Riverdale season finale: Is [spoiler] really dead?

WARNING: This post contains major spoilers about the season finale of Riverdale!

The CW’s Riverdale wrapped up a great first season with a major dramatic cliffhanger: Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) was shot by an intruder at Pop’s Diner and seemed to die in his son Archie’s arms. Also, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) joined the Serpents, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) burned down Thornhill, and Betty (Lili Reinhart) has a secret brother! EW talked to executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa about all of this cray cray and what’s in store for season 2.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Is Fred Andrews really dead?
ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA: The only thing I can say is you will definitely see Fred in the season premiere of season 2. That’s really all I can say.

Hiram Lodge is coming in season 2 and being played by Mark Consuelos. How will his move to Riverdale affect season 2?
That’s one of our bigger casting additions. Hiram has created a lot of chaos in Riverdale for someone who wasn’t even in Riverdale. He was operating behind bars through his wife, through his business associates, through his mafia connections. I can only say that when Mark Consuelos arrives, as handsome and charming as he is, we’re definitely going to get a sense that a young Michael Corleone has arrived in Riverdale. Our characters aren’t going to be quite sure what to make of him or what he’s up to. He obviously plays a huge part in the series. One of the classic dynamics from the comic books, which we love to honor and subvert, in a way, and sometimes both, is Hiram-versus-Archie. Hiram hates Archie in the comic books. We’re going to play a much more complex version of that, of course. But yeah, there’s going to be an interesting triangulation between Archie and Veronica and Hiram that’s going to be one of our big engines this season.

Will there be a time jump? Or do you imagine picking up right after Fred is shot?
I think time jumps are great, but in this case, since we ended on such a big cliffhanger, I think we really have to own it. And the way we’re thinking about what happened in the diner, I talk a lot about Archie being the hero of our show and, to me, what Archie witnessed in Pops is the equivalent of what Bruce Wayne witnessed when he saw his parents gunned down in that alley or when Peter Parker learned his Uncle Ben had been murdered by a burglar he could have stopped. It’s such a huge mythic moment for Archie. I think we have to play it, and I think we have to see what happened to Fred in real-time, almost.

Does this mean Molly Ringwald will return as Archie’s mom?
Listen, I love Molly Ringwald as Mary. The world loves Molly Ringwald as Mary. I’m going to do everything in my power to get her there. I think Molly had a good time, so I think she’ll be wanting to come back and have fun with us again.

Hermione warned Fred he should sell. Then Fred was shot. Should we assume Hiram is responsible for the shooting?
That’s really interesting, especially since Hiram sent those goons to trash Fred’s site. But also remember that Hermione in that episode also fired a bunch of Serpents. I think what we’re going to discover is it might have been a random robbery, and there are a lot of possible suspects for who shot Fred Andrews, and, hopefully, the reveal will be very, very surprising.

Speaking of the Serpents, Jughead basically accepts membership. Is season 2 like Bad-Ass Jughead?
Yeah, kind of. Referencing The Godfather, there’s that great shot of Diane Keaton looking at Al Pacino as the door closes. That’s kind of the last moment for Betty and Jughead. She’s looking out, and he’s put on this symbol. You think if FP was the king of the Serpents, is Jughead the crowned prince of the Serpents now?

Will we meet Jughead’s mom and sister next year?
That’s a really good question. It’s definitely a possibility, and we’ve talked about it. But right now there’s nothing definitive. We’ve worked up through episode 3 or 4, and so far they haven’t shown up, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.

What about Betty? You’ve been teasing Dark Betty this whole season. Will that grow in season 2?
Absolutely. I think a lot of season 1 was Betty trying to control or suppress her dark side or contain her dark side. A lot of season 2 is about her owning it and harnessing it. Without saying too much, the idea of Jughead joining the Serpents is very provocative. Even more of a Riverdale subversion would be the perfect girl-next-door joining the Serpents, so that’s something we’re going to play with as well!

That’s so Sandy in Grease!
For sure!

Will we meet Betty’s secret brother next season?
That’s out there for sure. Like a true student of Chekhov, if you introduce something, you better pay it off. In a weird way, the Coopers’ story for the season always has to do with family. The first season obviously had to do with Polly. I think it’s safe to say that this mysterious son that Alice gave up might be coming to Riverdale, or Betty might be seeking him out.

What can you say about the Blossoms?
With Cheryl and Penelope, my idea is now that Clifford and Jason are dead, it’s just Penelope and Cheryl living in that half-burned mansion which is a little like Crimson Peak. It’s going to be a very dark, twisted version of Grey Gardens or Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Aaaaand we have a special treat: a deleted scene from the finale. Watch it above!