The back half of Season 6 of Riverdale is upon us, and with it, a brand new slate of drama. Hiram Lodge is no more, but there's a new potential villain afoot. Betty and Archie survived the bomb, but may have supernatural powers now. Veronica finally won the war with her dad (probably, anyway) but now has her older sister Hermosa out for blood. Jughead is a successful journalist, thanks to his writing about Hiram's nefarious ways, but he's suffering hearing loss that will likely only get worse. Oh, and Cheryl is possessed by a witch, because of course she is!
Big things are happening for the Riverdale crew, but while the Season 6B premiere "Unbelievable" certainly teed us up for an insane season, we have plenty of questions. Here are our top ones as we go into a new season of chaos.
So, Riverdale Is Supernatural Now?
Riverdale has long skirted along the edges of the supernatural, never quite going so far as to say that magic, ghosts, and other things that belonged on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina were legit. In fact, the Rivervale event series seemed to be a way for the show to play in the supernatural sandbox, without it crossing over too far into the world of Riverdale. At least, that's what we thought: Season 6B, which exists firmly in the Riverdale universe, brings in multiple supernatural elements, including Archie and Betty developing special powers, and Cheryl being possessed by the ghost of her witch ancestor Abigail. So is this the new norm for Riverdale, or did something with the bomb unlock the spooky stuff we're seeing now?
Who Is Filling Hiram Lodge's Loafers As the New Big Bad?
Percival Pickens is the latest Riverdale arrival (well, unless you count Abigail, the witch possessing Cheryl's body) and it seems like he's the most likely suspect for the show's new Hiram. For one thing, he's already trying to buy Archie's house, which is sus considering a bomb just destroyed it. According to Deadline, this newbie is "a descendent of one of Riverdale’s founding fathers, General Pickens" who "wants to turn Riverdale into a 'utopia,' a dark agenda he pursues quietly but ruthlessly." Exactly what that means is unclear, but it does sound a lot like Hiram's seasonal real estate plots, no?
And Speaking Of...Is Hiram Really Dead?
Veronica hiring a hit on her dad is a long time coming, but what's surprising is that she may have actually succeeded this time — unless, of course, she didn't, and the photo that the hitman sent to her was a fake. Hiram is crafty, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's toying with Veronica as a way to get revenge — especially since showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa insisted that Hiram is welcome back to the show any time.
Who Is the Trash Bag Killer?
Sure, Hiram may have been the show's Big Bad, but the series would be nothing if not for its serial killers. There was the Black Hood, the Gargoyle King, the Lonely Highway Killer, and now, there's finally the Trash Bag Killer — a murderer who was teased way back in Season 5 as the source of (just some of) Betty's trauma. In the Season 6B premiere, the Trash Bag Killer murdered Glen, Betty's gross and mean ex-boyfriend, which is only troubling because he was the top suspect for a while. So...is the TBK even someone we know at all, or just another serial killer worming his way into Betty's life?
How Will Abigail Come Into Play?
Abigail Blossom, the witch possessing Cheryl's body, was burned alive at the stake centuries ago for witchcraft by the descendants of Jughead, Betty, and Archie. The girl wants revenge, but how, exactly, will she get it? This trio already suffered quite a lot following the explosion, so it almost seems cruel to keep hitting them when they're down. Then again, this is Riverdale — and there's really no shortage of suffering.