The Devil went down to Rivervale, he was lookin’ for a soul to steal. He was in a bind cause he was way behind and he was willin’ to make a deal. When he came across this young woman scoopin’ for a malt and shakin’ it up. And the devil jumped up on a counter stool and said, “girl, let me tell you what.
“I guess you didn’t know it but I’m a milkshake maker too and if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you. Now you make a pretty good shake, girl, but give the devil his due, I’ll bet a mixer of gold against the town’s soul ‘cause I think I’m better than you”
The woman said, “My name’s Tabbie and it might be a sin, but I’ll take your bet, you’re gonna regret ’cause I’m the best there’s ever been.”
Tabbie, scoopin’ up your cups and rev your mixer hard. ‘Cause Hell’s broke loose in Riv’vale, and the devil deals the cards. And if you win, you get this shiny mixer made of gold. But if you lose, the devil gets ‘Vale’s soul.
Welcome back all you Riverdale fans! As always, spoilers ahead.
1. Running With Lou Cypher
If “Ghost Stories” felt like a traditional Riverdale but with ghosts in an pejorative way, then “Mr. Cypher” feels like a traditional Riverdale episode but with THE ACTUAL, LITERAL DEVIL in the best way possible.
Structurally, the two episodes are nearly identical. There are four major threads instead of three – Veronica, Betty, Jughead, and Tabitha – with a quick aside for Kevin, and they intersect and split off throughout the episode, all revolving around the central supernatural element, in this case, The Devil. One thread takes primacy and ends with a big confrontation with the major supernatural entity – La Llorona last time, Mr. Cypher this time – while the others are there as illustrations of the central themes of the episode.
However, unlike “Ghost Stories,” the tales in “Mr. Cypher” aren’t trying to subvert expectations in the same way nor do they feel unduly chopped up by modern network TV’s propensity for frenetic jumping from one plot to another. I’m still a big fan of the vignette approach but with “Mr. Cypher,” that approach would have weakened some of the stories we were treated to. I loved this episode for it’s willingness to go all in, ham it up, and take its own absurdity absolutely seriously. Earnesty works fine in Riverdale but sometimes you just have to embrace the weird and run with it.
2. Subtlety Is for Cowards
One of the best parts of “Mr. Cypher” has to be Oliver Rice as the titular Mr. Cypher. He perfectly captures the suave, subtly menacing and coldly calculating devil archetype without going too far. I know I just praised the over-the-top-ness of Riverdale but in this case, having a devil that’s calm and collected contrasts beautifully with the chaos of everything and everyone else. His presence is an anchor in the storm that is this episode, even if his whole deal is anything but subtle.
In stories like these, The Devil figure is usually a bit more low-key about his presence but not in Riverdale, no no no. Mr. Cypher is everywhere and when he wants to make a point, he will go the extra mile to be very dramatic. Did you see that casino scene where he made the fire FWOOSH in the background? Classic.
Actually, my favorite part of his whole deal were the two or three times the screen cut away from Rice’s regular face to the “devil” face. That shit was startling and legitimately scary. It didn’t feel like a cheap jump scare either. Whoever did the make-up to go full Pierrot Le Fou, kudos. Whoever made the decision to have just his face shine in a dark void for a very brief few seconds, double kudos. You sold me on him.
3. The Devil Made Me Do It
The big theme of this week’s episode is the price of success. Obviously, in an episode with The Devil, the price is one’s soul but that’s only the surface level transaction. What one loses on the path to success is just as relevant and in the case of “Mr. Cypher” the true crux of each of the plots. For Jughead, his deal sees him lose the ability to write, which at first he thinks he can live with, but finds out that it is so central to his identity, he will literally do anything to get that ability back, notoriety be damned.
Continued belowFor Veronica & Reggie, the success of their casino comes at the cost of their patrons, a rather on-the-nose message but what’re you gonna do. Success also comes at the cost of love, trust, and, metaphorically, one’s soul, as Veronica finds out when her deal also includes sacrificing Reggie as turn-about for sacrificing her.
Kevin gets everything he wished for but at the end seems…a bit unhappy, as if his dreams don’t live up to reality the longer he lives in them. Tabitha is the only one to escape the cycle, as was also true in last week’s episode. She was not willing to sacrifice the soul of the town for her grandfather, because that was his wish, and because being kind and just is more important than monetary success. It also helps that she had some heavenly assistance from Eddie the Bartender (Hamza Fouad) from Legends to feed Mr. Cypher a milkshake with today’s secret ingredient; Virgin Mary tears.
As for Betty, success is a bit trickier. It simultaneously means catching and getting TBK and having him affirm, or denounce, her struggles with her “inner evil;” a fraught idea I’ve fought against at every turn here but whatever, it’s what we’re dealing with. She gets an answer and it causes her to kill Glenn whom Mr. Cypher dressed as TBK. Success is getting away with his murder…and knowing that she is like her father now.
Damned for all eternity.
4. The Devil’s in the Details
Let it not be said that even in an episode I love, there are no aspects that are utterly head tilting. From Alice being her exact worst self, screaming about Houses of Sin, to Pop’s being the literal, actual soul of Rivervale, to Veronica dancing in a silver sequin dress next to a bunch of dancers dressed as beasts in a casino named Babylonia during an episode where the story of Babylon the Great aka “The Whore of Babylon” is name-checked, this episode is a LOT. While much of it works for the tone and to keep the exact conclusions of each plot up in the air, I was laughing at the rest.
I lump the choice to put Polly in hell here as well but it’s hard to tell if that’s true or not. It hadn’t been established if this Devil can lie or if he only tells half-truths, lies of omissions, and the like. I could see her in hell for all the pretty heinous things she did to the family but then again, it could’ve been implying that her years working on the lonely highway put her there. Which…don’t love that implication. It’s ultimately irrelevant though because “Mr. Cypher” is living in a very different reality from even the usual warped reality of Riverdale. It gets a pass for that reason, and because the rest was so fun and bonkers in a cohesive way.
Seriously, though. What was with Alice on TV?
5. Tears Are Mightier Than the Pen
Who else is wondering where these episodes are going? With each week, I’m only getting more and more curious. These aren’t disconnected episodes, as Toni and Archie are no longer in the show and, after this week, I suspect Reggie won’t be either, but they’re not exactly following up one to the next. The larger narrative, if there is one, might be starting to come into focus this week with the introductions of Rafael and Mr. Cypher but it’s hard to tell if the framing of a war between Heaven and Hell is just for this week or for the whole event.
We know that Sabrina Spellman is going to be making an appearance and likely playing a major part, so maybe it’s tied to something that happened in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a show I really should have watched by now but haven’t. I seriously don’t know what we’re building to anymore and I’m kinda OK with that. Whether it’s something witch & blossom related, or a battle for the soul of Riverdale between Heaven and Hell, or something else, I’m sure it’ll be wild and, hopefully, wildly fun.
That about does it for now! What did you all think of this devil-centric episode? Did you have as much sinful fun as I did? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you in a week for the penultimate episode of this event, featuring three Blossom stories predicated, presumably, on that stupid season finale twist. Break out the cauldrons and grimoires because something witchy this way comes. Until then, just sign on the dotted line Rivervale.
Continued belowBest Lines of the Night:
1. Tabitha to Pop Tate: “You have the biggest heart I know.”
Pop Tate proceeds to have a massive coronary.
2. Veronica: “Answer the door. Be a man about it or he’ll drag you out, kicking and screaming. Like a little bitch.”
