Now that Season 1 of Riverdale is over, I can get to express my general thoughts on how it affects me, someone who grew up with Archie.
Ever since I was high school (think 80's), I have read Archie Comics and its various spinoffs (Jughead Comics, Betty & Veronica, etc.) I have enjoyed the comics. It made me laugh and be transported to an idyllic American suburbia. Being a teenager, I related to Archie and the gang's day to day teen lilfe - problems at school, with friends, dating, hanging out, pursuing talents etc.
It's a glimpse of a typical American life in an entertaining fun reading. It never bored me and it saddened me that my collection of Archie Comics, given by friends in high school, was not saved during the worst flooding in Metro Manila.
So, when I heard that there's going to be an adaptation, I looked forward to it, but on my first look of the title card, I had a feeling that it is not the Archie I have come to love growing up.
From the title card, everybody looked serious compared to the fun-loving Archie Comics. And watching the pilot up to the season finale proved me right.
Now, is that a good or bad thing? I think it's good, in the sense that Riverdale adapted to what the current audience wanted. Is it bad? Probably to the diehard Archie Comics fans.
I think the key word here is that Riverdale is based on the characters of Archie Comics, Riveradale is not Archie Comics.
Let's see how the Riverdale match-up with their Archie Comics counterparts:
Archie - well, they got the carrot hair right :)
Jughead - his is the greatest character difference. Although Riverdale's Jughead is still weird, he is not a funny weird guy at all but his character has the depth and breath of a troubled youth just trying to find his way,
Betty - not as bubbly as the original Betty, but hey, she is blonde.
Veronica - along with Jughead, Ronnie, although rich as in the comics, is not the snooty spoiled brat. In this version, she has a heart.
Reggie - he is Archie's rival in the comics but I hardly felt him in Riverdale.
Kevin - the reverse is true with him, I never knew him in the comics but in the series, you could not help but notice him, especially his torrid kissing scenes with a guy. Yup, he is gay in the series.
Cheryl - I know her in Archie as one of the supporting characters but in the series, she was given almost an equal screen time with the major characters.
Fred Andrews - among the parents, he is the only one actor that I know of from the 90's, Luke Perry of Beverly Hills 90210, the original teen series that everything in the 2000s has been built on.
Archie Comics ultimate theme is the love triangle between these three or how Archie is totally divided but secretly, I think he loves Ronnie more than Betty. Betty is his best friend and Ronnie his girlfriend. The entire comics revolved on this and many scenarios have been played out but this is the central theme of the comics.
In Riverdale, it is not so. Yes, there is just a hint that there's a love triangle at the beginning but it was
quickly abandoned in favor of the series overall direction.
And to be honest, Betty is better of with Jughead!
For the plot and storyline of Riverdale, head over to Netflix. My post is not really a review but an observation of an Archie Comics fan enjoying the adaptation called Riverdale.
Hirayamanawari,
Rob
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