Review by Arianne
VIP9This is a trashy show. You don't start episode 1 of a TV show on The CW network expecting something from HBO or AMC. I'm not sure what all these negative reviewers were expecting when they started this show. If you take this show seriously, then you're watching it wrong. If you're watching it for fun, just to tap out at the end of the day, maybe to shut your brain off so you can watch an overdramatic storyline that will have no effect on your being, then do give this a try. The overall storyline is ridiculous and completely unbelievable, but this is a teen soap drama. For a teen soap drama, I think it's very well-produced.
Script & Story: 6/10 – Like I said, the storyline is ridiculous, but the story does get better.
Acting: 8/10 – The four main actors are still fairly early in their careers, and you can tell which ones are less experienced, but they do get better in the second half of the first season, when they become more familiar with their own characters. Plus, the acting from the parent figures (e.g. Madchen Amick, Skeet Ulrich) helps provide more emotional realism to make certain scenes more convincing.
Set Production & Costume: 8/10 – I love how they designed the "small town feel" to their filming locations. The natural wilderness of Vancouver, British Columbia helps a lot in some of their scenes.
Characters: 9/10 – I'm not crazy for the lack of development for Archie, but they did really well in developing both Betty and Jughead. The introduction of Veronica's father in the second season will definitely help Veronica's character development, and I'm very confident Archie's character will undergo some changes in the second season too.
Cinematography: 10/10 – Some of the shots in this show are truly beautiful, especially for a teen soap drama.loading replies
@pedro I don't watch many teen drama shows to be honest, so maybe my script/story rating was unfair. I only started watching this based on recommendations from my friends. I've seen a couple seasons of Gossip Girl though, if that helps. If I were to compare the story of Riverdale with Gossip Girl, Riverdale is way better. The murder mystery in this show helps a lot; it's the catalyst of all the other plotlines in this show.
Review by Arianne
VIP9This is a trashy show. You don't start episode 1 of a TV show on The CW network expecting something from HBO or AMC. I'm not sure what all these negative reviewers were expecting when they started this show. If you take this show seriously, then you're watching it wrong. If you're watching it for fun, just to tap out at the end of the day, maybe to shut your brain off so you can watch an overdramatic storyline that will have no effect on your being, then do give this a try. The overall storyline is ridiculous and completely unbelievable, but this is a teen soap drama. For a teen soap drama, I think it's very well-produced.
Script & Story: 6/10 – Like I said, the storyline is ridiculous, but the story does get better.
Acting: 8/10 – The four main actors are still fairly early in their careers, and you can tell which ones are less experienced, but they do get better in the second half of the first season, when they become more familiar with their own characters. Plus, the acting from the parent figures (e.g. Madchen Amick, Skeet Ulrich) helps provide more emotional realism to make certain scenes more convincing.
Set Production & Costume: 8/10 – I love how they designed the "small town feel" to their filming locations. The natural wilderness of Vancouver, British Columbia helps a lot in some of their scenes.
Characters: 9/10 – I'm not crazy for the lack of development for Archie, but they did really well in developing both Betty and Jughead. The introduction of Veronica's father in the second season will definitely help Veronica's character development, and I'm very confident Archie's character will undergo some changes in the second season too.
Cinematography: 10/10 – Some of the shots in this show are truly beautiful, especially for a teen soap drama.loading replies
@pedro Enjoy! Hope you like it!
Review by Arianne
VIP9This is a trashy show. You don't start episode 1 of a TV show on The CW network expecting something from HBO or AMC. I'm not sure what all these negative reviewers were expecting when they started this show. If you take this show seriously, then you're watching it wrong. If you're watching it for fun, just to tap out at the end of the day, maybe to shut your brain off so you can watch an overdramatic storyline that will have no effect on your being, then do give this a try. The overall storyline is ridiculous and completely unbelievable, but this is a teen soap drama. For a teen soap drama, I think it's very well-produced.
Script & Story: 6/10 – Like I said, the storyline is ridiculous, but the story does get better.
Acting: 8/10 – The four main actors are still fairly early in their careers, and you can tell which ones are less experienced, but they do get better in the second half of the first season, when they become more familiar with their own characters. Plus, the acting from the parent figures (e.g. Madchen Amick, Skeet Ulrich) helps provide more emotional realism to make certain scenes more convincing.
Set Production & Costume: 8/10 – I love how they designed the "small town feel" to their filming locations. The natural wilderness of Vancouver, British Columbia helps a lot in some of their scenes.
Characters: 9/10 – I'm not crazy for the lack of development for Archie, but they did really well in developing both Betty and Jughead. The introduction of Veronica's father in the second season will definitely help Veronica's character development, and I'm very confident Archie's character will undergo some changes in the second season too.
Cinematography: 10/10 – Some of the shots in this show are truly beautiful, especially for a teen soap drama.loading replies
@pedro Yes, I would definitely say that the murder mystery plays a big factor in this show. The character relationships (e.g. make-ups and breakups) are secondary to the murder.
- I'm really happy that Veronica/Betty/Archie didn't turn into an annoying mess with two girls fighting over the guy and many, many secrets. I was totally expecting that tbh and i'm glad I got proven wrong.
