The second episode of Riverdale based on Archie comics aired February second and while it was better than the pilot the show still has improvement it needs .
There were parts of this episode that were actually enjoyable. The parts where it seemed like the characters were normal teenagers acting like teenagers were great and it would be nice if there were more. It was nice that Betty tried to get over Archie fast but wasn’t able to because well that’s how life is. The story that Archie tells Veronica about Betty tutoring him the second grade was adorable.
Archie, Betty. Jughead Jones, and Veronica at Pops. Courtesy of The CW
My favorite character is still Betty. She still feels the most like her original character but she adds even more layers to the character. Even if her mother is still really weird. Apparently when her daughter has friends over that she doesn’t like she burns sage to rid the house of their bad energy.
Veronica and Cheryl were less awkwardly written. They both had their moments of weirdness though. Especially Cheryl saying #RiverdaleStrong out of nowhere. But the scene where Veronica comforts Cheryl while she cries over the loss of her brother was nice. It showed that Veronica does have a soft side and that Cheryl can be vulnerable giving more dimension to both characters.
Cheryl Blossom and Archie in Biology. Courtesy of The CW.
It seems like Jose and the Pussycats aren’t really characters yet but just there to be live music. In this case of a hip hop version of Sugar, Sugar which is not the worst hip hop version of Sugar, Sugar that I’ve heard in an Archie Comics thing.
The things that that were not good in the first episode are still not good here. The murder mystery is still just as cliched. It still building so maybe the audience will eventually get invested but it could very well be one of those things where it becomes so convoluted that it makes so little sense that no one will care.
One thing that is still bad is the on going saga of Miss Grundy and Archie. In fact it was even worse in this episode. Miss Grundy isn’t just having sex with her underage student but now she is also using his feelings for her to manipulate him. She is not the smartest person in the world because who has an illegal affair with one of her students by a window so that another student can see them? Yes that right Jughead now knows about the affair and thank god he sees how wrong it is.
There is a lot more of Jughead in the episode and he works for the most part. His narration is a bit cheesy and he is bit more of the emo stereotype then the comic version in some scenes. Although I did laugh so hard at Reggie calling him “Wednesday Addams” I had to pause the episode. All of his scenes with Archie where great and very in character. It would be just like Jughead to see that his friend is making a mistake, in this case not telling police information to protect the teacher that he slept with, and try and help him even if they are fighting.
Jughead at the Pep Rally. Country of The CW.
I’m also glad that Jughead and Archie are on the path to being friends again. They are supposed to be best friends and it was disappointing to not see that relationship on the show. It is also a nice touch that Jughead said that they will discuss their friendship over many burgers.
This show is getting better but it still feels the need to cling to the cliches that are holding it back from being good.
