Going Out With a Whimper: Season 7 Discussion

[memememe76]

This is my favourite season since season one. I am glad it’s kinda normal. And Archie has never been more likeable. 

[The Wild Sow]

Twyla's not too good at her profession, is she?  I mean, you don't actually pay a sex worker for sex -- you pay them to go away after!

Blabbing a customer's business all over town is not "going away."

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Twyla's not too good at her profession, is she?  I mean, you don't actually pay a sex worker for sex -- you pay them to go away after!

She seemed to start out as the stereotypical "hooker with a heart of gold", but turned on Kevin quickly when he wasn't buying what she was selling.  And of course she jumps at the opportunity to give Archie a try.

I'm still enjoying the '50s arc, but I admit they seem to be losing focus a little in the last few episodes.  I'm sure it's hard to write a long season, but that isn't my problem.

[tennisgurl]

Oh Riverdale, only you would have a teenage girl flash her underwear on television as a sign of her empowerment. This show has always had this weird creepy habit of overly sexualizing teenage characters, even by TV standards but the constant lectures this season and the 50s setting just makes it stand out even more. I also think that the asshole principle makes a decent point about Jughead publishing comics that clearly feature other students in very sexual and violent situations, I would be pretty creeped out if one of my students was drawing pictures of his classmates dying in horrible ways. Of course they make it more about censorship and being pointlessly prissy about harmless stories, but that should probably raise some eyebrows. 

Its hilarious to me that this show has decided to make a whole plot where Veronica takes a stand for movie theaters and against television...on a television show. Why are the Lodges even buying this random old theater? Why is it becoming a parking lot? Obviously its because the show needs for this to happen for Veronica to be a hero, but you can really see the hand of the author waving at us. 

Sheriff Keller and Uncle Frank are such assholes in this universe, which is too bad as Sherriff Keller is one of the shows better parents, when he isn't possessed by Satan. As is Mr. Blossom, taking your teenager to a hook is just all kinds of gross.  

The 50s story is starting to lose me a bit, but its still better than anything that's happened in this show in years. Archie is especially having a good run, he's really the only character who feels at all changed by the setting change in an interesting way, no matter how much 50s slang the cast throws out.

[SourK]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I also think that the asshole principle makes a decent point about Jughead publishing comics that clearly feature other students in very sexual and violent situations, I would be pretty creeped out if one of my students was drawing pictures of his classmates dying in horrible ways. Of course they make it more about censorship and being pointlessly prissy about harmless stories, but that should probably raise some eyebrows.

 

I forgot about that, but I agree. I don't know why they threw that detail in when they're clearly trying to present the anti-comic people as wrong. It makes complete sense to be concerned if one of your students is publishing weird, violent comics about other students getting killed. Especially if the comics are like what we were shown a few episodes ago, where the tone is "They kind of deserved it for their hubris."

[secnarf]

On 5/11/2023 at 5:06 PM, ruby24 said:

This season is so strange. And not weird in the way that I've gotten used to Riverdale being bizarre, it just seems to bear no real connection to the show I've watched all these years. This 1950's arc is just way too long, imo. 

Every time I finish the episode, Netflix reverts back to S01.E01: At The River's Edge and I am reminded how different this show is from the one I started watching.

The decline in viewership isn't surprising - people tuned it to watch a completely different show.

[the-grey-lady]

15 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Every time I finish the episode, Netflix reverts back to S01.E01: At The River's Edge and I am reminded how different this show is from the one I started watching.

The decline in viewership isn't surprising - people tuned it to watch a completely different show.

Yep. The show's Instagram page keeps posting pictures from past seasons, and they should really stop. At least 75% of the comments are about how much better the show used to be.

People don't want to watch an entirely different show in the last season, especially when the gimmick comes at the expense of actually wrapping up the show.

Edited May 13, 2023 by the-grey-lady

[Affogato]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:19 PM, tennisgurl said:

 

Its hilarious to me that this show has decided to make a whole plot where Veronica takes a stand for movie theaters and against television...on a television show. Why are the Lodges even buying this random old theater? Why is it becoming a parking lot? Obviously its because the show needs for this to happen for Veronica to be a hero, but you can really see the hand of the author waving at us. 

