After a season full of ups, downs, twists, and turns, the season 3 finale of Riverdale left fans with several question. Why didn't Alice tell Betty that she was working undercover for the FBI? And why didn't she tell Betty that she KNEW that Betty's half brother, Charles, was alive? And the most important thing out of all of these is what the heck will happen to Jughead in season 4? As a Riverdale fanatic here are my theories, predictions, and questions for season 4.
Lets start with a brief recap on the season 3 finale. The episode begins when the core four receive invitations to dinner that evening from the Gargoyle king. They are given very strict directions, such as, no one is allowed to know where they are going and they are each given specific outfits to wear for that evening. Betty and Veronica are given beautiful evening gowns and high heels while Archie and Jughead are given suits to wear. At dinner they are accompanied by Penelope Blossom, Hal Cooper (aka the black hood), Sister Woodhouse, and the Gargoyle King. Penelope Blossom asks Jughead to try and figure out who was under the mask and sure enough, after a series of ideas, he guesses correctly. As the gargoyle king lifts the mask we see that it is Chic. And not just Chic, but Chic with red hair! All fans can only wonder if this was a mysterious act of Penelope. Penelope then sets the four friends on a "quest" designed specifically for them and their fears. The deal of Penelope's "game" is to see if they can survive the night or not. Meanwhile at The Farm, all of the members are preparing for their ascension night. We later discover that once everyone had "ascended" they left Kevin behind because apparently they "needed someone to stay back to explain to everyone what happened." But come on, this is Riverdale. No one ever explains anything in Riverdale so why is The Farm so worried about that now? Next the four friends face several scary challenges throughout the night that put them all in danger. Luckily, Cheryl and Toni come to the rescue as they bring the Serpents and the Poison's together to save the four of them. We also discover towards the end of the finale that Alice has actually been working undercover for the FBI, which is why she was so involved with The Farm. And not only that, but shes working for her son Charles! Who everyone thought was dead until now... Finally, the episode ends with the four friends all drinking a milkshake at Pop's. They all laugh and talk like normal teenagers would until a flash forward interrupts this cheery scene. We are shown an image of the four friends all standing around a fire by a lake and saying that they will never discuss what happened that night. As we get a closer look we see a familiar shape being clutched in Archie's hand, and as he releases it into the fire we see Jughead's beanie. Talk about a cliff hanger!v
Is Jughead dead? No. There is absolutely no way that the CW would remove their most beloved character. But what exactly is this flash forward depicting? There are a few possible theories for this question-
Jughead Killed The Real Charles
While during the season finale we learn that Alice has been working for her son Charles under the FBI, there are several things that don't quite match up to that. Some questions being has she known that Charles was alive the whole time? Or is this discovery something new? And if it was new why would she keep it from Betty? How would it have effected anything if Betty would've known? Although there are no direct answers to these questions there is a possible theory that comes along with it. What if Jughead killed the real Charles? The discussion of Charles has been common since season 1. So why is the so called "real" Charles being introduced now? What if Jughead actually killed the real Charles in order to protect Betty and her family and this FBI guy is coming in pretending to be the real Charles. Could this also be the reason behind the flash forward?
The Friends Think Jughead's Dead When Really He's Alive
Riverdale has a strong history of making fans believe that a character is dead when really they're just preparing for the best way to surprise their viewers. This has happened before but most specific examples are Chic and Charles. Although we don't have any context to what the friends think happened, Riverdale could just be throwing us an illusion making us believe that Jughead is dead when really he is alive just somewhere he shouldn't be.
Charles is Working for the Farm
Throughout the entire season Alice Copper has become a possessed member of The Farm. She tries so hard to get Betty to come and join them, but as Betty repeatedly refuses it just causes Alice to become even more obsessed. So because of all of this past information it is really hard for fans to be convinced that that was all just an act that Alice was portraying. Could her and Charles just be lying straight to Betty's face so they can get more information out of her? Are they both still working for The Farm but pretending they're not? Or are they FOR REAL done with that creepy farm?
Riverdale is Actually Jughead's Story
Although this isn't directly focused on season 4 it is still an important theory to mention. Considering the fact that this is season 4 of Riverdale and that our favorite high schoolers are approaching their senior year, no one knows exactly how much longer this show will continue. You might start beginning to wonder how will it end? How will the writers of this show manage to seal up this story with a solid ending? Although no one has any idea, there is a theory that I feel is important enough to be mentioned. The very first episode of season 1 we were given Jughead as our narrator. He is first introduced typing about the things that he is currently narrating on his computer. What if the crazy upside down stories of Riverdale aren't actually "real" to the characters at all but is actually just a story that Jughead has been writing and narrating. Although we still have a full season ahead of us until we can be sure, all Riverdale fans are intrigued in seeing how these crazy high schoolers will finish off their journey.
Be sure to tune into the CW on Wednesday October 9 at 8:00 pm to see the season 4 premiere of Riverdale!