Riverdale returns this week for its seventh and closing season, and after six insane years which have featured wild storylines together with organ-harvesting cults, multiverses, and the highs and lows of highschool soccer, the collection is time-traveling again to the heyday of Archie Comics. When Bailey’s comet hit Riverdale on the finish of Season 6, it despatched Betty (Lili Reinhart), Archie (KJ Apa), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and all their associates again to 1955, with the twist that solely Jughead can bear in mind the true timeline. Series showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa lately defined the writers wished to do one thing actually particular with the ultimate season, and all of it got here again making a love letter to the unique comics.
The first three episodes of Riverdale Season 7 take us to a different Rivervale-esque parallel universe with life within the city with pep choosing up in 1955, nearly as if the primary six seasons of the collection by no means occurred. While lots of the campy Riverdale logos which have made this present a smash hit are actually nonetheless there, the restrictions of the time interval—and the circumstances of why the characters are caught there—set the ultimate season off to a rocky begin.
Riverdale has at all times been a present that errs into the “so bad it’s good” class and followers of the collection get a kick out of the present’s extremely campy writing stuffed with essentially the most bonkers one-liners that you’ve got ever heard, and that continues in Season 7 with added Fifties vernacular. Eagle-eyed comics followers will little doubt discover lots to get enthusiastic about with the upcoming episodes — together with the introduction of Clay Walker (Karl Walcott), the return of Jughead’s beloved Hotdog, and an abundance of attention-grabbing relationship dynamics. However, the collection might have sacrificed greater than it could deal with within the pursuit of a retro aesthetic and a recent begin.
While Riverdale actually might’ve ended with its “Graduation” episode, which was initially supposed to be the Season 4 finale, within the years for the reason that collection has managed to maintain viewers coming again for extra by exploring a few of the comics’ most outlandish storylines—particularly the multiverse. These previous few seasons have seen a number of welcome adjustments to the collection together with a time leap to convey the characters into maturity, lastly getting Betty and Archie collectively, and the perfect post-Season 4 addition, Tabitha Tate (Erinn Westbrook). Unfortunately, as a result of these characters are caught indefinitely in 1955, a lot of these massive steps ahead have been briefly erased for the foreseeable future. By taking the collection again to highschool, Riverdale is rehashing the identical floor they’ve already coated a number of occasions over, and, as an alternative of feeling recent, we are the ones caught in a time loop.
Riverdale is effectively conscious that the Fifties, whereas usually packaged as “the good old days,” have been hardly the perfect of occasions for many individuals, particularly folks of coloration and anybody who falls wherever on the queer spectrum. Season 7 will get proper to that time with the premiere episode centering round Betty, Tabitha, Toni (Vanessa Morgan), and Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) preventing to convey consciousness to the homicide of Emmett Till regardless of pushback from a lot of unreasonable adults. It’s admirable that Riverdale is trying to place subjects like this in entrance of audiences that won’t in any other case get the data, particularly with conservatives trying to eradicate schooling on America’s racist historical past from the classroom. However, as a result of the remainder of the collection is usually not meant to be taken severely, when Riverdale delivers very severe material it could appear a little bit jarring. Having Riverdale Season 7 discover points like racism and homophobia in a Fifties setting can be a obtrusive reminder of how little progress has been made within the final 70 years.
Season 7 is a step backward, with its queer characters again within the closet and one of many present’s few Black characters successfully written out for an undetermined variety of episodes. Riverdale can be doubling again on previous storylines that we thought have been lengthy since laid to relaxation just like the Betty/Archie/Veronica love triangle, and Veronica’s painful relationship together with her mother and father. Thankfully, we cannot be spending the whole thing of the ultimate outing in 1955, as Aquirre-Sacasa beforehand instructed Decider that they are “nowhere accomplished close to writing the season.”
Riverdale‘s blast from the previous is not a complete drag, although; there are some pleasant moments in these early episodes and a few improbable performances from the solid who’ve develop into seasoned actors over the course of the present’s six-year run on The CW. The collection honors the comedian books in ways in which transcend costumes and aesthetic, with Archie’s relentless optimism, Betty’s diaries, and a really comic-inspired storyline on the coronary heart of one of many season’s massive mysteries.
