#Riverdale s4 promo

[pluckysidekick]

UPDATED WITH EPISODE 5 INFO (see below)!

I just knew if I posted a new blog they’d announce the S4 premier date for Nancy Drew! We finally know when the show is dropping - Wednesday May 31st at 8:00pm paired with Riverdale.

Promo photo from Episode 5

We knew they were going to pair the shows, and as Riverdale has 20 episodes to Nancy Drew’s 13, I expected ND to come later. On the one hand - I can’t believe we have to wait 4+ months! But it also means postponing the sad day when the show ends, so there’s that. I’m not surprised they dropped the news on Friday afternoon as they knew we’d be unhappy that it was going to be so long between seasons, and because of a key plot point (see below).

There were tons of season 4 details in the TVLine article. One of the lede items is that both Ace and Nancy will have new love interests. We’ve known for months that Henry Zaga was joining the show as a series regular for S4 - and I’ve suspected that he will fill that role. While it’s heartbreaking that we have to go through yet another love triangle (or love square?), I am excited to see what he brings as the son of Ryan’s newest enemy. Is that the Glasses (relic hunting couple from the S3 finale)? Or perhaps their boss?

As for Ace - we’ve seen jealous Ace before in Seasons 2 & 3 - I expect a lot more confrontation with Nancy and Ace in S4 based on Kennedy’s many hints (e.g. “good luck” regarding Episode 3). I’m all for lots of yearning and angst as long as we get lots of Nace scenes and of course Nace OTP by the end and hopefully sooner than the finale!

In other crew news, we have confirmation of George pursuing law, Nick pursuing business AND dating again (!), and Bess has a new enemy as well. I’m intrigued!

Sounds like we’ll get lots of interesting supernatural hijinx with the mystery of the graves, stand-alone mysteries, the sins of the past of Horseshoe Bay coming back to haunt the town, and Nancy having to risk everything and everyone to save the town AGAIN. Well, it doesn’t sound boring!

UPDATED! I wanted to add some links to my previous blog posts about Episode 5, where the new photo came from. We know that Scott Wolf directed it, there’s a confrontation in the woods (maybe with the ghosts of the past of Horseshoe Bay?), there’s scenes in a university (where George and maybe Ace attend?), including Nancy and George running, and there was filming at the same site where both the Velvet Masque and Larkspur Lane/Whisper Box were filmed (could there be a dance where Nancy and Ace are dressed up?)?

Ending with a shameless plug for my Season 4 spec fic The Space Between! You’ll find the first 12 chapters filled with yearning, angst, the graves mystery including sins (and ghosts!) of the past Horseshoe Bay, also lots of sexy goings on and serious wish fulfillment for Nace fans to tide us over until the summer! More chapters coming very soon…

[jimalim]

what is a moment in media that changed the trajectory of your life?

seeing the first Riverdale trailer with that split second view of the beronica kiss queerbaited me into watching that show (and thus holding me hostage as I've dedicated far too many hours of my life to this show to not see it through)

funnily enough the same can be said for PLL, I wasn't watching live until s4, but because I saw a split second Haleb shower kiss in a promo (WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GAY CAUSE CALEB HAD LONG HAIR AT THE TIME) baited me into catching up to that, and similarly seeing it through to the bitter end

[kenetijamesupdates]

This is a very typical band photo. Kind of brings some nice reality into Riverdale. 

Introducing The Archies. 

[satelliteinasupernova]

Honestly, the fact that pre-time skip the group separated amicably causes it to make way less sense that 7 years later they have all gone down the worst versions of their narrative paths (Archie further traumatized, Veronica in deep with capitalism and horrible men, Betty tormented and harassed by serial killers, Jughead an alcoholic and struggling as a writer).

This only really makes sense for these characters if reaching out to each other during the last seven years was not at all an option.

[thatiranianphantom]

I also find it weird that they don’t have an official photo shoot for season 6, they are using the same pictures from season 5, which screams lazy for me. Also, they don’t promote the show anymore as a cast, which is always important to bring in viewers, not interviews, nothing – they can’t blame it on the pandemic because zoom interviews exist.

Plus, Riverdale has the worst marketing team ever and the writers constantly entertaining stans this way on social media makes them look unprofessional and ungrateful. The amount of screeners they also have is so weird to me? Not show I ever watch has this much screeners, most of the time they don’t even encourage you to watch the show but straight up "warn" fans about it which naturally scares people away.

Season 5 was probably the worst season of Riverdale. To be honest, I was actually excited about the idea of a time-jump, to see the actors playing a version of the characters closer to their real age and if those writers were smart (which we know they aren’t) it could’ve been a good opportunity to really re-brand the show and fix the mistakes from later seasons and take into account some of the critics, but no. It was awful from start to finish. I believe that RAS got confident and thought he had more time than he actually has. Season 6 premiere (the first episode always has more viewers) lost 45% of audience compare to the premiere for season 5, and they are only going downhill.

Promo on Riverdale is a super weird thing. The fact that we don't have a photoshoot is super weird. Even last year, mid-pandemic, we got a photoshoot. It is, to my knowledge, the only season without its own photoshoot. That to me may mean they no longer are being given the budget. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. But maybe....

I've said it before but I think we are so used to the absolute unprofessionalism of the creative (ha) team in this show that we think writers and set dec and others messaging spoilers to fans and the absolute contempt some of the crew have for fans is normal, when it is not. Nothing about this is normal.

