The main selling point of Rivedale, at least up to this point, is not that it is a modern retelling of an old comic, but that it tries to put a much darker spin on something better known for messy threesome jokes and overly dated dialog. And, while it has managed to exceed those expectations (a murder mystery, a teacher-student "relationship", mental health problems), it never quite manages to go the proper distance when it comes to embracing the darkness in a believable way. Regardless of how awesome Jughead comes off, his dialog is still pretty awful even for a CW/Teen-focused show (how does one keep a straight face when he delivers a somber monologue involving his sister Jellybean?). And, while its still managed to maintain its biggest strengths (the friendships are nearly perfect and the re-imagined characters mostly work great), it can never seem to get over the hump of its problematic quality.
For every wonderful new thing that brings out either the redemption of Veronica or the steady fracturing of Betty, the show continues to focus either on mostly one-dimensional characters (Kevin is still just "the gay guy" and needs to improve) or underwhelm with its side characters that don't really feel like they were meant to be this big a part of the story (Betty's mom hasn't really done anything outside of being a "kind of crazy bitch with some serious parenting issues" character). Fortunately, following Episode 4: The Last Picture Show, it at least feels like the writers are trying to remedy some of the more dangling plot elements of the show.
Let's be honest: the Grundy/Archie thing was icky at worst and just kind of poorly written at best and, even with its end, didn't seem to have any way to actually end it with any kind of clear resolution. And, while it was still nice to see Fred Andrews rear his kind of oblivious head again, it remains a sad state of the writing department that he's basically the most relatable adult in the series merely because he's the only one who either isn't batshit crazy (The Coopers), a potentially criminal (The Lodges) or just kind of there to pop in every once in a while to remind you of their existence (The Blooms). The adult problem on this show is beginning to show its seams.
Fortunately, when the series still clicks, it clicks beautifully. This week, Betty finally shows off the detective skills she sort of possesses in the comics and, instead of a willing Jughead to egg her on, she has recruited a reluctant Veronica as her sidekick (which somehow makes it all kind of feel like a buddy comedy). And, while Jughead still remains something of a blank slate when it comes to actual character development (four episodes in and all I know is he has some serious people issues), it was nice to see that he not only does have family that we get to see, but also that he hates them for some unforeseen reason (which I'm more than willing to grant them leeway for). Good job taking a slowly flailing character and trying to give him new dimension, I guess.
As for actual resolution to the plot of the season so far: its fair to say that at least one step was made forward here. Removing Grundy from the scenario finally opens Archie up to some kind of character development and, while he's still the doofus with a heart of gold here, its nice to not see the kid bogged down by hormones and actually trying to work out things for a change. And, while there still wasn't enough of it, Betty's ability to stand up to her mom final feels like it yielded some kind of result (her mom seems to be underestimating her less). While this didn't address the bugfuck nature of the previous episode (Betty tried to kill a guy with a hot tub), its nice to see that, when she cracks from the pressure, its meant to elicit a favorable response to her plight. All in all, not bad four episodes in. Please don't hurt me, Episode 5.
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