Riverdale Round Table: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Justin Carreiro at .Betty and Alice hid a dead body with the help of an unlikely ally, Archie came clean to Hiram Lodge, and Mayor McCoy resigned from her position as mayor on Riverdale Season 2 Episode 13.
Below, TV Fanatics Jack Ori, Paul Dailly, and Justin Carreiro debate Cheryl's friendship with Betty, Penelope's love affair with Hal Cooper, and the revelation of Hermione's crime career.
1. Betty, Alice, and Jughead sought out FP's help to dispose of the dead body. Do you think someone will discover the crime/teeth?
Jack: Well, FP did say it would take a week for the body to fully decompose. So, I suppose it's possible; though, I think this was more about Alice having to re-establish her ties with the Serpents because of this mess.
Paul: Yeah, I don't see that body decomposing before someone steals a tooth or something to hold against them. Maybe Tall Boy is watching FP's every move.
Justin: This mystery won't stay dead (pun intended). Someone will hold the information over the Coopers and the Joneses eventually. For some reason, I've been thinking that it could be Chic who tries to use the information to hurt his family. He seems like the manipulative type.
2. Cheryl came to Betty's defense and told her about her father's affair. Will this be a new start to their friendship or will this kindness be short lived?
Jack: I'm not sure. With Cheryl, there is always an ulterior motive it seems.
Paul: I'm on the fence. Cheryl is never really consistent in the way she acts. She's impulsive, and I don't see her and Betty being able to get along full-time.
Justin: Cheryl and Betty are frenemies; they won't go any further toward being best friends, but they could eventually be enemies. For now, they're enjoying this current state of friendship before it all goes horribly wrong.
3. Penelope said her affair with Hal was actually love, not just sex. Do you believe her statement?
Jack: I don't but I think she believes it. Penelope is a broken woman and she probably is so lonely and desperate for companionship that she would easily mistake sex for love.
Paul: It definitely seemed like she believed it, right? I want to know when they started sleeping together to make a better judgment.
Justin: I agree with the others that SHE believes it in her mind. There's no way that Hal looks at Penelope more than just a casual hookup. Hal wants to be with his picture-perfect family and once Chic is out of the picture, he'll ditch Penelope and go back to Alice fully.
4. Veronica warned Mayor McCoy of her parents' plan to expose the affair. Why do you think she went against her parents?
Jack: A couple of reasons. I think Veronica disapproved of her parents' plan, and also wanted power over Mayor McCoy, who is always interfering with her friendship with Josie. Also, Kevin is her friend and it might embarrass him if his dad's affair was publicly outed.
Paul: I agree. Veronica also knew that this power play would make her a pariah in town. Remember when Betty was dragging her for being friends with everyone out of circumstance? This act from her parents would remind people of that.
Justin: Even though Veronica is on the team and helping her parents, she still wants to shed their image and do things by the books. What her parents were planning to do would've hurt a lot of people, including her friends. Veronica would've rather given Sierra the chance before having her parents destroy an innocent person.
5. Now that Sierra McCoy is no longer the mayor and is going back into law, could she try to take down Hiram and Hermione Lodge?
Jack: Oh I'm sure she will. This war isn't over just because Veronica forced her to resign.
Paul: I don't know. Sierra knows that the Lodges are as wicked as they come, so she may let it go.
Justin: Definitely! That extra little tidbit thrown in about her career will no doubt come into play later on. Sierra is going to use her position in law to take down the Lodges while also securing herself safety in the process. Even though they didn't strike, she can't trust people who were going to hurt her.
6. Hermione was revealed to be the boss who planned everything with Agent Adams. React!
Jack: Looking back, it should have been obvious, but I had no idea. I sure wanted Archie to shove that bug down Agent Adams' throat though. Hermione sure is ruthless; not sure what Archie has gotten himself into here.
Paul: I loved the twist. I was floored! More like this, please!
Justin: I was shocked! After I had chatted with Marisol Nichols, I had wondered what the twist was going to be which involved her character. I love this change because it gives Hermione a lot more story potential and a new level of her backstory. I can't wait for more.
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Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.