Riverdale Queer Watch season 5 episode 5: Quippy Kevin returns

Welcome to Riverdale Queer Watch, where we look out for the LGBTQ+ folks on The CW’s Riverdale each week. Whether it’s a snuff film or prom night, we’re watching.

This week’s Riverdale continued the new “future is now” reality for Archie and the gang as we continue to learn what all has changed since graduation. With the primary focus of the season headed toward saving Riverdale from Hiram Lodge’s clutches once again, there were many other factors at play.

Toni as a Riverdale Figurehead

Riverdale continues to cement Toni as a figurehead, not just because she’s the Queen of the Serpents now, but because she has leveraged herself into multiple positions of power and become a true leader.

Much of the episode centered on political maneuverings to save Riverdale High from Hiram Lodge’s latest plan–un-incorporating the town, and thus dooming the school forever.

Thanks to Toni, though, Hiram’s plan was exposed, the Core Four stepped in as teachers, and Riverdale was saved for the time being.

Part of Toni’s plan also included bringing in the otherwise absent Cheryl as an investor for the new Riverdale High. It’s truly strange how over the course of just a few episodes, the show has managed to completely deflate everything that used to exist in their relationship.

Whether done intentionally or not, Cheryl and Toni don’t have a lot of chemistry anymore, largely because the two characters are in such vastly different places. Cheryl is inexplicably at a standstill, having decided she was cursed and is busy wallowing in her own misery.

Cheryl has gone through a lot of horrible things from the moment we met her, but never once, up until now, did she lose her fierce positivity or shine. The turn for her character, especially in opposition to Toni’s rise, is interesting, but confusing. Regardless, we’ll take Toni’s ascension any day.

Quippy Kevin Returns

Often sidelined, like many actual Gay Best Friends, Kevin had some great moments in this week’s episode, most notably with the return of his delightful meta-commentary about the show itself, joking that he felt like he was living in an episode of Succession in the midst of the conversations about the Hiram Lodge plot.

Kevin’s humor is a much-needed device in a show that can often take itself too seriously and a reminder that these people have lives outside of all of this drama. Even amateur sleuths and investigators need time to decompress and watch HBO, don’t they?

What did you think about this week’s Riverdale? Tell us in the comments below!