#riverdale analysis

Camp aside I do think Dark Betty was a compelling route for Betty’s character. Throughout the comics and various adaptations, she has always been depicted as the domestic option in the love triangle. White picket fences, settling down with a couple of kids and a dog. The safe option, the less “exciting” option. Veronica frequently wins Archie over with sex appeal, something Betty is shown to lack (at least when compared to Ronnie). And so to take that character and depict her as being so severely sexually repressed that she can only express her sexuality when she’s pretending to be someone else…I think it goes a lot deeper than most viewers realize

disclaimer: you're welcome to disagree but don't be rude about it

okay, so i thought about it because im rewatching riverdale for like the 4th or 5th time and i find seasons 5-6 to be very similar to the first two seasons of riverdale, especially when it comes to internal conflicts the core 4 are facing, their behaviours and even things they say

it's like season 6 mirrors the first two seasons

let's start with jughead! do you remember fp from the beginning? he was a drunk, good-for-nothing father at the beginning of the show. once he went to jail for his role in covering up jason's murder, he gets clean, goes to aa and wants to leave the serpents. he even works at pop's after being released from jail. he only comes back to the serpents to fix jughead's mistakes (the whole penny peabody debacle). and back then, jughead really disliked his father. so in s5-6, we find out that he became everything he hated as a teenager in his dad: a drunk who can't keep up with the world around him. s1-2 jughead desperately wanted to belong (despite his im a weirdo speech), and have a family which throughout seasons 1-5 he found either in the serpents or within the core 4. once he's left alone: his family doesn't seem to be in touch with him (wtf happened to fp? and jellybean?), his friend group fell apart, and the serpents are too far away, he just turns the alcohol. probably because of loneliness. so we have him mirroring his father's arc: he first has to get clean, work at pop's, and show support for the town he hurt (bc jason's death def hurt riverdale). of course, unlike fp, he didn't clean up a murder, he just completely exposed every single person in his book, especially the serpents (and i'll forever laugh at the fact that he changed fangs' name to toothy).

veronica also mirrors her father. hiram appears in season 2 and the first time we get an insight into his character is when archie goes into his study. above his desk, hiram keeps veronica's portrait "to keep him honest". it doesn't stop him from killing papa poutine or doing other nefarious things but she's there: a symbol of the one morally good thing he has in his life. veronica keeps her father's portrait for the same reason. he also keeps her honest but he's there as a symbol of evil. he doesn't symbolize just his sins, he's also a symbol of veronica's biggest regret and, arguably, the worst thing she's ever done: killing her own father. so he's there to keep her away from evil and stop her worst instincts. it's very interesting bc veronica is also on the verge of the law, the only difference between her and hiram is that she actively tries not to hurt anybody, especially those she loves. (which is what ended up being hiram's demise)

so archie also mirrors his dad. idk if you guys remember when archie wanted to live in new york with jughead? write music? enjoy life? it was so long ago but archie really didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps. he was dead set on forging his own path. of course, it all changes in s2, when his dad almost dies after the black hood attack. this is when archie's path changes and is no longer soft and sweet; it takes a darker turn. archie we see in s5-6 mirrors fred from s1-2. he's the soul of riverdale, someone who wants to unite the town, save it. we know that fred's dreams at a young age were to settle down and build a better riverdale. archie currently wants the exact same thing. that's why he's being so pushy with betty about taking the next steps, despite her clearly not wanting the same things (every time he mentions kids or marriage or whatever, she gets silent, cagey, and says nothing. take a hint, arch).

bonus: kevin was again so obsessed with cruising and back in s1-2, whenever he wasn't doing that, he'd find himself with moose. which is exactly what's happening now as well. just saying.

and now my fav: betty! i love betty. it's kind of hard to see her in s5-6 because most of the time we see her through archie's eyes and they're not doing betty justice. we mostly see her either trying to catch the trashbag killer or having a relationship moment with archie. she is, though, the only person reflecting herself from season 2. do you remember that episode when the black hood sent her to a murder house where she put on the hood for the very first time? that was such a defining moment for betty bc for the first time, she saw her inner darkness, she saw all that she is and the potential for evil she apparently has. this was such a crucial moment for betty! this was the moment she stop being the girl next door, and whatever dreams she had of a normal life were gone. betty before and after this moment are two different bettys with different wishes and outlooks on life. i believe that just as it was back then, betty is looking for an anchor, someone or something to steady her and keep her on the light side. but from that moment in the house, betty was always dancing on the line between good and bad. she doesn't want anyone to stop that dance, she just needs someone to join it.

