Tag: metro

Riverdale Season 2 Finale: All the questions we have ahead of Season 3

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And so Riverdale Season 2 has concluded. It wasn’t with a bang, nor with a whimper, but rather, something that’s a little bit in between.

This deliberately understated final episode didn’t quite deliver all the twists and turns we’ve come to expect from Riverdale, nor the explosive cliffhangers of Season 1, but there’s more than enough to set up next year’s third season.

Here, then, are five questions we have after watching the Riverdale Season 2 finale, Brave New World.

My final Riverdale article of the season! Quite possibly my final Riverdale article (of this type) full stop, actually – I’ve got no idea if this ongoing, week-to-week coverage is something I’ll be continuing at Metro for Season 3.

Hopefully, it will (I say, months after I’ve actually finished it, when the week to week stresses are a faint memory), because I do like the show, but if not, that’s not the end of the world: I’m sure I’ll have some other Riverdale, and maybe Sabrina, content at some point anyway.

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Riverdale season 2: Who is the second Black Hood? What is the darkness?

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Every so often, Riverdale brings up the idea of ‘the darkness’ – the darkness in Betty, or in Chic, and in the Black Hood, now revealed to be Hal Cooper. It’s what prompts Hal to kill people, Chic to be creepy, and Betty to occasionally wear a black wig. But what is it? 

The truth is, though, it’s deliberately vague: a hinted at but not explicitly defined mental illness that can be used as a broad motivator, without any of the responsibility to present a real mental illness with care. It’s a bit of a weak offering from Riverdale; the sooner ‘the darkness’ is forgotten about, the better.

I’ve finally worked out how to balance genuine theories with loving sarcasm and critique, just as the series is coming to a close. Ah well. Next year.

In any case, here’s my Metro article discussing Riverdale season 2, episode 21 Judgment Night, and the five questions we have now – concerning the identity of the second Black Hood, Hermione Lodge, and more.

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Riverdale Season 2: Is Hiram Lodge the brains behind the Black Hood?

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At the end of this episode, we saw that Hiram was manipulating Reggie and the Black Circle – and possibly has been for quite some time. Hiram always seemed like the sort of guy to have a lot of different irons in the fire, so it begs the question: what if he’s been doing the same with the Black Hood?

It makes sense, after all – the chaos created by the Black Hood is exactly what’s convinced the town to support Hiram’s plans for a private prison. Maybe Hiram has been the brains behind the Black Hood all along?

Riverdale! Enjoy.

This week’s post discusses the possibility that Hal Cooper has a twin brother, whether or not Hiram Lodge is the secret mastermind behind the Black Hood murders, questions just how much Veronica knows about her parents (it’s a running theme), and more.

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Riverdale Season 2: Is Hal the Black Hood? And will he kill Sheriff Keller next?

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We know now the Black Hood is going after the victims who previously escaped him, as well as those he perceives to be sinners. With Midge and Chic dead, that leaves a couple of obvious victims next – maybe Moose, or indeed Fred Andrews. 

But it feels more likely that he’ll target Sheriff Keller. 

He’ll find himself in the crosshairs because of his affair with Mayor McCoy, but from a narrative perspective, it makes sense: Keller is exactly the sort of prominent supporting character whose death would create emotional stakes, but not represent a massive change in the same way killing Archie’s dad would. 

Next week, then, Sheriff Keller should probably be worried about more than just his job.

Here’s my piece on this week’s Riverdale episode, which I’d love if people could share around a bit.

This particular article ponders whether Hal is the Black Hood, if Sheriff Keller is likely to be his next victim, and more. (Like, for example, why Cheryl and the River Vixens have a special funeral outfit. Actually, it’s less a question, because the reason is obvious – it is Extremely Extra, in a way that suits both Cheryl and Riverdale, so it makes perfect sense – and more of a celebration.)

And, yes, if you’re thinking that the above picture has very little to do with the above text, then… well, then you’d be correct. These things happen, you know how it is.

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Riverdale Season 2: Everything we need to know after the musical episode, AKA Riverdale’s best episode ever

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There’s something about Riverdale’s exaggerated aesthetic and over-the-top sensibilities that make it almost uniquely suited to a musical. You could easily imagine it becoming an annual tradition, with the series covering a whole host of different musicals. It’s pretty much exactly the apotheosis of Riverdale’s already idiosyncratic style, and it’d be brilliant to see the show have another try at it.

Indeed, this week’s episode was already probably the best episode of the show so far on its own terms anyway. It married the distinct tone and feel of the quirky teen drama with the musical genre in a pretty much perfect way – and, as ever, opened up a lot of questions about the future of the show. From Archie’s relationship with his dad to Cheryl’s conflict with her mother, and of course the blood-curdling return of the Black Hood, this episode gave us a lot to consider.

It is in no way an exaggeration, to my mind, to say that the musical episode was the best episode of Riverdale ever, and I’d love to see them do another one. Genuinely, I really properly loved it; after a run of episodes that I found quite frustrating, this was such a breath of fresh air that really made me want to engage with the show again.

What’d be a good one to do next year, do we think? My knowledge of musicals is, sadly, sorely lacking. Les Mis, maybe? That’s sort of it. Phantom of the Opera, actually, seems like it could fit pretty well within Riverdale‘s Extremely Extra aesthetic.