Season 5 was the one that did it. Yes, the end of s4 was not good, but s5 just straight up killed the show. It was, as I've said, an unending season of misery porn. There were no ships, no interaction, no fun, no crazy, just endless pointless episodes of time filling angst for no reason. It was one of the worst seasons of television I've ever seen. The utter pointlessness of it frustrated me - you should not be able to tune out for 10 episodes and come back having missed absolutely nothing of relevance. The show did have a point of no return, much as RAS thinks it didn't, and they hit it. There is no turning back now.

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S5 E1 (But this is really S4 E20, right?) (Spoilers)

- I have been streaming so I tend to skip the Previously On parts, but this felt important:  This episode opens with a flashback of Veronica asking Archie whether he “felt anything” when he was “pretending to be with Betty” and it cuts immediately to Archie telling Betty he can’t stop thinking about her, to which Betty says it’s over, and then Archie wants to join the Naval Academy.  The show wants me to think that Archie did feel something and he meant it, and the show doesn’t want to think about what any of that meant for Betty.

- The other bits the show wants you to remember before we begin are - Hiram is ‘dying’ (uh huh), and the ‘escalation’ to the Killing Mr Honey videotape by Jellybean (but wait, is it still Jellybean at this point?).

- We open with Bughead having summoned Charles to a remote cabin, and telling him what should be a highly suspicious story.  Jughead says, Hi I wrote a story that describes this enacted murder by the Auteur and only me and Betty know about the story and hey, only me and Betty found the video tape.  Um.  That makes them look like the killers, but ok.  Jughead is now close enough to Charles to tap his shoulder in the way that Jughead does to people he’s intimate with.

- Funny bit - the ticket stubs that they find in the cabin are stamped B &V and to Betty this means Betty and Veronica (? - she says V’s name like a question) because to Betty,  any reference to any B = Betty.

- Veronica has slept over I guess at Archie’s and while he’s out for an early morning run she finds the song that Archie wrote for Betty.  I am impressed with Veronica - that she can understand this guitar chicken scratch that amounts to his ‘song writing.’  (Personal note, I can read music but I’m not a guitarist.) He’s focused on the naval academy and she steals the song sheet from the trash where he’s tossed it.   Veronica gets dinged a lot in terms of how she talks, but I would kind of love a girlfriend who thinks of a new endearment for me every time she sees my face: Archiekins, Teenage Thor.  What’s it like, Archibald Andrews, to be so well loved, HMM??

- Hiram has summoned Veronica home for breakfast. Hiram says he’s beating the disease.  Veronica calls the doctor to confirm, and the doctor confirms.  I’ve seen a S5b promo where Veronica actually asks Hermione if Hiram was ever sick, so I am just gonna note that here. 

- Charles has hauled in the video store owner David, and Jughead and Charles are conferring about what to do with him.  Jughead can never have nice things - he’s built up this warm chemistry with Charles, but of course Charles is play-acting this persona he’s currently presenting.   I like their contrasting character designs, too -  Charles so blonde and manly with his 5 o’clock shadow and suit with tie vs. Jughead’s dark hair and grungy flannels and pink lips, still colored over with boyishness.  They speak in the same tone, almost like they’re imitating/ influencing each other, which is cute.

- And Betty is trying to find out who made the Murdering Mr Honey tape by asking the Principal’s secretary, and hey, Mr Weatherbee is back!  Mr Weatherbee is not ok.  I make it through most nights without waking up screaming.   Kevin (lost an entire organ) and Weatherbee are the two that were the most harmed by the Farm.   Fucking Alice didn’t even lose an ear.

- Two businesses?   Oh wow my bad.  I had not been paying attention to just how much Veronica remade Archie in her own image, to bring him up to a position where he’s on par with her.  She runs two businesses, is doing a sport, studying in school, working on her relationship with her parents - and she’s both inspiring and coaching (and really, halfway carrying through actual financing and other support) Archie to being someone who is also doing all those things. She even acts like his spokesperson for the Naval Academy Commandant - she makes Archie sound impressive, so the man tells Archie (not looking at Veronica) that Archie is impressive.   

But then Veronica (like Hiram?) is someone who is always pushing her luck, going for bigger, so upon hearing that there’s a second candidate who already has been working wholeheartedly to get into the Naval Academy while Archie has been ... well, being Archie, she immediately sets up a bout between Archie and this other guy,  without seeking out any details like how big is the other dude, and this Naval Academy Commandant just is so under her sway that he’s like Eh sure why not.   Veronica is so excited to have any connection to Katy Keene again that she laughs in delight that her boyfriend and Katy’s boyfriend are going to literally fight for a spot at the Academy, and Archie really doesn’t like where this is going.  I don’t blame him. 

- Bughead are eating in the Blue and Gold and talking about what to do next in their investigation about who might be behind the Kill Mr Honey video.  Jughead is thinking about Bret, and says that “the only caveat being, he’s tried to kill me.” Well I mean, OK, so, yes he did, but also, if you hadn’t been such an oblivious lesbian about it we all could’ve had a very different S4, Jughead.

- Choni are talking about Prom Queen.  OK so this show’s idea about how to be a good partner are a bit much: If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.  And this is unilateral, from Toni to Cheryl, because Cheryl has no response to what Toni says right after this: The only royalty I care about is being Serpent Queen.  Then Toni says something fascinating:  Which I will be. Again. You’ll see.  Cheryl is saved from having to respond to this by the appearance of Kevin.

So taking a minute to shriek:  DID JUGHEAD ARBITRARILY TAKE SERPENT QUEEN AWAY FROM TONI TO GIVE IT TO FUCKING BETTY BACK IN THE DAY?  DID BETTY DECIMATE THAT POSITION SO BADLY THAT NOW THEY’VE PUT THE WHOLE EXISTENCE OF A SERPENT QUEEN ON HIATUS?? Sorry. Sorry. I just hated Betty being Serpent Queen so very much. 

