Editor’s Note: This recap contains spoilers for Riverdale’s sixth episode, “In a Lonely Place.” Only read on if you’ve watched (or want to be spoiled on) Riverdale‘s latest episode!
There were some big revelations in the seventh episode of Riverdale. This series doesn’t hold back; it is not afraid to answer questions and tie up dangling threads. Sure, Jason Blossom’s still-unsolved murder is a big driving force of the show, but other than that nothing is left unanswered. From Polly’s disappearance to Betty and Jughead’s make out session, it all came into play this week.
Jughead was center stage in “In a Lonely Place”—his troubled home life had led him to a squatter’s life. With the drive-in closed, Jughead had taken refuge in a janitor’s closet at Riverdale High. The episode opened with a dream sequence in which Jughead struggled to fit in with his friends and their families. It was dark and bizarre, especially since everyone was dressed just like their classic comic book counterparts. Twisted and fun, this scene was Riverdale doing what it does best.
Archie immediately found out that Jughead was sleeping at the school—since nothing stays a secret in the town of Riverdale—and tried desperately to get his friend to come stay at his house. Jughead was too proud though, so Archie went with Plan B: get Fred Andrews to hire Jughead’s dad back at the construction company, which would then obviously solve all the Jones’ domestic problems. Fred agreed to give Mr. Jones another chance and, shockingly, this did not solve any of Jughead’s problems.
In fact, you could say things got worse.
Jughead’s dad is a criminal, a drunk, and the leader of a biker gang. Skeet Ulrich owned the screen this week, what with his charm and swagger. His portrayal of Mr. Jones—did we ever get a first name?—is pitch perfect. in fact, one of the episode’s best moments came when Ulrich and Luke Perry’s Fred Andrews took Archie and Jughead to dinner. Perry and Ulrich should have their own show, two grizzled bachelors out in the world, drinking milkshakes and taking names. I’d watch the hell out of that.
Despite his best effort, Jughead couldn’t keep his dad on the straight and narrow. The cops tried to pin Jason’s murder on Jughead (with no real evidence or reasoning), forcing Fred had to come and get Jughead out of the trouble. Jughead’s dad is nowhere to be found, abandoning his kid yet again. By the end of the episode, Jughead has moved into the Andrews’ house.
Mr. Jones’ downward spiral into alcoholism led to the episode’s biggest reveal: Jason’s letterman jacket hanging in the closest at the Jones’ house. The obvious conclusion is that Jughead’s dad is the one who set Jason’s car on fire at the end of the last episode. But why? Sure, we could assume that he murdered Jason. That would make sense since, as we’ve noted in the past, Skeet Ulrich is literally always the killer. It’s more likely that Mr. Jones was selling Jason the drugs that were stuffed into the trunk of the car and the fire was to cover that up. Or Skeet is the killer because of course he is!
Elsewhere, Veronica addressed the conflict with her mother by using the one weapon all teenagers have in their arsenal: acting out and partying hard. Veronica went clubbing, got drunk, and danced her ass off. Her mom caved—it was school night!—and agreed to negotiate with her daughter. The result was that Mrs. Lodge had to admit to her incarcerated husband that she had forged Veronica’s signature in order to give a construction contract to Fred Andrews.
The other big plotline this episode was Polly Cooper’s disappearance. If you thought her escape from the mental institution last episode was a tease for something further down the road, you were wrong. Instead, this mystery was solved almost instantly when Betty discovered that Polly was just hiding in the Cooper’s attic. Betty managed to keep this secret from her parents, which was a miracle because Betty is a terrible liar.
While trying to figure out how to best help Polly, Betty and Jughead’s relationship is exposed to everyone and—twist!—Archie seemed sorta jealous. You had your chance Archie, don’t be a dick, dude. Betty and Jughead’s thing is sweet and there was some awesome chemistry between the two characters. However, there was something about Betty’s demeanor that would suggest Jughead has some heartbreak headed his way. He just seemed more into her than she was into him, right?
Anyway, with Polly in hiding, the town folk began assuming that she killed Jason. The Blossoms certainly thought so, as they took to the woods with freaking dogs to hunt down Polly. In order to clear their name, Alice Cooper held a press conference and told everyone that Polly was in a mental institution when Jason was murdered, so she couldn’t possibly be the killer. Oh, and they announce that Polly is preggers with Jason’s baby, which freaked out the Blossoms, especially Cheryl.
In the end, Polly eluded her family and the Blossoms by going to stay with Veronica and her mom. So, the Coopers still think Polly is on the run, but homegirl is really just down the road in downtown Riverdale. Nobody escapes this town, guys. Nobody.
What’s your favorite plotline in Riverdale so far? Sound off in the comments below!
Images: The CW
