On Wednesday, October 11, “Riverdale” answered the prayers of many teenaged girls and returned for a second season. The characters of Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) came back into our lives and prepared us for a riveting and twisted season ahead – at least that’s what we hoped.
The finale of season one left viewers shocked and wonderfully frustrated with a mountain of questions. Leading up to the final episode, it was revealed that Cheryl Blossom’s father, Clifford, had killed his son, and then proceeded to hang himself before he was apprehended. Though the end of season one did solve the mystery of Jason Blossom’s death, it presented a new darkness to the town of Riverdale.
In the final moments of the last episode, Archie and his father, Fred, are at the local diner when tragedy strikes. A masked robber, as it seems, storms into the diner, armed with gun, and shoots Archie’s father. This is the last scene of the last episode when, as Jughead narrates, “the last bit of Riverdale’s innocence finally died.”
The first episode of season 2 begins with Archie’s father being rushed to the hospital and into surgery. The suspect’s intent to rob the diner is questioned when the police find that no money was taken from the register. However, Archie and Veronica discover that Fred’s wallet was missing. The reason for this is yet to be determined. Back at the diner, Betty and Jughead asked Pop, the owner, about the experience. He stated that it was as if the “angel of death” had come to Riverdale. Thus, the motivations of the armed man are cloudy, but of course, there is no such thing as a random robbery in Riverdale.
When Archie returns to the hospital, his father wakes up after having a vision of the shooter at Archie’s wedding. While this happy moment grants the audience relief, death strikes again in another town. Mrs. Grundy, Archie’s old music teacher and love interest, is attacked and killed by the “angel of death” – a familiar man in a black get up.
Though the season two premiere was dark and mysterious, it proved to be pretty uneventful and dull compared to previous episodes of the show. Hopefully in the future, the next episodes will be more interesting, captivating, and action packed, but as of now, it left me underwhelmed. There were some mixed reviews of the episode, with some people engrossed in the plot, and others longing for the end of the episode. The only way to find out if the show is worth your time is to keep watching, and hope the second season lives up to the legacy of the first.