 

I'm guessing there is a reason and the parents will show up for it later in the show, although one of the few things I could really do without is Veronica vs Hiram.

Pretty sure Jughead is always the author and the characters are Jughead trying to figure them out. He had good chemistry with Rayberry, it is too bad the milkman showed up.

 

19 hours ago, the-grey-lady said:

Yep. The show's Instagram page keeps posting pictures from past seasons, and they should really stop. At least 75% of the comments are about how much better the show used to be.

People don't want to watch an entirely different show in the last season, especially when the gimmick comes at the expense of actually wrapping up the show.

I'm pretty sure this is the same show, just not the show people expected.

On 5/11/2023 at 11:42 PM, The Wild Sow said:

Twyla's not too good at her profession, is she?  I mean, you don't actually pay a sex worker for sex -- you pay them to go away after!

Blabbing a customer's business all over town is not "going away."

In fairness she probably needs the Sheriff's good will to operate in the town, and Kevin is his son.

[the-grey-lady]

35 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I'm pretty sure this is the same show, just not the show people expected.

I guess it depends on what you mean by the same show (no sarcasm here). I think for a lot of people, me included, the same show means watching the same characters we've come to know wrap up the six seasons of relationships and storylines we watched.

That is not what season seven is, and that's why a lot of people find it unsatisfying. They expected a continuation, not a total reboot.

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, the-grey-lady said:

I guess it depends on what you mean by the same show (no sarcasm here). I think for a lot of people, me included, the same show means watching the same characters we've come to know wrap up the six seasons of relationships and storylines we watched.

That is not what season seven is, and that's why a lot of people find it unsatisfying. They expected a continuation, not a total reboot.

Yes that is what I meant. This show plays with different aspects of the characters against a running commentary and appreciation of pulp fiction.  It isn’t a teen romance drama. Like JRabbit, it is just drawn that way. 
 

in my opinion only. 
 

so I am personally good it is emphasizing this, in the last season. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Affogato

[Simba122504]

I was thinking.  This show, of course, is still unrealistic. Veronica cannot legally buy a theater as minor and Jughead cannot legally write for comics without parental consent. It's like when we hear about "Child Business Owners." They cannot legally start a business by themselves. Child stars don't even control their own money until adulthood. Also a teenage girl in the '50s wouldn't be allowed to own a business, period. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Simba122504

[Affogato]

On 5/15/2023 at 1:15 AM, Simba122504 said:

I was thinking.  This show, of course, is still unrealistic. Veronica cannot legally buy a theater as minor and Jughead cannot legally write for comics without parental consent. It's like when we hear about "Child Business Owners." They cannot legally start a business by themselves. Child stars don't even control their own money until adulthood. Also a teenage girl in the '50s wouldn't be allowed to own a business, period. 

It isn’t a stretch to assume jughead is an emancipated minor, yes, even in the ‘50s. No parent or guardian evident. Etc. the concept is not new. 
 

veronica is harder to grasp. Maybe she has a trust fund and convinced them it was an ivestment. 

[AnimeMania]

S07.E08: Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams

THE NEW KID IN TOWN — In order to keep Riverdale High’s basketball legacy alive, Frank (guest star Ryan Robbins) and Archie (KJ Apa) recruit a new player to the team – a quiet farm boy named Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton). Tabitha’s (Erinn Westbrook) return to school inspires Toni (Vanessa Morgan) to start a literary society for Riverdale’s Black students. Alice (Madchen Amick) forces Betty (Lili Reinhart) to join the River Vixens, and Kevin (Casey Cott) starts a new job at the Babylonium. 

Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023    9pm    CW 

[Bill1978]

Late reply to last week so will try to keep it short.

Good to see the writers are still obsessed with teenagers owning business and I've decided to stop watching Riverdale since it's a tv show, it's only movies on the big screen for me.

In all seriousness, with Veronica buying the cinema, I wonder that in order to get back to the present the characters are going to have to end up in a similar situation where there were before time travelling, so Veronica needs to be a businesswoman. It's the only explanation I can think of for that stupid cinema plot. I don't know, I just need all this 50s plot to have a point in the final season.

