Riverdale’s appeal is that it pines for a small-town America that never existed
-
“What is the town, exactly?” says Annie Lloyd of the town of Riverdale. “It has a ‘north side’ and a ‘south side;’ a Sweetwater River; a diner called, simply, ‘Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe.’ It neighbors a town called Greendale. The newspapers for the public high schools are the Blue and Gold and the Red and Black. It is, simply, an empty town, a blank slate on which the characters project their lives and desires. The characters build their sanity and happiness on the idea of a peaceful Riverdale. When the town encounters chaos—the death of the star quarterback or attacks by a black-hooded terrorist—nothing takes a higher priority than returning the town to its status quo. But with no real identity, the town has nothing to return to. The characters aren’t mourning the loss of a place; they’re mourning the loss of placelessness, because with placelessness comes unaccountability. When a town can be anything the characters want, they are free to engage in corruption, classism, or any number of moral evils without fear of retribution.” ALSO: Andy Cohen to play himself on Riverdale.
