#ras negativity

I will die on this hill.

I’m not saying Jughead was not drunk or high, or that his history doesn’t explain his state of mind then and now, but THAT line about “That wasn’t my intention”? That was a screw up by the writers.

Cole ACTED that scene the way that line should be said—in any logical context. The fact that he insisted on re-recording that voicemail just to jam that square peg into the round hole is a clear indication that what Cole was thinking when he acted “That wasn’t my intention” versus what the writers ultimately came up with was totally different. You put that line in ANY situation, it implies that the thing that was done or said was remembered, just that there is a disconnect with how it was interpreted.

Now we can say Jug was always drunk, high, blacked out, but that’s US making excuses for this bad writing. That’s US making excuses for the bad continuity. It isn’t logic.

Logic is @heartunsettledsoul ‘s version of events in “You’ll Always Be My Favorite Ghost.” THAT is brilliant writing and interpretation of how that went down.

The first time I heard Jughead say that on the episode, I could not wrap my mind around how Jughead’s face was pure confusion while Betty’s was one of absolute certainty. And mind you, they weren’t disagreeing on him leaving a message. To both of them, he absolutely did leave a message. He just couldn’t believe she misunderstood him. Now that we know what the message is, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for him to think that she could’ve interpreted that differently in any way.

They writers should’ve either gone the route of @heartunsettledsoul’s fic, or they should’ve at least done the logical thing and had Jughead say something to the effect of, “I guess I remember leaving you a voicemail… but, I’m not sure I remember what I said.” Not “That wasn’t my intention,” as if he clearly remembered it differently.

Like I said—maybe that’s what the writers WANT to convey. It’s probably what they want us to think at this point, but it does not change the fact that it’s bad writing, they screwed it up, and now we have to jump through hoops to have it make sense to us.

Also, the editing truly sucks. The framing of “you cheated on him, Betty” juxtaposed with Betty playing his voicemail so POORLY frames the emotional pain of both Jughead and Betty. It makes it seem so much like Betty is taking her cheating on him as equivalent to the cruelty of his words on that One Voicemail, when it’s just not. The story here isn’t that Cheating = Mean Voicemail. The story here is that Betty hurt Jughead badly, and after years and years of her regret and his broken heart, after years of pain and self-destruction in their own separate lives, Betty’s one hope for reconciliation—at least as friends if not lovers, were completely shattered by that voicemail. It doesn’t justify her cheating. It doesn’t make Jughead as bad as her. But the fact that the writers framed it to make it seem as if Betty were thinking that way—LAZY AF.

We know that Betty has grown stone cold after all these years. I accept that, but this has always been the problem with these writers, right? They build a character a certain way then expect their viewers to fill in the blanks when they make leaps. Their leaps are—okay—possible, but way too fast in such a short time. It’s never smoothly executed. It’s always jarring, usually accompanied by a sucker punch. They can’t tell me TV is a limiting platform. NO. They stream one useless storyline after another—storylines we can do without. They have wasted their time on other things when it is better served for others.

Well.

It’s fiveish years in the future. You hear the premise of a cool show but then you read (or hear, if it’s a trailer)- “From the creator of Riverdale.” i.e RAS. Would you watch it or what would your reaction be as a gif?

I’ll go first:

Everyone is discussing whether only Jughead will get his memories back or if all the characters will be able to get it. (I'm not going to rant here about whether "these" characters need the memories of people they are not. This can be saved for when one fall I remember how angry I was in the season 5 finale.) And if everyone gets memories, then who will return to the present, and who will remain in the 50s?

My guess is that everyone but Betty will return to the present, whatever it is. Gays - because they have no chance of being in an open relationship in the 50s and for a very, very long time. Women - because now they have more opportunities and rights than in the 50s. Although this is controversial. (Riverdale doesn't like to bring up such difficult topics anyway.) Jughead - because he will have more room for his writing and his ideas now. You know, the internet and all that. And he has a family somewhere in the present. And Saint Tabitha of course! I really don't know why Veronica would be interested in the present, other than that she can do business on an equal footing with men. Has this topic come up at least once this season? Archie. He seems to be comfortable in any decade. His father died everywhere, and everywhere he does not know what he wants to do. He may come back to the present just for company.

And only Betty has a real reason to stay in the 50s. Her father is not a serial killer. Her mom is Alice as always, but they've figured it out again and love each other (I roll my eyes, see?). Polly is alive and doing great. Her new half-sister Ethel is not a serial killer and travels happily. And only here Betty has interests besides investigations and crimes - she can write books about masturbating or she can dance striptease and sing in burlesque.

Anyway, in the finale we have 86 year old Betty in 2024. And an old friend helps her remember her high school graduation. What if he actually takes her to a real prom in the present where all the other characters are "literally just back" from the 50s? She will live a quiet life. But she will miss her friends, whom she has not seen since prom, or who have not even been to prom, because they went back to the future in advance.

However, we have spoilers that claim that there are scenes from the 70s, in which all the main and almost main characters are involved. I don't know what to do with this information.

I still remember the first time I found @thestaredown's amazing theories about what happened during the explosion in the mine and how we analyzed the possibilities of plot development in detail. We didn't rule out "magic" and more insanity. But we certainly never expected the plot of Riverdale to land in such a big puddle.

And now the fandom is discussing what? How one actor was smoking on the couch and "maybe" talking bad about another actor?

Guys, is the season premiere in a week? And everyone gives a shit about the plot? That is, in general, no one cares what the season will be about. Not a single theory, not a single real discussion of the possible development of the plot.