(Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Season 3 premiere of “Riverdale,” titled “Labor Day”)
Say it ain’t so, Archie!
The return of “Riverdale” was an emotional rollercoaster for fans, as the Season 3 premiere saw Archie hauled off to juvenile detention with a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to a murder he did not commit. Ever the hero, Archie accepted the prosecutor’s deal for a lessened sentence even though his trial resulted in a hung jury. The boy-next-door doesn’t want to put his parents and friends through that again!
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told TheWrap in an interview ahead of the premiere that we’re out of the courtroom for the season, but now everyone will be working together to try to free Archie. He also said that he was inspired by classic noir films like “Shawshank Redemption” for scenes in which Archie is behind bars.
Aguirre-Sacasa also quelled our fears about Betty, who was left seizing on her porch at the end of the episode.
“Betty’s very good at throwing herself into projects,” he said, adding that she and Jughead will be teaming up and focusing on the Gargoyle King mystery. “That’s one of the big mysteries, is are the seizures connected to the Gargoyle King? What is the Gargoyle King exactly?”
See our interview with Aguirre-Sacasa below.
TheWrap: You’ve said that Season 3 won’t be too heavy on the courtroom stuff with Archie. Now that he’s pled guilty and he’s in juvenile detention, what can you say about his fate?
Aguirre-Sacasa: “That’s it for the trial stuff. We are definitely going to see Archie in juvenile detention. You know, we always do kind of noir and crime stuff, and we wanted to do some — there are some great, obviously, classic noirs that are set in prisons and jails, so we wanted to do sort of like almost an homage to “Shawshank Redemption,” which is one of my favorite movies. And yeah, on the outside, we’re definitely going to see everyone working to get Archie out. Especially Veronica, who doesn’t want to be separated from her man.”
Speaking of Veronica, she tells her dad in this episode, “You have no daughter.” So how is that going to affect the Lodge family? Hermione especially, dealing with this crazy family life and mayoral duties.
“Hermione’s definitely caught between the two of them. And you know, Veronica and Hiram, they did fight last year, but Veronica’s always been kind of a Daddy’s Girl, and I think in Season 3 we really see her stop being that, and start being a real rival to her father. Last year, it was all about Hiram and Archie, and this year it’s all about Veronica and Hiram.”
Another character I wanted to ask you about is Betty. We find out she’s been lying and hiding drugs all summer, and really avoiding the trauma from Season 2 — and then the episode ends with her having a seizure! How might this affect the rest of the season?
“I think you know, the good thing about this season is that after the premiere, we have a great murder mystery and a great sort of mystery and you know, shocking crime for Betty and Jughead to investigate. So Betty’s very good at throwing herself into projects. So she’s going to throw herself into that. And she’s also going to throw herself into helping her mom, who is getting deeper and deeper into this place called the farm.”
Yes — and in the trailer we saw the Gargoyle King right behind Betty. So is that related to the end scene when she is seizing and having this crazy vision of the babies floating?
“One aspect of this season is we’re going to see how all these things tie together — or if they do. And that’s one of the big mysteries, is are the seizures connected to the Gargoyle King? What is the Gargoyle King exactly?”
I know you said you’ve been inspired by the first season of “True Detective.”
“Totally.”
What I’m interested in is this game that Dilton and Ben are playing. What can you tell us about this game? Will that be part of the mystery?
“That’s a really big aspect of the season. You know, when I was a kid, or when I was a teenager, Dungeons & Dragons was huge. It was kind of when it first really broke out. And a lot of adults and parents were against Dungeons & Dragons because they thought it like led to Satanism and murder and suicide and cult behavior. So Griffins & Gargoyles is sort of Riverdale’s version of Dungeons & Dragons. How the game fits into all of this is also sort of part of this ‘True Detective’-like mystery.”
We also in the premiere see the return of the Ghoulies when the Serpents are trying to save Hot Dog. How much will that rivalry play into the rest of the season?
“It felt like last year we did a lot of stuff with the Serpents, and we did a significant amount of stuff with the Ghoulies. You know, Jughead is the Serpent King, Betty is the Serpent Queen. The Serpents are definitely in conflict with other gangs. That’s a world that we’re not leaving behind, but I’d say that Betty and Jughead are mostly focused on the mystery at first.”
And then I had a question for you just about your day-to-day. How has it been balancing “Riverdale” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”?
“Brutal! Brutal, brutal, brutal. I mean listen, you know, I’m not gonna lie, it’s been exhausting and challenging and I don’t have weekends anymore and I don’t sleep. But I love the shows, so it’s easy to kind of throw myself into it. I have such great writing staffs, they make it possible. And really it’s like two groups of, two teams working at the best of their, at the top of their game. So that’s why it’s possible.”
We know not to expect a crossover at least anytime soon, but when working on two shows at the same time, do you find that an idea you had for “Riverdale” might not work there, but on “Sabrina” instead, or vice versa?
