Riverdale season two is set to premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. on The CW. Here’s what’s been discussed so far about the upcoming 22 new episodes:

1. Archie is going to get dark. As showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (RAS) tells Entertainment Tonight, Archikins is going on a “hero’s journey” à la Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker, but before he goes on that journey, he’ll take on elements of revenge, darkness, and violence begetting violence. “So it’s going to be a really different Archie for season two,” he says. “That’s really exciting.”

2. Season two will pick up where season one left off. RAS confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that while Archie’s journey to darkness will be the “spine” of the second season, finding out who shot Fred will “absolutely” be the focus of the beginning. On May 23, RAS shared this nice image and episode title — "A Kiss Before Dying" — from the season two premiere:

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Here we go. Season Two of #Riverdale is officially underway! Are you ready? pic.twitter.com/tPvMcRzv8t — RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) May 23, 2017

As the folks at Bleeding Cool point out, the spilled milkshake image is from Life With Archie #36, where Archie dies from a gunshot inside Pop's. The original image of spilled milkshake has been changed to blood for the show.

By the way, Fred’s “ultimate fate” will be revealed by the end of season two, episode one. As RAS told the Comic-Con crowd on July 22 (via THR), "The first episode is basically Archie, the gang, all the town sitting and waiting to find out what’s going to happen with Fred.” EXCITING.

3. A "civil war" is coming. Betty aptly provided this forecast in the season finale, telling Jughead she doesn’t want to “let a civil war rip us apart” as he inches closer and closer to the south side. Sorry, Betty. It’s happening. RAS reveals to both TV Line and ET that the war will occur between the north side of Riverdale and the south side. Does this mean Jughead will have some tough decisions to make if he joins the Serpents during this time of war? Will there be a nice story arc about forbidden love?

4a. You guessed it: Betty and Jughead’s relationship will be on the line. RAS tells ET that as Jughead “sort of” follows F.P.’s footsteps, there might be some distance between himself and Betty. A “central conflict” will threaten their relationship, and yes, it’s really too bad considering the fact that their relationship graduated to “I love you” levels in the finale.

4b. The new Jughead might take a dark turn. In an interview with TV Line, Cole Sprouse teases that in fact, the whole show will be "getting darker and stranger" in the tone of season one's first episodes. "This heavy cinematography, this overbearing coloration, this really dark content that's kind of over-the-top and campy" will be the overall look and tone of season two.

5a. Betty’s secret older brother might make an appearance. It’s not definite, but RAS tells TV Line, “I wouldn’t be surprised, and that’s all I’ll say about that.”

5b. Rejoice, for there will be so much more Kevin in season two. As RAS reveald at Comic-Con, episode three will be all about Kevin. “The story is what does Kevin do when he’s not in that circle of friends. Is he doing something that’s potentially dangerous? We get to explore that a little bit.” FYI, episode three’s title is “The Watcher in the Woods.” (via CBR.com)

6. The birth of Polly’s twins will happen on season two. “I don’t want to say too much, but no, that is absolutely not something that will happen off-screen,” RAS tells TV Line. Yes! Another set of twins to get excited about. Love it.

7. There will be some new faces. Mark Consuelos will play Hiram Lodge, who is a hop, skip, and a jump away from getting out of prison to join Hermione and Veronica at their fancy apartment. Right off the bat, Hiram will not approve of Veronica and Archie’s relationship, RAS tells THR, adding that Hiram and Hermione will be a “power couple” in season two (think Frank and Claire Underwood on House of Cards). Meanwhile, Reggie Mantle has been replaced as Ross Butler heads to a second season of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Thanks for the memories and the abs, Ross. Expect to see the equally beautiful face of Charles Melton, whose resume includes small roles on Glee and American Horror Story: Hotel, as Reggie starting in season two.

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#Riverdale returns for Season 2 in 9 days on The CW. pic.twitter.com/WgdpI2YZK7 — Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) October 3, 2017

Vanessa Morgan, who previously appeared on The Shannara Chronicles, will portray Toni Topaz, a bisexual Southside Serpent comic book fans should be familiar with. During Comic-Con, RAS described Toni as “sort of Jughead’s guide into the Serpent world… she’s almost like a female Jughead.” In August 2017, Vanessa told Glamour that she's already received death threats from fans who fear her character will break up Betty and Jughead. "But the thing is, it's half death threats because they don't want that [actually] happening, and there's half that's all love. Who knows if [my character coming between Bughead] is even going to happen. People are just jumping to conclusions." Vanessa also noted that IRL, "Lili and Cole are awesome, and they have been nothing but welcoming to me." BTW, Vanessa's best friend is Cheryl Blossom herself, Madelaine Petsch.

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The Serpents will also have a new face in Penny Peabody, played by True Blood actress Brit Morgan. Penny is a real asset to the Serpents, who have her around for potential legal problems. According to Deadline, Penny prefers that her clients pay her with favors and not cash. In season two, Jughead will try to hire Penny to help FP straighten things out.



Also coming to Riverdale: Nick St. Clair, Veronica’s ex-boyfriend from New York. According to executive producer Sarah Schechter, Nick will give way to “Dark Veronica,” who is apparently “much darker than Dark Betty" (via EW). On Aug. 11, RAS shared this photo of Nick and Varchie, aka your future favorite TV love triangle.

