Riverdale Queer Watch season 6 episode 2: Motherly love

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.

Last week’s Riverdale introduced us to the new alternate reality of Rivervale, where Cheryl seems to have a hold over the town, culminating in a ritual sacrifice of hometown hero Archie Andrews.

This week’s episode pretty much ignored Archie’s death and instead centered on a variety of ghost stories, causing plenty of chaos and complications for the rest of Rivervale. Let’s dive in.

Riverdale Queer Watch: Kevin

There isn’t much to report with Kevin who seems to be demoted to his season one status of Betty’s Gay best friend. While he didn’t do much this episode, I want to lay the groundwork now that I’m still concerned about his character and what they have in store for him this season.

Riverdale Queer Watch: Cheryl

As the seemingly unwitting creator of this twisted alternate reality, Cheryl is all too pleased that Archie’s blood sacrifice has brought the sap back to the Blossom maple trees without much concern for the blood sacrifice part.

But the HBIC soon gets roped into more sinister shenanigans when Juniper and Dagwood face down La Llorona in the bathtub.

(Sidebar:  Cheryl asks Betty if Alice can watch the kids, which begs the question of why Grandma Alice hadn’t taken them back in any way?)

When Toni and Betty come to her about the mythical ghost, Cheryl seems thrilled to conduct a seance with the help of Nana Blossom. This week’s episode seems to cement Cheryl as Rivervale’s wannabe witch, leading to a potential showdown with Sabrina when she arrives (which can’t be soon enough, in my opinion).

I’ve written extensively about my confusion over the direction they’ve taken Cheryl’s character. While I’m assuming she’s influenced by the magic of the town, she seems almost sociopathically detached from her own decisions this season.

After murdering Archie so ruthlessly, I’m curious to see if she’ll even react to what happened to Toni in next week’s episode.

Riverdale Queer Watch: Toni

As has been the case for a while, Toni is the beating heart of this week’s episode, desperate to protect Baby Anthony from what she quickly figures out is La Llorona haunting the town when Betty calls her to ask her for her help investigating a Serpent mother who drowned her child.

But Toni is also haunted by a ghost of her own. At the beginning of this week’s episode, Toni and Fangs are fighting with Serpents in a classic Riverdale street fight against Darla Dickinson and the Ghoulies. When Toni intends to throw a knife at Darla, her son, Danny, steps in the way and dies.

To make matters worse, an anonymous tip brings a social worker to her doorstep, alleging she’s an unfit mother. (Was it Darla? Or La Llorona?) Amid the home visit, the ghost nearly drowns her baby, taking advantage of Toni’s distraction.

Toni sends Baby Anthony (the new Rivervale drinking game) to Fangs for Serpent protection while she and Betty go to Cheryl for the seance. Toni learns Darla Dickinson summoned La Llorona and they go to the cemetery where she apologizes and asks her to call off the ghost, but it’s too late.

This brings us to Riverdale‘s latest sacrifice when Toni and Betty find La Llorona on the banks of the Sweetwater River about to take Baby Anthony with her. Toni offers to become La Llorona in exchange for her son’s life and the ghost agrees, leaving Betty to parent the baby (with no mention of Fangs?).

With a tearful goodbye, a transformed, black-veiled Toni steps into the water and vanishes. Rivervale has claimed both Archie and Toni now (and technically Betty’s baby). We’re two episodes into the event so there’s surely more to come next week.

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