Riverdale Season 4 Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs From 'Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fast Times At Riverdale High'

Riverdale's fourth season progresses with an episode that promises a more grounded season.

By Michael Patterson /

The CW

Contains spoilers from Riverdale Season 4, Episode 2.

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Riverdale opened its fourth season last week with its touching Luke Perry tribute episode. Now, given the nature of that episode, it was a premiere in name alone as it understandably told a very self-contained story - one that delivered a fitting farewell to Riverdale's finest.

That, however, set the stage for the next installment, 'Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fast Times At Riverdale High', to serve as an unofficial premiere of sorts, as the gang prepared to return to the halls of high school for their senior year - only for some of them to prematurely face the harsh realities of adulthood while, in a somewhat pleasant twist, even some of the show's lesser-appreciated characters got a chance to shine.

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An episode that very much thrived on subverting our expectations, it returned Riverdale to its more grounded roots by focusing on the characters instead of the bizarre situations they tend to find themselves in. A wise choice, no doubt, as it started this season's narrative off on such a high that not even its recurring episodic shortcomings could take away from it.

First, the negatives...

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