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nameless-island · 2 years

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just some random riverdale s5-6 thoughts

disclaimer: you're welcome to disagree but don't be rude about it

okay, so i thought about it because im rewatching riverdale for like the 4th or 5th time and i find seasons 5-6 to be very similar to the first two seasons of riverdale, especially when it comes to internal conflicts the core 4 are facing, their behaviours and even things they say

it's like season 6 mirrors the first two seasons

let's start with jughead! do you remember fp from the beginning? he was a drunk, good-for-nothing father at the beginning of the show. once he went to jail for his role in covering up jason's murder, he gets clean, goes to aa and wants to leave the serpents. he even works at pop's after being released from jail. he only comes back to the serpents to fix jughead's mistakes (the whole penny peabody debacle). and back then, jughead really disliked his father. so in s5-6, we find out that he became everything he hated as a teenager in his dad: a drunk who can't keep up with the world around him. s1-2 jughead desperately wanted to belong (despite his im a weirdo speech), and have a family which throughout seasons 1-5 he found either in the serpents or within the core 4. once he's left alone: his family doesn't seem to be in touch with him (wtf happened to fp? and jellybean?), his friend group fell apart, and the serpents are too far away, he just turns the alcohol. probably because of loneliness. so we have him mirroring his father's arc: he first has to get clean, work at pop's, and show support for the town he hurt (bc jason's death def hurt riverdale). of course, unlike fp, he didn't clean up a murder, he just completely exposed every single person in his book, especially the serpents (and i'll forever laugh at the fact that he changed fangs' name to toothy).

veronica also mirrors her father. hiram appears in season 2 and the first time we get an insight into his character is when archie goes into his study. above his desk, hiram keeps veronica's portrait "to keep him honest". it doesn't stop him from killing papa poutine or doing other nefarious things but she's there: a symbol of the one morally good thing he has in his life. veronica keeps her father's portrait for the same reason. he also keeps her honest but he's there as a symbol of evil. he doesn't symbolize just his sins, he's also a symbol of veronica's biggest regret and, arguably, the worst thing she's ever done: killing her own father. so he's there to keep her away from evil and stop her worst instincts. it's very interesting bc veronica is also on the verge of the law, the only difference between her and hiram is that she actively tries not to hurt anybody, especially those she loves. (which is what ended up being hiram's demise)

so archie also mirrors his dad. idk if you guys remember when archie wanted to live in new york with jughead? write music? enjoy life? it was so long ago but archie really didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps. he was dead set on forging his own path. of course, it all changes in s2, when his dad almost dies after the black hood attack. this is when archie's path changes and is no longer soft and sweet; it takes a darker turn. archie we see in s5-6 mirrors fred from s1-2. he's the soul of riverdale, someone who wants to unite the town, save it. we know that fred's dreams at a young age were to settle down and build a better riverdale. archie currently wants the exact same thing. that's why he's being so pushy with betty about taking the next steps, despite her clearly not wanting the same things (every time he mentions kids or marriage or whatever, she gets silent, cagey, and says nothing. take a hint, arch).

bonus: kevin was again so obsessed with cruising and back in s1-2, whenever he wasn't doing that, he'd find himself with moose. which is exactly what's happening now as well. just saying.

and now my fav: betty! i love betty. it's kind of hard to see her in s5-6 because most of the time we see her through archie's eyes and they're not doing betty justice. we mostly see her either trying to catch the trashbag killer or having a relationship moment with archie. she is, though, the only person reflecting herself from season 2. do you remember that episode when the black hood sent her to a murder house where she put on the hood for the very first time? that was such a defining moment for betty bc for the first time, she saw her inner darkness, she saw all that she is and the potential for evil she apparently has. this was such a crucial moment for betty! this was the moment she stop being the girl next door, and whatever dreams she had of a normal life were gone. betty before and after this moment are two different bettys with different wishes and outlooks on life. i believe that just as it was back then, betty is looking for an anchor, someone or something to steady her and keep her on the light side. but from that moment in the house, betty was always dancing on the line between good and bad. she doesn't want anyone to stop that dance, she just needs someone to join it.

which is what brings me to the relationship between betty and archie.

when betty described archie as the light in the dark and i remember thinking that this line was somehow familiar. and sure enough, i found it: in season 2. during veronica's confirmation, she tells archie "you're my beacon in the night". she's also trying to protect archie from her family's mob ways, keep him good and honest, and not taint him with the evil doings of her family members. throughout the entire episode, she describes archie as this light in the dark, the good amongst the evil of the world. this is also such a veronica line who looks at archie in the exact way jughead wants to later portray him: as the hero. the symbol of what's good and right in the world.

that one conversation between betty and archie is also almost a word-for-word copy of the conversation she had with jughead. it's insane how similar those are.

both of those situations are very similar to those of their previous relationships which is very weird. why would betty say such veronicasque line and archie something so similar to what jughead did? it's almost impossible and sometimes those moments made me think that we have another story in front of us (comic book, whatever), instead of what's actually happening. and i wouldn't put it past riverdale.

but i also have this feeling that none of the couples we're seeing right now are endgame. so betty and archie, jughead and tabitha, cheryl and heather, toni and fangs, they're not going to end up together bc they're set for break up.

betty and archie will break up bc they want different things. that dream of a fence and this dream of betty as a housewife or whatever is something that her mother once wanted (you know, this whole perfect family trope), but betty doesn't. she says it so clear that she's not ready for it and that she doesn't even know if she wants it in the first place. and why would she? her whole thing in s5-6 was about those serial killer genes, it's doubtful she wants to pass them on. even her serial killer bestie the trashbag killer points out that what archie wants doesn't align with what she wishes for. and idk what's up with archie's nesting wish? is it because he lacks family and longs for it? his mum is nowhere to be found, his uncle is gone for now, and for most of the s5-6, he wasn't very helpful. tbh, i don't like him this season bc he's insanely pushy about the whole babies and picket fence thing and i just dislike men like that so yeah

jughead and tabitha might break up bc jughead is super hung up on betty. there are clearly some unresolved feelings there and tbh, tabitha deserves better. also since she's an angel, she's probably going to have to do some other things? like helping people? idk, rafael doesn't seem to be earthbound so i guess we'll see what happens with tabitha.

heather seems to be a placeholder for toni and she's going to be out of the picture bc we never really got to know her. she's there to help cheryl with magic and she makes her happy but we're not getting enough of her for the show to keep her.

and toni and fangs are set for failure from the moment toni lies about why she wanted to get married. and she did it to win the custody battle, not because she loves fangs so much (although i think she does love him).

ultimately, what keeps me wondering is whether we'll come back to the moment of the explosion. this is when rivervale happened and the universes started leaking. bunker jughead didn't do a clean break and we're either going to face another recreation of it or we're gonna go back in time. s6 has to end rivervale. rivervale was leaking into riverdale and maybe that's also why some of the stories seemed off and the characters were also a little bit misplaced at times. and what will this new riverdale be like once its twin universe is gone? once they don't affect each other? who stays the same and who changes? those are some big questions and im sure s6 finale will leave us with a cliffhanger. or the question it always leaves us with: what now once this new tragedy is over?

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