Riverdale is broken.

This is a sentiment that many fans have had for many years. A lot of them disagree about exactly how much or when it went off the rails, but most of them agree that it has. The first season was solid, with everything fitting and making sense for what they were setting up. After that, various threads that were set up didn't properly connect in the end. Season 2's big bad, The Black Hood, seemed obsessed with things which made no sense. And season 3 and 4 similarly had similar problems. By the end of season 4, which ended abruptly thanks to CoVid, it was hard to conclude that things were going well.

Plans were already in place to do a time jump at the end of season 4 before the break, but the extra time gave them the opportunity to really put some thought into it. Now with season 5 in full swing, they've come up with a solid way to rehabilitate the image of the show. Literally rehabilitating the show by doing the same to the fictional town they all live in. Much like with and hopefully , the central premise of Riverdale's new season is to fix what's broken. To make things better if they can find a way.

Without the central characters, Riverdale has fallen apart. Crime is rampant as is homelessness. Even the school is falling apart. Several of the characters have fallen apart as well. Most notably Jughead, who not only has money problems so bad that thugs seem to be after him, but he can barely write a word despite being such a popular author. Betty hasn't fared much better given the traumas she endured as an FBI trainee. Veronica's life has many problems, even if she's managed well both professionally and personally. Ironically, Archie, who's life as a teenager was often in turmoil and couldn't decide a thing, is the one who is doing the best.

Together, they're trying to save the town from itself.

In a lot of ways, the writers are trying to save the show from itself. So much of the show was broken. From the writing, to the acting, to the way they scheduled story lines around musical episodes instead of the other way around. But now it seems like they are trying to fix that. The story so far has been solid. Returning to Riverdale is giving the writers the space and time to really put the work in to fix the show.

One of the major problems with the show in previous seasons was how tied down they were to what the fans wanted. People too invested in certain relationships were very vocal about their support or opposition to their favourite characters being together. It put the writers in something of a corner of trying to keep the show going and keeping people watching the show and doing what is new and interesting.

They don't have to worry about that anymore and that's given them so many opportunities. New dynamics give new opportunities and they are very much taking advantage of that. Every season since the end of the first, I've consistently been hopeful that the next season will be even better. I always want to see the show do better. Unfortunately, I've often been disappointed within a few episodes.

This is the first time in a long time that this hasn't been the case. I've had issues with how they ended season 4 at the beginning of this one, but it lead to one of the best, most creative decisions the show has ever made since season 1.

It's a long road ahead for the show to get back to something resembling a solid foundation. Some of the more hesitant fans who have been taking issue with what Riverdale has devolved into are going to need time to learn to trust the show again. But so far, what the show has set up gives them reason to give them that time.

One can only hope that the show doesn't do an about face and recapture what they did in the past.

Can Riverdale be built back up with a solid foundation?

I'm hopeful that it will be.

Originally posted on Feb 27, 2021 on Substack.