KJ Apa On Archie's "Balancing Act" in Upcoming Episodes of Riverdale
Spoilers for tonight's episode of Riverdale below!
Aside from the season-long murder mystery and often extravagant moments, Riverdale has been praised by fans for accurately depicting the various sides of teenage life. This has included, among other things, the mental and emotional toll of Betty Cooper's (Lili Reinhart) perfectionism, Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) expressing her feelings about growing up as a black female in the small town, and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) taking down a group of misogynistic football players.
One example, albeit on a smaller scale, has been the struggle of Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) choosing between his loves of football and music. With this predicament taking center stage in Riverdale's recent episodes, the question is which career path Archie will choose.
This is especially true with the departure of Archie's music teacher/love interest, Geraldine Grundy (Sarah Habel), in this week's episode. Although Archie could continue to be mentored by Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) and her Pussycats, it's unclear whether or not he will follow through with his music.
According to Apa, the answer might not be as cut and dry. "When we get to episodes 5, 6 and 7, you see the direction we're going with it," he revealed to ComicBook.com.
Indecision between career paths is something regularly faced by high school kids, as well as the subsequent apprehension by their parents. This was seen throughout Riverdale's previous episode, with Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) initially disapproving of Archie's interest in music, but eventually growing to understand and accept it. The episode even ended with Fred building Archie a makeshift soundproof studio in the family's garage.
Apa said that ultimately, he enjoys portraying these different facets of Archie, and even revealed which part he is most fond of. "A mix of it is always going to be fun with me. I would hate to stop doing the football stuff because that's probably my favorite stuff on the show."
HOLDING ON — When Jughead (Cole Sprouse) learns that an anonymous buyer has plans to tear down the local drive-in, he fights desperately to keep it open. Betty (Lili Reinhart) finds her friendship with Archie on the line after stumbling upon some startling information she's uncovered about Miss Grundy's (guest star Sarah Habel) past.
Elsewhere, Veronica (Camila Mendes) confronts her mother Hermoine (Marisol Nichols) about a suspicious meeting she witnessed between her mother and a shady Southside Serpent. Finally, after uncovering Betty's diary, Alice (Madchen Amick) finds the perfect opportunity to destroy Archie's golden boy image.
Riverdale stars KJ Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camilla Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Luke Perry as Archie's father Fred Andrews, among others. The series' showrunner is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Archie Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer and the writer of Afterlife With Archie, the publisher's wildly popular zombie series.
"Chapter Four: The Last Picture Show" episode of Riverdale was directed by Mark Piznarski, written by Michael Grassi, and will air Thursday, February 16 at 9/8c on The CW!
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