- I'm surprised that we really know who killed Jason. I was prepared for that to drag on for multiple seasons. I'm happy they solved that within 13 episodes.
- When Betty's mother talked about a secret brother I was honestly scared for a second that it would be someone we know. But considering the age difference it's probably someone new who'll get introduced in the next season.
- The scene where Cheryl tried to kill herself was quite intense. It gave me goosebumps when I saw that she drifted under the ice. I just hope her mother will face some serious consequences at some point because I do understand how hard it must be to lose your son and husband in a short time, but saying that suicide might be the best option in front of your daughter is just insane to me. And of course Cheryl needs some serious help as well. I really like her, but she's been really self-destructive and I really don't want her character to die.
- And the last scene was quite sad. But I'm pretty sure he'll survive (at least that's what I want to believe).
All in all I enjoyed this show much more than I thought I would. I just started watching it because I was looking for a new show and my expectations were really low. The show is cheesy, a bit over the top and there are quite a few stereotypes, but at the same time it has a certain charm. I'm actually excited for a new season :)
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@haibara Same. I'm so glad that they solved the Jason murder within one season. It was bringing down the series; the way they developed his character felt so superficial. The new storylines with Jughead and Archie's dad are going to be a lot of fun to watch in season 2. Maybe Archie's plot will finally get interesting lol.
Shout by marythemerchant
I don't know about the episodes left, but for me this was THE episode so far. BTW I don't get why everybody is hating Justin so much and not Bryce, like, what the hell? The first one still deserves it though.
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@marythemerchant I completely agree. I really think Justin is just misunderstood. I really liked how this episode gave us a brief look into his home situation with his mom and her boyfriend(s).
I'm usually not a fan of musical episodes (though I hate black-white episodes even more), but I didn't really worry when I heard about the musical episode because so far Riverdale has really nailed all music scenes.
The only complaints I have is that some scenes had some really bad lip-syncing, and that Jughead's camera scenes seemed weirdly out of place and pointless the whole time. It was just a bit too much - I would have rather seen a different episode where they focused on these camera scenes instead of a musical episode and the reality show camera at the same time.Some random comments/thoughts:
- I have to admit Archie made me laugh again - Once again he's overshadowed by all the other actors who have impressive voices while he sounded so... normal.
- Why does the whole Hiram/Archie story seem more and more like some weird love relationship? "A young man never forgets his first car" - Hiram made it sound like he just stole Archie's first kiss, Jesus.
- Ugh, why did Hal and Alice have to get back together. I feel like they have no chemistry at all (and Hal no personality) and I would rather see them separated and see how Alice slowly starts a relationship with FP (which would make Betty/Jughead awkward, but it wouldn't be the weirdest thing we have on this show).
- Also, we're still not considering therapy or any kind of help for Cheryl? Really? No one? Well, then...
- What the fuck was that ending? It was so absurd and so typical Riverdale, Jesus Christ.loading replies
@haibara Jughead's camera shots were so awkward. It's like the show couldn't survive without his presence missing for one episode or something. Ugh.
Review by Tagouga
VIP7
- Anthony’s face when Prudence was singing :joy::joy:
- I get teary eyed whenever Penelope cries :cry: I love her character so much from the books however I can’t help but think whether some people would be annoyed with her in this episode
- What Daphne did was bad! Simon assumed her mother had told her about how babies are made and he assumed that she understood what was happening and she was satisfied with not having children. That does not mean that he wasn’t wrong in withholding information about his reasons, he should have been honest. However, with all that in mind, Daphne’s actions were wrong! She should have come to him and confronted him instead of using sex as a sort of power over him to get what she wants. The whole thing was a result of miscommunication which turned into anger and resentment.
SPOILERS ahead for non-book readers:
- I know Penelope wants to protect Colin but she will never resort to shaming anyone. So Marina’s pregnancy reveal kind of disappoints me. I feel the whole idea behind Lady Whistledown is taking a different turn. Penelope should have gone to Eloise or Lady Bridgerton with the truth, I just think this will have major repercussions once we get to the reveal in the future
- Now to the problematic scene. It is not as awful as it was in the book, however, that is not say it was not wrong. Simon was not drunk here and even his reaction and the stuttering was a bit tamer, I thought there would be more emphasis on it. At this point, Daphne doesn’t even know about his stutter! Also, being in Daphne’s mind in the book, knowing her thoughts, and the fact that this happens after she learns all the truth about his father and his stutter makes it even worse. God, I hated this scene in the book, and what made me resent it even more was how the aftermath was handled. Daphne didn't really regret what happened, she thought it was good that she took advantage of the situation as this might be her only chance to get pregnant. For me, Daphne's character never redeemed herself and Simon forgave her (without her even apologizing) and went along with it too easily. So I want to see how the aftermath will be handled in the show because even if this scene wasn’t as messy, it was still very uncomfortable.loading replies
@tago1987 - I still don't like how antagonistic they made Anthony (in this first half, at least), but the actor does him so well. I adore his portrayal. And Penelope is so effing precious in this show; she must be protected.
