Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Good news: Riverdale Season 3 is finally on Netflix, as of today! Bad news: there are 22 episodes to watch, which means unless you’re doing an intense amount of Fizzle Rocks or Jingle Jangle, you’re not going to be able to binge every episode by the end of the day. Luckily, we at Decider are here to help, breaking down the essential episodes of Riverdale Season 3, in case you want a more tackle-able mini-binge.
Don’t get me wrong, if you’ve watched Season 1 or 2 of The CW’s teen murder show, you’re probably well aware that there’s enough plot in any given episode of Riverdale to power several seasons of a regular show. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and team have made the dark Archie Comics adaptation so conversation worthy because of how it moves at ludicrous speed. In the span of a single episode, characters will break up, get back together, die, come back to life, discover thirty-six secrets (only three of which will have relevance going forward) and still have time for a musical number or two. It’s a heady stew of insanity that only occasionally takes breaks to drill down on what this all means for the characters.
And Season 3 was particularly bonkers, even by Riverdale standards. Where Season 1 focused on the murder of local teen Jason Blossom, and Season 2 found the town plagued by a serial killer called The Black Hood, Season 3 tackled cults, monsters in the woods, and led up to an epic gang war that wouldn’t be out of place on Game of Thrones. All of which is to say, it’s tricky to pick out just a few episodes and have anything make a lick of sense.
But that’s not why we watch Riverdale, right? For the whole “making sense” angle? To that end, here are the seven Season 3 episodes you need to watch to get the idea of the season, including some stand-out hours. Does this include every epic love story, triangle, or sexy scene? Nope. But if you want to watch Season 3 of Riverdale on Netlix in the time it takes to go to the theater, watch Avengers: Endgame, and head home, we’ve got you covered.
One last note before we get into this… As many viewers are most likely aware, this was the final season actor Luke Perry filmed as dad Fred Andrews before he rather suddenly passed away on March 4. Though we didn’t include the episode on this list for plot reasons, “Chapter Fifty-Four: Fear the Reaper” was Perry’s final episode with the show. Though he only has a brief scene in the hour, it’s a poignant reminder of how much he’ll be missed.
"Chapter Thirty-Six: Labor Day"
We’re going to assume you’ve watched Seasons 1 and 2, but in case not at the end of Season 2 Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) was accused of a murder he didn’t commit, and carted off in handcuffs. The Season 3 premiere is an essential set-up for the events of the rest of the year, picking up post-Summer as the gang is trying to clear Archie’s name. It also sets up the big, over-arching mystery of the season, a mysterious role-playing game called Gryphons & Gargoyles, and the big boss at the end of it: The Gargoyle King. And it teases the beginnings of the season’s other weird mystery, a cult called The Farm, ending with one of the craziest visuals in Riverdale history.
Plus, the episode, written by Aguirre;Sacasa and directed by Kevin Sullivan is just very good, balancing some great romantic moments between Archie and Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) as well as mysteries and general Riverdale ridiculousness.
"Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club"
The highly anticipated flashback episode of Riverdale zoomed back in time to 1992, when the current generation of parents were Juniors in high school. Written by Tessa Leigh Williams and directed by Dawn Wilkinson, it’s a pastiche of ’80s cliches filtered through a ’90s lens, and is an essential chapter in the Gargoyle King mystery. Plus, it’s a ton of fun, allowing all the “teens” on the show to act as their “parents.” Special shout-out to Madelaine Petsch’s teen Penelope Blossom, whose dorky dancing makes the episode worth watching, all on its own.
"Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit"
A lot happens between the first two episodes we mentioned and “No Exit,” but the short version is that Archie escapes from jail and Riverdale is briefly put under quarantine due to a made up viral outbreak. Written by Arabella Anderson and directed Jeff Hunt, what makes this an essential episode is what happens to Archie, an event so insane you would never predict it in a million years. Okay fine, maybe a million years. But not, like, a year.
Anyway, not only is Archie’s storyline rather hauntingly played out, it provides a good table-setter for the season finale. There are also a few other plot details this episode will help fill in, including Veronica opening a speakeasy in the basement of Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe a few episodes back, and what Betty discovers about evil nuns Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
"Chapter Forty-Seven: Bizarrodale"
“Bizarrodale” is on this list mostly because it’s the most balanced episode of the season, managing to mix real character growth with weird mysteries and big plot moves in a way that’s reminiscent of Riverdale Season 1. The episode by Britta Lundin flips the script, focusing on: Cheryl (Petsch) and her girlfriend Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan); Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) and his sort of boyfriend Moose (Cody Kearsley); Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) and Archie; and Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton) and Veronica. There are some big plot points it sets up (or continues) that will help with keeping up later, like the reintroduction of Jughead’s sister Jellybean (Trinity Likins), and girl gang The Pretty Poisons. But mostly this is here because “Bizarrodale” is romantic, funny, occasionally terrifying, and a lot of fun.
"Chapter Fifty-One: Big Fun"
Riverdale‘s second musical episode (after Season 2’s “A Night To Remember”), written by Tessa Leigh Williams and directed by Maggie Kiley, pretty epically tackles “Heathers: The Musical,” dark subject matter for any show. But beyond the fun songs (“Dead Girl Walking,” sung by Morgan, is a blockbuster in particular), the episode weaves together the overall plotlines with a much deeper message about the overall violence in Riverdale, and high schools in real life, as the kids in the town basically beg the parents to let them live their lives. It’s also essential as a true introduction to The Farm, thanks to town weirdo Evelyn Evernever (Zoé de Grand’Maison) and cult leader Edgar Evernever (Chad Michael Murray).
"Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House"
Riverdale Season 3 enters its endgame with this episode. There’s a lot that happens before it, but you’ll catch up… Main things you need to know are that pretty much everyone has joined The Farm at this point, including Betty who is trying to stay safe from her father Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro), aka The Black Hood, who now has a hook for a hand. There’s more, including an ongoing boxing storyline involving Archie — but this episode is really the only fight you need to see, as he and Veronica take on her father Hiram (Mark Consuelos) one last time. In terms of action and propulsive energy, this episode will get you pumped as it sets the stage for the season finale.
"Chapter Fifty-Seven: Survive the Night"
And it all comes down to this. Frankly, this is the only actually essential episode of Season 3, as everything that’s happened in the first two seasons comes together with… Well, not a neat bow, but certainly some sort of knot. It’s giddy fun with some excellent direction from Rachel Talalay, and a script from Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi that recenters the show on the pull between classic Americana and the darkness of Riverdale. Plus, by the end, you’ll be dying to watch Season 4.
