High school at Riverdale is nearing its end for Archie and his friends. Jughead was accepted to University of Iowa, more tapes arrive, and the Stonewall Prep Students are in over their heads this week in The CW’s Riverdale titled “Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Preppy Murders”.  The big questions still need answers. Will Archie graduate and what is in store post-graduation for the students of Riverdale High?

It’s clear that this week’s episode was meant to air last season. It’s a continuation of the plot in season four, there appears to be a killer on the loose, and tapes with an unknown maker still going out to the families of Riverdale. At the end of the premiere, we see that another tape shows up and we saw friction in the relationships of multiple couples in the show.  This episode had so much happen, it will be too much to include in this article, so make sure to check it out to see everything that went down!

**Spoiler alert: The following is a recap of the episode, which does contain some minor spoilers, so read with caution.**

Courtesy of: The CW

The Plot Thickens 

At the opening of the episode, Betty wakes up to a phone call from Stonewall Prep student, Brett, currently doing time for his crimes in last season.  Brett fears for his life and future. He asks Betty if she can talk to Veronica (and hence Hiram) about getting him transferred to another prison, into solitary. In exchange for this he says he will talk and tell them everything they need to know.  However, once Jughead and Betty arrive at the prison to talk to Brett, they learn that he’s been killed in his cell before they could arrive. 

The Murders Don’t Stop In Riverdale

As the episode continues, the murder count increases, and hence the reason for the title of this episode.  Jughead and Betty continue to investigate the murder and finally get some answers as to who it is.  While they investigate the murders, a new tape surfaces.  This time it’s even more disturbing than the last.  Will Betty and Jughead discover who is sending them?  I personally find that Betty and Jughead are stronger together, than they are apart. They truly excel when faced with a mystery that needs solving, even when the mystery has a twisted ending.

While Jughead and Betty are doing what they enjoy most, things aren’t going so well for Archie.  We see him unravelling as his world continues to fall apart, not only due to his breakup with Veronica, but in regards to the death of his father.  His mother confronts him about his father’s death, and the case against his killer.  She asks if he will write a letter to the judge to help get a lesser sentence for the kid who hit his dad.  Archie, in his grief and anger, is hesitant, but comes around, once he is visited by his Uncle Frank.  This will leave fans happy to once again see the Archie we all fell in love with years ago, and gave me hope for Archie’s future.

The Fall of Hiram

Over at the Lodge household things are quite hostile as they normally are.  Veronica once more has a visit from her sister Hermosa, but this time, it’s in mutual agreement that their father needs to be pulled down from his reign of terror.  They work together, along with Veronica’s mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), to end this era of violence at the hands of Hiram.

This week, we learn how it is to end with Veronica’s mother.  I will admit, I forgot about Nichols’s departure, until this episode, and we still do not know how FP Jones’ (Skeet Ulrich) character will say goodbye to Riverdale.  I predict that will happen in next week’s episode, which I think was meant to be the season four finale.  

Crimson Heiress

How can I end this review without mentioning our favorite redhead vixen, Cheryl Blossom?  She starts the episode with a video conference call with her relatives about the future of the Blossom family business; their maple empire.  Due to her family’s stubbornness and anger about Cheryl, they refuse to let her have control of anything, so she goes to her mother for help.  Blossom’s find a way to continue on, and have no moral dilemmas about it.  This is no different.  Cheryl will get what she so longs for, but how?

If you are a fan of Riverdale, I assure you are in for quite the viewing experience this week!  I would give this episode a 3.5/5, however, due to some lackluster revelations and plot points.  I do still want more for the show as a whole, and I know things are always more complex than they appear in Riverdale, but certain events in the third act came without shock and were slightly predictable.  In addition to that, where are Kevin, Reggie, and the rest of the serpents?

We’ve had very little about them this season.  What’s been going on for them in their last few weeks of school? As for the rest of the season, this week’s episode had so many layers of emotions that I found myself shocked, sad but also excited leading up to the next week’s graduation episode.  Don’t just take my word for it though, enjoy it for yourself on The CW at 8:00 PM on Wednesday nights, or the next day on CWTV.com or the CWTV app!