Kevin's storyline seemed really out of order. I felt that a lot of that talk about who Kevin is and the speculation needed to happen before he spoke to Betty, even before he was seen dancing with Clay. It just felt odd placing that plot into this episode. I probably would have had most of Kevin's plot occur in a prior episode and have the speculation cause him to admit who he is to Betty at the end of the episode. Then pick up this episode with the locker room talk about losing your virginity, Archie tells Betty, Archie saves the day, Archie shows Clay and Kevin he is an ally (Archie's processing of all the news on Kevin was fantastic). Then maybe in this episode, we see Clay and Kevin being confident to dance in public. I don't know but it felt weird everyone speculating about Kevin in this episode.

Glad they remembered about the milkman.

Looking forward to Reggie finally appearing, and while I don't care about Tabitha at least it may progress the time travel plot.

[Dobian]

I have really enjoyed their recreation of the 1950s.  Great details, like the "American Grandstand" show and the Blossom syrup commercial.  With twenty episodes, they can meander a bit.  I hope they aren't in the 50s all the way to the end and give us at least one or two episodes back in the present, though.  I liked the name play with "Brad Rayberry."  I'm waiting for Jack Kerouac to show up.

[AAEBoiler]

I liked Jughead's order at the Babylonium. I wish I could remember all of the bastardized candy names.

Jughead: "I'll have a popcorn, Senior Mints, Skit-Skat, soda, etc., etc., etc."

Veronica: "Ok, that'll be 75 cents."

[thuganomics85]

So, both Reggie and Tabitha finally make their returns, but both were mainly here to dive into some good old topical drama with racism in the 50s. 

I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that Archie would be clueless enough not to see that the "fine folks" in Riverdale can be just as bigoted and hateful as everywhere else, and he would literally have to hear Mayor Blossom and the rest of his ilk practically spell out their racism to his face before he's all "Oh, damn!  Y'all are racist as hell!"  I guess that goes back back to how he tries to see the best in people, but he really is so damn naive at times.  At least he finally put Julian on his ass (should have finished things with a "I'm the captain, now!"), and now he and Reggie seem to be forming an actual friendship (again?)

Betty is now being forced to cheer with the Vixens in order to "quell her urges", but that clearly won't work.  And if only they knew that not only is the Vixens captain also quite active in that department, but she's playing for the other team!

Veronica and the Babylonian is harkening things back to the weird stuff where she is somehow both running a business and doing normal teenage things at the same time.  Not a fan, but I guess at least this is a legal business....

Toni breaks up with Cheryl for multiple reasons, but suddenly that is no longer the case?

For a second, i thought they were heading for some kind of Reggie/Betty pairing; because why not, really?; but it looks like that's already a no go since he was freaked by the whole Grandstand dance and peep show thing with Archie?  But it looks like they're going back to the whole Reggie/Veronica thing, since they're back to their hostile, if flirty banter (at least from Veronica's end.)

The death of Jughead's mentor is being ruled as a suicide but that clearly is going to be a frame job.  Still wondering what all of this leading to, but hopefully Tabitha's return will make this particular storyline mean something.

[tennisgurl]

I know I've said this before, but I continue to be frustrated at how the show wants to tackle real world issues from the 50s era, that are still relevant today, but the show clearly doesn't really want to really go there for real and explore how widespread racism, hemophobia, sexism, etc were. They don't want the main characters to look bad and they still want their ships to go mostly uninterrupted, so we get a 50s where all of the obviously evil people are super prejudiced while all of the people we like have almost modern sensibilities, where being in an interracial relationship is sometimes a big deal and sometimes its totally not, sometimes being gay is utterly shocking and then same sex couples can dance in public the next day, it takes away from what they're presumably trying to say when its so inconsistent. 

I cant believe that in the 50s universe, Cheryl is the person in the Cheryl/Toni relationship that I find more sympathetic. Its not cool of Toni to keeping hitting on Cheryl, even when she told her to back off and she is clearly not ready to deal with her sexuality, and then break up with her almost as soon as they get back together because she's a rich white girl, all things that Toni clearly knew when she started pursuing her. I guess they're back together, but we've done this dance with them before, no matter the universe they're a mess. 

Nice seeing Reggie again, he's actually rather different than his main universe counterpart, which is fun to see. This also led to Archie finally giving Julian a much deserved punch in the face, which was pretty satisfying. 

