unfortunately it hurts all 3 of my feelings

me: so riverdale’s use of parody names works in tandem with its distinctive dialogue to establish that the show takes place in a universe adjacent to our own. references to sharebnb, grind’em and glamazon create a sense of distance between riverdale’s world and its audience’s. they are entertaining, yes, but they also contribute to the effective translation of comic books—exaggerated, stylized depictions of a setting based on yet separate from ours—into a live-action format. however, they also serve another purpose. the consistent use of parody names draws attention to the moments when names aren’t parodied. it compels the audience to question the presence of these real-life names in ways that other more grounded shows cannot. one example is product placement, a practice normalized in movies and television, something we as an audience have come to expect; but in riverdale, a world where veronica shops at lacy’s department store and people carry boysenberry phones, a scene where archie pulls out a chime credit card or toni carries an old navy shopping bag into pop’s diner becomes more than just product placement; it becomes a commentary on its absurdity. we are confronted by the fact that the creation of art is beholden to the whims of the corporations that fund it and cannot be separated from the context of the capitalist society in which it is created, and we laugh at it. but it’s not just brand names that riverdale parodies. in season seven, the inclusion of author brad raybury, an obvious play on the name of real-life author ray bradbury, draws attention to the authors and books mentioned in the season that do not receive the same parody treatment in a way that makes the lesson their inclusion is meant to teach more effective. one subplot in season seven centers around betty and her exploration of her sexuality as a teenage girl in the 50s. it is through reading the book lolita by vladimir nabokov, a book frequently targeted by book bans and censorship, that she comes to recognize and understand that she is being groomed by an older male authority figure. another subplot focuses in the black athena, a school club for students to discuss the works of black authors. this plotline exposes riverdale’s young audience to these authors and their important works, but its place alongside an obvious parody of a white male author emphasizes the point of its inclusion. most riverdale viewers will recognize brad raybury as a play on ray bradbury. would they recognize the same type of play on the name james baldwin? on ralph ellison? likely not. thus, brad raybury’s presence highlights the systemic exclusion of these black authors and white america’s cultural ignorance