which is what brings me to the relationship between betty and archie.

when betty described archie as the light in the dark and i remember thinking that this line was somehow familiar. and sure enough, i found it: in season 2. during veronica's confirmation, she tells archie "you're my beacon in the night". she's also trying to protect archie from her family's mob ways, keep him good and honest, and not taint him with the evil doings of her family members. throughout the entire episode, she describes archie as this light in the dark, the good amongst the evil of the world. this is also such a veronica line who looks at archie in the exact way jughead wants to later portray him: as the hero. the symbol of what's good and right in the world.

that one conversation between betty and archie is also almost a word-for-word copy of the conversation she had with jughead. it's insane how similar those are.

both of those situations are very similar to those of their previous relationships which is very weird. why would betty say such veronicasque line and archie something so similar to what jughead did? it's almost impossible and sometimes those moments made me think that we have another story in front of us (comic book, whatever), instead of what's actually happening. and i wouldn't put it past riverdale.

but i also have this feeling that none of the couples we're seeing right now are endgame. so betty and archie, jughead and tabitha, cheryl and heather, toni and fangs, they're not going to end up together bc they're set for break up.

betty and archie will break up bc they want different things. that dream of a fence and this dream of betty as a housewife or whatever is something that her mother once wanted (you know, this whole perfect family trope), but betty doesn't. she says it so clear that she's not ready for it and that she doesn't even know if she wants it in the first place. and why would she? her whole thing in s5-6 was about those serial killer genes, it's doubtful she wants to pass them on. even her serial killer bestie the trashbag killer points out that what archie wants doesn't align with what she wishes for. and idk what's up with archie's nesting wish? is it because he lacks family and longs for it? his mum is nowhere to be found, his uncle is gone for now, and for most of the s5-6, he wasn't very helpful. tbh, i don't like him this season bc he's insanely pushy about the whole babies and picket fence thing and i just dislike men like that so yeah

jughead and tabitha might break up bc jughead is super hung up on betty. there are clearly some unresolved feelings there and tbh, tabitha deserves better. also since she's an angel, she's probably going to have to do some other things? like helping people? idk, rafael doesn't seem to be earthbound so i guess we'll see what happens with tabitha.

heather seems to be a placeholder for toni and she's going to be out of the picture bc we never really got to know her. she's there to help cheryl with magic and she makes her happy but we're not getting enough of her for the show to keep her.

and toni and fangs are set for failure from the moment toni lies about why she wanted to get married. and she did it to win the custody battle, not because she loves fangs so much (although i think she does love him).

In the final chapter of this fanfic-within-the-canon that has been the ride through Rivervale, there’s a truly Herculian effort to resolve the in-AU storylines that have received varying levels of development, and an attempt to tie it all back to Riverdale, to which we will return. And a lot of it is very witty and so much of this episode encapsulates what I so love about Riverdale the show as a piece of entertainment.   

There are six elements that serve as tentpoles to this AU finale, and they are:

Just Go With It

It was All A Dream

It Hath Been Foretold

Fanservice/ Fan Provocation

Jughead Jones is Always Ready to Die

Riverdale Writers Find Writing Very Hard & Want You To Know

Here we go!

I know a lot of my fellow Varchie/Bughead shippers strongly dislike Barchie. One of their biggest arguments against the pairing is that they lack development over the past four seasons and that seemingly, this cheating scandal has come out of nowhere with very little warning or sense attached, which I agree with. It does feel like Betty and Archie’s (especially romantic) relationship has been very minimally developed over the last few years, making this seem sudden, unexpected, and in my personal opinion, not logical. Especially considering how good, strong, and healthy Betty and Jughead’s, and Veronica and Archie’s relationships appeared in S4. I didn’t really think that we were headed for infidelity or dishonesty, secrecy or betrayal. Not at all. I understand and respect why, from a drama and entertainment standpoint, it was done, but within the story, to me, it just doesn’t really make much sense. I hope most Varchies/Bugheads/ maybe even some Barchies or “on the fence” Barchies at least, could agree with that.

Another major argument for the anti-Barchies is the lack of chemistry shared between the characters and even more so, the actors, KJ and Lili. Now I don’t totally disagree with this, however, I believe there are different forms of chemistry that actors can display.

