'Riverdale' Season 4 Episode 10 Review: No deaths, no feuds but just some much-needed football and a cool track
This review contains spoilers for 'Riverdale' Season 4 Episode 10: 'Varsity Blues'
Multiple storylines, a peppy track, and some much-needed football. The CW's top-watched teen drama is back from its winter break and while it doesn't necessarily pack a punch like it usually does, what it does manage to do is set the tone for the second half of the season. Those who hoped for some more of the flash-forward that deals with Jughead Jones' (Cole Sprouse) death will be disappointed as the focus is solely on football. And for good reason. A major part of the season has been all about sex, lies, and videotapes, although there's not a lot we can talk about videotapes at the moment.
'Varsity Blues' gave us a game alright, or for accuracy's sake— it gave us two games. One on the field and the other off it. The Bulldogs may have been leashed up by the Stonewall Stallions, but it was great to see some action that doesn't involve being buried alive or teens biffing and bamming each other spouting a generous amount of blood on the screen.
Uncle Frank Andrews (Ryan Robbins), all jacked up with sleeve-busting biceps, looks like a gentle soul wanting to help, but we can't help notice that something about him just doesn't add up. Call it motherly instinct, but if Molly Ringwald's Mary Andrews doesn't trust him, we think we shouldn't either. It is still unclear if he is friend or foe, but either way, Frank has a story to tell.
As far as the Lodges go, perhaps it's best that Veronica(Camilla Mendes) takes over her father's company. The teen most definitely has inherited the shrewd businessman (woman) gene from her criminal dad, Hiram Lodge (Mark Conseulos) and her latest deal of mixing the Blossom Maple syrup and the Veronica Luna rum just makes her Riverdale's Rum Baroness. The Jug-Betty (Lili Reinhart) relationship does look like it's got some cracks in it. Especially after Jug blows her sting op and later gets caught about being part of the Quill & Skull.
Eli Goree's Monroe gets a great end to his storyline, although we may have not necessarily seen the last of him. Despite the Bulldog's loss, the lad gets to go to Notre Dame and that's a deserving finish for a teen who was shown having trouble in juvie. He looked to come clean and this achievement is a win. And before we wrap up this review, can somebody present Mr. Holden Honey (Kerr Smith) an "Art of Manliness" subscription? Thank you.
'Riverdale' Season 4 airs Wednesdays 8 pm on The CW.