Riverdale Review: Chapter Forty-Seven: Bizarrodale (Season 3 Episode 12)
On Riverdale Season 3 Episode 12, “Chapter Forty-Seven: Bizarrodale,” the Gargoyle King reunites the Midnight Club, and the series begins to show some small signs of wear and tear in spite of myriad of plot twists and turns.
Riverdale Season 1 drew a lot of comparisons to Twin Peaks: a show built around the murder of a popular high school student in a Pacific Northwest hamlet full of small-town charm but riddled with big-city secrets. Had ABC not pushed David Lynch to deviate from his creative vision, the cult series may have had a shot at becoming much more than an auteur’s vision unrealized.
Riverdale could have faced the same fate, putting so much focus on Jason Blossom’s murder that viewers would not be satiated until the mystery was solved. Following the penultimate climax, fans would abandon the show when it inevitably failed to meet their expectations.
But the creative minds behind this sexy, scary teen soap have continued to avoid the pitfalls of making the show too quirky or the characters too one-dimensional. Just when you’ve had enough of “Team Bughead,” Riverdale Season 3 Episode 12 finally shows some long overdue love to Josie and Kevin. We also get not one, but two more psychotic parents thrown into the mix.
Josie has been underutilized this season, and this La Bonne Nuit chanteuse has been a bit lost without her fellow Pussycats. But the burgeoning romance between her and Archie is well-timed. The dark “I wanna make my bones” Archie hit rock bottom this season.
Archie should be the epicenter of light and wholesomeness (relatively speaking) in this very dark reimagining of the comic. All of his self-loathing and flagellation makes him unbearable. But he’s slowly returning to his awe-shucks self.
How can you really appreciate the unapologetic — and, yes, at times ridiculous and cheesy — destruction of unattainable moral absolutes if you don’t have a few characters who still embrace them?
Fusing yet another incarnation of the Gargoyle King with Moose finally coming out — a conversation we knew didn’t go as well as he thought it did — feels odd. All of a sudden, everyone with a gripe or grievance or agenda in Riverdale is donning a Gargoyle King costume. It’s time to wrap this storyline up once and for all.
Marcus, who is eerily reminiscent of Colonel Fitts in American Beauty, is another parent terrorizing his son for being gay. Riverdale writers are obviously supportive of the LGBTQ community, but inclusion will only truly occur when members of the industry stop patting themselves on the back about it.
Riverdale needs to stop punishing gay characters for their homosexuality. Kevin puts himself at risk while trolling the woods for companionship. Cheryl is shamed by Penelope, who embraces her own aberrant behavior, and is eventually sent to be converted by the nuns.
Marcus full-on loses his mind due to having to live in the closet his entire life and resorts to criminal behavior to scare Moose straight. Moose is forced to leave town after losing his virginity. Chic turns tricks in a hostel. Toni is disowned by her uncle — a member of a murdering, drug-dealing biker gang.
You can argue that at some point, the leading gay characters manage to empower and accept themselves. But are Veronica, Archie, Jughead, and Betty forced to atone for their heterosexuality in order to enjoy or celebrate it?
It’s unrealistic and naïve to diminish the lingering bigotry when it comes to sexuality, but Riverdale doesn’t need to continue to perpetuate it through extreme measures.
This misstep aside, and the multiple Gargoyle Kings becoming deja vu for the numerous Black Hoods, bringing back Gladys Jones as a female crime boss is fantastic. She makes FP look like a neutered dog.
Also enjoyable is the sweet, candy-coated Jellybean being the moniker of a pre-teen psychopath. It’s no longer a question of whether the inhabitants of Riverdale will get their souls back. It’s about who ever had one in the first place.
What did you think of this episode of Riverdale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Jennifer Lind-Westbrook
Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for six years, contributing to BuddyTV, Screen Rant, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.