Riverdale: A good show ruined by a disoriented plot line

With the rise of Tik Tok and other short form media the average attention span we have towards long form media has never been shorter. The new ways we digest digital content highlights the importance of quality over quantity when it comes to producing shows. We constantly want to be hooked at the first piece of media we are presented with. This can make it hard for shows to keep fans interested in multiple seasons unless the show has a strict plot line it is following or is continuously offering something new to its viewers.

Riverdale is a prime example of this. I was hooked on the show for the first few seasons but lost interest as time went on because of lackluster seasons.

The first season of Riverdale came out in 2017 when I was in Grade 9. At the time, like so many other people my age I was a big fan of the show. What is there not to like about a group of teenagers navigating high school life while also trying to solve crime in their small town?

There was never a time I had to solve a crime or hunt down a serial killer but there were definitely some experiences through my high school years that helped me relate to the struggles the characters were going through. Having to navigate relationships while also trying to deal with the pressure of your parents to do well academically is a very common experience. Going from elementary school with people I had known for the last 8 years to high school where I had to start fresh and make new friends was an adjustment. I can relate to Veronica in that way as she had just moved from New York leaving her old life behind.

I’ve also always had an interest in shows that involve mystery, so Riverdale was just my cup of tea. The suspense of not knowing what happens next draws me in every single time.

Riverdale offered just that in the first two seasons. The very first episode gave me a feeling of suspense and a hint of suspicion that the show may be more gruesome than I thought.

Earlier that summer in Riverdale, a tragedy had occurred. Jason Blossom, the son of the influential Blossom family had accidentally drowned while out on the lake with his sister Cheryl. Despite searching the lake, the police initially find no trace of his body, arising suspicion that Jason's death was more than just an accidental drowning

At the end of season 1 episode 1 “The River's Edge”, Jason’s body is discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, hinting at the town's sinister nature. Following Jason's death, more people start to go missing and end up dead, prompting worries of a serial killer in the once peaceful town.

With uncertainty shadowing over the town, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Archie Andrew (KJ Apa) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) took it upon themselves to explore the town's dark side.

As a string of Murders continue to ravage the town, a myth of a serial killer called the “Black Hood” begins to emerge. As suspicions about who the Black Hood is start to fill the town, we soon come to learn of the identity in season 2. Following the Black Hoods identity being revealed, this is where the show begins to go downhill.

Seasons 1 and 2 were great, they set up the story nicely and had a lot of adversity and suspense which made it enjoyable as a viewer. It was peak Riverdale in my mind. The mystery of not knowing who was committing the crimes ravaging the city left me with a sense of curiosity before every episode. When the Black Hood was introduced that added another level of mystery and suspense to the show.

Obviously the most important season of a show is always the first season or two and in some cases the best. I can understand that it might have been hard to replicate the success of the first couple seasons but I just felt like the directors of Riverdale were pushing out episodes that paid little attention to the theme of the first two seasons, just for the sake of it. Maybe it was because of a deal with Netflix for a certain number of seasons, but if that’s the case I think there were plenty of different things they could have focused on. They could have even produced some spin-off shows.

Season 3 and 4, while enjoyable, didn’t draw me in the same way the first two seasons did. Compared to season 1 and 2, the problem with season 3 and 4 was the lack of suspense and mystery. The first two seasons offered the uncertainty of the true identity and motive behind the Black Hood, which left me wanting more at the end of each episode, which is something I felt season 3 and 4 lacked. Once we learned the true identity of the Black Hood, it felt like the show was lacking that hook or mystery that kept bringing me back.

As I progressed through seasons 3 and 4, while I still enjoyed the show I felt like the script writing got sloppy. There’d be times I’d be watching and the dialogue between the characters would make me cringe. I felt like Cheryl Blossoms character took a big hit in the later seasons. She was a key character in the first two seasons as she battled with the unsolved death of her brother (while also managing the cheer squad). In the later seasons though, I begin to find myself getting annoyed by her character, not due to the performance of the actress but just due to poor dialogue.

After season 4, I stopped watching the show. Other shows just drew my attention, and Riverdale wasn’t offering anything that made me even remotely interested in watching.

In an ideal world, the show would have ended after season 4. If it was up to me, season three would focus more on the Black Hoods backstory. We learn that the Black Hood believes sinners need to be killed so the town can be cleansed, but I wish we got to see more of the history of the Black Hood and what led to this mindset. Someone doesn’t just wake up one day and decide they are going to go full John Wick and kill everyone who wronged them, there has to be some deeper motive.

As an alternative to pushing out more seasons that don’t really have an end goal or a set plot, it would have been better to have spin off shows rather than pump out more mediocre seasons.

I would have enjoyed seeing a show based on Hiram Lodge and the backstory of his arrest and his family having to relocate from New York to Riverdale for a fresh start. There’s plenty of content available. I'd love to see a show that shines a light on Hiram Lodge's rise to power as an influential businessman (if you want to call him that) and how it leads his family, and eventually him, to Riverdale.

Hiram Lodge, for those who don’t know, is the father of Veronica Lodge and CEO of Lodge Industries. Previously Hiram lived in New York with his daughter Veronica and wife Hermione. Hiram was busted for embezzlement which leads him and his family to Riverdale in search of a fresh start. Throughout the show we get a hint that the millionaire CEO is still involved in some less than legal activities.

The Blossom family is one of the most influential families in Riverdale. The family established the Blossom Maple Farms and are considered one of Riverdale's founding families. A spinoff based on the Blossom family could explore their rise to power and how they contributed to the creation of Riverdale. It could also be tied into Betty’s sister Poppy’s past and her relationship with Jason Blossom and how it led to her being admitted to a mental hospital.

I would also find it very interesting to see the Blossoms clash and deal with the rise of the Lodge family in Riverdale, a spin off with the focus would offer a lot of drama and conflict, would be a must watch for me.

I would have even watched a spin off that highlighted the history of the South Side Serpents, a prevalent gang in Riverdale. In the show we see Jughead transform into one of the highest ranking members in the gang, but I would have enjoyed seeing more of how the gang rose to power prior to this. Jughead's dad, FP Jones, becomes the sheriff of Riverdale would be an interesting dynamic the series could also shine light on.

The show is currently on its seventh and final season (thank gosh lol) and from what I’ve heard online, it’s completely lost the plot. I mean I even heard at one point Cheryl Blossom had super powers and she was using them to stop an asteroid from destroying Riverdale, like what is going on? Maybe she should see if the Avengers are looking for another member.

Riverdale started off strong, but as more and more seasons were released I found the plot disorganized and hard to follow. It could be that I’m not in the target age range for the show to feel nostalgic and relatable anymore. Had the show ended shortly after the reveal of the Black Hoods identity it would have been much better than tarnishing what was once a good show being tarnished by below average additional seasons.