This week’s episode of Riverdale saw the aftermath of Betty and Archie’s peep show, as Betty is forced to join her parents’ dancing show, Riverdale Grandstand. Meanwhile, Veronica works at the Babylonium movie theater, Kevin feels pressure from his teammates on the Riverdale High basketball team to “become a man,” and Jughead feels pressure to choose between getting an education or writing comics.
Keep reading to find out what happened in “Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Four: Dirty Dancing.”
Unrequited Love
Hal told Alice what happened with Betty and Archie, and Alice phoned Hermoine since Veronica had given Betty the “skivvies.” Alice then called Penelope for advice, and Penelope told Cheryl. By morning, “everyone knew some version, most of it untrue, and repercussions were being felt far and near.”
Frank talks to Archie about it, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Archie feels embarrassed over the situation, so Frank tells him to focus on his schoolwork and basketball and less on Betty. Betty, meanwhile, is getting a different talk from her mother, being scolded for her actions. Alice tells her daughter that she is going to be on Hal’s dance show, Riverdale Grandstand, every day after school, so she will think less about boys, though Betty doesn’t like the idea.
“We will make sure that you’re nice and tuckered out so there’s no more late-night shows with your pinkie out of jail for over-sexed young men like Archie.”
It’s not so easy to get away from what happened at school, as everyone is talking about it, whistling at Betty and praising Archie. Veronica later asks Betty for details, and Betty tells her and says she’s going to be on her dad’s show every day now because of it. Cheryl comes into the restroom, doing her part as dance captain and spokeswoman, and gives Betty the official rules of being on the show.
Riverdale Grandstand
Betty is not having fun on Riverdale Grandstand, and Cheryl tries to get her to dance. She suggests she dance with Dilton since he’s also not paired up. Betty is later approached by a boy named Troy, asking to pair up with her since his usual partner has the mumps. As they’re slow dancing, he asks if she likes it when guys watch her, offering to go down to the river and put on a private show after the dance. Betty shoves and slaps him on TV, and Alice scolds her at the studio and home.
It’s the 50th episode of Grandstand, so many students have shown up to dance, including Veronica and Archie. Betty’s off to the side, just sitting and watching, until she gets up to dance during the twirl, against her mother’s wishes. She’s the only one on the floor twirling, purposely showing off her underwear as she twirls and twirls and twirls. Alice talks with Betty afterward, telling her she’s out of control. Betty, however, assures her mother she is in complete control. She knew exactly what she was doing and why. She asks to be excused from future episodes, and Alice tells her she’s off the show. But she broke her heart.
Betty strolls through the halls with everyone looking at her, and when she gets to the end, Dr. Werthers asks to speak with her, having heard from Alice. He tells her she’s so tortured and wonders what they’re going to do with her.
Movie Experience
Smithers brings Veronica a telegram from her parents. They are teaching her a lesson since she’s been misbehaving. No more allowance, and she is to report for work at the Babylonium Theater. Though Veronica won’t let them break her spirit over it.
Veronica shows up at the Babylonium, ready as ever to get to work, doing basically everything since the owner, Mr. Lemly, can only afford a skeleton crew. Veronica’s other co-worker is Clay, who runs the projector and tries to keep up with the repairs.
Veronica and Clay bond over their love of film. Mr. Lemly comes into the theater, telling the two that they have another dead night on their hands. Thanks to the new drive-in and TV, it’s taken a bite out of their business. Veronica says that drive-ins and living rooms can’t compare to the experience of seeing a movie in a theater and suggests making a commercial on TV aired during Riverdale Grandstand.
In a true Nicole Kidman AMC moment, Veronica’s Babylonium commercial is quite a masterpiece as she talks about the movie experience. Mr. Lemly praises the commercial but then admits that Veronica’s parents are buying the Babylonium. He thought she knew, and it’s his understanding they’re turning the theater into a parking lot.
At the Pembrooke, Veronica notices an original piece of art, thinking it’s worth a pretty penny. She later tells Lemly that she wants to buy the Babylonium, wanting to trade the painting from her personal collection for the theater. Her original Hopper painting is worth much more than what her parents are paying.
“Going to the movies is special.”
Veronica tells Smithers to send a telegram to her parents to let them know that she’s the new owner of the Babylonium.
Closeted Life
Tom Keller finds a bodybuilding magazine in Kevin’s room, starting to put two-and-two together. He cuts his girlfriend loose, started hanging around with “strange boys,” and he’s reading magazines like this? He doesn’t like any of it.
