Riverdale

Riverdale is a Netflix original series, popular to young teenagers. The series begin with the narrator, “Jughead,” describing the town Riverdale. The narrator claims that Riverdale may seem like the typical small town, safe, decent, and innocent but it is far from it. Jughead begins telling a story about the Fourth of July at Sweetwater River with the Blossom twins, Jason and Cheryl. The twins went for an early morning boat ride but only to end with one of them falling in the river and drowning. The police were immediately called after a boy scout found Cheryl crying by the riverbank. So there it is, it was Jason that fell into the river! However, Cheryl claims that her glove fell into the water and as Jason reached for it, he fell into the river. As the crime scene went on, a woman says “I hope in those last moments he suffered. May Jason Blossom burn in hell.” Who is this woman and why does she want Jason to burn in hell!?

An interesting tool the producers used in this series was their use of mystery, they began the series with multiple questions to ask yourself. Who killed Jason? Why would anyone want to kill him? Why would a woman wish a suffering death upon anyone? It’s almost an immediate attention-getter. The woman, Alice, then explains that her daughter had been dating Jason and it basically ruined her! “She was such a shining star before she let that Blossom boy ruin her,” says Alice. Is Jason really to blame for her daughter Polly's downfall or is she overreacting?

The use of drama in this series is another attention getting. For instance, the secret one night stand kept between a teacher and student is wicked but it’s also scandalous and the intended audience would love to see that! Clearly, intimate relationships between student and teacher shouldn’t happen but here it is! Archie, one of the main characters had a one night stand with the music teacher and now that he really needs help with music, things have become extremely awkward between them. But that isn’t the only secret Archie and Ms. Grundy have. The morning that Jason was killed, both Archie and Ms. Grundy were there but failed to say anything. Consequently, the mysteries go on and questions steadily arise. Will Archie and Ms. Grundy pursue his career without stumbling over things in the past? Or will one of them speak up about what really went on the morning of The Fourth of July?

This show also executes a great deal of surprises. While Betty and Veronica were trying out to be River Vixens, Cheryl puts Betty on the spot about the history of Jason and Betty’s sister, Polly. Cheryl practically forces Betty to explain Jason and Polly's history but Veronica isn't here for it. Cheryl may be able to torment Betty but Veronica takes her by surprise with her brutal honestly. Veronica explains that Cheryl wants people to fear her and inflict intimidation but she clarifies that her little stunts will not work on her. Will Cheryl get the idea and leave Veronica alone or has the fight just begun?

After only watching one episode of Riverdale, I can already sense how great the series is going to be. The drama, the endless questions, and the shocking secrets were all great enhancers added to the show and hopefully that’ll be enough to encourage others to watch Riverdale as well.