- Kevin has lost an entire organ to a cult, so he recognizes mania (from Cheryl, about being prom queen) and walks away when it’s not safe.  Kevin has a such fantastic comic timing and the most eloquent face. 

- Archie is continuing to look both worried and regretful, as Veronica joyfully greets KO Kelly at the Diner after telling him there’s gonna be a bathtub full of rose petals waiting for them after prom in the Five Seasons.   I wasn’t sure what to make of the very ambiguous faces that Archie and KO make during their initial encounter but Veronica takes it as a ‘Boys are Being Rowdy Boys.’   KO immediately points out that Archie might not be in his weight class.   Why has Archie agreed to let this guy live with him??  I really think Archie misses that time he lives with Jughead, no?

-BRET IS HERE. Well Bret is in prison.  Bret is excited to see Forsythe, Jughead has apparently no trauma about talking to Bret, and Betty is super very displeased to be there.  Bret keeps smirking at Betty at the most inapt moments, and I think he’s smirking about what he - ahem - knows about Jughead, because that’s Bret. I love that Bret is still doing his meticulous preppy hair while in prison, and that War Baby, who I pegged as the scariest Serpent, is thought of as this by everyone.  Bret says they need to bring David a tape in order to gain access to the underground screenings.

- KO Kelly is 50 lbs heavier than Archie, and this is Tom Keller’s assessment on sight. So then we have a Look At Two Muscular Young Men Work Out Competitively montage. I mean, thank you, show, I like Beefcake as much as anyone else, but what can this sort of psyching out really get anywhere with someone who’s evidently so much bigger??  Your Ass is Grass, says Archie, and he looks SUPER CUTE.

- Bughead put a plan together in the Blue and Gold.  Betty has entirely, utterly gotten over the Barchie kiss. I really think that she just needed to tick that off her list. She isn’t suppressing anything, it’s a thing she needed to do, like resole an old shoe or something, and it’s none of Jughead’s business as far as she’s concerned.  The two of them sharing one long flow of thought, the Hive Mind of Two Heads, is still very delicious.   I am put in the very uncomfortable position of understanding why Betty would want to ride this forever, for as long as she can, no matter what.  Bughead chemistry is unbeatable and this little bubble they’ve made is so cozy.

- And they bring in Cheryl, using Jason, yet again.  (This might be one of the last times where doing something referencing Jason works on Cheryl).   There is no scene where they ask Reggie, because of course Reggie would say yes to anything which involves him putting on a sex monster outfit and show his abs on camera. I LOVE Reggie.

- Everyone (Varchie, Bughead and KO) are at the Bonne Nuit and Veronica is sweetly singing the song that Archie wrote for Betty.  Archie actually didn’t get to sing very far in the song but the lyrics are literally about getting laid - So, give me tonight.   Archie can look at no one, but the look that Betty gives Archie is homicidal.  How dare you bring this up again sort of a thing.  She looks really scary.  Veronica looks so pretty and in love, singing this song, and the way she has to force Archie to tell her he loves her when they part for the night hurts me.  Oh and KO has a nice easy going sense of humor, and accepts it when  Veronica ribs him about his potentially losing to her boyfriend tomorrow.

-  Choni have a discussion in bed about the fact that Toni does not want to be confrontational about her orientation with her grandparents.  I’ve recently read a thing that discussed how it can actively harm teens from non-accepting families to be constantly told that they HAVE to come out before they’re ready (as in, have a safe place to live) so I wish Cheryl could set aside her own damn feelings for a bit.

- You and Ronnie are in it to win it, Katy says.  Archie is one thing for sure as Jughead has seen it - he is honest. Not in an ethical way, but in a helplessly spew out the truth way.  He feels ruined by Betty like she intended him to, so he wants to keep STARTING OVER COMPLETELY and KO has to point out how weird that sounds from a guy in a long term relationship.  Of course, this thing, of having a dark haired cute boy sleeping on the floor while they talk before falling asleep, is a thing Archie had with Jughead back in the day.  I really like KO Kelly - We lucked out (in terms of women) and Archie just turns the lights out.

- You had me at snuff film.  Kevin goes along with the Bughead plan to sell the videotape to Blue Velvet.

- Grandma Topaz, through grit teeth, going  I will not allow you to date a Blossom.   But Toni lived there for a bit because she had that one uncle who kicked her out.  Where were you then, Grandma Topaz?   And where does your granddaughter live now, Grandma Topaz??

- David the Blue Velvet Video owner not recognizing Kevin or Betty on sight from their respective tapes is  a lie right? I’m basing this just because Tarantino worked in a video store lol.  David’s line deliveries are fabulous.  I get a kick out of the fact that Jughead is nowhere as good as Jellybean at making movies.  His work gets rejected right off the bat, and Betty knew it might not work, so she has a back up - Hal’s tape, the one he showed Alice& Betty.  David somehow is completely turned on by this non-event tape of this kid being talked to sternly by his mother.  A real connoisseur, I suppose?  This gets Bughead entry into the rave/ film festival.

- Betty lets Jughead into the rave by a side door and he comes in looking exactly like Kurtz (RIP Kurtz).  The rave of snuff/secret-sex-cam tapes is intercut with the KO Kelly- Archie boxing match.  Are  Betty and Archie ‘punishing’ themselves?  I mean, Archie is, for sure.  Jughead is extremely anxious and just starts grabbing people to ask them questions he has to know they won’t answer - do you know who the director is?  Jughead has always been more upset about Ponytail Playmate than Betty.  And someone recognizes Betty from the tape in the dark, so Jughead punches him.

