Next Wednesday, Riverdale is ending after seven seasons, over 100 episodes, and out-of-this-world storylines, but not without some reflections from star Lili Reinhart, who played Archie Andrews’s neighbor Betty Cooper during the show’s course.
While Betty has certainly been Riverdale‘s reigning queen, along with Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch), Veronica Lodge (Camilla Mendes), and Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan), there has been “absurdity” regarding several of the show’s storylines, which has dramatically evolved since the first season in 2017.
Per an interview (before the strikes) with the publication Vulture, Reinhart shared her take on how the show, especially particular storylines, was “taken out of context” and made into social media moments by fans. Although this practice is manifested in several fandoms across several shows, Reinhart couldn’t get past the ideology of the reasoning.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge that our show is made fun of a lot. People see clips taken out of context and are like, ‘What? I thought this was a show about teenagers.‘ And we thought so as well, in season one. But it’s really not been easy to feel when you’re the butt of a joke,” she explains. “So, when the absurdity of our show became a talking point, it was difficult. It is ‘What the (expletive)?’ That’s the whole point. When we’re doing our table reads and something ridiculous happens, [the creator] Robert is laughing because he understands the absurdity and the campiness.”
In the final season, the Riverdale kids are transported to the 1950s, and like the people living in the era, they’re faced head-on with several of the decade’s conflicts. With no remembrance of their past, Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his gang deal with the pressures of racism, gender societal divisions, the Cold War, LGBT rights, Hollywood code-switching, censorship, and relationships. However, they each find a way to solve these issues, and while the resolutions have been less than traditional, they work for the Riverdale universe.
Speaking of relationships, one of Riverdale‘s main themes since its beginning, Cole Sprouse, who portrays Jughead Jones, offered his perspective regarding the fine line between shipping and how it bleeds into reality. When this happens, it can be a terrifying ordeal.
“I get a lot of stuff sent to my house or my loved ones’ houses. Death threats, really nasty, honestly criminal stuff,” Sprouse shares with Vulture. “And I do think it’s because at least four of us at this table have dated our co-workers (Sprouse was in a relationship with Reinhart from 2017 to 2020, and Mendes dated Charles Melton, who portrayed Reggie Mantle, for a year). Is that just a consequence of an incredible love? Or is that what fanaticism looks like? Perhaps because those lines were blurred to our audience, it’s hard to break those things up when life moves on.”
Next Wednesday (August 23rd), Riverdale will air its final episode. Take a look at the final teaser as we say “Goodbye Riverdale, and its characters.