1.
First, the episode is an obvious homage to The Breakfast Club — the episode is even called “The Midnight Club.”
The CW / Universal Pictures
In both cases, a group of unlikely friends are forced to spend Saturday detention together and end up becoming incredibly close.
2.
Anthony Michael Hall, who was Brian in The Breakfast Club, plays Principal Featherhead.
Universal Pictures, The CW
3.
And as punishment, both the Riverdale and The Breakfast Club kids have to write an essay of “no less than 1,000 words.”
The CW, Universal Pictures
4.
In the classroom, the quote on the blackboard behind Hermione is from Macbeth — it basically talks about a bunch of people who are marching closer to their deaths.
The CW
The full quote on the blackboard reads: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day / To the last syllable of recorded time, / And all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! / Life’s but a walking shadow.”
5.
While narrating the flashback, Alice mentions “Winona and Johnny” — this is a nod to Winona Rider and Johnny Depp’s romance in the ’90s.
The CW
She also makes a reference to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
6.
You can catch this Riverdale student rocking a yellow Walkman too.
7.
In the girls’ bathroom, Sierra is writing “End Apartheid” on the mirror in red lipstick — later on, a similar shade of lipstick is also used to write “flip for your fate.” 👀
8.
Teen Alice’s outfit is very reminiscent of an iconic Shelly Johnson look from Twin Peaks — Mädchen Amick plays both adult Alice and Shelly.
The CW, ABC
9.
Meanwhile, teen Fred’s outfit during detention is almost an exact match of Dylan McKay’s iconic look in 90210 — Luke Perry plays both adult Fred and Dylan.
The CW, Fox
10.
And finally, teen FP’s look has a striking similarity to Billy Loomis’s outfit in Scream — of course, Skeet Ulrich plays both adult FP and Billy.
The CW, Dimension Films
11.
The Riverdale title card for this episode is most likely an homage to Saved by The Bell.
NBC, The CW
12.
Similar to Bender’s look in The Breakfast Club, Alice rocks a pair of black fingerless gloves in detention.
The CW, Universal Pictures
13.
Sierra suggests playing “secrets and sins” in detention — Cheryl suggests playing the same game at Jughead’s birthday party in Season 1.
14.
FP’s cast matches the one Eddie wears in the movie It.
The CW, Warner Bros.
15.
Alright, I’m unsure about this one, but when Penelope is unpacking her lunch during detention, she ~appears~ to have a container of maple syrup — something the Blossom family is famous for.
16.
There’s a Red Circle comic book in the drawer Hermione breaks into — Red Circle was an old Archie Comics superhero imprint.
The CW
And yes, Archie’s The Red Circle group from Season 2 is a nod to this.
17.
When the gang finds Gryphons and Gargoyles, Fred says kids at Seaside High have been playing it — in Season 2, Toni mentions that the Serpents might be bussed to Seaside High.
18.
When Penelope pairs off FP and Veronica and then Fred and Alice, she actually utters an iconic Cheryl line: “I’m in the mood for chaos.”
19.
Behind FP in the student lounge, you can spot a poster for an upcoming Bulldogs vs. Ravens football game — the Ravens are the football team from Greendale where Sabrina lives.
20.
When Alice and Fred go looking for the Thornhill stone, they are looking in the classroom that becomes Betty’s headquarters for the Blue & Gold.
21.
While role-playing Gryphons and Gargoyles, FP chooses to wear a crown — a nod to Jughead’s crown in the comics and Jughead’s beanie in Riverdale.
The CW, Archie Comics
22.
Hiram offers the group a new drug called Fizzle Rocks, which is a spoof on Pop Rocks — this is also reminiscent of how Jingle Jangle is a spoof on Pixie Sticks.
23.
Similar to Alice watching her friends get high on Fizzle Rocks, Betty watched her friends get high on Jingle Jangle in Season 2.
The CW / Tumblr / Via alxcecooper.tumblr.com
24.
The song that Fred’s band, The Fred Heads, sings is “Dream Warriors” by Dokken, which was used as the theme song for The Nightmare on Elm Street 3.
25.
And finally, Principal Featherhead’s body is found in the same closet under the stairs that Jughead used to sleep in during Season 1.