It’s Back to School season for Riverdale and for Cecily and Chanda. We quickly bring you up to date on what’s next for everyone’s favourite redhead, his friends, and his beloved jalopy. Plus, there’s casting news, talk of TV reboots and more!
The Riverdale Rag #022 – Revenge and Reconciliation
WE MADE IT!
Join Cecily and Chanda in a victory lap at the end of the marathon that was season 2 of Riverdale. This week we discuss New Charmed vs. Old Charmed, white feminism, broadening the literary canon, CW scheduling shenanigans, Arrow, Supernatural, Hiram’s end game, whether Hal Cooper is a weevil, and yes, what’s next for our Riverdalians next season.
Stray Observations
Hal, is that you?
I’ve been waiting for a girl like you…
Show Notes
Brave New World is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley. Published in 1932, it propounds that economic chaos and unemployment will cause a radical reaction in the form of an international scientific empire that manufactures its citizens in the laboratory on a eugenic basis, without the need for human intercourse.
Set in a future London, it follows the fortunes of the illegitimate son of a senior governor, who has grown up in America, outside the new empire, and who experiences a dramatic culture-clash when he has to live under its rules. The novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning.
On publication, the book earned mixed reviews, but is now seen as one of the most significant novels of the 20th century, consistently ranking high in the major literary league-tables. (from Wikipedia)
News
- Chanda recommends the film The Kissing Booth because Molly Ringwald is in it.
- Hayley Law Talks Riverdale, Side Hustles, and More (Elle Canada)
- Holly Marie Combs hopes Charmed reboot is ‘far better than the marketing’ (Entertainment Weekly)
- Rachel True brought receipts
I felt it was kinda crazy Charmed ripped off the The Craft & cut out the black character… https://t.co/bDnNORDQ6z
— Rachel True (@RachelTrue) May 24, 2018
– But says no shade was meant
Super sorry for unintended dragging. My tweet wasn’t at all about craft vs charmed. It was about the absurdity of either of us commenting on remakes. My point is a young fresh Latina cast getting a TV show re Brujas is a sea change to be celebrated not bemoaned #diversity https://t.co/bbxRTgjZsv
— Rachel True (@RachelTrue) May 25, 2018
– Sarah Jeffery Has a Message for ‘Charmed’ Reboot Critics: ‘Let’s Be Kind With Our Opinions’(Just Jared, Jr.)
Music Credits
Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #021 – And the Kitchen Sink
Hold on to your letter sweaters, because this was an excellent episode! That’s right, neither Cecily nor Chanda have anything negative to say about this episode. We discuss Cheryl Blossom as the Avenging Angel of Riverdale, whether Cole Sprouse will return next season, The Problem with Hiram Lodge, and Cecily takes a victory lap because she was right about the identity of The Black Hood all along.
Show Notes
Note: The episode was previously titled “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”. That title comes from Yorgos Lanthimos’ and Efthymis Filippou’s 2017 psychological horror film of the same name.
Judgment Night is a 1993 American action thriller film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven and Stephen Dorff as a group of friends on the run from a gang of drug dealers (led by Denis Leary) after they witness a murder. The film was released on DVD on January 20, 2004. (from Wikipedia)
News Items
– Riverdale: B.C.’s Jordan Connor and Drew Ray Tanner vote yearbook titles (Vancouver Sun)
– Cole Sprouse Says Farewell to ‘Riverdale’…?(Elle)
Music Credits
Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #020 – Double Digest
Double your pleasure, double your fun with a Double Digest from Cecily and Chanda! This week your hosts discuss “Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners” and “Chapter Thirty-Three: Shadow of a Doubt”. In all, they were two solid episodes! Colour us surprised!
Show Notes
Prisoners is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay written by Aaron Guzikowski. The film has an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano.[3] It is Villeneuve’s first English-language feature film.
The plot focuses on the abduction of two young girls in Pennsylvania and the subsequent search for the suspected abductor by the police. After police arrest a young suspect and release him, the father of one of the missing girls kidnaps the suspect to interrogate and torture him. The film was a financial and critical success. At the 86th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography.
Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 American psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story for Gordon McDonell. In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
(both from Wikipedia)
News Items
- Riverdale Promotes Vanessa Morgan and Charles Melton to Series Regulars(TV Line)
-
Netflix’s Sabrina Gets a Title (TV Line)
Music Credits
Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #019 – A Nightmare to Remember
Well, that was a musical? We guess? Join Chanda and Cecily as they discuss what they liked, what they questioned, and what they hated about Chapter 31: A Night to Remember.
Stray Observations
- More Fangs Fogarty chewing on scenery, please.
- As far as musicals go, credit to the Riverdale team for making sure the kids sounded like high school kids putting on a musical, instead of professional singing stars who have been singing on stage for years.
Show Notes
A Night to Remember is a 1958 British drama film adaptation of Walter Lord’s 1955 book, which recounts the final night of the RMS Titanic. Adapted by Eric Ambler and directed by Roy Ward Baker, the film stars Kenneth More and features Michael Goodliffe, Laurence Naismith, Kenneth Griffith, David McCallum and Tucker McGuire. It was filmed in the United Kingdom. The film focuses on the story of the sinking, portraying the major incidents and players in a documentary-style fashion with considerable attention to detail; the production team, supervised by producer William MacQuitty, used blueprints of the ship to create the sets accurately, while Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge both worked as technical advisors on the film. Its budget of £600,000 (£11,868,805 today) was exceptionally large for a British film and made it the most expensive film ever made in Britain up to that time. (Source: Wikipedia)
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3151288
News
- What About “The Breakfast Club?” (New Yorker)
- Why Riverdale Chose to Stage Carrie for Its Musical Episode (Vulture)
- Sorry Ariana, The Real Coachella Surprise Performance Came From Riverdale’s KJ Apa (Refinery 29)
Music Credits
Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #018 – Choices
Cecily and Chanda review “The Noose Tightens”, discuss the show’s handling of Cheryl’s conversion therapy, Kevin Keller: Convenient Gay, Cheryl’s bisexuality, and our OTP, #Falice and more. Show notes below.
