Riverdale S2E1 A Kiss Before Dying

So Riverdale is back! After the cliffhanger last season - with Archie's dad being shot in Pop's Diner- the question for me was would the shooting set the tone for the new season? Much like the first season, we start off with a crime that appears murkier and more complicated by the end of the episode. Was Fred's shooter just a random robber, or was there a more sinister motive? Does someone in Riverdale want Fred dead?  

Spoilers for this episode.

We pick up right after the shooting, with Archie rushing his dad to the emergency room. We then check in with Archie's closest friends as they all get the call, letting them know about the shooting. They all rush to his side of course, and the waiting game begins. Will Fred pull through? And will sheriff Keller get a lead? The show lays down some interesting conjecture about what might have happened, with Veronica openly suggesting to her mother that she suspects her involvement. And while that's a tough thing for a mom to hear, her reaction is decidedly cold. Are we going to see a different Hermione Lodge this season? It sure looks like it.

Nice to see Alice Cooper and we get an early taste of her snark as she has a breakfast conversation with Betty- including some mother/ daughter talk about the night before. She's happy to hear that things between Betty and Jughead didn't go too far, and we get some of her best lines right off the bat. She of course is no fan of her daughter dating the son of the Serpents leader.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Especially when there's a snake curled up in its limbs.

And this gem of an exchange when Jughead calls Betty.

If that's Snake Plissken, I want him blocked.
It's Archie, Betty replies.
Block him too.

Seriously, Alice gets the best lines on this show (after Cheryl of course).

Speaking of Cheryl, she shows up at the hospital while Fred is in surgery, with her mother being admitted for third degree burns and smoke inhalation. Apparently Penelope did not come out of the fire unscathed. The creepy thing is Cheryl lays down the law when they're alone in her mom's room, telling Penelope that things are going to be different now. Better. And that Cheryl's in charge. She even kinks her mom's oxygen tube briefly, cutting off the air supply, just to get the point across.  

 I kind of like a more sinister Cheryl? I mean they need to take her character somewhere- why not? And even as Veronica lays the groundwork for a possible Lodge involvement in Fred's shooting (which I think is a red herring), we also get Jughead surmising that maybe the shooting was a hit. As a new Serpent he gets his dad's right hand guy to ask around, only to be shocked when that asking around results in them working a guy over for info. Welcome to the Serpents Jug!  

Random Thoughts

How tacky is it that Veronica gets in the shower with Archie when he goes home to change and wash the blood off after the shooting? Seriously, they have time for sex? 

 Jughead eats a burger!