RECAP: Riverdale S7E8 – Chapter 125: Hoop Dreams

Reggie is back! Where’s he been? On the farm, apparently, and literally. Uncle Frank and Archie drive to Reggie’s folks’ farm to recruit him to the Riverdale basketball team. He’s a Stonewall Prep dropout. Frank convinces Reggie’s parents to let him stay with the Andrews and enroll at Riverdale High to play ball. Later, when taking the tour of the Andrews’ house, Reggie immediately appreciates the view from Archie’s window. 

Back when Fred Andrews played for the Riverdale Bulldogs, they were state champs. Now, in the words of Julian Blossom, they’re the state chumps. Archie feels a lot of pressure to live up his dad’s past glory. 

Cheryl wants to go steady with Toni. Toni isn’t feeling the same though. Awkward. 

After last week’s stunt on her parents’ dance show, Hal wants Betty spending less time with boys and more time with girls. He wants her to join the Vixens. Betty isn’t too enthused.  

Tabitha is back! She and Toni catch up. Honestly, Riverdale was missing something without Tabitha around. Tabitha tells her about the tour, and Toni breaks the news that she’s a cheerleader. It disappoints Tabitha that Toni isn’t writing for The Blue and Gold anymore. 

Archie introduces Reggie to the gang during their free period. Reggie zeroes in on Betty immediately.

Tabitha see Jughead and asks, “Don’t I know you?” It’s not a memory of 2023 Riverdale, but rather her gently calling out Jughead for not keeping her up to date with her homework while she was on the road. She absolves him after his quick apology. During the conversation, it comes out that she’s a fan of Brad Raybury, and Jughead offers to introduce her to him. 

Kevin pops into the Babylonium hoping to score a job. Veronica reveals she has a crush on Clay, and wants Kevin’s help. Ha. 

Frank introduces Reggie to the team. Frank tells the guys to divide up into two teams behind Reggie and Julian. One problem: 6 guys line up behind Julian, and only Archie and Fangs head to Reggie. Archie protests, but Reggie says they only need Dilton and they’ll win. Dilton isn’t even on the team; he’s the water boy. Reggie runs circles around his 7 opponents. The best Julian manages is getting the face of the water boy. But Dilton ends up scoring the winning basket after a fake out by Reggie. 

Archie wants to get burgers at Pop’s with the team and Reggie, but no one volunteers to join until Julian responds with the low level racist comment, “I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”

Cheryl assigns the Vixens to various players. Cheryl gives Julian to herself, Archie to Toni and Betty to Reggie. Betty doesn’t seem to mind. Toni does. Baking cookies for a basketball player isn’t her. She quits the team. Cheryl asks if its because she wanted to go steady. Toni says no, but breaks up with Cheryl to boot. 

Tabitha and Jughead stop by Raybury’s, but when he’s not home, Jughead proposes the two of them catch a movie instead. 

Betty gives Reggie a quick recap of what led her to the Vixens: the peep show, the flashing of her undies on live TV. Reggie is freaked out enough to relieve her of her Vixen duties. Later, Archie invites Reggie to lunch, but he declines. 

Toni pitches a literary club for black students to Clay and Tabitha. They’d publish a journal. They think it’s a great idea and want to be a part of it. The only hitch in Toni’s plan is she needs Cheryl’s help to secure funding. But despite being recently dumped by Toni, Cheryl vows to help. 

Kevin outs himself and Clay to Veronica. To which Veronica responds, “The only thing better than having a hunky boyfriend is having hunky friends who are boys.” Veronica is so great. 

Reggie confides in Archie about the racism he experienced at Stonewall that led him to drop out. He just wants to play ball, and play well enough to get a scholarship. Archie protests that they’re not like that in Riverdale, but Reggie questions him on that. 

At the mixer, the Blossoms and a couple of Bulldogs throw out some racist comments about Reggie. Archie finally catches on to what Reggie was saying. 

Reggie’s heads to the Babylonium instead of the mixer. Veronica hopes she’s there for him, and bristles when he says he’s not. 

Jughead shows off his railcar-turned-apartment to Tabitha. She’s impressed. She gives him a book by W.E.B. Dubois. She talks about one of his short stories, The Comet, which sounds suspiciously like the end of last season of Riverdale

Archie comes home form the mixer. When Reggie asks him about it, Archie says he doesn’t really want to talk about it. I’ve never seen someone so happy as Reggie here when he realizes he doesn’t have to talk to Archie. Can’t say I blame him!

Frank isn’t at practices, so Julian runs the show. He and the guys ice Reggie out while hitting him hard. After Julian calls Reggie banana boy, Archie has enough and cold cocks him. Julian goes down in one punch like Guy Gardner. Archie yells at everyone to cut the crap; they’re all teammates and he wants to win. 

Cheryl didn’t make any progress with Featherhead, but secured the funds Toni needed. Toni asks her out again. Man, I’m really getting the feeling that Toni is very “what have you done for me lately” with her affections. 

Archie tells Reggie he didn’t punch Julian for him, but for himself and the team. 

Jughead stops by Raybury’s apartment again, only to find it a crime scene. Sherriff Keller said Raybury killed himself, leaving a note saying “I can no longer continue living this way.” Of course it’s not a suicided. Why would anyone kill Raybury? Was this random or was he specifically targeted for some reason?

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