‘Riverdale’: The “Dog Day Afternoon” Synopsis Teases a Showdown With the Farm

Wondering what happened to evil cult The Farm on The CW’s Riverdale? Well, you’re going to have to wait a few weeks to find out what’s up with the “ascended” members of the organ-ization. But the fourth season’s third episode, which airs October 23, will deal with Edgar Evernever (Chad Michael Murray) head on.

In case you skipped out on Riverdale Season 3, Edgar led a seemingly new-agey self-help cult that was actually a front for a organ harvesting organization. Once his con was discovered, he told the members of The Farm that it was time to ascend. Last time we saw them, they were nothing but a pile of neatly folded white clothing circled around a sobbing Kevin Keller (Casey Cott).

Oh, there’s one (or two) more details that are important to know. As revealed by an FBI agent to Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), Betty’s Farm-obsessed mother Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) was actually a double agent working for the FBI the whole time. How did the FBI agent know that? Because he was secretly Alice’s long lost son with FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich), Charles Smith (Wyatt Nash), making him both Betty and Jughead’s half brother.

The Season 4 premiere will work as a standalone episode, dealing with the death of star Luke Perry, as well as his character Fred Andrews. And the second episode will work as the true season premiere, launching the Riverdale teens into Senior Year. But Episode 3, we pick back up with that dangling Farm plotline in a big way, as teased in the “Chapter Sixty: Dog Day Afternoon” synopsis:

BETTY AND CHARLES CONFRONT EDGAR EVERNEVER — Things take a dangerous turn when Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Charles (guest star Wyatt Nash) track down Edgar (guest star Chad Michael Murray) and his Farmies. Archie (KJ Apa) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) hold a car wash fundraiser at Pop’s to raise money for the community center. Elsewhere, Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) first day at Stonewall Prep doesn’t go as planned. Lastly, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) learns a dark family secret from Nana Rose. Madchen Amick, Mark Consuelos, Skeet Ulrich, Casey Cott, Charles Melton and Vanessa Morgan also star. Greg Smith directed the episode written by Ace Hasan & Greg Murray (#403). Original airdate 10/23/2019.

So, let’s break this down. The first part seems to tie into a lot of bits from the Season 4 promo, including Betty and Jughead perusing footage from Farm’s past — this “ascension” thing is a pattern of Edgar’s — as well as Betty getting conked on the head by a mysterious assailant who is most likely Edgar’s daughter/wife Evelyn Evernever (Zoë de Grand’Maison).

Then there’s the note about Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) working together. Now hashtag Varchie once again after the Season 3 finale, the duo is raising money for the community center for wayward youths established by Archie and his fellow ex-con/boxer, Mad Dog (Eli Goree). In episode 2, Archie is trying to get Mad Dog on the football team, so maybe that doesn’t work out? Or works out too well, and Mad Dog is neglecting his duties at the center?

Next up is Jughead… This bit is vague, but he’ll be recruited by a prep school called Stonewall in episode 2 by Mr. Chipping (Sam Witwer), a definitely not evil English teacher who loves Jughead’s writing, and teaches at a definitely not evil prep school. We’ve already speculated that the shots of Jughead in a coffin in the Season 4 promo may be part of some sort of initiation ritual by the prep school students. Could this be the thing that doesn’t go as planned?

And then there’s Cheryl Blossom… When it comes to dark secrets in the Blossom family there is no bottom, but there’s a fair amount that goes potentially hideously wrong for Cheryl — who, mind you, is keeping the corpse of her brother in the basement — after this episode. Is Nana Rose going to die? Is Cheryl actually a triplet, or some sort of chimera? Knowing Riverdale, it’ll be the last thing you expect.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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