8 Moments You Loved On Season 1 Of 'Riverdale' And 7 Moments You Hated
It's no secret that Riverdale, the TV adaptation of the popular Archie comics, has taken the pop culture world by storm in this first half of 2017. The show about a creepy yet beautiful small town, a murder mystery, and those classic characters that you have always adored is really well done. It's so good, in fact, that you might have even saved a few so you could indulge in a proper binge-watch. It's really the best way to watch television. Now that the first season has ended, it's time to engage in a super fun and necessary activity: dissect the 13 episodes and think about what was great and what wasn't so great. You love this show so much, though, that even the not-so-awesome moments are still okay with you. Read on to find out 8 things about this first season that you loved… and 7 things that you weren't such big fans of. MAJOR spoilers are ahead, of course!
15 Love: Betty And Jughead's Surprising Romance
Of course, you started watching this show totally into the idea of an Archie/Betty romance. You felt like you had been primed for this love story since the classic comic book series was all about an Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle. And let's face it, you probably liked Betty a bit more than Veronica (because she's so much nicer, of course) and so you always thought that if Archie was smart, he would choose Betty. After all, she's the girl next door and she's a total sweetheart. But to your total surprise, you really enjoy seeing Betty and Jughead start dating, and you're still rooting for them as a couple. Of course,the fact that Jughead might become a serpent is most likely going to throw a wrench in those romantic plans in the second season, and that's something that you're definitely looking forward to seeing.
14 Hate: Jughead's Dad Being Framed
When Jughead's dad FP ended up in jail because everyone in town thought that he had killed Jason Bloosom, it didn't take long for the truth to come out: that he had been totally framed. You hate this storyline because it just makes you all kind of crazy. You hate how rich people always get away with stuff and that poorer people who live on the so-called wrong side of town always get blamed for absolutely everything. It's not something that is going to go away anytime soon but it still gets under your skin. Of course, the fact that you hate this is the entire point. You're not supposed to like this storyline. You're not supposed to think that it's cool that Jughead's dad was framed and ended up in jail for something that he didn't do. You still wish that this hadn't happened because all you want is for Jughead and his family to be reunited.
13 Love: Archie's Budding Music Career
You love the fact that Archie is moving away from his former jock identity and toward a life as a musician. He looks so cute with that guitar, right?! It's really the best accessory. What's cool is that Archie really has a knack for songwriting and it turns out that he's super talented. While the others joke about his songs being kind of depressing, the truth is that they are pretty good. You wouldn't expect that since most of the time, when you learn that someone is trying to become a musician and it seems like this has happened out of the blue, you figure that they suck and they don't realize how bad they are. But not Archie. He's really good and you always love watching him perform on the show. You're definitely looking forward to seeing more of that in season two. You're pretty sure that that will happen since it doesn't seem like he's going to give up on his musical dreams anytime soon.
12 Hate: Archie And Veronica Hooking Up
Yup, this goes in two sections because you both love and hate this. You are super torn about this romance. On the one hand, you still dream of a Betty/Archie thing. They are both so adorable and it's pretty perfect since she's the girl next door and he's the boy next door. As in literally. Because they actually live next door to each other. On the other hand, you have to admit that Veronica and Archie seem to really care about each other and they are really cute together. But… you have to admit that something feels a tiny bit off about the whole thing. You're not convinced that they are absolutely perfect for each other. And you don't love how Veronica changed her mind about seriously dating Archie so quickly. If she's going to be so hot and cold, she might end up breaking his heart, and you really don't want that to happen.
11 Love: Archie And Veronica Hooking Up
After you got over wanting Archie and Betty to get together, you realized that, yeah, Archie and Veronica make a pretty good couple. Or sort of couple? Are they officially a couple yet? You're not sure. But hey, this is a teen drama and on teen dramas, matters of the heart are pretty confusing and complicated. That's just the way you like it, though, because the complex storylines and emotions keep things interesting. At first, Veronica tells Archie that he's totally the kind of guy that she could see herself committing to (and he says that he agrees, which is reason #1 million why Archie Andrews is the most adorable guy ever). But she doesn't want a boyfriend right now, not since she's dealing with the crazy fallout from her dad going to prison. Of course, she changes her mind and now things seem to be going in a boyfriend/girlfriend direction for these two.
10 Love: The Parents
Could you love Archie's parents any more than you already do?! Probably not. The fact that his dad is played by Luke Perry (aka Dylan Walsh from Beverly Hills 90210) and his mom is played by Molly Ringwald (aka the darling of all those 80s John Hughes teen movies) really makes this whole show work. After all, you have the masters of teen entertainment from the 80s and 90s on a teen drama that is set in the present day. Phew. That's a mouthful. It only makes sense that they would rock the roles of his parents like no one else could. You definitely think that Archie's dad Fred is absolutely adorable and sweet. He cares about Archie so much and all he wants is for him to be happy (and safe, since Riverdale has become kind of a crazy town to live in these days). And Archie's mom Mary is really caring too. She's so nice that you don't even care that she's been off living in Chicago because you can tell that she really does love her son.
9 Hate: Learning The Coopers Are Actually Blossoms
Oh man. You didn't see this one coming and you wonder if other Riverdale fans did. You think that this was a pretty smart move and it definitely turned the storyline on its head. At the same time, though, you hate this. Because you hate Cheryl Blossom. Yeah, yeah, you're supposed to feel bad for her because she's part of such a horrible family, and the show has done a good job of making her a sympathetic character. She's not merely the typical high school mean girl anymore but a more layered, real character. Okay, you can give her that. You still don't like her, not even one little bit, because she seems to love playing with other people and being a manipulative jerk. You have mixed feelings about this revelation because while it does provide some explanation and closure about Jason's death, it's still kind of an icky thing to think about.