(Before I begin, this is entirely my opinion, with my terminology and categorizations, my ideas of where each fits, etc. All me, no actual research done other than looking at scenes of Riverdale to find examples. It is 1000% okay to disagree with me or to think about this differently. This is just my interpretation as a long-time teen drama tv watcher and someone that spends way too much time analyzing fictional characters, actors, and relationships of all kinds. I have no expertise or credibility in this. I’m just doing it for fun. Also, I believe this can be true in all industries and all relationships, not only in entertainment or on a fictional tv show/movie.)

First, there is Working chemistry. As in two people or a group that just make sense when they are together. There is a natural ease and comfortability between actors that makes those scenes flow well and makes the actors’ portrayal of the friendships/relationships their characters have a lot more believable and enjoyable to watch. KJ, Lili, Cami, Cole, Mads, Vanessa, Casey, etc, all possess this chemistry with each other. It’s obvious that they enjoy working with each other. They enjoy each other as people and that comes out on screen very well I think. Their irl close friendships and trust between each other definitely make this a lot easier and more authentic in the show as well as in interviews and promos for sure, which is one of the reasons I’m really drawn to this show. (Examples: Core 4 scenes at Pop’s, group scenes in musical episodes, the family groupings, the romantic pairings, one on one friendships like Betty and Veronica, Archie and Jughead, Kevin and Betty, Cheryl and Veronica, the list goes on.)

Emotional/Relational chemistry is similar to working chemistry, but I think it’s a level deeper. This can occur between short-lived romantic relationships, such as a character’s rebound or fling, along with family members, friends, neighbors, etc. I most commonly associate this kind of chemistry with primarily words and sometimes actions or deeds. Childhood best friends are a really good example of this to me, such as Betty and Archie in my mind. This chemistry means that actors/characters deeply trust each other and this trust has usually been built up and developed over the course of many years. The people involved are usually very comfortable with each other, again, trust one another in scenes, and depend on each other. A huge characteristic of relationships that include emotional chemistry is the ability of these characters to be vulnerable with one another, to have deep, meaningful conversation, know how to comfort one another, and the desire to protect, be there for, support, and look after each other. I like to call these brother-sister relationships sometimes.

Though most serious romances possess a large amount of emotional chemistry, a relationship that contains solely an emotional bond cannot progress further, such as a lasting, healthy romance. In my opinion, this is where Barchie’s relationship can be categorized.

Consequently, I greatly disagree with anyone who says KJ and Lili don’t have any chemistry with each other whatsoever. In nearly all of their scenes since S1, we can see that Betty and Archie care deeply for each other. They really trust each other. They feel safe and comfortable with one another and feel the need to protect the other from any kind of harm or danger. They have been there for each other through some very painful and difficult circumstances and have been constant sources of comfort and safety for each other since they were children. They grew up together. They know so much about one another and have been through so much together. KJ and Lili do a fantastic job with this kind of chemistry. Very emotionally driven scenes, scenes of saying what the other needs to hear, being a shoulder for the other to lean or cry on, giving advice to help each other through the trouble they face in their lives, having a good time together, being emotionally vulnerable and honest, showing up when the other needs them, and occasionally letting their emotions get the better of them and, in Archie and Betty’s case, believing that chemistry is a different kind than it really is. (Ex. Archie helping Betty calm down after the Black Hood and breaking up with Jughead for her in S2, 3x5 Archie’s escape when Betty gets him out of the pipe and hugs him, Betty working with Mary and Sierra on Archie’s case to prove him innocent, the glances out their windows. Look, they have good emotional/relational chemistry is what I’m trying to say.)

However, Betty and Archie have only ever kissed while broken up with or in a fight with the character they are most associated with romantically. (And the plan to help Jughead in S4, but that doesn’t count since it didn’t really have any romantic intention and was purely (at least initially) a ploy to distract everyone from the truth of Jughead being alive.) KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart have amazing emotional chemistry. It’s obvious that they care about and trust each other as real life people as well as their characters. They are clearly close in real life and have a pretty similar relationship to Betty and Archie from my observation. KJ and Cami also have phenomenal emotional chemistry with clearly a very deep trust or at the very least, the front of one, between each other as people and scene partners. Cole and Lili obviously do as well, and I could argue that the majority of actors on Riverdale share this emotional chemistry with many of their costars.

