NOTE: This article contains spoilers for the show Riverdale.

After the conclusion of the first season, Riverdale had some high expectations to live up to. Season one ended on a major climax with Fred Andrews being shot at the diner, leaving Archie and the town completely distraught with another murderer on the loose. Season two picks up right off where season one was and only increased the tension with other characters being attacked by the mysterious man in the black hood. Season two could have just fallen flat after such an action-packed predecessor, but it has only surpassed it.

Season two, first off, has taken the tension from the previous season and only escalated it. It could have ended up with season two doing a plain repeat of season one focusing on who did it, but they take this to a whole new level. By incorporating the man in the black hood as a serial killer motivated by cleansing the town, a whole new world of fear is set upon the characters and the audience. This strikes much more into the heart of the town because anyone could be his next target. Also, the writers skillfully play off of the tension between socio-economic levels to only create an even bigger air of suspense and suspicion. Season two of Riverdale has already established in the first few episodes an even more intense mood than season one.

Also, the actors have continued their stellar performance portraying their characters. There is so much talent in this show that it is hard to find any faults with them. Their interactions are especially real with each other and their portrayals as characters years younger than them are accurate but not overly bombastic. Madelaine Petsch’s role as Cheryl Blossom is particularly outstanding because she effectively confuses the audience over which side she is on. The only thing anyone can tell is that she is very manipulative and will do anything to gain an advantage over anyone. However, the characters’ decisions are somewhat unrealistic because it goes to even bigger extremes than the situations. This is more the fault of Hollywood writers than the actors, but they do an amazing job a delivering them.

Even though it is only a few episodes into this season, Riverdale is already charging ahead into season two off of the momentum from season one. It could have been so easy for the show to become a repetitive murder mystery of Archie, Betty, Veronica and friends trying to figure out who did it, but they defy this by upping the tension of the story. Season two well delivers after such an excellent season one and only builds off of its predecessor’s work.