Riverdale Roundtable: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors (Season 2 Episode 16)

Cheryl’s story takes a dark, shocking turn on Riverdale Season 2 Episode 16, “Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors” — and not every viewer is happy with how her Season 2 storyline has played out so far.

On the flip side, there’s one thing most of us can agree on: it’s oh-so-satisfying to see Veronica and Archie each get a long-overdue comeuppance after their many Lodge family-related misdeeds.

Tell-Tale TV writers Lacy Baugher, Mary Misasi, and Alamin Yohannes discuss the episode below.

• Lacy Baugher (@LacyMB)
• Mary Misasi (@dorothynyc89)
• Alamin Yohannes (@AlaminYohannes)

1. Cheryl’s family drama has taken an incredibly dark turn. What do you think of this imprisonment and conversion therapy storyline?

Lacy: I’m honestly angry about this story. I think Cheryl deserves so much better than she’s gotten in Season 2, story-wise, and I can’t believe we’re honestly about to watch her face conversion therapy on top of everything?

It’s not enough that her mother is a terrible, absent parent (like almost everyone else in Riverdale), she literally has to be trying to gaslight, forcibly commit, and/or possibly otherwise harm her own child? (PS: How did we jump from the Blossom Brothel plot to…this? That escalated crazy quickly!)

Riverdale’s treatment of Cheryl is honestly one of my biggest complaints about Season 2. She’s lost so much agency since Season 1, and her arc is just all over the place. Remember when she literally stalked Josie for like three episodes and the show just… never mentioned it again?

I’m really not looking forward to watching Cheryl’s personal Hell at the CW version of AHS: Asylum next week, and I wish I thought this storyline was happening for any reason other than to torture her.

Mary: I am gonna have to agree with Lacy. Cheryl started off so strongly with her character arc in Season 1. So far, I’ve been sorely disappointed with how the writers are treating her character. I want one Blossom family storyline to conclude before adding more to it.

Cheryl deserves better than her awful, absent, clearly abusive mother. She deserves to break free from her family and be her own independent, fierce self. That’s the kind of Cheryl story I’d love to get behind. Conversion Therapy? It breaks my heart.

Alamin: I’m very conflicted about this, actually. I absolutely agree that Cheryl has deserved better throughout Season 2. The quick jump between beginning to come out and conversion therapy is drastic, harsh, and quite unnecessary. The part of me that wants better LGBTQ representation is livid.

But when I think about this show, I’m not surprised one bit. Cheryl’s mother is a monster, and as awful as this development is, it is right up her alley. Cheryl opening up about her past was new to the viewer, but we already know her mom ruined that relationship right away. This is who Penelope Blossom is.

I feel like this storyline is all about the other characters bringing Cheryl in closer. It’s about Toni’s potential relationship with her. It’s about Josie opening her eyes to what her friend is living through. It’s about giving characters like Veronica and Betty a reason to keep an eye on Cheryl. Most importantly it allows us to get to know her better.

Unfortunately, that does not help Cheryl in the short term. I certainly don’t agree with the direction the story has gone, but I get why they did it.

2. Josie turned on Veronica and fed Ethel Muggs a ton of dirt on her. Did you see Veronica’s downfall coming?

Lacy: I’m a little surprised that Veronica’s public comeuppance was delivered by Ethel and Josie, but I’m not shocked it happened, given the general anti-Lodge sentiment in Riverdale at the moment.

What I was intrigued by was Veronica’s subsequent scene with her mother, in which she begged to be allowed to have some kind of shield against the harshness of public opinion. Given how hard Veronica’s pushed all season to be part of her parents’ inner circle of dumb criminality, her sudden desire to run away from seems like the height of hypocrisy.

I wish we had a clearer idea of what, exactly, her motivations are here. Does Veronica just want their approval? Does she believe in whatever her parents’ plans are?

Mary: Yes and no. I did see someone eventually taking her down. However, I was a bit surprised that Josie ended up being that person.

Though once it was revealed, I couldn’t help thinking “good for her.” Josie has watched as her family was destroyed by Veronica’s parents. Then she watched Veronica take her music. Josie fights back in the best way.

