As if this show wasn’t already addictive, what with the beautiful cast, twist and turns of the script and all the cameos. The best part that has gone somewhat un-noticed is the actor who plays Jughead. It’s only Ross’s son, Ben from Friends. For some reason that makes Jughead even cooler than he already is.
This chapter there’s once again a large focus on Jughead and his back-story. Over the last chapters the attention on Jughead has given him a large part in the solving of the Jason Blossom murder case. He opens this chapter with a nightmare, which happens to be a lovely homage to the 1940s Archie era. It ends with a knife in the back of Archie, something to do perhaps with the fact Jughead is canoodling with Betty. Might also have something to do with the fumes of living in the Janitors closet of the High School. Archie finds him freshening up in the Football change room and questions why he is living there. The boys decide they need to get their Dad’s to talk out their history and to get Jugheads Dad, FP working again with Fred at Andrew’s Construction.
Fred and FP struggle through their differences but they start to work together now FP is working at Andrew’s Construction. However after not having had a drink for what only seems like days, FP hits the bottle again after confessing the true story of what happened between him and Fred. This didn’t go down too well with Archie who is more annoyed at his father that he let the downward spiral of FP change the life of Jughead. So much so, Jughead is brought in for questioning by the sheriff because of his questionable background and troubled father. But when no one can get in contact with FP, Fred comes to save the day and doctored some time cards to say Jughead was working the time Jason Blossom was murdered. Begs the question where he actually was that morning of July 4. As Jughead, Archie, Betty and Fred Andrews walk out of the Sheriffs office FP comes storming in drunk and ready for a fight. After Jughead tries to calm him down it was decided Jughead would stay with Archie and Fred until FP can sort out his own life.
There is something to say about a popular teen drama that can interweave a story as horrible as alcohol addiction and broken family life. Not only to make a good story out of it, but show how horrible it can be and that there is support networks. And there are also people are willing to give those wanting to help themselves a second chance.
The other big story of this chapter is the search for the escaped Polly Cooper. After Cheryl Blossom received word Polly had escaped, a full-scale hunt was under way between the Coopers and the Blossoms to find her first. After the search was unsuccessful the Coopers gave a speech to declare the entire story and confess she is pregnant. This however changed the attitude of the Blossoms, only for the worse. Betty realised where Polly was hiding, in the attic of their home and they decided after the Blossom’s were being so kind and generous to help that Polly would hand herself over. But then just at the last minute Cheryl had a change of heart and told Polly to run as her parents intentions were to cut her out and keep the baby. Polly now lives with the Lodge’s despite her parents still not knowing where she is.
But this wouldn’t have been possible earlier in the episode when the Lodge’s Veronica and her Mum Hermione were going head to head. Veronica was upset her Mum had not only forged her signature to give the construction contract to Fred Andrews, but also because she was now cheating on her husband. After a night out of drunken fun Veronica’s credit card was cancelled by Hermione, which pushed them both to talk out their differences. Veronica now realises that the relationship between her parents was long dead even before her father was sent to prison.
While there wasn’t a lot of relationship or young love in this episode as it was mostly based around family and lack of family. Everyone realises Betty and Jughead are maybe but maybe not dating. When Betty is telling the gang that Polly had escaped and they need to find her. Jughead put his arm around her to calm her down only to have Betty grab his hand. Everyone’s reaction was priceless as no one saw it coming and no one would have ever expected it.
In one of the biggest clues in the murder case so far, the episode closes with Jughead’s Dad, FP in his trailer drinking. Nothing unusual there but what we see as the camera sweeps past the cupboard full of clothing is a football jacket with the name Jason stitched into it. Very similar to the football jacket Jason Blossom would wear and was found in the get away car that was torched after Jughead and Polly discovered it.
With so many questions building as we edge closer to figuring out who killed Jason Blossom there’s still a long way to go. Where was Jughead that night? Did his Dad have something to do with the murder? Does Cheryl have an actual heart?
Streaming every Friday on Netflix.
Jason Cook
