Dial M for Maple The A.V. Club

So it's come to this: The end of Dial M For Maple. Though Riverdale's fifth season returns this week from its extended hiatus, our humble podcast has reached a point where it's no longer sustainable for us to keep going on a weekly basis. We've so enjoyed following along with every loopy twist and turn of this show that's brought us so much joy, so it was a very difficult decision to have to make. Alas, the time has come. In a final mini-sode, hosts Marah and Cameron reflect on the podcast's journey and all the amazing things we've gotten out of the show thus far. But, most of all, Dial M For Maple's last hurrah is a thank you to the loyal listeners and Riverdale fans who've given us so much love and support (and juicy theories!) along the way—we simply couldn't have done any of this without you. Though the podcast has come to an end, if you'd like to continue chatting with us about the show , you can follow us on social media at @marahe and @cameronscheetz, where we'd be thrilled to talk all things Riverdale. We can't wait to see where the show takes things from here. Bye bye, bulldogs!!

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Is it the maple mushrooms talking, or was that an especially trippy episode of Riverdale? Though it feels like season five’s post-time jump plots were just heating up, the show sends us off on hiatus with “The Pincushion Man,” one hell of a mid-season finale with surprises to spare. On this week’s Dial M For Maple, we break down the episode, twist by twist, tracing the shockwaves sent through town from Hiram’s explosive—and surprisingly successful—prison break. Hosts Marah and Cameron wonder if some of Jughead’s maple mushroom-induced visions were real, praise the return of loopy lovebirds Charles and Chic, and share their excitement over Penelope Blossom’s newfound religious fervor (but which religion is it?). And, finally, in this week’s edition of The Blue & Gold, we fawn over some cast hiking photos and get giddy about some Riverdale-adjacent real estate listings.

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Between a long-awaited emotional arc for Kevin Keller and a surprise “Stupid Love” performance by Cheryl Blossom and the River Vixens, it seems this episode of Riverdale was hoping to give they gays everything they want. Unfortunately, “Destroyer” misses the mark—it may have some important things to say about trauma, but the results feel especially bleak, putting Kevin, Betty and company through the ringer once again. Nevertheless, our podcast Dial M For Maple breaks it all down beat by beat to ponder where Riverdale could be taking us for its midseason finale. Also in this episode, hosts Marah and Cameron go gaga for Cheryl’s trip to Chromatica, explain why Betty’s FBI cohort (and ex?) Glen is not to be trusted, and share their theories on the origins of “Lerman Logan.” And, finally, in this week’s Blue & Gold, an update on the Archie-verse’s Who-y “it” couple, and a funny glimpse at the future circa 1990s Archie Comics.

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Are key parties still a thing? They are in Riverdale, or at least in Cheryl Blossom’s twisted imagination, where she’s concocted a plan to throw Toni, Kevin, and Fangs’ modern family into chaos. But when she invites this semi-estranged group of friends to her gothic manse for a night of swinging, no romantic pairing is left unshaken, finally bringing everyone together, if only to shift the status quo yet again. That’s the main crux of “Lock And Key,” and our recap podcast Dial M For Maple parses through it all, ‘ship by ‘ship. There’s the inevitable return of Varchie—’shippers rejoice—Tabitha’s unfortunate turn as Jughead’s caretaker, unintentional homewrecker Rick, and so much more to discuss. And then, in this week’s The Blue & Gold, we give a listen to KJ Apa and Hart Denton’s new song and deem it: Appropriately chill.

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The Mothman cometh! Well, eventually. But until then, Riverdale seems to be spinning its wheels in “Fire In The Sky,” an episode largely muddled in busy work with just enough teases of the paranormal to leave us intrigued. Archie’s on another crusade to save the town via firefighter, Veronica’s got another harebrained scheme masked as an economics lesson, and Betty finds herself on the tail of another serial killer. Thankfully, Jughead and Tabitha’s Mulder and Scully cosplay keeps things fresh, delivering both a rousing UFO-sighting flashback from Pop Tate and some hot alien gossip from Nana Rose. Nevertheless, our Riverdale podcast Dial M For Maple returns to recap it all, theorizing about Hiram’s master plan and declaring our own winner of the HBIC dance-off. And, in this week’s edition of The Blue & Gold, hosts Marah and Cameron wonder what kind of tunes super-bros KJ Apa and Hart Denton have been cooking up.

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Now that our (former) teen heroes of Riverdale are settled back into their lives in the (former) Town With Pep, the show’s fifth season begins to set the table for the mysteries to come. There are skeevy truckers, estranged husbands, mothmen aliens, a conniving school secretary, and so much more in the latest episode, “Back To School,” and our recap podcast Dial M For Maple is here to unspool each plot thread. Hosts Marah and Cameron share their suspicions about Cheryl’s new art forgery gig, wonder what made Veronica fall for the greasy Chad Gekko in the first place, and sing the praises of Hiram’s gorgeous bag of Doritos. And then, in an extra juicy edition of The Blue & Gold, we gab about Skeet Ulrich and Lucy Hale’s apparent May-December romance, and pour through KJ Apa’s intriguing interview with his Songbird costar Demi Moore.

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