Riverdale: Season 4 Episode 9 Review – Chapter 66: Tangerine

This Riverdale review contains spoilers.

Riverdale Season 4 Episode 9

“He’s dead”

And just like that, Riverdale‘s midseason finale wraps up with the jaw-dropping reveal that Dark Betty killed Jughead.

Say it ain’t so Bughead Nation!

Admittedly, I have no idea where this plot is going. Up until tonight I was convinced that Bret and the jerks over at Stonewall Prep were responsible for Jughead’s apparent death. (For the record, I’m still convinced that any information presented here suggesting otherwise are merely red herrings). But let’s take what we see as the episode closes at face value: Betty, finally fully giving into the darkness inside of her/those serial killer genes, murders Jughead.

 This completely blows up the show…which is something I am all for. But also there’s no way that a teen drama on the CW has the guts to kill off their A-list leads, especially in such a grim manner. So what the hell is happening here? Who knows? And that’s a great thing.

From both a critical and fan point of view, the uncertainity of where this is all going is exhilarating. Yes, Jughead will ultimately be safe. Then again, he sure as hell looked pretty dead there. We are only getting brief glimpses of these flash forwards, and the pieces will fit together one way or another. (Hopefully in an organic way instead of being steamrolled together like a puzzle done by an angry child). The truth will only reveal itself when we watch this storyline play to its conclusion, for now though, Dead Jughead is a fascinating storyline. Which is something that is in short supply right now on Riverdale.

Edgar Evernever’s fun death aside, The Farm storyline was never properly wrapped up. By bringing Evelyn back into the story by having her still seething at Betty and wanting to hurt the Cooper family feels natural. She is a continuing menace and by re-introducing her to the show, the writers have a chance to (eventually) wrap up the cult storyline in a much more satisfying way.

read more – Afterlife with Archie: The 13 Scariest Moments

On the journey to that point hopefully we won’t have to endure any more of Betty’s internal visions. The scene where Betty tried to eliminate the dark part of her personality was laughable, and had all the mystical sensibilities of a Shen Yun ad. This was some real new age nonsense here, which is why the final scene with her in her bedroom was fulfilling. By shattering the mirror Betty has literally fractured herself, and the evil part of her persona in now clearly in charge. (And is four weeks away from killing the love of her life).

Elsewhere, we are promised the end of vigilante Archie tonight, which will remain to be seen. Archie’s ongoing battles with Dodger never really had any emotional heft. The arcade-based foe and his hick family seemed like no threat for a man who took on a bear and survived, so they will not be missed. What this plot did enable though was F.P. finally coming to terms with the fact that there’s a Serpent inside of him that needs to get out. He’s been a lawman for too long now, and I fully expect we will see him become an amalgam of these two conflicting sides in the future episodes.

I have a lot of opinions on Jughead’s scenes tonight (see below). Everyone at Stonewall Prep seems so morally corrupt at every level that it’s a huge disservice to Jug — supposedly a master detective — for him to be snowed by any of their bullshit. This episode introduced F.P. the First, and I’m eager to see the dynamic of three generation of Jones men, and if anyone calls Jughead on his inconsistent behavior.

The Veronica/Hiram wheelspinning continues to be exhausting, but at least we got a fun musical number out of it. Veronica still living in the Pembroke while feigning independence is beyond exhuasting. Maybe Katy Keene will point this out to here when she stops by for her cameo on February 3rd? (One night before her spin-off premieres, none-too-coincidentally).

Finally, Cheryl is fully back in charge of her life in this episode — one week of being stripped of her Vixens due to her emotionally instability. As much fun as the Julian storyline and Cheryl palling around with Jason’s corpse was, it is time to put these matters to rest. Cheryl did just that, with a typically weird-yet-beautiful Viking funeral for her beloved J.J. His freaky corpse will be missed.

Ambition is great, but this episode attempted to do way too much and too fast. In turn it wound up stepping all over dramatic beats and was largely ineffective. If the entire show was impactful as the cliffhanger here, this would have been an all-timer instead of a misfire with some great moments.

Riverdale Roundup

– Cheryl claims that Penelope’s greatest crime is “being hateful to your rotten core.” This is after she reads off a laundry list of her mother’s crimes, including murder. So yeah, we don’t see a huge criminal justice career in her future.

– Dodger’s brother’s names are Bill and Fagin. Of course they are. Does that mean that Archie is Oliver Twist in this scenario? Will Veronica burst into “Who Will Buy?” when La Bonne Nuit inevitably reopens?

– Pop Tate gets this episode, and this season to date’s, best line when he states “no offense Veronica, but your father, he wasn’t raised right.”

– This episode was written by Brian E. Paterson, one of Riverdale‘s best scribes. A lot of stuff usually happens in a typical installment of this show, but between wrapping up the Dickensons storyline, introducing F.P. the First and Uncle Frank, burying Jason, exiling Penelope, introducing the plotline of Vic wanting to buy Andrews construction, all the Dark Betty whathaveyou, the Veronica/Hiram stuff, Jughead getting into the Quill and Skull Society, and F.P. getting shot, ths one was just way too busy. It’s forgiveable wanting to wrap up some of the events from the first half of the season, but many of tonight’s developments would have had more of an impact if they were given time to breathe.

– It bears repeating: This episode would have us believe that Dark Betty is responsible for Jughead’s death, and that, while morally bankrupt, there’s nothing actually criminal going on at Stonewall Prep. I don’t believe this for one second.

– F.P. the First, seemed to be a pretty chill guy (what with his off-the-grid converted bus living). But if I have learned one thing about the Jones family it’s that there are plenty of skeletons in the closet. Expect the elder F.P. to play a bigger role in the second half of the season, and we’re sure that there’s way more to him that just booze and regret.

– “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” was a fantastic — if on the nose — song choice.

– Hey more singing Kevin please, okay?

– Veronica really didn’t know that the rum recipe would be patented? She’s smarter than this, and it’s little contrivances like this that are especially irksome.

– Uncle Frank will be nothing but trouble.

– All season long I’ve been bothered by Jughead’s desire to stay at Stonewall Prep. When he seemed to take glee in being initiated in the Quill and Skull Society, it cemented what I’ve suspected for ages. Jug is a big old phony baloney. He will conform to whatever social setting he is placed it, be it the tough Serpents or the silver spoony students at Stonewall Prep. Because ultimately Jug just wants to fit in somewhere given his turbulent upbringing. While this isn’t exactly news, the show has bent over backwards to establish that Jughead is a way more complex character than the above statement suggests. Ultimately though this isn’t true, there’s no real depth to Jughead other than being a confused kid who just wants some stability. Him wanting to even spend any time with Bret and Donna after the whole burying alive incident proves that his character is way more fragile that any of his peers suspect. It would be nice to see this addressed in the narrative, maybe after his resurrection?

– I’m guessing that Evelyn Evernever is a huge fan of The Dark Night. Tangerine would be the perfect trigger word for someone who wants to watch the world burn as she does.

– Yeah, I have to say, I don’t know how this whole Dead Jughead thing is going to play out. I would like it to be resolved by having Sabrina revolve him and the show evolving into Afterlife with Archie, but I know there’s not a chance of that happening.

– Evelyn and Chic are both at Shankshaw Prison. We know Chic is working with Charles to cause problems with the Cooper family. Are they in cahoots with Evelyn? Could these Dead Jughead flash forwards all be the product of a hypnotized Betty’s imagination?

– “I was born in poison and I shall die in poison.” We really don’t deserve Cheryl.

– Riverdale returns in January. Until then, have a great holiday season, and let us know your theories on what will happen next.