Riverdale Season 3: Unanswered Questions We Have from the Finale

This Riverdale article is one gigantic spoiler. Turn away if you haven’t seen the season finale yet.

The Riverdale Season 3 finale was a fun roller coaster of emotion that gave viewers resolutions to most of the series’ ongoing storylines. In true modern television fashion, the finale also raised a variety of new plot points that will be explored in the show’s fourth season — which is expected to begin in the fall.

As we attempt to process all the wild shit that went down last night (Penelope straight up murdered Hal! Jughead is dead in the future! Hiram’s always an asshole!), we thought we’d present a rundown of the unanswered questions we have from the finale and explore what they might mean for upcoming visits to the Town with Pep.

What happened to Jughead in the flash-forward?

Riverdale may be daring enough to put their characters in mortal danger via ridiculous methods like bears, but it will never kill one of the core four. (Although if any of the series’ writers are reading this, feel free to prove us wrong by doing away with the ever-problematic Archie). Our theory is that Betty, Archie, and Veronica have to make it look like Jughead is dead in order to protect him. He is a character who has stepped on a lot of toes with his sleuthing, after all. He may go on the run at some point in Riverdale Season 4, like Archie was in the one that just ended.

But hear us out here. Riverdale‘s next season takes place in the gang’s senior year of high school. What if the show decides to implode its own premise and the alleged death of Jughead kicks off a storyline that replicates the Afterlife with Archie zombie comic? Having our heroes deal with the undead and supernatural issues would reset the show and make it crazier than ever. Because as much fun as maple syrup blood feuds and hooded killers are, this series can’t keep this going much longer. Can it?

How and When did Alice learn that Charles was alive?

All season long Alice has been all-in on The Farm. At least that’s how she made it appear. So it was especially jarring, and honestly felt super contrived, when the show made the last-minute reveal that Alice and F.P.’s son Charles is alive and is an FBI agent working on bringing down the Evernevers.

further reading: Riverdale Season 3 Ending Explained

This is a nice nod to the Little Archie comics of the 1950s in which Charles, er, the real Chic, was a secret agent, yet it came out of nowhere. We can assume that Charles approached Alice at some point and got her to help in the FBI’s investigation, but exactly when? If you recall, Alice’s grief about not having Charles in her life is part of the reason she turned to The Farm in the first place. So was she already in the cult when Charles reached out? And if she was never a Farmie, why did she give up her house and Betty’s college fund to the organization? (This last question is actually easy to answer — because donating everything she has to The Farm is the best way to prove loyalty to Edgar).

These questions need to be answered when the show returns. Knowing Betty’s investigative nature, the above questions will probably be the first ones she asked.

Why didn’t Alice confide in Betty that she was working with the FBI?

Nearly every scene between Betty and Alice in the third season was the former trying to convince the latter of the evils of The Farm. Alice should have just saved them both a lot of heartache by telling Betty the truth. Most likely she didn’t because she felt that if Betty knew, both of their lives as well as the FBI’s investigation would be in jeopardy.

How far-reaching is The Farm?

The organ-harvesting program seems like a major operation that requires more than just Edgar and Evelyn. Chances are that, like most cults, The Farm has strongholds in communites across the country…if not the world.

Why did The Farm leave Kevin behind?

Kevin is one of The Farm’s most devoted followers, so it was surprising that they left him behind as their de facto spokesperson to inform Riverdale of their ascension. Adding to Kev’s sorrow is how The Farm took Fangs, Kev’s current boyfriend, with them. The finale only showed us crestfallen Kevin for a second, so we don’t know if he was randomly chosen by the Evernevers or singled out…perhaps because his friendship with Betty?

Where did The Farm go?

When we see Kevin in Farm headquarters, he is in a room surrounded by discarded Farmie ceremonial garb. It is a scene reminiscent of news footage of the Heaven’s Gate cult’s mass suicide. Kevin tells Betty that his fellow followers are “gone,” the implication being that he thinks they are dead, ascended to their next level of belief. This is in sharp contrast to what Charles tells Betty, so the greatest likelihood is that The Farm has moved on to the next town where they will set up their organ-harvesting shop. As viewers we know that Edgar has a penchant for hypnotism, meaning that he probably used this skill to make Kevin see the faithful “ascend.”

Will Cheryl tell Toni that she’s hanging out with Jason’s corpse?

The stress of the past few years have finally taken their toll on Cheryl. When we last see her in the third season finale she is chatting with Jason’s corpse in the bowels of Farm HQ (although this might be Thistlehouse). The point here is that Cheryl is in crisis and needs help, something that Toni will be more than happy to provide. That is if she chooses to tell Toni what she is growing through. Expect this one to resolve in the most dramatic, Riverdale way possible (i.e. Toni discovering Jason’s body).

How will Reggie react to Veronica and Archie getting back together?

As essential as he is to the comics, Reggie remains an afterthought on Riverdale. This season saddled him with the deadend plot of being Veronica’s rebound boyfriend during her temporary breakup with Archie. Now that Varchie has emerged triumphant, Reggie is again left on his own.

During the show’s three seasons Reggie has been everything from a drug dealer to a stand-up guy depending on the whim of the writers. So maybe the bigger question here that we should be asking is if whether he will ever be a fully formed character on his own? But honestly, that same query can also apply to Archie, so…

Will Hermione go to jail?

Far be it from us to defend Hiram, but she did in fact try to get have him killed. Then again, the town’s chief law man is a former juvenile delinquent. And, oh yeah, part of the fun of Riverdale is how pretty much nothing that happens on the series makes any logistical sense.

What is Ricky’s connection with Penelope?

Ricky, the murderous moppet who conned Archie and befriended Jellybean, was shown to be in league with the Gargoyle King. He was nowhere to be found in the finale, making us wonder how he was involved with Penelope’s grand plan to torture the Midnight Club’s children.

further reading: Riverdale Spinoff Katy Keene – Everything You Need to Know

Our suspicion is that Ricky is just a lonely kid who found purpose through Gryphons & Gargoyles. With the game seemingly now at an end, Ricky will need something a bit less sinister to occupy his time. He seems like the target audience for Archie’s new community center. If the former Red Paladin can forgive him that is.

Real talk though: This character was such a dud we’d probably be fine if he was never mentioned again.

Why do all law enforcement officials on this show think that Jughead and Betty are the world’s greatest detectives?

Here’s one question that keeps us up at night. Betty and Jughead are decent sleuths, but they aren’t Sherlock and Watson. Sheesh.

Where is Hot Dog?

Jughead’s oft-neglected sheepdog has been MIA for months. We love this furry little guy and hope wherever he is he is getting the love he so deserves.

Keep up with all of Riverdale season 3 news and reviews right here.

Chris Cummins is a Philadelphia-based writer, producer, and comics historian. Read more of his work here. You can find him on Twitter at @bionicbigfoot and @scifiexplosion