Riverdale season 4, episode 18, “Lynchian” was incredibly macabre, and anything but mundane.

It feels like Riverdale finally remembered that it’s senior year in season 4, episode 18, and the show is starting to set the characters up for what’s next. With so many pieces moving onto new paths, this episode was fully packed.

As season 4 is quickly wrapping up (next week’s episode will serve as the unplanned season finale due to COVID-19), the show is finally starting to get serious about those creepy tapes that have been darkening the doorsteps of Riverdale’s citizens.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised that Riverdale has a seedy video store that sells child sex tapes and snuff films. Nobody? Yeah, that makes sense.

What I still don’t know is how Mr. Honey is involved with the tapes. I’ve always assumed Charles and Chic had something to do with them because of what we saw earlier in the season, and I think we can safely clear Ethel as a suspect, but Honey is a mystery.

Is he just a voyeur, or is he actually involved in making the tapes? He definitely seems creepy and anti-Riverdale enough to do something like this. Also, he would have access to the school’s AV Club equipment as the principal.

Based on the trailer for the next episode, he’s about to become the prime suspect, so I’m curious to see how things turn around.

Honey has been just enough of a presence in Riverdale season 4 that I think it would be satisfying for him to be the guilty party. Of course, it would all depend on why he did it.

Now that Betty and Jughead are on the case together, it’s only a matter of time before everything is revealed.

Never have I been more worried about Bughead than when Betty said she wasn’t “getting pulled into some creepy new mystery.” Excuse me, but Betty Cooper without mysteries?! Have we entered some parallel universe where everything is opposite?

Related: Why Riverdale season 5 needs a time jump

I appreciated that Riverdale gave the possibility of Barchie a little more context in season 4, episode 18. This episode used Betty’s diary and repeated utterings of “this is nice” to paint a picture of why these two characters are being drawn toward each other in this moment. It filled in some blanks from last week’s kiss which, in my opinion, felt rushed and unearned.

That being said, I’m still not a fan of this storyline. Not only am I annoyed about having to deal with the practically inevitable fallout when the secret comes out, but I also can’t get on board the whole “this is nice” mantra.

I absolutely get that Betty and Archie would both be reminiscent of “simpler times” in this moment. Their lives have been an endless series of horrors for years, so the desire for easier and more innocent days makes a lot of sense. Especially when they’re coming close to the end of a significant chapter in their lives.

What I don’t like is the implied idea that Betty and Archie are the light to Veronica and Jughead’s darkness. These two have been involved in, and had equal parts in, just as much drama as everyone else, so like Cheryl said, what Betty’s fantasizing about is an “idea,” and nothing more.

I really loved that Cheryl, in a rare moment of maturity, summed it up like that. Do I believe that she will also be the one to eventually spill the beans? Probably. Because this isn’t over. But it was a nice moment, nonetheless.

As much as I’m already mourning the loss of the Cheryl and Veronica power duo, I’m really excited about where Cheryl is headed. It took a lot of strength and forethought for her to decide to leave the business, and I’m hoping it means she’s getting serious about her future and what she wants. Whatever it is, if she’s setting her mind to it, I’m sure it will be awesome.

As for Veronica, she officially has a new business partner. My reaction to this is what my reaction to Hiram always is these days. Ugh.

Miraculously, Riverdale season 4, episode 18, actually made me feel sorry for Hiram Lodge for approximately one second while he was being pummeled in the street, but that does not mean I trust him at all. I give this happy father-daughter business relationship one episode before he burns it to the ground.

Another business venture that might fall short before it can fly is Reggie’s tickle porn operation. Guys, the idea of tickling videos actually started to sound normal to me in Riverdale season 4, episode 18, and I’m a little scared.

Whether Terry or Honey shuts them down for good, I don’t see this lasting long. I just hope nobody gets hurt in the process. I especially hope that Kevin and Fangs make it out unscathed, because I’m thrilled that they’re discussing a future together! Kangs spinoff in Pittsburgh, anyone?

As for the futures of other characters in Riverdale, Betty is still Yale bound and Archie is “getting serious” about the Naval Academy. While Betty seems to be clinging on to Jughead, Archie might be looking to get even further from Veronica.

Again, this seems like it’s coming out of nowhere. Have Archie and Veronica gone through a ton of drama in the past? Absolutely. But right now, other than the one fight that they had, things are good!

I hope we get a little bit more context about what’s making Archie so confused in the Riverdale season finale, and that Archie and Veronica have a chance to talk about everything.

That’s almost it for this week. However, since it’s Riverdale’s senior year, each week I will be giving out some yearbook superlatives for the episode. Check them out here!

‘Riverdale’ season 4, episode 18 awards

Cutest couple: Kangs! I’m so excited for these two
Best dressed: All the Bulldogs and Vixens. I’m going to miss those uniforms.
Most likely to be a secret serial killer: Ethel
Most likely to reuse the same sappy song for all the girls: Archie
Most likely to surprise everyone by becoming hugely successful: Reggie. That guy is an entrepreneur if I’ve ever seen one.