- Jughead runs into Jellybean, and honestly, Jellybean is a psycho.  The tone shift in her voice between What are you doing here? and Am I in trouble? is chilling, because she knows how to be vulnerable so as to make Jughead melt.  Bughead take Jellybean out for a milkshake and quietly have  a talk about how she shouldn’t go to any more X rated raves.

- Archie loses the fight to KO Kelly by a vote of the judges (the Commandant had made it very clear that he was on KO’s side from the start) and he is blatantly rude to the Commandant. Veronica is lovely to Archie, exceptionally, and she’s willing to blow off prom to comfort him, and they’re doing this because they’re gonna hurt her at the prom and I WANT TO PROTECT VERONICA.  Goddamn it Archie.

- So it turns out Cheryl tried to force the issue because Choni has severe control issues, and the only thing that brings Cheryl in line is for Toni to hold the precious ‘prom’ over her head.  Oy.

- The prom dresses of all our beautiful Riverdale ladies - Cheryl in red, Toni in the black bedazzled gown, Veronica in her lovely grey ballerina tutu, Betty in the pink gown (has anyone ever looked so angelic in pink?).

- Wow  vs You take my breath away.  So I guess Words of Affirmation isn’t as important to Veronica as Betty.   

- At the prom:  They flashed a photo of Betty looking over  Veronica’s shoulder at Archie as Veronica kisses him, and I don’t know what I was supposed to get out of that.  Reggie spikes the punch with drugs. Bad Reggie!  KO Kelly is at someone else’s prom why?  Kevin proposes a toast to surviving the town.  Where is Ethel?  Who is Reggie’s date?  

- Hiram has asked Archie to be deputy mayor, and Veronica wants to defer Barnard to have more time with Archie.  What an angel.  And she’s got a great perspective - a single year is not that important.  And Archie just can’t take it anymore: 

I wrote that song for Betty.

Oh the pain in Veronica’s perfect madonna face.

- Choni get to be prom queens, and Veronica is holding it together by a single thread. Why are Kevin and Fangs not in the promenade court dance and just the Core (Fractured) Four?   In any case they are interrupted by a snuff tape of the murder of David the video store owner.

- Family is the most important thing.  Cheryl weeps as she lets Toni go home for the night.  

- And Veronica and Archie are in the Archie Andrews Sex Room at the high school.  Veronica is weeping and I want to hit Archie so bad.  They have two weeks of high school left.  No big drama.  No need to blow them up too.   The way that Veronica reacts to betrayal is the same as how Jughead reacts to it later, except... why WHY WHYYY is Archie more ethical than Betty?   Archie holds Veronica but does not attempt any other intimacy. 

- Veronica saves her tears for home, and weeps on her mother’s knee, and Oh I’ve been Veronica and I feel you, girl.  

- Cheryl is weeping on her Nana’s knee.  Tonight I realized Toni and I won’t end up together.  OK Cheryl, you are a fucking brat.  Toni said you could work on it. What are you DOING.

- The SemiSiblings discuss the weird snuff film they saw at Prom, and then Archie gets another tape... and this one is fucking dark. It’s the time Archie had a gun trained on his head by Hal Cooper as the Black Hood.  

[multimetaverse]

Riverdale 5x03 Recap

Jellybean was born and raised in Riverdale though?? She only moved to Ohio after her mom left FP

Good on FP for doing what’s best for his daughter but probably should have told Alice beforehand that you’re skipping town

We’re ending this era of Riverdale as it began with Tom Keller as Sheriff. Hope he has a scene with his son tonight!

Jughead saying those kids almost looked innocent asleep was pretty messed up of him. 1) those are clearly homeless kids having to sleep in a fucking gym and 2) as bad as the voyeur vids were they still pale in comparison to the crimes that high school kids have been involved in over the years

Oooh man that Luke Perry is just brutal

It’s crazy to think of how far the show has come since that first scene of Cheryl and Jason Blossom in all white heading down to the river

Alice might be the most tragic living character on Riverdale, her life has just been wrecked over and over and over

It’s awful how realistic the army recruitment booth inside the school is. The Saved by the Bell reboot had a great joke about military recruitment of teens (it’s a much better show than Riverdale and I highly recommend it and it’s already been renewed for S2)

It’s nice that they brought Weatherbee back for the final high school eps

LOL at the Red Circle shade

The yearbook as a device to look back at some of the show’s history is clever. Also reveals how clearly chapter 79 which was supposed to be the S4 finale was also being written as a possible series finale

It’s very odd that Archie’s poor grades of all things are what the writers just to be realistic about. Nice of Weatherbee to let Archie walk with his friends though

Ladies and Gentlemen that could possibly be the last Varchie sex scene we ever see

Considering the US only abolished conscription after the Vietnam war, I don’t think those 4 students back in 1945 had much of a choice in joining the army. Although they lucked out with the timing since the war with Japan would end within months while they were still in basic training

Not Archie lying to both Jughead and Veronica about his post high school plans

FP telling Jughead he’s old enough to be on his own is rich considering Jughead was basically homeless and on his own in S1

Good on Cheryl for getting her red robe

Finally Tom Keller gets a scene with his son!