Apa specifically stands out as he will get to lean utterly into the wide-eyed innocence of the Archie of days passed by. He additionally one way or the other delivers essentially the most convincing Fifties efficiency amongst an ensemble solid that may’t actually cover the truth that all of them completely know what the web is. That’s to not say any of the solid does a nasty job, the truth is, the anachronisms up the present’s campiest qualities for the higher. Petsch is an actual spotlight as at all times, and her efficiency as Cheryl Blossom is extra nuanced than ever whereas sacrificing not one of the character’s outrageousness. Reinhart’s Betty Cooper has returned to her girl-next-door roots, permitting her to play a little bit extra into Betty’s softer aspect than she has in fairly some time. Her efficiency is each delicate and daring, and it will have you ever rooting for Betty to get her completely happy ending as soon as and for all.
The most unchanged character is unquestionably Morgan’s Toni Topaz, and having her be so openly herself is unquestionably a breath of recent air within the Riverdale of 1955. Toni remains to be very queer, she’s nonetheless a member of the Serpents, and he or she nonetheless solely has eyes for Cheryl. Morgan is captivatingly assured in each scene, and her storylines are simply among the best components of the primary three episodes of Season 7. Mendes lastly will get some recent materials to work with in Veronica’s new Hollywood roots, regardless of her storyline nonetheless being closely rooted in her love/hate relationship together with her mother and father. Parentdale additionally makes an look within the first three episodes, and whereas all of their storylines are a little bit bit missing, Mädchen Amick, Molly Ringwald, and Nathalie Boltt are all having enjoyable with the goofiness of the 1955 variations of their characters, stealing each scene that they are in.
Aguirre-Sacasa lately spoke about wanting to combine up the connection dynamics for the present’s closing season, and with new pairings teased within the Season 7 trailer, we’re in for some attention-grabbing combos, with Betty relationship Kevin (Casey Cott), Archie and Cheryl listening to marriage ceremony bells, and even some potential Veronica/Jughead motion within the books. While these pairings are undoubtedly a little bit irritating for longtime viewers, particularly at face worth, it is clear that none of them are actually meant to final the total season. Riverdale has had greater than its fair proportion of will-they-won’t-they moments and love triangles, and whereas these components are nonetheless current in Season 7, the endgame for these characters is fairly clear from the leap.
As a queer individual it is significantly troublesome to look at Cheryl and Kevin pushed again into the closet, each combating their identities in several methods and clinging to the security of heteronormativity. However, Choni is unquestionably exemplifying the soulmate trope, and it is my private favourite a part of Season 7 thus far. Season 6 established that Cheryl and Toni’s relationship transcends time and area, and now Season 7 is extending that to the multiverse, and it is truthfully a pleasure to look at them fall in love time and again. Kevin additionally has romantic aspirations past his lavender relationship with Betty, and the introduction of Wallcott’s Clay Walker units him up for a contented ending if they’ll discover one another sooner or later — Clay Walker is Kevin’s husband in Archie Comics.
While Riverdale remains to be dabbling in its authentic love triangle to an extent, the endgame pairings for the core 4 even have a reasonably robust basis in these first episodes. The most outlined duo at this level is unquestionably Barchie, full with buzzy music cues and a real sense of inevitability. Betty and Archie are inescapably drawn to one another, and Riverdale seems to be setting these two up for the proper “it was always you” second. While Westbrook’s Tabitha Tate is absent from the second and third episodes of Season 7, she and Jughead share a very lovely second within the season premiere that units them as much as discover their approach again to one another. Veronica’s romantic future is essentially the most unsure, however Charles Melton‘s Reggie Mantle has but to make an look in Season 7, so it is doable that when he does, we’ll get an identical “meant to be” vibe.
While Riverdale Season 7 is way from good tv, the collection has by no means been that, and it is not about to start out pretending it’s within the eleventh hour. We love Riverdale as a result of it is ridiculous, campy, and completely hilarious in its outrageousness. If you do not make the error of taking the present too severely, you may discover pleasure on this closing journey within the jalopy.
Rating: B
Riverdale returns for Season 7 on March 29 at 9 PM ET, with the collection finale set to air on August 23.