Riverdale, a show both lauded and ridiculed in regards to its penchant for nostalgia-bait casting and familiarly dated soapy plots found itself in rare good form last Wednesday in a season that was seriously beginning to lag. Musical episodes of television are used by writers and showrunners for many different reasons, often as a last-ditch effort for some decent ratings. Other times musical episodes are merely to showcase the talents of singular cast members who have duel careers in both acting and music. It has little to do with plot and more to do with audience engagement. In the case of Riverdale, however, it was clear that this injection of rhythm and jive was precisely the medicine the show so desperately required. As the students of Riverdale High are putting on their theatrical production of Carrie The Musical, suspicion grows as evidence of malevolent forces being at work to sabotage the production, and those who wish to be a part of it becomes unquestionably apparent. The episode deals with several current plot-lines running on the show, including the reconciliation of many strained character relationships. The episode is a reminder that when Riverdale embraces camp but maintains some semblance of substance, it can be a wildly entertaining program to watch.
The story, songs and characters of the Carrie-lore have such clear-cut connections to the characters and world of Riverdale that it is hard to think of a better selection the creators of the show could have made for their first musical endeavor. Carrie is about the frightening consequences of isolation, ridicule and sexual confusion. The characters of Riverdale have almost all been struggling with issues such as these since "Chapter One". Carrie's story also lends itself to the topic of archetypes and how they can be deconstructed by the choices we make as people, especially young people. Sue Snell, grows a conscience, Tommy forgoes a change of heart and Carrie herself goes through a metamorphosis from frumpy outsider to beautiful prom queen and ultimately to a Female Force of Reckoning. One thing Riverdale has made a great effort to do in its first two years is extending itself beyond the clear archetypes placed upon its characters since their comic book conception. Betty is not always a good girl, Cheryl is much more than a spoiled rich bitch and Archie...well he still has some character growth to go through, but there's hope for him yet. Carrie is a timeless cautionary tale, and the way Riverdale chooses to integrate the lessons carefully and moralistic themes present within it into its complex narrative is something worth applauding, not because it's something necessarily difficult to do, but because it could have come out so terribly bad and thankfully didn't.
Why Chapter Thirty-One: "A Night To Remember" Works As a Musical Episode
1. Performers Have Talent
A musical episode will not get through its first ten minutes of airtime if the actors can't sing with at least a reasonable semblance of competence. Several Riverdale cast members have already showcased their pipes on the show before, but this episode had some surprising vocal champions leading the way. Lili Reinhart who plays Betty Cooper and Madeline Petsch who portrays Cheryl in particular impressed with their powerful, if slightly digitally altered vocals. Cole Sprouse respectfully opted out of singing, which is a common occurrence within casts of shows that do musical episodes. Thankfully though he is basically the only main cast member to do so and the writers found an organic, narratively-pushing method to keep him involved in the plot of the episode. When the cast is capable of rising to the challenges brought onto a television production by a musical episode, the results of their labors are likely to be more rewarding. See Grey's Anatomy's rather awkward musical episode "Song Beneath a Song" as an example of how limited cast participation can be increasingly problematic, even more so when their questionable vocal capabilities further limit the selection of willing vocalists.
2. Music Quality
This is not only whether or not the songs themselves sound good in terms of production value, but it is also a question of whether the plot of the episode can contextualize them well enough for a substantial amount of time. As I've already acknowledged earlier in this review, the songs selected from the Carrie the Musical perfectly situate themselves into the current plot threads running through Riverdale. If the song placements are incoherent and aimless, the episode will have poor direction and will likely be challenging to follow throughout. On the other side of the argument, good songs don't necessarily equal success either. It's easy to butcher a good score with a shitty script. The songs can sound like Broadway smashes, but it will matter little to nothing if they are poorly positioned and awkwardly executed. The way Riverdale's episode transitioned in and out of the "You Shine" number is an example of good musical quality. The song breaks in the middle so Betty and Veronica can have a brief conversation that on a thematic level allows the song to be reintroduced at the scene's conclusion, this time with new meaning. Rather than merely performing the song straight through as a romantic duet between previous love interests Betty and Archie, the writers of the episode wished to give it more significant meaning to the ongoing plot of the show and have Betty and Veronica sing a verse in order to solidify a recommitment to their previously floundering friendship. This gives the song and scene a deeper meaning, the music and the plot are complimenting one another rather than being subservient to either's needs.
3. Excuse to Sing
This may sound like a trivial category, but you'd be surprised to find how much some shows struggle with answering the basic premise of "why are the character's singing and dancing?" Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, incorporated music into the plot of its episode "Once More, with Feeling" quite naturally by having a demon cast a spell causing several characters to break out into song sporadically. Since demonic spells were a regular occurrence on that program, the audience was able to accept the inclusion of such a fantastical but, useful plot element without it feeling shoehorned in. Riverdale had the easiest excuse of all, putting on a high school show! The point of this all being, the reason for why their singing doesn't have to be incredibly nuanced or innovative; it simply has to exist. For what little logic musicals hold, they make up for with purpose. Every lyric, every dance move pushes us further into the world of the characters. That push begins with a catalyst, and musical episodes must contain a credible one before they start belting like Barbra at the Barclay Center.
The Highs and Lows in the History of Musical Episodes
(*From my slight bias point of view)
The High: Even Stevens: Influenza The Musical
The first musical episode of television I can ever remember watching was on January 25th, 2002, and it has still stood the test of time all these years later. Even Stevens was a popular sitcom that aired on Disney Channel about an underachieving little brother in a family of respected achievers. This particular episode finds the overachieving character of the older sister, Ren Stevens sick with the flu, but going to school anyway to receive a Perfect Attendance Award and present an important science project. Soon after Ren arrives at school, it becomes clear that things are not in the norm. All of the faculty, staff and even student body are breaking out into song. Ren's ongoing fever is causing her to hallucinate these high spirited and catchy musical performances, ultimately culminating in her own contribution with the unforgettable solo "We Went to the Moon". It fulfils the criteria I listed above and then some, proving to be an ambitious success for Disney Channel and the star of the episode, Christy Carlson Romano. The channel increased focus on musical content soon after this episode's release. It might sound silly, but the likes of television shows like Hannah Montana or even actresses like Hilary Duff may not have found the same levels of success and stardom had Influenza The Musical not paved the way for them, first.
The Low: 7th Heaven: Red Socks
Here is where musical television came to die. Having aired on February 14th, 2005, I first watched 7th Heaven's cringe-worthy musical endeavor years later in reruns. I fondly recall being torn between laughter and lethargy as the Camden Family crooned to the classical tunes of Gershwin and Co in poor pantomime. It is truly a terrible hour of television smothered in sentimentality without the slightest regard for good taste. The actors don't even seem happy to be a part of it, and they are getting paid. Beverly Mitchell, who played Lucy Camden was one of the only trained musical actresses on the show. One must wonder if the reason she does not sing in this episode is that her clear talent would've only further embarrassed her extremely mediocre cast members. The episode is an insufferable ode to Valentines Day. Still, the only thing that is lovable about it is that it's likely to be forgotten given adamant time and substantial alcohol consumption.
In conclusion, Musical Episodes are worth the viewing, if only because whether or not the attempt is successful, there is a kind of egregious satisfaction in watching a television show take on such a lofty challenge. As a fan of musical theater, I can only say that even the worst moments of musical episodes have caused even the tiniest foot tap in me, even if my head is shaking from side to side in horrid astonishment at the same time. Television should be brave and bracing, and nothing is quite as brave as spitting out a show-tune in 40 minutes or less.
