Riverdale Rewind: A ranking of season 2’s song covers

3. “Milkshake” — 2×02

To be clear, “Milkshake” by Kelis will always be the “Milkshake.” However, this cover by Murray, Bromfield, Petsch and an off-screen Law — which puts a lighter, pop spin on the 2000s R&B classic — is surprisingly good and very catchy. The ladies’ delightful harmonizing is the cover’s major selling point. 

2. “Bittersweet Symphony” — 2×12

Naturally, Veronica’s confirmation was very over the top. Processing down the aisle, in a white dress no less, is one thing —processing while singing is another level of extra. That being said, we got a beautiful Mendes-Murray cover out of it, so I’m not complaining. This song by The Verve was basically required listening for 90s kids, so it was great choice on Riverdale‘s part.

1. “Mad World” — 2×08

I love the haunting Gary Jules’ version of this song, which was originally actually a fast-paced pop song by Tears for Fears. Riverdale‘s cover of Jules’ version — sung by Mendes, KJ Apa (who plays Archie) and Lili Reinhart (who plays Betty) — not only does Jules justice but also shows off Reinhart and Mendes’ impressive lower vocal registers.

Now, there is the matter of Betty’s snake dance. It’s way more unsettling than the song itself, which is saying something, and received understandable backlash since Betty is only 16. After the episode aired, Reinhart told Glamour, in defense of the dance, that it was meant to be “uncomfortable and hard to watch.”

I would argue that it may have gone a bit too far, especially considering how young and potentially impressionable Riverdale‘s viewership is. However, I don’t mean to shade Reinhart because she was doing her job well in fully committing to the dance. Bottom line: You should listen to the cover, even if you don’t want to watch the scene.