MY LONG-TIME COMING RIVERDALE RANT. 

_{disclaimer: I’ve watched only up to S1, and only know what I’ve seen on Tumblr and of the rp community. Feel free to enlighten and correct me if you believe I have something the wrong way round. This is all my opinion.} 

_{note: this is all out of my own thoughts and limited experiences. I am an arab/north african, bisexual cis-woman –– I cannot speak for any other minority, but for those looking, I can readily suggest members of the rp community better equipped to speak on subjects I can’t, like ace erasure and the racial portrayals.} 

01. characterizations: This is where it’s just my opinion really. I will clarify that I liked the idea of a darker Riverdale, but it’s gotten to a point in my opinion where there’s scarcely any parallels between the comics and the show. they just overdid everything! Betty is suddenly a blonde, white, judgmental meanie. and it’s her and Jughead’s characterizations that kill me the most, honestly. They’re so fandom driven and just… not what they once were.

I don’t like it, end of story. There’s also Dilton’s freaky behavior and them ruining Chic for me forever, so thanks for that.

02: abuse, rape, mental health, sexuality, race, incest and so much more: riverdale is known for making serious topics into lot devices. it’s nothing new. 

• queerbaiting & sexuality: let’s start with the Beronica kiss and end with Jughead’s erased and baited sexuality. let’s talk about how I defended the show, assuming that Bughead would be a plot device to jug coming out. let’s talk about how many ace/aro individuals were excited to see themselves on tv, and didn’t because the network gave more fucks about the views than what they promised. 
  
• gangbanger romanticization: they essentially changed Jughead’s character completely for the sake of the “edginess” of joining a gang. I don’t have many thoughts on this, in contrast to everything else, but I feel like it’s wrong and so, so obvious because suddenly everyone is in the Serpents? The same gang that made Betty (a known 16/17 year old) strip for initiation, if I’m correct? Nice. Oh, and let’s not forget the romanticization of violence ––– the whole idea of gangs is that they’re their for survival, whereas this is treated as some sort of after-school Kids Club. It’s a toxic and endangering mentality and image to so viciously promote, when you look at the kind of fanbase that Riverdale has and how many of them run to get gang-inspired SS jackets without realizing what real gangs do or are. 
• mental health: ‘dark!Betty’. I hate that. Betty may be seriously mentally ill in the show and instead it’s used as a way to make her “edgy” ––– it’s almost a farce. I see fucking merch on Etsy of ‘dark!Betty’ and it makes me sick. There is such a stigma about mental health, and Riverdale had a real chance to use such a popular show to fix some of it, and instead they made it worse. Being someone with a personality disorder, I’m personally offended and affected. and so disappointed. On another level too, it’s damaging not only for those with mental illnesses, but those that engage in BDSM or are sex-workers even, to loop Betty’s interest in it as art of her “darkness” and have that be equated to the same thing as her mental health issues, essentially. 
• race: I can’t speak too much on this, seeing as I’m an arab/north african individual, and I am open to being corrected, but it seems to me, based off the critiques I’ve read of Josie and her mother’s characterization that it lays upon racial stereotypes of the black woman. The same goes for the latinx in the show. Every person of color in the show is essentially treated with some disrespect. Drug-dealers, criminals, mob-bosses, ‘bitches’ ––– they’re overdone, racially insensitive and extremely damaging stereotypes. The same thing as painting someone of my race as a fanatic or a terrorist. It’s so blatant too on Riverdale, because of how often it occurs. On top of that, because of the fan reception, and the fact that Riverdale’s fandom-pandering as hell, due to Betty being a fan favorite, there’s a lot of racial tension there that makes me mighty uncomfortable.
  
  I will acknowledge as someone who writes Betty that mine may have her flaws, and can be judgy, and has a bit of a helper complex, he is aware of her privilege and makes every effort to use it for good. This Betty doesn’t and instead it reeks of racist overtones because of how all of this occurs in tandem. It makes me sad, as an original Betty lover, because this is not what Betty ever stood for. 
• incest: so fucking dumb. Like the way this played out was so ridiculous. 
• rape culture: first of all, there’s the thing with Grundy. Then Betty stripping in front of the SS. also, what almost happened to Cheryl. Rape is used as a plot device, just as everything else is ––– for the damn shock factor. It loses its meaning. For anyone who’s unfortunately experienced it, it’s fucking insulting as hell. The fact that Chic introduced his underage sister to some kind of streaming website is so freaking strange and disturbing to me too? like, what the hell is going on? these kids are minors!! kids!!! and you might argue, it’s real life! well guess what, that much shit doesn’t happens to kids! real life is not twin peaks 24/7 and not to EVERYONE. 

03. the industry and real life repercussions: on a serious note, there is a discussion to be had about how Riverdale is art of a bigger problem. The disgusting behavior that goes on in the TV industry. I’m talking child sexual abuse and racism and just so much that’s intensely wrong, and which Riverdale only helps perpetuate. Something you have to realize is, nothing happens in a vacuum. not to get too conspiracy-theory on you, but Hollywood wants people to be sheep that only consume and don’t read into what they consume. The dark reality behind show business is how many people get hurt and abused. When you realize how many directors, producers, creators out there abused children and women, and you think about the topics that Riverdale haphazardly handles, there’s a disgusting connection that makes me for one, physically ill. The obsession with incest and the sexualization of minors for a “darker, gritty” show is disturbing and makes me question the mind-set of the writers. Of course, you can write these themes, but the way they’re written, like I said before, says a lot about how the writers view them. Which is not seriously. If they were handled with resect, I’d believe there’s nothing to be worried about, but that’s not the case. So, for this, just be careful and critical, because like I said, Riverdale is just a small-scale example of a wider-set problem that nobody seems to know or care about. 

04. the fans: they’re fucking insane. these people will let anything slide. they don’t give a fuck. all they care about are their precious ships –- they’ll harass innocent actresses (see, vanessa morgan), and defend the shitty ones, and they’ll excuse every wrong thing about the show to death. newsflash: you can like the show! you can love it! but don’t pretend it’s not fucking flawed! and not to mention, the really fucked up ones will willfully erase a character’s own sexuality! I’m talking to you, RPers that care more about your ships than the lesbian community’s feelings. This goes back to the how the network cared more about ratings and the fans’ reception to bughead than giving jughead the arc he was promised. It’s fucking hurtful.

BONUS: some things I do like. because I don’t want this to be 100% me thrashing the show, there are a few things I didn’t hate. cheryl, for the most part, even with her flaws, I think was well-handled, even if they do make her suffer a lot. I liked toni and I liked the initial way they handled betty and archie’s relationship. fred also seemed sweet. I also love madelaine; her youtube videos are hilarious and she seems like a sweetie.