Alamin: Not only did I see it coming, I have been waiting for this. I like Veronica, but she has been piling up a number of bad deeds. Manipulating Archie on several occasions (or trying to) and forcing the mayor to resign. Her position is that these things are better than what her parents would do.

That’s probably true, but it doesn’t make them good. Or alright, even. Plus Betty, Archie, and Jughead get mad at her, but don’t go as far as planning her downfall.

If anyone deserves to team up to take her down, it is surely Ethel and Josie. Veronica treated Josie pretty horribly this season, and after what Hiram did to Ethel’s family, Veronica helping him is a slap in the face.

3. Is Alice telling the truth about Chic? Who is Chic’s dad?

Lacy: Chic’s dad is totally FP. There is no other possible explanation. And while I’m interested in finding out more about Alice’s past and whatever went down between the two of them, I’m not looking forward to the inevitable awkwardness when Betty and Jughead realize they’re dating and share a blood relative.

But, then again, this is Riverdale, so maybe it’s not even that weird.

Mary: Honestly, I’ve suspected for some time that Chic’s father is FP. Then Alice’s reaction to Betty revealing she’s having sex with Jughead cemented the idea in my head.

She wouldn’t have had such a reaction if she didn’t have a deeper past connection with FP than just “knowing him.” It’ll make for an interesting plot-twist for Bughead. I’m intrigued to see how weirded out by it they’ll be.

Alamin: I agree with Lacy and Mary, it’s probably FP. They have been teasing some deeper relationship between the two for some time. There’s always been something more to all of this, and having Chic being FP’s son fits the bill.

It at least makes Chic’s presence more than an Alice story, which it’s mostly been since he showed up. This brings him out of the Cooper family and connects him to Jughead.

4. Betty and Jughead are running for student council together and cohabitating, thanks to creepy AF Chic. React to these major Bughead developments.

Lacy: I like the idea of Betty and Jughead and Archie and Veronica being at odds for a while. I just wish it were over something more interesting than student council elections, and Jughead’s weirdo activism on behalf of a school he attended for less than a week. So much about Jughead’s behavior regarding the South Side is so, so tiresome to me.

Mary: Personally, I prefer Jughead fighting back in this way. Sure, it was nice to see his enthusiasm with his protest. However, he should stick to something safer and less likely to get him arrested. He doesn’t need to go down the road of his father.

I know many people don’t understand his loyalty to Southside, but I do. He grew up there, even if he went to Riverdale with Archie. Southside is his home. I like seeing him fight for it, but I think he can do so in more constructive ways.

I don’t like Betty running with him or living with him. I just think it’s too much togetherness. They can’t do everything together. Their relationship has grown on me, but I still feel they are way too reliant on each other and that it will become unhealthy very fast.

Alamin: I like the student council election story because it’s about teenagers actually acting like teenagers and not chasing serial killers or taking on crime bosses. It’ll also be a pretty fun parallel to the mayoral race, which I like.

I’m not a fan of the two of them living together, but we can’t get everything I suppose.

5. What was your favorite moment, quote, or scene?

Lacy: Mary Andrews telling Archie about himself was i n c r e d i b l e. The whole “Archie Swears Eternal Allegiance to His Girlfriend’s Shady Dad” plot has been getting increasingly irritating for weeks, and it’s such a relief to finally have someone onscreen call out the stupidity of his choices.

Molly Ringwald can stay for the rest of the season, as far as I’m concerned!

Mary: I’m gonna second Lacy on this one. Mary Andrews owned this episode. She saw her son’s actions and went all mama bear on him. It was the badassness I’ve come to love and expect from her. I’m glad that, of all the people to set him straight, it was her.

Alamin: Yup, I’m also in the same boat as Lacy and Mary. Mary Andrews is everything, because I stan a legend. Archie is a hot mess, and thankfully she showed up just in time to tell him about himself. He’s been stupid, and she had every right to drag him. DRAG HIM, MARY! Drag him again next week too, if you’d like.

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What did you think of this episode of Riverdale? Respond to our roundtable questions with your own answers in the comments below! You can also catch up with our review of Riverdale Season 2 Episode 16, “Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors” right here.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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