Omfg I can’t handle this Archie cover of Green Day

Yaas Penelope lurking in the bushes. I’m gonna miss that Queen, hope she gets out of jail soon enough

RIP Falice. It will never cease to amaze me that right when the obstacles that should have stopped Bughead such as their parents being in a relationship and their shared half-brother are swept away that Bughead is being broken up

Well good bye for now and maybe forever FP Jones. You were the best of the surviving fathers which is admittedly a hell of a low bar

Pop’s is rightfully restored to Pop Tate

Kevin mentioning Josie and the Pussycats threw me

I guess from now on we’ll always see Jughead without that stupid hat, that’s weird

These grad scenes have been surprisingly poignant but they fall flat when they include the wider group. How many lines have Kevin, Fangs, Reggie, and Sweetpea even had lately? Has Kevin done anything of note since Hedwig? We’re a long way from when he was Betty’s best friend. And what has Reggie been up to? I noticed his dad wasn’t at grad, is that because he’s dead? Is there ever gonna be a follow up on Reggie smashing his dad’s car?

Don’t have a great feeling about this vow

Archie sure knows how to kill the mood. The worst thing about Archie’s speech is its accuracy. The US military really does offer a path to a middle class existence especially for kids with no other options. The life outcomes for people without high school degrees are grim and Archie really is grasping the last, best way to try and turn around his life

This Choni breakup is so sad 

The CW is wildin out letting Betty take off her bra for sex. What a bizarre transition from tearful confession to sex. Perhaps the last Bughead sex scene we’ll ever see

Just realized that Vegas will very likely be dead by the time we pick back up in 7 years

These scenes would have more impact if the show had focused on the Archie/Jughead and Veronica/Betty friendship

Wow bringing the old car out for one last drive

These flashbacks are sad, especially the Luke Perry one

God I hope Nana Rose survives the 7 year gap

Jesus Christ, so Jughead had a home he could have stayed in but decided to squat at Archie’s instead??

Poor Jughead being the only one to keep the vow

Well this really is the end of an era. Riverdale will never be the same after this episode. From the promos we know that Veronica is married to a controlling wall street douche, Archie is wounded overseas, Betty is an FBI agent, and Jughead a writer. The crisis that brings them all back is Hiram dissolving the town of Riverdale for his nefarious ends

Veronica marrying a man who shares some traits with Hiram is not surprising though the fact that she’s married is interesting, both in that there’s no way that marriage will last and in how her husband is jealous of her past with Archie, it’s an easy way to start heading towards Varchie again if the writers choose. There’s no way that Betty would be get in to the FBI with a serial killer father and half brother but we’ll see what new killer the writers can come up with. It looks like Jughead is a tortured artist. I appreciate the costume designers for making Archie’s military uniform so retro that it looks like he’s being shipped off to Korea to stop it going the way of Red China 

Looking back it’s extremely bizarre that they did what they did with Barchie. It really served no purpose since they all would have gone their separate ways anyways

Well looks like Cheryl hasn’t been successful in thwarting Hiram. I would imagine that much of Veronica’s story after the time gap is her wrestling with whether to take on her father and to claim the Lodge legacy for herself once and for all. Archie had always been her guiding light in that regard and we’ll see if can play that role in the future

This 7 year gap brings the characters ages up to 25 which is much closer to the actor’s actual ages which will help in that regard. But time jumps are tricky and 7 years is quite a gap, double the length of time that these first 79 eps have lasted. Sadly, Riverdale was renewed for a 6th season but realistically the bulk of the series has now passed and whatever adventures the gang gets up to as adults will get far less time dedicated to them. Some sort of time jump was probably always necessary if the show lasted as long as it had but I’m skeptical that Riverdale can pull it off. Until next week Riverdalers

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

A rant …

I’ve been trying to suss out what it is exactly that enrages me with the s4 cheating plot and I’ve come to the surprising conclusion that it’s neither the cheating itself nor the fact that it came out of nowhere.

I mean, I’ve watched plenty of TV shows with cheating plots that made no sense without particularly caring, mostly because I wasn’t very invested in the couples involved. I’d also say that the Riverdale writers trying to pass it as top-notch writing annoyed me more than the dratted storyline itself.

I’ve suspended my disbelief so many times in Riverdale, so I don’t have a problem doing it again. I can go with either Option A: Betty was traumatized and kind of lost it or Option B: it was just a dump plot, ignore it. And to be honest, I can and -provided that next season can give me storylines that still capture my interest (i.e. Bughead in a good mystery)- I will. But I’m a bit angry still, and it boils down to this:

a. I was promised a Beronica friendship where chicks come before dicks. So far, I’ve got neither. I’m pissed that the only female “friendship” (in quotation marks because it’s never explored, just taken for granted whenever the plot asks for it) is about to explode for a storyline that goes against the narrative that the show cultivated as part of its promo. (I’m also still pissed that we’ve never seen Veronica acknowledging her involvement in Hiram’s plans in season 2).

b. In the span of 15 episodes Jughead was drugged, hazed by being put in a coffin (his second time trapped in an enclosed space), blackmailed because of an illegal sex tape, had his original story stolen from him and was accused of plagiarism (the two worst things that can happen to any writer), was given the chance to attend a prestigious college and then denied that chance (Iowa came later) and was almost murdered (again for the second time). Was it really necessary to add being cheated upon to the mix? Was it? Really?

c. I’m a bit tired of Archie’s redemption arcs. Because the navy/army storyline and the inevitable post-time jump PTSD? It’s just that. It’s a trusted recipe from the prison plot in season 2. It’s a chance to re-establish Good Archie Who Has Suffered So Much Generally But Never As A Consequence To Specific Choices He Made Because We Never Mention Those Ever.

d. But most importantly: the cheating storyline makes me want to see Betty proving her love for Jughead after having spent most of the effing season doing exactly that. I mean, it’s logical wanting her to prove herself, because she did cheat and then kept it from Jughead, for the second time no less. But, dude … That has already been her whole storyline this season. Jughead goes away to another school? Betty supports him. He gets in her dream school and she doesn’t? She’s so proud of him. He needs help investigating? Count her in, she’ll only laugh at the distance and Bret’s restraining order. He needs CPR, because that’s how you treat blunt trauma? She’ll sing Stayin’ Alive while doing compressions. She has to take the blame for his murder while plotting to bring down his assailants? Betty’s got this! As a Bughead fan, I loved it. They were so unfalteringly supportive of each other! Jughead supported and protected Betty right back - what’s not to love? I ate that shit up! And then you give me 2 episodes of the out-of-nowhere cheating storyline and now Betty. Has. To. Do. This. All. Over. Again. 

