TRADITION IN RIVERDALE
Archie Comics live-action Teen Drama Mystery "Riverdale" Challenges Tradition in Archie Comics and Christianity
GOTHIC TROPES
Questioning the Church and Sexuality
Riverdale makes use of its murder mystery genre to include gothic subtleties that create a borderless realm throughout the series in style, story, and sexuality.
Two Gothic Tropes in Riverdale:
The authority of the Church is being questioned as well as its followers who might only follow Catholicism for the authority, protection, and status it provides. Gothic Fiction usually portrays the need for change in the Church and sometimes anti-Catholic messages.
Non-normative sexuality is a focus in the Riverdale show probably because it's a big topic today, but it is also a big part of Gothic Fiction to represent that which isn't generally represented and to challenge gender identity and sexual orientation.
THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE
Season 2 Episode 12
Veronica Lodge’s father is a mob-boss and her mother is a mob-wife: it’s a family business. The Lodge family is wealthy and has a lot of connections including a priest that Veronica knows from sermons growing up.
Veronica makes the sacrament of reconciliation before her confirmation, During reconciliation, a Catholic confides in a priest looking for advice and forgiveness of their sins. Veronica asks her family, mob-affiliated priest for advice about mob-life and dating-life and the priest gives her directions to recite a couple of prayers then shuts her out.
This gives viewers an image of an impersonal and unwelcoming religion. This is, however, only Popular Religion. This is not what every priest today is like by far, but the scene implies corruption in the Church is hurting its followers.
When Veronica makes the sacrament of Confirmation the ceremony is ridiculously different than how an actual Confirmation is organized, but it gives weight to the fact that the Lodges and other Riverdale characters don’t take Christianity too seriously.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is made by a Catholic who chooses to confirm their belief in Jesus as God and Holy Spirit and wishes to make Christ the centre of their life.
Veronica, like many people today, makes the sacrament of Confirmation without knowing or caring what its true meaning is and continues to live life as she always did: no church on Sundays and the family business with mom and dad.
Riverdale has been accused of queer-baiting: leading their audience to believe their will be LGBTQ2+ content when their really won't be any. The Hills Have Eyes must be a response episode.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
Season 2 Episode 14
Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica spend the weekend at the Lodge Lodge, Veronica's family cabin in the woods. The focus is still on the four main characters, but the other characters plotlines feel more weighty and important.
In this episode we see homage being paid to the LGBTQ2+ community through Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz's flirting and in the way Moose Mason and Kevin Keller struggle to remain friends once Kevin realizes Moose is staying in the closet.
Penelope Blossom calls her daughter Cheryl down to the dirt once again for asking questions about her new living as a prostitute and this means Cheryl is looking for someone to take her hurt feelings out on.
Later in the bathroom Cheryl calls Jughead to cause trouble which Toni overhears and questions, suggesting Cheryl is hurting inside. Cheryl pushes her away, but eventually the two find themselves alone at the movies together. After the movie Toni gives Cheryl an uplifting and loving speech and the two hold hands.
Moose told Kevin that he was open with his girlfriend Midge about his bisexual history, but later it's revealed that Midge is clueless about Moose's past when Midge asks Kevin to sit with herself and Moose at Pop's Chocklit Shoppe.
Kevin ends up going to the same movie as Cherly and Toni, but separately. The movie playing is "Love, Simon" a gay rom-com. Josie sees Kevin alone and apologizes to him, earlier she revealed to him the affair her mother the mayor and his father the sheriff are having. Kevin forgives Josie and they watch the movie together.
CLOSE TO HOME
Archie Comics new creative director, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is a gay man who is advocating for equal rights with his power in media. The two episodes and their tropes must speak personally to him because they were passionate episodes. The show is fighting for a change in tradition concerning the Church and sexuality.
The Church is challenged based on its teachings on sexuality and it's encouragement to present a more pleasant and better version of yourself to others by wearing the mask of a religion. The show also makes a point to uncover that two characters were forced to stay with nuns during their teen pregnancies, a reminder that religion isn't always as moral as it appears.
Riverdale integrates non-normative sexuality so it is more accepted, but there are still hushed tones. This seems to be a depiction of our modern world and the way we often see ourselves as open even when we’re quite the opposite.
For example Kevin is openly gay and it’s perfectly fine for him, but Moose is more weary to come out as gay or bisexual because he is an athlete.
Another example is that many of the characters in the show are supportive of same-sex couples, but Penelope Blossom shamed Cheryl for having a relationship with a girl in the probably due to family reputation.
Betty hides her “dark side” which is really a mental illness and BDSM kink, which should probably stay hidden but doesn’t need to make anyone feel ashamed. Betty has been raised to be the good girl next door and anything she does that doesn’t keep up that image seems to make her struggle.
Riverdale takes a sincere look at the Church and sexuality in society today then sort of mashes it up to make something similar to reality, but anything can happen because it's Riverdale!