Never having been a huge Archie Comics fan, it was with a lot of of reservations that I tuned into the first episode of Riverdale when it showed up on Netflix. At the end of five episodes, the fifth being aired last Friday, do I think this is great television? No. Do I think it is a lot of fun? Heck, ya, at least for now! Here’s why...
NOT SHINY AND BRIGHT
The Riverdale on Netflix is nothing like the Riverdale of the comic books of old, and neither are the characters. What it is, is a Twin Peaks update of the original comics, and it is quite addictive. The show is darker not just in the look but in the tone too. The small town of Riverdale is not as wholesome as it appears and there’s a murder that brings to the surface a lot of ugliness among its residents. And, unlike the two-dimensional characters of the comic book, what we get are characters with layers and secrets and more background stories than we ever got in the comic books.
ARCHIE GETS HOT
One of the first things you notice about the show is that the red-haired Archie Andrews, played by 19-year-old New Zealand-born hunk K.J. Apa, is ripped! A fact that Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character of the comics, points out to Betty Cooper in the opening scenes of the first episode. Unlike the comic books, Archie is not a carefree romeo, though he gets his fair share of female attention. The Archie of Riverdale is a brooding, intense and conflicted teenager who is caught between playing varsity football and writing and composing songs, and between the affections of next-door-neighbour Betty, new girl Veronica Lodge and an illicit romance.
COLE AS JUGHEAD, BURGERS FOR THE BROODER
The laid-back, food-loving, prank-playing Jughead Jones was a fan favourite, but while Archie’s best friend is not quite the same as he was in the comics, he is easily our favourite from the show too. Jug is the narrator of the show and is busy writing a book about the murder that has shaken things in Riverdale. Pop’s Chock’lit is his favourite hangout and burgers the only things he accepts as tokens of peace. He is brooding and philosophical and is dealing with a rift in friendship between him and Archie that we are yet to figure out. And Cole Sprouse is the perfect man for the role.
Wish there was more than that one “necrophilia, can you spell that Reggie” spat between Jughead and Reggie though.
THE GIRLS STEAL THE SHOW
The show might be about one Archie Andrews but it is the two girls, newcomers Lili Reinhart (Betty) and Camila Mendes (Veronica), who make the show interesting. Betty is still the girl-next-door from the comics, friendly with everyone and with a major crush on Archie. But there is more to that than meets the eye, because she is tired of being the good girl everyone, including her very controlling mother, wants her to be. Veronica has just moved to Riverdale from New York, and unlike the comics, she is trying to change her ways after the scandal of her father Hirram embezzling money.
And though Veronica does lock lips with Archie, even knowing Betty’s feelings about him, the two girls put it aside for the sake of friendship, as they take on issues like cliques, hazing and slut shaming. In fact, them not fighting over Archie is a welcome change about the show, at least for now.
GEN-EX HAS A STORY TO TELL
It isn’t just the kids who bring drama to the show, there is plenty between their parents, who were high-schoolers at Riverdale as well. So while Fred Andrews, who owns a construction company here, is a supportive dad to Archie, mother Mary has left them. Alice Cooper, who runs a paper with her husband, hates everybody, especially the Andrews, the Lodges and the Blossoms, and is a dominating and manipulative mother. Jughead’s dad is a Southside Serpent, a biker gang from the wrong side of the tracks and Josie’s mom, the mayor, is taking bribes.
And for people who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s seeing teen show stars like Luke Perry (90210) and Madchen Amick (Twin Peaks) showing up as parents in a teen show is like ‘OMG!’
THE MUSIC
If you enjoyed Glee, you’ll get some of that here with Josie and the Pussycats performing quite a few songs in the first four episodes.
PLAYS WITH GENRE STEREOTYPES
There are the jocks and their sense of entitlement, the mean girl (nope, not Ronnie), the gay best friend, cheerleaders and more, especially the added angle of a deeply disturbing teacher-student relationship.
“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?” Veronica asks as Archie is torn between sports and music.
“Is cheerleading still a thing?” asks Kevin as Cheryl Blossom, resident mean girl and captain of the River Vixens, snarls back, “Is being the gay best friend still a thing?”
JUSTICE FOR BARB
Barbara may have been left behind in the Upside-Down in Stranger Things but she is back as Big Ethel in Riverdale. A victim of slut shaming, she is the reason why the girls get their revenge on Chuck Clayton, football captain and coach’s son who made life hell for girls. Go Barb!
Chandreyee Chatterjee
What is your favourite thing about Riverdale?
Tell t2@abp.in
Riverdale is showing every Friday on Netflix
