The 10 Best Riverdale Episodes, Ranked

This article contains spoilers for RiverdaleThe hugely successful teen drama, Riverdale aired from 2017 to 2023, and throughout its 137 episodes, it featured some highly memorable twists. The show was a subversive take on Archie Comics, and followed the cast and reimagined characters of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica in what became known as “The Murder Capital of the World”; Riverdale.

Although the show began as a murder mystery, it soon evolved into a highly entertaining mix of genres and styles, with some over-the-top but inventive and captivating episodes. All seven seasons of Riverdale vary in quality. However, there are enough attractive characterssexual tension, plus wild moments to make up for it. What other show would pit its protagonist against a bear, only for him to survive with just a scratch to show for it?

10

Chapter One: The Riverbank

Season 1, Episode 1

The first episode of the excellent Season 1 is the logical place to start, as perfectly encapsulates the beating heart of the showand firmly sets it up as a murder mystery. It features main cast members Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica, who are in shock following the murder of the heir apparent to the Blossom Maple Syrup empire, Jason Blossom.

It also establishes a love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica that would last the entire duration of the series and become one of the biggest mysteries to draw audiences into a show full of them. Archie and Veronica’s kiss at Cheryl’s party sets all of this into motion, and while there are some harsh rewatch realities Riverdale Overall for Season 1, the opening episode is the key to the entire series. It’s scary, well written and hooks the viewer from the beginning.

9

Chapter Thirty-Three: Shadow of a Doubt

Season 2, Episode 20

The Black Hood storyline, despite its eventual reveal being kind of dumb, was still a great addition to the overarching narrative. It’s not as strong as the murder mystery in Season 1, but it’s great to watch the Black Hood strike fear into the cast. In “Shadow of a Doubt”, Betty trusts Cheryl when she has an idea of ​​who the killer is, forming a great detective duo in the process.

Watching Cheryl and Betty work so well together is a great way to further cement their relationship, especially considering they are third-degree relatives. It’s a pairing that viewers would have liked to see more of throughout the series, so seeing the effort they put into resolving who the Black Hood is proves to be a highlight of Season 2.

8

Chapter Twelve: Anatomy of a Murder

Season 1, Episode 12

What makes “Anatomy of a Murder” so good is that the identity of who killed Jason Blossom is finally revealed in the penultimate episode of the series, rather than at the end. It proved the show wasn’t afraid to go to dark placesand in doing so, it became more original and unique than other crime and murder series. It also allowed the ending to tie up loose ends from the previous episode, before the killer’s motivations were revealed.

The episode twists and turns wonderfully, and the town goes into a shocking downward spiral when it is revealed that Jason’s killer was his father, Clifford Blossom. The fact that the main characters witnessed a graphic video of Jason being shot in the head proved that the series wasn’t afraid to offer shock value. The lives of everyone in the city, especially the main characters, changed forever from that moment on.

7

Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners

Season 2, Episode 19

“Prisoners” is one of the Riverdale’s highest-rated episodes on IMDb, with a rating of 8.2 out of 10 on the site, making it one of the top five most popular episodes overall. It marks a pivotal moment for the show and serves as a key point at which the overarching narrative is advanced. Tensions reach boiling point in the episode as the beautifully filmed, melancholic atmosphere is full of confrontations, mixed with a heavy dose of kidnapping.

Never before has the dynamic between characters been tested as much as in “Prisoners”. The truths are revealed and the identity of the Black Hood comes to lightleading Betty into a confrontation that has ramifications for the rest of the series. While it may leave some mysteries unanswered, the episode proves that the series is at its best when Riverdale’Their stormy relationships are tested to their limits.

6

Chapter Three: Body Double

Season 1, Episode 3

It was a bold move to introduce an alter ego for Betty in episode 3, considering how unhinged “Dark Betty” is. However, credit is due to the writers for showing fans that this side of her character was definitely not to be messed with. Also showed that the school life of teenagers in Riverdale it was anything but normaland that a touch of domination in lingerie was a normal occurrence in the city.

When Chuck Clayton and the Riverdale Bulldog misogyny crimes revealedBetty and Veronica lure Chuck into a trap to get a confession from him on camera. What follows is a superb and macabre transformation for one of Riverdale’s sweeter and more unpretentious characters. You really start to believe that “Dark Betty” is going to drown Chuck in the boiling hot tub, and the fact that she almost goes through with it suggests that things were wrong with Betty in Riverdale.

5

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club

Season 3, Episode 4

Riverdale It’s often at its best when it throws fans a curveball and does something as fun as what happens in the fourth episode of Season 3; “The Midnight Club”. The entire cast plays younger versions of their parents in a flashback episode that evokes memories of The Breakfast Club.

It’s really fun to see how the relationships between characters like Hermione and Fred developed, and to witness how these dynamics that we see in the series began. Another great aspect of “The Midnight Club” is the introduction of the game inspired by Dungeons & DragonsGriffins and Gargoyles, which permeates the entire season like a deadly virus.

Teenagers are drawn to gambling and the drugs that accompany fantasy using pranks. The inclusion of the game creates a totally fun dynamic for Riverdalewhich not only leads to death and suicide, but also brings out the monster within some of the characters.

4

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Hills Have Eyes

Season 2, Episode 14

The title of episode 14 is a clear indication that Riverdale I was going further down the path of terror. Subsequently, the episode is one of the best and darkest additions to the already excellent Season 2. There’s a chilling atmosphere in and around Hiram Lodge, and even the pillows are designed to look like they belong in the Overlook Hotel. The Shining. The villainy is escalating as the characters frolic in the mysterious cabin in the forest setting.

Like the best episodes of Riverdale‘The Hills Have Eyes’ not only offers fun along with serious drama, but also as darkness begins to envelop the characters. While the episode is surprisingly light on gore for a horror-themed tale, it still Offers tension and danger as the action turns into home invasion horror. Additionally, fans got to see the long-awaited reintroduction of “Dark Betty” from the third episode of season 1.

3

Chapter Forty-Four: No Way Out

Season 3, Episode 9

Being a teenager Riverdale it’s very difficult. If you’re not being chased by your murderous father at prom, you’re probably being attacked by a bear in the woods. This is exactly what happens to Archie in “No Exit” when he flees town after breaking out of prison and running away from Hiram. Archie’s adventures are one of the best parts of Riverdaleand the bear attack is as crazy and ridiculous as it sounds.

However, the show isn’t about being subtle, and there’s a hidden meaning behind why he escapes with just a claw mark on his chest and a short, hallucinogenic stay in bed. He’s right as rain in the next episode, and although later seasons of Riverdale weren’t as wild and bizarre as what happens in “No Exit,” but it still proves that Riverdale is always unpredictably fun.

2

Chapter Eighty-Three: Fire in the Sky

Season 5, Episode 7

Riverdale was always at its best when surprising audiences with its bizarre plot developments or unpredictable genre shifts. Despite the show being a murder mystery, a costume drama, and often blurring the line between horror and comedy, there is one genre it has never tried to experiment with; Science fiction.

This is, however, until “Fire in the Sky” brought fans an episode that wouldn’t seem out of place in The X-Files. The episode may have one of the series’ lowest ratings on IMDb at 6.6 out of 10, but in reality, it’s a hugely entertaining entry in a show that’s always been about pulling the rug out from under the viewer’s feet.

Aliens had landed on Riverdale in a twist that no one could have predicted, and the show brilliantly focused on many of the genre’s tropes that define science fiction. There are missing people, near-abductions, spaceships, and Nana Rose even manages to hide an alien in a barrel of maple syrup. Fantastic.

1

Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: Night of the Comet

Season 6, Episode 22

When Riverdale went to extremes to introduce new characters or to establish some of the series’ many subplots, it was at its subversive best. So when “Night of the Comet” arrived and showed some of the powers that the characters developed throughout previous seasons, this has happened happily. Also recognized how bizarre Riverdale had become.

One of the series’ best antagonists, Percival Pickens, redirects a comet to Riverdaleand to stop him from destroying everyone, Cheryl uses her newfound witch powers to try to stop him. Riverdale’s the best moments are also its over-the-top episodes, so seeing Veronica pass off everyone’s powers to Cheryl, who ultimately fails, is thrilling. The fact that, in the process, everyone ends up in the 1950s is a perfectly suitable way for the episode to play out.