So long, “Riverdale,” it’s been a wild ride.
The CW’ series ended this week after seven seasons after premiering in 2017 and quickly becoming famous for its off-the-wall plotlines.
Even though it featured familiar characters like Archie (KJ Apa), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch), “Riverdale” has never been your grandfather’s Archie comics.
Through its run, it’s been a world where, among other storylines, the kids dealt with a stick-monster creature called “the gargoyle king”; a serial killer; an organ-harvesting cult leader; teenage prisons; time travel; and an immortal evil sorcerer. Side characters had names including “Tall Boy,” “Poppa Poutine” and “Percival Pickens.”
In honor of the Aug. 22 series finale, here’s a look back at some of the show’s most outlandish storylines and characters.
Jingle Jangle
“Jingle Jangle” is the name of a drug that flooded the streets of Riverdale, often supplied by a kingpin known as the “sugarman.” It’s been mentioned in various seasons, and it never gets old to hear someone gravely talking about the dangerous drug.
Archie gets attacked by a bear
In Season 3, Archie was randomly attacked by a bear. By this point in the show, he had been through a lot of shenanigans, including starting vigilante groups, getting framed for murder and going to a teen jail where he lectured another inmate about the joy of high school football. Nevertheless, it was a memorable plotline when he got mauled by an (unseen) beast, and then was perfectly fine the next episode — taking the SATs not long after. Just another day in this average show about regular teenagers.
Cheryl’s dead brother
Cheryl’s brother, Jason Blossom, died in the first season. But that wasn’t the end of his time on “Riverdale” because, in Season 4, Cheryl brought his corpse home and regularly spoke to him as if he was still alive. This is arguably the craziest Cheryl storyline but it’s a tough competition because she’s also had story arcs involving a haunted doll and being possessed by an ancestor who was burned at the stake.
The Gargoyle King
In Season 3, everyone in town grew obsessed with a game called “Gryphons & Gargoyles,” (think this universe’s version of “Dungeons & Dragons” — which took a dark turn when people started dying. The whole thing was presided over by a sinister stick-monster creature called “The Gargoyle King.”
Jughead’s alien abduction
In Season 5, Jughead was investigating folklore about “mothmen” when he appeared to get abducted by aliens. They turned out to be inbred Blossom relatives living in the woods, which is hardly less outlandish.
An attempt to stop MLK’s assassination
Yes, you read that right – after the show introduced superpowers in Season 6, Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) time traveled to 1968 and tried to save Martin Luther King Jr’s life. Ultimately, she didn’t succeed (since it was explained that was a fixed point in time).
Jughead fakes his own death
In Season 4, Jughead got embroiled in prep school intrigue that closely mirrored Donna Tartt’s book “The Secret History,” and discovered a murderous secret society. In order to stay ahead of them, he staged his own death.
Edgar Edgernever and his rocket
“Riverdale” had many memorable villains, but perhaps the most bonkers was Edgar Edgernever (Chad Michael Murray). He presided over a cult known as “The Farm,” with the ultimate goal of harvesting organs. After he got caught, Edgar donned an Evel Knievel outfit and attempted to flee on a rocket. Every part of this story was more insane than the last.
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘆: nypost.com
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗠𝗖𝗔,
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝘁 dmca@enspirers.com