What I believe KJ and Lili, not particularly to fault of either of them, lack, is Physical, Sexual, and/or Romantic chemistry. I believe this is the only kind of chemistry that can’t be forced or faked. Physical chemistry is most often displayed in serious, long-term dating relationships and marriages, but can also show up in various other relationships in some circumstances. This usually comes in handy when actors/characters are kissing, hugging, holding hands, innocently touching like rubbing hands, holding faces or playing with hair. This can also be in the forms of heart eyes, certain smiles or flirty glances, etc. I see this as very intentional and almost second nature to most actors portraying couples. Actors with a lot of physical chemistry have to be incredibly comfortable with and trusting of each other. As has been said on countless occasions, lots of romantic scenes in films and tv are very very staged so making them look authentic, unplanned, attractive, and believable is a whole nother level of talent and trust in my opinion.

Most pairs of physically compatible actors tend to come up with their own ideas and improv some “coupley” gestures or ways of showing affection towards each other’s characters in ways that make sense for the story, those characters’ individual personalities, and the relationships between them. The first couple on Riverdale that I think of with strong romantic/physical chemistry is Archie and Veronica. KJ and Cami being the actors that portray them, of course. They have incredible physical chemistry and Varchie are also often seen as an overall very physical couple, constantly wanting to be near and touch each other. Yes, they also kiss, make out, and even have sex often on the show, but their physical chemistry really shows in the little things if you ask me. The overall show of physical affection displayed towards each other is truly so beautiful and looks so real and believable on screen. It’s especially obvious when actors are so comfortable and so invested in their characters that they come up with their own little moments for their couple that they know fans will enjoy. For KJ and Cami, they seem to find 100 different little ways to hold hands or to be very affectionate by touching each other’s hair and having specific movements or gestures they do every time they kiss that real life couples would definitely have, and overall using pretty simple facial expressions and body language to portray the love and the very believable (to me) relationship between Archie and Veronica.

Cole and Lili’s portrayal of Betty and Jughead is also very physically authentic, such as when Cole kisses Lili’s forehead or how she was laying on him in the season 4 Halloween episode. Vanessa and Mads and Choni have great physical chemistry too, due to how much they trust each other and how comfortable and close they are with each other in real life as best friends. Some of those little moments could be suggested by the director, but I know many of the small things are not scripted or directed. I do believe that genuine, physical chemistry is natural and cannot be fabricated. It sure can be exaggerated or diminished by good actors, but it really can’t be entirely faked without being very obvious in my mind.. All this to say, I believe that Betty and Archie lack that physical/romantic connection and I personally think KJ and Lili just don’t naturally have the same level of that chemistry as they do with Cami and Cole. Again, that is not remotely a diss to either actor. Some pairings just don’t work like others do and that’s not because the actors are incapable or “not talented enough” to portray it.

The casting team struck gold with KJ and Cami’s and Lili and Cole’s chemistry and that is very rare to find, especially for an entire cast to be so authentically compatible with each other. In conclusion, I am not completely against the idea of Betty and Archie as a couple, but I’m just not a huge fan of it because I don’t think it would be as realistic or believable as Varchie and Bughead are, solely based on the natural, romantic chemistry the actors have with each other. Not to mention the story and what makes the most sense in that regard.

TL; DR: I don’t blame you. This is my mind at 2am. Basically, I believe there are three major levels of chemistry between people, especially actors and the characters they portray.

1) Working Chemistry: pretty much people (actors) that genuinely like one another, get along, and make the relationships of their characters believable and enjoyable on screen. (aka the entire cast of Riverdale)

2) Emotional/Relational Chemistry: Kind of similar to working, but a level deeper. I refer to these as “sibling/family-esque” relationships. Usually expressed through words and sometimes actions or deeds. This is where I personally believe Betty/Archie’s relationship is.

3) Physical/Sexual/Romantic Chemistry: Everything from flirty glances to making staged romance scenes look authentic, to coming up with sweet little gestures to show affection. I believe this cannot be faked/forced entirely. Physical chemistry is something I believe Veronica/Archie and Betty/Jughead display incredibly well. In my opinion, this is what Barchie lacks. Both the characters and the actors that play them. Not dissing either of them, they’re obviously phenomenal actors and KJ/Lili have amazing emotional chemistry, I just personally think the romantic chemistry between them isn’t as strong as KJ/Cami, Cole/Lili, Madelaine/Vanessa, etc.

*If you made it this far, you’re also in too deep with this show. I’m kidding, I love you. Thank you for reading all of this. I would absolutely love to hear what you think.*

I woke up to a temper tantrum I’d missed yesterday by a dude in the entertainment industry. I know what you’re thinking. How could you even keep track of that anymore? Truth is, we can’t, but occasionally when I’m browsing social media looking for awesome cosplayers or banging fanart to feature, I run across it. And today I found another. 

