Like most series in 2020, the finale of Riverdale was not without certain frustrations. Amid an escalating murder mystery, the final episode cuts to black as the teenagers look in fear at the potential face of danger. Given that they were also dealing with a subplot about being able to hold prom, it was a strangely fitting way to leave things in all of their unrequited glory. For most of its run, the show has been a series of spinning plates, something to be gawked at as the audience wonders how they’ll keep things going. Cut to over a year later when the season five finale has aired and there’s a firm reminder not that they’re good at perpetual motion, but consistently replacing the plates and hoping that nobody notices.
Season four ended with an unfair cliffhanger. The inability to finish the season meant that it had to begin its 2021 run by answering whatever loose ends were left. Who was out there trying to murder Jughead Jones? Who was behind the snuff films that threatened to keep him from graduating and leaving town for some local college? For a few episodes, anyway, the mystery remained a compelling draw before remembering that it was Riverdale. In an otherwise touching final day of high school episode, the series produced one of the greatest twists they have ever concocted. The person behind such convincing and grisly murder tapes was none other than Jughead’s little sister Jellybean in an honest to God attempt to keep him in town.
In a more traditional world, that would be the end of season four. The momentum would have escalated perfectly and Archie Andrews singing Green Day while accepting diplomas would be this touching conclusion. He was on his way to boot camp and the world of Riverdale was free of its own ridiculous trappings. What does a show beyond high school starring a cast closer to 25 than 18 possibly look like? Had this been the end in 2020, maybe even from hypothetical low ratings, it would be fitting. But instead, season five needed to go further and show these characters as adults, making everything a tad more absurd. Given that this was also in the wake of two spin-off series meeting their demise, it was a chance to rebrand. Would it go over well?
The simple answer is: Have you SEEN Riverdale?
This is a show that’s built on conflict, even if it has to construct it out of thin air. Considering that the main bad guy was Hiram Lodge, bootleg extraordinaire Veronica’s father, who blew up a prison just to cause chaos, it makes sense that this show ultimately became an attempt to reform the status quo. The central cast needed to be dragged back together and have some triumphant savior moment in Riverdale. They couldn’t simply live a normal life. That is why the series decided to move forward seven years and produce an even more hackneyed plot than almost anything they’ve done before. Hiram went from just being a tycoon with embarrassing wealth to the mayor of a morally declining city.
The simple truth is that if Riverdale ever wanted to rebrand itself into something more substantial, this time jump was the moment. In some ways, it could be seen as a reboot, where suddenly the characters got their lives together and became responsible leaders. Sure, nobody is necessarily a model citizen at 25, but it’s amazing that all of the town’s pressures lay on their shoulders, where suddenly they have to rebuild the economy and care about the community. Archie will give a monologue about his deceased father while overlooking his old home that The Ghoulies now squat in. It’s not the worst plot that one could go with, but just like Archie trying to assemble a football team without thinking to check funding, certain things are bound to get overlooked and even dropped.
It shows up particularly in the journey of Jughead, who previously served as the narrator of the series as he typed from a booth in Pop’s Choc’lit Shoppe. Adulthood hasn’t been great to him as he has published a novel but finds himself in disputes with debt collectors, eventually forming ambiguous addictions that take him into the seedy underbelly of city life (a “Rat King” is involved). There’s no real cohesion on what’s going on with him, especially as he seems to come and go depending on if the plot needs him. Much like Archie, it could be something as simple as actor availability. Either that or they just had no idea what they were doing with Jughead and would randomly find him strung out somewhere every five episodes.
Other aspects of the series made more sense, notably involving Betty Cooper as she dealt with a string of murder cases. As a woman with “serial killer genes,” she was a perfect fit for The F.B.I. and even is introduced working out in a Silence of the Lambs (1991) homage. Tonally, she is most consistent with the previous incarnation of the show, tracking down everyone from The Trash Bag Killer to The Lonely Highway Killer. It’s the show’s bread and butter, finding her going on risky missions just to get clues. Of course, it’s not without some befuddlement, such as when Betty thinks it’s a great idea to ambush a serial killer family’s compound with the new school counselor (herself dealing with a gay kid who lives in the janitor’s closet on campus). Luckily, the Riverdale kids are resourceful and survive the harrowing attack.