“That’s a really good question. Yeah, you know there’s always a little bit of cross-pollination that way. I will say that the shows are — because the genre is different, one is horror and one is pulpy crime, there’s not tons of overlap. But I think there’s no denying that they’re both products of their time. And you know, that they kind of refract what I’m thinking about and what the writers are thinking about. But they’re pretty distinct, I would say.”
We finally got to learn about the Gladys and Jellybean casting during New York Comic-Con over the weekend, which I know was exciting for fans.
Have they been on set already? What can you tease about how they’ll fit in?
“We just shot their first episode, and they’re amazing. I love them. I love them I love them I love them. They’re great. You know, Gina Gershon is an icon obviously, and she’s been in two of my favorite crime movies. She was in a movie called “Killer Joe” and she was also in one of the great modern pulp noirs, “Bound,” which I love. And she knew Skeet [Ulrich] — it’s amazing. And Trinity, who plays Jellybean, she’s great.”
And how will Betty get along with Jellybean and Gladys?
“Very good question. Probably not well, right?”
During our interview at TCA this summer, we talked about another musical episode happening in Season 3. Have you narrowed down which musical yet?
“I definitely still want to do it, it’s obviously one of my — it’s such a fan favorite episode, and we all love it. You know, we haven’t narrowed it down yet. We have a list, a running list, but it really has to be the perfect musical at the perfect time for it to work, or else it just won’t be as good as last season. And kind of no one wants that, you know what I mean?”
Yeah. So we talked about “True Detective,” you mentioned “Shawshank Redemption,” and obviously the flashback episode is inspired by “The Breakfast Club” — what, if any, other pop culture or pulp crime touchstones did you draw inspiration from for this season?
“We’re definitely, you know for Veronica… she says in the [Season 2] finale, she said she’s opening a speakeasy. And we’re really like… there are a couple of homages to like the movie “Casino,” a little bit younger, the Tom Cruise movie “Risky Business.” We’ve got some… You know the movie “Cabaret” or the musical “Cabaret” is obviously another inspiration. So we’re going to add a little bit of showbiz glamour to Riverdale with the speakeasy.”
“Riverdale” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
Bughead: A Timeline of Riverdale's Most Popular Ship (Photos)
Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) are arguably the internet's favorite couple. From Twitter accounts to Tumblr pages, the couple is by far Riverdale's most popular ship. But Season 2 has been anything but smooth sailing for the sleuthing duo, from Juggie's new friend Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) to Betty's "Serpent Dance." Scroll down for a Bughead breakdown.
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Betty starts out Season 1 with eyes for Riverdale High's It-Boy Archie Andrews, who also happens to be her childhood BFF and neighbor. Archie is a boy straight out of a Taylor Swift song: He plays football, guitar, and has the killer six-pack of a Calvin Klein model. But Archie soon tells Betty he wants to stay in the friend zone, leaving Betty single and ready to mingle.
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Betty and Jughead -- who is Archie's other childhood BFF -- start spending more time together as they investigate the death of golden boy Jason Blossom. Juggie also helps Betty find her sister, who their parents have been keeping hidden at Sisters of Quiet Mercy because she got pregnant with Jason Blossom's baby.
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Betty decides to revive the Blue and Gold, Riverdale High's school newspaper, as a place to publish and expose their investigations. She convinces Jughead to join her, meaning the two spend even more time together.
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The Bughead first kiss scene (it's right here if you need to re-watch it) is chock full of teen romance tropes. Jughead sneaks into Betty's second-story bedroom window, then earnestly tells her that they won't end up like their parents before grabbing her face and kissing her, officially starting the Bughead ship -- and maybe those Romeo and Juliet comparisons?
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Veronica notices Betty and Jughead are getting closer, but neither one of the duo quite knows how to label their newfound feels for one another. It doesn't take long until Betty is calling Juggie her "boyfriend."
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Betty's mom, Mrs. Alice Cooper, is not as on board with her daughter's new relationship as everyone else. She doesn't approve of Jughead's dad, F.P. Jones, who she knew back in the day at Riverdale High, and sets up a "family dinner" for the four of them before the school dance, with hopes that she'll be able to get some info out of F.P. on Jason's death. When Jughead finds out this was the reason for the dinner, he feels betrayed by Betty, although she didn't know her mom's true intentions until it was too late.
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Trouble in paradise? When Betty throws Jughead a surprise birthday party that goes awry, he's left feeling very misunderstood.
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Jughead's poor relationship with his dad starts to get in the way of his relationship with Betty when she remains convinced of F.P.'s innocence, but Jughead feels hopeless. He almost leaves town, but luckily Betty, Archie and Veronica find him at Pop's before he gets on the bus.
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When Jughead's dad is taken into police custody for the murder of Jason Blossom, Riverdale's Truman Capote wannabe is forced to live with a foster family and switch schools to Southside High. Betty, Archie and Veronica try to convince him to return to RHS, but he's certain that's where he belongs. We know that in Season 2, Juggie will befriend a Southside High girl, leaving room for rough waters when it comes to Bughead.
