Whenever Riverdale is in chaos, all roads lead back to Hiram and Reggie. Particularly, Hiram's schemes from his shady office.

The latest crimes unleashed a wave of new terrors on Riverdale Season 5 Episode 10.

Escaped prisoners, a forest fire, and an explosion were just some of the nefarious plans they had up their sleeves. Parent-Teacher night will never be the same again!

Hiram and Reggie have reached new levels of being cartoon villains.

For two supposedly powerful characters, they're doing the absolute most just to get small wins. Couldn't they find a simpler way to achieve their goals?

Creating a Sodale community isn't a highly profitable idea. The pair would make a lot of money, but they could probably earn even more funds in another business venture, like the prison or real estate in a more established area.

Instead, they've resorted to prison explosions and maple fires. Plenty of great drama for us as viewers to get hooked on, but the believability got thrown out the window.

It would be a miracle if anyone will buy a property in their Sodale development after this.

The explosion at the prison caused a lot of chaos throughout the town. It's a shame we only got a taste of it; nothing will ever compare to the city-wide carnage that was Riverdale Season 2 Episode 21.

Though, the prison breakout did make the Parent-Teacher night at Riverdale High one to remember.

Archie's return to his vigilante ways came in handy as he battled against the escaped prisoners. The plot felt organic here because Archie now had the development of being a trained military soldier and had experience with fighting. (Teen vigilante Archie couldn't compare!)

The fight choreography was both precise and smooth. And, there was a good selection of moves and attacks to make the battles feel different from each other.

Parent-Teacher night is one of the best fight scenes Riverdale has ever done.

Archie shouldn't be too quick to doubt the trial against General Taylor. He's witnessed firsthand how a trial can be set up against him and pay terribly for it.

Does he not remember the framing on Riverdale Season 3 Episode 1?

Granted, he shouldn't allow the General to get away with his crimes, especially if he caused murders and tried to cover them up. However, Archie has to be smart about the decision and prepare for what's to come.

He should reach out to the New York Times journalist and do whatever he can to get evidence. The last thing we need is another plot of Archie behind bars.

For Hiram's second attack, Riverdale Season 5 Episode 10 teased the appearance of the Blossom curse and its effect on the family.

The bad luck against the Blossoms, like the lack of maple from the trees and the forest fire, all seemed like a convenient trope for Nana Blossom. If anything bad happened, she blamed the curse and came up with an outlandish solution.

For instance, Minerva is lucky to have gotten out of there alive! You could tell from Cheryl's and Penelope's faces they would kill her to stop the fire. (The Bossom gene is cutthroat!)

Nana Rose: The curse! The curse of our ancestors demands that all living Blossoms must die! Unless…
Cheryl: Unless?
Nana Rose: We sacrifice the interloper!
[Awkward silence]
Minerva: Oh hell no!
Cheryl: No, Min Min!
[Minerva runs out of the house]

• Permalink: The curse! The curse of our ancestors demands that all living Blossoms must die!

It's great to have Penelope back on Riverdale. She's the kind of evil supervillain who has fun while committing their terrible acts.

Reggie and Hiram should be careful what they do next. If Penelope finds out Reggie started the fire, she'll unleash the Blossom wrath on them!

Chad was exactly like the creep we all expected him to be. He couldn't even survive a chapter away from Veronica before showing his true colors again.

Did he expect blackmailing Veronica forever will make her change her mind?

Using the shady dealings against her might work in his favor now, but she'll find a way to break free and expose the truth against him. All he's doing is delaying the inevitable and arming her to strike harder.

Veronica: I always wondered. You didn’t crash on purpose, did you?
Chad: Why would you think that?! We almost died…
Veronica: Because then we’d be together forever. In a different way.

• Permalink: I always wondered. You didn’t crash on purpose, did you?

It's a shame they couldn't end on good terms. Both Chad and Veronica seemed like they had happier times together; their slow dance to their wedding song was a touching moment that made the couple endearing.

Now, it's a fading memory before Veronica crushes him once and for all. Bring on the vengeance!

Jughead's trip down the maple mushrooms brought up a lot more questions than answers.

What trauma was he trying to unpack with the mushrooms? Does he have unresolved feelings (or issues) with Betty? With Jessica?!

The psychedelic scene had an interesting design style to it. I liked the use of muted colors filling the room and the uneasy tone whenever fake Betty or Jessica had an interaction with Jughead. The choices succeeded in making the scene feel trippy and raw.

Nice try, you simpletons! But, you’ll be shocked to learn the contract you have is totally devoid of meaning. I had Nana Rose declared legally senile half a decade ago. She has no power to do anything. Now, it’s time for you to accept the fact that you will NEVER get my precious groves. Tootles!

Cheryl

• Permalink: Nice try, you simpletons!

Jughead had no control, and whatever issues hid underneath due to the alien encounter, the trauma affected his mind even during the trip.

Though, I have a feeling what happened to Jughead was non-alien specific. This could be the return of the debt collectors or Jessica; Jughead owes a lot of money to a lot of people. Plus, that plot thread had to return sometime soon.

Glenn had the nerve to think no one would have a problem with his dissertation.

Sure, writing a focus on The Black Hood could be justified because it's a public serial killer who tormented a town. There's enough history there to create his report based on just the murders.

However, expanding his dissertation to be about the Cooper bloodline and the debate of nature vs. nurture crossed the line. Especially since he was closely connected to Betty and knew intimate details about her.

Glenn should've discussed it with her beforehand instead of acting all shady and writing it behind her back. One complaint to the FBI from Betty would shut it down and he'd have nothing.

The appearance of Charles and Chic was a pleasant surprise to the Cooper household. Their return was bound to happen, but being this chapter kept us on our toes.

It's great that the pair were still very much in love. Even after their villain storylines, a creepy wedding was the right next step for this couple.

Charles: Chic and I would like to be married, with our family present!
Betty: How? You don’t even have a minister.
Alice: Umm … about that, Betty. Charles had me get ordained online so I could marry them in prison.
Charles: But this is so much better! Home, sweet, home.

• Permalink: Chic and I would like to be married, with our family present!

Only Charles and Chic could make a sinister game out of seeking revenge. Thankfully, Juniper and Dagwood didn't get dragged into the chaos of stabbing and playing the game.

Glenn didn't need another entry to add to his dissertation!

Hopefully, this wasn't the last we'll see of the couple. They survived the fight against Betty and Alice, so there's some potential for them to reappear and cause more havoc for the Coopers.

Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:

• Reggie should check next time who owns the property first before signing any papers.
   
• Tabitha and Jughead kissed! They might be friends for now, but there's still potential between them.
   
• Let's hope Betty and Jughead don't get back together. The pair aren't in the right place to retread their high school romance.
   
• Do the Blossoms have supernatural powers? Are they witches? The mysterious windstorm seemed like it was brought forth by their powers.

Now, over to you, Riverdale fans!

What did you think of "Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man"?

Will Betty or the FBI discover more connections to the Lonely Highway? What happened to Jughead? Will Archie escape the scheme against the General?

If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic.

Come back here and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.