Even if the laws in fictional Riverdale excluded that possibility, the fact that Ms.
Grundy being significantly older could mean that her pursuing him was illegal. The most common (and lowest) age of consent in the United States is 16, and even if Archie was exactly 16 (he's likely younger) Ms. Grundy and Archie’s season 1 relationship constitutes assault and possibly rape. It’s an odd omission in what is otherwise a conscientious teen drama, one that had an entire episode dedicated to the necessity of consent and evils of slut-shaming teen girls, which makes the show’s glossing over of a teen boy’s abuse even more confusing. Season 2 of Riverdale has established the titular town as one riddled with criminal secrets and a dark past, but among the murders and drug deals there’s one crime that no one on the show wants to acknowledge - Geraldine Grundy’s sexual assault and potential rape of Archie Andrews.
