Season 3 of Riverdale is showing fans just how scary the criminal justice system within the small town can be: Archie (K.J. Apa) will be its latest victim.
At the end of season 2 of Riverdale, Archie finally realizes that mustache-twirling mobster Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) really is a very bad man. (The murders, money laundering, and associations with men named "Papa Poutine" did not tip Archie off, apparently.) Unfortunately for the newly-minted school president, going up against his girlfriend's daddy was a bad idea. Instead of Archie delivering an impassioned speech as Mr. Prez during the school's assembly, he is dragged away by the Hiram-controlled Sheriff for a murder he did not commit.
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So mean, Hiram. Archie really loved you!
Thanks to new spoilers from Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, we now know that Archie's summer vacation was likely spent dealing with the repercussions of Hiram's maniacal plan.
"And so Season 3 of #Riverdale begins," Aguirre-Sacasa wrote on Twitter. "Thrilled & honored to get to tell more stories w/this incredible cast & crew!"
The TV creator shared an image of the cover page of season 3's premiere episode, titled "Labor Day." In the comic illustration, we see poor Archikens on trial for a murder he did not commit, with the caption below reading:
"Here is a gripping courtroom drama... involving Archie's honor... and a startling denouement that will fascinate you!"
And so Season 3 of #Riverdale begins! Thrilled & honored to get to tell more stories w/this incredible cast & crew! pic.twitter.com/6B47Ohodau
— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) June 27, 2018
Hmm... what fascinating conclusion could this trial come to? Given what we know about the Riverdale police force, it could very well end with Archie behind bars... possibly indefinitely. Could season 3 of Riverdale go the way of true crime stories like Making a Murderer and Serial, with friends like Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) desperately fighting for Archie's innocence?
Reinhart previously told Refinery29 that the core four (which also includes Camila Mendes' Veronica) will only grow closer as they try to save Archie from an unjust system:
"I think they’re going to go into [saving Archie] as a team, together," the actress told R29 before The CW's upfront presentation this year. "I don’t think [the situation is] going to split them apart at all."
That's good news, because Archie will definitely need his gang in his corner... or, at least, rooting him on in the courtroom.
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