Riverdale: We’ll See A Very Different Cheryl Blossom In Season 2

05/19/2017 08:42 pm EDT

Even though Riverdale kicked off the first season with the death of Jason Blossom, we know up until that point Cheryl led what many envious observers would describe as a charmed life. Her family was wealthy; she live in a mansion; her twin brother, who she was close to, was very popular and the star of the high school football team; and she school's Queen Bee and head cheerleader. Every girl wanted to be her, every boy wanted to be with her.

However, as the season unfolded we learned that her life was anything but charmed. After helping her twin fake his own death so that he could runaway with his pregnant cousin girlfriend, Polly Cooper, and escape his loveless parents, she was horrified to learn that he was indeed dead. Actually, he was worse then dead; he was murdered by his own father. Once that was revealed, Cheryl's father killed himself. Plus, the family's lucrative maple syrup business turned out to be a front for smuggling drugs.

In the finale, Cheryl attempted to take her own life. Fortunately, Archie was able to save her in the nick of time. Not wanting to live in the Blossom mansion with her cruel mother and to free herself of all the dreaful memories associated with it, Cheryl torched her home.

You figure after all of that she's due for some happiness in the second season. Well, you'd be wrong to think such a thing. "There's so much she's going to have to unpack about her father being the murderer and realizing that it's just her and Penelope now," executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told EW. "It's not going to get much easier for Cheryl in season 2."

MORE: Riverdale Showrunner Compares Season 2 Cheryl Blossom to Mad Max: Fury Road's Furiosa / Riverdale Season 1's Final Shot Was a Giant Easter Egg for Comics Fans / Riverdale Star Says Show Saved Her Life

The first season of RIVERDALE found our characters reeling from the tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom. For many who had seen their home as perfect, safe, and innocent, the investigation into Jason's murder peeled back the layers of their hometown to reveal a place bubbling over with secrets, mysteries, and scandals. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), for instance, grew from a sweet, all-American kid into a young man acutely aware of the darker side of life—he broke his best friend's heart, had a forbidden relationship with his music teacher, and grappled with whether he wanted to follow in his dad's salt-of-the-earth footsteps. On the positive side, Archie repaired his friendship with Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), found some success as a musician—thanks in part to Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) and her band, the Pussycats—and found a new romantic interest in femme fatale Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes). New to town, Veronica spent the season trying to atone for her "bad girl" past, all the while wrestling with her beloved father's criminal legacy—and contending with a mother, Hermione (Marisol Nichols), who might not be as innocent as she claimed. Veronica became fast-friends with Archie's girl-next-door neighbor, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), who did some growing up of her own this season. After Archie's rejection, Betty threw herself into running the school paper, "The Blue and Gold," where she discovered a better romantic match in sardonic outsider Jughead. Together, they tracked down Betty's sister Polly (guest star Tiera Skovbye), who had been sent away by their overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick). Under the guise of writing for the school paper, Betty and Jughead investigated Jason Blossom's death—which led to them discover that Jughead's father—FP Jones (guest star Skeet Ulrich)—was involved with covering up Jason's murder. Meanwhile, Jason's twin sister Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) ruled the school as Riverdale High's venomous, merciless Red Queen—until she learned the true identity of Jason's killer. As the town breathed a collective sigh of relief that Jason's killer had been found out, another terrible crime occurred, in a space that had been considered one of the town's safest, most innocent places. If Jason Blossom's murder revealed the slimy underbelly beneath Riverdale's surface, as we enter Season Two, the shooting of Fred Andrews threatens to plunge the entire town into utter darkness.

Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Supergirl, Glee), Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Sarah Schechter (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow) and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics).

The second season of Riverdale will air on Wednesdays at 8:00-9:00 PM.

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