It’s been less than a month since “Riverdale” took its first season bow on the CW, but fans already have an idea of what to expect when the new season begins later this year. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has begun teasing what’s next for the show as the writers get to work on new episodes, and he revealed the title of the season premiere.
A Kiss Before Dying
The season premiere episode will be called, “Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying,” according to the writer and producer, who shared an image of the producer’s draft on his twitter account.
The image of the cover not only reveals the showrunner penned the episode but also has a little artwork to tease just when this episode might be set. It doesn’t look like Archie and the other “Riverdale” residents are in for an immediate time jump between seasons since the artwork features a spilled milkshake and plenty of blood on the top of a booth at Pop’s. Fans will remember that the final moments of season one had one character taking a bullet in the diner just before the credits ran.
Not only does “Chapter Fourteen” indicate a keeping with comic book numbering instead of the traditional TV episode numbering, but the title keeps the theme of the episodes from the first season; they were all named after movies.
This particular title is interesting because it doesn’t necessarily mean someone is literally given a kiss before they lose their life, but because of the plot of the movie in question. “A Kiss Before Dying” has had two different film adaptations, one in 1956 and one in 1991. The 1956 movie features a college student planning a murder in hopes of marrying an heiress. The 1991 version features a man killing his pregnant girlfriend and making it look like she took her own life as he tries to woo her sister next. The common thread? The coverup of a murder in an effort to achieve another goal.
More death in season two
With that particular title for the season two premiere, audience members can likely expect that someone won’t make it out of the episode alive, even if it isn’t the person they saw shot in the season one finale.
Just as the death of Jason Blossom in season one turned out to be linked to more than just his attempt to run away, it looks like the next death will have deeper repercussions as well.
Changes for season two
The tease at the new season comes on the heels of some casting changes. Ross Butler, who was committed to the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” ahead of his recurring role on “Riverdale,” is leaving the series for the second season in order to star in the Netflix project. Taking over the role of Reggie is Charles Melton. Casey Cott, who recurred as the sheriff’s son Kevin Keller, has been promoted to series regular, so we’ll be seeing more of him in the main story.
“Riverdale” will head into production with the actors for its second season in June, returning to the CW in the fall. The new season will air Wednesdays at 8 PM. If you need the next few months to catch up, the 13-episode first season is currently streaming on Netflix and lands on DVD in August.