User Reviews

I've watched every single episode of riverdale and am aware of how bad it is but a good episode such as this is always a pleasant surprise. A great send off for some characters and a great setup for episodes to come.

The first 2 seasons of this show were easily the best, then Season 3 was just one long train wreck with only a few standout episodes like Midnight Club, Bizarrodale, the mid-season finale and the season finale. While Season 4 wasn't overall as bad or random as 3, the main plot of Stonewall Prep and the fakeout Jughead murder was exceptionally boring and I don't think there was a single episode in all of Season 4 remotely as good as the best 3 or 4 episodes of Season 3 or any of the best episodes from the first 2 seasons...until now. Yeah, I know that technically this episode GRADUATION is labelled as a Season 5 episode, but it's obvious due to the pandemic that these "first 3 episodes of Season 5" were really meant to be the "last 3 episodes of Season 4" and frankly, Season 4 was so excruciatingly dull, it needs all the help it can get!

Graduation was truly meant to be the Season 4 finale and it even almost feels like a series finale. Filled with nostalgia, sadness, regret, fear, and finally tons of emotion, this might actually be a contender for best episode of the entire series. That's how good it is. No convoluted murder mysteries, no boring side plots, no filler. Just straightforward old-fashioned storytelling, which is what I expected this series would have a lot of when I first started watching. Yes, I knew it would be a somewhat twisted version of the Archie Comics characters, but many times during Seasons 1-4, I found myself wondering where the heart in the writing was. It was all about shipping couples, random plots, obnoxious pop culture references, cartoonish villains, and hackneyed storytelling.

Graduation actually feels like a series finale, not just a season one. The episode focuses on the teenagers preparing to end their high school lives, saying their goodbyes to their parents, and looking forward to their futures. While Jughead, Betty, and Veronica have all been accepted into their respectively applied colleges, Archie himself failed to graduate, but gets to walk with his classmates and instead of repeating his senior year, he opts to join the Army, to the dismay of Veronica, who is worried that he won't ever come back. As a result of their disagreement and Jughead noticing how distant Archie and Veronica have become, Betty decides to come clean to him about her and Archie's kiss, as Archie himself had already come told Veronica about it a couple of episodes prior to this one.

Even though the foundation of this cheating subplot was incredibly shaky, the "resolution" was handled in a surprisingly mature manner by the writers. Instead of the cliche Veronica and Jughead revenge on Betty and Archie melodrama, instead the 4 characters all use this turn of events to reflect on the positives of their friendships and to realize that maybe this was a sign for them to move forward and not dwell on the past. Archie has always been my favorite character of the Core 4 (maybe even of the entire show) so very unsurprisingly, KJ Apa continued to be exceptional as Archie Andrews, the real heart of the series. In particular, the scenes where Archie reminisces about Fred were the most emotional of the episode.

What really surprised in this episode was the strong acting of the other 3 members of the quartet Veronica, Jughead and Betty, all of whom I think have had their share of bad acting moments throughout the first 4 seasons of the show. Instead of having Veronica's subplot be about her nonstop familial melodrama or having Jughead spout his incessant "edgy" dialogue or having Betty's story be about this hamfisted serial killer gene nonsense, they actually allowed this trio to be grounded and relatable like Archie for a change. The writers should have done more of this than all of the deus ex machina plots of teenagers being gang members, solving murders and catching killers. All of the various scenes between the characters really clicked from a writing and acting standpoint: Betty apologizing to Veronica, Archie and Jughead at the bus stop, Betty coming clean to Jughead, and Archie saying goodbye to his 3 best friends as he goes off to basic training.

The episode also featured great scenes between the supporting cast: Cheryl-Toni, Alice-FP, Toni and her grandmother, and especially Cheryl-Penelope. The writers could have easily just mailed this episode in to check the nostalgia boxes, but instead, they really put thought into the script and so all the dialogue felt natural and every scene was allowed to breathe and feel 3-dimensional. Perhaps if future seasons of this show focus more on heart than convoluted plots, there is hope for this series yet. It has a long way to go, but this superb episode was a very good start.

