Television 

Five Thoughts on Riverdale‘s “Men of Honor”

By | February 6th, 2020
Posted in Television | % Comments

Welcome back all you Riverdale fans! Katy Keene begins tonight — tomorrow as I’m writing this — having forgone the usual backdoor pilot stage that other CW shows have gotten in the past, The Flash anybody? We’re treated to a small taste of the character rather than the show and, while I do not have the time for one more CW show to watch (8 might just be my limit. . .and 75% of their slate,) I’ve got high hopes. Plus, it being set 5 years after Riverdale. . .began? Is currently? means that they can do some delicious teasing of events should they so choose.

I doubt they will but hey, you never know. Stranger things have happened in this universe.

As always, spoilers ahead.

1. Bare Knuckled Prepies

I absolutely love how Brett & Jug are dueling thanks to Stonewall’s secret society’s secret section of settlement. This is the kind of extra that I come to Riverdale for. Everyone just kinda takes this in stride, even as they roll their eyes at this interloper abusing a long forgotten bylaw of their murder society. Dupont’s crack at the archaic nature of settlement by duel is meant to come off as him being stuffy and disapproving of duels in general but it also signals his annoyance at having to oversee the battle as well as his disdain for the lack of its removal.

The writers clearly wanted to give the battle enough legs to make it through 42 minutes of TV, hence the three part match, but having the three choices be reflective of the people who suggested them was a nice touch.

Jug obviously wanted a bare-knuckle brawl because of his background as a serpent and because Brett clearly has never had to fight without some structural advantage or ever really had to get his hands dirty, and Jug wants to fucking lay him out. I could watch that clip for hours, by the way. Get dunked Brett.

Brett picks fencing because he knows Jug has never fenced before, thanks to its class associations, but also because points are quick, precision is key, and you get to keep your distance from your opponent.

Donna picks chess as a counter to the high levels of physical athleticism (coded as masculine pride) but also because it’s a long con game of strategy. With the plot reveals about her this week, it’s no surprise that chess is her game.

2. Frank & Ted’s Murdering Mercing

Welp, I had a feeling something was up with Frank but I never would have put it as him having been a private merc after the army and now his former army buddy and co-merc was out to kill him. That’s a patented Riverdale swerve if ever I saw one. I kinda of like the way it brought tension to the episode and gave Arch a better grasp on who his uncle is, warts and all. That line about knowing Frank would run, despite what he assured him, was heartbreaking to hear from Arch.

He trusts well, he trusts a lot, and knowing he stopped trusting Frank’s words is sad. But. . .that’s who Frank is. He ran, not because he was a coward or afraid or terrible, but because he thought it would be best. He means well, deep down, but has no idea how to help without fucking up in some way, so, in his head, the only thing he can do is get out of their hair and draw the fire elsewhere.

This certainly isn’t the last we’ll see of him, nor is it the last we’ve heard from this merc company, I’m sure of it.

3. Keene Eyed Viewers

Katy Keene seems like a good friend. The fashion montage was a ton of fun, even if it was scored with that stock CW Pop that plays over all their ads and is so, damn, boring. Her mom being sick, though, opened the door for Veronica to once again use her murderous, abusive, mob boss father’s name and invite him, and her mom, who finally has lines again, to her commencement at Barnard. It’s. . .a mixed bag of a plot.

On the one hand, fuck Hiram and all he stands for. On the other hand, this is still her father and, as shitty as he is, he’s shitty for his family, rather than against it. It’s a fine distinction, and not exactly a great one, but it allows the show to explore difficult dynamics and to make a statement of family and making amends when things are fraught but not irreparable. Hiram is not fully accepted, and it seems as if next week will explore the implications of him being ill on Veronica, however Veronica is willing to extend an olive branch in a time of difficulty. It’s a kindness, not an expectation, and that’s why I can accept it, begrudgingly as I do.

Continued below

Because, again, fuck Hiram Lodge and all he stands for.

