Riverdale: A Touch of Evil   Books Included 
February 3, 2017 10:11 PM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe

Betty isn't sure who to argue with and who to be nice to, so doles a little of each out to everyone. Veronica apologizes with flowers, cupcakes, and mani-pedis. Josie & the Pussycats rock out while the cheerleaders perform.

Cheryl grieves for her brother and questions Betty as to what Betty's sister knew. Jughead sniffs out Archie's guilty feelings and they start talking again.

Reviews from the AV Club and Forever Young Adult.
posted by Margalo Epps (24 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I still can't figure out whether this show is Acceptable Albeit Not Very Archie or Just Crappy And Not At All Archie.
posted by Etrigan at 7:09 AM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]


I can't figure out if I actually care about any of this, other than kinda shipping Betty and Veronica. Is it just me, or is Betty gonna do the Good Girl Snap in about two more episodes?

Also, Cheryl is super creepy.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:18 AM on February 4, 2017


Jughead is so boring. I thought Archie was boring, and he is, but less.
posted by jeather at 10:49 AM on February 4, 2017


Unrelated, but what does books included mean in this context?
posted by jeather at 10:50 AM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


Providing an opportunity to compare the show to the decades of Archie Comics? But that would make these show threads longer than a Front Page Trump Post!
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:02 AM on February 4, 2017


I thought it was a joke by Margalo Epps, given how superficially they're "adhering" to the basic archietypes the books have established over the decades.
posted by Etrigan at 11:43 AM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]


Still loving it. No apologies.

I think Veronica is my favorite, which surprises me.
posted by darksong at 12:00 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


Oh, and independent of the Archieness of it all, Jughead appears to be an omniscient narrator, or is at least narrating in hindsight, which never fails to piss me off (when it's a character in the story doing it, that is).
posted by Etrigan at 12:20 PM on February 4, 2017


Yeah, mostly joking about books included, but figured if people wanted to compare the show to any of the books they've read, go for it. It's hard to see what spoilers the books could contain, but I do know some of them got pretty weird...

I'm actually really loving this show. It's moody and a little mysterious and just sucking me in the way Vampire Diaries did back in the first few seasons, before it ran out of plot. I also like how they use weird '50's styles with a sort of colorized film look, while still clearly being within range of the present day. I feel like they're going for a "timeless" 2005-2017, trying to avoid things that would specifically date it.

I'm glad that in this episode that Jughead got in on the secret affair, because the sooner that's not secret, the better. I deeply want to know what Cheryl's plan actually was (and if it involved, say, stalking Betty's sister) and if it was made together with Jason or if she set him up somehow. Also, why does everything seem creepily incestuous with those two?
posted by Margalo Epps at 6:27 PM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]


Against my expectations, I'm hooked.

Like the friendships, especially Veronica / Betty, Betty / Archie, and Archie / Jughead.

Really like the parents (Luke Perry is great as Archie's dad) and want to see more about them.

There is definitely a creepy incestuous vibe between Jason and Cherry, and I hope it's misdirection, because ewww.
posted by daybeforetheday at 10:03 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


lol, her name is Cheryl, not Cherry. You might be thinking of a different comic series.
posted by lkc at 11:44 AM on February 5, 2017 [3 favorites]


also SUPER loving it and I really didn't expect to

I am so so so conflicted about the queerbaiting with Betty and Veronica? Because they even call it out in the pilot, like, it's not 2003, they could explore that storyline. I defo feel like it's queerbaiting. But at the same time I really like looking at them.

the real mystery of Riverdale: All the grownups call him Jughead? is that his real legal name?
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 6:17 PM on February 5, 2017


the real mystery of Riverdale: All the grownups call him Jughead? is that his real legal name?

That was a running joke for a long time in the comics as well, with Archie trying to find out what his real name is.
posted by Etrigan at 6:41 PM on February 5, 2017


It is a glorious trash fire and I am so there for it. (Much like I have been for another notable trash series.)

