Even though Riverdale just wrapped up its first season, the second season already has a second episode title that invites still more speculation.
Riverdale has never shied away from referring to aspects of pop culture. “Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!”, an episode from season 1, just pluralizes the noun in a 1965 film, for example. However, it seems that next season, things will extend to fine art as well.
Episode 1 of season 2 has the name “A Kiss Before Dying,” itself a 1956 movie that’s even about murder of an heir(an heiress, in the film’s case). It sounds awfully familiar considering Jason Blossom’s murder, doesn’t it? Now, Archie Comics has confirmed that episode 2 currently has the title of “Nighthawks.”
The company tweeted out the title page of the script:
The writers are hard at work on the second season of #Riverdale. Season 2 airs Wednesday nights at 8pm on The CW beginning this Fall! pic.twitter.com/kdKr5dcO6S
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) June 7, 2017
How long do you think it took an artist to carefully recreate Edward Hopper’s painting, just with Pop Tate serving Archie, Jughead, and Hot Dog burgers instead? Is this a sign that Jughead will get to eat his favorite food more often in season 2? (Look, even Netflix is obsessed with Jughead eating burgers. It’s a valid question.)
Interestingly, as the Art Institute of Chicago notes in the above-linked entry, quoting from its Essential Guide and ultimately Hopper himself, one of the key themes seen in the original work is ‘loneliness of a large city.’ Now, Riverdale as a town isn’t that big.
However, the idea of separation has already appeared in Riverdale. Here are just a couple of examples: Jason from Cheryl and Polly, Jughead from Archie, Jughead from the rest of his friends with his move to the south side, and possibly Fred Andrews from his son, depending on how things play out in the season 2 premiere.
Even though Pop’s is now the scene of a crime in the show, it wouldn’t surprise us if our favorite teens returned to the diner to brood and drink milkshakes … although we could understand why Archie might want to avoid the place.
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As Archie Comics notes, Riverdale is moving to Wednesday nights next season.