Riverdale (5×02) The Preppy Murders Review

For our review of last episode, click here.

Synopsis: Betty and Jughead’s investigation into the auteur takes a twisted turn after receiving a call from Bret. Archie is forced to make an impossible decision when the person responsible for his father’s death needs his help. (IMDb)

Well it seems this is the finale that could have been with the Auteur story and others finally being wrapped up and a major time jump on the horizon. It was reported that season 5 of Riverdale would see a 5 or 7 year time jump that bypassed their college years so all of these characters could return to their hometown (and act a little closer to their own ages). So how was their potential last episode in high school? A mixed bag of thoughts and feelings.

For this jam packed episode, I’m going to sort through the story arcs from the most ridiculous to the one that exceeded expectations. Funny enough, the two subplots of this episode revolving around Cheryl and Veronica prove to be the campiest and by extension the most bizarre.

Cheryl is trying to rebrand the Blossom Maple Syrup empire, but unfortunately the remaining Blossom clan is against giving the business to her because of her killing of Bedford Blossom. An enraged Cheryl reveals this to her mother and so what does Penelope do? In hopes of burying the hatchet, she poisons every last Blossom except her, Cheryl or Nana Rose as a graduation gift to her daughter. And how does Cheryl react? She doesn’t because after everything she has been through, this is her life.

Meanwhile, Veronica is threatened by one of Hiram’s rivals prompting her and Hermosa to team up and take over their father’s company. He is reluctant at first, but after getting his butt kicked by stronger, younger men, he yields and gives power over to the next generation. What does that mean for the Lodges? Veronica gets to go to college, Hermosa becomes the boss and Hermione divorces Hiram to go become a Real Housewife of New York. Veronica’s ability to side with her sister that quickly without questioning her motives, especially after the alleyway triple homicide, seems very out of character, but it was needed to wrap this up.

The second-best storyline of the episode was the inevitable reveal of the Auteur’s identity. After some late night calls that reveal the Stonewall Prep crew is being killed off, Betty and Jughead find David, the Blue Velvet Video manager, has hung himself in the cabin. This eventually leads to another tape being left at the house showing the Auteur walk through and into each of their room’s while the Coopers and Joneses sleep.

Then suddenly Betty has a realization and confronts Charles, their totally normal half-brother. He reveals his ties to Chic and that he was responsible for all the deaths around them. However, he sees himself as a vigilante serial killer that murders bad people that hurt people he cares about. However, he says the videotapes were not him and this causes Jughead to realize who would have access to all of this information.

It’s a bit odd that the reveal was Jellybean, given that she was not really around for most of the season and they specifically show her at the rave last week to remind viewers she is still around. Turns out she did it as an attempt to keep Jughead around the house rather than leaving for college. Thankfully both Jughead and FP easily forgive her because they have all seen worse so a few murder focused home videos isn’t that bad right?

Finally, the best storyline that gets a proper sendoff: the continuing grief of Archie Andrews. After watching the remade Black Hood video, Archie is obviously shaken, but it doesn’t help with Hiram comes by the gym to threaten him for breaking Veronica’s heart. While he struggles with his trauma, Mary tells Archie that George Augustine, the father who covered for his son’s hit and run, is asking Archie to write a letter to the judge for leniency on the sentencing.

Of course Archie is torn by this, but when George comes by the gym and reveals his son confessed and will be tried as an adult, Archie becomes even more angered. The pure emotion of Archie saying he wouldn’t drive away after hitting someone and the pain that caused him made us really feel the grief he has gone through all last season.

With Archie on edge, he returns home to find Mary watching the Black Hood tape in horror. She wants him to open up, but instead he cracks the tape in half with his bare hands then smashes the TV with a bat. This causes Mary to call Frank to intervene and his solution is to let Archie beat him up until he is satisfied. After they hug, both men go to the grave of Fred Andrews to pay their respects and Frank reveals he plans to turn himself in for his mercenary work.

Detective Journal

• What will the time jump entail for all of the characters?
• What will Cheryl and Toni do about their relationship?
• Will Jughead learn about BArchie?

What did you think of “The Preppy Murders”? Let me know in the comments below!

If you liked this, check out my YouTube channel The Film Fanatic, my other reviews and my website!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Dylan Phillips