Riverdale closed the third season with the surprise addition of a long-lost brother

Riverdale is at its very best when it embraces its soapy drama, and nothing says soap opera quite like a long-lost brother making his return to the fold.

Season 3 of Riverdale is officially in the books, and with it comes the end of a number of stories and the start of some new ones. However, it is perhaps the arrival of Alice Cooper’s long-lost son Charles that really stuck with me.

At the end of the season finale, viewers along with Jughead and Betty meet a FBI agent who has arrived in Riverdale to try to pull the agencies undercover asset out of the Farm. Not only do we learn in this moment that Alice has actually been working for the FBI this whole time (I guess she didn’t really drink the Farm Kool-aid after all), but her handler was none other than Charles.

Yes, this is the same Charles who happens to be Betty’s brother. And as he is quick to point out, he also happens to be Jughead’s brother. That’s right Riverdale fans, our favorite couple has a brother and if that doesn’t scream soapy drama I don’t know what does.

I have never gasped so loud as I did when Charles revealed himself to Betty and Jughead. Of course, his arrival also left me with a lot of questions. And while Riverdale can sometimes be bad about answering those burning questions, I hope in the fourth season they reveal a few things, including where Charles has been this whole time, how he and Alice found each other, and why he stayed away for so long.

Moving into season 4, it has already been confirmed that Charles is sticking around for a bit, but what does this mean? Hopefully we get to see Betty and Jughead getting to know their half-brother. At the same time, we really want to see F.P. meeting his oldest son. In a lot of ways, this is the reunion I want more than any other.

The arrival of Charles opens up so many possibilities for Riverdale, while also giving us some new questions and a whole new drama thanks to the fact that Alice is apparently missing. With Alice seemingly having been taken by the Farm, here’s hoping that her FBI agent son is able to find her.

It would be nice if an adult took the lead on a rescue for a change. After all, the teenagers seem to be doing all the saving (I’m looking at Cheryl and Toni for this one) lately and it would definitely give Charles a leg up in town if he could come through in the clutch and rescue his missing mother.

Season 3 of Riverdale ended with a bang and there were plenty of moments that deserved the spotlight, but in this case, it would feel wrong to avoid the long-lost son and brother in the room.

What did you think of the Riverdale season 3 finale? How do you feel about the unexpected arrival of Charles? Were you surprised by his news and what it means for Alice?