Riverdale Review: Chapter One: The River’s Edge (Season 1 Episode 1)

Riverdale Season 1 Episode 1, “Chapter One: The River’s Edge,” is a pretty solid series premiere that introduces the town, the characters, and dozens of plot points that will surely end up turning into classic teen drama episodes somewhere down the road.

From an apparently parent-supported Adderall prescription that doesn’t seem totally necessary to love triangles and an inappropriate student-teacher relationship, the show has all of the ingredients for your standard high-school-set soap right off the bat.

To set it apart, they’ve thrown in an occasional ‘50s-esque aesthetic — with Pop’s diner and older cars — and a noir-ish voiceover — the explanation is Jughead’s writing a novel about the events that are presently unfolding. And, of course, there’s also a murdered teenager.

The pilot makes the murder a little more interesting than just a good old-fashioned whodunit. They avoid creating an obvious line-up of suspects, planting only a few sparse details about the incident.

While it’s clear the murder will be a big focus of the show moving forward, it doesn’t come up until the very end of the episode.

Most of the pilot is spent the way most pilots are spent. There’s the introduction of the characters, and some exposition — which manages to get done pretty naturally and conversationally.

The main characters get fleshed-out as much as they can be in 43 minutes — with the exception of Jughead, who we barely see.

Even though Archie is the main character, after just one episode, Betty and Veronica’s stories are the most compelling aspects of the show by far. It’s no fault of K.J. Apa’s, who is likable enough in the role. It’s just that Archie’s music vs. football vs. work situation falls pretty flat in comparison to what Betty and Veronica are going through.

Plus, at this point, their friendship is more interesting than either of their relationships with Archie. The fact that the show has already had at least one conversation that passed the Bechdel Test, thanks to the fast friendship between Betty and Veronica, is an encouraging sign, even if a love triangle may be in their future.

The secondary characters show potential for future episodes, and it’s clear the adults will have their own share of drama, too.

Some freshman shows can take a few episodes to find their groove, but after just one episode, it’s clear that Riverdale is a show that already knows what it’s about and what it wants to be.

Even if the series isn’t anything groundbreaking, it does have its own unique vibe, a strong cast and the potential for some compelling storylines. If teen dramas and/or murder mysteries are up your alley, Riverdale is definitely worth your time.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• It is super normal for twins to go on scenic rowboat outings, wearing matching white outfits and holding hands, right? Cheryl and Jason totally had a super normal, not at all weird or suspicious relationship.
• So to convince Cheryl that they should be on the cheerleading squad, Veronica kisses Betty. This helps… how? Is she just hoping to shock Cheryl? It kind of felt like a weird, fan-service moment that was shoved into a scene where it didn’t belong. If it’s later revealed that Veronica is actually attracted to Betty, maybe it will be okay in hindsight, but that kiss was the oddest moment of the episode, in my opinion. Girls kissing for the sake of girls kissing isn’t interesting. An actual LGBTQ relationship, that would be interesting.

What did you think of the series premiere? Do you have any early theories on who shot Jason? Share with us in the comments below!

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Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

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