‘Riverdale’ Changes Everything With Another Murder And A New Batch Of Secrets

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Riverdale.

Riverdale closed out its first season with a wild season finale despite the Archie comics adaptation having previously solved Jason Blossom’s murder in last week’s episode. As series creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa hinted last week, the season finale, “Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter,” opened up a whole new can of worms with the resolution of Jason’s murder. While several questions were raised surrounding the fallout from that crime, Riverdale moved forward with a new murder — the death of a prominent character — and as Aguirre-Sacasa teases, that tragedy will have long-lasting repercussions all through Season 2 of Riverdale.

“The Sweet Hereafter” Sets Riverdale Up For A New Mystery

Entertainment Weekly gave an in-depth recap into “The Sweet Hereafter,” which, of course, was the season finale of Riverdale, and there’s no escaping the fact that Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) was the star of this episode. He was resisting Hermoine Lodge’s (Marisol Nichols) devious manipulations and trying to do everything within his power to keep Archie (K.J. Apa) from the dangers lurking on the streets of Riverdale.

When it comes down to it, there’s no denying that Fred was a source of strength and integrity.

Of course, being a stalwart role model in Riverdale doesn’t always end well, and that was something Archie and Fred both learned with that shocking conclusion.

Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) narrated those final, earth-shattering moments, confirming what Riverdale fans suspected from the moment that masked robber appeared in Pop’s: This was no random robbery. There was a method to this madness, and whatever that may mean for Season 2 of Riverdale, Archie will be forever changed by the incident.

Meanwhile, Jughead has been drafted into the Southside Serpents, against the wishes of his girlfriend, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart). Will Riverdale send Jughead down his father’s path?

Speaking of Betty, it was also revealed that she has a brother out there somewhere and, if Riverdale holds true to form, that long-lost Cooper son will soon return to wreak havoc on Riverdale’s once wholesome community.

Could Betty’s unknown sibling have had a hand in the shooting of Fred Andrews?

Riverdale Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Teases Darker Mysteries For Season 2

Talking with the Hollywood Reporter, Roberto confirmed that the shooting of Fred Andrews will play a major part in Season 2, at least as far as Archie’s journey in the coming installment. The Riverdale showrunner adds that the entire series is really about Archie and how he transitions from teen hero to a grown man.

Aguirre-Sacasa points to Marvel and DC heroes Spider-Man and Batman, each of whom evolved into a symbol of hope, after watching their family members murdered by criminals. The Riverdale boss says Archie will go through a very similar process. Closer to Bruce Wayne’s journey, Archie will seek out revenge for Fred’s murder, but as the season progresses, Archie will heal his wounds and come back to the light.

Also influencing Archie’s path on Riverdale is his relationship with Veronica (Camila Mendes), which took a big step when the two teens made love for the first time. While sex will definitely complicate their relationship, the Riverdale creator says that romance will further be complicated by the arrival of Hiram Lodge, Veronica’s father.

“The grass is always greener with Archie. I think the biggest way that his relationship with Veronica, which we are going to play in season two, the biggest way it’s going to complicate Archie and Veronica’s life is the arrival of Veronica’s father Hiram.”

Fans of the Archie comics will recall that Hiram Lodge never really liked Archie Andrews, and this is something that will be carried over in Season 2 of Riverdale. Whether Archie is dating his daughter or not, Hiram will have it in for the Andrews teen.

“We’re not going to know what Hiram is up to at first. Is he a good guy, a bad guy or a mid of the two? But we are going to get a sense that Hiram does not approve of his daughter dating Archie,” Aguirre-Sacasa explained. “The biggest competition will come externally from Hiram. Internally, emotionally, does Archie have feelings for Betty? Who knows?”

Season 2 of Riverdale will belong to Archie, but Roberto adds that the mysteries surrounding Betty, Jughead, and Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) will play into that story arc, as the teen enlists his friends to help him discover what motivated the shooting of his father.

[Featured Image by The CW]