riverdale · season 1 · mystery · noir · high school drama · small town · ensemble cast · teen fiction · suspense · corruption
Fourth of July on the Sweetwater River ends in horror. Cheryl and Jason Blossom’s boat capsizes; Jason is lost to the dark water, and Cheryl is dragged ashore, shivering and vacant-eyed. In the wake of the tragedy, the town’s cracks widen. Archie loses himself in songwriting. Betty battles her mother Alice for the right to keep Archie close. Veronica arrives from New York, determined to start over. Jughead watches from the edges, tangled in his father FP’s shadow. One night at the Blossom house, a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven pairs Archie and Veronica. Inside the closet, whispered secrets lead to a kiss. When they step out, Betty is gone. Archie finds her outside in the cool air, arms wrapped tight around herself. He tells her he loves her but feels he’ll never be good enough f…