While “Riverdale” is on hiatus between its freshman and sophomore seasons, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is keeping fans interested with teases on his twitter account. As the writers have gone back to work, he’s been steadily teasing episode titles and cover art for each one. Episode three of season two led to a warning for “Riverdale” character Kevin Keller.

Don’t go in the woods

Aguirre-Sacasa’s tweet urged fans of the series that if they see Kevin Keller, to tell him, “Don’t go in the woods!” He accompanied the tweet with the cover image of the producer’s copy for episode three, called, “Chapter Sixteen: The Watcher in the Woods.” In addition to that title, the cover also featured artwork of Kevin Keller, looking plenty apprehensive, and a shadowy figure at the edge of a treeline.

Kevin Keller was a recurring character in season one, and fans have been promised more screentime for him. Played by Casey Cott, he’s become a series regular for season two, and it looks like the third episode back will have plenty of focus on him for a change.

‘The Watcher in the Woods’

Continuing their naming of episodes after classic films, “The Watcher in the Woods,” is a nod to a 1980 horror movie from a surprising studio - Disney. A family thriller, the original movie followed a family who moved out to an old house in the country.

The daughters experienced strange happenings in the wood that seemed to be a link to an “occult event” as the promotional materials promised. The ending proved to be a little more sci-fi than audiences originally believed.

Interestingly, the movie has another connection to the world of “Riverdale” and “Archie” comics. A remake is on the way from the production team of Hartbreak Films.

That name might sound familiar to kids of the 90s since its run by Melissa Joan Hart, the actress who played the last live action version of Sabrina the teenage witch, who has her origin in the pages of “Archie” comics, and who has been rumored to make an appearance on “Riverdale” since the show went into production.

What does “The Watcher in the Woods” mean for Riverdale and its residents?

Who knows? We might be able to take the title literally and speculate that someone is out there keeping an eye on Kevin Keller. Or maybe this episode will open the show up to some of the more fantastical elements of the comics, like Sabrina herself.

Ross Maxwell

This particular episode was penned by Ross Maxwell, who previously wrote and produced for “Glee.” Maxwell knows his way around a dark story. He previously wrote the episode “Radio Silence” for “Teen Wolf,” which involved the characters being separated across magical lines, but he’s also already written another episode of “Riverdale.”

Maxwell penned the season one episode “Heart of Darkness,” which you might remember as the one where Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) went on a date that would lead her to unleash her dark side in a subsequent episode.

It’s also the one where Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) went against her parents’ wishes and spoke at her brother’s funeral. It was the kind of episode that hinted at lots of little things to come, laying the groundwork for some big reveals later in the season.

Fans can get their fix of “Riverdale” by rewatching season one, which is currently available to stream on Netflix. Season two will debut on the CW on October 11, in its new Wednesday night timeslot.
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