WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 4 of Riverdale, "Chapter Eighty: Purgatory," which aired Wednesday on The CW.
In the last episode of Riverdale, Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and the rest of their friends graduated from high schoool. The episode was meant to be the last before a seven-year time jump that would take the series' cast into adulthood, with new lives and careers far away from Riverdale. At the end of the episode, all of the characters went their separate ways: Archie joined the army, and Betty, Veronica and Jughead all headed to college. Although the four friends made a pact to reunite once every year at Pop's, that unfortunately never happens.
Now, "Chapter Eighty: Purgatory," picks up seven years later. But to kick things off, the episode begins by featuring a different kind of scene -- and it easily ranks as one of Riverdale's best moments ever.
The series' latest episode plunges the viewers into the future with a scene that is meant to be some sort of dream or vision. Archie is in the Bulldogs' football team locker room, surrounded by his friends. But something is wrong: instead of a coach, a drill sergeant is shouting orders. And instead of football players, some of his friends are soldiers. When the order is given, they rush out onto the field -- but it doubles as a warzone. Archie and his fellow soldiers run across the field, not to score a touchdown, but to fight.
Explosions blast left and right and bullets fly around them. Soldiers are hit and fall down. The scene is dramatic and haunting. It mixes two distinct times in Archie's life, pre- and post-time jump, showing the difference between the two -- and also where they might overlap. Archie leads the charge, and he's there to help his friends. But now, he's doing so in the midst of the horrors of war.
The scene is beautifully shot, and is given a very cinematic feel thanks to its widescreen presentation -- a format that lasts only for the length of the episode's opening scene.
Having the seven year time-jump begin with this vision is unexpected but works extremely well. The a violent, poetic nature of the scene makes its inclusion inspired. It's confusing and completely wild, but that is Riverdale in a nutshell. This is a perfect representation of what the series does so well. Sure, it often baffles logic, but the result is something unlike anything else on television -- and this opening scene is the perfect example of Riverdale firing on all cylinders.
Riverdale stars K.J. Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge, Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle, Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz, Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper and Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate. New episodes of Season 5 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.