Riverdale Recap: A New Romance Heats Up in the Last Musical Episode Ever
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It’s time to sing and dance again as Riverdale rolls out its last ever musical episode, the first to feature all-new original songs… but we really just want to hear more about this steamy new pairing.
Wednesday’s episode kicks off with Archie hopping out of bed and singing about heading to his first day of senior year, and he’s soon joined by Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Cheryl, Toni and Reggie. It all culminates in a big group dance on the school’s front steps, which is super corny — but also kinda cute. We discover this is a song from the new musical Kevin and Clay are writing together to present to Principal Featherhead. The students don’t love it, though: Archie points out that they’re actually just juniors, Julian wants a bigger role (he’s just Archie’s understudy) and Toni doesn’t want to just be a chorus girl. Jughead quits on the spot (“There’s no lower art form than American musical comedy”), and Reggie joins him in walking out the door.
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Kevin pulls aside Archie and Julian to rehearse an “I Want” number about Archie “making up his all-American mind.” The two singers get competitive, though, and Archie admits he doesn’t like the song. Kevin and Clay ask him what he really wants in life, peppering him with questions… but he doesn’t know what he wants. Kevin and Clay promise him they’ll come up with something, and they sing a ballad to each other about being in love, ending with a passionate kiss outside the school. The next day, they give the girls a song to sing about the Valentine’s Day dance and which boys they want to ask them, with Betty and Veronica competing for Archie’s affection and then every other girl joining in. But the girls push back on that one, too. Cheryl and Toni urge Kevin and Clay to write something honest, while Veronica offers to have her pal Cole Porter write them a song. Easy enough!
Archie sings a new “I Want” song about being torn between Betty and Veronica — the classic love triangle! — and also torn between athletics and art. He tells Kevin and Clay it’s not that simple, though, and feeling overwhelmed, he steps away from the musical to figure things out. Meanwhile, Veronica tells Betty about her kiss last week with Archie. But when Betty asks her if she likes him, Ronnie says: “I do… but I like you more.” The girls agree to forget Archie and focus on their friendship… and hold hands. Hmmm. Plus, Kevin is hit with some real-world drama when his dad moves out for a while to give his mom some space. Like he doesn’t have enough to worry about.
He gives Cheryl and Toni what they wanted, though: a new song about forbidden love and their secret yearning for each other, with Kevin and Clay singing along, too. They love it, but Kevin breaks the bad news that it won’t be in the musical. Riverdale just isn’t ready for it, so Cheryl and Toni drop out of the musical, too. Poor Archie can’t even decide between soup or salad at the diner, and he confesses his dilemma choosing between basketball and poetry to Jughead. He’s going through an existential crisis, Jughead tells him, pushing him to be decisive. So Archie sings a song about growing up and choosing a path before telling Uncle Frank he’s quitting the basketball team to spend more time writing. Frank taunts him for being a beatnik and a quitter, but Archie holds firm, saying he doesn’t want to regret not following his heart.
Veronica brings Kevin the song Cole Porter wrote, and she and Betty sing it together: a ballad about the doubts they keep locked up inside while presenting a perfect image on the outside. In the fantasy sequence, they ditch their separate campaigns and run for class president on a joint ticket, and they hold hands and sing intimately to each other — and then they kiss! The whole thing leaves them both hot and bothered, and then Archie tells them he’s taking time to work on himself, so he won’t be pursuing either of them anymore… which gives their lips plenty of free time. Kevin is shocked, though, when his parents tell him they’re getting a divorce, and then things get even worse when Principal Featherhead tells him original musicals are a tough sell and they’re doing Oklahoma! instead.
Kevin takes out his frustrations on his classmates, blaming Featherhead’s decision on all the changes they insisted he make. Clay explains to his friends that his parents are splitting up, and Kevin’s mom comforts him, reassuring him that the divorce isn’t his fault and she’ll always love him unconditionally. (She seems to know more about her son than we thought.) Archie thanks Kevin, too, for helping him choose a life path. Kevin sings a sentimental piano ballad about growing up, and his friends all join in to support him, ending with a big group hug as Kevin breaks down in tears. And did we spot Betty and Veronica holding hands again?
Alright, Riverdale fans: How do we feel about #Beronica becoming a thing? Grab a booth in the comments and share your thoughts.
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