Adventures in MFA Land

corruption and conflict Veronica Lodge, in her Riverdale comic universe, is an easy to anger, spoiled, competitive, ‘daddy’s girl.’ Many Archie comic stories feature her wealthy lifestyle, showing her shopping compulsively or buying her way to success. Her wealth comes through her father, and she does not hesitate to use her charms to get material possessions or access to privilege. In her depiction in the show Riverdale, this dependency on her father forces her to operate within his criminal world. Repeatedly, she attempts to use her understanding of the corrupt world to thwart her father. This cycle can be seen in the manipulations she performs to gain control of businesses such as Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe and La Bonne Nuit. Veronica’s father, Hiram, is an ambitious criminal. Using his money, connections with the local government, and his ties to the mafia, he strives to control Riverdale. His ultimate goal is to monopolize the entire town by purchasing and closing key businesses, such...

confinement, abuse, escape Betty Cooper, in the earlier Riverdale comic universe, is characterized as the sweet, hard-working, girl next door. Many Archie comic stories feature her “tom-boy” side, showing her to be a talented athlete or skilled car mechanic, but most often the circumstances reveal that she is a compassionate girl who puts the needs of others before her own. In her depiction on the show Riverdale, this caring side, a personality trait that is typically admired, is exploited, transformed into a weakness, and used to cause her downfall. This exploitation is emphasized through The Sisters of Quiet Mercy plotline. Until its closure in the middle of Season 3, The Sisters of Quiet Mercy was a residential institution dedicated to reforming the troubled youths of Riverdale. While claiming to aspire to honest and good values, such as hard-work and spiritual devotion, the so-called ‘Sisters’ ran an illegal distillery, used conversion therapy, and gave the resident teens Fizzle Ro...