The CW
Tonight is the Season 4 premiere of Riverdale on The CW. After all the ups and downs and twists and turns from Season 3, we’re ready to get started with Season 4 and really have no idea what to expect. Things can get pretty crazy on this show, and it’s a sure bet that the new season will be no exception. Here is everything you need to know about how to watch Riverdale tonight.
AIR DATE & TIME: The Riverdale premiere episode airs tonight, Wednesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central) for an hour. This is the time it premieres in the United States. In other countries, the premiere time may be different.
TV CHANNEL FOR RIVERDALE: To find out what channel Riverdale is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel The CW is on for you.
Synopsis & Recap
The official synopsis for Season 4 Episode 1 reads: “As the residents of Riverdale prepare for its upcoming Independence Day parade, Archie receives a phone call that will change the rest of his life forever.”
The episode is called “In Memoriam.”
This is going to be the tribute episode to Luke Perry, who died on March 4, 2019 after suffering a traumatic and unexpected stroke. So have a box of Kleenex with you and be prepared for some tears tonight.
Here are trailers for tonight. First, a sneak peek.
Next, the NY Comic-Con trailer:
And here’s another clip:
It’s going to be a tough episode to watch.
Here’s where we left off last season. Spoilers for Season 3 below.
Toni revealed to Penelope Blossom that Edgar had been harvesting organs (hence the name “The Farm.”) So Penelope saves Betty, but also tells Edgar she wants to make a deal to buy organs in bulk.
Edgar tells his followers that the ascension is going to happen, and Alice is suspicious because she can’t find Betty. She asks Edgar about the organ rumors, but Cheryl interrupts her, angry about her brother. So Alice helps Cheryl escape, but stays to help Polly.
But then Jughead, Archie, Betty, and Veronica get invitations to dinner from the Gargoyle King, hosted by Penelope Blossom at the Blossom Hunting Lodge on Thornhill. Penelope claims she bought Betty from Edgar, and then she brings Sister Woodhouse to the party. Then the Black Hood and the Gargoyle King show up for dinner too. We learn that Hal is dressed as the Black Hood and the Gargoyle King is Chic with red hair.
Chic pledged his life to Hal rather than be murdered when Betty sent him off. Chic spread the message to the others who followed the Gargoyle King.
Penelope forces the group to play one final, fatal game. They have to make it through the woods and survive, but they must complete each of their quests in the process. Archie must fight a large man dressed as a bear. He wins, and then Veronica and Betty must play spin the bottle and drink out of chalices. But one is poisoned. Veronica won’t let Betty drink the last one, so Penelope tells her that she passed. But all the chalices were poisoned, so now they’re poisoned too.
Archie and Veronica confess their love. Next, Jughead has to fight Chic and he wins.
Betty’s given a gun with one bullet and Hal has a gun too. She has to kill Hal or he will kill her and all her friends. If she kills him, they get antidotes. Betty shoots him, but not to kill him. So Penelope kills Hal.
Archie and the others take off with the antidote as the Gargoyles chase them. The Poisons and Serpents show up to rescue them. And everyone will be OK.
Hal’s dead, Chic is going to jail, and Penelope escaped. Hiram’s in jail and got evidence planted to have Hermione arrested for conspiring to kill him.
Meanwhile, Archie now owns El Royale and he and Mad Dog will turn it into a community center.
Betty learns her mom was an FBI informant, and the FBI agent working with her is Charles, her half-brother. The episode ends with the main four at Pop’s. But then we flash forward to the future, spring break of their senior year, with Archie covered in blood. He’s holding Jug’s beanie and Betty and Veronica are also covered in blood. They’re burning everything and “never speak” of what happened again.
READ NEXT: WATCH: Man with TV on Head Leaves CRT TVs on Porches in Virginia