8 Love: Jughead The Writer
Is there anything hotter than a creative guy?! Definitely not. You love that Jughead is a writer and more than that, you love that he's writing a bunch of stories and essays about what's going on in Riverdale. Although his dad tells him that he should stop focusing so much on this story and write something else, you feel like Jughead's book is going to end up getting published. And it's going to be a raving success. He will definitely become a famous writer when he finishes high school (or maybe when he finishes college, if he decides to go). Yup, you're absolutely certain about that. It's always fun seeing Jughead sitting in his favorite booth at Pop's in the morning and at night, drinking coffee, and working on his masterpiece. You're super pleased with how they developed this character since he's so cute and so interesting.
7 Hate: Archie Turning Betty Down
Oh Archie Andrews. Don't you know that Betty Cooper is the best girlfriend that you don't seem to realize that you should have?! You still hate that Archie turned Betty down and it's just not something that you can forget about. You're not over this rejection and you're not sure when you will stop feeling so upset over it. Sure, Betty is happy with Jughead and you know that she's not sitting at home alone in her bedroom, crying and pining over Archie. You would hate seeing that for sure. But… there's a part of you that thinks that if Archie told Betty that he was totally wrong to turn her down and that he wants them to take a chance on romance, she would jump at the chance. Well, sure, she would feel guilty about breaking Jughead's heart… but she would want to be with Archie more than him. That's just the feeling that you have.
6 Love: Josie and The Pussycats
You were super excited to see how this show would develop Josie and the Pussycats, and you can say with total, 100 percent confidence that these girls are amazing. It's interesting that Josie's mom is the mayor (and that she puts a ton of pressure on her) since that adds another layer to the storyline and makes Josie more of a real person. You're impressed with the girls' musical prowess and you're excited to see where they go in the second season. It's also been fun watching Archie interact with this band since things have changed so much since the beginning of the season when he asked for help and they were all, "We're super busy and we're going to be super famous and you need to leave ASAP. Okay bye." Now, he's even dated one of the Pussycats and won over their respect since they performed one of his songs at the town's 75th anniversary celebration near the end of the season.
5 Hate: The Serpents
You know that you're not really supposed to love or even like the serpents, but come on, you have to admit that you really hate them. Sure, they're a huge part of the show since they prove that there's a huge gap between the rich and the poor/the haves and the have nots in the town of Riverdale. You still think that a bit too much time is spent on this gang and you're thinking that even more time is going to be devoted to them if Jughead does end up joining them in the second season. You have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, you get that he might want to feel a bit closer to his dad by joining and getting to know the other guys. And maybe he wants to join so he can spy on them or something like that. On the other hand, you know that this is going to mess things up with Betty because she's not on board with this, and that's just too much for your hopeless romantic self to handle.
4 Love: The Pop Culture References
Riverdale is known for its witty, clever dialogue and its millions of pop culture references. You probably can't even think of another show that has such good pop culture references, right?! From comparing Betty to season five Betty Draper to talking about living in a James Franco world where people can do a lot of different things, the gang work references about movies and TV shows and books into any and all conversations. There are way more pop culture references in the pilot than any other episode, and it's definitely true that the references have started to slowly taper off by the series finale. But you can remember a lot of the references and they make you smile every single time. One of the best? "On Sunday, thank God for HBO." Another gem: when Veronica said, "I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's and this town is so In Cold Blood."
3 Love: Jughead's Surprise Birthday Party
Although you totally get that Jughead is anti-birthday since he's had such a rough childhood, you have to admit that watching the gang throw him a surprise party was one of your top moments of the first season. Betty and Archie were the masterminds behind the whole thing and they both felt that this was a really nice and important thing to do. Sometimes, being a good friend or girlfriend means not listening to what someone says that they want because you can figure out what they actually do want. Okay, okay, so in this case Jughead wasn't totally and completely sold on this party and disaster did kind of strike. But you get the feeling that he did appreciate the sentiment and the effort, even if he would rather not admit it. At the very least, it seems like he and Betty got even closer by the end of the season, and maybe the party was part of that.
2 Hate: Cheryl Hitting On Archie
Ugh. This was not one of your favorite moments this season. Not at all. You get that Cheryl was trying to manipulate Archie by inviting him to a special ceremony at her family home… and you hate everything about it. Of course, she couldn't help but hit on him, and that really got under your skin. You're pretty much shivering and shuddering just thinking about it. Again, you get that you're supposed to like Cheryl and sympathize with her and even feel sorry for you, but as mentioned above, you just don't feel that way. You just can't do it. Thankfully, this storyline was super short lived and you got to forget about Cheryl trying to get Archie involved with her crazy family life. He's too good for her and she's totally out of his league. Even though you're not a fan of Cheryl Blossom, you're still interested in seeing where she ends up in the new episodes.
1 Hate: When Archie's Dad Was Shot
Yup, this was a terrible moment and you're still thinking about it. At the very end of the series finale, Archie met his dad for breakfast at Pop's. He told Veronica that when his dad wanted them to have a breakfast date there, that meant that he had something super important that he wanted them to chat about. So of course, you were absolutely dying to know what he wanted to discuss with Archie. But you never got the chance to find out. Nope. Because when Archie was in the washroom, he heard something pretty scary. He rushed into the diner to see that a masked person with a gun was holding up the diner. Fred looked at Archie and shook his head, indicating that he should stay where he was. But then… the camera zoomed out to show you the exterior of the diner and there was a gunshot. Then you saw Archie kneeling over his dad, who was bleeding pretty heavily. Oh man. You can't wait to see season two because you really need to know that Fred Andrews has survived. Because he has to, right?!
