'Riverdale' Hiatus: Time to Play Catch Up

Annie Lindenberg ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
If you haven’t been watching the CW’s Riverdale, you’re missing out on one of the best new TV shows of the season. The show revolves around the residents of Riverdale in the aftermath of Jason Blossom’s murder, an unsolved crime that everyone is trying to get to the bottom of. A mixture of a high school drama, crime mystery, and romance (among other things), the show has something for everyone. With Riverdale on its second week of hiatus and coming back next week, now is the perfect time to catch up on what you’ve missed so you can jump in on the rest of the season. Read on for all the characters, plot points, and drama you’ve missed!
KEY PLAYERS
Archie “Archiekins” Andrews

Golden boy, musician, football player… it seems he has it all. He may, however, be a little more involved than meets the eye and certainly has some secrets of his own. The biggest being Ms. Geraldine Grundy. While shacking up with his music teacher over the Summer, Archie heard something suspicious on the perceived day of Jason’s death… and, with a startling resemblance to the deceased himself, more than one person has their eye on him.
Jughead “Juggie” Jones

While appearing as a misfit and an outcast, Jughead is actually a good friend, desperately trying to figure out who exactly killed Jason Blossom as he writes his novel. His life gets even more complicated as we discover his father is an alcoholic and his mother and sister left to get away from him, leaving Jughead temporarily homeless.
Betty “Betts” Cooper

At first in love with Archie, Betty has (seemingly) moved on to pursue her own interests. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery behind her sister, Polly, who was once involved with Jason, and the mystery of Jason himself, Betty seamlessly teams up with Jughead and brings the Blue and Gold, their school newspaper, back to keep her investigation going.
Veronica “Ronnie” Lodge

Veronica is the new girl on the scene, but there’s more beneath the surface when it comes to this seemingly ‘ice cold’ princess. With a father in jail after embezzling money and a mom who’s striking up a new relationship (and may just have her own hand in illegal activity…), there’s certainly enough going on in her life to cause stress.
Cheryl Blossom

Cheryl is the cheerleading squad captain and twin of the deceased Jason. She will do anything to find out what happened to her beloved brother, even if it means stabbing someone in the back. Eccentric and controlling, certainly, but after a glimpse into her home life you’ll be willing to cut her a little slack.
Kevin “Kev” Keller

Loyal friend and the sheriff’s son, Kevin is always there to offer a snarky side comment and a potential theory. Recently becoming romantically associated with Joaquin, a member of the South Side Serpents (the local gang), he has more than a few things he has to keep from his father.
Josie McCoy

Talented singer and leader of the Pussycats, a group she started, Josie works ceaselessly to better her brand and make her way to fame and success. With a father who is less than supportive and a mother who is the mayor, she is constantly struggling to prove herself.
WHAT YOU MISSED PLOT-WISE

The Mamas Got Drama (And the Dads Do, Too)
For a show mostly centered around teenagers, you’d be surprised to find that the parents almost live the more dramatic lives. The Lodges, Coopers, and Andrews all have relationships that vary from romantic to antagonistic.
Hermione Lodge, Veronica’s mother, and Fred Andrews, Archie’s dad, have recently been rekindling a relationship they once had in High School. With Hermione still technically married, though her husband is in jail, Veronica is less than pleased to find this out. Especially when Hermione forges her daughter’s name on a legal document to give her new boyfriend business. Tied up in the game her husband started with the South Side Serpents, she isn’t as safe, or innocent, as she may appear.
Alice Cooper, Betty’s mother, is the definition of helicopter mom– always hovering over her daughter’s life. She and her husband run the town newspaper and have an outright hatred for the Blossoms, something they don’t shy away from when covering Jason’s death. Alice also has a tempestuous relationship with Hermione and Fred, seeming to think their children aren’t good enough for her own daughter. On top of all this, she has hidden away Polly after a secret pregnancy. Alice claimed Polly had a mental break instead of admitting that she was carrying Jason Blossom’s baby. Alice is clearly ruthless when it comes to getting what she wants.

Ms. Grundy’s Game
Though she has been absent for a while, nobody can be too sure that Ms. Grundy is gone for good. Ms. Grundy, the high school music teacher, started a relationship with Archie over the summer. This lead to them spending the 4th of July by the water where they heard a suspicious gunshot which she persuaded him to forget about. While, at moments, it seems she genuinely cares about Archie, most frequently she seems dangerous and manipulative. When all the parents discover their illicit affair, she is kicked out of town, her final scene leaving us distinctly uncomfortable as we witness her predatory nature.

 
Everybody Wants Some Love
It wouldn’t be a show about high schoolers if there wasn’t at least some romance, and Riverdale certainly doesn’t shy away. Hermione and Fred aren’t the only ones on the show navigating complicated feelings.
Post-Grundy Archie starts something with Valerie, a member of the Pussycats, after they connect over music. He also had some heartfelt moments (and a makeout session in a closet) with Veronica that may amount to more moving forward. On top of that, now that Betty has found herself in a new relationship, he seems to be getting a little jealous…
Having moved on from Archie, Betty has gotten closer to Jughead as they investigate and generally offer each other moral support. Jughead initiated a kiss, and so far it seems the couple has been on steady ground even as they’ve gone public. Only time will tell if this will stay true.
Kevin had a heated makeout session with Joaquin and, though we haven’t seen him for a few episodes, he may be coming back around soon. With the natural opposition in a couple consisting of the sheriff’s son and a member of the biggest, baddest gang, there’s sure to be some tension moving forward.
The Good Ol’ Blue & Gold
Betty has started back up the school newspaper as she tries to delve further and further into Jason Blossom’s murder, looking for any answers she can find. Recruiting Jughead as her lead reporter, the two have spent a lot of the season thus far teamed up.
Betty has also used the Blue & Gold to write an exposé on some footballers who were slut-shaming girls and keeping a ‘scorebook’ on their conquests. While investigating, she and Chery discovered that Jason had participated in the book too, putting Polly’s name down; this leaves some ambiguity as to the seriousness of their relationship and who Jason was. After publishing the article, the boys in question got kicked off the football team. The narrative of the show has promised us this will have consequences moving forward. Yet to be seen, this twist could be coming around any episode now.

 
Polly and Jason??
As numerous characters and the audience members try to figure out what happened to Jason, we learn more and more about his relationship with Polly Cooper. Initially thought to have gone mad after Jason broke up with her and was locked up, we slowly discover this may not be true of Polly. In reality, she is pregnant with Jason’s baby and Jason had planned on faking his murder to run away with her. It seems that their relationship was real, but one can never be too sure on anyone’s true motives on this show.
Who Killed Jason Blossom?
The great thing about this show is that it really could be anyone. Originally, Jason was thought to have died on July 4th due to a drowning. We have since discovered he was murdered a whole week later. His drowning had been a fake death planned by him and his sister so he could run away to be with Polly, but his fake death lead to a real one. There are certainly enough suspects to make getting to the bottom of his murder nearly impossible.
Hopefully, this recap helped you wrap your head around Riverdale and, even more importantly, got you ready to watch the show.
Tune into the CW next week Thursday 9 EST. to get more answers (and probably add more questions, too).