For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the series decides midway through to provide a string of episodes that serve as padding. One of the episodes serves as a Hiram Lodge origin story while another reminds audiences that Katy Keene failed and that Josie and the Pussycats are technically within canon still. While these episodes build the world in ways that show the potential for the story to expand, they also reflect the inability to keep a consistent momentum. These episodes are definitely high points, but they also draw out conflicts surrounding the whereabouts of Jughead and the ongoing deviousness of Hiram. Cheryl Blossom hosts a parody of The Night Gallery that alludes to Archie’s PTSD, Jughead’s addiction, and Betty confronting a serial killer. The novelty made the show fun, but it also made it structurally inconsistent, at times breaking from any reasonable form to perform songs at random – and that was outside both the Josie and the Pussycats story and their penultimate episode based around the musical Next to Normal.
To be fair, certain aspects became less ridiculous. As adult characters now, there was a push more towards mature topics. Archie’s PTSD remained a consistent topic, building from episode to episode as he has flashbacks while in a mine and discussing his trauma with a therapist. Veronica got a real job selling jewelry while trying to figure out how to be a responsible businesswoman while fighting her dad. For as much as the show enjoyed veering into illogical directions, it at least did so with reason. Is there reason to be concerned that most of the high school staff are 25-year-olds who have a sketchy history with, well, authority? The show doesn’t think so. Then again, Archie is once seen defending himself by tossing a trashcan lid like a frisbee.
The most accurate fact about Riverdale is that it was never the most grounded show. Even when it was widely respected, it was a farfetched story that took 50s nostalgia and piped it through a Twin Peaks lens. It relied on having this surreal atmosphere that only grew thicker as time went on, where cults and spiritualism became the new norm. That is why everything that concluded the season doesn’t necessarily come across as shocking. Some could argue desperately, but given that a day after season five wrapped Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka posted pictures saying “Greendale meets Riverdale,” they make no qualms about finally going full tilt. After five seasons of just alluding to complete derailment, it looks like things are about to get there.
Art
The defense should be made that Riverdale as a program has long chosen to not be rational. It thrives on self-aware melodrama. There is something juicy about a series having to take every piece of greaser slang seriously while world-shattering events occur around them. The dialogue is often ridiculous. The action is often more audacious, including the use of a home invasion scene where Veronica asks her Alexa-equivalent to play “Flight of the Valkyries.” Everything sort of just happens. The difference is that where this would sink other series due to ridiculous developments, Riverdale becomes more engrossing. There is a disbelief that certain things happen, that someone thought they could get away with this.
And so long as they decide to go down this road, there will be something to commend. In the upcoming November run, the show will officially cross over 100 episodes. Before more contemporary television practices, the idea of syndication was a big deal. If nothing else, it means that this show has become nothing short of a miracle. While many have long considered it a joke, those willing to notice it as the most wonderfully absurd comic book series on TV will appreciate the risks it pulls. Few shows have lovingly held onto that wavelength, asking for the practicality of its universe.
Even in the season five finale, Riverdale couldn’t help but rattle the can. Before things could settle down, the show was already promising a more unhinged season ahead. Will Cheryl become the big villain solely because of an ancient diary that pits her ancestors against Archie’s and Jughead’s? It seems most likely. It’s definitely a choice and one that catches the viewer off-guard. Whatever can be said about the logic behind these moves, they’re definitely keeping audiences entertained. It’s a show that has nothing to lose at this point, and one can hope it continues to rebel against conventions, doing everything to be more than another dull story that feels inclined to follow a predictable structure.
One thing is true. Riverdale is not high art. The big difference is that where most people would argue this is a negative, I’d argue it’s the greatest feature. In a world where every TV show is trying way too hard to be on the prestige side of the coin, having a show that exists on the exact opposite feels refreshing. Even when tackling serious subjects with earnestness, the lack of long term stakes makes it more digestible. For an hour every week, it was allowed to have fun and be another ridiculous piece of TV. Given that Riverdale as a community is still in need of some serious repair, it’s doubtful that the drama will be deescalating anytime soon. In fact, there may be witches involved next time, and that sounds exciting. Will it destroy the show? Doubtful. At this point, anything can happen in this small, shady town and hopefully, that remains true until the bitter end.
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