Possibly every Riverdale fan is well aware of this show’s penchant for getting more ridiculous with every season. By now, even the biggest Riverdale fans will acknowledge that the show’s packed with poorly-written dialogues, illogical situations, and random plot elements that make absolutely no sense. Still, despite all this, Riverdale has managed to keep its faithful fanbase, helping to make it one of the most awarding-winning tv shows currently airing.
It has also become one of those rare shows that are so bad, they’re actually good. A big reason for this lies, in fact, in its countless uncomfortable and cringe-worthy scenes, which have surely become a guilty pleasure of every Riverdale fan. Sometimes, the show takes it so far that we immediately want to skip to a different scene or turn off our screens entirely, hoping to forget what we just saw.
The “I’m a weirdo” speech
In case you haven’t noticed, Jughead is weird. He´s a weirdo. He doesn’t fit in nor does he want to fit in. Have you ever seen him without his stupid hat? All jokes aside, it’s definitely clear to everyone from the very beginning of the show that Jughead (Cole Sprouse) is an oddball with a sarcastic sense of humor.
Still, his famous monologue from the first season, in which he tries to highlight his individuality, instead of being dramatic… sounded like it came out straight from “The Room.” Given that probably no one took it seriously, Jughead’s famous speech eventually attained meme status - and deservedly so, if we may add.
Dark Betty
At first glance, Betty Cooper (played by Lili Reinhart) is your typical blonde girl-next-door, but she also has a dark side - a character fans have come to know as Dark Betty. This alter ego is often characterized by a black wig and lacy underwear, transforming the usual do-good star pupil into a sex-pot and webcam model. Seriously? And while this “dark side” of hers represents a vent for some deep psychological issues Betty is dealing with, instead of taking a more serious approach, the show makes it incredibly cringy and played-out by having her dress up what she thinks is a stereotypical “bad girl.”
Betty’s Serpent Dance
For many Riverdale fans, this is one of the most unpleasant and cringey moments of season 2. In episode eight, titled “House of the Devil,” which hits things off by having sixteen year-old Betty perform a striptease to one of the most depressing songs ever - Mad World. And while the fans was forced to witness a minor strip to “All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces,” there were indeed familiar faces in the audience, namely Betty’s boyfriend Jughead and even her own mother who did nothing to stop her. Betty’s show went on uninterrupted and followed by applause. Mad World, indeed.
Weird Sex scenes
To be clear, while the show’s got more sex scenes than are totally necessary to start with, the bizarre circumstances that lead to these acts make them that much more uncomfortable. Take a scene in the second season for example: after witnessing his father getting shot, Archie (KJ Apa) goes to take a shower, moments later having his girlfriend Veronica (Camila Mendes) figure it’s the perfect time to have sex. Sure, there’s no better way to comfort your boyfriend whose father ended up in the emergency room moments earlier!
Veronica and Jughead kissing
Yet another scene that caused discomfort in Riverdale fans occurred in the second season, when Betty, Jughead, Archie, and Veronica decided to go on a weekend trip. During their stay at a cabin in the woods (another pop-culture cliche) the secret that Betty and Archie kissed leaked, to which Veronica suggested she should kiss Betty’s boyfriend Jughead to make things even.
Not only is this embarrassing story writing for a popular TV show, but the visibly uncomfortable situation was made worse by the fact that Lili (Betty) and Cole (Jughead) are in a relationship off the set as well. In any case, given we’ve also already witnessed the kiss between Betty and Veronica, we guess the only thing left is a kiss between Archie and Jughead - which isn’t so unlikely given how the show’s plot is developing.
The Singing
It’s a good time to remind everyone that these characters are still around sixteen years old and in high school. Good, now what gives with all the needlessly sexual imagery, which carries over even when they randomly burst in song? A good example of this is the scene when Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and the Pussycats together with Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) sing their version of the “Milkshake” song.
Generally speaking, most viewers are tired of all the random songs and singing performances being stuffed into the main story line. These scenes cause a massive cringe when they occur by themselves, let alone when they’re bolstered by uncomfortable circumstances and awkward interactions.
“We’re endgame Archie”
The phrase “endgame” is so over-used that it’s sole usage to describe literally every couple in this show provokes nothing but a big cringe in the audience. In one of the very first episodes, Kevin told Betty that she and Archie were endgame, or “Actually, to clarify, Betty and Archie aren’t dating, but they’re endgame.” At least according to Kevin.
Hearing the characters constantly call their relationships endgame has gotten way too stale way too fast, to the point where, in most fans, it provokes an eye roll every time it happens.
Veronica saying “daddy” and “Archiekins”
We’re sort of getting used to Veronica’s cringy dialogue, but every time she uses one of these two words in a sentence it’s impossible to hold back the eye roll. Although it’s a bit humorous to hear Veronica refer to her father as “daddy” or “daddykins,” (as if their relationship suddenly went from resentful to loving), it’s mostly just annoying. Heck, like many things from the show, Veronica’s “daddy” is now a meme.
Then there’s the nickname she picked for her boyfriend Archie, whom she continually calls “Archiekins,” which is not nearly as cute as she thinks it is. However, we get why this is recurrent in the show, as the nickname “Archiekins” comes from the Archie comics. Despite this, it simply doesn’t fit this interpretation of the show, and combined with the usually bad dialogue, turns out completely cringy.
Almost every Archie Scene
While it seems that the show is set on making Archie seem like a badass character, more often than not, the guy ends up looking like a (for lack of a better word) stooge. Let’s not forget, he’s only 16 and his decisions and actions are rarely based on common sense, which includes examples such as him admitting guilt for a crime he didn’t commit (although he would probably be let off) and despite the fact that practically the entire Riverdale was helping him win the case - why so stupid, Archiekins!? Best guess, for the same reason he miraculously survived that bear attack: to make him seem like a fearless bad boy character. Oh, and so this scrawny sixteen-year-old then became a champion fighter in prison.
Polly and Jason’ love story
The weird, incestuous vibes between the Blossom Twins could be sensed from the very beginning of the show. Later the tables have turned when it was revealed that Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines) and Polly Cooper (Tiera Skovbye), who were the ones in an incestuous relationship. Although their love affair ended abruptly and unfortunately with Jason’s murder, the icing on the cake was the discovery that Polly and Jason were actually cousins. On top of that, following the even Polly had Jason’s twins, which brings us to the part that never ceases to make us cringe - she named them Juniper and Dagwood.
