Riverdale Season 2 Episode 17 Review: Chapter Thirty: The Noose Tightens
Justin Carreiro
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Riverdale High was missing its queen bee on Riverdale Season 2 Episode 17.
Cheryl Blossom disappeared! She was nowhere to be found, and whenever that happens, it's usually not good news.
Her friends went on the hunt to find her whereabouts. Unfortunately, her disappearance brought up a lot of secrets to the surface regarding "Cheryl Bombshell." There's a new side to her that many are just getting to know.
Cheryl's days of suffering under Penelope's thumb are finally over! We can celebrate her freedom and happiness. She deserved it for all the hell she's gone through.
After being kidnapped on Riverdale 2 Episode 16, things were looking grim for our favorite redheaded queen bee.
Penelope was forcing a change on her that she didn't want, and that decision officially made her an unredeemable villain. Nothing she could do from this point on will redeem the character or make her a good person. Penelope Blossom is a monster.
The shame she had for Cheryl will come back to haunt her. Cheryl is the on the warpath. The future scene of her exacting her revenge on Penelope and Claudius will be so juicy and worthwhile. (Make sure to set your weekly reminders!)
Toni did the right thing by questioning everything about Cheryl's story. Cheryl, who nearly kissed her in bed, wouldn't have moved away in the middle of the night without saying anything to her friends. Her departure had the clear signs of shenanigans and shadiness.
When Toni, Veronica, and Josie visited Thistle House, Penelope being upfront about Cheryl's obsession/"condition" was a bit surprising.
Penelope's nature previously was to thinly veil every matter with a slight retort or completely ignore facts. Here, she owned up to Cheryl's behavior and felt justified in her actions for sending her daughter to a boarding school. And the way she described it, she made it out to be worse than it was.
It's not surprising that Josie took off after hearing the revelation. She was scared when she received the threats on Riverdale Season 2 Episode 7, and finding out it was Cheryl justified Penelope's reasoning.
Josie shouldn't be blamed for protecting herself.
Toni: Hello?
Nana Rose: She’s not far away.
Toni: Who is this?
Nana Rose: Cheryl, she’s nearby.
Toni: Nana Rose? Nana Rose, where is she?!
Nana Rose: With the Sisters.
[Line disconnects]
Toni: Hello? Nana Rose?!
One of the true stars was Nana Rose.
Kudos and applause for Cheryl's grandmother after she crawled and dragged herself to a phone to give Toni the lead she needed. Nana Rose saved Cheryl's life; that act of goodness should never be forgotten!
Hopefully, she will be fine after being discovered by her son. Claudius did not look happy when he found her with the phone. Her life could be in danger at Thistle House.
Veronica, Toni, and Kevin saving Cheryl was the highlight. They risked danger, and the possibility of being captured themselves, to save their friend in the depths of that hospital.
Their rescue was the perfect timing as Cheryl looked ready to give up all hope after one day. Plus, that nun enjoyed her job a little too much! She loved making Cheryl move the bags of flour in the basement back and forth. (Karma is going to get her.)
Visually, the scene of Toni rushing into the movie room and reuniting with Cheryl was beautifully executed.
The music captured the moment, the dialogue was heartfelt, and both of the girls being surrounded by the movie's projection light placed the perfect symbolic spotlight on their relationship. Vanessa Morgan and Madeline Petsch (who play Toni and Cheryl, respectively) had great chemistry together, and this scene highlighted their inner spark.
This reunion should go down as one of Riverdale's best moments.
Though, why did Toni shout Cheryl's name in the hallway while she looked for her? If any of the guards were around, they could've caught her. Toni was majorly reckless here.
Cheryl: Kevin! I hear I’m back just in time for Carrie: The Musical, which you’re directing.
Kevin: You are. I’m having auditions this afternoon.
Cheryl: Cool. As far as the lead role is concerned, cancel them. I’m obviously Riverdale High’s Carrie White.
[She turns away to leave]
Cheryl: School’s gonna burn.
What revenge does Cheryl have in mind for Riverdale?
She went back to school and returned to her queen bee ways. However, there's a fury hiding behind her eyes; she's ready to destroy and take over.
Cheryl is the perfect person to play the role of Carrie in Kevin's musical. We should all be scared of whatever evil she has up her sleeve.
The dead body has become Alice's never-ending nightmare.
