Oh, Riverdale.

We finished watching the third season of Riverdale last night, and my mouth dropped at the sheer and wondrous audacity of a twist in the penultimate episode where a secret was revealed. It was a moment that delivered what I’d loved in Riverdale’s first season–a well-honed twist that changed the direction of a story, and showed you a big, whopping clue that had been there all season and became sinister by the addition of new information.

It renewed my love for the franchise in the space of two episodes, and got me interested in really sitting down and investigating the craft of each season.

On the other hand, there was a looooong gap between the point where we started the season and the point we ended it. At one point, well into the heart of the season, we simply stopped watching for about twelve months because we didn’t have the energy.

After a relatively sublime first season, it’s a show that’s struggled to maintain its footing, but I continue to admire its energy. Whether it succeeds or fails on any given episode–Riverdale goes big.