Riverdale will see an even darker version of Hiram Lodge and that’s exciting

Riverdale — “Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners” — Image Number: RVD219a_0017.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Mark Consuelos as Hiram and Marisol Nichols as Hermione — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Hiram Lodge has never been one of the good guys on Riverdale, but it seems that in season 3 he is going to be going even darker. And that’s exciting!

The second season of Riverdale has come to its end on The CW, and that means looking to the future and season 3. One of the characters we have already learned more about is Hiram Lodge, Veronica’s father. And it sounds like we are going to be getting a much darker Hiram going forward, according to Vanity Fair.

Since Hiram Lodge was first introduced, he has not exactly been a model citizen. In fact, he is definitely one of the darker main characters on Riverdale. Whether he is trying to destroy the Serpents (which, okay, I kind of see his point here), buying out a school in order to build a prison, or messing with Fred and Archie Andrews, Hiram has proven that he is not necessarily a good person.

However, while Mark Consuelos has already given us a dark Hiram Lodge over the last season, it seems that the third season is going to give us an even darker version of this character. Here’s the thing, what we saw in season 2 was a manipulative version of Hiram. He manipulated the people around him, including his own daughter, in order to serve his needs.

In season 3, it feels like the only way they can really make him a darker character is if they actually have him get his own hands dirty. Rather than have other people do the dirty work for him, or even have the blame placed on other people, a darker Hiram Lodge is going to have to do some of his own dirty work.

This means that Consuelos’ character is going to have to get more involved in the goings-on in Riverdale. In order for Hiram Lodge to really seem darker, it feels like we are going to need to see not only more of his manipulation (and I mean he is going to have to ramp this up, too), but also see him doing things like killing his enemies instead of hiring someone to do the killing for him.

Hiram is a dark character to begin with, but the idea of seeing him really go bad is something that is actually quite exciting. Here is a man who loves his daughter, but is still willing to use her and her friends in order to gain something. How do you get darker than that?

Considering he and his daughter seem to be on the outs after the second season finale, one can only assume things are going to get much worse for them. Is Hiram willing to go beyond manipulation and actually use Veronica for his own gains? I don’t know about you, but I think the answer is yes.

Riverdale — “Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners” — Image Number: RVD219a_0220.jpg — Pictured: Mark Consuelos as Hiram — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Hiram Lodge had Archie arrested for a murder that one of his own men committed. This means that he has no problem with framing other people. In going darker, one can only believe that this will become much more prominent, especially if the series goes in a more crime-noir direction in season 3.

Personally, I believe that we are going to see Hiram Lodge try to destroy everything that makes Riverdale home to these people. He already started the process by destroying the Southside and setting into motion his plans for the jail and eventually a brothel, but I think he is far from done. This is especially true considering he seems to be meeting with even more people to discuss his current plans for the Southside.

And what about Riverdale High? Does he have plans for the remaining high school in town? Considering the school is at the heart of these stories, I think he probably does.  He may not be able to shut down Riverdale High, but that doesn’t mean he can’t destroy the school in some other way (and arresting Archie was a great way to get that destruction started).

Hiram has plans, and none of them are in the best interest of Riverdale. With his connections, power and money, it looks like he may end up not only controlling the Southside, but all of Riverdale. And that is definitely not a good thing for anyone.

Plus, while he might have what he wants now that he owns the Worm, thanks to Veronica trading it for Pops, that does not mean he is done with the town’s diner and all-around meeting place. Everyone heads to Pops to talk or relax, and if he can gain more power and leverage by owning it, I can see Hiram finding a way to get the diner back from his own daughter.

As someone who is willing to destroy things in his way in order to get what he wants, who would really be surprised if he were to once more go after Pops in an underhanded way. I don’t think it would even matter that he would be hurting Veronica in the process.

And let’s not forget Hiram’s wife, Hermione, who is now the mayor. She might be in a position of power in Riverdale, but we should never forget that she has been manipulated by Hiram Lodge since he came back into her life. She may have been an idiot when she decided to turn away from Fred Andrews and get back with her husband, but really Hiram has been using her since the start.

Hermione might think she has power and is an equal to her husband, but I doubt he sees it that way. Hiram Lodge is going to use and abuse his wife, and if season 2 proved anything, it’s that he will have no problem continuing that pattern in season 3.

Related Story: We get no real closure in a disappointing Riverdale finale

We may not know what Riverdale season 3 has in store for us right now, but it sounds like things are going to get even more dangerous moving forward. With Hiram Lodge set to be even darker and more dastardly next season, and Archie Andrews in jail, it sounds like Riverdale is in for a major shakeup. And not necessarily in a good way for the people in town.