Riverdale- Series Review
If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, now would be a fantastic opportunity to do so. A Netflix Original "Riverdale" has been released, originally starting out with an episode a week. If you're not familiar with the title, maybe you've heard of Archie comics. Archie and friends (Betty, Veronica and Jughead) started out as comic book characters in the late 1930s but have only now been produced into live action people with a whole new issue to tackle; murder. It features the talents of K.J Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse and Madeline Petsch.
Basically, the synopsis of this show is that a bunch of friends from Riverdale who are in the midst of a real life murder case. Each have been doing their own things on the Fourth of July, when the apparent murder happened and soon find themselves under investigation by the law and soon, by each other. If you've always been a fan of Archie comics, this isn't like anything you've ever read in the comics. Everything you thought you knew, you don't and I can positively say that this show achieves everything.
The performances: Our main protagonist, Archie is played by K.J Apa. Now I had no idea that he was neither American (from New Zealand) or a redhead. Either way, he managed to knock those two aspects way out of the park. As for the acting, you could easily fall in love with the boy next door as he swings between playing football and writing music and making the girls want to fall in his path. Up until this point, I had never fully considered an actor who would play Archie. I can't honestly think of any big Hollywood star who could achieve such a thing but I'm so glad they found K.J. I pretty much dove into this series with only the understanding I was given by the comics...from like 20 years ago. But who knew Archie could be so caught up in sex and lies? He really pulled this role off so naturally and I'm so thankful for a perfect casting call. Lili Reinhart plays the girl-next-door, Betty Cooper. Originally from the comics, Betty is a typical humble homemaker and wholesome soul who switches between dating Archie and Reggie. In this series, she is neither. She has a dark entity in her personality which she tries to hide and dates someone else, a very unlikely subject (to understand this, you'd have to read the comics). I like how different she is this time and how so many Archie fans who were unsuspecting were greeted with a real twist. Again, it's hard to see anyone else play Betty Cooper the way that Lili does. Camilia Mendes plays the role of Veronica Lodge, raven-haired, rich and just a little bit of a bitch. She is caught in her own web of lies as her own family drifts apart in a torturous and controversial fashion. There isn't much of a difference in Riverdale Veronica and comic Veronica which is nice, because it gives us just a small amount of reality in the sense of knowing that they have tried to make something cannon. I think Camila did a good job of Veronica and even fit the general look and style.
Cole Sprouse plays the role of Jughead Jones, a budding writer and the product of a dead-beat dad and absent mother. If you remember Jughead from the comics, he has always been unknowingly intelligent, a glutton for burgers and completely disgusted by girls but in this series, none of that applies. Instead, his role becomes increasingly relatable in the sense of how he interacts with others and the 'realist' trait in his personality. Again, another character change was accepted warmly and I was pleasantly surprised to see the role being played by one of the Sprouse twins. I remember them from when they were kids but it's nice to see that Cole is rebooting his acting career as an adult and appropriately too.
Finally, Madeline Petsch plays the role of Cheryl Blossom, a bitchy, rich, power-crazed cheerleader who lives with her equally, rich and power-crazed mother and father. Often subject to their ridicule and rejected, Cheryl takes her anger and frustration out on people at Riverdale High in which it is usually Betty. There is a lot of progression throughout the show but in fear of spoiling it, you'll have to see for yourselves. Like Veronica, Cheryl hasn't changed much from the comic adaption which keeps the characterisation balanced. I'm beginning to think that realistically, no one else could play any of these roles aside from those who were cast.
Incase you haven't noticed, all of these characters have secrets and lies which make it all the more interesting and gives the show a further sense of mystery and twist. I really don't think this could be stylised better than it already is.
The cons: Sure, like anything, this may not be for everyone and I know a lot of people have been complaining about it (when they haven't even seen the show) because of its ever-growing popularity. Who cares about how popular it is? Go sit down and watch it. You may be pleasantly surprised with what you see.
Another thing is, if you remember Josie and The Pussycats (another Archie comics spin), they become a part of Riverdale as the school musicians; they were white apart from Nancy. In Riverdale, they are women of colour. There isn't a problem with that, but more of how they have been critically received. A lot of people have actually thrown this show under the bus because they believe that the use of women of colour in roles that were originally white are just there for "message." That's wrong. I don't believe anyone really pays attention to casting anymore. Perhaps these 3 women who just so happened to be women of colour, actually had TALENT over other actors. These aren't really issues with the show, more complaints in general really!
This series is really well constructed and has blown my mind. Waiting each week for a new episode was torture but I can't wait for the next series to arrive. Until then, if you're thinking about giving this a watch, just go ahead and do it already!
Score: 10/10