The Coopers and the Blossoms are at it again this week on Riverdale. Still fighting over Polly and the baby, they come together under one roof for a babyshower that quickly turns into a future grandmother thunderdome. Fred is finally ready to start the drive-in lot project but finds himself being railroaded by several angry parties. Archie and friends try to help things just don’t go as planned. “Chapter Eight: The Outsiders” was written by Julia Cohen and directed by David Katzenberg. Here is what went down.
BATTLE OF THE BLOODLINES | Now that Polly (guest star Tiera Skovbye) is safe at the Lodge’s, Veronica (Camila Mendes) thinks it is high time to get all the squabbling parties under one roof to start the ‘healing’ process and what better excuse than a baby shower? Betty (Lili Reinhart) isn’t exactly sure that it won’t end in bloodshed and Hermione (Marisol Nichols) isn’t thrilled with the idea of that verbal bloodbath taking place in her living room but Veronica persists so they agree. An invitation is extended to both soon-to-be grandmothers in the hopes that they will put aside their hatred for each other and support Polly. Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) is given her invitation in person when she pulls Betty and Veronica aside at school after learning Polly has been hiding at the Lodge’s. It seems like Alice would rather pick food out of her teeth on live television than go but after words from both Betty and Hermione, she changes her mind and comes to the shower bearing a heartfelt gift.
Unfortunately for Hermione’s hopes for a drama-free evening, Mrs. Blossom (Nathalie Boltt) also arrives with Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) and Nana Rose (guest star Barbara Wallace). They go at it over who Polly should be living with that only stops when Polly can’t take the fighting anymore and shouts at them that their fighting is the reason Jason needed to run away in the first place and consequently lost his life. After the party is over, Alice apologizes to Polly and asks her to please come home where she and the baby will both be supported. Polly believes her mother and sister but worries that her father may try to have her get an abortion like he did when he first found out. This is news to both Betty and Alice and they are both horrified that he would force her to do that if she didn’t want to and then lie about it. At home, Alice confronts Hal (Lochlyn Munro) and it turns out this isn’t the first time he has paid to “fix a mistake”. He stands by his decision and refuses to allow Polly to come home or to help a child related in any way to the Blossoms so Alice, in a moment of motherly awesomeness, throws him out. It isn’t enough though, because Polly packs her bag and moves into the Blossom’s mansion instead.
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BRICK BY BRICK | Everything is all set for Andrews Construction to break ground at the old drive-in lot but on the day of, Fred’s (Luke Perry) foreman comes to him and tells him that Mr. Blossom (Barclay Hope) made them an offer they would be fools to refuse and they will have to pull out. This leaves Fred with no crew, and a pile of bills that is only getting larger by the day. When Fred confronts Mr. Blossom about it, he tells him that they want to buy the land themselves and are going to stall construction until they bleed the mystery buyer (and by association, Fred) dry. When Archie (K.J. Apa) finds out, he enlists the help of Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Kevin (Casey Cott), Moose (Cody Kearsley), and a few others to be a temporary crew. It goes well for a day until Moose catches some thugs vandalizing the equipment and gets beat up in the process. Fred is convinced Mr. Blossom is behind it but Archie won’t let go of the idea that it is the Serpents, angry about their land being developed on.
Archie grabs Moose and Kevin and uses Kevin’s Serpent boyfriend, Joaquin (guest star Rob Raco), to get them into one of the gang’s go-to bars. He tries to get Jughead to come with but Jughead is still trying to keep it a secret that his dad is a serpent and parading into a bar where his dad is likely surrounded by his fellow gang members doesn’t seem like the best way to do so. Sure enough, when Archie gets in a fight at the bar, F.P. (Skeet Ulrich) is the one to break it up and call Fred to come pick Archie up. Fred thanks F.P. and tells him about the vandalism so F.P. agrees to keep an eye out but is adamant that none of his guys are responsible. Archie takes that opportunity to make a run for it and crashes Polly’s baby shower to get in a shouting match with Jughead over not telling him about F.P. Jughead and Betty pay his dad a visit after to ask him about Jason’s drug dealing stint but F.P. tells them they all assumed Jason had run off with the drugs they gave him until his body turned up. Jughead asks his dad once and for all if he had anything to do with Jason’s death and F.P. denies it.
Just when Fred thinks all hope is lost, F.P. and a handful of bikers show up at the site ready to work. F.P. pulls Hermione out of earshot and tells her that he asked around and it looks like it was her imprisoned husband who ordered to goons to mess up the site which would suggest that he is aware of Hermione’s recent dalliances with Fred and is not happy. To rub salt in the wound, it appears that Joaquin isn’t all he claims to be and is actually only dating Kevin on the orders of F.P. to give them an inside scoop on the Sheriff’s investigation into Jason’s death.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
• I can’t believe I am saying this but…you go Alice Cooper! She may be the most insecure abrasive woman in the universe but watching her stand up to her husband for Polly was super satisfying.
• This episode felt like an hour of “Archie, don’t do The Thing,” followed shortly by Archie, in fact, doing The Thing.
• We were once again left without a Pussycats performance and not having them show up at the construction site dressed like The Village People and singing The YMCA feels like a lost opportunity.
• Line of the Night goes to Hermione Lodge for the delivery of “Oh yeah, no” at the thought of having a heart-to-heart with Alice Cooper.
So what did you think? How did Hiram find out about Fred and Hermione and is it really him behind the vandalism? What is F.P.’s end game? Will Polly be any level of safe in the Blossom house? Let us know your theories in the comments below!
Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9pm on The CW.