Glad that we're getting back to the milkman, and with Tabitha back again maybe this plot is going to really get moving.

[ruby24]

Good to have Reggie back. I missed his pretty face. I really thought for a second they were going to do Betty/Reggie, which, as far as never-before-seen pairings go, I say why not to that one. I think mostly because I don't know if Reggie and Betty have ever had any scenes together? Seeing them interact at all felt new.

But it appears maybe they're heading back towards Reggie/Veronica this time- I mean, one of these guys has to like her back, right? Since they're now so into acknowledging racial issues on the show, maybe bring up the fact that Reggie and Veronica have that in common as people of color (I don't think they've ever brought that up in the regular universe).

And I forget- in the first season, was it Jason or Julian Blossom? It was Jason, right? Does anyone know why they changed his name?

It's strange to me that Archie feels like the best part of this 50's thing. He's doing a really good job as this naive, wholly authentic 1950's version of himself, and he doesn't seem like modern day Archie did either. He's the only one I find believable as a character this season, which is really weird.

Ever since someone mentioned earlier that they've isolated Cole Sprouse from the rest of the cast I can't help but notice it myself. I guess it is true, isn't it? 

Edited May 18, 2023 by ruby24

[Bill1978]

4 hours ago, ruby24 said:

And I forget- in the first season, was it Jason or Julian Blossom? It was Jason, right? Does anyone know why they changed his name?

In the original verse, it turned out that Jason and Cheryl were actually triplets and that Julian was absorbed in the womb. That's what my memory says anyway. I can only imagine they weren't able to get the actor who plays Jason back for this season, and that's why Julian exists in 50s verse.

Considering they got Bret back for the most random of cameos, does anybody know if there are plans for Moose and/or Josie and the Pussycats to make an appearance before the show concludes? Pretty sure these are the only ones who haven't appeared in the 50s verse yet.

[Simba122504]

On 5/16/2023 at 7:43 PM, Affogato said:

It isn’t a stretch to assume jughead is an emancipated minor, yes, even in the ‘50s. No parent or guardian evident. Etc. the concept is not new. 
 

veronica is harder to grasp. Maybe she has a trust fund and convinced them it was an ivestment. 

An emancipted minor in the '50s was extremely rare. Probably more rare than it is today. Of course the numbers are bigger today then in the '50s.  But I don't expect this series to portray real life '50s statistics. Veronica's dialogue is still annoying the shit out of me. 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Simba122504

[Affogato]

7 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

An emancipted minor in the '50s was extremely rare. Probably more rare then it is today. Of course the numbers are bigger today then in the '50s.  But I don't expect this series to portray real life '50s statistics. Veronica's dialogue is still annoying the shit out of me. 

There is a thread of rebellion against parents. It is possible Veronica’s parents are manipulating her and are the actual owners of the babylonium and have been all along. She is pretty obvious. 

[Affogato]

13 hours ago, ruby24 said:

It's strange to me that Archie feels like the best part of this 50's thing. He's doing a really good job as this naive, wholly authentic 1950's version of himself, and he doesn't seem like modern day Archie did either. He's the only one I find believable as a character this season, which is really weird.

Ever since someone mentioned earlier that they've isolated Cole Sprouse from the rest of the cast I can't help but notice it myself. I guess it is true, isn't it? 

archie is the hero and male and he hasn’t really a story for himself in this period. He’s the best friend ever. The boy next door. 
 

I assume you are referring to some bit of gossip or another, but jughead’s placement and story makes sense. He has been the one writing the story for a long time. I wonder if Tabitha is self aware at this point? 
 

 

[Affogato]

20 minutes ago, Affogato said:

archie is the hero and male and he hasn’t really a story for himself in this period. He’s the best friend ever. The boy next door. I don’t know if it is believable exactly. 
 

I assume you are referring to some bit of gossip or another, but jughead’s placement and story makes sense. He has been the one writing the story for a long time. I wonder if Tabitha is self aware at this point? 
 

 

 

 

[SourK]

In a totally genuine way, I like this version of the core four as far as they're being characterized in this almost campy, exaggerated way. Which I guess is suited to the vibe where this is the Comics universe or whatever.