I am not amused.

[probablyobsessingovertv]

My Opinions on Varchie, Bughead, and Barchie’s Chemistry

I know a lot of my fellow Varchie/Bughead shippers strongly dislike Barchie. One of their biggest arguments against the pairing is that they lack development over the past four seasons and that seemingly, this cheating scandal has come out of nowhere with very little warning or sense attached, which I agree with. It does feel like Betty and Archie’s (especially romantic) relationship has been very minimally developed over the last few years, making this seem sudden, unexpected, and in my personal opinion, not logical. Especially considering how good, strong, and healthy Betty and Jughead’s, and Veronica and Archie’s relationships appeared in S4. I didn’t really think that we were headed for infidelity or dishonesty, secrecy or betrayal. Not at all. I understand and respect why, from a drama and entertainment standpoint, it was done, but within the story, to me, it just doesn’t really make much sense. I hope most Varchies/Bugheads/ maybe even some Barchies or “on the fence” Barchies at least, could agree with that.

Another major argument for the anti-Barchies is the lack of chemistry shared between the characters and even more so, the actors, KJ and Lili. Now I don’t totally disagree with this, however, I believe there are different forms of chemistry that actors can display.

(Before I begin, this is entirely my opinion, with my terminology and categorizations, my ideas of where each fits, etc. All me, no actual research done other than looking at scenes of Riverdale to find examples. It is 1000% okay to disagree with me or to think about this differently. This is just my interpretation as a long-time teen drama tv watcher and someone that spends way too much time analyzing fictional characters, actors, and relationships of all kinds. I have no expertise or credibility in this. I’m just doing it for fun. Also, I believe this can be true in all industries and all relationships, not only in entertainment or on a fictional tv show/movie.)

First, there is Working chemistry. As in two people or a group that just make sense when they are together. There is a natural ease and comfortability between actors that makes those scenes flow well and makes the actors’ portrayal of the friendships/relationships their characters have a lot more believable and enjoyable to watch. KJ, Lili, Cami, Cole, Mads, Vanessa, Casey, etc, all possess this chemistry with each other. It’s obvious that they enjoy working with each other. They enjoy each other as people and that comes out on screen very well I think. Their irl close friendships and trust between each other definitely make this a lot easier and more authentic in the show as well as in interviews and promos for sure, which is one of the reasons I’m really drawn to this show. (Examples: Core 4 scenes at Pop’s, group scenes in musical episodes, the family groupings, the romantic pairings, one on one friendships like Betty and Veronica, Archie and Jughead, Kevin and Betty, Cheryl and Veronica, the list goes on.)

Emotional/Relational chemistry is similar to working chemistry, but I think it’s a level deeper. This can occur between short-lived romantic relationships, such as a character’s rebound or fling, along with family members, friends, neighbors, etc. I most commonly associate this kind of chemistry with primarily words and sometimes actions or deeds. Childhood best friends are a really good example of this to me, such as Betty and Archie in my mind. This chemistry means that actors/characters deeply trust each other and this trust has usually been built up and developed over the course of many years. The people involved are usually very comfortable with each other, again, trust one another in scenes, and depend on each other. A huge characteristic of relationships that include emotional chemistry is the ability of these characters to be vulnerable with one another, to have deep, meaningful conversation, know how to comfort one another, and the desire to protect, be there for, support, and look after each other. I like to call these brother-sister relationships sometimes.

Though most serious romances possess a large amount of emotional chemistry, a relationship that contains solely an emotional bond cannot progress further, such as a lasting, healthy romance. In my opinion, this is where Barchie’s relationship can be categorized.

Consequently, I greatly disagree with anyone who says KJ and Lili don’t have any chemistry with each other whatsoever. In nearly all of their scenes since S1, we can see that Betty and Archie care deeply for each other. They really trust each other. They feel safe and comfortable with one another and feel the need to protect the other from any kind of harm or danger. They have been there for each other through some very painful and difficult circumstances and have been constant sources of comfort and safety for each other since they were children. They grew up together. They know so much about one another and have been through so much together. KJ and Lili do a fantastic job with this kind of chemistry. Very emotionally driven scenes, scenes of saying what the other needs to hear, being a shoulder for the other to lean or cry on, giving advice to help each other through the trouble they face in their lives, having a good time together, being emotionally vulnerable and honest, showing up when the other needs them, and occasionally letting their emotions get the better of them and, in Archie and Betty’s case, believing that chemistry is a different kind than it really is. (Ex. Archie helping Betty calm down after the Black Hood and breaking up with Jughead for her in S2, 3x5 Archie’s escape when Betty gets him out of the pipe and hugs him, Betty working with Mary and Sierra on Archie’s case to prove him innocent, the glances out their windows. Look, they have good emotional/relational chemistry is what I’m trying to say.)

