(just a list of things I've noticed)
every character of color is a significant other with no legitimate character development (ex: toni, fangs, valerie, later joise, even fucking veronica)
the entire season 2 jughead plotline was him spearheading a campaign for the serpents that was mainly nonwhite people. we had not only just joined the group after having wildly ignorant beliefs about them, but literally decided to take on their oppression as his own while ignoring the underlying race and gender inequality within the group.
jughead treats every serpent (besides himself) as though they are criminals. even though he participated in selling drugs, physically assaulted penny peabody, helped to hide a dead body, and much much more.
making betty the serpent queen as a white woman who had been a member for maybe a month or two max, even though toni has been a lifelong member and dedicated herself to the group.
the serpents are supposed to be a group formed with some regards to indigenous people kicked off land. So why is everyone in position of power (FP, jughead, betty, tall boy) white and predominantly male?
bottom line: the serpents and their storylines were extremely unclear and had a lot of racist and sexist undertones
JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS. josie, melody, and valerie were the only black characters in riverdale for a long time. they had some of the only 'political storylines' and regularly sang about empowerment. Even in the beginning of the show melody had maybe one line that I heard and we knew nothing about her. Valerie pretty much disappeared after she was used as a love interest for archie, and Joise was an actual character for a while but was again reduced to a love interest and then written out. Joise especially had so many more stories to tell as a black woman in the music industry. She had conflict with her dad a demanding mother and was now in an interesting family situation with the Kellers. Instead of using up the last moments of her time on riverdale to have a romantic fling with archie of all people she could have had a PLOT.
Chuck Clayton. They brought him on and villanized him for all of season 1 as a sexist (deservedly so) they brought him on for ONE EPISODE of season two to redeem him and we have not seen him since. Hes the only black male character we had and he deserved to have more. Also it's worth noting that they choose a black man to be the main villain in this arch, the first and only black male for quite a long time. There were other choices.
With the pussycats and chuck you can make the claim that they were only written out because the actors left, while that does have truth you have to ask yourself why they all as black actors decided to leave. all of their storylines were pushed out of the way to make way for the 'core four + cheryl's storylines which is problematic bc besides veronica they are all white
TONI. This girl has no backstory and literally serves to further Cheryl's storyline at this point. As much as I love choni throughout season 3 and beginning of season 4 their relationship was quite toxic (mainly due to cheryl). Toni has never existed as her own character. If shes considered a lead she can have her own plot once in a while (not tickling with Kevin and reggie plz tho).
Reggie is an asian man and has a demanding rich successful father (stteryotypes). his abuse has never really been resolved and he continues to have some of the worst plots.
sweet pea, fangs, joaquin. All of these characters just up and disappear and come back like twice a season to be used as plot devices.
archie and his whole ass storyline. hes acting in this 'white saviour complex' and it's downright gross. I understood at the beginning when he was working with mad dog but the whole superhero plotline really took it up a notch to ridiculousness.
veronica deserves better in general. they have her speak spanish every few episodes in some of the most unnatural dialogue I've heard in my life and her plot either revolves around her dad or her boyfriend
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