(Fwrd Axis) — Riverdale continued this week with Percival Pickens’ powers of persuasion reaching a new level as he opened up a full war, beginning his takeover of Riverdale in a major way.
This week saw Pickens set his sights on Toni and her family. One by one, he goes to every member of the town to try and get them to do his bidding. His main issue is the war between the Ghoulies and the Serpents, so he wants to the disband Serpents. Toni is on board with it.. kind of. She tells Fangs the Serpents should stop being a gang and more of a political activist group.
However, Fangs doesn’t go for it and stashes weapons in their home. The cops (led by Percival) show up and arrest Fangs and Toni, throwing them in jail and taking baby Anthony. Percival works to get Toni thrown off the town council and mind controls the rest of the town to name him to the council as her replacement.
All it took was a drive-by shooting at Pop’s to do that. Percival is named to the town council and he now can control much of Riverdale to his liking.
Meanwhile, the superpower team of Betty, Jughead, and Archie put their heads together to figure out how to stop Pickens. None of the town wants to help except Veronica, who has seen the manipulative and creepy ways of Percival firsthand.
Toni is visited by a social worker with a tip that baby Anthony is not safe with her. She goes to get her child but finds his crib empty. Long story short, the Ghoulies have him and want to go to war with Toni and the Serpents. However, Tabitha gets some intel from Kevin that it is a trap and a shootout with police is secretly planned. Toni and the Serpents surrender but Percival’s mind tricks don’t work when she pulls out her phone. Sooo that’s his kryptonite?
Anyway, Toni has reunited with baby Anthony. However, Kevin tells her he is going to file for primary custody as Pickens smiles in the background.
Elsewhere in the hour:
- Cheryl/Abigail spent the episode trying to kill Betty, Archie, and Jughead. Why? She wants to reincarnate Thomasina into Toni’s body. Where the hell is Sabrina when you need her? She attempted to kill Archie by throwing a Molotov cocktail at him but obviously, he survives. Jug, Archie, and Betty work with Britta and Nana Rose to perform a banishment on Abigail, which works as her spirit ends up in a creepy AF doll. Cheryl is back!
- Reggie and Veronica had some of their own drama revolving around Reggie’s father. He has a gambling problem but Reggie doesn’t want to address it. At the end of the episode we find out why: Reggie’s dad is dying and the doctor gave him 1-2 years left to live. So Reggie wants his dad to enjoy his life.
Riverdale airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.