I also enjoy that Jughead was supposed to send Tabitha her homework and he spaced and didn't do it and now, somehow, they're in love. Like, that's the essence of their relationship, alright. A deadbeat across space and time.

I don't love this plot line where Toni dragged Cheryl out of the closet so they could make out and then dumped her. I also find it weird that everyone just casually outs everyone in this version of the 50s.

I also don't love that this show's idea of commentary on racism is to have the characters of colour didactically educate everyone about discrimination, and then have the "good" white characters react like, "Wow, it's so awful when other people are racist."

The moment it hit me the most was in the dinner scene with Reggie and Archie's mom, where she was like, "That's terrible" and then there was just this wide shot while they all sat there. And I was like, "Yeah, it is. But are you also curious about how we're all complicit in a culture that perpetuates these things? Like, what are you doing to change the situation?"

22 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

In the original verse, it turned out that Jason and Cheryl were actually triplets and that Julian was absorbed in the womb. That's what my memory says anyway.

Was he also trapped in the haunted doll at some point, or did I imagine that?

[Bill1978]

6 hours ago, SourK said:

I don't love this plot line where Toni dragged Cheryl out of the closet so they could make out and then dumped her. I also find it weird that everyone just casually outs everyone in this version of the 50s.

I almost thew my can of Pepsi Max at the TV screen with this moment. Toni spends 3 episodes trying to drag her crush out of the closet so she could have some fun, and then emotionally manipulates Cherly into admitting who she really is only to turn around and say 'You know what, I don't actually want this'. Cheryl was the same person in the closest as she was outside, so not sure why Toni's revelation was presented as some kind of epiphany. The only thing Cheryl did 'wrong' was wanting to go steady. The writers dropped the ball on this plot, they could have Cheryl at least point out to Toni she came out for her.

And I agree, people are way too casual about outing each other in the 1950s. I mean I think Archie is the only one who has kept the secret and not blabbed to anyone.

Speaking of Archie, I am loving this version of him in the 50sverse. He is so naive and wholesome it's ridiculous but also very true to a comic character in the 1950s. In fact, I would say for the first time in this series, the characters actually feel like the comic characters they are based on, especially with their looks. 

Great to have Reggie back, if only because of the fact he is one of the main 5 in the comics so now the series back to being based on Archie comics, felt wierd not having him around when so many others had fringe moments. Plus, his return meant someone finally had a legit reason for punching Julian in the face. Wish he would take the lead of Jason and shut up.

On 5/18/2023 at 10:21 PM, AAEBoiler said:

Jughead: "I'll have a popcorn, Senior Mints, Skit-Skat, soda, etc., etc., etc."

Veronica: "Ok, that'll be 75 cents."

My favourite tiny moment of the episode.

[Daltrey]

Cheryl should've told Toni to go fuck herself after all the manipulative bullshit she's pulled.

[the-grey-lady]

9 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

I almost thew my can of Pepsi Max at the TV screen with this moment. Toni spends 3 episodes trying to drag her crush out of the closet so she could have some fun, and then emotionally manipulates Cherly into admitting who she really is only to turn around and say 'You know what, I don't actually want this'.

I am so glad you said this. That storyline was genuinely offensive.

[rmontro]

Since we're comparing the show with the real '50s, the US was nearly 90% white in the '50s.  So really there is an unusually high number of POC in Riverdale.  

They finally give the Reggie character some spotlight, but he still is nothing at all like the comic book character.

They seem determined to sexualize Betty in particular.

Some of Veronica's dialogue is terrible, with her motion picture connoisseur personality.   Like when she said something like "With apologies to Herman Melville, THAT is the real Moby Dick".  

Veronica's theater makes me wonder about what the tradition is behind those movie usher uniforms, that look like a cross between the military and a marching band.  I assume there is some sort of story behind it.

[Dobian]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:52 AM, tennisgurl said:

I know I've said this before, but I continue to be frustrated at how the show wants to tackle real world issues from the 50s era, that are still relevant today, but the show clearly doesn't really want to really go there for real and explore how widespread racism, hemophobia, sexism, etc were. They don't want the main characters to look bad and they still want their ships to go mostly uninterrupted, so we get a 50s where all of the obviously evil people are super prejudiced while all of the people we like have almost modern sensibilities, where being in an interracial relationship is sometimes a big deal and sometimes its totally not, sometimes being gay is utterly shocking and then same sex couples can dance in public the next day, it takes away from what they're presumably trying to say when its so inconsistent.

