Riverdale season 6 begins with death (and it ain’t over yet)

Riverdale premiered season 6 with Welcome to Rivervale in a completely new turn.  It may have started as your typical Riverdale episode encompassed with all the drama and relationship blunders and highs, but rest assured, Riverdale, er, Rivervale, ended with a deadly twist.

But are they truly gone?

And that is only the beginning of the Rivervale special five-episode event.  Additionally, Rivervale will arc the traditional Riverdale narrative after it ends.  However, fans will have to wait until March 2022 for the season’s remaining episodes and see how it unfurls.

*The following contains some mild spoilers from 06×01-Welcome To Rivervale*

Rivervale is a macabre inspiration of horror classics

According to the TVline interview, creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed that the season 6 opener is inspired by favorite horror flicks, Children of the Corn, The Wicker Man, MidSommar, and the short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.  One such example is when the students of Thornhill are dressed in ceremonial costumes, similar to those worn in Midsommar.

Cheryl Blossom holds the Maple Harvest Festival, which innocently enough, looks like a fun family get-together and to push worries aside.  As the fest goes on, grave secrets begin to unearth.  It was all a ruse for what was to come.

Additionally, Archie Andrews is the “all-around do-what-is-right-for-Riverdale/Rivervale” guy, and while that is a good thing, it ultimately led to his sacrificial demise from Cheryl for revenge reasons.  His ancestor burned hers at the stake, accused her of witchcraft, and created a bloody mess from that point on.

Oh, and his friends, including Betty were all in on the “Maple Syrup King” sacrifice ritual, which had a creepy, yet almost hilarious atmosphere.  It greatly explains why Archie won all of those games, despite that his opponents could have easily beaten him.

Is Archie truly gone?

For the remainder of the Rivervale story, yes he is.  But, he won’t be the only one to die in Rivervale.  As the alternate universe continues, the body count will only rise, which means that anyone can be a victim.

As for KJ Apa, he recently became a father, so it would make sense for him to take time off for paternity.

Who will be next caught in the tangled web?

Archie and Betty FINALLY got their spotlight

#Barchie fans rejoice!  Near the end of Welcome to Rivervale, Archie and Betty’s dreams of becoming a family are becoming a reality.  However, Betty’s announcement of her pregnancy (if she is at all as the doctor told her she’s infertile), couldn’t have come at a worse time.  Right after she came forward, and to Archie’s utter confusion, he was done for a few seconds after.

Barchie is not the only couple who faced a blunder.  Fangs and Toni’s infant son, Anthony, came down with a severe case of colic and it created exhausting friction.  Before the baby is left in the woods overnight to cure the colic, as per The Serpents tradition, Toni is stopped by Cheryl who may have solved Anthony’s colic with her self-concocted calming perfume.

Was it only that simple?

Meanwhile, Jughead and Tabitha enter a new relationship chapter as they rent their first apartment, only to have the unit infested with insects, after killing a spider (that’s bad luck Jug!)  Still, though they managed through it, albeit ridden with bug bites, and Cheryl’s help.

Soon, the couples will have discussions with one another about their former partners.  Maybe some tea will be spilled that neither knew before and will cause discourse amounts everyone.  Or they could go well, but somehow, I don’t believe that will happen.

Rivervale has entered The Twilight Zone

If you think that the entire premiere was weird, then you are not wrong.  It turns out that the overall theme was based on the 1960s anthological sci-fi series, The Twilight Zone, with Jughead Jones shadowing host Rod Sterling.

While one may theorize that this is all a dream or some alternate universe, the Rivervale events will echo or continue in Riverdale. So, it is happening in real-time but holds a mystique of its own.

What did you think of the twisting events of Welcome to Rivervale?  Do you believe that Betty is pregnant?  What about Archie’s stolen heart?  Share your thoughts in the comments.