Ever wonder why no one likes the boy-next-door anymore? Well here are the top five main reasons he's become too annoying to handle...
The Boy Next Door
In season one, Archie Andrews was just the stereotypical star quarterback; a block of jock; the boy next door. Oblivious, gullible, and (oh yeah) a total womanizer. Which was okay... For one season. But after that, not much changed, and what did change wasn't anything positive. Here's when fans began to dislike him. In order for a character to keep fans interested, there has to be development. They can't stay the same through everything. Unfortunately, Archie Andrews doesn't seem to be getting the memo, and that's resulted in hundreds of fans disliking him. Some even hating him.
But there are a few die-hard fans that not only still love Archie but can't see how anyone couldn't! Well, here at TheRiverdaleAddict we are giving you the answers you're craving. Here are the top five reasons why fans can't stand Archiekins anymore...
1. He's a Womanizer - The definition of a womanizer is someone who has many casual sexual affairs. Although Archie's affairs are never really 'casual,' he does have MANY. In season one alone he was in love with four girls; Veronica, Miss. Grundy, Valerie, and Betty. He seems to fall in and out of love as easily as catching a pigskin, and he basically shows interest in anything that walks on two legs and has breasts...
2. He's Dramatic - Every character in Riverdale has some sort of serious dilemma in their lives, if not several. Except for Archie. His biggest problem, for two whole seasons, was that he couldn't decide between football and music. Um, okay? Life must be hard for people who ACTUALLY have the opportunity to become not one thing, but two. Poor, poor Archiekins... *Heavy sarcasm.* But seriously, his biggest complaint, up until being imprisoned and now on the run, was his own indecisiveness. And even now, while on the run, he's more stuck on getting down and dirty in a haystack than actually, well, running. Good thing he has Jughead to think for him, otherwise he'd be back in jail (or worse.)
3. Lack of Loyalty - In season two, I lost all my respect for Archie Andrews. And so did many others. Why? Because of his prolonged betrayal(s). The whole season he was working with the enemy, going directly against his friends, all in the name of helping Hiram Lodge. He betrayed Betty, he hurt Jughead, and in the end, he sabotaged Veronica. Some might argue that it was just because he was hurting, desperate for a way to protect his father, but that's no excuse. He still hurt his friends. And then, as soon as he was forced to see the truth, he ran to said friends, expecting them to welcome him back with open arms AND help him. Which they did, and are still doing (because) they are the opposite of Archie; They are good friends! And any other excuse for his actions will lead us to the next reason why we can't stand Archie...
4. Ignorance Isn't Bliss - Archie Andrews is 'Gullible' incarnated. And it's the most annoying thing ever. How many times is he going to be played, or manipulated, before he learns not to believe the first thing that comes out of someone's mouth? Miss. Grundy's obvious manipulation of his emotions and Hiram's easy brainwashing are just two examples of how easy Archie is to lie to. And this is just another example of how underdeveloped this character is.
5. Ego vs. IQ - Archie isn't very intelligent, clearly, but for some reason, he has a giant ego. Everything is about him. He doesn't pay attention to what's going on with his friends, he doesn't try to help them, and most of the time, he sabotages what they're working towards, for himself! Like when he told Jughead that Betty was breaking up with him. He was supposed to do it nicely ("Maybe you could tell him that we just need to stay away from each other for a while," Betty says through her tears. "Something, anything, to just keep him away, to appease the Black Hood.") but instead, he was as rude as possible when he confronted Jughead. All because poor Archie's feelings were hurt, over Jughead joining the Serpents. And that's only one example of how egotistical he can be. How about when he completely ditched Jughead, and hooked up with Miss. Grundy, instead of going on the road trip? And then afterwards he acted like Jughead was still supposed to be his best bud, and tell him everything that was going on with him. Archie's personal motto about has to be, "Me, me, me, me, me." (BONUS) 6. Dumping Cheryl Bombshell - He seems to fall for anything in a skirt, and yet, he rejected the one and only Cheryl Blossom. If this isn't reason enough to dislike him, I don't know what is... Then again, on second thought, his refusal has resulted in the beloved Choni. Huh! Maybe he's good for something after all...
The main point of this post is thus; Archie Andrews had the opportunity to be an amazing character, and missed it. Like Betty, he could have started off as a stereotype and then gained depth, and sincerity. Instead, he's stayed the same jock-hole character, with zero development. The Riverdale producers (unfortunately) destroyed this character, and I see no redemption for him. The best thing he's ever done, in my eyes and the eyes of many fans, was in the last episode (the mid-season break, No Exit, episode 9) when for once, he put other peoples needs before his own and left. No doubt he has his positives, and especially this season he has done some good. But overall he's a stereotype that's been beaten into the ground. And this is why so many fans hate Archie Andrews.
What did you think of this article? What are your thoughts on Archie Andrews? Leave a comment or tell TheRiverdaleAddict via email! And don't forget to subscribe to the mailing list so you never miss a fix!
TheRiverdaleAddict -