The truth about Archie and Ms. Grundy finally comes out during Riverdale’s “Chapter Four: The Last Picture Show.” Meanwhile, Veronica struggles to deal with what her family is really like and Jughead fights to save the one place he considers a real home to him: the Twilight Drive-In.
Betty’s Investigation
Riverdale’s “Chapter Four: The Last Picture Show” begins a week after Jason Blossom’s body was found. Everyone’s a suspect in Jason’s murder, and Betty’s trying to figure out if she should tell the sheriff about Archie and Ms. Grundy. If that weren’t enough, Jughead’s favorite movie theater is closing. Never a dull moment in Riverdale.
Archie and Fred go to see Ms. Grundy perform. It’s clear Fred’s into her, which is super creepy since she’s sleeping with his son. He decides they should all go out for dinner afterward. Of course they should.
So, naturally everyone winds up at Pop’s. Jughead’s on a tear about the Twilight Drive-In. An anonymous buyer bought it from the town, and he wants to save it. He also invites Betty, Veronica, and Kevin to closing night. Betty’s super distracted thinking about Archie though. Cheryl’s also at Pop’s with her friends and is super rude to Hermione, Veronica’s mom, who works there. Eventually, Archie, Fred and Ms. Grundy show up.
Betty pulls Archie aside and asks him if he was with Ms. Grundy on July Fourth. “Did Jughead tell you?” he asks. Veronica sees them talking outside and needs to know what’s going on. So now they all know. That’s when Alice shows up to take Betty home. The question is: What will she do with this information?
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As Jughead passes out flyers for the movie theater, Archie asks him if Betty is going to write about him in the paper. He doesn’t think so, but he agrees that his relationship with Ms. Grundy is wrong. Archie wants to be with her and asks Jughead to give him a heads up if Betty’s going to do something crazy.
Too late. Betty has been interviewing Ms. Grundy. She asks about her past teaching jobs and if she’s ever done an independent study before like she’s doing with Archie. Yes. With Jason Blossom. What a coincidence! She worked with Jason Blossom and was at the River on July Fourth.
Well, Betty kept digging and got a ton of crazy information. Ms. Grundy basically didn’t exist a year ago. Betty tells Archie, but he does not care. He wants to be with her and Betty just doesn’t understand their love! He tells her to let it go, and she says she will.
Later, though, Archie starts to ask Ms. Grundy about her life. She didn’t always want to be a teacher. She wanted to be a musician, but she didn’t make it. It was just a dream. Then he asks about them and where they end. She doesn’t have any answers, but for now it’s enough.
Of course Betty was lying when she said she would let it go. She and Veronica break into Ms. Grundy’s car. She swears she doesn’t still have feelings for Archie, but Ms. Grundy has him under a sexual spell. Also, she’s a teacher sleeping with a student, who’s also a minor. Let’s all keep that in mind. They find a lock box and break into it to find an ID for Jennifer Gibson with Ms. Grundy’s picture on it. Oh yeah, and there’s a gun. Did Ms. Grundy shoot Jason Blossom?
So Betty and Veronica give Archie their information. He’s convinced she’s not a killer, but he didn’t ask Ms. Grundy the important questions like why she didn’t exist a year ago or why she kept moving. Why not?
Finally, Archie asks why Ms. Grundy changed her name and moved from place to place. She was in an abusive marriage. She wound up in the E.R. with broken ribs and a shattered collarbone. He barely remembered and said it wouldn’t happen again, but it did. So she left, got a divorce, changed her name and moved.
Later, the Coopers tell Fred they don’t want Archie to be friends with Betty anymore. Alice tells Fred she sees Archie sneaking out at night. He’s a bad kid. Archie, meanwhile, tells Betty what he learned about Ms. Grundy. She still tells him their relationship is unhealthy though, which is definitely is.
The problem? Alice later finds Ms. Grundy’s gun in Betty’s drawers. Then she reads Betty’s journal! Alice forces Betty to get in the car.
Will Jughead Save the Theater?
Jughead, meanwhile, goes to the mayor and says that the movie theater is like a home to him. He and his sister used to sneak over there. She says that’s nice, but the future of Riverdale is at stake.
So Jughead goes to Fred. His company’s demolishing the theater, so Jughead begs for a week to convince the buyer to keep the theater open. Fred says “no,” and then Jughead blames him for his dad losing his job. Fred explains that Jughead’s dad was stealing materials. He had to let him go.