Kevin has officially joined the Riverdale High basketball team, but Julian isn’t fond of it. That night, Archie asks Frank what he and Tom were talking about, and Frank tells him that Tom wants Kevin to get into more sports, thinking he could use some better male role models.
“Regular Joes like me and you.”
Archie asks if there’s anything wrong with Kevin, and Frank just says that sometimes boys get confused, but the two of them will straighten him out. The next day, Archie and Kevin are practicing in the gym, and Kevin says that his dad wants him to be a regular guy. A guy who likes sports, a guy who does what Archie did with Betty, someone who isn’t interested in things like poetry, drama, music, and movie stars. Kevin says Archie’s normal, but he wants to be normal and be like everyone else.
In the Bulldogs’ locker room, Julian and the guys praise a player who lost his virginity, and Julian wonders who is next, saying that you can’t be a real man unless you’ve gone all the way with a woman. Julian lands on Kevin, but Archie wonders about Julian. Julian says he “crossed into the promised land” on his 16th birthday with Twyla Twist — a “floozy” who works out of the Cozy Time Motel behind the school, and Kevin agrees to meet with her.
Kevin keeps pacing the gym, asking Archie what he’s going to do, and Archie tells him to let nature take its course. He admits he’s still a virgin too, but then Kevin wonders why he has to prove something, and Archie doesn’t. That night, Kevin meets with Twyla Twist and dances with her. Meanwhile, at Pop’s, Archie sees Betty, who is picking up food, and he asks her about Kevin and his behavior. She doesn’t talk about it, and Archie hopes that after tonight, he’ll straighten out. He tells her about Twyla Twist and shows up at the motel, where Kevin is a sobbing mess. Twyla says they were dancing, she let down her hair a little, and Kevin immediately started bawling.
Archie takes Kevin, and the two talk on the stairs outside the school. Kevin’s afraid of what everyone will think since he’s not “regular,” and Archie promises he’ll back him up if they tell the guys that he did it with Twyla. When Kevin gets home, Tom is waiting for him in his room after hearing about Twyla. He knows Kevin didn’t go through with it since he talked to Twyla. Tom takes a sip of his drink and doesn’t say a word before leaving, clearly disappointed.
Frank tells Archie he heard what happened from Tom, and Kevin will no longer be on the basketball team. He says he feels for Tom, “having a son who’s bent.” At school, Archie tells Betty he’s afraid he messed things up with Kevin, but she assures him he didn’t. Archie can’t believe how screwed up the world is.
Archie wants to talk to Kevin and Clay about music, plays, and movie stars, and they are more than happy to meet up with him during lunch.
Refusal of Contract
Jughead is feeling guilty for betraying Brad Rayberry, but he doesn’t have time to think about it as Featherhead calls him to his office. He brings out the Homeroom of Horrors comic, and he and Werthers gang up on him, talking about the content and how gruesome it is. And while it’s not pornography, the two don’t see the comics as any different. Featherhead gives him an agreement to no longer write comics, and he will remain a student. However, if he doesn’t sign it, then he will be expelled.
Jughead ends up refusing the contract, so he spends his time at Pep Comics. He tells Rayberry he dropped out of school, and Rayberry says he hopes it’s worth it. The two have lunch at Pop’s, and Jughead continues to apologize about stealing the manuscript. Getting away from the subject, though, Rayberry brings up Jughead dropping out of school. He asks about Werthers, wanting to know everything about him.
Jughead visits Rayberry and tells him that he doesn’t want to stop writing. Rayberry proposes he writes under a pseudonym, and no one will suspect a thing. To make it even more believable, he also thinks Jughead can tell Werthers he’s shifting his focus off horror comics to happy animal comics.
Jughead and Rayberry bring Featherhead and Werthers the signed contract but with some stipulations. They use the Super Duck cover, but once Werthers starts to disagree, Rayberry goes off, threatening to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Featherhead keeps the calm and gives in to the Super Duck comic.
Rayberry is glad that Jughead is going to go back to school and will continue to write comics. He also says he’s decided to re-read his novel. He thinks it’s time. However, as Rayberry reads through his novel, there’s a knock at the door. When he opens it, it’s The Milkman…
The seventh and final season of Riverdale airs on The CW on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Stay tuned for our continued coverage on the series, including episodic recaps and more!
