Riverdale is known for its crazy plotlines and retro style, but sometimes it can get a bit confusing. Other times, the story simply doesn't make sense. The retro aspect can muddle the plot's timeline and change the way certain characters and events are perceived, but it also doesn't fit into this world where the characters use modern technology.
Here are 10 continuity errors in Riverdale, from broken plots to lost characters, head-scratching moments to generally illogical storylines.
Is Reggie A Shapeshifter?
Reggie is originally played by Ross Butler, who decided to leave Riverdale to focus on his role as Zach in 13 Reasons Why. The role of Reggie was then taken on by Charles Melton, and the change wasn't very subtle, nor was it ever acknowledged. Butler's departure is understandable, but it seems strange to replace the actor without any acknowledgment. Perhaps one of the other characters could have joked that his appearance had changed over the summer, but even that would have been a stretch.
Reggie is a bit of an antagonist within Archie's circle of friends. Perhaps Butler's departure could have doubled as Reggie's as well because, at this point in the show, the character's role is very minimal and not particularly useful.
Disappearing Characters
Every series dismisses some of its characters eventually. Perhaps they die, move away, are sent to prison, or the actor decides to leave the project, but it's almost always acknowledged in some way. But not in Riverdale.
Here is a short (but not exhaustive) list of characters who have disappeared from the series for episodes at a time or for good without any mention: Jellybean Jones (Jughead's sister, whose introduction was hyped up a lot), Ethel Muggs (where did she go?), Evelyn Evernever (not that anyone wants her to return), Sheriff Keller (since he's not sheriff anymore it seems like he's pretty useless, unfortunately), Sierra McCoy (pretty much ditto), Polly Cooper and her twin children (who's taking care of Juniper and Dagwood, again?), Cheryl's family (including Penelope and Nana Rose), the Pussycats (only Josie's departure is made public) ... is that everyone?
Nana Rose's Nine Lives
Where was she when Cheryl burned Thornhill down? Cheryl doesn't check that everyone is out of the house, and previously Nana Rose had been living with her. Afterward, her whereabouts are never brought up and she seems perfectly fine.
Sure, Nana Rose has been known to have some weird sense of intuition. She did predict that Polly would birth twins, after all, so perhaps she had a premonition about the night Cheryl would burn their home down. Stranger things have happened in the Archieverse.
Plots That Aren't Followed Up
Unless these are going to be extremely slow burns, it seems like these plots have simply been abandoned - some for better rather than worse. For example, when Betty dabbles in webcamming.
A few other plotlines that seem to have been forgotten include Archie's music career (though it isn't unpacked to any significant or layered extent), Cheryl's gay conversion (such a traumatic experience should haunt her for a long time, but even after four seasons, her character has barely evolved), the relationship hinted at between Charles and Chic, the mysterious videotapes of Riverdale residents' houses, and that one random episode in which every teen in the series gets a therapy session.
Betty And Charles' Relationship
Betty seems to switch back and forth between trusting and mistrusting Charles. Part of the problem is that they don't spend any time getting to know each other. They meet, and suddenly Betty is asking him about serial killer genes and asking him to help her spy on people and break the law for her.
Yet she chooses not to confide in him at other times and is reluctant to share anything meaningful with him. Most worrying, perhaps, is when she follows Charles around town as he visits Pop's and the gym. Clearly, she doesn't really trust him, but it's never made explicit during conversations between any of the characters, and so far hasn't amounted to anything.
Fred's Nurses
After Fred Andrews is shot by the Black Hood, he is rushed to the hospital where he is treated by nurses dressed in very retro costumes. In a world where characters use smartphones, these outdated outfits look conspicuously out of place.
The nurses wear hats that look like they've been plucked out of a war movie's costume department. Of course, the series is aiming to maintain a certain aesthetic, but in this case, it comes across as silly. It simply doesn't make sense. Other characters, like Betty and Veronica, sometimes wear vintage style clothing, but this is part of their characters. It makes sense because people wear old fashioned clothes in real life. Even Pop's diner is believable because of the nostalgia factor. But this detail, while small, is a stretch.
Flashforwards Of Jughead's Death
After Jughead supposedly dies, Betty confides to Archie a number of times about how sad she is. Later, they reveal that it's all a ploy to expose their Stonewall Prep enemies, and that Jughead isn't really dead and that he and his friends planned the whole thing - including Betty and Archie's romance.
The scene at Pop's in which Betty is crying to Archie about never seeing Jughead again is private and unobserved, which implies that her emotions are true and not part of the act. In another scene at Pop's, Betty, Archie, and Veronica discuss Jughead's death in the hopes of being observed and convincing the community of Jughead's death. Maybe Betty and Archie are really good actors, but it just comes across like a scene that's trying too hard to convince viewers that Jughead is dead, and thus it doesn't correlate with the actual plot.
Every Musical Episode
If the whole series was a musical, the musical numbers wouldn't glare out at viewers so. But the series is presented originally as a teen drama and murder mystery. The show often explores themes so dark that the musical episodes seem grossly incongruous and just overall ... weird.
Not only are the musicals thrust upon the audience so suddenly, but they aren't referred to again. The characters don't refer to the musical numbers that occur outside of the school musical (for example, in their homes or on the streets of Riverdale when they're being themselves and not the characters they portray in the musicals). After the episode is over, the series switches back to its normal, darker self. It could be a stylistic choice to juxtapose these contrasting genres, but it's so disjointed and arbitrary that this seems unlikely.
What Year Is It Set In?
Besides the retro style costumes and set designs, a little slip up in the show's props, or perhaps writing, has revealed an error in the timeline.
In season 1, a prop indicates that Jughead is born in 2001. Also in the first season, he celebrates his 16th birthday, meaning that the year is 2017. Three episodes later, the town celebrates its 75th anniversary, where it is stated that the town was founded in 1941. 1941 + 75 = 2016.
The Black Hood's Eye Color
Everyone was a bit confused about the Black Hood's identity for some time and based on his eye color, not many people suspected Hal Cooper. In fact, most fans had guessed that Sheriff Keller was the face behind the mask.
Before the Black Hood's identity is revealed, the show teased his identity through many close-ups of his eyes, which are clearly green. But Hal Cooper's eyes are much darker. The actor's eyes are blue, but combined with the darkened lighting of Riverdale, they look almost brown. Unless he decided to wear contact lenses as a deterrent while he wore the mask (which is never suggested), something here doesn't match up.