So it looks like there will only be one more showing at the theater. Kevin’s going with Veronica and borrows his dad’s car. His dad’s the sheriff and doesn’t understand why Kevin can’t find another nice gay kid to go with. He also warns Kevin to stay out of the woods after everything that’s happened.
Hermione and the Mayor Strike a Deal
On her way out from the Pop’s parking lot, Cheryl notices Hermione having a fight with some biker guy by the dumpster. She immediately snaps a pic.
Cheryl later hints to Veronica that her mom has stooped to some real lows. Then she shows her the picture she took of Hermione and the “Southside Serpent.” So Veronica talks to her mom later that night. Hermione says Southside Serpents are on the wrong side of the track, but she grew up with some of them and knows them. She was just being polite. The guy made a rude comment and she put him in his place. “When have I ever lied to you?” she asks. She’s totally lying.
Hermione shows up at the Mayor’s office and gives the Mayor a bag full of cash. They apparently have some secret deal about the Twilight Theater. The Lodges get the theater and the Mayor gets donations for her campaign. The Blossoms can’t know about it though.
Hermione later tells her butler that she’s going to the drive-in with Fred, so it would look “less conspicuous.”
Closing Night at the Drive-in
Finally, it’s time for closing night at the drive-in. Everyone’s there, of course. But it’s not about the movie. Cheryl even decides to sit with Veronica and Kevin. She really does seem to want to be their friend even though she says she hates them. The Southside Serpents keep making a ruckus, so Veronica yells at them to much applause.
Hermione, meanwhile, sits with Fred. But gets some upsetting texts. She makes an excuse that she wants popcorn and to powder her nose and leaves. Just then, Alice shows up and says Fred needs to come with her as something’s happening with the kids.
Veronica notices her mom sneaking around and sees Hermione talking to a Southside Serpent. She overhears him telling Hermione she doesn’t have enough money. He wants to talk to her husband, but as long as her husband is in jail, he has to deal with her.
Kevin also gets some snacks and notices Moose making out with someone else and gets upset. Then a Southside Serpent seems to threaten him, but they really just make out too. He and Joaquin exchange numbers even though they’re a Southside Serpent and Sheriff’s son. It’s pretty adorable.
At the end of the night, it’s revealed that Jughead sleeps at the theater. That’s why he’s been fighting so hard. A Southside Serpent asks where he’s going to live now. “I’ll figure it out, dad,” he says. “I always do.” It’s so sad!
The Truth Comes Out
Archie skips the movie and goes to see Ms. Grundy instead. He buys her a present and says he thinks they should end their lessons. Finally. They hug and almost kiss. And, of course, that’s when Alice, Fred and Betty storm in. Alice says this isn’t about Ms. Grundy. Betty needs to see the kind of person Archie is. (Really, it should be about Ms. Grundy. This whole thing is super wrong and illegal.) But Betty says she’ll never stop being friends with Archie. Archie admits he’s selfish and stupid, but she shouldn’t hurt Ms. Grundy because of it. Alice says she needs to do what’s right and tell everyone, but Betty says she’ll say she made it all up. It’ll look like she finally snapped like Polly and that crazy runs in the family. “Like mother like daughter,” she says. Ms. Grundy finally says she’ll quit. Alice agrees if Ms. Grundy leaves town too.
Later, Fred tells Archie that he’s not selfish and stupid and that this wasn’t his fault. Alice also tells Betty that Polly kept a ton of secrets from them and she refuses to have any more. But Betty says she’s Elizabeth, not Polly and Archie’s not Jason. Betty looks out her window to see Archie in his room. She texts him to apologize and he forgives her.
Who Broke Into Kevin’s House?
Kevin and his dad get home from the movie to find their door open and his dad’s entire investigative murder wall destroyed. But who did it?
Hermione Fesses Up
Veronica confronts Hermione over what she saw at the movies. And Hermione finally fesses up. Veronica’s father hired the Southside Serpents to decrease the value of the theater’s land so he could buy it. Hermione was paying them what her father owed them. He was the anonymous buyer. He’s still working from prison. Veronica is shocked and thinks what his dad does is wrong, but Hermione points out her dad gave her her entire life.
Are you surprised by Jughead’s backstory? Who do you think broke into Kevin’s house? And is Ms. Grundy gone for good?
Riverdale airs on Thursday nights at 9/8 c. on The CW. Like BuddyTV’s Facebook page!
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