Do you think the writers know they're bad at their jobs? I feel like they think this whole "I have a darkness inside me" thing they keep repeating is considered Good Writing and that makes me sad.
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@allygator Probably not. I mean, they keep writing Archie/Veronica sex scenes and Betty/Jughead angst scenes every few seconds. They're way too influenced by the crazy young fans on the show's social media channels.
The way everyone is just so goddamn dramatic in this show is truly unbelievably annoying. Also, I’d say I was Team Jeremiah if it weren’t for the fact that this boy deserves more than Belly stringing him along. Her and Conrad actually fit together better because they’re both self-absorbed, selfish and appear to have little amounts of empathy for other people’s feelings. They can have each other, honestly. I hope Jere finds someone else to be happy with!
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@imme-van-gorp I feel the exact same way. Belly and Conrad deserve each other. Jeremiah doesn't deserve either of them. Wish he was the one going to Stanford instead - far away from these shit-stirring drama queens.
"Hannah, if my daughter were older I would tell her the same thing - That men, they can control themselves. Everybody can. Everybody acts like consent is this complicated thing, but it's not. All right? Everybody knows whether they have it or not, and it was that boy's job to know."
Some of these speeches are so good. Mr. Porter really made me tear up when he was at the trial and started crying.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I believe Bryce. I know he's he's got a good heart."
"Are you sure that you're okay?"That part actually made me laugh out loud. But I really think something bad will happen to Chloe... I really hope she was just acting in front of Zach and gets away from Bryce asap.
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@haibara Zach is such a good kid. I love the fact that he made the effort to reach out to Chloe, to ask if she was OK. That's more than what most kids would do at their age.
Review by Arianne
VIP9First of all, Veil's death at the end of this episode was completely unwarranted. After suffering for so long in Quinn's underground prison, she deserves some sort of redemption, and not a supporting role in Sunny's battle against Quinn. She was a major reason as to why Sunny did everything to stay alive, and why he fought his way through to return to her. Why didn't Sunny double check that Quinn was actually dead?! The characters in this season have a notorious pattern of not double checking that their opponents are actually dead. You can't just walk away. You need to make sure the guy is friggin' sawed in half, ok. So upsetting that Veil just flat out died. I mean, Sunny stabbed a sword right through Quinn's body twice, yet it was a meagre little dagger that actually kills him. We spent so much time this season developing Veil's inner strength and her role in Sunny's drive to live, but poof, one mistake and one little dagger later, she's offed. The showrunners need to check themselves.
Second of all, I still don't like Bajie. He's only out there for his own objectives. He seems like a good guy with good intentions, but when it comes down to it, he's only there for himself. I can't wait to find out what happens to him. I assume he will die there in that radio signal tower from his injury... Although he has Sunny's bike, and this is Into The Badlands where characters who you thought were dead will pop back into the story, so. Also, how did Bajie find that tower anyway? Was it in the book?
Third of all, the producers better hire better scriptwriters for next season. They have a ton of story to write about now - Tilda running away, Widow's offer to Waldo, Widow's deal with M.K., Bajie's radio signal to Azra, Sunny becoming a father... I'm going to assume the antagonists for next season will be the Widow and Waldo - both of whom don't have strong morals. We can't trust any barons or wannabe barons in this show.
All in all, a decent season. I'm looking forward to seeing what will be the repurcussions of Bajie reactivating the Azra radio tower.
P.S. What on Earth happened to Jade? She was one of the better actresses in this show, and she just disappeared after that one episode.
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@misnomer Bwahaha! Totally see why you would think that. I tend to turn my brain off when I'm watching this particular show. It's only until the episode is over do I turn it back on to think about the show critically. The rating I gave is more reflective of if I was entertained rather than what I think about it critically.
I always thought Mary was rather boring and turning her into a spy seemed so over the top, but it seemed to be part of her past, so I thought I could get over it. But this episode... They added Mary, John married her, they got a child and then she died. It didn't even feel fleshed out. It felt extremely rushed and absolutely unnecessary. I would just like to ignore that all this even happened.
And Moriarty... Let me say first that I really, really enjoyed Moriarty, but they killed him off. It's okay if Sherlock thinks about him from time to time, but he's dead and there can be more than one great villain. It feels like Batman and the Joker - Every Batman merchandise is throwing the Joker in your face and it just gets annoying at some point because there are other villains. You don't need to use the same one over and over again.
I was a big fan of this show during season 1 and season 2, but at some point I read way too many good fanmade stories/theories and the actual show will never be able to catch up with it. And the long waiting between each season is not helpful at all because people change, their tastes change and they stop caring about shows if there's no update for years.
I'll continue watching it, but it's more of a habit than actual excitement. They might be able to produce a few really good episodes, but I know I'll never feel the same love I used to have for this show which is a shame because it had great potential :/loading replies
@haibara I agree with your comment. They really need to drop Moriarty or else this show stops being original.
Is sick an euphemism for pregnant? Did the Coopers send Polly away cause she's gonna have Jason's baby? I'm really confused about the time line in this story, so maybe what I just wrote is totally stupid.
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@abtr No, I have the same theory as well. I feel like it just hasn't been confirmed yet.
