When Riverdale came out in 2017, it was the talk of all pop culture. The first season was widely considered a success—a mystery plot with twists, romance, and suspense. People like the idea of turning a lovable, family-friendly comic into a teenage drama. 

However, as the show continued to be renewed, Riverdale slowly began to lose its focus. Gargoyles, superpowers, cults—you name it, Riverdale had it. So let’s take a look back on the different seasons and see where it all fell apart.

Season 1 was the perfect introduction. It starts with the main characters Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead investigating Jason Blossom, a teenage boy who was mysteriously murdered while out boating with his sister, Cheryl Blossom, who, depending on how you view her, was partially an antagonist for most of the first season. Her queen bee antics had everyone bowing down to her, though her mental breakdowns didn’t make her too intimidating. 

Throughout all of this, the gang faces various trials and tribulations: Archie struggles with his divorcing parents and his balance between football and singing, Betty harbors a secret crush on Archie, Veronica worries about her Mobster father ruining her life, and Jughead rekindles his relationship with his deadbeat gang-affiliated dad while also investigating Jason’s murder. Sounds pretty heavy for the first season, right? Well, it doesn’t stop there. 

Eventually, the gang finds out that Jason’s controlling father, Clifford Blossom, was the culprit in Jason’s murder. This sends the Blossom family (mostly Cheryl) into a spiral as Cheryl burns down her family’s estate, and Season 1 ends on a cliffhanger when Archie’s father is shot at Pop’s.

The plot twists and the diverse characters captivated me, and I couldn’t stop watching. When Season 2 came out, it was just as perfect. A serial killer named the Black Hood roams around the town, killing people close to the gang like Archie’s teacher. We also get the introduction of new characters like Toni Topaz, a Serpent student at Southside High who runs the school newspaper and befriends Jughead. We learn later on that the black hood might be connected to Betty somehow, as she finds notes from the killer, leading her closer to his identity.

Though Season 3 was a little confusing, I didn’t mind the storyline; the addition of Gryphons and Gargoyls, A weird roleplay board game that ends up deadly due to its cult-like following. Archie goes to trial for a false murder, and Betty investigates her sister’s farm. Personally, my favorite season was Season 4, but to me, that was the last season before the insanity of what was to come.

Season 5 was all about new beginnings as graduation approaches. After graduation, a seven-year time jump occurs in the middle of the season. Veronica becomes a teacher, Archie goes into the army after failing senior year, Betty is an FBI agent, and Jughead is a writer. The gang is called back to Riverdale once a mysterious new killer–the Trash Bag Killer–begins terrorizing the town. 

One of the main problems with this season was the romantic relationships. This season is a time where we can move on and focus on something else, especially with Veronica. Her character first started as an independent, rich girl from New York who was involved in business. But at this point in the show, it feels like her only main storylines are her romance partners, and that’s one thing that stays with her throughout the end of the show. She focuses on others, trying to grow their character instead of herself. We never get to see another side of Veronica other than the times she rebels against her father and he sabotages her, which is another repetitive pattern because it was predictable and wouldn’t let Veronica become the businesswoman she wanted to be

 Another main problem was the time skip. The time skip provided us with minimal information about the characters’ lives afterward. We knew their occupations, but the show doesn’t go into detail about them. I wished we could see the choices the gang chose after graduation, the how and why, but we only saw the end result. Also, the relationships between them after 7 years. The last problem of Season 5 was the development of characters, for which there was barely any. Many characters left the show, and the ones that returned lacked the development that was needed. Not saying that’s fully unrealistic, but with the way the gang acted in high school, I felt like a change was necessary 

Seasons 6 and 7 were a huge, confusing, and chaotic mess. Season 6 had the introduction of superpowers and a falling comet that shifts the entire town to the fifties. Never thought that would be in Riverdale, but here we are. The town of Riverdale is now named ‘Rivervale’, and everyone has lost their memory. 

With Season 7, it didn’t feel like a season where the plot was laid out for us to understand. It felt more like we were just along for the crazy ride for every episode, a season where the time skip felt like a placeholder or a detour to the main storyline, rather than just finishing the show off on a satisfying conclusion or answering unanswered questions.

In all, I did enjoy most of Riverdale, though it felt like a fever dream to many.  From time to time, it’s nice to sit back and watch it whenever I need a nice laugh.