Riverdale - A Touch of Evil - Review: "Friendship is the solution"

After a promising start, the real test for Riverdale is to be faithful to itself in the following episodes. Does this second episode continue this positive track? Yes, definitely.

After being introduced to a murder mystery in the pilot, A Touch of Evil deals with the aftermath of the tragedy. The town is shocked by Jason unexpected death and everyone reacts in their own singular way. Let's begin with Archie. He ends up being in an uncomfortable position: in the afternoon when Jason Blossom died, he wasn't alone. He was kissing his teacher near the river. They both heard a gunshot. Archie is willing to tell the truth, while his teacher is not and prays him to stay quiet. She is risking her job, isn't she? I really like how they are portraying Miss Grundy as a totally ruthless (and maybe abusive?) woman. 

Veronica and Betty are still in bad terms. After the former kissed Archie in the closet, Betty doesn't want to talk with her anymore. She starts an unlikely bond with Cheryl. The latter is sure that Betty's sister is involved in the murder. Betty reacts violently. I was sure that this newborn friendship could not last long, and I was right.

Betty’s mom is still as mad as she was in the pilot. She doesn't want her daughter to see Archie and the Blossoms.

In the end Veronica and Betty are able to rekindle their friendship. She tries to convince Betty that her friendship with Archie is more important than having a boyfriend. The two go to Pop’s for milkshakes and make a vow to never let a man come between them again. It's a sweet moment that becomes even more enjoyable when Archie and Jughead join the group. The ending is pretty shocking: the police "arrests" Cheryl.

I really enjoyed this second episode as well. I like the atmosphere, I love how they are developing slowly all these characters and the relationships between them. There is a special chemistry  and I'm sure that the writers will be able to evolve even more these connections. I really want to have more Jughead, and Kevin and I'm waiting for a more central focus on them. My favourite moment of this hour was Archie defending Jughead.

Riverdale is not a perfect TV show, but it is promising. It has a great amount of potential, the actors are talented and they could tell an infinite number of stories. They just need to find the perfect groove and keep going with it. Speaking for myself, I'm hooked. 

What do you think of A Touch of Evil?