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Riverdale is a Trainwreck And I'll Never Stop Watching

Hello!

I just watched the most recent episode of Riverdale (Season 3, Episode 11), and I'm writing this blog post in the hopes that I will be able to stop thinking about Riverdale and get to work.

Riverdale is one of those shows that I think is objectively pretty bad, but that I just can't stop watching. In a thoughtful, well-written show like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or The Good Place, the writers and showrunners seem to have a clear idea of where the show is headed. With Riverdale, I feel like the writers had a clear idea of what they wanted to do with Season 1, and they have been flying by the seat of their pants ever since. Also, like, the characters are not well-developed. I have seen every possible combination of the main characters being shipped together, which is probably because none of the characters are given enough meaningful character details for us to feel deeply invested in their existing relationships through the source material alone.

*** Riverdale Spoilers Ahead ***

In case you can't tell, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what on earth is wrong with this show, which brings us to tonight's episode of Riverdale. In this episode, Betty's mom donates all of Betty's money (including her college fund) to the farm, a cult that Betty's mom and sister have both joined. I was honestly so stoked when it seemed like the show was going to explore this cult further in Season 3. There seemed to be a Goblins and Gargoyles connection, and it had all of the ingredients for a really exciting subplot. And then, as the season progresses, Betty isn't interested in learning more about the farm, so the farm only comes up as a rationale for why Betty's mom is being terrible. And, to my utter frustration, this subplot ultimately leads to Betty confiding in her dad because he is "the only one who understands" how Alice Cooper can be. Which, sure, fine, maybe he is the only one who understands, but he's also the terrifying serial killer who plagued Riverdale in Season 2. It's incredibly difficult to empathize with any of these characters when even Betty comes around to commiserating with a literal murderer.

This episode is also when we finally find out who the Gargoyle King is, which is utterly underwhelming. Like, it's a twist, sure, but I wasn't really invested in Tall Boy even before we thought he died in Season 2, so I mostly felt confused rather than surprised. Our other surprise is the end of Archie and Veronica's relationship. I feel like they'll probably have them reconcile within the next couple episodes, but, regardless, their relationship was so void of chemistry that I'm not upset that it's over.

I am curious about the direction that the show will go now that they have firmly stated that Archie and the gang are all juniors. I had thought that maybe the writers would leave them in timeless limbo so that the show could continue forever. (Side note: If Archie is a junior in Season 3, that means that he was about to be a freshman during the summer before the first season, which makes his tryst with Ms. Grundy all the more inexplicable and inappropriate.)

Anyway, I will keep on watching this trainwreck of a show no matter how much it upsets me. This blog is purely for my own amusement, but, if I have decided to unleash it upon the world when you read this, guess which Riverdale cast member I find irrationally aesthetically pleasing in the comments below.

Best wishes,
Lydia

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