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On Oct. 6, TV Line reported that newcomer Hart Denton will play Chic, Betty’s long-lost brother. He’s expected to make his debut on Riverdale halfway through the season.

8. Sabrina the Teenage Witch and those zombies you keep on hearing about might still have a chance to enter the Riverdale world. In an interview with Comicbook.com, RAS says while there was a lot of discussion about introducing Sabrina in season one, the show ultimately left her out because she risked overshadowing every other storyline (“it’s such a big idea to introduce the supernatural into a natural world”). He says the second season will continue to hint at supernatural elements, much like the first season with visions of Jason as a zombie and ghost and Archie’s visions of werewolves, which might open a door for Sabrina. “Or that might just be to make it more like Twin Peaks and the way they dealt with the supernatural,” he says.

During Comic-Con, RAS further hinted at the possible arrival of Sabrina (via EW): “I love horror stuff and I love dreams and jump scares and things like that, so we’re always trying to figure out ways to put hints of that in Riverdale. We have been talking about one very prominent supernatural character that exists in the Archie universe."

In September 2017, The CW announced that Sabrina the Teenage Witch is getting a reboot from the same producers as Riverdale. Warner Bros. Television is working with the network to produce a one-hour drama series about Sabrina Spellman. No further details were released, so do keep those fingers crossed for a Sabrina/Riverdale crossover situation.

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Perfect project for October as the #Riverdale family expands… And 9 days to premiere night… pic.twitter.com/Kprlxjiz5H — RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) October 3, 2017

9. Filming officially commenced in June 2017. On June 20, Mama Cooper (Madchen Amick), shared a photo of the cast getting together to do the first-ever table read for season two. According to Mama Coops, the first three episodes will be “EPIC.”

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Some initial observations: someone really likes chips and guac enough to bring it to a table read; Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and Hermione are SITTING TOGETHER, as are Bughead; the new Reggie (Charles Melton) is there; Luke Perry is missing (or he went to get more chips because there’s an empty chair at the end of the long table); and KJ Apa cannot take a serious photo. See?

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10. Veronica and Archie are getting married! Or not, as the presence of Jason Blossom and Fred Andrews (whose fate remains unknown at this point) suggests that the wedding scene is likely part of a dream sequence. Photos from the Vancouver wedding set were leaked June 26, showing Veronica in a gorgeous wedding gown, Betty in a blue bridesmaid dress, and Jughead and Archie in matching kilts. On Sept. 13, The CW teased the wedding in a 27-second trailer:

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11. Jughead’s excellent narration will be back, according to this trailer. Warner Bros. rolled out a ton of new trailers at Comic-Con 2017 in San Diego, including the first official preview for Riverdale season two. First, watch the delightful bloopers reel, which basically confirms KJ Apa is the biggest prankster on set. Then, watch the Jughead-narrated trailer, which finds Archie in a bloodied letterman jacket, Fred’s life still on the line, and Mama Blossom in the hospital. The shooter, meanwhile, is still on the loose. As Pop Tate says, the unidentified gunman was “like the angel of death.” Is it October yet?

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12. Archie's got a gun! At least according to this 30-second TV released by The CW. Also included in the promo: a hot shower scene featuring Veronica and someone who looks a lot like Archie, an angry Betty (dark Betty?) confronting her mom about a front page story, a courtroom scene, and a masked gunman opening fire at what looks like a very formal event (see no. 10).

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13. Someone named the "Sugar Man" is coming to Riverdale, maybe. On Aug. 15, RAS tweeted this very creepy children's drawing of a young Cheryl and Jason, along with the Sugar Man. He offered no explanation of what role the Sugar Man will play in season two but Twitter's placing bets on a Halloween episode.

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14. There might be a Supergirl/Riverdale crossover. Or RAS is just toying with your emotions with this set photo of Melissa Benoist in full Supergirl gear sitting down for a milkshake at Pop's.

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Look who dropped in to #Riverdale for a visit! Worlds colliding!! Can a crossover be far behind?? pic.twitter.com/E8Jf7UW3L2 — RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) August 24, 2017

15. Betty and Jughead will get their hands dirty - with a car.



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#Riverdale fans, a treat for the weekend. Love these 2 actors, doing incredible work. Love #Bughead, making it work. pic.twitter.com/K11nCu9vxw — RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) August 26, 2017

And comic book fans, yes, you've seen Betty in a similar situation before.

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Whether it's in the comics or on #Riverdale, Betty Cooper is the queen of fixing cars. pic.twitter.com/ZOZueXvy9H — Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) August 29, 2017

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Expectation vs expectation! ❤️

I knew this picture reminded me of something. Thank you @WriterRAS for making it a reality! #Bughead pic.twitter.com/CafHUoof7w — Erin ♣ (@ErinBabyQueen) August 26, 2017

16. Something major will happen to Jughead, Josie, and Betty in season two episode seven, or "Chapter Twenty," called "Tales from the Darkside." RAS calls the script his "favorite" so far.

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This is one of my FAVORITE scripts for #Riverdale so far… But it won’t be for Jughead, Josie, and Betty… pic.twitter.com/b2Xt0yIH6n — RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) August 22, 2017

17. Alice Cooper and FP Jones might get together. You're kidding, right?



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Riverdale: The Complete First Season, Available on Amazon, $25

Peggy Truong Entertainment Writer Peggy is Cosmopolitan.com’s entertainment writer, specializing in Leonardo DiCaprio, This Is Us, and the royals.

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