hot take: most of the reasons why people hate Ethel are because they think she's threatening Bughead (she isn't), and because Riverdale doesn't know how the hell to write her. the 180 she took in seasons 2 and 3 is because riverdale can't figure out what the fuck they want from her and don't know how to realistically portray her as a character.
Hi! I don’t think this is a hot take and I completely agree with you. I love Bughead but I don’t like the shallow overreaction culture that’s been created because of them. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to try and think about what’s going on from the perspective of other characters and why they might do things that are unfavorable or undesirable for Bughead. I feel like it should go both ways, because Betty and Jughead do things that are unfavorable/undesirable to others all the time, whether or not it is intentional, and whether or not it’s because the person they’re doing it to is a ‘villain’. This is why I take so much issue with the writing of this show. Because I realize that it’s not Ethel or Betty or Jughead that I’m mad at. It’s the way that they, and everyone else, are written. I don’t think the Riverdale writers do a very good job of realistically portraying anyone to be honest. I’m most interested in how they can humanize these characters–because that’s what I want to do–and across the board I think they’ve failed at that.
All I really want is an alternative form of Riverdale that focuses on Ethel and Sweet Pea and their human elements and how they rise above everything that’s bringing them down and their deep-seated personal issues while they survive and work their way out of Riverdale (while also being cute throughout the process, of course). But hey, I’ve got my head in the clouds, and canon will never, ever give me what I want.
