wait can u explain the "was that us or a movie" line that scene ALWAYS confused me idk what theyre trying to say/reference
yeah sure ! betty is asking about a childhood memory that jughead and archie bring up of going swimming and getting covered by leeches. betty's question draws attention to the fact that the same thing happens in a movie -- the 1986 film stand by me, which was based on the 1982 stephen king horror novel the body. that scene is one of two stand by me references in season 3 -- the shot of archie and jughead walking down the train tracks in a later episode is soundtracked with the same song that accompanies a train track scene in stand by me. so that's the reference ! it's one of my favorite short scenes because despite the fact that riverdale is a collage of classic cinema and theater references, this is one of the first times that a character seems to earnestly confuse real life with big screen. in earlier seasons, characters will reference movies or characters by name, but stand by me is never name-dropped, because to archie, betty, and jughead, it's not a movie; it's their childhood. for characters who not only grew up watching movies at the drive-in and the bijou but also literally live on elm street (as in, a nightmare on), what does it mean to reference a movie? potentially, it signals to the characters that their reality is made of recycled parts, and that they too live inside a screen.
