It’s officially spooky season, which means it’s finally time for Riverdale to come back on the air. What started off with innocent high school dances and drinking milkshakes has escalated into serial killers and an intense battle for territory and power. Among the sometimes dark and thrilling subject matter, Riverdale still embraces it’s teen drama genre with several instances of romance, comic relief, and a bomb soundtrack. So in preparation for Wednesday’s premiere, here is some background info and things to look forward to in season three! Also, a spoiler alert is in order for those that haven’t caught up on the first two seasons.
End of the Black Hood’s reign?
With what seemed like an endless cycle of death, destruction, and chaos, the mysterious Black Hood Killer for finally caught and brought into custody, revealed to be none other than Hal Cooper, father to Polly and Betty and husband to Alice. It turns out that darkness runs in the family, as Betty is shocked to discover for herself. However, nothing stays quiet in Riverdale forever, which leads us to question: what else will come from this darkness?
Hiram Lodge takeover
This guy is becoming more like The Godfather with every passing episode. In an attempt to gain control of the entire town and acquire more money and power, Hiram Lodge does whatever it takes to buy out the South Side and stop whoever is trying to get in his way. With his wife as mayor of Riverdale and the sheriff on his side, it’ll take a lot of strength and support for our favorite bunch of teens to take him down.
Archie’s court case
We left off with Archie getting sworn in as Student Body President, and then promptly arrested moments later for the murder of Cassidy Bullock. We know from the previous season that Archie is innocent, but with Hiram running the town and his hitman dead, Archie is now the prime suspect. The season will begin after Archie has endured dealing with the court case all summer.
Cheryl Blossom as an official Serpent and #Choni
Cheryl has finally donned her iconic cherry red South Side Serpents jacket with the support of her friends and her new love interest, Toni Topaz. After a rescue mission to get Cheryl out of a conversion therapy program with the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, she and Toni share a passionate kiss (at last!). We can’t wait to see where their relationship will go now that they are both serpents.
More of #Bughead and now #Falice
Ah, how could we possibly survive if we didn’t have an adorable Bughead moment in each episode? Not only are we going to get more of that, but now that Hal is out of the picture, Alice Cooper will turn to her old flame FP Jones for comfort and closure after learning the fate of their son as well as dealing with her crumbling family life.
The return of Jughead’s mom and sister
We know that Jughead’s mother and little sister, Jellybean, live out of town, but are only ever mentioned in passing by FP and Jughead. However, this season we’ll finally be able to meet these infamous Jones family members, as well as see how FP will deal with seeing his wife again, especially with the blooming relationship between himself and Alice Cooper.
Polly introducing her life on the “Farm”
We know that Betty’s older sister, Polly, went to live on what was referred to as a “farm” to be away from any drama and danger upon the birth of her and Jason Blossom’s twins. After the reveal of her father as the Black Hood, Polly suggests to her mother that she receive help with coping from the other individuals on the farm. However, this slowly turns into a reveal of cult-like ceremonies and behaviors that we’ll just have to wait to find out more about.
Parents flashback episode
If you’ve ever imagined what the iconic Riverdale parents were like when they were in high school, now’s your chance! Pictures of the cast in retro clothing have circulated the web, leaving the internet excited to see how it will play out during the season. We’ll get to see the beginning, and maybe even the end of some iconic relationships and friendships.
Happy watching Gophers! Don’t forget to tune into all the drama on Wednesday, October 10th at 7 on the CW.