Netflix MUST SEE Summer Show: 'Riverdale'

First milkshakes, THEN crime solving. From left: Veronica, Betty, Josie, Jughead, Cheryl and Archie.

'Sherlock' Meets 'Bates Motel' In Murder Mystery Thriller: 'Riverdale'

You're not seeing stars. 5 / 5!

There’s a darkness lurking behind the sweet and retro visage of the small town of Riverdale. When this show first debuted on The CW this past Fall 2016 I wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to get started on it. From the promo pictures featured it looked like Riverdale was going to be just another soapy teen dram-com with flimsy characters, countless cliches and a story we’ve heard a thousand and one times or more. The reality is Riverdale is truly a force to be reckoned with on TV today. The entire season one is currently up on Netflix for the watching. Riverdale may use the “Archie” comics as source material, but it doesn’t rely on slapstick humor, or the bitter love-triangle feud between girl-next-door Betty and posh princess Veronica who both are after making Archie their BAE. Instead, Riverdale is a gritty and unexpected with a compelling mystery that drives the plot from the very first scene.

The very fabric of the sleepy, quaint, town begins to unravel when a Riverdale High’s golden boy Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines) heads down to Sweet Water River on the morning of the 4th of July with his twin sister, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch). After a disastrous boating accident Jason is found with a bullet hole blasted through his brains and everyone from the prestigious and elite Blossom family to even the most humble of Riverdale townies are left in a tailspin. WHERE was Jason trying to go? WHY was he trying to leave? WHO stopped him?

Forget the snoozie, always-eating, butt-of-jokes Jughead from the comics. He's not laugh here.

The siren song of those unanswered questions and Jason’s horrendous murder attracts the attentions of Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), a highly observant teen who’s on the outskirts of the high school. He’s our narrator for the opening and closing of each of the Riverdale’s 13 episodes. His blunt and sometimes scathing commentary adds more depth and a rawness to a story that could’ve been one big glossy overly inflated drama had it been handled less deliberately. Think: Freeform originals, like Pretty Little Liars and Switched At Birth-- shiny shows that are completely lacking substance other than trying to spark up shock value at every turn, and with mediocre acting and ho-hum scripts. Riverdale is not those shows. AT ALL.

At first it may seem that KJ Apa’s ginger-haired hottie boy-next-door Archie Andrews is going to be our lead, but there’s a reason this is titled Riverdale and not “Archie”. Yes we follow him around quite a bit as he dabbles in exploring his new passion for playing guitar and trying his hand at a singer/songwriter gig instead of just being “the football player”, but we’re not locked into his perspective. The Riverdale teen dream tream quartet of Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead all get liberal screen time. With secondary characters like Josie, Valerie, Cheryl and Kevin also getting air time and their stories told.This talented group of young twenty-somethings bring to life Riverdale’s inhabitants are all rather “unknown” actors and each shines. 

 

Our quirky, quintessential quartet!!! 😉

Blond-haired, ponytail-wearing, and sweet Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) has been quietly crushing on her best friend Archie for years. Her life isn’t all sunshine even though by all appearances that’s what her parents are trying to put out there to the community. Often at odds with her demanding and pushy wicked witch of a journalist mother, Alice (Madchen Amick) and her snooping, humorless editor father Hal (Lochlyn Munro), she grapples with the aching hole of her older sister Polly’s (Tiera Skovbye) banishment from the Cooper house on a daily basis. Still, she’s an upbeat, high-achieving gal with an infectious smile and a playful energy. But at times she hurts. She hurts deeply. And there’s an element of inadvertent self-harm as well as anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health disorders that come into play in her storylines.  

New girl to Riverdale Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) is a young Latina Audrey Hepburn: all pearl necklaces, designer duds and manners. 

Lily Collins' eyebrows finally have some competition with Ronnie's brown beauties.

But she’s not just elegant and poised, but she’s got a fire and spunk to her that comes out in how she always speaks her mind and stands up to even the most “untouchable” of Riverdalers. She’s a reformed “mean girl”  from New York City who got a reality check when her father, Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos), was arrested for embezzling and she and her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols) lost everything.

Rounding out this formidable foursome is Jughead Jones. “Juggy” as he’s called by his friends is played by Cole Sprouse who’s messy black hair and sometimes cynical Holden Caulfield sensibilities, is a far cry away from the hyperactive little blond boy who lived in a hotel with his kooky twin brother in The Suite Life of Zac and Cody. But, what’s refreshing is that in Riverdale Sprouse’s performance is completely organic. It’s a mature role for a mature guy. There’s no sense of him trying to break away from his old Disney role. There’s no wild-child middle finger to the house of mouse, nonsense going on here. Jughead, estranged from his gangbanger alcoholic father FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) is fascinated by the murder mystery of Jason Blossom. He spends his time sipping shakes at Pop’s Chock’lit shop and writing about what could have happened. And later, sleuthing around for clues to uncover the truth with Betty as his partner in crime … solving! Juggy doesn’t spew angsty sentiments and doom and gloom. We instead see that there’s a vulnerability to him, and some key reasons he’s so guarded and opts to be a loner. The strained relationship he has with his absent and flawed as hell father is heavy and heart breaking, and so very real. Yes, there’s a fictional quality to Riverdale. But there’s also the sense that no one is ever exempt from the drama, and tragedy and bombshells that shower down on these teens and their families. What happens here can and does happen in a reality!