4. Bribery Isn’t a Sin If It’s An Alm for God

I’m honestly surprised we haven’t seen Alice try to bribe Mr. Honey into dropping the suspension. This is Alice “fuck-doing-this-right-I’m-stealing-the-answers-because-I-don’t-trust-my-daughter-for-shit” Cooper. Her decision making is questionable at best, and has been ever since the end of season 2 and perhaps before. Why Betty stays close and the show goes out of its way to keep these two together without substantively having them work through their issues baffles me. They tried before the mid-season break, though Alice still got off too easy, but still.

Whatever. Cooper Mom and Daughter have what can only be described as Riverdale syndrome, wherein any half-baked idea suddenly sounds like the best thing in the world and they execute it without a second thought. I know I’ve said how tired I am of the back and forth of Veronica and Hiram but the way all of Betty’s plots play out are beyond overdone.

Everyone of her plans ends or begins with her confronting someone without proof, caught in the act of doing, or about to do, something illegal/unethical and then it gets turned on her, only this time her mom is there, being relatively ineffectual. Still, watching Betty be sarcastically annoyed while her mom gets angry that Mr. Honey doesn’t believe that she was the one who cheated only was fun.

5. A Tale of Two Assaults (TW: discussion of sexual assault)

I saved this point for last because, well, it’s super heavy but also because the two plot threads counterbalance each other in a really nice way, which is a little crass considering we’re talking about sexual & physical assault on high schoolers but. . .OK it’s crass but give me a bit and you’ll see why I put it that way.

First up, Cheryl & Nick St. Can-Fall-Down-A-Well. Way back in season two, there was this douchebag, Nick St. Clair. He tried to sexually assault Cheryl and was stopped and beaten to hell by Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats. He’s back — there was more between but it doesn’t matter — and Cheryl spots him at the maple club. She has a traumatic flashback and tells Toni later about the encounter. Madeline Petch gives her all and damn does it bring tears to me, even if the dialog is painfully generic from Toni.

We then get treated to Toni humiliating Nick and it’s always nice to see him get his comeuppance for the continuing trauma he’s caused Cheryl.

Next, we have a follow-up to the death of Mr. Chipping and the subsequent confession to the headmaster by Donna of an affair. We learn, through Betty’s ill-fated attempt to find the tape we know Brett has of Jug and her having sex, that Donna gave the exact speech, word for word, inflection for inflection, to the Quill and Skull’s inauguration committee. . .just with a different person at the helm. A person who seems to not exist. Now, it’s possible she gave a fake name, though why she would do that in what is supposed to be a “confession,” thus protecting the person, is a different question.

Assuming Betty’s conclusion that she’s made the whole thing up is true, we’ve established a pattern of lying and manipulation, which is an indication that an accusation is more likely to be false.

I juxtapose, and so does the episode, these two stories because it is a tough topic and by placing them next to each other, we are given a feel for what makes them different, of why Donna’s story is doubtful while Cheryl’s is accepted without question. Toni & Cheryl’s plot also places more weight on their stories being more common than Donna’s, and that, unlike what media might have us believe, Donna’s manipulative use of an assault story is rare and thus requires far more evidence to prove the suspicion. It is not perfect, and neither is this analysis, I know, but I appreciate the attempts.

That about does it for now! What did you all think of the episode? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you next week for a Veronica-centric episode and as we creep ever closer to the end of one Forsythe P. Jones III. Until then, according to the archaic rules of duel, we shall meet at dawn on the battlefield, 20 paces apart, flintlock pistol in hand, to settle all debts.

Best Line of the Night:

Kevin: “What the hell is happening? This school is insane.”


//TAGS | Riverdale

Elias Rosner

Elias is a lover of stories who, when he isn't writing reviews for Mulitversity, is hiding in the stacks of his library. Co-host of Make Mine Multiversity, a Marvel podcast, after winning the no-prize from the former hosts, co-editor of The Webcomics Weekly, and writer of the Worthy column, he can be found on Twitter (for mostly comics stuff) here and has finally updated his profile photo again.

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