The coronavirus pandemic left many shows dangling in the middle of their season, with no time to resolve their pre-planned arcs or answer any of fans' burning questions. This is perhaps the most true for Riverdale Season 4, a show that dares to ask 20 more questions for each one it resolves. The series was forced to cut its fourth season short due to lockdowns, with its makeshift finale being "Killing Mr. Honey," an episode that splits its time between living in Jughead's fictional story about murdering his teacher as it does the real world of Riverdale.
Fortunately, Riverdale is making its grand comeback on January 20. While Season 5 will feature a time jump, with its high schoolers pulling a One Tree Hill and returning to the show as full-blown adults, we still have a few episodes to go in order to wrap up the teenage stories. We're getting prom, graduation, and probably a murder or five.
But while there's much to look forward to, there are still plenty of burning questions we have going into the new season. Here are the questions we're most excited to have answered.
What's the Deal With Hiram?
In Season 4, Hiram announced he was battling a terminal illness. For those sick of Hiram's shenanigans (um, everyone in town) this probably wasn't the saddest news ever. However, those watching Riverdale's tragically canceled Katy Keene — which took place about seven years after the events of Riverdale Season 4 — know that Hiram is alive and well. Unless, maybe, Hiram has an evil twin? Clifford and Claudius Blossom have set a wild precedent.
Who Is the Voyeur?
Early in Season 4, the gang began receiving videotapes on their front porch. The tapes showed hours upon hours of footage of their houses, yet no one knew who sent the tapes or why. Later on, the mysterious videotapes got way, way creepier — we're talking tapes of people dressed up as the classics Archie Comics gang, while reenacting Riverdale's most brutal crimes. Technically, there has to be more than one person involved in this disturbing art house project (there are multiple people on the videotapes, after all) but there's likely just one villain orchestrating this mayhem. Could the Voyeur be Jellybean, Jughead's little sister? One of the Stonewall Prep kids? Charles? Everyone is a suspect.
What's Actually on Those Tapes?
One thing that's unclear is whether the Voyeur's tapes are legitimate snuff films, or just reenactments. Though both are seriously disturbing, obviously, the latter is more sinister. Riverdale hasn't given us a clear answer yet, probably because that's what Betty and Jughead will need to uncover come Season 5. How did they ever have time to study for the SATs?
What's Happening With Betty and Archie?
Fans of Archie Comics know that Betty was never "supposed" to be with Jughead in the first place, but the sizzling chemistry between Betty and Jughead on Riverdale was undeniable — and thus, a new favorite ship, "Bughead," was born. Still, it wouldn't be a teen drama without a love triangle or 10, and the Betty-Archie-Veronica triad is a classic. Last season, Betty and Archie fakes a romance, leading to real feelings between them resurfacing. With Archie and Veronica potentially diverging on their future plans, and Betty and Jughead's pseudo-sibling relationship getting a little weird, could there be a paradigm shift? Could Barchie be what we see in Season 5?
Is Charles a Good Guy or Not?
Some may argue that Riverdale tipped its hand too early by showing Charles visiting Chic, seemingly his boyfriend, behind bars. We haven't seen Charles be anything but decent since, which could potentially mean he's playing a very long game to screw over Betty and Jughead and the rest of the Smith-Jones clan. Could he be the Voyeur? He's certainly one of the top suspects, however, I wouldn't be surprised if Charles was just trying to get intel from Chic during that strange visit. Only time will tell.
Where Will Everyone Go to College?
While not everyone in Riverdale plans to attend college post-graduation, we've heard Kevin mention NYU, and Veronica speak of her grand Barnard plans. Yet on Katy Keene, Kevin and Veronica weren't residents of NYC. Will everyone have a change of heart and switch up their dream colleges?
Is There More to Stonewall Prep Than Meets the Eye?
With Mr. Honey moving on to Stonewall Prep following his dramatic time at Riverdale, it's possible that we're not done with the literary murder cult that Jughead found himself wrapped up in. What else could there be to find out? We're not sure yet, but who doesn't love a prep school with plenty of secrets to uncover? (Probably Jughead, as those secrets almost got him killed.)
Will Cheryl and Toni Get in Trouble For Murder?
You probably forgot that Cheryl and Toni killed a creepy Blossom relative and dumped his body in Sweetwater River, which is understandable, as they never spoke of it again. Murder doesn't always have consequences in Riverdale, but if we learned anything from Jason Blossom's body popping up in the pilot episode, secrets tend to resurface in Riverdale.
How Will F.P. Be Written Out of the Show?
Skeet Ulrich, who plays Jughead's dad F.P., announced he was leaving the series following Season 4. That got a bit more complicated after Season 4 bled into Season 5, but it at least doesn't look like Ulrich will be sticking around post time jump. Will Riverdale kill Ulrich's character off? Will he go to prison for some long-forgotten crime? (He, too, helped cover up a murder.) Whatever happens, it's bound to be seriously dramatic.
Will Everyone Be Friends Post Time Jump?
The purpose of a time jump is to reset a series. In the years the audience has missed, relationships have changed, new alliances were built, and new enemies are made. What will that mean for Jughead and Betty, or even Jughead and Archie? Whatever happens, it's bound to be seriously juicy stuff... and I can't wait.
Images: The CW