‘Riverdale’: Why We Shouldn’t Be Too Worried About Jughead Being Killed Off
One of the reasons viewers watch Riverdale is because you can count on there being more than one storyline that mystifies or prompts one to say, “What the –?” Riverdale gets crazy and ridiculous, but the cults, the music, the murders, and the love will get you every time. If you’ve been strapped in for the ride thus far, then you’re invested in these characters and the overarching plot of this season’s Jughead mystery.
Since the close of season three, fans have been teased with the idea that something terrible happens to Jughead in season four. There’s the bloodied beanie, the nighttime search party, and Betty identifying his corpse. As grisly as it looks, Jughead’s doomed fate could be a total red herring.
How episode five of ‘Riverdale’ sets everything up
If you weren’t paying attention to the story behind Dupont’s appearance in Riverdale as a world-renowned author, you missed a subtle hint that goes beyond the “Baxter Boys” series. That factor combined with the terrible prank played on Jughead could signal Bret and the rest of those elitist writing weirdos could be in for a sweet payback.
Why? At the end of episode five, we’re shown Betty, Archie, and Veronica being escorted out of class over Jughead’s “murder.” F.P. doesn’t exactly look distraught, and neither does Betty when she’s shown at the medical examiner’s office looking at Jughead’s body. Remember, all of this happens leading up to spring break.
Why so many poker faces when Jughead, wonderful friend, son, and boyfriend, is DEAD?! It’s not a dream, but it’s something else.
One twist that would make sense
Let’s revisit the announcement by Dupont that there’s a writing contest to see who will be the next ghostwriter for the “Baxter Boys” books. It has to be a murder mystery. Specifically, it has to be the “perfect murder.” What better way to write an elaborate tale than by letting it play out on our TV screens?
The theory is that the quick glimpses we’re seeing of Jughead’s disappearance, supposed death, and the aftermath with the Riverdale gang is foolery meant to build the perfect murder story for the competition. Jughead could be turning the tables on his creepy classmates with it, and we’re either watching a fake depiction of his writing, or he recruits his friends to help him execute the ruse.
Riverdale storytelling loves to be sneaky
Watch the show long enough and you know that the writers love to throw in tricks. Sometimes they’re thrown in to trip you up, see if you’ve been keeping up, or to make your jaw drop. The flash forwards viewers are being shown are typical of the show’s ability to string fans along to believe one outcome. It’s par for the course, and gullibility is a trait that many of the show’s characters possess.
But perhaps these “What happened to Jughead?” scenes are setting up Jughead’s triumph over the Stonewall Prep elitists and a way for him to uncover what really happened to his grandfather. While some fans out here are expecting the worst to be confirmed, many are trying to piece together clues that indicate Jughead will be a-ok in the end. That loss would be too great.
