Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis:  Seven years after leaving Riverdale, Archie ( K.J. Apa ), Veronica ( Camila Mendes ), Betty ( Lily Reinhart ) and Jughead ( Cole Sprouse ) return to celebrate Pop Tates ( Alvin Sanders ) retirement. Only Riverdale is no longer the same as it was when they left it and, instead, is a community that has become lawless as it is strangled to death by Hiram Lodge ( Mark Consuelos ). My thoughts from this episode (which I finally had a chance to watch this weekend): 1. This isn't the first time I have watched a show like this have its characters fast forward in time. Pretty Little Liars did it during one of their final seasons (only they just fast forwarded five years). The show didn't last much longer than that and I'm not convinced this series won't suffer the same fate. That's one of the drawbacks of casting non-teenagers to play teenagers. 2. Of the four friends, Archie's decision to leave Riverdale honestly never made a whole lot of sense to me. Sure, ...

OK, to tell you the truth, I'm still a little undecided about this whole Griffins and Gargoyles thing going on in this season of Riverdale . However, I am admittedly somewhat intrigued about who the Gargoyle King is. And, I have my own theory. I think it's Pop Tate ( Alvin Sanders ). This theory is based on a couple of things: First, we know G &G has been going on in Riverdale since at least the 1990s, when Riverdale's parents were the ones still in high school. Second, if Jughead's ( Cole Sprouse ) theory about the Gargoyle King controlling everything that happens in Riverdale is correct, then that person needs to have some long-term connection to the city. Assuming, of course, the current Gargoyle King isn't a copycat or some character that hasn't been introduced yet, the fact the game has been around since at least the 90s means the king must be older than the first set of high school students to play it. After all, someone had to create the ga...

Synopsis : When Jughead (Cole Sprouse) learns the truth about Riverdale's upcoming Pickens' Day celebration, he brings the town closer to civil war with the south side. Meanwhile, Archie (K.J. Apa) joins the wrestling team in an effort to get closer to Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) and learn more about his business dealings. You can read my thoughts here:  https://wizzley.com/final-thoughts-on-the-riverdale-episode-the-wrestler/

Synopsis: Still on the mend from their break ups with Veronica ( Camila Mendes ) and Jughead ( Cole Sprouse ), Archie ( K. J. Apa ) and Betty ( Lili Reinhart ) spend their Christmas break tracking down the Black Hood. Meanwhile, Jughead decides to push back against the "snake handler." The episode first aired December 13, 2017. My Thoughts: 1. Does anyone really believe they finally found/killed the Black Hood? I personally think Mr. Svenson ( Cameron McDonald ) was being set up by someone else and, while he did point a gun at Betty and Archie, I suspect he was doing so under duress. 2. I'm also a little suspicious of Sheriff Keller ( Martin Cummins ) considering he did shoot and kill an unarmed man. Granted, he may have thought there was a weapon involved and, he was trying to stop a serial killer from escaping. But, there's something that is a bit fishy about it and I can't help but wonder if he killed Svenson as a way of covering something else up. ...

After watching the last episode, which aired this past Wednesday, I now see why some people were pretty upset with it. Sometimes I wonder if shows like this do things simply to attract ratings. This includes Betty's (Lili Reinhart) infamous strip tease scene on Wednesday. My personal opinion? There was no reason for it. It added nothing to the actual plot of the series and it was just awkward in my opinion, largely because she's supposed to be a minor. In this day and age, there is simply no way to make that sound like a good decision. Of course, I also found it a bit hilarious too. As I told my wife, I think Jughead (Cole Sprouse) should be upset. And, not because his girlfriend did a strip tease in front of a bunch of men. If I were him, I'd be pretty angry about having to get the sh** kicked out of me as part of my gang initiation when all she had to do to be considered a Serpent is do a pole dance in her underwear. It hardly seems fair.

Synopsis: Archie ( K.J. Apa ) takes up a nightly vigil at his house in an effort to protect his dad ( Luke Perry ) from the still-at-large gunman. He begins to suspect the shooting wasn't random when he learns Geraldine Grundy ( Sarah Habel ) has been murdered, despite the fact there is no evidence to link the two crimes. When Pop's Diner loses business because of the shooting, Betty ( Lili Reinhart ) goes on a mission to keep its doors open. My Thoughts: 1. Am I the only one who thought Fred Andrews was able to come home from the hospital awfully soon? The man was shot, nearly died and was in a coma. Shouldn't he be monitored a little bit longer? Is his health insurance that bad? 2. I get that Archie's friends are concerned about him. But, I also find it a bit ironic that, with all the advice they are giving him, none of them have stepped up and offered to help him guard his dad. You want him to get some sleep? Grab a baseball bat and stand watch for him for ...