Even still, it is in poor taste and throws teenagers dealing with sexual abuse under a bus for ratings.
Riverdale's series description states that Archie will end his, “forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Miss Grundy,” which suggests it won’t last long and is more than likely a plot device to pull viewers in. A shot from the trailer depicts Miss Grundy looking like the traditional “sexy librarian” trope, and another shows her and Archie in a steamy car. Whether or not Riverdale’s showrunners take this plot in another direction is to be determined, but the commercials treat the storyline as a major one. That is not a “sexy,” “forbidden” romance. Apa, who plays Archie in Riverdale has stated, "I guess that's a really inappropriate kind of romance he has going on there.” The word “romance” keeps coming into play in all of the ads, articles and commercials for the series, with none of them calling it what it truly is. Miss Grundy then engages him in a sexual relationship. The narrative goes as follows: Archie wanted music lessons and Josie (of Josie and the Pussycats, another Archie Comics series) was too busy, so he went to Miss Grundy for help. Miss Grundy - who’s appeared in the comics for decades as an older woman and a teacher who has known Archie since childhood - will be an attractive music coach. He’s a total dreamboat that all the girls admire … but in this show, some of them aren’t high school girls. The character of Archie will be presented in Riverdale as a high school teen, football player and musician - as he’s appeared across the majority of the Archie Comics storylines.
However, the sexiness of ads for Riverdale becomes iffy when the TV series decided to frame a situation of statutory rape as a sexy, forbidden romance. We see snippets of Archie running shirtless and what appears to be Betty and Veronica making out in the ads for the show. And, of course, a CW TV series can’t be complete without tossing in a little sensuality. The original Archie comic series has always had a bit of a flirtatious vibe as Betty and Veronica fought over the goofy and likable Archie and Jughead rolled his eyes at all the drama.
This throws the group into a Pretty Little Liars-esque who-done-it murder mystery with a significant dash of Twin Peaks weirdness.
Riverdale opens with the death of Jason Blossom - the twin brother of Cheryl Blossom, a classic secondary character. Archie Comicsįor fans of the classic faux-1950s world of Archie Comics and its cutesy teen drama, these spinoff series and the new Riverdale TV show might rub the wrong way. Miss Grundy, as depicted as the classic spinster stereotype in classic Archie comics.