‘Riverdale’ Cast and Crew Tease Season 3’s Cult Storyline

The CW’s Riverdale already has quite a lot going on, but it looks like Season 3 is set to crank things up to another level.

During the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, it was confirmed that a cult-like storyline will be playing a role in the upcoming first season. The new footage screened at the panel showcased this outright, with Betty (Lili Reinhart) watching Polly (Tiera Skovbye) and Alice (Madchen Amick) performing some sort of fireside ritual with Polly’s twins.

The cult, which has been vaguely referred to as “The Farm” since Season 1, was most prominently teased in the Season 2 finale, when Polly recommended it as a way to help Alice move on from the Cooper family drama of the past year. According to Amick, The Farm “heals you”, and has the benefit of a “really handsome cult leader” in the form of Edgar Evernever.

The Evernevers were rumored to be a part of the show for several months now, after previous reports suggested that Edgar and his daughter Evelyn would be joining the show. According to casting breakdowns, Evelyn will be an “odd” teenage girl who quickly attempts to befriend (and emulate) Betty, while Edgar will be a new-age health “guru” who is charismatic and comforting.

As showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased at the panel, Riverdale is talking to “some really exciting gentlemen” to play Edgar’s role, with the goal of having him debut after the first few episodes of the season. As Aguirre-Sacasa also revealed, the cult storyline will be partially inspired by the Netflix television series Wild Wild Country.

So, how will Betty handle her mom and sister’s latest social group? According to Reinhart, things won’t go particularly well.

“Alice and Polly kind of attack [Betty], and their new weird spirituality with the Farm makes them tell her that she needs to listen to her soul and really confront her problems.” Reinhart explained. “And so Betty wants to stay far, far away from them.”

Are you excited to see things get cult-y in Riverdale Season 3? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The season three premiere of Riverdale, which is titled “Labor Day”, will debut on Wednesday, October 10th, at 8/7c on The CW.