-OK, let's start this week with the big burning question on everyone's mind: why did Riverdale tiptoe around using the word abortion when discussing the appointment Hal offered to make for Polly (And the one he made for Alice way back when)? OK, maybe this isn't the big question on everyone's mind but I'm curious about it so we're starting with it. It couldn't have been a standards and practice thing. TV has gotten much more open about discussing abortion in recent years and two other CW shows did abortion stories earlier this year where they were very frank and open about it. It might've been an Archie Comics thing but if the company has no problem with the this dark, sexier take on Archie I can't imagine they'd object to the word abortion. So is it a story thing? Is it representative of the repression that the Coopers have all internalized? Are Alice and Hal are so obsessed with projecting a certain image that they can't even bring themselves to utter the word in privatw for fear of scandal? Probably. If this is what the writers are going for though, it's too bad the result is a couple key scenes of the episode feeling like they're from the 80s or 90s.
-Alright, now that I've gotten that off of my chest, let's get to the actual meat of the episode. Riverdale did something weird this week: they made Archie the focus of the big, flashy A-story and relegated the clash between the Coopers and the Blossoms to the B-story sidelines. Now technically In A Lonely Place did the same thing, but Jughead was definitely the lead character of that episode, while Archie was relegated to the sidelines. To contrast, The Outsiders puts Archie front and centre as he learns about his father's business woes and takes matters into his own hands in an effort to fix them. Why is this weird? Mostly because Archie is almost never the focal point of a Riverdale episode. He gets storylines and stuff but they're almost never supposed to be the most compelling part of the episode. Even the episode ostensibly about Archie's romance with Grundy was more of a Betty episode. This has been to the show's benefit because Archie is clearly the weakest character and his biggest character traits (Music! Good friend apparently!) doesn't translate to compelling A-stories. The Outsiders takes a gamble though by leaning on Archie's 3rd and 4th biggest character traits (Loves his dad! Does Not Think Things Through!) and it works pretty well. Archie's still not as compelling as the other characters and The Outsiders isn't as good as the past couple episodes but it's a solid outing.
-The main thrust of the episode revolves around Andrews Construction, which is undergoing problems thanks to Cliff Blossom stealing away the construction crew and random thugs trashing the equipment when Archie, Jughead, Kevin, Moose, and some rando jock come in as a replacement crew. Now the parts of this story that revolve around the land itself, whether from Cliff Blossom trying to stall out construction to get the land or Hermione trying to not tell Fred that Hiram owns the land are pretty dull because land contracts are pretty dull and it's never been clear why so many TV shows seems to think otherwise. The interesting stuff comes from Fred trying to hold the company he built together and Archie realizing for the first time how hard his dad has been working to keep them afloat. That's compelling stuff. The Andrews boys aren't the most interesting characters on the show by far but their bond and their relationship has developed this season in an interesting way as Archie begins to see his dad as more human and tries to start giving back to his dad a little. The care put into developing that relationship carries much of this portion of the episode and provides useful context to Archie's impulsive decision making.
-Of course, as much as Archie wants to help his dad, he's still a kid so a lot of his solutions involve getting into danger, trying to take justice into his own hands and yelling at Jughead for not mentioning that his dad was a Serpent without trying to consider Jughead's possible reasons for omitting this. Maybe the reason Archie is the most frustrating character on this show is because Archie is the one who acts the most like a normal, if a bit hotheaded teenager would in this situation, and a normal teenager would not be useful. It's all well-acted by K.J. Apa though who brings a lot to a thankless role and the reconciliation between Archie and Jughead at the end does a good job at folding in the theme of children protecting their parents. Seriously though Arch, learn to control that temper of yours before you get into real trouble.
-Can you really blame Jughead for not wanting to tell people that his dad was a Serpent? Of course not, unless you're Archie. Cole Sprouse does a really good job capturing how conflicted Jughead is in this episode, as he struggles between helping Archie out and not wanting to believe that his dad could've sunk so low. Of course, even without his dad being a member, Jughead is right about not jumping to conclusions about who the thugs were. He does seem a little too surprised when he's informed the Serpents are drug dealers though. Like what did he think the Serpents did? Just hung around and caused random trouble like they were a street gang from out of The Warriors? C'mon Jughead. Use your brain.
-Really the best part of the main story is the continued presence of Skeet Ulrich, oozing charisma as he gets to play the more confident, dangerous side of F.P. this week. After the drunken mess we saw last week, it's a bit weird to see how in control of himself F.P. is, but Ulrich keeps things consistent, letting us see the more vulnerable side of F.P. in moments like his confrontation with Fred or his interrogation from Jughead.
-Ultimately the saboteurs turn out to have been hired by Hiram, presumably because he knows about Hermione and Fred. This is an interesting development but I'm more curious about the fact that the thugs are identified as being from Montreal. First, is having Montreal connections supposed to be threatening? Every time they said Montreal, it just sounded goofier and goofier. Also, how does Hiram know people in Montreal? Are they implying that's where he's imprisoned? Or does he just have criminal connections up there? Is this all coming back to maple syrup?
