I did love the moment where she reacts to Jason's (hopefully) baby. 

[Bruinsfan]

I suppose it could have been as simple as "Dear Lord, Archie's already getting targeted by cougars as an anonymous 15-year-old. If he succeeds as a musician he'll drop out of school before junior year and I'll be a grandfather ten times over by the time he can vote!"

[Guest]

On 3/14/2017 at 7:52 PM, BaskingsharkGTX said:

Doesn't Hermione own the condo she and Veronica are living in? I thought it was the only place the Lodges had left because it was in her name. Yet now she's telling Veronica that the money they have will barely cover the rent?

The condo is the weirdest thing to me.  Hermione says it's in her name, then walks in and introduces Smithers to Veronica.  So... this place has been sitting vacant since before V was born, with a butler assigned to this house alone?  

I know, it's supposed to be a little silly.  The whole idea of waitressing at a burger joint while a butler serves you at home is pretty funny, too.

[thuganomics85]

The opening dream sequence was a pretty fun way to have all the characters dressed like the original comic characters.  Wasn't sure what Jughead's subconscious was saying about stabbing Archie in the back, though.  Because he has a thing with Betty?

Man, it's kind of sad, but the way the Lodges handle spats is refreshing compared to everything else here.  Sure, it involves Heromine forging her daughter's signature, and then Veronica proceeds to start going on spending sprees and clubbing like an arrogant party girl, but compared to the Blossoms and Coopers, they are damn near healthy.  And they even get to a nice "negotiation" place at the end!  I do like their relationship, even though I'm still side-eyeing Heromine for everything she's involved in.

Some more insight into Jughead's life, which is sadly bleak.  FP really seems messed up and I'm not sure if he will recover, even if he really wants to try.  Skeet Ulrich did a good job at making look broken down and haggard by the world.  Curious to hear more about the relationship between him and Fred.  There clearly is some history there, and I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Polly really was in a bit of a "no win" situation there, as neither the Coopers or the Blossoms seem like a good place to stay.  Kind of surprised Betty would even consider having her stay with the Blossoms: she must have been really desperate.  Leave it to Cheryl of all people to prevent that, and Veronica to just have her stay with the Lodges.  Should be fun!

Definitely got a vibe that Archie is slightly jealous of Jughead/Betty, although he kept a decent game face.  I just hope it doesn't become too big of a love triangle.  On the other hand, Veronica's reaction to the hug was the greatest.  Camila Mendes is the gift that keeps on giving.

Sheriff Keller is still one of the better adults on this show, but he's really not good at the sheriff thing.  Then again, I guess like with most small town sheriffs, he never predicted he'd have to deal with a murder like this.

I'm bummed that Reggie is going to be recast next season, but the actor really is doing a great job with his dude-bro persona, and being both obnoxious and entertaining at the same time.