Problem
Joaquin DeSantos is a character played by Rob Raco in The CW’s TV show, Riverdale.

Joaquin was shown in episode six, season three of the show Riverdale. Joaquin was shown dead by ingesting cyanide. Previously, Joaquin made regular appearances in season one and a small, five-second appearance in season two that proved to be almost unnecessary. Due to Joaquin’s complex character and a forbidden but revolutionary relationship with the character Kevin Keller, many fans of the show were thrilled to see evidence pointing to the return of Rob Raco’s spectacular performance as Joaquin. Joaquin’s character, even though lacking some depth, was marvelous and eye-catching. Joaquin portrayed a somewhat “real” depiction of an individuals dilemma, whether to follow commands with a risk of those actions being morally wrong or follow one's intuition that could potentially be dangerous. Rob Raco’s performance and how he chose to interpret Joaquin was remarkable. Rob’s acting has a very “human” feel, something only some actors can achieve. It is the connection between a fictional character and a real audience member. TV shows tend to over-dramatize characters for fair reasons, to keep the characters interesting. However, this results in the characters feeling too fictional and god-like. The audience members rather look up at these characters as some gods rather than connect with them at a human level. Joaquin’s character is the opposite. He is weak, confused and has understandable and reasonable emotions. Even though a Serpent, he deeply cared about his relationship with Kevin. These are only some of the reasons why Joaquin became such a loved character by all. Sure, he has his flaws, but that only adds to the raw, human feel.

This is why so many fans of Joaquin and Riverdale are deeply upset with the recent episode. There were many flaws with Joaquin and his character as a whole. We understand that Joaquin is only a side character that plays a small role in Riverdale’s storyline as a whole but it is a shame to throw away such a valuable asset to further deepen the plot of the show.

The problem is not the death of a side character itself, but the way it is written. The whole episode felt all over the place and cramped as well but it is important to realize that the writers killed off a character with so much potential that could really bring in some fresh air to the already dulled down characters and repetitive plot story.

It is a shame that so many fans are now leaving the fandom and aren't going to continue watching Riverdale, just because of one death. This only shows how important and valuable Joaquin was.

Solution
There is no easy solution since many of the solutions would be confusing or extremely sketchy. Some fans believe that Joaquin is still alive and that Fangs and Sweet Pea, also Serpents in Riverdale, took Joaquin to the hospital as soon as Jughead left. Many fans also support the relationship between Joaquin and Kevin so when Kevin would receive the news, he would rush to the hospital and stay by Joaquin's side.

Another theory was that Joaquin has a twin brother, so instead of Joaquin dying, it was actually his twin brother. While this would be a solution, it would be a bit questionable and it would look like a sudden decision as Joaquin's twin was never previously mentioned.

Another theory that was just discussed, Sweetpea and Fangs might be helping Joaquin fake his death. This might be because Sweetpea and Fangs both play G&G but realize that Jughead is taking things way too far. They decide to help Joaquin out and continue playing G&G with him.
There could be other solutions like that Joaquin was simply acting dead since he is just following the game masters' orders in the game Gryphons and Gargoyles. This again would be a very flimsy solution and a bit unrealistic.

Personal story
My friend and I are just two high school students, trying to find a common interest. We both ended up watching Riverdale and adoring the relationship between Joaquin and Kevin. We started an Instagram fan page in January 2018 that is solely focused on the said relationship. We found friends and people who share the same opinions as us.

I use my love for editing to create videos about Joaquin and Kevin. It was thrilling meeting new people and receiving so much love. We kept hoping that Joaquin and Kevin would soon reunite towards the end of the second season. Before the third season, we would make up theories and look for clues pointing to a reunion.

We are just two high school students that are struggling with health and mental issues and Riverdale, more specifically the fandom and Joaquin, created a great past time and distraction from our stressful lives.

When an episode finished, we would stay patient and think about best and worst case scenarios but we would have never, never guessed that the writers of Riverdale would kill off such an amazing character.

We're disappointed. Of course, this is just a TV show and a fictional character but the number of hours and effort put into editing videos, writing theories, messages. All that just to run an account about a relationship between Kevin and a dead character, I think that our frustration is understandable.

Too many of our internet friends have said that they simply cannot continue watching Riverdale because of Joaquin's death. Every person that is watching the show have a reason why. Sadly, a lot of fans, including us, have lost that reason.

Thank you for your understanding.