Dispatches from the Riverdale Register: "Hoop Dreams"
Reggie returns, and so does Riverdale's attempt to tackle racism. How does it do?
When Tabitha Tate—both the 1950s version and the Guardian Angel version—left the show in the first episode of the season, it seemed like the examination of racial justice left with her. Toni and Clay, the two remaining Black characters, haven’t really had any scenes with each other, and both have exclusively been pursuing White love interests. But Tabitha returns from her trip with Mamie Till, and start asking important questions—like, wasn’t Toni writing for The Blue and Gold? And wasn’t Betty running it? Whatever happened to that?
This episode also introduces the 1950s version of one of my favorite characters, Reggie Mantle. One of the criticisms I’ve read about this season is that these aren’t the characters we’ve been following for seven seasons, and several of them have had personality transplants. I honestly don’t think most of the characters are that different—honestly, Archie’s probably changed the most and it’s a welcome improvement! However, this Reggie Mantle is entirely different from the one we’ve known.
Archie’s still an artist-athlete, Jughead’s still a parentless writer, Veronica and Cheryl are still rich, Betty still wants to rebel against her repressive parents, Toni’s still a serpent, Kevin’s still a performer. But Reggie? I guess Reggie’s still a jock, but instead of braggadocios he’s strong and silent. Instead of the son of a sleazy car salesman, he’s the son of a hard-working farmer. This Reggie would not run a speakeasy or a casino with Veronica.
It goes a step further, because this Reggie is the first 1950s alternate who has a completely different family. We don’t see either of his parents in this episode, but their descriptions do not match the Marty Mantle of Riverdale prime (and we never met Reggie’s mom, if she existed). Reggie, who is played by biracial actor Charles Melton, has never been a character whose race is commented on. He and his dad Marty are Asian American, and it’s not a big deal. 1950s Reggie shares Melton’s real-life ancestry: a White American father and a Korean mother.
Now, I think Riverdale did this for thematic story reasons…but I also wonder if it means something greater, with regards to the multiverse. We’ve been waiting to see what will happen if all the characters get their memories back, but if this Reggie gets his memories back, he’s gonna be like wtf, bro, these aren’t my parents.
Besides Reggie, another little detail that really puts us in an alternate universe is Jughead describing Riverdale as a “basketball town”. It even explicitly mentions that their football team sucks. Guess these kids haven't known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.
Let’s meet the new Reggie Mantle. This Reggie doesn’t even live in Riverdale proper, instead living out on a farm in Duck Creek. Uncle Frank recruits Reggie to play for Riverdale High’s basketball team, having recently dropped out of Stonewall Prep, where he was also recruited for basketball. Duck Creek must be further than Greendale or something, because Reggie comes to live with the Andrews family.
At the Andrews family dinner table, Reggie explains that he had to drop out to work on the farm because his dad was injured in the war. Archie wonders why the Mantles don’t get help from the G.I. Bill, a landmark benefits program for veterans that included access to low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business or farm, one year of unemployment compensation, and dedicated payments of tuition and living expenses to attend high school, college, or vocational school. Reggie curtly tells him that his family can’t access those benefits, and when innocent little Archie asks why, Reggie says “you know why.”
Black veterans were infamously excluded from the G.I. Bill—not technically, but due to that old chestnut “state’s rights”, the Federal government couldn’t intervene if a state college or local bank refused to enroll or loan to a Black veteran. Now Reggie’s dad is White, but a key sponsor of the G.I. Bill, John Rankin—who made sure to include the language in the bill that allowed de-facto discrimination—was a notorious racist who also passed bills banning interracial marriage. And given that Reggie’s mom is Korean, and the country just fought a war designed to dehumanize Korean population, I can see Mantles getting denied their rightful G.I. Bill benefits.
The exploration of Reggie’e experience as a Korean American doesn’t stop here. Reggie reveals to Archie that the reason he dropped out of Stonewall Prep was deliberate racist attacks from his fellow teammates, and that’s why he’s been so standoffish with everyone here.
Archie: We’re not like that here.
Reggie: Aren’t you?
Archie soon learns that yes, they are like that here. He attends a party at the Blossoms where most of the adults talk about Reggie in a gross, othering manner, and telling Archie that they feel sorry he has to share a room with him. Later during practice, the worst character ever Julian Blossom calls Reggie “Banana Boy”1 and Archie does what he does best—punch Julian. Archie and Reggie form a mutual respect for each other, and I only kind of wished that they kissed.
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s return causes Toni to re-evaluate her relationship with Cheryl. Toni doesn’t really want to be a cheerleader, she wants to form a Black literary journal. She worries that she and Cheryl are too different, and come from completely different worlds. They break up, but in any time period, Cheryl Blossom jumps at the chance to be a White Ally. Seemingly inspired by hearing her parents be gross about Reggie, Cheryl gives Toni the money to start her journal. Toni, who earlier was told by Clay that if she really likes someone she’ll make it work, decides to give Cheryl a second chance.
If you’re wondering about whether anything came of Brad Raybury’s visit from the milkman last episode, it takes until the end of the episode for Jughead to find out what we already knew—Raybury is dead. Sheriff Keller says it was a suicide by hanging, which is a different M.O. than the Muggs parents. I want some sleuthing NOW!
Stray observations
I hope Tabitha stays this time! I didn’t realize how much I missed her, and her and Jughead.
Veronica thinking that everyone will be impressed that she owns a business, only to have no one be impressed, makes me think that everyone’s subconscious remembers Veronica’s 230 businesses from the prime universe.
One very subtle thing I liked in this episode, was Reggie’s kindness to Dilton Doiley in the scrimmage match. Dilton is also Asian American. Please give me a Dilton/Reggie friendship scene!
The Bret Weston Wallis cameo was exquisite! Will we get a Donna Sweett cameo later on?
Archie to Betty: “Grown ups don’t have a clue.”
Old time slang words of the week: “Apple butter”, which Toni has used a few times, means “flattery, smooth talk”. And flutter bum makes another appearance.
Off-brand product names: Jughead has a whole host of fake candy names—Senior Mints, Butterflingers, Mint BoGos, 3 Buccaneers, and Skit-Skats.
Real life product name: Ray Harryhausen was a real special effects artist. W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Comet” is a real story. Veronica’s reference to “Tony and Tab” has to be Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter, Norman Bates himself and the matinee idol he briefly dated.
See you all next time! More milkman mystery! Less Julian Blossom!
Kind of had to scratch my head about this one, but I also don’t want Riverdale using real anti-Asian slurs. Banana is a pejorative term much like Oreo is for a Black person—saying you’re yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Not really sure that it makes sense for Julian to use here, but I digress.