Jughead (Cole Sprouse) has made it pretty clear that he’s no fan of Riverdale (well, make that Riverdale the town, not Riverdale the show). From one scandal to the next, as each dark secret is uncovered, his sardonic commentary on the town and the people who live in it has become our roadmap to The CW’s gritty Archie Comics drama (whether or not he’s a reliable narrator has yet to be proven, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves). But is he about to reach his final straw in his contempt for Riverdale?
Nerdist has your exclusive first look at tonight’s all-new episode, “The Last Picture Show,” and the moment when Jughead learns that his beloved local spot, the Twilight Drive-In, is about to close down for good. Apparently an “anonymous buyer” has purchased the land with an offer that Mayor McCoy (Robin Givens) couldn’t refuse—which, yes, Veronica (Camila Mendes) is right: that definitely sounds more than a little sketchy. Who would need to hide the fact that they’re buying up a plot of land in Riverdale?
Despite the finality of the agreement, Jughead is going to fight desperately to keep the Twilight Drive-In open. But first, he’s going to rant all about how this deal is the final nail in the coffin that is Riverdale …and the American Dream (either Juggie doesn’t really understand the meaning of hyperbole or he just doesn’t care). He’s pretty riled up, but at least that gives us a speech chock full of cinephile references that would make any Quentin Tarantino fan proud. We’re talking peak Jughead here! And who knew that high school students would be so educated about classic movies? It’s enough to make anyone a little self-conscious about their own movie knowledge.
But tonight’s drama-filled episode has more than just Jughead’s mission to keep the drive-in open. “The Last Picture Show” also finds Betty (Lili Reinhart) putting her friendship with Archie (KJ Apa) on the line after stumbling upon some startling information she’s uncovered about Miss Grundy’s (Sarah Habel) past. Could she have something to do with Jason Blossom’s (Trevor Stines) murder after all, or is the truth even darker than that? It’s been pretty clear since the series premiere that Grundy has been hiding something, but whether it’s her true intentions with Archie or something else has yet to be seen. And will Betty’s mother Alice (Madchen Amick) destroy Archie’s golden boy image after finding Betty’s diary full of secrets? Man, The CW’s version of Alice Cooper could not be further from the comic book version.
Why do you think the drive-in closing down has got Jughead so upset? What are you most excited to see from tonight’s all-new episode? Tweet me your thoughts, opinions and questions at @SydneyBucksbaum!
Images/video: The CW
Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
