Lost in Riverdale

There is a show that I have been following ever since it hit the CW, and that show is none other than Riverdale. I will do my best not to include any spoilers, even though there are five seasons, so there is an extensive range of events that I could mention here. I am not exactly sure what keeps me hooked when it comes to Riverdale, but I am stuck watching it even thru some of the craziest storylines. Sometimes I think about the show as a guilty pleasure because it can be good and terrible, and sometimes just what I needed to make my week better. It makes me happy, angry, and sad, and sometimes I wonder, what keeps me watching the show?

The things that make me cringe:

As someone in my mid-twenties, when I watch some of these crazy shows, I often wonder what type of discipline the writers were exposed to growing up because watching Riverdale and the shenanigans those kids get up to, my guess is none. My friends and I had strict friends for the most part because I wasn't exactly allowed to be with boys by myself. My parents always knew where I was when I was not home or how long I would be gone. Sometimes watching the show, I am often shouting, "where are his/her parents?" Riverdale's characters have some super complex relationships with their parents, and I often wonder what the consequences of that might be on someone at a younger age watching the show. Why are these teens never really punished for being rude to their parents?

Another thing that throws me off will be the sex montage where five different characters are getting it on at the same time. Don't get me wrong, for some of the couples, and I cheer their happiness on. When they kiss for the first time after reconciling or when they progress in the relationship with meaningful milestones, sometimes it feels like the episodes have more sex scenes than necessary given the plot. It makes me think it's a show about college students, not high schoolers. I realize Gossip Girl was just as scandalous, but Riverdale might be even worse.

A few plot points have been crazy to me, making it hard for me to follow. My friend quit watching during the middle of the fourth season because he could not follow the plot anymore. It was too much, in his opinion, which happens. Riverdale is not the first show where the story lost me, and it probably will not be the last. Also, I kind of miss Josie and the Pussycats and wish their storyline did not disappear.

The show kind of ruined the phrase "endgame" for me, so whenever I hear it anywhere else, it just makes me want to cringe a lot. Sorry, Veronica Lodge, I don't see what you see.

What I love:

There are things that I enjoy, and Cheryl Blossom, who is my favorite character, is one of them. Now it might just be that I am a massive fan of Madelaine Petsch in the role and how she can pull off some of the super unbelievable things that Cheryl has to do. I often wonder if writers think, how far can we push these actors and actresses to get something so crazy done so that the viewers will be shocked. I love Cheryl's sassy one-liners, and some lines will make me cringe a little, but for the most part, her character is my favorite. Alice Cooper is a character that has grown on me. I remember watching the first episode with my friend and just kind of going, "WTF?", what kind of parent is like this, and the more her character had the space to grow, the more interesting she became.

I also like that Riverdale seems to be caught in a mixture of modern times and retro vibes with the old school televisions, telephones, and the hospital. Is the Riverdale hospital even up to date with technology? It is also cool that they were able to have two spinoffs with Katy Keene and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I think Sabrina acted more like a teenager than the teens in Riverdale, but that could also be the time setting of Sabrina. Riverdale seems more adult, and while sometimes the students make choices like crazy teenagers, other times it feels like the teenagers control the town more than the adults do.

The show, wild storylines aside have is on its fifth season, and part of me is inspired because writers are living their dream of writing for television. I want to accomplish that someday, and if I could captivate an audience by keeping them watching for five seasons, I would feel such pride. Sure some plot-holes and storylines could use some work, like Archie's tattoo, but someone created something that has people watching every week, trying to figure out where this show will end?