Riverdale: Deleted Series Finale Scenes Reveal A Bleaker Ending For Archie's Gang
The "Riverdale" series finale gives the main characters a fairytale send-off, but some residents of the titular town actually receive darker goodbyes. According to TV Line, The CW has released some deleted scenes that are available to view on the network's app and website. However, fans who want to keep associating the finale with happy endings should avoid a couple of these scenes at all costs.
So, what exactly happens in the extended cut of the "Riverdale" finale that's so devastating? Let's start with Julian Blossom (Nicholas Barasch), Cheryl's (Madelaine Petsch) troubled brother. While his sister and Toni (Vanessa Morgan) go on to become happy lovers, successful artists, and influential activists, Julian ends up getting killed in the Vietnam War after spending his days as a lost soul.
Julian's death is undeniably tragic, but his final outcome is tame compared to the tragedies that befall Sheriff Keller (Martin Cummins) and Archie's Uncle Frank (Ryan Robbins). With that in mind, let's detail their gruesome demises.
Sheriff Keller and Uncle Frank encounter a killer in the deleted scenes
Sheriff Keller and Frank Andrews feature in one of "Riverdale" Season 7's most surprising scenes. In the penultimate episode, "The Golden Age of Television," Kevin (Casey Cott) finds them in a motel room with their clothes off, and it's heavily implied that they've been hooking up. They tell Kevin that Frank's shower broke down and he had to use the lawman's facilities, but the suspicious teenager doesn't buy their story.
However, Kevin finding out about their secret romance is the least of their problems in the deleted scenes, as Keller and Frank are murdered by a stranger they pick up. Furthermore, the stranger in question is none other than Chic (Hart Denton) — Betty's homicidal brother.
Of course, this revelation won't surprise anyone who's familiar with "Riverdale." The series gave us seven seasons of murder and mayhem, after all, so viewers probably went into the last episode expecting some chaos. However, the televised cut of the finale gave them a wholesome story instead. It seems that the creators were in a mushy mood overall, as the other deleted scenes are somewhat nice and cozy.
What happens to the Riverdale High School faculty members?
In the past, "Riverdale" High School's teachers have focused their romantic energy on the students. Who remembers when Archie (KJ Apa) hooked up with his music teacher, Miss Grundy (Jennifer Gibson) during his sophomore year? This is one of the most controversial storylines in the "Riverdale" lexicon, so it's reassuring to know that the finale's deleted scenes depict a more acceptable romance between members of the school staff.
In the aforementioned scene, Principal Weatherbee (Peter Bryant) settles down with Riverdale High School's literary teacher, Miss Bowman (Frances Flanagan). Both of these educators are decent human beings, so many fans will be pleased to learn about their marriage.
Couples living happily ever after is a recurring theme of the finale, so it's understandable why one scene was left on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, the episode also withholds the fate of Nana Rose (Barbara Wallace), and her farewell story is arguably the best of the bunch. The good news, though, is that one of the deleted scenes reveals everything.
Nana Rose gets a supernatural send-off
"Riverdale" has always been crazy and weird, but thanks to their history of cannibalism and witchcraft, the Blossom family is responsible for some of the spookier elements. Nana Rose is one of the creepiest characters throughout the show's seven seasons, so it's fitting to know that she receives a farewell that ensures she'll just keep coming back from beyond the grave.
In one of the deleted scenes, the angelic iteration of Jughead (Cole Sprouse) tells Betty (Lili Reinhart) that Nana Rose gets reincarnated several times, ensuring that she'll get to keep practicing witchcraft for generations to come.
The finale reveals that Riverdale becomes a nice town in the future thanks to the gang's virtuous acts in 1955 and onward. However, with Nana Rose continuing to find ways back from the dead, there will always be an element of chaos and darkness bubbling underneath the surface. At the end of the day, no place is perfect, and the Town with Pep is too inherently wicked to become truly wholesome.