The plucky youths of Riverdale reckon with the “death” of one of their own
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, February 19. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Riverdale (The CW, 8 p.m.): Throughout its fourth season (and really beginning at the end of its third), Riverdale has been slowly working to convince us all of one thing: that Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) is no more. Pore Jug is daid, pore Jug Jones is daid.
Except he’s totally not, right? Odds are we won’t get any definitive answers in this week’s episode, but “How To Get Away With Murder” seems likely to shed at least a little light.
Here’s Charles Bramesco on last week’s episode, the similarly ominously named “The Ides Of March”:
“Chapter Seventy” finally knots the flash-forwards to the main progression of the plot, showing us how the fateful night of Jughead’s cannot-possibly-be-a-murder played out—with one crucial elision. We see everyone convene at the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream had a baby with Euphoria” party, we see Archie and Veronica scamper off to go bang one out in the woods and then return, we see Betty confront evidently skilled hypnotist Donna in the woods, and we see Jughead go into the woods to search for the two of them. Then, we see a dazed Betty standing over a bloodied Jughead, rock in hand. If it really was as simple as Donna hypnotizing Betty into bashing Jughead’s brains in, as the conclusion suggests, then they’d have shown us that much. As the matter stands, something else must have happened, which leaves the mystery advanced without a solution.
Charles will recap, assuming he doesn’t have to toss his notes into a bonfire to make sure there’s no evidence.
Regular coverage
Wild cards
I Am Not Okay With This (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): “Despite reveling in the angst and excess of adolescence, there is not much that sets this coming-of-age journey apart from others that have been told before. But I Am Not Okay With This does have a super power in its teen lead. Lillis’ remarkable facial expressions lend weight to the story as well as provide comedic relief. The actor is able to relay a great deal—annoyance and awkwardness—through her character’s eyes, and even when her expression is shuttered, Lillis’ brings persuasive physical comedy to her performance. The plot and story are simple, linear, and more than a little familiar, but Lillis successfully carries this first season to its gory, suspenseful ending. Without her fresh spin on how a “superhero” should behave, the show falls flat in developing anything other than a predictable path to self-acceptance.” Read the rest of Angelica Caltado’s pre-air review here.
The Trials Of Gabriel Fernandez (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): Netflix continues to build its library of true crime and legal documentaries with this miniseries, which chronicles the legal proceedings that follow the violent death of an 8-year-old at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.
It’s Personal With Amy Hoggart (TruTV, 10 p.m., series premiere): Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s stalwart British correspondent gets her own series, in which she, a nice, funny, “completely unqualified” lady tries to help people with the everyday issues complicating their lives. Bee executive-produces.