-I know Fred is desperate for a crew but hiring a bunch of people you know are criminals because your old high school buddy charms you into it does not seem like the best idea.
-I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to spend more time in the Southside Serpent's bar, which gave off a really cool Mos Eisley vibe.
-Kevin's Southside Serpent boyfriend Joaquin returns to remind us he exists before the reveal that he's been romancing Kevin on F.P.'s orders to get a line on the sheriff's department. This is a decent twist but it really needed one or two more appearances from Joaquin prior to the reveal for it to land. Like we've only known the guy two episodes so it's not as big a betrayal for the audience as it could've been. Also Joaquin is totally going to fall for Kevin for real right before his deception is discovered and Kevin dumps him.
-Is F.P. the leader of the Serpents? From the way he commands the bar, he's clearly high up in the chain of command, but no one seems to notice this or care.
-Meanwhile the Polly Cooper story heats up as Betty and Veronica throw Polly a baby shower in an effort to ease tensions with Alice and to a lesser extent, the Blossoms in hopes of figuring something out for Polly and the baby (Or babies if Grandma Blossom is to be believed). Now throwing Alice, Polly, Penelope, and Cheryl into a room together seems like a recipe for disaster and the show even suggests it will be by having Hermione remind us that the Blossoms and Coopers are the Hatfields and McCoys of Riverdale. Rather then things turning crazy immediately though, writer Julia Cohen uses our expectations to build tension, even when nothing that tense is happening. When the conflict does burst out over Penelope trying to get Polly back to Thornhill, it's quick and messy, a cathartic release of tension that feels well-earned and that pushes the story in an interesting direction.
-Mädchen Amick has been killing it from episode one on Riverdale, playing a ridiculously broad cartoon villain, but one who had hints of depth and humanity to her. The Outsiders though brings her to new heights as we see Alice finally seem like a real, vulnerable human being finally starting to figure out the terribleness of her actions. It comes up slowly at first as we see her slowly warm up to the baby shower she had no interest in attending at the episode's beginning. Alice clearly doesn't like that this is happening but she does love her daughter and she does want her to come home so she decides to take the step of welcoming Polly home. It's more humanity than we've seen from Alice so far. Then Alice learns Hal tried to schedule an appointment for Polly to take care of her problem and we see something else. From the way Alice reacted when she heard what Hal did, I figured that this story was building to Alice throwing him out but I was blown away by the depths of pain and rage that Amick shows in her confrontation with Hal (Who is becoming more and more monstrous by the week as the depths of his Blossom hatred keep getting exposed). The way she shouts at him to get out, as we see her building up the strength to bring herself to say the words is extraordinary, only matched by the defeated and exhausted way she admits that she doesn't care about what people think anymore. It's a stunning display of the depths of her love for her daughter and it makes what comes next all the more heartbreaking.
-I'll admit it. I did not see Polly choosing to go to Thornhill rather than return home even after learning what Alice did coming. The episode lures you into a false sense of security with that scene between Betty and Polly before punching you in the gut with the very next scene. It's a shocking move but one that makes total sense. The Blossoms are sketchy but they're offering financial and emotional stability that Alice just can't offer. In addition, Alice did arrange for Polly to be sent to an asylum and that's not something that can be easily papered over. Still it's a surprising turn of events and the shot of Betty holding a crying Alice before showing Polly walk through those doors is an effectively devastating note to end the episode on.
-It's a small moment, but the look Penelope and Cliff give each other as Polly enters into Thornhill gave me chills. Polly, get out of there while you still can.
-I really like the cinematography on the big Betty/Jughead kiss. The way the camera uses the streetlights to give the impression of their romance being a bright spot in the darkness of their lives? Well done.
-This Week in Hot Archie Gang: Are you a fan of watching attractive men do manual labour? How about Cole Sprouse in a tank top? If so, then the beginning portions of the episode were definitely for you.
-This Week in Dumb Archie: Wearing your high school letterman jacket into a seedy bar? Way to be inconspicuous, Archie.
-Nana Rose Blossom has dementia and gypsy blood. So she's definitely giving Cheryl a run for her money as the best character on this show.
-So that giant building Fred is constructing is definitely going to be the Lodge Mansion, right? That feels like the only thing interesting enough to justify dedicating all this time to a story about construction contracts.
-Murder Theory Corner: Well the Southside Serpents are definitely trying to get away with something. Is it murder? Hard to say. I'm almost certain they burned down that car because of drugs though. Meanwhile Alice gives Hal a "You know what I'm capable of", which could be a red herring but given that we're eight episodes in and Jason and Polly's romance is still the only plausible reason for his murder, who knows? Alice is less obvious as a choice for killer now. Maybe she is the killer after all. Cliff Blossom is also starting to feel like a possibility, considering he's filling the role on the show that Hiram filled in the comics meaning that when Hiram comes to Riverdale inevitably, Cliff will be expendable.
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