I loved Riverdale in season one, the mystery was great, and I got hooked. Season 2 was a slight drop in quality but still pretty good. Season 3 started out great but quickly took a very horrible turn, that eventually led me to not watch season 4, and from the little bits I've seen, that was a good choice. I decided two watch this episode however, out of curiosity of how they would wrap up this section. I loved it. It managed to pull a fun and truly emotional episode, that felt really real and human, unlike a lot of what recent Riverdale has been. Gorgeous visuals, great direction, writing and acting, I truly felt emotional for these characters I've known for so long. Riverdale may have lost their spark since mid-season 3, but they certainly found it again with the instalment. Thank you to the creative team for giving us a beautiful ending to the high school chapter of this series.

After many disappoint or only half-good episodes season 5 was surprisingly good - but this episode is the best so far since season 1. Sure, it has its flaws, but overall it's a great episode and a worthy end of the Riverdale high school era - and I even had some tears in my eyes when the friends parted ways, so finally 10/10 for Riverdale again. Very promising , I hope they keep it up.

If you haven't watched the episode yet and don't want spoilers, skip the next part for now. It's going to get a bit more into detail.

I already feared Jellybean's doings wouldn't have any consequences after the last episode. But they do and the solution is convincing - although I wonder why Alice and FP had to break up for him to take Jellybean to Toledo. Aren't they mature enough to at least try it with a long-distance relationship? Still, the way the parted was great and it gives hope for a reunion so I can accept it.

They did a very good job with the last day of school - Archie and Cheryl remembering their lost family members who can't be with them was touching and felt realistic. So did the whole day, which managed to send me back to my own last day in high school - the atmosphere was just right. I also liked how Weatherbee allowed Archie to walk with his friends even though he wouldn't be graduating. A little critique here for Betty's graduation speech: It had a great message and was fitting but a little bit too short.

The way Veronica and Archie interacted after the last episode was convincing and enjoyable. They clearly show that there is still love between them and that they have this history together - but also that they need to go their separate ways after Archie cheated on her (and clearly had this very real fantasy and maybe even hope for Betty and him). The two of them needed to break up since it just didn't feel right between them anymore and Veronica invested way more into their relationship than Archie.

As for Betty and Jughead, I loved how they dealed with what happened between Betty and Archie: It was right that Betty was the one who told Jughead because she felt she needed to and I loved how they tried to get past it. Anything else wouldn't have felt right for this couple. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out as they hoped but also that was solved brilliantly. They try to not talk about Betty cheating but something changes and they grow distant. They still love each other but decide to focus on school for now, a good and probably the only convincing way to break them up. Still, I can't help but wonder how they couldn't get past one meaningless kiss during an emotional time - they went through so much together and from Betty's side the fling with Archie wasn't anything but an unrealistic "perfect" fantasy of normality. But, well, they needed to separate the four friends and it worked.

What almost made me give only 9/10 is what happened with Cheryl and Toni. Cheryl's gesture to rebuild her family's company and honor is noble and romantic - and it's just right that she wants Toni to attend college anyway. But seriously - have they ever heard about long-distance relationships? Yet, everything else with the two of them felt right so I'll forgive that.

Absolutely amazing was the end aka how the four parted ways. Their vow to meet in one year at Pop's (and every year after that) was beautiful. Archie joining the military was convincing and seemed like the right way to him. Veronica's reaction was too dramatic but it gave room for a beautiful farewell scene. The way the rest of them parted ways after Archie left seems very real even though they were so close before. But it shows the way of a friendship that worked best in a group and was damaged by what happened between Betty and Archie. The ending scene is wonderful - although predictable: Jughead coming as the only one to the reunion the friends vowed to show up. It was so sad and realistic and such a great atmosphere (yeah, it would have been more realistic if they just contacted each other via phone or facebook but it would have been less cool to watch).

Overall, a great episode! Keep it up and please, give us some more of Riverdale as we knew it in season 1!

An all around great episode with a lot of emotion and sombre, yet I found that the way things ended between the characters: Betty and Jug, Archie and Veronica was quite annoying as all the charisma between them since the beginning of the series ended so quickly. It's also quite heartbreaking to see all the characters split off separately and then not return later on. But an all around great episode and I can't wait to see the new one next week!