She thought all the trouble had stopped once FP removed the last loose ends after he was brought into the fold. However, Riverdale is a dark drama; secrets always find a way to come roaring back. In this case, it was pulled from the darkest depths.
From the looks of their expressions, you could hear the earth-shattering when Chic and Alice saw the footage of the car being found. Their worlds were coming to an end. The same goes for Betty, Jughead, and FP too.
The group thought they had gotten away with the crime if it had not been for those meddling police officers. In a moment like this, the group had to stay calm and collected, so FP and Alice had the right idea to keep things as normal.
However, we all couldn't predict the Chic factor. For a chaotic character, he continued to find a way to make it even worse as the night went on.
Alice: Betty, you’ve been telling me something that I didn’t want to hear. And I’m sorry. But Chic, you’ve put us in danger twice now, so I think that you should do what you said and leave this house.
Chic: I will. I’ll find a place.
Alice: Do it quickly because you’re not going to spend another night here.
Did Chic not have common sense? Did he not think about the repercussions of his decision?
The group warned him to keep his actions cool and collected. He didn't need to contact Darla and bring the mess straight to the family; all he had to do was lay low. By revealing themselves to her (and the hostel manager), he implicated his family and nearly got them killed.
His strange and somewhat out-of-character decision brought up a good theory: Did Chic secretly plan this surprise to blackmail his family?
Related: Riverdale Round Table: Who is Chic's Father?
Hear me out; he went out against everyone's judgment to talk with a woman who had the means to get them arrested. She blackmailed Alice into giving up $10,000. And, a man we know who was a part of Chic's past just so happened to know Darla too? These series of events together seemed too fishy.
Alice made the right call to kick Chic out of the house. He kept putting the family's life at risk, and if the Serpents had arrived when they did, the pair would've continued blackmailing them. Betty can sleep easy knowing her brother is far away; though, she still won't get that tattoo.
Riverdale Season 2 Episode 17 can't be the last we see of Chic. He may have moved out of the house, but there's still plenty of story to tell. Like, for instance, the identity of his father.
Speaking of never-ending nightmares, the drama with the Southside prison never ceases to quit. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, especially a few of Hiram's criminal acquittances.
To protect the life of his family, Hiram should've agreed to some type of offer. Debating over the deal and the retaliation could've potentially hurt more people than expected. Sure, Andre got beat up in the process, but that was only the tip of the iceberg of what could've happened.
And, now that "The Black Circle" blew up some cars and sent a message to the criminals, there's no way they were going to back down without a fight. The pair will no doubt make a move against Hiram. They could use anyone at this point to attack, especially if they were able to turn Adams to their side.
(Excuse me while I eyeroll over The Black Circle. The last thing we need is another group of masked, potentially shirtless men for Archie to lead.)
Mary: I don’t suppose you can tell me: What was so important that you couldn’t be there for your dad?
Archie: Believe me, I had every intention of going.
Mary: You used to worship your father. You used to play music. You, Jughead, Betty...you were inseparable. But I’m looking at you now, and I don’t know who you’ve become.
[His phones rings]
Mary: Who are you, Archie?
The character of Archie seriously needs a development overhaul.
Look, his decisions have been dissected, reviewed, and criticized to death (and we've been less than enthusiastic). But, everything he did continued his downward spiral.
He was so brainwashed by Hiram Lodge, and the Lodge criminal mentality, that the jokes stopped being funny. Archie needs to be fixed.
Continuing to support the prison at the school debate was one thing, but his decision to turn against his own family to support Hiram was the last stray. Archie LOVES his dad and his mom! There's no way helping out Hiram Lodge would supersede that family loyalty.
Related: Riverdale Photo Preview: Calling Nancy Drew
My heart broke for Fred and Mary when Archie didn't show up at the mayoral announcement.
You could see the devastation in their expressions when he didn't turn up. The pair had hoped that their son would choose them in the end; they were wrong. This moment at the podium was their chance for the family to reunite and stand together as a unit, but Archie threw that away to blow up a car and wear a mask.
Mary perfectly called out her son and said exactly what we have been thinking for a long time now. Who are you, Archie Andrews?!
He is going to regret selling himself to the Lodges.
What did you think of "Chapter Thirty: The Noose Tightens"? Is this the last we've heard of The Black Circle? Will FP and Alice start a new romance? Will Claudius harm Nana Rose?
If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and let us know what you think.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
