"Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One: Archie the Musical!" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season of Riverdale and the one hundredth and thirty-first episode of the series overall. It premiered on July 5, 2023.
Synopsis[]
RIVERDALE HIGH PRESENTS "ARCHIE THE MUSICAL" — After Principal Featherhead agrees to let Kevin present him with an original musical written by him and Clay, Kevin learns the group might not be as into it as he had hoped. Elsewhere, musical rehearsals prompt Archie to question what he wants in life, while Betty and Veronica confront what's going on between them.[2]
Plot[]
Archie wakes up for the first day of senior year, singing Monday, Senior Year. He looks out his window to see Betty preparing for school as well. Unlike Archie, Betty is much more excited about her final year of high school. She exits the house and joins Archie at the front door. Meanwhile, at the Pembrooke, Veronica, new girl at Riverdale High, prepares for the school year as well.
Elsewhere, Jughead types on his typewriter before leaving for school, expressing how he feels as though it's been longer than four years. Upon his arrival at school, Jughead joins Ethel, Ben, and Dilton in the lunchroom, whilst the River Vixens, comprised of Cheryl, Toni, and Midge, make their way through the hall as Bulldog practice is underway in the gym. The entire senior class then makes their way to the front of the school, where they collectively sing Monday, Senior Year, though this is merely a song sequence for Kevin and Clay's upcoming musical. For the first time ever, Principal Featherhead is open to doing an original musical this year as opposed to Oklahoma, and so Kevin and Clay decided to write a show about their lives at Riverdale High, but Featherhead needs to see a workshop presentation before agreeing. Archie questions why they're seniors in the show when they're juniors in real life. And Veronica wonders why she's still the new girl, whereas Julian feels as though he's being painted as a player despite being Archie's understudy. When Kevin explains that Archie is the main character, Cheryl and Toni inform him that they didn't come to be glorified chorus girls, though Kevin insists that everyone will get a solo line in the closing number, which he reveals will cover prom night, leading to both Jughead and Reggie quitting the production.
Archie and Julian stay behind to rehearse Archie's I Want song. Traditionally, the song tells the audience what the hero is searching for and their innermost dream and desires. Archie begins to sing, with Julian singing along, given that he's Archie's understudy. However, Archie finds it difficult to relate to the lyrics of the song, and so Kevin and Clay offer to rewrite the song and asks what does Archie want to do in real life; what's his secret passion or dream. However, Archie isn't sure what he wants.
After rehearsal, Kevin and Clay discuss the stress that comes with workshopping a play, which only plies onto Kevin's already stressful home life. Fortunately, he has Clay to help him through it. The two of them then begin to sing This is Love, leading outside the school, where they dance in the lot before sharing a kiss.
At Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, the Valentine's Dance just a few days away, and Cheryl questions who Betty, Veronica and Toni are taking, leading to conflict between the four girls as they sing Friday Valentine and fight for Archie's affection. Veronica had dinner prepared for him at the Pembrooke whilst Cheryl performed for him at Thornhill in her Vixens uniform and Toni took him for a ride on her bike. Unfortunately, Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni all expresses their dislike for Kevin's latest song. Clay offers to work up something new, but Veronica insists she'll have someone else do it for them to provide actual depth from the girls' point of view. Additionally, the song was clearly meant to be a Betty and Veronica duet, and Cheryl and Toni don't appreciate being shoved in at the last time, leading Cheryl to challenge Kevin to write something truthful about him and Clay.
Kevin and Clay present Archie with a rewritten I Want song, which focuses on his quest for love, specifically being unable to choose between Betty and Veronica. However, Archie is stuck on the big question that Kevin and Clay posed during their last session — who is Archie and what is his greatest desire. Still in the midst of figuring this out, Archie steps away from the musical, as it's too real. Kevin is upset, but Clay wishes him luck in finding himself.
Veronica gets off the phone with Cole Porter, who has agreed to write them a song for Kevin's musical. Veronica reveals that Kevin's inaccurate song did at least bring up something that's been eating away at her. When the Red Scare came to town, Veronica tells Betty that she and Archie kissed. When asked if she likes Archie, Veronica admits that she does. However, she says that she likes Betty more and that she feels closer to her than anyone else in town. Betty has known Archie her entire life, but she feels the same way about Veronica. Maybe it's the universe telling them to swear off Archie and focus on their friendship.
Kevin visits his father at the Sheriff Station, where he's been sleeping to avoid Kevin's mom. Tom asks about Kevin's mother, who is doing fine, all things considered. As for school, Kevin reveals that he's working on the musical, which is still in the workshop phase. Kevin keeps imagining himself and his parents celebrating his play night together. He then asks his dad to come home for dinner and talk to his mom, but Tom reveals that there's more to the situation than Kevin understands.
Kevin and Clay call Cheryl and Toni back into the rehearsal room after cooking up a new song for the four of them, about people like them who have to be careful about who they love. Kevin and Clay proceed to sing Do You Know What It’s Like?, with Cheryl and Toni joining in, and the sequence consisting of the two couples in their respective beds together. Cheryl and Toni love the new song and are especially excited to perform it during the musical, however, Kevin and Clay wrote the song for them to enjoy in private. Riverdale is too provincial, and Kevin is already under enormous pressure from Featherhead. In that case, Cheryl and Toni step down from the musical, as they do enough pretending in their real lives.
Pop asks if Archie would like soup or salad with his grilled cheese, but he can't decide, and so Jughead orders both. Archie confides in Jughead that he doesn't know why Kevin is writing the musical about him. Not to mention the character is all wrong, as Kevin has him picking between Betty and Veronica in the show, but for Archie, the real decision is between basketball and poetry. Jughead believes that Archie is having an existential crisis and that his real problem is about having to make a choice, any choice whatsoever. Archie realizes that Jughead is right and begins singing I Got Two. When Pop returns with his order, Archie says that he only wants the grilled cheese.
Archie returns home to inform his Uncle Frank that he won't be on the basketball team anymore, as he wants to focus more on his poetry. However, Frank accuses Archie of bailing on the Bulldogs, making his disapproval glaringly obvious. However, if Archie doesn't follow his heart, he worries he may regret it.
Clay is forced to escape out of Kevin's bedroom window after Kevin's mom comes knocking on his door. Mrs. Keller proposes that she, Kevin, and Tom have dinner tonight.
As promised, Betty and Veronica return to Kevin and Clay with a new song written by Cole Porter. Titled The Universe Inside, Betty and Veronica find themselves in their respective bedrooms, before coming together at school to run for class co-presidents. Then the girls stare into each other's eyes before sharing a kiss, at least in the sequence. Afterward, Betty and Veronica reconvene in the lounge to discuss the moment they just had in rehearsal. All this time they have been talking about Archie, but maybe there are other emotionally complex mountains to climb. Before they can elaborate, Archie interrupts to reveal that he's been doing some soul-searching. While he's fond of them both, he's in the period of discovery and has decided not to pursue either of them.
As planned, the Kellers have dinner at Pop's, where Tom and Mrs. Keller reveal that they're getting a divorced. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be fixed, with Mrs. Keller explaining that sometimes a man and a woman come to find that there are too many differences between them. Kevin is greatly upset and excuses himself from the dinner.
In the following musical sequence, Veronica and Julian stand on top of the teacher's desk and lead the class in song and dance. Veronica then makes her way to the bathroom with Betty and Midge, where they sing Prom Night. Meanwhile, in the lounge, Julian has taken up the role of Archie whilst Clay plays Jughead. Principal Featherhead is highly impressed by their performance, however, he calls Kevin into his office to reveal that they won't be producing his musical this spring. He believes it's better to do something more traditional, as original musicals are tough sales. If Kevin puts up a sign for Archie The Musical, Featherhead doubts people will come. However, if he puts up a poster for Oklahoma, it will undoubtedly sell out. Kevin then returns to the music room and reveals that they will be performing Oklahoma this spring, before taking out his anger on his friends for nitpicking every song he and Clay wrote. After he exits, Clay reveals that some of Kevin's anger derives from the fact that his parents are getting divorced.
Mrs. Keller is sorry that Kevin is enduring so much pain at once, leading Kevin to wonder if the divorce is his fault, as the fighting started around the same time that he and Betty broke up. However, Mrs. Keller assures him that the divorce has nothing to do with him or who he is. He is her son, and she loves him unconditionally.
Archie enters the music room to find Kevin playing an original song on the piano. He came by to thank Kevin for helping him realize what he wanted to do with his life, though he is disappointed that they're no longer doing Archie The Musical this spring. He then asks Kevin about the tune he was just playing. It wasn't for the musical, rather something Kevin stayed up all night writing after a chat with his mother. And so, Archie asks Kevin to keep playing. Archie then takes a seat and joins Kevin in singing Finale (Our Song). Betty and Veronica join them from the hallway, as do Cheryl and Toni, closely followed by Clay, who kisses Kevin as Midge, Fangs, Jughead, Ethel, Reggie, Julian, and Dilton join the performance. Kevin cries while recalling his last hug from his father just before he left the house. Archie and the gang then huddle around Kevin and embrace him.
Cast[]
Starring[] |
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Soundtrack[]
TBA
Trivia[]
- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa worked to an Archie the Musical! with Matthew Doers, who wrote eight songs while Roberto wrote a treatment and some scenes, in 2002. Without rights and producers, the project was shelved. Four of Doers' original songs are the basis for the episode.[3] Those being: "Monday, Senior Year," "Friday Valentine," "This Is Love," and "Finale (Our Song)."
- Clay kisses Kevin in front of the gang as they were singing Finale (Our Song).
- First on-screen appearance of Mrs. Keller.
- This is the first and only musical episode of the series to feature original songs.
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