Riverdale: Not an Archie Comic Brought to Life
As the theme song for the cartoon “Archie’s Weird Mysteries” used to suggest, “… things are getting weird in Riverdale!”
And, well, that’s a mild way to describe the new CW live-action series “Riverdale,” which is based on the Archie Comics much like the previously mentioned cartoon. It is certainly not an Archie Comic brought to life.
I made a joke that, as an Archie Comic fan, I was going to regret checking out “Riverdale.” After the fact, I am glad I checked out the series even though I disliked more things about it than I liked.
**WARNING: DETAILED SPOILERS AHEAD**
I will start with the positives first.
The acting in the series is solid. I really believed that these comic book characters had been brought to life and I couldn’t wait to see them go about their business.
Sure, all of the actors were wonderful, but one of my favorite characters, Kevin Keller (Archie’s gay friend,) really stole the show. Kevin is a character who I actually preferred reading about over Archie in the comics because he’s much less boring of a character, in general. There is a quick joke made about Archie being ‘boring’ in the show which is only made funnier for those of us who have read the comics. My only nitpick about Kevin is that he is a blonde in the comics and the actor playing him is a brunette, but I can ignore it.
Speaking of supporting characters, then there’s Josie and The Pussycats. In the comics, the group consists of Josie, Melody, and Valerie. Josie and Melody are white women while Valerie is a black woman. In the series, Josie and The Pussycats are race-bent to all be black women. Some may argue that racebending of characters might seem a little forced, but I think it’s an interesting take on Josie, Melody, and Valerie. And, if there’s a possibility of my favorite Archie pairing coming to life on-screen, I’m even more excited.
Then there’s Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe. This is a restaurant run by Pop Tate, and it stays true to the comics. The place looks just as it should and everyone in Riverdale very much agrees that it is the best place to eat. Once more, this tied into the great acting and overall believability of the characters.
But, then there are the not so positives …
Veronica’s parents are divorced in the series and they are certainly not in the comics. Sure, that’s a small thing, but in the Archie Comics, despite whatever shenanigans Archie and his friends are getting into regarding romance, heartbreak and the like, the adults around them have strong marriages and encourage their kids to follow their hearts and do the right thing.
Plus, the storyline of Veronica’s mother having been with Archie’s father in their youth is confusing and awkward. There’s a missing sense of integrity there; and, that’s what tends to make all of the characters, even the super rich Veronica, relatable at times. I can’t feel bad or good for any character, so I will just have to sit back and watch what happens.
Then, there’s Moose, who in the comics is going strong with his long-time girlfriend, Midge. They’re kind of a package deal; it’s never just Moose or Midge, it’s always Moose and Midge, save for one of the possible future comics. But, “Riverdale” chooses to take Moose and turn him into the ‘closeted football player who denies liking men’ soap opera cliche. And, then there’s the idea that he was going to mess around with Kevin and keep it a secret.
Now, Kevin is much better than offering someone a sexual favor and then pretending it didn’t happen. I very much felt that this was an insult to both Moose and Kevin’s characters.
Then, there’s Archie’s band, The Archies. In the comics, they often play alongside Josie and The Pussycats when they can and, outside of their music, the groups are friends. But, in the series, Josie and her band are rehearsing, and Archie walks in and apologizes for interrupting only for Josie to yell at him to leave them all alone. They’re all friends in the comics and I figured they would at least be on speaking terms in the series but I guess not.
Not to mention the lack of Jughead. He is Archie’s absolute best friend and it was sad not to see more of him. They’re certainly much friendlier towards each other than Reggie and Archie have ever been; even Dilton and Archie are closer friends! But, I can’t get too mad since I figure the comics probably won’t mean too much to the series what with ignoring that Betty has an older brother even if it acknowledges her older sister.
And then, the show tries to be all things to all people. They want teen drama, angst, steamy kissing and parties, mental illness and pills that aren’t being taken (as seen with Betty who is given ADHD for the sake of the series), plus bullies and mean girls and murder (of Cheryl Blossom’s twin brother, Jason, whose body is found at the end of this first episode). Everything about the show is very over the top and even solid acting can’t help or fix that.
But, above all, the main thing I cannot excuse and absolutely hated about “Riverdale” is what it did regarding Archie and Miss Grundy.
In the comics, Miss Grundy is a sweet old lady who is a teacher to Archie and his friends. While Miss Grundy can be strict at times, she deeply cares about her students and wants what is best for them. The Miss Grundy on “Riverdale” is best described as a vixen in glasses and very much the embodiment of the rock song, “Hot for Teacher.”
The sweet old lady Miss Grundy would never endanger her students. In other words, she would not be sleeping with one of her students, therefore, committing statutory rape. Also, based on my knowledge of the comics alone, Archie is a good kid. He wouldn’t be A-okay sleeping with a teacher knowing that they’re both breaking the law and knowing that he’s putting his education in jeopardy.
I am open to continuing to watch the trainwreck that is “Riverdale” despite not having the highest hopes for the series. I would give it 6 out of 10 stars only because the acting was great. But, absolutely nothing makes statutory rape okay or sexy.