“This story is about a town once wholesome and innocent but now forever changed by the mysterious death of Jason Blossom.”
When a show opens with a sentence so enthralling you know, deep in your heart, you’re hooked.
Riverdale, which is adapted from the cult classic Archie Comics doesn’t feel like a spin-off or a brand partnership – it’s a reboot. Set in the present, the series offers a bold and subversive take on Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) and their friends, exploring the surrealist small-town life — the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade which threatens to crack when the town’s Golden boy, Jason Blossom, is murdered.
If you expected it to be a sweet teenage love triangle glamorized by the comics you are going to experience a massive reality check. This CW series has hit all the correct bases. It has a fast paced and enticing storyline, likeable, layered characters (who look freakishly similar to the ones in the comics and seem to carry some dark secret or tragic past) and Cole Sprouse.
You’ll also see the characters rebelling against and breaking the stereotypical picture created by the comics. Archie isn’t just a “jock”. Veronica isn’t just a “scheming rich girl”. Betty isn’t just the “girl next door”. And Cheryl isn’t just a “cheerleader”.
Another thing I really love is the firehose of witty pop references that stem from the dialogue on Riverdale. The show’s banter is up to date —“What do you say, Archiekins, be the Jay to my Bey?” Another winner, again courtesy of Veronica: “Can’t we just liberate ourselves from the tired dichotomy of jock, artist? Can’t we, in this post-James Franco world, be all things at once?”
Even though viewers have instantly taken to comparing some of the character arcs on Riverdale to other shows that came before — Blair Waldorf and Serena Van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl, say — every teen show that you’ve heard of has actually borrowed from the archetypes of the Archie comics to begin with.
So if you do decide to hop on the train don’t be shocked to see sophomore Archie in a steamy clutch with a teacher, or sweet Betty popping pills. It’s not the ’50s anymore, even in Riverdale.
– Isha Mahadalkar, A2 Science
Another Level Higher 