Riverdale's gang gives Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Scoobies a run for their money.

But make no mistake. Riverdale isn’t all solemn! Just because it’s not hilarious, doesn’t mean that it’s not light and fun at times. Each episode is fueled by buzzing, pop, and synth-heavy tracks that are singable, danceable, and stuck-in-your-head-for-days jams. Like Santigold’s “Can’t Get Enough of Myself” and the dozens of other tunes on this sassy and super charged soundtrack. Even though Riverdale is set in modern day 2017 it has a retro vibe to it. Pop’s Chock’lit shop: a formica table and booth filled diner known for its milkshakes and burgers, could’ve been zapped right out of the 70’s and magicked into existence. Ditto for the drive-in movie theatre lot and the charming longstanding Riverdale traditions like the annual Homecoming Dance and festivals. There’s a gorgeous cinematic tone to the camera work and the set designs completely and utterly transport us to each of these places. This isn’t some low budget TV show! From the grand Blossom mansion, with its wrought iron fence, craggy architecture and gothic interiors, to the squeak-clean suburbia of the house Archie shares with his divorced dad Fred (Luke Perry), to the lush woodlands and the rushing current of Sweet Water River where Jason lost his life, Riverdale is atmospheric as heck.

Riverdale may start off at a simmer, but it doesn’t take much for this all to come to a rolling boil. There’s a lot of social commentary in Riverdale and many big themes that run through the episodes, cutting through not just the characters but we the viewers as well (!) : "slut" shaming, interracial dating, gangs, teen pregnancy, drug trafficking, underaged hookups and fractured father-son relationships. Not to mention the many #MINDBLOWN moments and big reveals. Riverdale is full throttle. Not exaggerating.

Pretty kitties! Veronica, Valerie and Josie.

Riverdale also excels in conscious racial diversity here that’s authentic and doesn’t rely on ethnic stereotypes. Fellow Hanna-Barbera comic, Josie and the Pussycats are merged into the Riverdale universe. Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) and her Pussycats are reimagined as a trio of black girls-- girls who have a R&B and soul influenced sound, and embrace their natural hair textures. Gruff football captain Reggie Mantle (Ross Butler), is an Asian guy who isn’t typecast as just another geek or techie, but instead, a cocky jock. It’s the type of character that is rarely portrayed by a non-white, or non-black actors. LBTQ characters are in residence in Riverdale too! Although Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) starts off as Betty’s gay best friend, he doesn’t lisp, “prey” on other dudes or have a passion for fashion and RuPaul. His homosexuality is part of his identity, but it’s not played for laughs, and watching his relationship build with Joaquin (Rob Raco), a Latino teen South Side Serpents gang member, is touching and so darn real.

On the same subject of suckerpunching stereotypes, Riverdale hosts a cheerleading squad to blow all other tv cheerleading squads away! The Riverdale Vixens aren’t just oversexed bimbos who giggle and sashay with their pompoms. Their gymnastic skills and athletic prowess show during every single one of their routines in scenes that are respectful, impressive and chock full of jaw-dropping moves. The girls on the team aren’t catty but instead they have a solid bond, and in fact Veronica and Betty’s participation as Vixens brings them even closer! Actually, the female friendship between Veronica and Betty is actually at the forefront of Riverdale! YAAAAS! As a girl with a bulk of my friendships with OTHER girls, it’s really awesome to see that being such a huge part of this show. 

Cheryl can be  Lydia (Holland Rodan) from Teen Wolf 's TWIN!

The whole boy-girl best-friends-turned-lovers schtick is tired and cliche, and although Riverdale very very very briefly flirts with following that trope, it quickly changes tack to being a girl's best friend is (not diamonds) but another girl! Seeing Betty and Veronica kick butt in chasing down their own dreams while hanging out with one another and having a blast and sharing heart to hearts made this even more of a winning show for me. They aren’t ruthless romantic rivals here, but instead, although they dislike each other when they first meet, they become besties. This feminist tone that fuels much of the exceptional plot and storytelling of Riverdale for me is a 10 out of 10. Love it.

Snap on your fan or turn up your AC, grab a popsicle and fire up Netflix to get started on this can’t-miss 13-episode  summer spectacular. Season 2 debuts on the CW this fall. Some teasers from the actors on twitter? It’s going to knock our socks off.

And I don’t know about you, but my feet are ready. 😜

All images fom IMDB