My argument would be that they don't go there because this is a silly show.  It's like if you compare Back to the Future's depiction of the 1950s with Stand by Me.  Back to the Future...great fun, sitcom representation of the 50's.  Stand by Me...serious and authentic representation of the 50's.

[AnimeMania]

S07.E09: Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six: Betty & Veronica Double Digest

SAVING THE BABYLONIUM — After devising a plan to bring in some money at the Babylonium, Veronica (Camila Mendes) is surprised to learn somebody may be sabotaging her. Elsewhere, after beginning sessions with Dr. Werthers (guest star Malcolm Stewart), Betty (Lili Reinhart) begins to question his motives.

Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023    9pm    CW 

[ruby24]

Is the entire season going to be set in the 1950s? Except for (maybe) the series finale or something?

I see no indication this is ever ending, they seem to like just having everything in the 50's. It sure doesn't feel like the final season of a show.

[thuganomics85]

You know, Dr. Werthers, if you really, really want to make horny teenagers quit acting like horny teenagers, just find numerous situations to say "underpants' like you did tonight.  That would always kill the mood no matter what!

So, after K.J. Apa locked lips with almost all of the female cast members a few episodes ago, it was now apparently Lili Reinhart's turn to make-out with almost all of the male cast members this go around.  Oh, and Camila Mendes also, so I'm not sure if that's to establish that Betty might be bi or if it's to show that no sexual orientation can resist to power of Veronica Lodge!  Also thought it was interesting that the Betty/Reggie clip was the steamiest, even if they are still trying to claim that her feelings are strongest for Archie.  Granted, I'm probably putting way to much thought into all of this.  I'm sure the entire end goal here for the writers is just to see how many variations they can have for potential couples/make-out buddies on this show.

The Lodges try to destroy their daughter's business by making studios not give her their films, so Veronica acquire a B-level horror film and finds success by introducing the "4D experience", which is all bullshit but it naturally works out for her.  The downside is that is possibly derailing a potential romance with Reggie.  Oh, and her parents now kicked her out of the apartment, so she has to live in the theatre itself.  Whatever.  Fun trivia: that Peter Roth guy she was talking to is a real person and he was apparently the WB Television chairman years ago.

Where did Tabitha run off too, again?

Hal was showing off some of his classic serial killer vibes again tonight!

Jughead might be actually working with Keller and the cops to figure out the case of his mentor's death?!

[the-grey-lady]

5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm sure the entire end goal here for the writers is just to see how many variations they can have for potential couples/make-out buddies on this show.

I think that's the whole purpose of this season.

[Bill1978]

Another Spinning The Wheel episode, as I call the episodes in this season that really don't add anything to the bigger picture, but it just 'fun' for the actors and writers. Luckily the final scene of the episode means we are returning to the murder mystery of the season.

I'm still convinced that in order to move forward in time, all the characters have to end up in a similar situation where they were at the end of Season 6. But being honest, as someone who has dipped in and out the last 4 seasons, I have no idea what the end girl would be, apart from Veronica being a teenage business owner.

And I hope with Betty calling out Dr. Wethers and his creeping obsession with teenage sexuality that's the end of that plot and he can return to wanting to destroy comic books.

[memememe76]

I am really enjoying this series, I so much prefer Veronica being a movie theatre owner than whatever she did the previous seasons. I also feel the actors are enjoying the season too. That bit from Jughead about the difference between mourning and wallowing was surprisingly resonant. 

[Simba122504]

Oh, look the game of Operation magically traveled back in time too!  You know with it being invented in the '60s and all. The stories are just as ridiculous as I remember back when I left early S2. Nothing on this show makes a lick of sense. And the season of course is a bad parody of the '50s. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Simba122504

[Dobian]

I really liked the Reggie episode and what they have done with this version of Reggie.  I think a lot of this season is about humanizing all of these characters more as they relate to each other on a deeper level than their involvement in the latest whackadoodle season story arc.  I hope that they come out of this 50s universe as much better people to conclude the series.

