
Welcome to Riverdale.
The CW series Riverdale surely took me by surprise. There was no heads up or warning. When I peeped the first commercial announcing the premiere of the show was nearly close I felt nothing but excitment. For the first time in a long time I made an effort to get home and watch the premiere of Riverdale at prime-time. I wanted to see how they were going to take this content of nothing but love, laughs, and good will comic and make it interesting for primetime television.
The Pilot
I found the pilot episode to be very interesting. For starters the casting is down right amazing. As I saw characters appear I was yelling their names before they were said on screen. Every actor embodied their character. At that point I told myself if there was one thing this show will get right is the casting. As the show went on I was more like meh. It had all the formulas that the comics and digests had. The handsome, good hearted, Archie. The two lovely ladies of Betty and Veronica and their rivalry over the star studded red head. The lovable and fabulous Kevin. But then there were some things that was just down right different. Jughead is an emo kid who seems distant from Archie. Cherry Blossom is a diva and down right mean. And there is a murder in the town of Riverdale. From the start the show felt a bit cliché. How else would you make a show like Riverdale interesting especially compared to it’s other comic book counterparts, Arrow and Flash? At the end of the pilot Archie and Veronica end up hurting Betty; a typical Archie story ploy. To be honest the pilot itself does not do this show justice. It is the episodes that follow that makes Riverdale a masterpiece.
Oh, Archie.
A few months later I watched the rest of the season on Netflix. As I watched every episode my mind was continually being blown. Let’s start with Archie; oh Archiekins! If there is one thing that I can’t stand about CW shows is the repetitive flaws and stupidity of the main characters and their ability to never learn from their actions. In Arrow, Ollie is always being let down when he lies for the greater good and his teammates guilt him for doing so. In Flash, Barry is always lying after he just leaned that being honest is probably better for the whole team. When the characters never learn from their bad habits over and over again it becomes annoying and makes the character seem like they are never growing. As I watched Riverdale I notice that Archie does the same thing. He’s always trying to do what’s right to please others. Archie doesn’t necessarily does what’s best for Archie. This is actually pointed out to Archie by Valerie, one of Riverdale’s characters and soon to be Archie’s love interest. I was bothered by it at first but then realize I shouldn’t be. This character flaw, and strength, was something that is true to him even in the comics. It’s what makes Archie comics so great. He and his gang are always trying to fix things and help people. At his core Archie is a good person. Archie sees the good in everyone. Archie knows standing up for the helpless is always the right thing to do.
Let the Catfights…Not Begin?
I did mention that Archie does have a love interest. As I watched the pilot I kept saying to myself, “I hope this show is not about two girls continuously fighting over the all-American perfect red head.” And it isn’t. Riverdale’s pilot episode takes care of the historical cat fighting over Archie between Riverdale’s sweethearts, Betty and Veronica. At the end of the episode we see who gets Archie but still they both lose. Friendship is more important between all three actually. The rivalry is done and everyone moves on. It hardly, almost never comes up. The show continues with Betty still caring deeply for Archie but understanding that there is no future with him. The writers take more time in later episodes to show how tight the friendship is between Betty, Veronica, and Archie. And this I loved.
The relationships that do happen in Riverdale feel very natural and feels very right. No relationship feels forced. This probably one CW show that get’s this right. Maybe because relationships have always been the background of the Archie comics.
Murder. Mystery. And More.
So the writers got all the typical Archie stuff out in the pilot episode. But how do you make the characters from a slap stick comic interesting on television? How about introducing a murder mystery. Who didn’t see that coming. Felt very typical and cliche at first. But as the show goes on this town mystery isn’t just about who done it. It opens a whole bunch of can of worms. It brings out dark secrets, motives, corruption, and nasty character traits from all over Riverdale.
Sins of the Parents.
Watching Riverdale from the Pilot you would believe that the show was just about the children and the parents were just a mere backdrop; but this is not true as the show progresses. The parents have sins, transgressions, and complex relationships that eventually come to light. Each character finds out their family’s dirty laundry and are learning how to deal and cope with it. What I do love is how most of the characters make it their mission to not repeat their parents sins.
The writers want to make sure we understand that Riverdale has a very rich history and that history can be dark sometimes. This part of the show appeals to the history buff in me.
The best part is that we are purposely kept in the dark on Riverdale’s history even though most of it has come to light. I look forward to the next season when we uncover more.
Conclusion.
Riverdale is one hell of a show. Great character building, relationships that feel real and genuine, rich history that can be dark at times, and a murder mystery that has the whole town at edge. The pilot does not do the entire series justice. This show is truly meant for binge watching; God knows I did. It was well worth it. I’m 100% looking forward to season two of Riverdale.
P.S. The coloring in this show is phenomaneal.
