Riverdale (TV Series) Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders (2021) User Reviews

So bad I actually love it

[barnabas-00605 · 7/10 · 28 January 2021]

Oh my god all of it was so stupid. It's very random and ridiculous but, over the years, I think I learned to love Riverdale for what it is: a guilty pleasure. Once a week, for 45 minutes, we get to just sit back and watch an incredibly dumb and unrealistic storyline play out in the most random, illogical and laughable way. I can't help but love this show. I hope it doesn't get better any time soon and gets renewed for 9 more seasons.

Im completely confused. How and when did they find Charles to be the Serial Killer?

[towe-51620 · 7/10 · 11 February 2021]

Also,

What state does everyone think Riverdale is? Since there is a ton of Maple Syrup I'd say Vermont or New Hampshire. What say ye? Being 54 and having seen the best shows ever is that they took from my favorite Northern Exposure,Twin Peaks, The X Files,The Killing & blended them into all time periods at once from I'd say 1950 to present day. The also threw a LOT of LOST in there which makes me think they are stuck in purgatory or some type of time warp trap, plus if you really think about it it really doesn't make much sense logically. So many characters came and went for no reason at all. Id almost bet that with all the little nuances here & there Stephen King is the Mastermind behind all this! Who else could take all 8 books of the Dark Tower and somehow turn it into this twilightzonesque masterpiece? I mean really Lucas from One Tree Hill the head of a cult harvesting organs so he could take his rocket to the moon? Straight out of a King short story! We shall see.

New Riverdale is Setting Up

[junaidbadar-16253 · 9/10 · 28 January 2021]

Another solid episode. This episode felt like a closure to all the on going storylines tying up all the loose ends. The town and its characters are shaking up, clearly pointing towards the coming Time jump and new storylines. Looking forward to the next episode (final episode before time jump). The direction in which Riverdale is currently moving... It's looking like the Show is back on track.

This episode was better than the entire season 4

[robertaioana-67417 · 2 February 2021]

This episode gave us more answers than season 4 did, we found out that Charles is a serial killer, that Jellybean was making the tapes, and I counted 11 murders in ONE EPISODE!!! I don't know how they pulled it off.

Not bad

[galacticgamer · 10/10 · 28 January 2021]

Surprisingly not horrible, dialogue still a little odd but a good episode, definitely better than most.

WTF

[badeekhoury · 1/10 · 5 February 2021]

The amount of stupidity during this episode is unbelievable

WOW

[rwpkdhqp · 10/10 · 28 January 2021]

Just WOW! this whole episode was really good! I think Charles being the one behind the tapes would have been better ,but they knew how to explain why jellybean started the videotapes and it was awesome! Hope they don't ruin this season!

Makes very little to no sense

[hnt_dnl · 5/10 · 28 January 2021]

Let's get the good part out of the way first and that would be Archie's self-loathing subplot. KJ Apa has really shown some strong acting chops in the last few seasons when given the right material that allows him to shine. From The Midnight Club episode to the therapy session episode to this episode, his acting is really good. While Apa is actually acting, most of the rest of the cast is going through the motions and the dumb writing doesn't help. It's so illogical! How does Hiram actually believe that the source of his improving health is him going out every night and getting into fist fights? He is literally doing actual physical harm to his body and THAT is his reason for getting better? Why is Veronica surprised for like the 100th time that Hiram has been lying to the family and conducting shady business? Why is Charles even avenging the Stonewall Preppie crimes when they were of no threat anymore? What was the purpose of this waste-of-time snuff film subplot, just to give Bughead yet another boring mystery to solve to make them seem more relevant than they actually are? Speaking of, how do Betty and Jughead just solve crimes through normal conversations that have nothing to do with the actual crimes? And why do the criminals always just freely confess and give themselves up to them when they never have any proof? On that note, not that their acting was much to begin with, but Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse have really been phoning in their performances since the show returned from the extended break. At least they brought a level of energy in previous seasons, but they look like they are about to fall asleep during their scenes. I have an idea...let the show actually be about Archie, the true best character of the Core 4, and the rest of them can just be his supporting cast. This is the way it should always been anyway.

Good enough but not great

[ayeshafolkes-43903 · 9/10 · 29 January 2021]

It was cool I don't have a problem with the writing this season the plot is kind of boring like in season 1 and 2 it was so interesting now not so much goes to at least 9 season or 8

predictable, bad writing.

[leandro_laco · 3/10 · 28 January 2021]

The episode ends up being somewhat predictable. the only thing that stood out from this episode was the performance of Kj Apa as Archie and Molly Grinwald as Mary. Archie's plot in this episode was emotional remembering Luke Perry as his father Fred Andrews. however I wish that Archie had not been infuriated only by the videotape but by an accumulation of emotions of what had been happening to him up to that moment. the rejection of betty, the break up with veronica, etc. once again, the writing conveniently leaves out the drama that interests us all more than the mystery. the teen drama between archie, veronica, jughead and betty. on the other hand, we continue with the bad writing in the revelation of the mystery. very predictable. that charles and jellybean are the "villains" of this mystery was something that many fans assumed and already knew beforehand without even watching the episode. but more frustrating is that jellybean used a cheap excuse to make the videotapes and really did not fully understand the real intentions of charles and how betty and jughead catch criminals and serial killers so easily. It seems at this point that the only thing the writers want is to get an excuse to give bughead more screen time since they are the ones who monotonously solve all the mysteries. something that has us tired and frustrated. These are our characters final high school episodes and it would have been better of the writing if they had focused more on making good teen drama from episode 4x17 until now - which I intentionally think the writers are trying to avoid - than presenting a predictable mystery. honestly, the season would have been better if left the mystery aside for once.

Good and Bad

[zombiemockingbird · 4/10 · 4 September 2023]

Am I the only one that knew Charles was a killer? I mean, we knew from the beginning he had Betty's phone bugged, and that Chic was his boyfriend; I've just been waiting for the reveal.

I guess I'm also the only one who is really tired of Archie. All he does is fight, constantly with everyone, lie about everything, mope around and make really stupid decisions, and it's just not entertaining to me at all. I wish Fred would have just died of a heart attack, instead of making a whole story line about this dumb kid and his father; it seems disrespectful to Luke Perry to me.

I WAS surprised about Jellybean. That was...weird, and rather disturbing, honestly, and her motive was pretty lame. Would have made more sense if Charles had done that too.

I've been tired of Hiram for a very long time, I just keep hoping someone actually takes him out. Veronica needs a better story line.

Cheryl and her family just add the crazy to the show, and although it's over the top at times, it's entertaining.

Betty and Jughead are the most interesting characters, and have the most interesting stories. Hopefully they don't screw that up with the Archie/Betty thing, that really didn't amount to anything.