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, better known on Twitter and Instagram as @writerras, was throwing a giant-sized manbaby fit about the similarities between the Riverdale posters and those of other teen shows. I want to point out that he wasn’t wrong. They do look eerily similar, but that’s not the point. The point is he assumes his show, his team, and his precious brain only produce super original content and that is inherently untrue. It hasn’t been true of anyone for a long, long time. You borrow something from everything you see, read, and watch. It’s human nature. And it’s okay. 

Now, I know we’ve talked about this particular topic plenty of times here. Why? Because we think it’s important to note that no story is 100% original anymore. This is why fanfiction is not only more than okay, but should be condoned as a form of creative expression. This is why fanfiction isn’t a dirty word. This is why you shouldn’t be ashamed. Just because some entitled dude calls his show “original” doesn’t make it so. It’s still fanfiction any way you slice it, and they’re only calling it that when women do it for free. It’s a way to put you down and keep you there. There is no difference. None. Zero. Zilch. It’s all fanfiction, so calm yourself, Roberto. You’re not special. No matter what your mom told you growing up. 

I think the majority of this boils down to thinking because you were first, you’re also original. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive and never were. It’s okay to base your model off something that works. You’re not trying to invent the wheel or anything. You’re telling a story. Why wouldn’t you build on what’s already there? What even would be the point in struggling when you already know what works? 

As a side note, I’m not saying the ole copy and paste is a good idea. I am not condoning plagiarism, in any form, but I am saying no one can throw a fit unless it’s straight, black and white, exactly the damn same plagiarism. P.S. It rarely is. You are not so smart, so awesome, and so clever to be the only one in the world to be able to come up with this idea. I’m sorry to have to tell you that. But you’re not. Is it all pointless and no one should tell stories anymore? No. We need stories. Crave them, even. Just because it’s not super original doesn’t make it any less yours. You are the only person who can tell your stories that specific way. If I made a Riverdale right now, it might have similar qualities, but it would be different. It’s unavoidable. 

So what’s the point? Well, that’s simple. Everything is fanfiction of something else at this point. Fanfiction isn’t a dirty word. And Riverdale is Archie Comics fanfic, so everyone needs to sit down, shut up, and just write. Stop making excuses. Just write. 

And to you, Roberto, try harder next season because I’m so confused, I’m bored. 

this doesn't work with jeronica as much as veronica isn't a typical girl like betty meaning less can relate to her and her situation. I mean the main backbone of bettys character is the girl next door but one with the attitude of a child burn out, stressing over grades and wearing cutsie clothes. like obviously forgetting daddy's killer tendencies and mommies breakdowns, a lot of kids can relate to her.

kids cannot relate as easily to veronica. unless they're all rich and Latino and wear £100 dresses to school everyday with a snappy tongue and a character that draws in every popular guy in school. that's not the main audience of riverdale. so relationships with her in are less favoured bc they're less relatable therefore making them less easy to live through

and then i think the writers did it initially bc u have famous cutie patootie Disney star who was the most well known at the start of the show and what better move is there than pairing him up with a blonde hair blue eyed fairy??? putting him in a main couple in a series does wonders for sales as it is; putting him in a couple with a character they anticipate the majority will love is like a power move. and then yanno there's the added bonus that 13 year olds just seem to fuckin Adore 'bad boy with random ass white girl' tropes bc a lot of them are right there in that edgy stage and this is the perfect tv couple they can fantasize through. bc they worked so well, what would be the point in even thinking about trying out another ship??? when the money is being raked in from the absolute blatant fan service

got tagged by @raptorlily​ (thank you!!!) and y’all i’m so sorry because this is gonna be another one of my eight year long essays 

but i don’t always talk about riverdale, even though i’ve got thoughts coming out my ears---and so it builds up and then, well, this happens 

rules: answer the questions and tag seven people!

a character/characters you hope gets more screen time: 

the facts were these: kevin keller

but---really, i want a lot more kevin. that kid is so funny and so dry but also like i want him to see him be more than a comedic relief! like he’s pretty blindly moralistic and judgmental in a way that’s gonna have him coming down on a different side than betty or jughead, and i see him butting heads with his best friends and i am super excited to see how that plays out. 

i also am excited to see more of reggie! i’ve said before that reggie just felt like a character that showed up to be an antagonist whenever cheryl was in a good mood and that bugged me. i realize now that some of that was the filming schedule for the previous actor but like---still, c’mon, there has to be more nuance to this guy.

