The Midnight Club (3x04)

Riverdale deals in movie references. Whether it be episode titles, dialogue, or character names, everything is a call-back. So what makes their spin on The Breakfast Club stand out?

Well, for one, it's obvious. The writers are calling to the audience, saying join us, you can be in on the joke if you want to be. Most other references are subtle enough that the casual viewer wouldn't catch them. Hell, I didn't catch them until I started scouring the transcripts and keeping a spreadsheet.

By being obvious, the writers are also able to dig deeper on the assumption that the audience already has a basic understanding of the original text. In this case, they are able to show how media, and society's beliefs as a whole, have changed since 1985.

My favorite example of this is the parent scene. In the original movie, the tone is hopeful. Defiant. Claire truly believes that she will grow up to be her own person. 

 

Riverdale, however, says the opposite:

 

 

The changes makes sense--the audience knows the outcome, and there's no point in playing pretend. Fred trades his guitar in for a hammer. Hermione cleans up after her husband in the same rooms her mother cleaned up after strangers. Maybe that's all it is, but it also shows how media has changed. Teens in the 80s were born out of 50/60s nuclear family idealism. It was up to them to rebel, and movies showed how they chafed with conservative ideals. Despite that, those 60s idealists were still the ones making movies. You can rebel, but only when it's appealing.

Teens today have seen how that cycle plays out. Their parents were free spirits. Until the first paycheck came in. It's hard to say that you'll be different when you know how everyone else has tried and failed.

Media needed to change to fit these realizations. FP accepts that he will become his father, but refuses to enact the same harm. It's hard to say if he succeeds. How do you measure emotional damage? How do you compare it? If you find out, shoot me an email. I'd love to know.

It's also interesting to note that Mary is absent from 3x04. Molly Ringwald plays her as an adult, as well as Claire. Maybe it's a nod to her line; after all, Mary was the only one able to leave Riverdale. She isn't trapped, forced to play out her teenage years for all eternity.

All in all, a good episode leaves you something to chew on, and 3x04 did exactly that! Maybe an omen to how our main protagonists will befall the same fate, or maybe just the writers having some fun with it. This is your lovely host, signing off.

 

urdeadbestfriend