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Riverdale season 2: Five questions we have after episode 17

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This week’s episode of Riverdale was another twisting and turning instalment of the quirky teen drama that gives us a lot to ponder.

We saw the Blossoms at each other’s’ throats, the Coopers’ crime come to light, and Archie seemingly enlisting his friends as mob enforcers – it’s an intense time to live in Riverdale.

Here’s my piece on the seventeenth episode of Riverdale season 2, The Noose Tightens, which was the last one for a couple of weeks.

It was a nice reprieve, to be honest – the weekly Riverdale article was becoming increasingly frustrating. I’m basically fond of the show, but it was going through a rough patch, and these “five questions we have after” articles are not the most mentally stimulating to write. (Which isn’t a knock on the format, incidentally; I think a big part of why I struggled with them is because I didn’t know how to write them well. Listicle type things are a skill unto themselves, I reckon.)

Anyway! Hope you enjoy this piece.

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Riverdale Season 2: Where is Cheryl? Who is Chic’s true father?

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Another exciting installment of Riverdale gave us some more twists and turns to ponder on this week. No doubt, the next few episodes will have a lot to deal with. 

Where is Cheryl? Who is Chic’s true father? Will Archie and Veronica see what Hiram is really up to? Things are getting increasingly complex for the residents of Riverdale, and they show no sign of relenting any time soon. Here are five questions we need answered after episode 16, Primary Colours.

Oh, this is an odd one. Obviously, because Riverdale is an America show, the episode is called Primary Colors – but I really can’t bring myself to call it anything but Primary Colours.

That’s not actually an especially fun fact, is it? Ah well. It can be difficult to write these litttle bits of commentary for each individual episode, especially since they blur together so much. Looking back, I can’t even remember who Chic’s real father turned out to be.

Anyway, this piece talks about Cheryl’s whereabouts after a mysterious cliffhanger, speculates about the truth behind Chic’s parents, and ponders whether or not Veronica actually understands any of what her family is doing. (It was very inconsistent, and one of the things that annoyed me most over the course of the season.)

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Riverdale Season 2: Five questions we have after episode 15

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This week’s episode of Riverdale was a pretty momentous one, with some big revelations that’ll change the course of the show – we now know just what Hiram Lodge is up to, and what his plans are for the town. But where we go from here is anyone’s guess – and that leaves us with a lot of questions. 

Just who is Chic? What does Claudius’ return mean? Will Archie ever be the same again? Here are five questions we need answered after episode 15, There Will Be Blood.

Questions about Riverdale!

I feel like I need to make some sort of comment on each of these posts, vis a vis Riverdale, my thoughts on it, and my relationship with it. I suspect, admittedly, I do not have 22 different such thoughts for each of the episodic posts I’ve written about Riverdale.

But, you know, if you want to ask me questions about the show or anything, feel free to get in touch?

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Riverdale Season 2: Five things we need to know after The Hills Have Eyes, which was a particularly odd episode

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After a few weeks off because of the Olympics, we’re back to the town with pep. In this episode of the quirky teen drama, the gang went on holiday, Cheryl had an emotional moment, and there was a lengthy advert for showrunner Greg Berlanti’s new film Love, Simon. 

As ever, we’ve got a lot of questions after this week’s episode of Riverdale – is Betty in danger because of Chic? What is Hiram Lodge doing? Will Riverdale ever be the same again? Here’s everything we need to know about The Hills Have Eyes, the 14th episode of Riverdale’s second season.

At this point, these are mostly just exercises in snark. Which is fun, I guess.

Also, my gosh, wasn’t the Love, Simon advert in this one ridiculous? Don’t get me wrong, I am pretty pro Love, Simon – I’ve not seen it, but I enjoyed the book a lot, and it seems like a fun and important movie for all the obvious reasons. But, oh man, the product placement here was insane. I’m not sure if I’m affronted or impressed by the way they took it and made it pivotal to Cheryl’s character development.

Of course, this is also the one where they went to a cabin in the woods for a weird sex holiday, which apparently is going to be pivotal to the season 3 plot, so maybe the Love, Simon advert isn’t the most important thing. It’s an odd show, is Riverdale.

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Why You’ve Got Mail is the perfect rom-com for Valentine’s Day

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You’ve Got Mail updates the central conceit of Parfumerie’s anonymous penpals to email users. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this idea, moving back and forward between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in their public and private interactions. Now, it could feel a little dated – it’s very specifically rooted in its era, down to the AOL catchphrases and all – but in a way that also adds to the charm. 

It’s almost quaint; if the movie had been made a few years later, in an era when Facebook and Snapchat and so on are ubiquitous, everything would play out very differently. There’s something nice about looking back on that point where the internet was still a big presence, but wasn’t quite everywhere yet.

I’m quite fond of this movie, generally. It’s not the most famous film ever, but admitting that doesn’t mean you hate it. Or something.

(This is one of those pieces where I would quite like to go into some of the behind-the-scenes workings, but think it’s probably improper to do so just yet, and will make oblique references to the – admittedly in this case minor – frustrations it caused later on.)

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