It’s back, guys. The show return we’ve all been waiting not so patiently for happened, and boy was there a lot to take in. (Lots of spoilers ahead, kids. Read at your own risk.) Riverdale season two picked up where the cliffhanger of season one left us, with Archie covered in the blood of his own father after a ghastly Pop’s Diner shoot-and-run. If the first episode of season two is any indication, this season will be even darker and more mysterious than season one.
The episode opens with Archie dragging his father through the snow to get him to the hospital (reminding us that Archie is SO young – he doesn’t have his driver’s license yet and his driving skills prove it!). Some general hospital talk ensues as the group and their parents gather to wait for Mr. Andrews to come out of surgery. Theories are tossed around about the perp – that he’s a meth head, that he’s a disgruntled former employee tied with the Serpents, etc. – and new mysteries are introduced in the form of Mr. Andrew’s missing wallet. It’s not at Pop’s, it’s not in his things from the hospital, did the man that shot him steal it?! Jughead takes it upon himself to ask his new Serpent friends if they know anything about the guy, and he ends up getting more than he bargained for when they find a guy, beat him senseless, and bring him to Juggy’s house as proof. It turns out he’s not quite the right delinquent, but Jughead does get a sense of what kind of bond he now has with the Serpents. He’s in a bit over his head. Archie calls his mother to let her know what happened and takes Veronica back to his place so he can shower and walk the dog. In true Veronica fashion, she has no idea how to handle an upset man, and seduces him in the shower. They have a couple fight about the missing wallet and a heartwarming cathartic moment where Veronica proves she’s really not going anywhere, because her boyfriend needs her. And of course, never to be upstaged, Cheryl shows up with her mother in a full body cast back at the hospital after the fire she set to her own house. We see a Cheryl here that is even more intense than she was in season one – she basically threatens her mother’s life if she doesn’t fall into line with what Cheryl wants. It’s badass in a really terrifying, sadistic way.
The episode ends with a shocking twist and a blast-from-the-past character: Ms. Grundy (or whatever her real name is), Archie’s former part time music instructor and full time love interest, is far away and seducing yet another pubescent music student. They share a tender goodbye from their late night home piano lesson (?!) and Ms. Grundy goes back inside only to be murdered by the man in the Black Hood, the same one that shot Mr. Andrews. The Serpents haven’t caught him and they certainly don’t know who he is. Archie knows that this isn’t over, and vows to protect his father no matter what it takes. The episode closes with him sitting at the foot of the stairs at home, baseball bat in hand, eyes on the door. Death in Riverdale is here to stay. Who will be the next victim? We’ll have to watch and find out.