Old friends have officially turned foes in Riverdale season 6 with the arrival of the trailer for episode 9, titled "The Serpent Queen's Gambit." Since 2017, the CW's Riverdale has been concocting outlandish, yet satisfyingly creepy, storylines that involve everything from serial killers to mobsters to ancient family curses. Loosely based on the Archie comics which gained popularity in the 1940s and 50s, the series brings recognizable characters, like Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead, to life in a subversive and dark teen drama. Seasons 1 through 4 were set in high school, with last season making a seven-year time jump to where Archie and his pals have reunited in their hometown after going their separate ways for a stint.
This season brings the arrival of new foes and old faces. The season 5 finale saw the end of an era, as series regular villain Hiram Lodge (played by Mark Consuelos) officially exited the show. Now, a mysterious newcomer named Percival Pickens (Chris O'Shea) has come to stir up the supernatural dust. Riverdale is no stranger to supernatural elements, but this season 6 saw an official crossover with Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, as Sabrina herself (Kiernan Shipka) arrived to help Cheryl Blossom craft a curse on her friends-turned-enemies. The trailer for episode 9 sets up the fallout of these rivalries and the impending doom brought by Percival.
The trailer for next week's episode comes from The CW, showcasing a vengeful Jughead who wants Percival out of Riverdale for good. Betty's personal hunt for the homicidal Trash Bag Killer seems to be on pause as she and Cheryl duke out what's left of their interpersonal conflict. However, Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) takes center stage, as the episode's title would imply. As the titular Serpent Queen, leader of Riverdale's gang of defenders known as the Serpents, she appears to be leading a battle with rival gang, the Ghoulies. Check out the spot below:
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Since season 1, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) has teetered in her allegiances with Archie and his core group of friends. While she harbors a lot of pain due to a troublesome amount of family secrets that make her actions unpredictable, she has been known to be a reliable ally when they need her. However, Riverdale season 5 revealed a centuries-old curse after one of her ancestors was wrongly burned at the stake by the ancestors of her friends Archie, Betty and Veronica. Ever since Cheryl discovered this truth, she has been hellbent for revenge. Next week's target appears to be Betty, who never goes down without a fight herself.
The drama of Riverdale is never dull, as the writers continually reinvent outlandish new storylines, which oddly feel acceptable, given the show's quirky tone. From the cheeky dialogue, pulpy action sequences, one-off musical episodes and now superpowers, this show can get away with anything, as long as it feels just the right amount of ridiculous, yet plausible. The series incrementally pushes the boundaries of believability, and it seems that no bar is too high, or unbelievable, for season 6.
Source: The CW