I also really love Roberto Aguirre-Scasa's plays, two of which I had the pleasure to see live at Dad's Garage in Atlanta years and years ago. One of the plays was the Archie pastiche that garnered him a cease & desist order! My, how things change!
posted by Kitteh at 10:30 AM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]


Jughead''s real name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. The Archie reboot has him descending from old money which is now gone.
posted by brujita at 7:01 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]


Nobody is talking about the obvious foreshadowing that Jason Blossom is going to come back as a zombie. I can't be the only one who sees it?
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 9:05 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]


Nobody is talking about the obvious foreshadowing that Jason Blossom is going to come back as a zombie.

If this show turns into Afterlife With Archie, I may well explode in glee.
posted by Etrigan at 6:58 AM on February 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


I don't know if Betty & Veronica is queerbaiting ... yet. It may end up being so. But Veronica's moves toward Betty have some more "romantic" overtones, and that doesn't even feel like subtext -- it could just be she has a major platonic girlcrush on Betty or an actual crush-crush on Betty. I don't know yet. We're only two episodes in, but Veronica could very well be into both boys and girls, and that makes the love triangle that much more interesting.

In any case, I like that instead of making Betty & Veronica rivals, they are friends and possibly ... something else.

I trust Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Probably too much. But I have hope the uncomfortable bits (Archie & Ms. Grundy, Cheryl & Jason) will actually go somewhere unexpected. I just think this is a show that will have somewhat of a slow burn and will end up surprising us. At least, that's what I'd like.
posted by darksong at 3:17 PM on February 7, 2017 [3 favorites]


I don't know if Betty & Veronica is queerbaiting ... yet.

I read that the producer has stated that they're not going to ever make Betty/Veronica canon, so, having that kiss be in all the promos when they knew that they were never going any further would seem to be the definition of queerbaiting.
posted by oh yeah! at 3:44 PM on February 7, 2017


I read that the producer has stated that they're not going to ever make Betty/Veronica canon ...

I had not read that; I was just going on based on what I knew with Aguirre-Sacasa's previous work, which always seemed inclusive overall (and some other things he's said about "wait and see" when it comes to characters on Riverdale). If this is the case, that's really disappointing to me because it feels like this show should be better than that. If Better & Veronica aren't a thing, I would like them to be more than just a tease.
posted by darksong at 5:48 PM on February 7, 2017


I still can't figure out whether this show is Acceptable Albeit Not Very Archie or Just Crappy And Not At All Archie.

I think it's easier to watch if you aren't into Archie or it's been long enough to not get bogged down by the comics canon. It's just not thrilling me. I love Archie and I love Twin Peaks, but Twin Peaks Archie is so not me!
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 4:59 PM on February 8, 2017


Shirtless, sweaty Archie for no reason at the top of the episode had me laughing.

Was Veronica just burning through her mom's waitressing money on all that stuff for Betty? Seems a bit thoughtless. Or I guess her mom could just be working to keep up appearances as she gets secret money on the side from Mr. Lodge. I do hope they end up genuine friends with only occasional drama as I enjoy the dynamic they have.

Still not too much talk here about the mystery of the show, which is a bit amusing. I guess we're supposed to be wondering why Jason disappeared (my earlier thought was he was possibly on the run from the consequences of being a d-bag), what that sound was that Archie and Grundy heard on July 4th, what happened during that week he was missing, who killed him, etc. I can't say I find it all that compelling though.

The "romance" between Archie and Grundy seems to have flipped. In the first episode I'm feeling for her a bit as he's trying to force her to spend time with him (I mean still though, don't fuck students). But now as soon as he says he will go to the cops she's suddenly touching him, clearly looking out for herself? Ew.
posted by ODiV at 9:59 AM on February 10, 2017


brujita: Jughead''s real name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. The Archie reboot has him descending from old money which is now gone.

Is Jughead Jones the Third his usual self-identification, or is that a joke in the show only?
posted by filthy light thief at 11:24 AM on February 13, 2017


I think jughead's narration is supposed to be from the book he's writing about jason's murder.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 1:34 PM on February 13, 2017


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