[AnimeMania]

S07.E10: Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven: American Graffiti

THE MYSTERY OF BRAD RAYBERRY — Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) team up to investigate a mystery involving Ray Bradbury. Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) asks Toni (Vanessa Morgan) if she can attend an afterschool book club with her and other Black students. Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) ask Archie (KJ Apa) and Reggie (Charles Melton) out on a double date, and Fangs (Drew Ray Tanner) prepares for his first big gig. 

Premiere Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023    9pm    CW 

[Dobian]

I have to say that Tabitha is looking especially cute this season.  Hope she continues to get more screen time the rest of the way. 😅

[tennisgurl]

I guess Veronica owning a movie theater is a bit less ridiculous than her owning a secret bar and rum business? 

Lilli gets to make out with everyone in this episode, must have been an even weirder day on set than usual. All the stuff about Betty being an out of control sexy teen is not only icky but hilarious considering Lilli looks like she's about to start applying for grad school. 

[SourK]

Imagine a universe where a) people want to join your book club, b) people read the book for book club, and c) people stay on topic and talk about the book they read at book club. This show is so unrealistic.

In other news, I forgot we already knew Mr. Rayberry got killed by the Milkman, because that was stupid.

[rmontro]

On 5/31/2023 at 8:31 PM, Dobian said:

I have to say that Tabitha is looking especially cute this season.  Hope she continues to get more screen time the rest of the way. 😅

It's funny because initially I thought the '50s styles were the least kind to Tabitha, but I'm getting used to her frumpier look.

I'm a little amused with some of KJ Apa's acting choices, he's really diving into the wide eyed innocent but hormonally fueled teenage facial expressions sometimes.  I don't know if he's serious, having fun with it, or just thinks the whole thing is silly.

I'm really baffled as to what the finale is going to be like.  I assume there's going to be some explanation as to why they are in the '50s, will they get out of the '50s?  Will they just turn into an animated comic book?  Should be interesting.

[thuganomics85]

I don't know what it is but anytime we get a scene with Archie and Betty at the lockers, it looks like K.J. Apa and Lili Reinhart can barely keep it together.  It's like both of them realize just how insane this is and are bonding over it.  Or maybe it's partially knowing that they've only got a few more episodes until they are free to pursue other, hopefully better gigs (and I say this as someone who still kind of loves this silly show.)

Anyway, I did not have "Archie and Reggie fighting over the love of a car" in my prediction for storylines for this final season, but here we are.  It honestly is kind of weird that Reggie is basically Archie's BFF now, while Jughead is barely a factor amongst the core group.  Makes me wonder if the speculation in this thread earlier that Cole Sprouse had some kind of falling out with the rest of the main cast might be true. 

Surprised that the book club didn't end up being awkward and Cheryl actually took everything to heart and understands Toni better and learn more about black literature.  Never would have predicted Cheryl would ever be one of the more mature characters in an episode...

Uncle Frank is now being friendly and giving good advice to Archie?  This show really does like to just use their adult characters to service whatever the current plot needs and don't really bother with making them consistent.

Jughead now knows about the Milkman Killer at least, so we'll see how it takes before we get movement on that.

Edited June 2, 2023 by thuganomics85

[Affogato]

The milkman killer is Hal, but we don't know if it is Hal from another reality. It is Hal, isn't it? The last two times we got a good look at the actor.

I really liked the lady coming for milk and the cat recognizing the clink of the milkbottles. Yes, cats are lactose intolerant as adults, but it is the perfect comic book cliche.

I actually ship Tabitha and Jughead hard in this reality, and their embarassment  when June asked them whether they were together. I know nothing about the interactions of the group, but Jughead is getting a lot of screen time and if the other characters are going to also get time on screen, he can't take over their space in the show.

Speaking of cliches, I liked the book club dispensing a reading list to the viewers, and raising key points to think about when reading the books. Like any good children's book.

This episode focused on couples, including reggie/archie, made up of two races, and I think we are moving towards and indication that the children are our future and we lead us out of the horror that is Mr Featherstone and Betty's Mom. Absolutely loved that Betty is thrilled not to have her mother on her back.

