10 things nobody wants to admit about Riverdale

2. The series finale was a stunning and perfect way to end the show

The Riverdale series finale was unexpected, to say the least. Not everyone saw it the same way, but I think it’s safe to say that “unexpected” was a common denominator among all of those feelings. But that’s just one of the many reasons why it succeeded – no, exceeded.

Riverdale loves to go big. It thrives on that, prioritizing ambitious storylines over character development. But this time, it decided not to bash us over the head with its outlandishness, choosing a more subtle approach. And it paid off beautifully.

Betty Cooper has always been the show’s main character. Yes, she was one of its core four, but she always felt like the heart and soul of Riverdale, and that’s why it was so fitting that she took center stage in the final episode.

The series finale was all about reflection. It was about celebrating the memories that Betty made with her family and friends during her time at Riverdale High, imbuing us all with a sense of nostalgia – something that Riverdale does remarkably well. It was also about the “epic highs and lows” of life itself, detailing how life can be full of love, hope, potential, regrets, pain, and loss, and still be a life well-lived.

Riverdale can be incredibly clever when it wants to be, and the series finale is perhaps the best example of that. It’s a heartfelt love letter to the core message of what the show was about, giving us an emotional look at the beauty beneath the mysteries, murder, and mayhem that the later seasons often forgot about. It’s a celebration of youth, potential, memories, love, high school, and most of all, life. And seeing Betty, Archie, Jughead, and Veronica reunited in the Sweet Hereafter, at their happiest over a milkshake in Pop’s, was just the greatest ending we could have ever hoped for.

The show tried something a little bit different for its series finale and yet reminded us of what it was always capable of. As a result, we were gifted with what might just be Riverdale‘s finest ever episode.