Hiram’s villainous origin story on Riverdale Season 5 Episode 12 answered many looming questions we’ve had over the years.
The reviled-yet-charismatic crime lord of Riverdale kept the truth close to his chest, especially his past. Not much was known about his earlier days or why he came to town. Now, the full picture of Hiram Lodge has been made clear.
Hiram is a polarizing character, but his origin story served him some redemption. (Not a lot, but a little bit goes a long way.)
Whenever Riverdale has done flashback chapters, they play with the idea of having the actors portray their parents. For example, the group’s “Breakfast Club” shenanigans during Riverdale Season 3 Episode 4.
“Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge” was no exception.
Camila Mendes did a great job channeling Hermione’s teen persona and the budding romance with her aspiring mobster. And, the surprise treat of Marisol Nichols returning to portray Hermione’s mother was a welcomed cheeky cameo. (We’ll always take more visits from Hermione!)
Though, the biggest standout was Michael Consuelos’ return to portray a younger Hiram.
Michael killed it in his expanded role; he acted and sounded just like Hiram. He added a heart to the teen character before his rise as a villain, and it felt like Hiram on screen. (And, it wasn’t just because Michael is Mark Consuelos’ real-life son.)
Hiram’s journey toward becoming a mobster stemmed from that classic trope of “teen gets a job offer from a criminal to gain money and power.” It’s not a new concept as many mobster origin stories in TV and film follow a similar path, like even Archie during Riverdale Season 2.
Hiram’s ambition to rise and prove everyone wrong suited his egotistical and power-hungry style, which has been made clear a lot during his adult years.
Hiram: Hey, Hermione!
Hermione: You can ask me out every day, Jaime, but my answer will always be the same. No.
Hiram: Come on, why not?
Hermione: My mother sorta forbids it. She said she doesn’t want me to date the son of a man who shines shoes for a living.
This reason seemed more of a stronger push than becoming a criminal to take Hermione on dates. “Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge” at times tried to make the connection that his romance with Hermione was a huge driving factor for him being a criminal.
Granted, Hermione’s words tipped him over the edge, but the interest had already been there. She sparked the last straw; being with Hermione felt more like a benefit than the reason why.
Hiram’s big confrontation with his father Javier made the underlining reasons very clear. Did anyone else feel bad for Javier and his wife at that moment?
Javier tried his hardest to provide a good life for his wife and son. For whatever reason, the mining and shoeshine jobs provided the only stable work he could get, in addition to his wife working at the diner.
Hiram’s parents worked a lot to create some semblance of a stable life for him.
He acted so ungrateful during their fight; it’s the type of petty thoughts you come to regret through years of age and clarity. No doubt he regrets those words now as an adult, especially after what happened between Javier and Vito.
Speaking of Javier, was it obvious to anyone else that Vito was going to kill him?
The second Javier threatened Vito about calling the police; it sealed his fate with just that one look from Vito. What was Javier thinking?! You never threaten a crime lord, especially a mob boss like Vito.
Vito had all the power, connections, and weapons to eliminate any threats that got in his way. Javier knew he messed up by visiting Vito and threatening him to stop Hiram from working. He couldn’t take back those words; the damage was already done.
Alice: He seems so calm.
Hermione: It’s shock, I think. He hasn’t said much since it happened.
Alice: Such a tragedy.
Penelope: I suppose, but you know what they say about playing with fire.
Hermione: What are you saying, Penelope?
Penelope: I’m just pointing out one day he can’t rub two nickels together and the next he’s driving a fancy sports car and taking you out on the town. We all know the truth: your boyfriend is a gangster. I mean, what did Jaime think when he started working with criminals?
Hermione: His name is Hiram!
The drive-by shooting was a powerful scene. The mix of slow driving and gunfire felt like a scene from The Godfather or Law & Order, but more in Riverdale’s traditional style of 50s aesthetic.
Javier truly loved his son and did what he could to protect him. It’s a shame that Hiram didn’t learn from that tragic moment to change his behavior to other families.
At least, Hiram got his revenge to eliminate Vito once and for all.
Any villain who has the NERVE to attend the wake of someone they killed and act so phony deserved all the bad karma coming their way. Hiram and Hermosa needed the years to track him down, but karma’s cruel justice didn’t have an expiration date.
Hiram’s cold delivery of his parting words to Vito was both satisfying and emotional. Even a frustrating character like Hiram gets his dues to take down a villain who wronged him.
It’s taken me years to find you, but my luck finally turned. Do you remember when we first met? I said I wanted to be feared like you. You tell me. Vito, at this very moment, you afraid of me?
Hiram
If Vito could’ve said a word, he probably would’ve agreed that he was scared. Now, we’ll have to wonder if another character delivers their own parting goodbye to Hiram in the present timeline.
Could this be a foreshadowing of how Hiram’s story ends on Riverdale?
Contrasting Hiram’s relationship with Javier was the current storyline of Reggie dealing with his father’s troubles. Reggie very much saw himself as the next Hiram, so their dynamic provided a great parallel for what could’ve been his future.
We’ve chatted in past reviews about Marty Mantle’s terrible treatment of Reggie. Like, his actions during Riverdale Season 4 Episode 2 made it clear that he valued only his wants, and he didn’t mind taking out his frustrations on Reggie.
Hermione: “Hiram” sounds nice. Strong, unique. But “Lott”? I think you can do better. How about something statelier? Like, “Lodge”?
Hiram: Hiram Lodge. It’s not half bad.
Marty Mantle seemed like an unredeemable character.
His visiting Hiram about freeing Reggie was a good start for doing something that helped his son. And their tearful hug at the dealership gave hints that they could have a fresh start. However, I need to see real ongoing change before I believe him.
Marty has demeaned and hurt Reggie on many occasions; he even scolded him earlier when selling the car. The apology was only words; Marty needs to showcase change to get real forgiveness.
The truth of why Hiram returned to Riverdale has been revealed! And ultimately, his reasoning felt like a satisfying answer.
Hiram wouldn’t have moved to Riverdale in the first place if it wasn’t for his father’s goal of discovering palladium. Since everything led him down the mobster path, his mission to get rich off of palladium was to fulfill his father’s dream.
From where I’m at, if I could go back, just to spend a few more years shining shoes with my dad. I’d do that in a heartbeat.
Hiram
Hiram’s guilt pushed him deeper into completing this mission, and since he’s mad at the town for looking down on his family, it explained why he took over/destroyed Riverdale. Granted, he didn’t need to do half the things he did to get the palladium, but he’s a petty villain out for revenge.
Hopefully, this goal for palladium closes the book on Hiram’s story.
Hiram’s criminal plan went into action since Riverdale Season 2. He’s played the villain for too long to achieve this goal; it’s time this story finishes by the end of Riverdale Season 5.
Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:
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We can add a new younger version to the mix: Pop Tate!
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Hermione deserves credit where credit is due. Hiram Lodge sounds more menacing than Hiram Lott.
- Hiram ordered milkshakes after killing three mobsters? Well, revenge does taste sweet. (Thank you! I’m here every Wednesday.)
Now, over to you, Riverdale fans!
What did you think of “Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge”?
Will Hiram get access to the palladium under the Blossom Maple Groves? Will he reunite with Hermione and Veronica? Has the dynamic between Reggie and Marty truly changed?
If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.