Riverdale — “Chapter Thirty-Five: Brave New World” — Image Number: RVD222b_0192.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Robin Givens as Sierra McCoy, Camila Mendes as Veronica, KJ Apa as Archie, Ashleigh Murray as Josie and Charles Melton as Reggie — Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Riverdale finale sets up a lot for the third season instead of giving the closure we needed in a lackluster season 2 ender.
In what could have been a season premiere, the Riverdale finale served up more narrative “firsts” than any real endings. This season has been mired in problematic storylines, and the finale does little to untangle them. With a frenetic back half of the season, “Chapter Thirty-Five: Brave New World” blew past the resolution we needed, instead building an infrastructure for next season. For many of the juiciest bits, it felt like an end with no middle.
Archie gets arrested
Archie is meant to be redeemed as our resident hero, but he didn’t really do anything to earn it. Confronting Hiram, threatening to “make his bones” felt out of character and implausible. Of course, this cliffhanger will make excellent fodder for next season, but we don’t get to see Archie do any real evolving. And we certainly haven’t seen this kind of steely resolve before.
He goes from Hiram’s lackey, to fascist leader, to loyal son, to Veronica’s protector in lightening speed. He’s not done any of the emotional work that would allow audiences to believe he’s capable of what he’s promising, and it falls flat as he’s cuffed and escorted out of the gymnasium.
This is after a hapless, throw-away storyline about a student council election that no one cares about, not even the main characters. His arrest feels jarring and extraneous. He’s accused of a murder in which he just threatened Hiram with. It’s a little lazy on the writers’ part. Maybe this will teach him not to divulge his plan to the villain himself in the future.
Cheryl’s a Serpent now
In what could have been a healing and coalescing moment in the finale, Riverdale instead chooses to gloss over Cheryl’s induction to the Serpents in a too-quick ceremony that didn’t get the time it deserved. Of course, we understand the why of it all, but after all she’s done for Toni and Jughead’s Serpent family, we could have gotten a little more flourish. Cheryl didn’t even have to do an uncomfortable strip-tease or exact a pound of flesh for her enemies. Nor did they hoist her up on their shoulders chanting her name. We didn’t even get a congratulation kiss from Toni. I’m let down by how anti-climactic it was.
It’s lumped in with F.P.’s retirement announcement and Jughead’s ascension to power, and we’re left without a real place to point our emotional investment. Are we supposed to feel sad about F.P.? Happy for Jughead? Proud for Cheryl? It was a short cut for a third season alliance that ignored the need for a season two resolution.
Betty is the Serpent queen
Now that Jughead has officially taken the reigns, it stands to reason that Betty will be his queen. But for such a big move in plot, the scene took less than five minutes and was interrupted by a strangely timed voice over alluding to Archie’s arrest. They robbed us of an intimate exchange between Jug and Betty that could have created a lot of viewer buy-in.
Of course, it’s going to get a lot more screen time next season, but Riverdale could have dialed down the Silence of the Lambs bit between Betty and her father and doubled down on this particular moment. Does Betty not get a jacket? And is her darkness cured now? This is why we can’t have nice things, Riverdale.
Hiram’s band of evildoers
I guess it makes narrative sense for Hiram to recruit other bad guys into his schemes, even if they have been background players for most of the season. Now that he owns the Southside, he has to have someone to pump drugs to the residents (Claudius), enforce obedience (Penny Peabody and the Ghoulies), and offer a house of ill-repute (Penelope Blossom).
However, we care so little about these characters that their alliance has little significance in a finale. Teeing up a season three scheme is a waste of precious time here, especially when these folks have a collective amount of screen time of less than 20 minutes.
I don’t even see how Hiram has the time to serve as chairman of the board of Scooby-Doo villains. He’s so busy manipulating his wife, double-crossing his daughter, playing mobster and meddling in high school matters, it seems like his plate would be full.
Riverdale — “Chapter Thirty-Five: Brave New World” — Image Number: RVD222b_0066.jpg — Pictured (L-R): KJ Apa as Archie, Luke Perry as Fred and Robin Givens as Sierra McCoy — Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Hermione is mayor and gives Fred the bedroom eyes
I won’t even address how bummed I am that Fred Andrews lost the mayoral race, or lament about all the missed opportunities his loss reveals. Now that Hermione is mayor, she seems to have undergone the same invisible shortcut to awakening Archie has.
All of a sudden, she’s back to season one Hermione, conspiring against her husband that she was defending last episode. It’s narrative whiplash, complicated by her and Fred’s romantic chemistry.
I’m not fooled by her show of sportsmanship after Fred’s loss. They exchanged a longing glance in the gym before the results, and that handshake lingered a little too long to be a platonic show of good faith. This is just another case of the writers skipping the middle, to get to an end that will open doors for season three.
When did these feelings rekindle? Does Hermione have some switch she flips, so when she’s mad at Hiram she’s hot for Fred? Slow down, Riverdale. Let us enjoy these moments.
Veronica opens a speakeasy
I really just can’t with this. Are we really supposed to believe that this girl, not even 18 years old, can own a nightclub and get a liquor license? Sheesh.
Even with the help of Attorney Sierra McCoy, there is no way in hell this is believable. I’m all for suspending my disbelief when the story makes it worth it, but what kind of Gossip Girl crap is this show trying to pull? And in its season finale, no less?
Polly recruits Alice to her cult
This is television gold right here, folks. This could have been big, but it’s shoehorned in as an afterthought. What’s the point of making Madchen Amick mope around in her robe and no makeup for an entire episode if you’re only going to tack on the possibility of a cult in the final moments? It’s a real waste of talent if you ask me.
Kevin And Moose kiss
Riverdale has been laying the foundation for this kiss all season long. It’s fitting that Kevin and Moose finally have their big kiss while Moose is mourning Midge because it seems like she was the only thing standing in their way. Why make us wait until next season to see this thing come about?
We’ve put in the time and shipping hours, give us what we want in the finale. It’s only fair. Especially since the writers have been giving Kevin, Moose, and Josie less and less to do in the last third of the season. Now is the time to give us what we want: more Kevin!!!
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This may be all for season 2, but I’m definitely not done thinking about it. Stay tuned for more Riverdale follow-ups until the (much anticipated) season three premiere in the fall.