Riverdale: 3 things to notice in the flashback episode photos

With the flashback episode just a few weeks away, it’s time to take a look at the first photos and pull out some killer details.

Somehow, as we start this third season of Riverdale, the idea of a full-fledged ’90s flashback episode, featuring the cast playing the parents of their characters in high school, does not sound ridiculous. In fact, considering that a significant portion of the fanbase has invested in some of the parental characters (FP Jones and Alice Cooper in particular) … it’s actually really exciting to see what they were like in high school.

Entertainment Weekly recently published some of the first looks at everyone in costume and on set. While at first it’s nice to just ooh and ahh over the different looks (and marvel at how well Lili Reinhart can evoke a young hellion version of Mädchen Amick), there are actually some telling details in who’s wearing what.

Check out the photos:

And, for additional detail, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa also posted a yearbook-style page detailing some of the characteristics of the young Riverdale parents:

That being said, let’s talk “The Midnight Club” details.

FP and Alice are a reverse Betty and Jughead

Pay attention in particular to how young FP and young Alice are dressed. We know that she’s a former (current?) Southside Serpent, but from the chunky boots to the Madonna-inspired cross necklace, it’s clear that she was much more of a Jughead-style troublemaker rather than having more of Betty’s clean-cut aesthetic. At the same time, though, young FP is practically full Archie in these photos.

And yet, in the present day, it’s much more of the opposite for both this pairing and their children — the lady is the “good girl” from the right side of town (even though Alice loves to stir up drama in seasons 1 and 2 and is probably going to get back to that later in season 3), and the gentleman is a bad boy with a penchant for leather.

FP’s broken arm

It’s unclear if FP’s arm is broken in both photos where he appears, although it seems like it. Pay close attention to his left jacket sleeve in the second photo; it’s much more filled out and not folding in on itself like the other sleeve, suggesting that yes, he’s wearing a cast in that picture as well.

It’s pretty yellowed already, suggesting he’s had it on for some time. Will the break in his arm come during the episode? Probably not. But expect it to play into any action scenes where he may have to club someone with his cast (and hurt his own arm in the process … maybe that ended his football career).

Penelope and Hermione vs. Sierra and Alice

To get back to talking about Alice, the photo with the girls in the bathroom pretty much says it all: Alice is the outlier in this group, with Sierra in second. Here’s why. You’ll notice that both young Penelope and young Hermione are basically in the same schoolgirl aesthetic, with Hermione basically looking like she’s in a Catholic school uniform that she just hasn’t stopped wearing at Riverdale High and young Penelope adding colors, but keeping the blazers and relatively modest appearance.

Although Sierra doesn’t go as far as Alice does, she also sticks out for wearing denim — and those super-fashionable pink pants. It’s not full on avant-garde or anything, but it does show that yeah, Sierra did earn that “Most Likely to Protest the Man” moniker she has on the “yearbook page.”

Riverdale airs Wednesdays on The CW.