'Riverdale' Is Back on the Gargoyle King Again in "The Dark Secret of Harvest House"

The CW has released the official synopsis for "Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House," the penultimate episode of Riverdale's third season, which is set to air on May 8. The episode sees Jughead getting closer to discovering the identity of the "real" Gargoyle King (now that we have had a few impostors, because Riverdale). The synopsis may also betray something that Warner Bros. TV and the producers have not yet confirmed, which is that Molly Ringwald will be playing a bigger role as Mary Andrews following the death of series regular Luke Perry, who played her ex-husband Fred.

This is the second consecutive Riverdale episode synopsis to list Ringwald as a guest star, and neither of the two named Perry in the cast list. While it is possible that the producers will not bring back Mary for season four and she is just fulfilling what otherwise would have been Fred's role in the show, her presence feels like it confirms suspicions that many fans had about the series' future, since Archie Andrews is a teenager and writing off his father without finding some kind of replacement would be no easy feat. Like Perry, Ringwald has significant pop culture cache from roles she played in her youth.

The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is the title of a 1978 made-for-TV miniseries based on the 1971 novel Harvest Home. In the novel, a family moves from the city out to a remote Connecticut town and finds themselves dragged into a bizarre night of ritual and sacrifice. The book and TV series both feel like they would be not too far removed from what fans expect of The Farm. You can see the episode synopsis below.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED — Veronica (Camila Mendes) turns to Mary (guest star Molly Ringwald) and Archie (KJ Apa) for help after uncovering a secret that Hiram (Mark Consuelos) had been keeping from her. Betty (Lili Reinhart) raises questions after witnessing some strange activities at The Farm. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) finds himself one step closer to uncovering the Gargoyle King's identity. Madelaine Petsch, Marisol Nichols, Skeet Ulrich, Casey Cott, Charles Melton and Vanessa Morgan also star. Rob Seidenglanz directed the episode written by Cristine Chambers & James DeWille.

Riverdale airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. "Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House" will debut on May 8.

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