Riverdale (4×02) Fast Times at Riverdale High Review

For our review of last episode, click here.

“Fast Times at Riverdale High“starts off with Jughead discussing the rest of summer vacation and how Archie survived. He talks to Mad Dog about bringing him back to Riverdale high to get his diploma. Betty gets no information from her estranged brother Charles while he searches for their mother. Veronica is asked to testify in court for her parents, but would rather pick neither side. And Cheryl is asking her brother’s corpse what outfit to wear on the first day of school. Riverdale is filled with some normal people. The gang drinks and reminisce about high school before splitting off into their couples and getting steamy.

They wake up the next day running late to get to class as they frantically get ready. Upon arrival, they are stopped by Weatherbee’s replacement, Principal Honey. He wants no funny business and makes sure that the gang knows it. While Reggie is getting notes from the coach, Archie introduces Mad Dog to them and instantly Reggie is jealous. At the Blue and Gold, Kevin comes by to try to apologize to Betty and prove to her that he has changed from the mind-controlled Farm version of himself. Jughead is called down to Principal Honey’s office where he is greeted by Mr. Chipping (Sam Witwer). He was one of the judges of the short story competition that Jughead submitted to and he wants him to come study under him at Stonewall Prep.

Veronica and Archie are walking the halls when they are interrupted by paparazzi wanting answers to her family’s criminal issues and ongoing trials. She decides to pull the alarm so they can escape in the crowd. At football practice, Mad Dog shows up Reggie and causes his father to get angry. Reggie decides to confront Mad Dog in the locker room, bringing up his criminal past, but Archie breaks it up. Veronica and the Vixens find a student in their locker room trying to take pictures of Veronica. She pulls out his film roll and throws it to the ground, keeping the pictures somewhat intact.

Principal Honey pulls Veronica aside and discusses the Rumordale drama surrounding her. He suggests she take time off school until her family’s issues are sorted. She confronts Reggie about it, but he denies being the rat. Not before showing off a new black eye gifted to him by his dad. Veronica decides to tell Archie about Reggie’s home situation. At practice, Archie decides to intervene between Reggie and his dad, but Reggie will have none of it and starts a brief fight. Meanwhile, Veronica visits her father and learns that he definitely connected her to his criminal enterprise.

That evening, Jughead comes home to Mr. Chipping talking with FP about the opportunity. While Jughead is hesitant, FP makes him agree to a tour of the school. Jughead and Betty arrive for the tour and find it is Harvard for high schoolers. Mr. Chipping invites him to come by the following day to sit in for a salon and he agrees. The next day, he sits down with Mr. Chipping’s group. They all give him a glance of disapproval, but he shuts them all up with his take on Moby Dick.

Betty goes to meet Charles and learns that he is still monitoring Kevin because he didn’t cut ties with the other Farm members. They decide to use this to their advantage and go through Kevin to find Fangs. She meets up with him at Pop’s and tells him that they may have found a witness to break open the Farm case. It causes Fangs to meet up with Kevin, but he and the rest of the Farm don’t trust him. In order to regain their trust, he must find out the name of the witness, but after Fangs leaves Betty emerges to confront him. Charles and Betty interrogate Kevin, but Charles thinks that he is too far gone to help them.

Principal Honey brings Cheryl and Toni in to tell them that he wants to cancel the dance due to the last one having a deadly result. They disagree, but he has final say. In protest, Cheryl and Toni decide to host the party at her house. Reggie heads into the restricted part of the hose where Cheryl is keeping her brother, but she quickly stops him and drags him off. Betty sits down with Kevin and tries to convince him to help by revealing Alice’s true purpose at the Farm. She asks for his help and he “agrees.” Reggie complains about Mad Dog’s presence and wants to start a fight. Thankfully, FP arrives and breaks up the party before they can do something bad. Cheryl asks who complained and FP reveals it was someone named… Honey?

Reggie and Archie have a heart-to-heart over Reggie’s situation and how jealous he was of Archie and Fred. Reggie decides he needs to take a stand against his dad and the best way to do that is to break his prized car. In class the following day, Jughead feels the immense difference in the atmosphere between Riverdale and Stonewall Prep. Betty pulls him into the halls and tells him to go because he is dying in these boring classes. Reggie comes to Archie and tells him that he had a talk with his dad and found some positive steps in his situation. As Veronica tries to leave the house, she is stopped by a horde of paparazzi. She decides to hold a press conference at La Bonne Nuit after a performance of All That Jazz by the Vixens. Veronica blames her father for everything and takes a stand: she will be taking neither side at the trials.

Veronica decides to submit her Harvard application under the name Veronica Gomez to rid herself of the Lodge name once and for all. Principal Honey returns to his office to find a beehive thrown onto his desk by Cheryl for retaliation against him calling the cops. Betty reveals to Charles that she told Kevin about everything, including Alice’s undercover status. Kevin arrives with news of the Farm’s location and that they are preparing for war. At the Jones residence, Jughead shows off his new prep clothes. FP comments about how his father once went to Stonewall Prep and he is glad that Jughead made this choice. The episode ends with a jump to spring break while everyone walks through a dark forest calling out to Jughead.

What did you think of “Fast Times at Riverdale High â€? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips