| “ | Michael Corleone, Tony Soprano, Scarface. Small, ruthless gangsters, all heroes of their own story. And every hero has an origin story. Including Hiram Lodge. Even though he's been Riverdale's chief tormentor for some ten years now, shockingly little is known about him. How he came to be. And why he's obsessed with destroying our poor town. What is his "rosebud," as it were? And why does he collects lost souls like Reggie Mantle? And why are the Reggie Mantles of the world drawn to Hiram Lodges like moths to flame? | ” |
— Jughead
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"Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of Riverdale and the eighty-eighth episode of the series overall.[2] It premiered on August 18, 2021.
Synopsis[]
MICHAEL CONSUELOS GUEST STARS AS YOUNG HIRAM LODGE — Hiram shares with Reggie his origin story and how he went from a young Jaime Luna to the powerful kingpin of Riverdale. Elsewhere, Reggie reflects on his relationship with his father.[2]
Plot[]
Hiram's morning routine
Hiram awakens at the sound of his alarm clock and begins his morning routine. Meanwhile, Reggie opens up shop over at Mantle Motors.
As he's exiting the office, Reggie is accosted by his father, Marty, who takes the opportunity to remind Reggie that they're expecting a client later that evening.
Reggie pays off his father's debt
Hiram receives an important call, though he doesn't go into detail, simply stating that this particular business is personal and that he'll handle it tonight. Reggie arrives unexpectedly with a briefcase full of money — Reggie's father's debt, which Reggie has now paid in full. Despite this, he would like to personally continue working for Hiram and moving up in the company. Hiram agrees to find Reggie a privileged place for him if he can retrieve Hiram an untraceable gun.
Reggie and Marty sell a car
Reggie returns to Mantle Motors to help see his father through a sale. When Marty fails to close the deal, Reggie reaches out to the potential customer, and they share their love for their own respective first cars, which allows for Reggie to win Mr. McPharlin over and sale him a car for his son. Afterwards, Marty scolds Reggie for interfering on his sale. This results in a standoff, during which Reggie goads his father into hitting him, like he would during Reggie's youth. Reggie then reveals that he's cleared his father's debt to Hiram. That said, Reggie still intends to work for him despite Marty's plan of the two of them becoming full partners in the family business.
Marty pleads with Hiram to let Reggie go, but Hiram reminds Marty that Reggie is capable of making his own decisions and kicks him out of his office.
As requested, Reggie delivers Hiram an untraceable gun. Hiram is pleased but then tells Reggie that he needs to tend to his father, who paid him a visit.
Reggie confronts his father
Reggie confronts his father for going to Hiram behind his back. However, Marty can't even look at Reggie, as he's too ashamed. Reggie replies that just because his father's life is crap, doesn't give him the right to take it out on him. Marty beat and abused Reggie his whole life, and yet Reggie stayed. But he refuses to stay any longer. He goes on to add that Hiram has done more in his life than his father ever will. And to Reggie's knowledge, he never once physically abused his wife or daughter.
Reggie returns to Hiram and says that he doesn't have a father anymore. This reminds Hiram of his own relationship with his father, who didn't approve of his business dealings either.
Javier discovers palladium
New York City, 1988. Hiram, known then as Jaime, and his father, Javier Luna, were shoeshiners outside a local market. One evening, a customer paid Javier in palladium — a precious metal worth more than gold. At the time, there was supposedly unmined veins of palladium in Riverdale.
The mine collapse
The promise of buried palladium led the Luna family to Riverdale, where Javier worked for six months in one of the old palladium mines until it collapsed. This resulted in the mines being shut down. Still, Javier decided to remain in Riverdale. He continued his career as a shoeshiner while his wife, Lourdes, got a job at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, where Lourdes served among others, Fred, FP, Hermione, and Alice.
Hiram meets Vito
After the mine collapse, Hiram noticed a certain diminishing in his father. The light in his eyes had dimmed, and in time, he and Javier simply became fixtures outside of Pop's. However, in that time, their customer base grew, and Hiram was shinning just as many shoes as his father. One night, he receives a very generous tip from local gangster, Vittorio Alto, who Javier warns Hiram about.
Hermione turns Hiram down
The next day at school, Hiram asks Hermione out on a date, but she turns him down, explaining that her mother forbids her from dating the son of a man who shines shoes despite the fact that she herself cleans toilets and changes bedsheets at the Five Seasons. For what it's worth, Hermione does admit that Hiram is cute.
Refusing to be looked at as a second class citizen any longer, Hiram goes to Vito and asks for a job — because he has money and respect. Vito corrects him and says people don't respect him, they fear him, which Hiram admires and would like to acquire for himself. Vito is impressed by his nerve and gives Hiram a simple delivery job.
Hiram makes his first delivery
Hiram makes the delivery as planned. He introduces himself to Louis, who makes an unflattering remark about Hiram, which Hiram reports back to Vito, who assures him not to worry about Louis, as he's not to be taken seriously. Hiram kept his cool and did the job as told. For this, Vito pays Hiram generously and tells him there's more to come.
Hiram eventually begins working regularly for Vito, though he tells his dad that he got a job at the fancy Italian place across town. With Hiram's new-found wealth comes confidence and wardrobe upgrade, resulting in Hermione finally agreeing to going out on a date with him.
Hermione and Hiram on a date
As planned, Hiram and Hermione go out on a date at Pop's, where they bond over their humble beginnings and the struggles their parents face to support them. Hiram then reveals to Hermione that he makes deliveries for Vito, which will be his ticket out of Riverdale. After giving Pop Tate their order, Hiram goes on to tell Hermione about his plan to run his own business from a penthouse in New York City. Unfortunately, their date is interrupted when two officers enter and arrest Hiram for drug trafficking.
Hiram is arrested
Hiram is placed in interrogation, but he refuses to talk and is placed in a cell. Meanwhile, Hermione finds Vito and informs him that Hiram has been arrested. Not long after, Vito posts Hiram's bail. Afterwards, Hiram meets back up with Vito, who is pleased to learned that he protected the business by not talking to the police. In this, Hiram has proven himself. And so, Hiram is brought into the inner circle as a collector rather than delivery boy. Vito tells Hiram that he is going to have to be his own man to make it in their business, and he can't concern himself with what others may think. Lastly, he advises Hiram to marry Hermione, as she'll have his back when he needs it.
Hiram and Hermione kiss
The next day, Hiram approaches Hermione by her locker and attempts to apologize. He ultimately wins her over when he shows her his new ride, courtesy of Vito. That night, they sit in his car outside Pop's, where he reveals that he intends to change his name to "Hiram Lott." However, Hermione recommends "Lodge," instead. The two then share a kiss.
During attendance, Hiram announces that he will no longer being going by his birth name of Jaime Luna but rather Hiram Lodge. However, Marty takes this opportunity to poke fun at Hiram and his poor upbringing. And so, later that evening, Hiram attacks Marty and another Bulldog in the garage and demands that they call him Hiram.
Javier confronts Hiram
Hiram returns home, where he is confronted by his mother and father for his recent actions. Lourdes attempts to calm Javier down, but he is outraged that Hiram would forsake their family name for vanity. Furthermore, he knows that Hiram has been working for Vito, who Javier warns will ruin Hiram and cost him everything. Hiram refuses to spend another day as a Luna and shinning the shoes of men who look down on him. Hiram states that it's embarrassing being Javier's son, as he can't even provide for his family.
Javier goes to Vito and tells him to leave Hiram alone. Whatever arrangement they have is over. Should Vito fail to comply, Javier threatens to go to the police. Vito simply asks for some time to think it over.
Javier is killed
While setting up for another day of shinning shoes outside of Pop's along with Pop Tate, who is opening up shoppe, Vito's men pull up alongside the diner and open fire, killing Javier.
After claiming his body at the morgue, they hold Javier's funeral, during which Hiram and Lourdes are approached by Hermione's mother, Apollonia, who gives her condolences and apologizes for misjudging Javier.
Hermione consoles Hiram
Hermione, Alice, and Penelope also attend the funeral. They note Hiram's calm demeanor, likely a result of shock. However, Penelope isn't as sympathetic, pointing out that Hiram is a gangster and that he got burned by the lifestyle. Hermione comes to Hiram's defense and explains that everything he's done was in the name of family. Hermione then joins Hiram and tells him that she will always be there for him.
Hiram and Lourdes are approached by Vito, who has come to give his condolences. He tells Hiram to take as much time as he needs and to return when he's ready. He adds that now at least Hiram can become the man he was always supposed to be.
After the funeral, Hiram joins his mother on the couch. Lourdes says that she is so lucky to have him and begs him to be done with Vito and his business.
Hiram kills Vito's men
That night, Hiram goes searching for Vito, but finds his men instead. Having come to the conclusion that Vito put a hit on his father, Hiram kills Vito's men, cleaning his gun afterwards and leaving it behind on the table. After killing Vito's men, Hiram returns home covered in blood, with shakes in his hand, bypassing Lourdes, who is in shock.
Following the death of his men, Vito skips town and Hiram takes over in his place, becoming Riverdale's new boss.
Years later, with Riverdale under his rule, Hiram got married to Hermione, and they had Veronica. This is when Hermione decided it was time for Hiram to finally move them to that penthouse in New York.
Hiram asks Reggie to drive him to Vito's nursing home
Present day, Reggie wonders what brought Hiram back to Riverdale. He reveals that his father was right about the palladium in Riverdale. He was simply looking in the wrong place, and eventually Hiram did discover a thin vein of palladium. He proceeded to build the prison over that vein so that behind the walls he could continue the search. But now that vein is tapped with little to show for it. So, Hiram needs to get to the vein he found under the Blossom maple groves. Reggie is amazed by Hiram's story and is left to question what more could a man want. Hiram then asks Reggie to drive him to the nursing home where Vito is being treated.
Hiram kills Vito
Hiram arrives in Vito's room after years of searching for him. Hiram recalls when they first met and said that he wanted to be feared like Vito. He asks Vito if he's afraid of him now, before placing a pillow over his head and pulling the trigger. Afterwards, Hiram goes back to the car, where he thanks Reggie for his help and says that he will no longer be requiring Reggie's service. If he could go back and spend a few more years shinning shoes with his father, he would. Reggie still has a chance of that with his dad, and Hiram doesn't want to see him waste it.
Marty and Reggie make up
Reggie returns to Mantle Motors, where his father sits alone in the dark. Marty apologizes to Reggie for never having done right by him his entire life. Reggie reveals that he's done with Hiram and that he's willing to seriously take his father up on his offer of partnering, but he has to trust Reggie can take care of the business. The two then embrace.
Hiram speaks to Hermosa
That night, Hiram sits back watching an episode of the Real Housewives of New York starring Hermione and Veronica. They discuss Hiram and the fact that he's never satisfied with what he has. He then gets a call from Hermosa, who is the person that actually found Vito. Hermosa came in behind Hiram to clean up the mess left behind with Vito's death, including wiping the security footage clean. With his father's death avenged, Hiram can now focus on mining all the palladium in Riverdale.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Special Guest Star[]
Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Soundtrack[]
- BAD CHILD - Blood
- Scene: Hiram begins his morning routine.
- iRO - Change Your Mind
- Scene: With new clothes and confidence, Hiram asks Hermione on a date.
- Soledad Vélez - Cromo y Platino
- Scene: Outside of Pop's, Hiram tells Hermione about his plan to change his name.
- Los Saicos - Demolición
- Scene: Hiram attacks Marty.
- Carmen Goett - La Llorona
- MILCK - Devil Devil
- Scene: Hiram takes over Riverdale.
- Piero Piccioni - Samba Brasil 2
- Scene: Hiram kills Vito.
Trivia[]
- The episode title is a play on the 1941 cult film Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles.
- Mark and Michael Consuelos, who are real-life father and son, portrays father and son Javier Luna and Hiram Lodge, respectively.
- This episode premieres on actress Madelaine Petsch's ("Cheryl Blossom") birthday.
- This episode takes place after "Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club" 1992 flashbacks. [3]
- This is the first episode in the series to not feature Betty Cooper and the second episode to not feature Archie Andrews after "Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club". Lili Reinhart and KJ Apa instead portray the teenage versions of Alice Smith and Fred Andrews, respectively. In addition, for the first time in the series, Jughead Jones only appears via voiceover narration.
- This episode marks the first time Marisol Nichols is credited as a "Special Guest Star" and no longer as a series regular under "Starring."
- Jughead mentions mobsters Michael Corleone, Tony Soprano, and Scarface.
Gallery[]
Promotional Images[]
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