11 hours ago, SourK said:

 

In other news, I forgot we already knew Mr. Rayberry got killed by the Milkman, because that was stupid.

Well, we did, but Jughead did not. I assume he is going to have contact with Ethel now. Poor Ethel.

17 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess Veronica owning a movie theater is a bit less ridiculous than her owning a secret bar and rum business? 

 

Absolutely!

[tennisgurl]

This really is a strange alternate universe when Cheryl comes off as the better girlfriend than Toni. It so weird that Toni pushed so hard for this relationship with Cheryl but now that they're together she keeps pulling away. I get that her black author book club is important to her but it feels like she was more interested in chasing Cheryl than actually bein with her. 

You know that this is a magical alternate universe because that's the only place everyone in a book club actually stays on topic! Again, you can tell this is another universe because Cheryl was actually really thoughtful about the book she read and showed a lot of interest in expanding her horizons. 

I'm really amused by Reggie and Archie basically being in a love triangle with a car while Betty and Veronica are dating them to live out some good boy/bad boy fantasy only to realize they're being blown off for a car. KJ is really going hard on the wide eyed boy next store performance, even more than season 1 Archie. Maybe because they give him even more "gee golly" 50s slang than the other characters. 

50s Jughead and Tabitha are pretty cute together, they weirdly have more chemistry in the 50s than they did in the modern timeline. So are we really going to be ending the show in the 50s? Do we get back to the main timeline in just the last episode? 

 Did Uncle Frank get a personality transplant? Now he's all wise and helpful after being a total creep since we met him, do the writers on this show really have no concept of character continuity? 

[Dobian]

I would personally like to vindicate Dr. Werther.  He was a visionary, a misunderstood mental health professional who was years ahead of his time and who correctly diagnosed Lili Reinhart as the most oversexed person in Riverdale.  Excellent work, Doctor.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Dobian

[Affogato]

On 6/2/2023 at 6:27 PM, Dobian said:

I would personally like to vindicate Dr. Werther.  He was a visionary, a misunderstood mental health professional who was years ahead of his time and who correctly diagnosed Lili Reinhart as the most oversexed person in Riverdale.  Excellent work, Doctor.

One the other hand he is a pedophile working with teen girls. It may be wish fulfillment on his part. 

[Simba122504]

The episode did feature something that was totally accurate back then. Black people were treated better in Europe than in the USA. It's why many black celebrities traveled to Europe a lot and some even moved there. They were able to live stress free lives over there. Jughead and Archie are supposed to be best friends.  Yet, they don't even share scenes together. It's like Jughead is on a totally different show.  His storyline doesn't involve any of the other main characters. That's not how it went down in the comics. Archie and Jughead are friends!  I like Reggie and Archie as friends, but they are not consistent. You are friends or you are not friends.  I rolled by eyes at the cat and milk thing, but it's a well known fictional trope. Like mice and cheese. Rabbits and carrots. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Simba122504

[Bill1978]

After the last two episodes, I feel this season has entered the phase every season entered with me. The 'Fast Forward Through the Scenes That Mean Nothing and Get to The Scenes That You Slightly Care About' phase. In this case, the scenes I currently care most about are the ones connected to The Milkman. Not saying Jughead's scenes are watchable, just anything that moves the snail pace discovery of The Milkman along.

The fact we have had two back-to-back 'Spinning the Wheel to Fill Time' episodes just goes to show why Season 1 worked well, with only 13 episodes, they didn't have to pad the main story out as much as they are doing with a regular length broadcast tv series.

Still not a fan of Toni, wanting to keep Cheryl at a distance after chasing her and demanding Cheryl be honest to herself. And those Book Club scenes really reminded me why I don't participate in any type of book club. Mainly cause I'm a person who is content to say they liked or disliked a book and move on haha.

And based on how this season seems happy to throw every combination possible together (even if in fantasy sequence), I half expected that Archie and Reggie were going to jump into the backseat of the car they were fighting over and start making out.

As fun as it has been seeing these characters in the 1950s, for the sake of the longtime fan I hope they return to the present soon so the show can have a decent logical (for this show) closure. It almost feels like the writers have forgotten that Tabitha is trying to work out how to get them home.