However, Betty and Archie have only ever kissed while broken up with or in a fight with the character they are most associated with romantically. (And the plan to help Jughead in S4, but that doesn’t count since it didn’t really have any romantic intention and was purely (at least initially) a ploy to distract everyone from the truth of Jughead being alive.) KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart have amazing emotional chemistry. It’s obvious that they care about and trust each other as real life people as well as their characters. They are clearly close in real life and have a pretty similar relationship to Betty and Archie from my observation. KJ and Cami also have phenomenal emotional chemistry with clearly a very deep trust or at the very least, the front of one, between each other as people and scene partners. Cole and Lili obviously do as well, and I could argue that the majority of actors on Riverdale share this emotional chemistry with many of their costars.

What I believe KJ and Lili, not particularly to fault of either of them, lack, is Physical, Sexual, and/or Romantic chemistry. I believe this is the only kind of chemistry that can’t be forced or faked. Physical chemistry is most often displayed in serious, long-term dating relationships and marriages, but can also show up in various other relationships in some circumstances. This usually comes in handy when actors/characters are kissing, hugging, holding hands, innocently touching like rubbing hands, holding faces or playing with hair. This can also be in the forms of heart eyes, certain smiles or flirty glances, etc. I see this as very intentional and almost second nature to most actors portraying couples. Actors with a lot of physical chemistry have to be incredibly comfortable with and trusting of each other. As has been said on countless occasions, lots of romantic scenes in films and tv are very very staged so making them look authentic, unplanned, attractive, and believable is a whole nother level of talent and trust in my opinion.

Most pairs of physically compatible actors tend to come up with their own ideas and improv some “coupley” gestures or ways of showing affection towards each other’s characters in ways that make sense for the story, those characters’ individual personalities, and the relationships between them. The first couple on Riverdale that I think of with strong romantic/physical chemistry is Archie and Veronica. KJ and Cami being the actors that portray them, of course. They have incredible physical chemistry and Varchie are also often seen as an overall very physical couple, constantly wanting to be near and touch each other. Yes, they also kiss, make out, and even have sex often on the show, but their physical chemistry really shows in the little things if you ask me. The overall show of physical affection displayed towards each other is truly so beautiful and looks so real and believable on screen. It’s especially obvious when actors are so comfortable and so invested in their characters that they come up with their own little moments for their couple that they know fans will enjoy. For KJ and Cami, they seem to find 100 different little ways to hold hands or to be very affectionate by touching each other’s hair and having specific movements or gestures they do every time they kiss that real life couples would definitely have, and overall using pretty simple facial expressions and body language to portray the love and the very believable (to me) relationship between Archie and Veronica.

Cole and Lili’s portrayal of Betty and Jughead is also very physically authentic, such as when Cole kisses Lili’s forehead or how she was laying on him in the season 4 Halloween episode. Vanessa and Mads and Choni have great physical chemistry too, due to how much they trust each other and how comfortable and close they are with each other in real life as best friends. Some of those little moments could be suggested by the director, but I know many of the small things are not scripted or directed. I do believe that genuine, physical chemistry is natural and cannot be fabricated. It sure can be exaggerated or diminished by good actors, but it really can’t be entirely faked without being very obvious in my mind.. All this to say, I believe that Betty and Archie lack that physical/romantic connection and I personally think KJ and Lili just don’t naturally have the same level of that chemistry as they do with Cami and Cole. Again, that is not remotely a diss to either actor. Some pairings just don’t work like others do and that’s not because the actors are incapable or “not talented enough” to portray it.

The casting team struck gold with KJ and Cami’s and Lili and Cole’s chemistry and that is very rare to find, especially for an entire cast to be so authentically compatible with each other. In conclusion, I am not completely against the idea of Betty and Archie as a couple, but I’m just not a huge fan of it because I don’t think it would be as realistic or believable as Varchie and Bughead are, solely based on the natural, romantic chemistry the actors have with each other. Not to mention the story and what makes the most sense in that regard.

TL; DR: I don’t blame you. This is my mind at 2am. Basically, I believe there are three major levels of chemistry between people, especially actors and the characters they portray.

1) Working Chemistry: pretty much people (actors) that genuinely like one another, get along, and make the relationships of their characters believable and enjoyable on screen. (aka the entire cast of Riverdale)

2) Emotional/Relational Chemistry: Kind of similar to working, but a level deeper. I refer to these as “sibling/family-esque” relationships. Usually expressed through words and sometimes actions or deeds. This is where I personally believe Betty/Archie’s relationship is.

3) Physical/Sexual/Romantic Chemistry: Everything from flirty glances to making staged romance scenes look authentic, to coming up with sweet little gestures to show affection. I believe this cannot be faked/forced entirely. Physical chemistry is something I believe Veronica/Archie and Betty/Jughead display incredibly well. In my opinion, this is what Barchie lacks. Both the characters and the actors that play them. Not dissing either of them, they’re obviously phenomenal actors and KJ/Lili have amazing emotional chemistry, I just personally think the romantic chemistry between them isn’t as strong as KJ/Cami, Cole/Lili, Madelaine/Vanessa, etc.

*If you made it this far, you’re also in too deep with this show. I’m kidding, I love you. Thank you for reading all of this. I would absolutely love to hear what you think.*

Also, thank you Freya @loverofthor-2 for proofreading and encouraging me to post my brain dump yet again. ❤️

[sharkbait-o-haha]

Ahha! I knew I'd seen that cute top somewhere in the first Riverdale S4 promo.

This looks intense ✨

[mylovelysue]

Hmm the Riverdale S4 logo is interesting, i wonder if they are doing some promo or.

[alexzalben]

I wish during the height of lockdown (with things reopening now, not that I agree with it) there had been like a “found tapes” from the outbreak in riverdale s3 when they were quarantined. Just something light and fun like all the kids had an English project where they had to film themselves at home like a video diary. I think it would’ve been great promo at the time given the s4 drop off but that’s just my opinion 🤷‍♀️

That would have been super fun, but any sort of bonus content like that comes down to contracts, money, interest in promo from the network and production company, etc. Not to give a boring, businessy answer to this, but unlike, say, the All Rise quarantine thing or the One Day at a Time animated special, which were part of an already planned season for a show, or the Parks & Rec special which was a fundraiser, they would have had to spend a ton of money to produce special Riverdale content to promote... Nothing, basically. Maybe the show being on Netflix, but that gets a natural audience anyway with minimal promotion.

Not saying it wouldn’t have been fun, though! But these sorts of decisions always revolve around the $$$.

[kenetijamesupdates]

undefined

KJ, Lili and Cole made promo clips for getting people to watch the musical episode. Riverdale posted this in their stories about a week ago. 

[thatiranianphantom]

Hey I don’t understand ratings but were you saying before that only 250 000 people watched the show live?

Hello!

So I was referring to what we call Nielsen ratings, which is essentially a way that TV uses to count how many people of a certain demographic are watching what show. Nielsen collects a sampling of data from households in the US using a computer box that's attached to a TV. You get paid a small amount to be part of Nielsen ratings, and it is a big thing in the TV world.

However, Nielsen ratings are more of a piece of the puzzle, because they only survey households in the US, and they don't take into account streaming, most importantly. So when I look at them, I more look at them as compared to how the show has done in the past. In S2, the show's lowest rated episode still had almost a million viewers. Last episode got 250,000. I find it's more fair to compare the show to itself rather than take their Nielsen numbers as the only factor to determine how they're doing. Some decline in a show's ratings is normal as a show progresses, but these? These are insanely low numbers. These are numbers that are half of what they were getting even in S4, which was not a hugely popular season with the fandom.

Also, we need to take into account streaming and trending. Netflix keeps a pretty tight hold on their numbers, but Riverdale is now regularly slipping off the top 10 the day after airing in a lot of countries. It's trending for now only hours as opposed to a full day. All of that together is not good news, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't fill me with just a touch of schadenfreude.

(We can also pretty safely assume that the leaks about the finale and RAS' BA interview, as well as the fact that the musicals usually have lower numbers - probably why they didn't show it as a musical in the promo - played a big role in why the numbers were so low.)

[bettycooperoutfitwatch]

Bless this blog. I've always felt alone in that I never really had this strange, almost visceral hatred for Betty's sweaters. I think most of them, even the ones that are a little out there - are cute as heck. Including that short sleeve pink grandma sweater from the S4 promo pics everyone wants to burn so badly. Thank you for existing.

Hello anon—bless you tbh! 

Also, I feel you. Sometimes one’s individual taste doesn’t align with popular contemporaneous trends and/or other people’s tastes. 

Interestingly, standards of physical beauty and attractiveness (ie, the things we cannot change) are as changeable as trends in clothing can be (and often are.) 

(I swear, I have a point here.)

Rachel Syme (!) recently wrote a piece on high-waisted pants (!!) for the New Yorker. (This is relevant to recent conversation, as it happens.) Anyway—this reminded me the Jessica Simpson Mom Jeans Scandal of 2009. 

(Below the cut—said scandal, costuming as storytelling, and the Sweater girl)

I vividly remember looking at that picture in 2009 and thinking “oh that’s unflattering.” I haven’t seen this picture since 2009, and 2019 Me’s first thought was “oh that’s fairly cute,” which is very interesting.  

I touched on what it means for something to be ‘flattering’ in 205′s post, in addition to some thoughts on why wardrobe choices do not always abide by contemporary mores and trends. 

Wardrobe is a means of conveying a character. It’s another opportunity to tell the story at hand, and a good wardrobe designer seizes that with two fists.

There’s also something about Riverdale that is oddly out-of-time (we all know this—Archie’s got an iphone and a dial TV.) That costume choices are also often kind of odd—and indeed, That Sweater is odd—seems to suit the show.  

Gossip Girl was a show set in a very specific time, place, and class—and thus all the wardrobe choices reflected a class of people hyper-aware of high fashion trends (caveat: I never watched Gossip Girl, but this is my understanding.) As a result, we look at photos from that show now and it is hyper-specific to the moment in time. If you have the knowledge, you can probably pinpoint what month those episode were filmed in.

Riverdale’s will likely not have this level of specificity as it ages. I mean—this is still a CW soap, let’s not get crazy. Hair, make-up, a lot of the clothing—all of these will be signifiers of time (and we’re just talking visuals here fyi.) But then there will be things like That Sweater, and we’ll pause and think, in our hearts of hearts: wtf. 

That’s leaving aside, you know, bear attacks and rockets and teachers jumping out of windows. 

Anyway, timelessness: the first thing I thought of when I saw that outfit was the Sweater girl, and how interesting a context in which to consider Betty that might be. 

To wit:

(Sears catalog, 1944)

(Nina Leen, 1947)

(Stichcraft patterns)

Not to get too far ahead of myself (because I still haven’t written the 405 post, in which said sweater makes its debut) but that Betty seemingly gets arrested in That Sweater? Even more intriguing to me. 

[mrsreinhart]

On Netflix, the S4 Riverdale trailer is to a different song and they’ve still got the S3 secrets video on there but with S4 promo photos, Jesus