What happens – to both Archie and Riverdale – if that goodness is questioned or tarnished? Yes, the idea that a mafia don and a high school teen have this kind of vendetta against one another is eyeroll-inducing, but at the end of the day this has to be better than watching Archie pretend he’s Ray Liotta from Goodfellas. Hiram Lodge framing his former teen protégé for murder is the kind of ridiculous thing this show does best, and it reminds us that for all his flaws, the goodness of Archie Andrews is a big piece of what holds this town together. Moreover, the set-up for Season 3’s big mystery puts Archie squarely in the center of the story in a way that makes sense. Bringing these two back together feels like such a key piece of getting back to the magic of Season 1. The two spent most of this season at odds, thanks to Archie’s side hustle as a mob enforcer and Jughead’s gang lifestyle. When was the last time we saw them all at Pop’s together like this? (I didn’t realize how much I’d really missed this group dynamic until I got it back again.) The same goes for Archie and Jughead’s bromance. Watching Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead behave like they’re actually friends again is worth it. Yet, there’s so much to love about this episode, even if it requires handwaving the fact that Riverdale Season 2 forced us to sit through hours of tedium – and then subsequently asks us to forget half of it – to get there. (Oh and Hiram’s behind the second Black Hood, because of course he is.) Talk about a clean up on Aisle 5. (Like any of us thought he wouldn’t!) And Hiram Lodge is shunted off to the Southside Society of Supervillains, where he takes his rightful place alongside other Riverdale bad seeds like Penelope Blossom and that guy who runs the Ghoulies. Hal Cooper is unceremoniously carted off to prison and Betty declares her independence from him and her family history of darkness. The mayoral and student council campaigns get wrapped up quickly. It re-centers the show around its strongest elements – the friendship between the core four teens, the idea of Archie as a hero, Cheryl doing bizarrely awesome things. Play “Brave New World” quickly wraps up several stories that no one really cares about. It largely seems to be the attitude that this episode adopts. In all honesty, that may be the best solution for everyone. Or, maybe, they hope we’ll just forget all about them by the time Season 3 rolls around, and we can all start fresh together in the fall. Perhaps the Riverdale powers that be don’t see Season 2’s plot holes and messy characterizations as a problem. These are all problems that plagued large parts of Season 2, but “Brave New World” seems content to address them by simply plowing through to the end of the story as quickly as possible. However, the episode’s frenetic pace can’t completely cover up its flaws. #A BRAVE NEW WORLD SEASON 2 FULL#It’s non-stop insanity, and full of bananas surprises. In many ways, Riverdale’s finale, “Brave New World” is a great time. Basically, this season has pretty much been the definition of all over the place. #A BRAVE NEW WORLD SEASON 2 SERIAL#And rather than focus on the things that made Season 1 great, such as the series’ core friendships and families, Riverdale told stories about the mob, a local gang war, and a confusing serial murder. Characters disappeared completely for weeks at a time – or made decisions that were wildly divergent to anything we’d seen from them before. Relationships changed as the story demanded it. Stories began, only to suddenly vanish with no real resolution or explanation.
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