Riverdale S3, Episode 8 review - Outbreak

Spoilers below!

Et tu Veronica (Camila Mendes)?

This means each of our four leads have been sent away in the span of the last few episodes.

Not exactly four inseparable friends toughing out high school together is it?

On the plus side, this week's episode of Riverdale did give us more insight into the G&G mystery. It turns out this game started at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy as a way to get students to stay in line.

Ugh. They're supposed to be nuns. Exodus 20:3-6, Deuteronomy 27:19 and Revelation 22:15 are just a few scripture passages that would explicitly forbid practicing G&G and worshiping the Gargoyle King.

Thankfully, Betty (Lili Reinhart) leads her fellow inmates out of the house of bondage after successfully showing Ethel that the Gargoyle King is merely a drug-fueled illusion. Betty calls Veronica to let her know about her father's connection to Fizzle Rocks, which leads Veronica to enlist Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) in her investigation.

I think this show has a tone problem. In the space of one episode we saw a bunch of convent girls playing a role-playing game and then went north to Ohio where Jughead's (Cole Sprouse) mother mutilated Penny Peabody.

Were Jughead's mom and his sister JB everything you hoped for? Let me know in the comments.

These two characters would have worked perfectly in season one. But this season? It's way too busy. We've got a confusing plot about crack-cocaine candy, idol worship, seizures, a cult, and a role-playing game that may or may not be controlled by a non-corporeal entity.

WHAA?! Game of Thrones is less confusing than this, and Game of Thrones DVDs each come with a one hour video providing background info for every season.

Season 3 was Riverdale's last chance to make things right. The final nail in the coffin was when Hiram (Mark Consuelos) ordered his men to shut down Riverdale High, and then agreed to send Veronica off to New York City. The episode ends with Hiram raising a glass to the Gargoyle King, essentially saying "no more high school, it's all about the Gargoyle King now."

Then again, I could just be a grandpa. Maybe this is what young people like. The ratings, both on cable and Netflix, seem to be going strong. Hey, if this is what the young people are all about, then more power to them.

Maybe I'm too nostalgic. The teen dramas I grew up with were more episodic. Every episode felt like its own movie, and so you'd walk away from your television set with a sense of calm, like something had been resolved.

Is Riverdale a passing phase that young viewers will look back on and say "How did I ever like this?" -- or is it truly a great show that us older viewers can't appreciate? Let me know in the comments. ~Yanis Khamsi