“To Riverdale and Back Again” immediately stands out as one of the best episodes of the show’s freshman season for its deft plot development regarding the central mystery. Even better is that the writers have finally gotten a handle on Archie by blessedly looping him into the hunt to figure out who killed Jason Blossom. Charting Archie’s arc makes it clear the writers are interrogating the identities characters have settled into or are struggling to overcome. For Archie it has become undeniable he’s the kind of guy who can’t operate without a relationship. Wasn’t he just trying to rekindle his poorly developed relationship with Val? Now he probably barely remembers her, considering how he’s throwing himself into trying to convince Veronica they should be together. To her credit, Veronica is hesitant. “We had a moment,” she explains to Archie as his desire becomes overwhelming. She doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to deal with his romantic overtures and puppy dog eyes. She wants to figure out the truth about her father. Can Hiram be trusted? Or is the prospect of his early release going to upend Veronica and Hermione’s lives? But Archie is nothing if not persistent. Although the setting for when they finally kiss again leaves a lot to be desired: FP’s trailer.