Riverdale Review: Chapter Ninety: The Night Gallery (Season 5 Episode 14)

Anyone who watches Riverdale knows it will always jump at the chance to deliver a camp-filled Gothic tale.

That’s no different for Riverdale Season 4 Episode 14, “Chapter Ninety: The Night Gallery,” an episode told through small character vignettes and the vessel of Cheryl Blossom’s mildly disturbing paintings.

The triumph of “The Night Gallery,” however, is in how differently Riverdale approaches the episode in contrast to how it once would in earlier seasons, choosing to tell grounded stories beneath the outlandish anecdotes.

Hallucinations, aliens, other more ludicrous plot points are all still present and accounted for, but “The Night Gallery” also adds layers, providing true character studies that fill emotional voids left from a seven-year off-screen time jump.  

It may be hiding beneath the surface, but the heart of the matter is there. For that, Riverdale is surprisingly successful in holding onto the grounded tone it’s been aiming for this season, despite the deviously wild flourishes delivered for shock value.

That all begins with Archie, and director Madchen Amick takes some impressive creative liberties in how she depicts his downward spiral into delusion, while still maintaining the serious nature of his PTSD and post war trauma.

Carbon monoxide poisoning may lead Archie and his gang to temporary lunacy, but Riverdale takes Archie’s therapy seriously. Dr. Winters is clearly no secret killer with an agenda, or an outlandish side character meant to induce an eerie sensation of distrust.

She is truly there to help Archie through his PTSD, and all that can be said about that, is it’s about time. 

KJ Apa also understands the grave importance of his character’s journey. Putting his best acting foot forward, he delivers his strongest performance since the dedication to Luke Perry in Riverdale’s Season 4 premiere.

For a show that was willfully ignorant towards the importance of proper mental health representation in media, Riverdale surely has come a long way.

The focus on allowing characters to work through their demons doesn’t end with Archie, but extends into Jughead’s story of addiction, as well. Taking careful care with his road to recovery, Riverdale provides Jughead a truly safe space to work through his darkness.

Here’s hoping the show will give Betty that same grace, when she’s ready for it. 

Jughead’s vignette takes a deeper dive into his past relationship with Betty, something fans have been itching to fill in blanks for since Riverdale Season 5 began. “The Night Gallery” explores how and why his resentment for her grew over the years, and why he still holds on so tightly to her now.

Cole Sprouse is more than up to the challenge of playing this messy version of Jughead, and his ability to deliver so many shades of the character — ranging from euphoric to hostile, to wasted or soberingly determined — is beyond impressive.

Jugheads story is hands down the most alluring of the season, due to its uncanny ability to explain away the weird, and give Jughead a compelling arc that meticulously depicts why all roads led him back to Riverdale. 

“The Night Gallery” makes it clear Jughead lives with two separate versions of Betty in his mind — an idealized version of a savior in the dark, and a villain who set out to ruin his life.

Those versions have propelled him through ups and downs, but neither of them are who Betty actually is. In very Dawson Leery like fashion, Jugheads creativity forces him to live life through the lens of storytelling versus reality, where humans are complex, messy, and not always exactly who you need them to be.

What Riverdale has managed to do with “Bugheads” story is a refreshing approach to what could have been a repetitive storyline. Instead, “Bughead” is not really about Betty at all — it’s about Jughead’s journey into darkness, and what he needs to heal after seven years of addiction.

That healing most likely begins with an apology tour, with Betty number one on the call sheet. But that apology isn’t about rekindling old flames. It’s about letting go and finding peace in closure, and that’s a poignant story to tell.

Even if Betty and Jughead ride off into the sunset together, what happened seven years ago will be a chapter both navigated and closed. Jughead has to reintroduce himself to Betty for who she really is, not who he’s painted her to be in his head.

That’s the only way forward for him, and the depth in which Riverdale dissects his motivations leaves a feeling of full satisfaction for the audience. 

Riverdale owes that same respect to Betty. The show is smart not to delve too deep into Betty’s trauma in “The Night Gallery” — there is too much and not nearly enough time to tell it — but it does need to be addressed. 

The Trash Bag Killer, her past with Jughead, her feelings about Archie — viewers need to get inside Betty’s head in order to feel satisfied with the conclusion of her storylines this season. 

With a few episodes left, there’s still time to deliver. 

Overall, “The Night Gallery” proves Riverdale can still be off the wall outrageous while rich with character complexity. Hopefully, it will continue in such a deliciously bizarre yet allusive direction.

Random Thoughts:

• Cheryl and Archie are always such a fun dynamic. His straight demeanor to her off-center personality creates an effortlessly fun rapport.
• Not Kevin trying to get Fangs to join another cult!
• Reggie winking at Nana Blossom is everything to me.
• Mädchen Amick manages an unbelievable performance despite working double duty as director.
• What do we think — is Polly alive?

 

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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