WTF, The 'Riverdale' Season 4 Finale Promo Hints The Kids Will Commit Murder

The teens of Riverdale are no stranger to murder, but it looks like they are about to get even more up close and personal with the grisly concept. After a full season of dealing with their buzzkill high school principal, it appears the students of Riverdale High School are done with Mr. Honey — so much so, they plot to kill him. However, is the Riverdale Season 4 finale promo really what it seems, or is it yet another misdirection from the twisted minds behind the show? Let's discuss.

Warning: Spoilers for Riverdale Season 4, Episode 18, "Lynchian," follow. As soon as Mr. Honey arrived at Riverdale High at the beginning of Season 4 (after the previous principal, Mr. Weatherbee, ran off to join The Farm), fans knew he would be trouble. Sure, a lot of the rules he tried to implement — such as canceling the Back to School Ball to avoid future school-dance murders — were actually quite responsible, his hard-line approach to disciple was pretty annoying, and something about him was just downright creepy.

Mr. Honey's ick-factor was confirmed at the end of Episode 18, when he showed up at the local video store inquiring about the seedy back room called the "Scarlet Suite," which contained illicit videos of snuff films and sex tapes — including at least one featuring a pair of Riverdale High students. While it's unclear exactly what Honey was doing there, it's pretty tough to think of a non-sinister explanation.

Further, it might not be a coincidence Honey showed up on Riverdale around the same time those ominous VHS tapes began arriving on characters' doorsteps. So far, the theory the stuffy principal is the one behind this mystery has not been ruled out.

However, it hasn't been proven yet, either, which makes what's depicted in the show's Season 4 finale seem pretty drastic. Check it out for yourself:

Based on the promo, the gang seems pretty chill about killing their school's leader, so it's possible the final episode of the season does reveal him to be up to much worse than disciplining his students.

Or... this promo is another classic Riverdale trick. Similar to the way most of Season 4 tried to convince fans Jughead was dead, it's possible this promo just wants fans to think Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and friends would be willing to kill so casually. In fact, the official synopsis for the episode tells a different story:

After receiving a letter from the University of Iowa asking him to submit a story, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) works on a twisted tale about the gang’s revenge fantasy against Principal Honey (guest star Kerr Smith) for all the ways he’s ruined their senior year.

From the sound of it, the footage in the promo could simply be a reenactment of Jughead's new murder story, rather than real deeds carried out by the characters. Of course, this *is* Riverdale, after all, so fans shouldn't underestimate what these kids are capable of.

The Riverdale Season 4 finale airs Wednesday, May 6, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.