Riverdale (5×04) Purgatorio Review

For our review of last episode of Riverdale, click here.

Synopsis: After spending seven years away from Riverdale, Archie returns to find the town is on the verge of becoming a ghost town; when Toni catches him up on what’s been going on, Archie reaches out to the rest of the gang to return home. (IMDb)

Here it is, the time jump. Seven years has gone by and the soft reboot is upon us. No longer will full-grown adults be playing overly hormonal, dramatic teenagers, but young adults that better reflect their real age. It also means that many parents may no longer be seen as their dependent children have moved out and on with their lives. The question is where are each of their lives seven years after graduation? Purgatorio has that answer, even if it avoids pushing these characters together until the final moments.

The episode plays like a four-part vignette as each of the core four’s current stories are revealed. Archie went off to war, served seven years and now as Sergeant is tasked with reviving RROTC at Riverdale high. He returns home to a gruesome shell of what Riverdale once was and wants to enact some change to save his hometown.

Along the way, he reunites with those that stuck around like a pregnant Toni who as Serpent Queen runs the White Wyrm below Pop’s, Sweet Pea, Fangs and Kevin, who works as the drama teacher. Archie learns more and more about the town’s problems including Ghoulies living in the old Andrews home and Hiram trying to poach all the rich Riverdale residents for his new town Sodale. How does he hope to save the town? He needs reinforcements.

Jump to Betty, an FBI trainee who after being overly cocky becomes the captive of the Trash Bag Killer for two weeks causing intense psychological trauma. She also is dating her boss Glenn because why not right? When Archie calls she immediately packs up and leaves seeming like she needs a break from her real life.

Next Veronica is in New York celebrating her one year of marriage with Chadwick, but soon learn that they are not on the same page. While Chad wants kids within the next year and thinks Veronica works at Lacy’s, she is actually the she-wolf of Wall Street working at an underground jewelry store for the thrill of it. As they argue, it comes out that they nearly died in a helicopter crash and since then Chadwick has been hyper-focused on family. Veronica goes to Hermione for advice, but that turns into Chad buying her a Glamerge egg as a present (how very Hiram of him). She too seems eager when Archie calls.

And finally onto Jughead, the struggling writer in New York who amidst his writer’s block is trying to get a journalist job. After being passed over, he returns home to an eviction notice and his girlfriend Jess leaving him. This leads him to sleep with an overly eager fan who wants him to read her book and give it to his agent. He is hesitant at first, but after she gets rid of some debt collectors he agrees. That is until Riverdale comes calling.

As Archie comes into Pop’s for his retirement party, he sees his old friends sitting at their old booth and finally nostalgia hits him. That is the Riverdale he remembers. Of course as he arrives at the table, you can feel the tension oozing off everyone. Were they all just sitting in silence before he arrived or were they chatting? My bet is on the former as they all did not seem interested in being together whatsoever. It’s an interesting position to put all of these once inseparable friends in, and should bode for an intriguing underlying subplot for the season. Time will tell.

Detective Journal

• Will the demons of the past seven years haunt these characters or will they come to terms with the problems they have faced since being apart?
• How long until they are pulled ack together by nostalgia?
• Will any characters have died in that time?

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

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Dylan Phillips