The upcoming season of Riverdale is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated season of the dark teen drama yet, and that is all thanks to a totally unexpected flash-forward twist in the Season 3 finale. The first flash-forward the series has ever done, the cliffhanger scene teased quite a disturbing development, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats as they await more episodes — and answers. Luckily, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa recently dropped some welcome info about what Riverdale Season 4 will be about, including details about the first four episodes of the new season.
Spoiler alert: This post contains details from the Riverdale Season 3 finale. After Riverdale aired its Season 3 finale in May, fans were left reeling from the sheer number of revelations, twists, and cliffhangers. The episode confirmed Penelope Blossom was the Black Hood (and that she is still on the loose), introduced Betty and Jughead's FBI agent half-brother Charles Smith, saw Alice Cooper being whisked away by The Farm, revealed Cheryl's creepy newfound obsession with her brother's corpse, and most pressingly, flashed forward to Archie, Betty, and Veronica burning Jughead's iconic beanie in the woods. Yeah... it was a lot to deal with in just one episode!
So, how will Season 4 explain all of these wild plotlines? According to ComicBook.com, at San Diego Comic-Con, Aguirre-Sacasa teased out what will happen in each of the first four episodes of the new season, most notably revealing that The Farm storyline will come to a close very quickly once the show returns this fall.
As previously confirmed, the Season 4 premiere will be titled "In Memoriam" and will be a touching tribute to Luke Perry, who died suddenly of a stroke while Riverdale was still filming its final Season 3 episodes earlier this year. The season's first episode will provide explanation for what happens to Fred Andrews, and will also include Perry's Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Shannen Doherty as a guest star.
The second episode of the new season will introduce a new principal at Riverdale High, replacing Principal Weatherbee, who presumably skipped town with the rest of the members of The Farm at the end of Season 3. Episode 3 will reportedly conclude The Farm storyline, which hopefully means Betty and Charles will track down the cult and save Alice, Fangs, Weatherbee, and everyone else who joined the covert organ-harvesting collective. Sadly, this teaser might also mean Episode 3 of Season 4 may be the last Riverdale fans see of Chad Michael Murray on the show in his role as The Farm's leader, Edgar Evernever.
While it sounds like Episode 3 will be a big one, Episode 4 might be even bigger. Aguirre-Sacasa revealed the fourth episode will be Riverdale's first-ever Halloween episode. (Anyone else shocked the show hasn't already done a Halloween episode?) Aguirre-Sacasa went on to confirm that a character will die in this spooky episode, so it's safe to say it is definitely one fans should not miss.
Riverdale Season 4 will premiere Oct. 9 on the CW.
