School is in session once again as Archie Andrews (played by KJ Apa) and his friends started their new job as teachers this week on Riverdale. While the small yet seemingly lawless town is dealing with yet another mystery, viewers on the CW, and later on Netflix, were more focused on a hilarious callback to a viral moment from the series’ third season.
One of Riverdale’s biggest memes was finally referenced in this week’s episode, ‘Back to School’.
The latest instalment finds Archie and his friends Veronica (Camila Mendes), Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) inside their school’s hallowed halls once again, this time as teachers.
With Riverdale under threat from severe under-funding, the gang have had to abandon their lives to ensure their sacred place of learning stays open as the rest of their town descends into anarchy.
As viewers tuned in on The CW, an unexpected call-back to Archie’s unintentionally hilarious prison speech in season three sent fans into a tailspin on social media.
READ MORE: Riverdale season 5: Betty Cooper to encounter ‘disturbing’ villain
The series attracted overwhelming attention from bemused fans and the uninitiated alike when Archie rallied his fellow prisoners during his brief stint in Shankshaw Prison to play a game of football.
Things took a bizarre turn when one inmate admitted he dropped out of high school to sell drugs and care for his dying grandma.
To which the ever-dramatic Archie replied: “Then you haven’t known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.”
Archie’s questionable retort instantly went viral, and remains a popular reference among Riverdale fans on social media platforms such as Twitter and TikTok.
“‘The epic highs and lows’ line. I love that. Go off Jughead,” another viewer said.
And a third exclaimed: “Dude – Jug mocking Archie’s ‘epic highs and lows of high school football’ speech is the best thing I’ve ever seen!”
Jughead’s snarky quip also prompted some fans to wonder why Archie didn’t bring up his infamous ‘I’m a weirdo’ line.
Riverdale originally became meme material in the first season when Jughead admitted to Betty: “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo.”
“I don’t ‘fit in’, and I don’t want to fit in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? That’s weird.”
As another fan said: “Jughead calling out Archie’s ‘epic highs and lows’ speech is begging for Archie to ask him if he’s ‘a weirdo’ to be honest.”
The CW’s ludicrous Archie Comics adaptation may have finally started to win its naysayers over as Riverdale’s fifth season promises to lean into its baffling reputation.
Riverdale season 5 continues Wednesday, March 10 on the CW and the following Thursday on Netflix.
