With the news that Riverdale has been renewed for a seventh season, one question runs deep in the air: how long can this show keep up its shenanigans? Riverdale season 6 episodes alone have included plots ranging from witchcraft to time travel, leaving viewers and this writer wondering if there’s anything outside the pale here. Given that certain members of the CW’s stalwart have signaled that they’re ready to wind things up once next season — and, most likely, the end of their contracts, it’s understandable to want to treasure every remaining episode like a gift. Since there will never be another series like this one.
Everything in Riverdale has been off-kilter from the beginning. It’s based on the Archie comics, but it’s not meant to be funny. It’s eerie and dark. The motivations of the characters shift from scene to scene, happily defying logic. From Dungeons & Dragons treasures to soap opera mobsters, the antagonists are diverse. UFO sightings, spontaneous human combustion, and maple syrup blood feuds are on the horizon. The entire town exists solely on fast food. This is insane.
In Riverdale season 6, magic is the new be-all and end-all solution to any problem. Cheryl and her wonderful bag of tricks are all we need to finish the job.
Her powers saved Archie from a situation worse than death in Riverdale Season 6 Episode 14.
This kind of charming “just go with it” anachronism — that an old-timey folk hero can bring together contemporary people — is the kind of nice “just go with it” thing that the source comics have run with for over 80 years.
On the other hand, what appears homely and charming in print becomes Lynchian when seen on tv. Which is exactly the point, and another example of how Riverdale is unlike anything else on TV. Even though the writers and cast are in on the joke, and the show has embraced its campiness, it still manages to provide genuine WTF moments. So why isn’t this show given more credit for what it is?
While Percival’s machinations are the major attraction in riverdale season 6, something genuinely great was happening in the B-plot. Cheryl has gotten pyrokinetic abilities all of a sudden. We can give writer Devon Turner credit for presenting this in a way that makes sense for the character (she’s been burned at the stake as Abigail, torched Thornhill, and so on). Simultaneously, it’s such a bizarre turn of events that it’s a treat to see and a tribute to how Riverdale never gets boring.
It’s amazing to live in a time when prestige drama is so prevalent. But it’s past time for programs like Riverdale to deserve some credit for going beyond their trashy teen drama origins to become something unique and unlike anything else on television. On a side note, Did you watch the Stranger Things Season 4 yet?
Riverdale Season 6 Rundown
- Zane Holtz reprises his role as K.O. Kelly from Katy Keene, and despite the show’s premature cancellation, we continue to admire Riverdale’s commitment to referencing it.
- At the beginning of Riverdale season 6, we see a Red Circle book, which alludes to Archie Comics’ superhero publishing origins.
- According to Archie and Jughead’s logic, there’s no better way to “inspire people to remember who they are” than to seek a Guinness World Record. In any case, what year is this show set in?
- Given how modest the set of the gambling venue appears to be, Babylonium being described as a “casino with a budget of a Baz Luhrmann film” is doubly funny.
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- Cheryl, a long-time Stephen King fan (see Carrie: The Musical), may be seen reading his Firestarter novel at the end of this episode after mastering her new abilities.
- Veronica wears her Monica Posh blonde wig while infiltrating the Whyte Wyrm, while Percival dresses normally. Subtle.
- Cheryl can now light anything on fire at will, and no one cares about your issues, Reggie.
- Betty is correct; Cheryl is a phoenix who flourishes amid the fire. Will she use her new abilities to beat Percival?
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