• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Jean Li Spencer ArtsOctober 20, 2018

“Riverdale” Fall Premiere: Ghoulies and Serpents and Bulldogs, oh my!

Archie (K.J. Apa) is on trial in the new season of "Riverdale" Photo Courtesy of The CW

What are we looking for when we watch the fall premiere of a highly anticipated show? Is it drama? Revenge and sex? Murder? Or just good hair? When it comes to The CW, viewers can expect all that and much more. Teen drama “Riverdale” returned for a third season on Oct. 10, and if you’re anything like me, you spent the night taking it all in while wearing a cozy pair of Wellesley College sweatpants.

But let’s pretend that you didn’t see it. For those of you who had another weeknight agenda, let me refresh your memory. The sophomore season of “Riverdale” left us positively shook with the news that Betty’s dad (Lochlyn Munro) is the Black Hood and drew gasps when Jughead (Cole Sprouse) almost died. Meanwhile, Archie was inaugurated for student council, and Kevin (Casey Cott) and Moose (Cody Kearsley) finally shared a steamy smooch in the bathroom.

Fast forward to a highly anticipated season three. Episode one, named “Labor Day,” features Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) throwing an epic pool party at the Blossom mansion in the midst of a ludicrous murder charge against Archie (KJ Apa), who’s standing trial for a crime he did not commit. In the same way that previous episodes of Riverdale left watchers with more questions than answers, “Labor Day” pointedly leaves us wondering what happens next. Many moments are bizarre, if not downright nonsensical, especially at the Cooper household. And the adults of Riverdale are fully active in the gang’s lives now, bringing with them complicated feuds and a graveyard full of skeletons in their closets.

Episode one promises new storylines and scandals to follow for the rest of the season: Tensions and territory wars between rival groups, the Serpents, the Bulldogs and the Ghoulies, heats up, tearing the town — and friendships — apart. Meanwhile, Veronica (Camila Mendes) challenges her father’s authority while Betty (Lili Reinhart) is faced with the possibility of being sent to “The Farm” for her Adderall addiction. In typical Jughead fashion, the resident teen sleuth follows Dilton Doiley (Major Curda) into the woods with nothing but a compass and a hand-drawn map, where he stumbles upon a creepy sacrificial scene. And of course, lovable but troublemaking Archie ignores the good advice of his friends and family and finds himself ensnared in yet another messy situation.

While Riverdale was introduced to audiences as a prim and old-fashioned suburban town, this season is pulling back the curtain to reveal a chilling place that’s fit for Halloween year-round. “The Farm” is probably a front for a women’s cult. Speaking of cults, Dilton seems to have been initiated into a sinister underground society, although this one appears to be based out of Fox Forest rather than a posh rehab center.

The past two seasons of “Riverdale” may have been centered around that homegrown, All-American boy known as Archie Andrews, but this time around the most focal characters will be the ones that scheme in the shadows. Good-vs-evil comes back for a third time this season in the form of adults versus children. The big question is whether Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) and his band of Ghoulies will win the power war for Riverdale against Archie and the gang. Ghoulies, Serpents and Bulldogs abound in these dark woods. School’s officially back in session, kids.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous article“First Man” takes you out of this world — but can’t quite justify why we went there
Next articleSNL reenacts the Kavanaugh hearing to demonstrate how little we’ve progressed

You may also like

Be/longing Centers Connection and Care

Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See

Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top