Riverdale, a name which brings back memories of the time when we somehow first got our hands on the beloved Archie comics and binged on the famous love triangle between Archiekins, Betty and Veronica, as they sat at Pop Tate’s devouring one milkshake with three straws! The Riverdale we knew paints a very pretty picture of a happy and content town which doesn’t seem to get itself into much trouble, except when it was Jughead eating more burgers than usual!
However, in 2017, most of us are rediscovering a new meaning of the term Riverdale. The new Riverdale still has the same characters, but with a dark past and a seemingly dark future. Now, the Riverdale of our childhood memories is Riverdale, an American teen drama television series based on the characters of Archie comics. The plot of this sitcom gravitates away from how we envision Riverdale and attributes the characters with traits which we do not imagine them ever to possess.
For instance, we grew up knowing this about the Lodges: Veronica and her comically strict father, Hiram Lodge live a lavish life at the Lodge Estates; Hiram is constantly trying to keep Archie and Reggie away from Veronica’s fancy.But now, we are presented with a scenario in which Hiram Lodge is jailed for fraud and embezzlement andVeronica lives with her mom (whom we never knew of), Hermione Lodge.
Archie is the only character in the sitcom that places a sense of similarity with the comic book character, as he is still a ladies’ man trying to juggle his busy life. However, Archie seems to have developed a keen interest in music and wants to keep himself close to his guitar (along with Ms. Grundy!). Betty is still a sweet, smart, eager-to-please and beautiful, with a long time crush on her best friend, Archie. She is tired of being the perfect daughter, student and sister, giving her a hidden personality, which contains itself with anger and resentment against her brittle mother. However, the most interesting character is Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, the narrator of the series. He is a philosophically bent heartthrob, who was once the best friend of Archie. He is shown to still be dealing with the agony of the rift that came between them. His father is the leader of a local motorcycle gang called the Southside Serpents. All hell breaks loose in Riverdale when Jason Blossom is found dead in a lake, right after going boating with his sister, Cheryl Blossom on the 4th of July.
The sitcom features characters like Reggie, Moose, Josie and Dilton Doiley who are placed in personas unlike themselves and in situations which are very hard to decipher. The new Riverdale is a dystopian and dark version of the Riverdale we once knew, and it has everyone eagerly waiting for new development on the existing storyline.
Boy! Are we hooked yet?
Image Credits: slashfilm.com
Joyee Bhattacharya
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