Riverdale Review: A Little Bit of Time Travel With Our Melodrama

This week’s Riverdale review takes on the struggle to reconcile parents’ places in the lives of their children’s absurdly surreal lives.

Before I use this Riverdale review to deep dive into the obvious themes of family dynamics, home, and hopefulness that are rife in this episode, let’s talk about that cold open.

If there’s been a better crafted, more self-referential moment of television, I haven’t seen it yet. The teaser for “In a Lonely Place” comes directly for all the detractors who have complained that the show isn’t like the original.

Oh, boo hoo, folks. The series is taking this particular artifact into uncharted territory, and the series uses that stylized, referential open to both address and clap back to the skeptical. Seeing Jughead with his iconic crown, Archie in his crooked bow-tie, and Betty and Veronica in all their mid-century glory, was the perfect way to encapsulate how the show exists in both worlds – the initial Archie universe and our contemporary culture.

After that beautiful and extremely well-crafted opening scene, we’re aware of what Riverdale is asking of us. With homage to the past, the show is driving toward a new era in the Archie mythology, and we’re supposed to reconcile the two, as fans of the new series. I’m on board.

The show has more self-awareness than some critics give it credit for. Veronica begs the questions to Betty, “What decade is this?” Polly’s pregnancy started this conversation, but it coalesces an ongoing theme within the CW’s Archie.

On the one hand, Polly’s teenage pregnancy is scandalous enough to cause humiliation and scandal, yet Alice turns it into a photo opportunity to “control the narrative” – a concept that is very firmly 21st century.

The time warp is part of the show’s intrigue. It’s almost as if you can’t really tell in what time period we’re supposed to place it. Although the use of technology is present – Cheryl has an imposing Twitter presence, after all – so much of the digital footprint of our time is almost completely erased.

Cheryl is a paradox all on her own. She’s totally a Gothic vixen, an archetype we don’t see very much of these days. She’s unmitigatingly awful, and Riverdale tips their hat to that in fun, sneaky ways. Characterizing Polly as a “crazy bitch” and a “vicious, cold-hearted, murdering mean girl” is a little tongue in cheek coming from Cheryl. Project much?

I also find the burgeoning relationship between Jughead and Betty to be a total throwback. Although Riverdale relies heavily on it’s genre archetypes, if this was any other show, they would’ve already slept together and acted like it was just no big deal.

I find the small acts of hand-holding and close-mouthed kissing to be refreshingly quaint. Modern television is super quick to sexualize a relationship, and this slow down marks the good kind of departure.

When is the last time you saw a search party formed on a teen drama? They might as well have linked arms. It was a scene straight from Twin Peaks, and when the Blossoms show up it takes it to a whole new noir level. They enter in slow motion, looking like a red-headed, WASPy rap group about to drop a super hot new single. I just can’t.

Although Riverdale is heavily influenced by it’s preceding incarnations, it’s looking at family dynamics from a whole new perspective. Traditionally, the young adult genre treats parents as an additional obstacle in the adolescent protagonists’ lives.

Riverdale, however, offers them robust storylines with complex emotional dynamics. This culminates in the Jughead/F.P. storyline in which we learn a little more about Jughead’s backstory. Instead of painting Jughead’s dad, F.P. with the broad strokes of “alchoholic” or “deadbeat” they offer a nuanced look at his pain and interrupted devotion to his family.

Although Riverdale probably can’t be painted as a “tear-jerker” I certainly teared up during that very poignant moment after Jughead is released from police questioning. He’s torn between loyalty to his father and the safety and stability the Andrews’ house offers. F.P. senses his conflict and makes the decision for him.

Say what you will about Jughead’s dad, but Skeet Ulrich is doing him some real favors. He just might be the hunkiest, tortured alcoholic ever, and he can tug my heart strings anytime.

Of course this series has to toss us a twist with F.P. We spot Jason’s jacket in his house, and it’s a cruel twist of irony that his own son is playing teen-sleuth in this mystery. Can’t Jughead catch a break? Hasn’t his dad done enough damage to his family? I mean… he named his children “Jughead” and “Jellybean” for goodness sakes.

Check back here every Friday for my weekly dish on all things Riverdale.

Riverdale airs at 9/8c Thursdays on The CW.

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