Riverdale finally has Jughead and Archie teaming up again

Riverdale has given us many relationships, both romantic and platonic. But one relationship we never seem to see enough of is the friendship between Jughead and Archie.

While I know the big story of the latest episode of Riverdale was probably the Farm and the fact that Cheryl has been fully initiated, as well as the meeting between Edgar Evernever and Betty, there was a lot more to the episode than the show’s resident cult. There was also the dissolution of the Lodge marriage, Jughead’s parental issues, and of course, the Serpents going after the Gargoyles and the drug trade.

It was definitely the Serpents’ story line that was truly fascinating. Not only was this a chance to see the gang trying to clean up their town, but it allowed us to see Jughead and Archie working together again. (This is Riverdale, and suspension of disbelief is a must to appreciate this show, which is why a gang of teens trying go after the drug trade works, at least somewhat.)

Relationships are important on Riverdale, no matter how unhealthy those relationships are. And at its core, the story has long been about the relationship of the core four: Archie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty. While we don’t really get enough of these four together anymore, the one pairing we seem to see even less is Jughead and Archie.

In the comics, it feels like these two are inseparable. They have always been best friends, but on the show, even though we don’t see them come together often, that doesn’t mean we have forgotten that friendship.

What makes the latest episode solid, was the fact that not only did we get to see Jughead and Archie relaxing as friends in the Andrews’ kitchen, but this was also a chance to see these two working together in their quest to get rid of the local drug trade.

Not only is it actually nice to see Jughead leading the Serpents again, and being that bad boy he has grown into, but having Archie at his side for some of it was a nice change of pace. Archie’s storyline has felt all over the place this season, but having him working alongside his best friend just seemed to make sense, even if that was the only thing that really makes sense when it comes to the character.

Do I think these two should be going after drug dealers? Not really, as that should be an adult’s job. But in Riverdale, it almost feels like many of the adults didn’t get the memo on how to be parents, let alone responsible adults. Sure, FP is doing his best, but he seems extremely overwhelmed as the current sheriff in town, and it makes sense considering how much he is dealing with.

The only other adults who seem to have their heads on right are Fred Andrews (and we don’t want to talk about this yet) and the former sheriff, Tom Keller. Since these two are mostly in the background, we can’t really call them out for what is happening in town, because it looks like they are doing the best they can as well.

That means that with the adults doing their own thing, it really is up to Jughead and Archie or Betty and Veronica to save the day. This time it was the one-two punch of Jughead and Archie that seemed to be the saviors of the hour. Of course, since Jug is going up against his own mother, things are never easy, and there is a lot more that needs to be done if he wants to put a stop to the Gargoyles and drugs in his town.

Riverdale may have its flaws, but there are certain aspects of the show that really work. And while Edgar Evernever definitely works thanks to Chad Michael Murray, seeing glimpses of the old Archie was nice, as was seeing him team up with Jughead again. Considering it felt like the show tried to jump the shark with the whole Lodge family drama, it was nice to see Archie being Archie and Jughead being Jughead.