also also, probably an unpopular opinion but: archie, in some ways. i felt like the show really dropped the ball on archie. there was so much potential. like i was really excited for his narrative to explore the downfall of golden boys (especially as someone being thrust into the mantle of jason blossom), social expectation and grooming in small town hierarchies. 

not to mention completely flat-out ignoring the fact that this kid was raped by a repeat sexual predator who was established as having cut him off from his relationships, fucking with his head, manipulating his self worth, etc like??? i’m still waiting for that to come up bitch  

instead archie has just felt so lackluster and goofy high school musical, which sucks, because there was just a lot of potential there. anyway we’ll see where it goes from hereon out 

character you’ll miss: i mean i wish we’d seen more of joaquin, who ostensibily did nothing but stare into a corner and think about how utterly fucked he was and then make out with kevin a bit

but building off my earlier point about grundy, she should be on trial and i wish she wasn’t just welp, viva las vegas! and out the door without any consequences 

though i wouldn’t really classify this as “missing her” lmao 

one death you would like to see: i hate deaths on tv, generally. most of the time it’s just a cheap attempt to shake up the other characters for 3 episodes (i’m definitely not talking about robin from ouat what do you mean) 

but a death can also be a good catalyst for radical character development, so it all depends on how it would go down 

then again i mean i hate hal cooper and how he pulled his whole family into his shakespearean melodrama and the resulting gaslight bullshit he pulled so like i wouldn’t sweat over his death 

one death you would hate to see: i’d write a very angry but also very polite MLA format letter to the writers if betty cooper died

a storyline you like: i loooove when riverdale dips its toe into classism. i’ve said this so many times so i apologize, but the show really reaches an important level when it touches upon privilege and class. 

i’ve seen this floated around as a “civil war” in the press junkets and i think that’s a good way to generate buzz but also heavily simplifies what i hope to see; which is the desire that the show continues to present things as gray zones. 

for example, i’ve seen a lot of romanticization for the serpents and that’s really interesting. we’re definitely made to empathize with them and that’s important but also gang inductions and gang life is driven by class warfare; people are left disenfranchised by their local infrastructure and have to turn to each other for help, but it also is usually a deeply destructive cycle.

the parents get wrapped up in gang life, the children are neglected, the rest of the gang swoops in and takes care of them, then inducts them, and so on. it’s a really complicated narrative that has a lot of real world grittiness and i hope to see it handled right!

similarly, i think that an honest dive into the drug epidemic sweeping across america, particularly rural/small towns/suburbs would be really fitting on riverdale. i mean they already showed a very graphic overdose death and the show ended with a reveal that a character was moving major quantities of hard drugs, so....i know it’s a teen show on the cw that i’ve convinced myself is being written by the showrunners of true detective.....but, i mean, you never know

a storyline you don’t: i mean can i just take a moment to be upset that veronica took cheryl to her house to warm in front of the fire, fresh off a suicide attempt, and then left the damn girl alone to go to a dance?????????? that really upset me and if you thought i wasn’t still thinking about it we haven’t met properly

i also deeply disliked the show’s portrayal of chuck clayton. i get that they needed a villain but like did it have to be the sweet, artistic black character who was created at a time of limited positive representation? anyway, here’s an article that speaks to it better than i could: [x]

a pairing you hope to see more of: i mean mostly just bughead lbr 

but i’m also very excited for cheryl’s upcoming relationship, who i expect will be with the new character toni! i also feel like i haven’t been sold on varchie beyond a basic appreciation for some cute moments so i’m looking forward to seeing them more

something you would like to happen: a solid discussion about mental health issues and how they manifest. i want to see a deeper exploration into the kind of trauma jughead has gone through (i loved when he talked about why he didn’t like his birthday), for example. i also see cheryl as a bipolar character (an illness very close to my family and which i see a lot in her) and i’d like to see that hopefully touched upon. 

mostly though, i want a more nuanced approach to betty’s obvious mental health issues. i’ve seen a lot of people chalking it up to sort an “evil alter ego” type thing, as if she’s jean gray or something, but in reality, dissociative personality disorders are rare and very complex. and not really something i trust in the hands of the cw, nor something i see in betty. 

i see her as having pretty intense anxiety disorders and as someone with those, i would love to see that treated not as a stigma, but as something that one lives with and accepts and works through. 

on that line, i also want to see more of betty’s somewhat black and white perspective on justice competing with jughead’s moral apathy/grayness and how that creates a tension that will ultimately lead to a better understanding of one another and life. 

also: i know, i know, jesus christ sarah please relax 

I tag: