Riverdale EP breaks down the series finale's biggest decisions
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Warning: This post contains spoilers from the series finale of Riverdale, "Goodbye, Riverdale."
The first surprise about Riverdale's ending came in the series' penultimate episode, when Angel Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) revealed that no one was returning to present day.
"I remember I saw Camila [Mendes] in January, she was like, 'We're going back to the present, right?' Everyone thought that," executive producer Sarah Schechter tells EW. "I don't want to sound pretentious, but these characters are timeless. And I think the finale really honored that. [Showrunner] Roberto's [Aguirre-Sacasa] always has loved theater and that's always been a part of Riverdale, but it really felt like this homage to Our Town."
Justine Yeung/The CW Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart on 'Riverdale'
Speaking to the town of it all, Schechter notes the finale's decision to make sure everyone got an ending and not just the main characters. "It wasn't just about Archie and Betty. It was really about this town," Schechter says.
Specifically, the episode followed the perspective of 86-year-old Betty as she revisited one day of her senior year, the day in which she said goodbye to everyone. Following Betty, the episode revealed details of what happened to each character from the time they graduated high school until their death. "These are such iconic characters. They're comic book characters, so they're bigger than any actor, but these actors were so instrumental in this show," Schechter says. "So I feel like though the characters are sort of immortal, it kind of gave an ending to these actors' version of these characters."
And some of those endings might upset shippers, notably the fact that Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Archie (KJ Apa), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) all went their separate ways after graduation. "I love that Betty's ending wasn't tied to a man or a woman," Schechter says. "Part of me was sad reading the finale and being like, 'Oh, they all drifted apart.' But then I think about my best friends from high school. I love them forever, but I don't see them often. It's all honest, but it really honored the magic of the time they had together."
The finale also marked a first for the series: The first episode directed by showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. "I just can't say enough good things about Roberto's direction of that finale," Schechter says. "I think he did such a beautiful job. And that scene in the diner, when we were filming it, it was so powerful and so emotional and just vulnerable."
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