Yet again, CW’s newest hit show, Riverdale, stirred up some unfathomable drama with the third episode of the second season. The end of last week’s episode shocked viewers with Moose and Midge’s terrifying confrontation with the masked killer. At the beginning of episode three we learn that Moose is in the hospital with a gunshot wound and Midge is seemingly fine, as Moose utilized his own body in order to shield his girlfriend’s. Kevin discovered the couple in their car following the shooting, as he’s been spending his nights “running” in the woods, otherwise known as, searching for boys. This, of course, leads to serious issues when Betty discovers this, thanks to an infinitely nosey Cheryl Blossom,  provoking a serious fight between the two friends. This friction is never resolved, although Betty goes to Kevin’s father in order to help him and appears to rekindle a relationship between the two men in doing so. Unfortunately, despite Betty’s attempt, Kevin remains angry at his long-time friend. Kevin’s character has yet to be this involved in a single episode since the beginning of the series itself, granting viewers the privilege of seeing deeper into the complexities of his character.

Surprisingly enough, Betty Cooper doesn’t appear to have any other personal issues throughout the episode, though both her family and her boyfriend do. In wake of this spree of murders, the killer himself sends a letter to Alice Cooper, Betty’s mother, threatening the town in its entirety. Mrs. Cooper, of course, publishes this letter in the local newspaper despite police instruction to do otherwise. This drives a pregnant Polly Cooper to leave her family’s Riverdale home. Regarding Betty’s boyfriend, Jughead Jones, his academic career at South Side High School has officially commenced. At this new school he’s introduced to Toni Topaz, a spunky photographer who also happens to be in the Serpent’s gang. Toni takes Jughead beneath her wings, attempting to simultaneously protect and befriend him. Toni joins Jughead in restarting the school’s newspaper, a haven for Jughead amongst the danger of his new school. This particular danger consists of a gang called the “Goonies”, who appear to have assaulted him during one of his late nights spent at the school. The next day we see Jughead, once a loner, eating lunch with the Serpents. It seems that they now serve as his only mode of protection at South Side High.

Speaking of protection, Archie has recently decided he’s going to become some kind of hero for the entire town of Riverdale. He comes up with the idea to form a group titled “The Red Circle” along with the assistance of other football players. This leads to his nights being spent aside Reggie, driving around town with a baseball bat. This new rampage of bravery appears to be bringing out a violent streak in our beloved red-head, as he’s both obtained a gun and sent out a viral video actually threatening to track down and seek vengeance on the killer himself. A large part of this has to do with his girlfriend, or more specifically, her father, Hiram Lodge. In the wake of this dreadful drama it seems that Mr. Lodge has a newfound interest in Veronica’s friends, as he’s not only met Jughead and Betty, but also invited Archie over to a formal family dinner. Sweet Veronica seems to think this is the beginning of a new chapter with her father, though her mother is repeatedly warning her to tread lightly. Regardless, Hiram has informed Archie that he needs to fight back with fear rather than standing as a defensive, become offensive. Does he truly want to help or is this just a way to break up his daughters relationship?

As far as the rest of this season, there appears to be several foreseeable issues in the future. The ship between Betty and Jughead, better known as “Bughead”, appears to be in profound danger. Whether its Jughead’s new involvement with the Serpents, his time spent at a new school away from Betty, or his new relationship with Tony Topaz, there seems to be a variety of reasons why the couple could potentially split. The most stable television couples always breaks up for a short amount of time, whether it’s Chuck and Blair from Gossip Girl, Ross and Rachel from Friends, or Damon and Elena from Vampire Diaries; it’s bound to happen. If it’s not BugHead, it’ll be Veronica and Archie. Her dad seems to have an odd interest in Archie and his psychological state is wavering, an issue that could easily explode out of proportion. Other than relationships, the Masked Man is sure to be a new constant in Riverdale’s plot. The motivation behind his actions will surely be exposed. Will it unite or tear apart Riverdale’s core cast? Come back next Wednesday to find out!