The CW’s Riverdale has been exceeding fans’ expectations week after week, with Season 5 delivering some surprising and spellbinding new plot points. With the series about to go on a pre-planned three-month hiatus, it was safe to assume that this week’s midseason finale would up the ante even more. If you need to catch up on the most essential details and storylines from Riverdale‘s latest episode, we’re here to help. Here are the biggest reveals and Easter eggs from “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man.” Obviously, spoilers for Season 5, Episode 10 of Riverdale, “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man”, below! Only look if you want to know!
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Jughead and Tabitha dance together while cleaning up the diner, and it turns romantic and they almost kiss. Jughead’s agent tells him an excerpt from his book is going to be published in a major magazine — but he needs to write something more sensational. Tabitha later apologizes and suggests that they stay friends for the time being. Jughead tells Tabitha about his writer’s block, and how he wants to trip on mushrooms in order to cure it — but Tabitha advises against it. Nevertheless, Jughead orders the mushrooms, and his ex-girlfriend, Jess, delivers them to him, and gives him a week to pay them off. Tabitha cooks the mushrooms into a Pop’s burger and Jughead trips heavily, which leads to Tabitha handcuffing him to his desk. He begins to hallucinate — first Jess and Betty, and then the Mothmen. Jughead wakes up the next morning to find that he did actually write a manuscript and disappears. Later, Tabitha shows up and finds Jughead missing and the handcuffs bloodied.
Cheryl and Minerva enjoy being in a relationship, but Cheryl gets discouraged when she sees the Blossom maple trees aren’t producing any sap. Nana Rose argues that it’s because Cheryl is happy. Hiram tells Reggie that he’s been harvesting a precious metal within his prison — and he needs to dig underneath the Blossom family’s maple grove to do so. Reggie visits Nana Rose and gets her to sign over the groves, which Cheryl immediately overrules. She goes to Hiram and Reggie and tells them that the deal is moot, but Hiram has another plan — planting bombs at the prison to cause a massive escape, and having Reggie light the Blossom maple trees on fire. Penelope returns to Cheryl and Minerva, and shows them that the maple grove is on fire. Nana Rose argues that they should sacrifice Minerva, but she refuses and leaves. Cheryl, Penelope, and Nana Rose all pray — and it appears to work.
Glen makes himself comfortable in Riverdale, and continues to override Betty on her effort in finding Polly’s killer. Later, Alice and Betty learn that Juniper and Dagwood got in trouble at school for pushing another kid down the stairs, in part because the kid had suggested that Polly was dead. When Betty tells Glen about this, he reveals that he’s actually writing his dissertation over her family and their connection to the serial killer gene. Later, Alice and Betty throw Juniper and Dagwood’s birthday party — and both Charles and Chic show up because of the prison break, essentially holding the family hostage. They reveal that they want to get married, and Alice goes through with the wedding — until Glen shows up. Charles ties up Glen and has the family “play a game” called The Pincushion Man where they stab him, and Betty talks Charles down from making Juniper and Dagwood participate. Charles makes Betty stab Glen instead, and she does — but then uses the knife to get the upper hand over Charles and Chic. Glen and Charles get taken to the hospital, and Betty tells Alice that the FBI is going to relocate their investigation about Polly — but Betty is going to continue it herself.
Archie is offered a medal of honor for one of the missions he did in combat, but his Army General disagrees with his teachings as part of the RROTC. Archie later gets a call from a reporter, who is investigating whether or not the Army General and the mission were corrupt. Archie visits Uncle Frank, who tells him to stick to his gut.
Weatherbee tells Archie and Kevin to give tours at the school’s parent-teacher night. When prisoners start sneaking into the school during the parent-teacher night and rob all of the attendees, Archie fights them off. Archie locks down the school, outside of letting in Uncle Frank, who reveals that Hiram was paying some of the prisoners to trash the town. Archie refuses the medal of honor from the General, and asks Uncle Frank to stay with him for the time being.
Chad refuses to sign Veronica’s divorce papers, and threatens to blackmail her. Veronica goes to Archie and tells him what happened with her and Chad’s helicopter crash, and how she worries that she’d wished it into existence and then stayed with Chad out of guilt. She decides to go to New York to confront Chad and get closure, but Chad tries to turn it into a romantic date where they reminisce about their past. Veronica asks Chad if he planned the helicopter crash, and he denies it — and also reveals that he signed the divorce papers. Chad ends up lying, and reveals that he made bad investments in the name of her new jewelry company — and that they’ll need to stay married until he makes back the money, otherwise he’s going to sue her. Veronica calls Archie to tell him that she’s staying in New York for a few days.
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Riverdale will return with new episodes beginning Wednesday, July 7th, on The CW.