Stray Observations
- Nana Rose’s red hair streak represents her life force. The streak was wider and more visible last season, but seems thinner (yet just as bright) this season.
- “…F.P. and Alice living their serpent dreams…” – Chanda
Show Notes1
Benjamin Bennett (1904–1985) was a well known South African crime writer. He worked as a journalist with the Cape Argus newspaper from 1925 to 1975, as a crime reporter, and subsequently as news editor and finally editor of Argus Action. He was born in Kimberley, South Africa, and was educated at Kimberley Boys’ High School.
Bennett’s prodigious output of books reflects a close involvement, as crime reporter, both at the crime scene and in the courtroom, where his professional life regularly took him, pen and notebook in hand. It is said that, for his insight, he was even consulted by the police for the solving of certain complex cases.
Conversion Therapy
If you’re interested in finding out more about conversion therapy, check out Buzzfeed’s “This Is What Happens When You Undergo Gay Conversion Therapy” or “#BornPerfect: Survivor Stories and Survivor Network” from the National Centre for Lesbian Rights.
News Item
Music Credits
Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
- As best as we can tell, Bennett’s book The Noose Tightens is the source of this episode’s title. ↩
The Riverdale Rag #017 – Really, Archie?
This week it’s the return of the Double Digest, as Cecily and Chanda discuss "There Will Be Blood" and "Primary Colors".
Stray Observations
- We’ve discussed how the show treats characters of colour before, but the marginalization also carries over into its queer characters. We don’t have much hope for a happy future for Kevin Keller, but Cecily thinks the show has gone to far with Cheryl’s conversion therapy storyline. We don’t trust the show to handle this subject with any seriousness or sensitivity, and we’d just like to see Riverdale’s queer characters be treated with some respect just once.
Show Notes
There Will Be Blood is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. The film was inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel Oil!. It tells the story of a silver miner-turned-oilman (Day-Lewis) on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Dillon Freasier are also featured in the film.
Primary Colors is a 1998 film based on the novel Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, a roman à clef about Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992, which was originally published anonymously, but in 1996 was revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein, who had been covering Clinton's campaign for Newsweek. The film was directed by Mike Nichols and scripted by Elaine May; it starred John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, and Adrian Lester.
News Items
Sabrina has found her Harvey (PopBuzz)
Music Credits
- Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #016 – Who’s Loving Who?
This week Cecily and Chanda discuss the grooming of Archie Andrews, Cheryl and Toni’s budding romance and representation of LGBTQ youth in media, and take a small detour to discuss the new so-called “feminist” reboot of Charmed. Show notes continue below.
Show Notes
The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American exploitation-horror film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace. It is about a suburban family that is targeted by a family of savages after being stranded in the Nevada desert. The film was released in cinemas on 22 July 1977 and has since become a cult classic.1
News Items
- Madeline Mantock cast as the third and final sister in pilot for CW’s ‘Charmed’ Reboot (Shadow and Act)
Music Credits
- Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators
The Riverdale Rag #015 – Wakanda Forever
Cecily and Chanda have been to the promised land, and that land is Wakanda! In this special episode, they discuss the film Black Panther, they discuss the film’s political intrigue, the representation of the diaspora in the film, and the sheer power and joy that comes from seeing your people beautifully and richly represented on screen. Oh, and being them, there’s a whole segment on Wakandan thirst traps. Spoilers abound!
The Riverdale Rag #014 – Snitches Get Stitches
How many episodes are left?
“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon” could be the unifying line for this season. So far season 2 feels 3 years long, and there’s a three-week hiatus after this episode. Can Cecily and Chanda make it? Stay tuned.
This week we talk (at length) about comics, especially The Wicked and the Dead, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and of course Archie and how the comics differ from their televised versions. Plus, we discuss “Chapter 26: The Tell-tale Heart”, and the latest news from the Archieverse.
Show Notes
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavours to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed. The victim was an old man with a filmy “vulture-eye”, as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, and he hides the body by dismembering it in the bathtub, and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator’s feelings of guilt, or a mental disturbance, result in him hearing a thumping sound, which he interprets as the dead man’s beating heart.
The story was first published in James Russell Lowell’s The Pioneer in January 1843. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is widely considered a classic of the Gothic fiction genre and is one of Poe’s most famous short stories.1
News Items
- ‘Riverdale’ Boss Uncovers the Mystery of Ben — The Character Everyone Should Be Talking About! (ET Online)
- “Riverdale” and “The Vampire Diaries” Collided and Even Julie Plec Didn’t Notice at First (Teen Vogue)
- What You Need To Know About Sabrina’s Best Friend In The Upcoming Riverdale Spin-Off (Refinery 29)
Music Credits
- Intro/Outro – Good Morning by LAKEY INSPIRED · Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 · Music provided by Music for Creators