Riverdale slammed by polyamory group over "shock" quad relationship

29 August 2023, 17:52

Watch the trailer for Riverdale’s final episode

By Katie Louise Smith

"It’s frustrating that Riverdale used its characters’ non-monogamous relationship as a ‘shocking twist’..."

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As you've probably seen by now, Riverdale has come to an end after seven truly wild seasons.

The CW series aired its final episode last week (Aug 23) and made sure to pack in a few final surprises and twists for fans before saying goodbye forever.

In case you haven't been watching for the past few seasons, Riverdale season 7 was set in the 1950s with all the main characters reverting back to teenagers. The final episode saw an 86-year-old Betty reminiscing on her time at Riverdale High, after finding out she's the last one alive.

The ghost of Jughead then gives her a tour of moments in her life, her family's life and her friends' lives. During a chat with Kevin in one of these moments, he reveals that Betty has been in a quad relationship with Jug, Archie and Veronica for their final year of high school.

Riverdale's polyamorous core four relationship has been criticised by a polyamory organisation. Picture: The CW

Yes, Betty and Archie, Archie and Veronica, Jughead and Veronica and Veronica and Betty all ended up having physically intimate relationships. (Although, the whole Archie and Jughead of it all? Nowhere to be seen.)

Needless to say, the reaction to the relationship twist split opinions on the internet. While some people reacted positively, either finding it hilarious or loving the inclusion of a polyamorous relationship, others didn't quite go for it.

Fans who had strong opinions about their Riverdale ships suggested it was a cop out to avoiding giving any of the core four characters an endgame relationship.

And now it seems like the series is being called out by OPEN (Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-Monogamy) for its inclusion of a polyamorous relationship for apparent "shock" value.

introducing betty, archie, jughead and veronica to all be in a quad relationship in the finale has got to be the most stupid thing riverdale has ever done pic.twitter.com/2x6WOEBx00
— tia ♡ (@barchiesorigin) August 24, 2023

The executive director of OPEN, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the polyamory and non-monogamy movement, spoke to TMZ about the episode, saying while it’s “tempting to celebrate every portrayal of non-monogamy in popular media,” it needs to be done with sensitivity, care, and knowledge.

"It’s frustrating that Riverdale used its characters’ non-monogamous relationship as a ‘shocking twist’ rather than engaging with an authentic portrayal of non-monogamy as simply being part of people’s identities," he explained.

"We didn’t see or hear anything about why these characters practice non-monogamy, what it means for them, the substance of their relationship agreements and communication practices, or any of the other underlying motivations and work that makes relationships of any type function."

Riverdale's Betty, Jughead, Veronica and Archie were all revealed to be a quad relationship. Picture: The CW

In the end, despite the quad, none of them ended up together. Archie married some random woman, and the details of Betty, Jughead and Veronica's later relationships were not disclosed.

And THAT'S what you missed on Riverdale!