Riverdale Just Did an Oppenheimer Episode, and Nobody Noticed

It's not exactly a hard-hitting biopic, but Riverdale just did an Oppenheimer episode. And no one seemed to notice.

As The CW's mystery drama nears its conclusion at the end of Season 7, it seems to be going out with a bang – but who knew it would reference a mushroom cloud?

But that's exactly what happened in the most recent episode, which had more than a passing reference to Cillian Murphy's hit. The movie, by British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, is a blockbuster account of the creation of the atomic bomb and the various opinions and politics that surrounded the event.

As with everything Nolan touches, it's made headlines (almost as much as Barbie) and looks set to redefine the boundaries of cinematography in a way that only Nolan can.

Now, Nolan is by no means the first director to use a mix of black and white and colour scenes. It's been done for almost 100 years. But it is a method he uses in this latest film to convey the two different points of view.

And the same technique was used in a recent episode of Riverdale. But that's not all. This season of the show has firmly rooted itself in the 20th century – with a noticeably greater focus on the outside world than in previous seasons.

And Riverdale's Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five: For A Better Tomorrow also referenced the atomic bomb, along with the Cold War and the way America was almost obsessed with the threat of communism at the time.

Of course, talk of the atomic bomb and its potential impact shouldn't come as much of a surprise to Riverdale viewers. Several characters in the show are searching for palladium, which can be even more deadly than plutonium if used in the right (or wrong) way.

So there is an organic link to the whole Oppenheimer/atomic bomb story, which is clearly something of a coincidence. But you can't help wondering if the producers of Riverdale deliberately put in a little nod to what they knew was going to be a huge film – and coinciding with the release of their show.

It's relatively subtle. But it might just have that ripple effect and bring the show a few more viewers. And why wouldn't it? It's actually a decent episode in its own right.