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To show gratitude for the solving of Jason's murder, Mayor McCoy asks Betty to speak at the town's annual Jubilee. But instead of what McCoy wants to hear, Betty stands up for F.P. and Jughead, urging the town to do better. Jughead is the first to clap for her speech, and all is right with Buggie again.
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After the Jubilee is solved, Jughead declares his love for Betty, and it's just *so* romantic. They are soulmates, after all (at least according to Veronica). They're interrupted, though, by some Southside Serpents, there to thank Jughead for his dad's loyalty and to invite him to join their group. It seems clear that Betty is less than enthused at Juggie's decision to put on the infamous jacket.
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Heading into Season 2, Betty and Jughead are trying to make things work, despite going to different high schools now--Jughead transferred to Southside High because his dad is in jail. Jughead is trying to make new friends to avoid getting jumped, but Betty doesn't want him getting involved with any Southside Serpents.
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Jughead makes friends with Toni, a Southside Serpent who (at least at first) seems pretty darn thirsty for a certain crown-wearing carnivore we know. In a similar move to Betty's from Season 1, Jughead convinces his lit teacher to let him reopen the Red and Black, Southside High's school newspaper. He enlists Toni to help. They even kiss at one point (gasp!!), but it turns out Toni prefers girls anyway.
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Betty starts to get in way too deep investigating The Black Hood, and the serial killer terrorizing Riverdale convinces her to get Archie to tell Jughead to stay away from her. She's trying to protect Jug, but it backfires.
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Meanwhile, Jughead is dealing with the Serpents--which, yeah he officially joined--and their feud with the Ghoulies, the Southside's other gang. He decides it's a good idea to street race the Ghoulies for territory on the Southside. Betty is sorry about dumping him via Archie, but tells him she'll explain everything later.
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Eventually, the two smooth things over and get right back to their sleuthing ways. The only thing that can distract them is F.P. getting out of jail thanks to an ultra shady favor Jughead did for Penny Peabody aka the Snake Charmer. Which leads to another one of Betty's failed party-throwing attempts...
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Betty and Jughead decide it's a great idea to throw F.P. a retirement party at the Whyte Wyrm. Betty is now okay with the fact that her bf is a Serpent, and wants to become "Serpent Adjacent." So naturally she performs a "Serpent Dance" at the party, in front of everyone (including her MOM), to prove she can hang. Jughead isn't impressed, though, now convinced she's in even more danger.
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While Betty and Jughead are preoccupied with the Serpents, Archie and Veronica are having troubles of their own. Archie confessed his love for Ronnie, but she just couldn't reciprocate, leaving both couples in a are-we-still-together-or-did-we-really-just-break-up state. The eighth episode of Season 2 leaves us hanging with a pretty suggestive ~lewk~ between Betty and Archie, who seems to see the Girl Next Door as more than the Girl Next Door for the first time (and if you'll remember back to the beginning of this post, Betty used to have a thing for Archie). Will Bughead endure or is it time for some new ships to sail?
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In the next episode, that sexual tension materializes in more than just a look -- Archie and Betty kiss!! *Gasp* They end up smooching in the car while hunting down the Black Hood, but pretty much ignore it after that. Technically, they're both broken up with their respective boos, but Bughead fans definitely found this cringey.
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After winter break, Archie and Veronica have patched things up and are back together (Ronnie finally told Archiekins she loves him) and Betty and Jughead are still in limbo. After Jughead's expose about General Pickens, they both get suspended from the Blue and Gold, and end up having a talk about their relationship. Jughead admits to kissing Toni, but assures Betty that nothing else happened. But when Juggie asks Betty if she's done anything with anyone else since their breakup, she doesn't mention the Barchie kiss.
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Fast-forward a bit and Hiram generously offers to give the Core Four the Lodge family cabin for the weekend. Veronica happily obliges, and the two couples head out of Riverdale for a romantic getaway. But thanks to Cheryl's inherent nastiness (and jealousy at not being invited), she calls Jug to tell him about the Barchie kiss. To even the playing field, Veronica decides it'll be a great idea for her and Jughead to kiss. And they do, to the dismay of Bughead and Varchie fans.
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When the Lodges try to get Fred Andrews to run for mayor, it incites chaos in the lives and relationships of the Core Four. Archie sides with Hiram Lodge over his own dad, bringing him even closer to the family, and it causes Jughead and Betty to run for student council -- and oh, Veronica and Archie are opposing them.
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”Hey there, Juliet“
Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) are arguably the internet's favorite couple. From Twitter accounts to Tumblr pages, the couple is by far Riverdale's most popular ship. But Season 2 has been anything but smooth sailing for the sleuthing duo, from Juggie's new friend Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) to Betty's "Serpent Dance." Scroll down for a Bughead breakdown.