A new poster for Riverdale season 5 teases a bloody mess and a 911 phone call. The teen horror-drama based on Archie Comics has garnered a passionate fanbase since premiering on the CW in 2017. Season 4 aired from October 2019 to May 2020, but production was cut short when someone on set was exposed to COVID-19 in March.
Riverdale pulls its characters, setting, and retro aesthetic from the comics, but where the comics largely focus on Archie’s innocent high school concerns, the show takes on a darker tone. Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead find themselves at the center of various convoluted murder plots in a town ravaged by gang violence and cult activity. Season 4 centers around Jughead’s enrollment at Stonewall Prep, an elite private school with a history of mysterious disappearances. Back in Riverdale, town residents are receiving unsettling videotapes of themselves being watched that feature increasingly violent content as the season unfolds. Principal Honey is Riverdale High’s latest villain who’s made it his mission to destroy all school spirit by canceling rallies, theater productions, and, inevitably, prom. In the last episode of the season, Jughead writes a short story in which the group murders Principal Honey; later, Berry and Jughead find a snuff film showing the real murder of Principal Honey by people wearing masks of their faces.
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Yesterday, series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed a promotional poster for season 5 on Twitter with a caption that implies a 911 call. Aguirre-Sacasa has said that the first three episodes of the season will be dedicated to tying up loose ends from season 4. The first five episodes in the season (which the show calls Chapters Seventy-Seven through Eighty-One) are titled “Climax,” “The Preppy Murders,” “Graduation,” “Purgatory,” and “The Homecoming.” A series of emojis in the tweet could also provide clues about the events of the season for eagle-eyed fans. Season 5 is set to premiere on January 20, 2021. Check out the poster below:
Aguirre-Sacasa originally tagged the Twitter accounts of series leads Cami Mendes (Veronica), KJ Apa (Archie), Cole Sprouse (Jughead), Lili Reinhart (Betty), and Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom) in the picture, as well as The CW, Riverdale, and the account @fish. The tags have since been removed following criticism from fans that other leads were not included, specifically Vanessa Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz. In June, Morgan criticized the show for bungling its representation of Black characters and paying her less than other series regulars. Supportive fans were quick to note Morgan’s exclusion on the post, while others suggested that the specific actors tagged might be clues about which characters would be involved in the scene. Toni doesn’t take part in the fictional murder in Jughead’s story, but all of the actors tagged play characters who do.
Because of season 4’s premature ending, it’s safe to assume Riverdale‘s writers had already planned what happens next before beginning work on season 5. Riverdale has introduced major mid-season plotlines and twists in the past, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the show to begin the season with a focus on the videotapes and switch gears later on. The 911 call could be for Principal Honey: Betty and Jughead, being the responsible citizens that they are, do the right thing and call in the murder, thus implicating themselves and their friends. This wouldn’t be the first time Riverdale‘s protagonists are suspects in a case they’re trying to solve.
Source: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Twitter
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