Riverdale season 2: It’s finally time to talk about Archie

Riverdale season 2 is back in all its noir-camp glory, and Archie is earning his spot as teen heartthrob and leading man.

The Riverdale season 2 premiere, “A Kiss Before Dying,”  was up against a lot of hype after the success of its freshman run. Fans love the gritty reimagining of the Archie comics. Critics are enthralled by it, yet so many of us are left scratching our heads about how Archie Andrews landed in the center of all this delightfully juicy melodrama and stylized grit.

Let’s be real, season 1 Archie didn’t deserve to be at the center of the hottest love triangle this side of Sweetwater River. He certainly wasn’t cut out for an illicit affair with a sexy teacher or to be the hero that saved the day. In fact, he did little to deserve the screen time he received, and I was reluctant to buy into this character, despite how dreamy he is.

However, it seems like season 2 Archie deserves a little more respect. KJ Apa’s turn in the premiere proves that maybe Archie isn’t as boring and vanilla (despite an unconvincing dye job) as we originally thought. With an Archie/Fred-centered opener, the sophomore season will have Archie and the gang hunting down what is shaping up to be a serial killer. Gasp!

Jughead is still the brains behind the operation. With his Hunter S. Thompson voice-overs and newly co-optedWild One motorcycle, he’s our point of reference. Kevin acts as the Greek chorus, but we can’t sleep on Archie just yet. The opening sequence alone is powerful enough to make you notice the character in a new way. It’s a bold move to keep him in his blood-soaked varsity jacket. Way to hit the visual high notes, Riverdale.

Season 2 picks up in the moments just after season 1. Fred Andrews is bleeding on the floor, and it’s up to Archie to get him to the hospital. I won’t linger on the implausibility of Archie not being old enough to drive yet, or that his call to 911 went unanswered. I’m a good sport and am willing to suspend my disbelief long enough to applaud Apa’s performance here. He sells the fear, the urgency, and even the anger in the character, without tipping over into silliness … much. He even squeezes out a few convincing tears imploring his mother to come home.

One of the best parts of Riverdale is that it’s in on the joke, constantly winking at the audience. Thankfully Apa is in on it too. Although he’s still one of the most self-serious characters on the show, despite Jughead’s attempts to bum everybody out, he’s beginning to see it’s alright to plant his tongue in his cheek. I mean … he doesn’t do it quite as well as Jughead — that hamburger scene was clever and endearing as hell — but he’s getting there. Archie’s earning my interest.

Once Fred is securely deposited into the hospital, among nurses and doctors wearing uniforms from decades past (let’s hope they practice modern medicine, despite their vintage costumes), Archie has to exhale a little. It’s a treat to watch him wiggle around inside the bubble of huge emotion he created during the opening sequence created.

Thankfully, Riverdale always plays to its strengths. When Apa was struggling to move from that heavy opening moment, they gave us a steamy shower scene to help steady the transition. Because isn’t that everyone’s instinct? To hop into the shower with your lady, moments after watching your dad’s bloody body being wheeled into surgery? Way to compartmentalize, Archie.

Watching Archie navigate all this emotional stuff is like watching a mouse run through a maze for the first time. There’s lots of zeal and eager ambition, and his try-hard effort makes you root for him. I’m certainly rooting for Archie, even when he makes it hard to. Don’t yell at Veronica moments after you had your six-pack abs pressed to her in your shower, dude. Not cool.

Although I’ve always been one to give Archie Andrews the benefit of the doubt, I think he’s finally coming into his own. If he has to contend with a serial killer, Veronica’s sinister, ex-con dad, the return of his mother, and the death of Ms. Grundy, then he’s going to have to come far more than he did last season. I’m not mad that Riverdale is using Fred’s attack as a springboard into a more interesting and multi-dimensional Archie. More of that, please.

Archie’s relationship with his dad might be the catalyst for the show’s current whodunnit, but it also serves as the only functioning parent-child dynamic on the show. The rest of these characters are swimming in a pool of dysfunction that I neither have the time or psychological training to unpack.

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It’s likely that Fred’s shooting (and subsequent speedy recovery) will propel Archie into greater depths as a character. If the scene in which he is standing vigil is any indication, we’re in for a toothier performance.  Fingers crossed, Riverdale fans.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.