‘Riverdale’ Finally Reveals First Look at Edgar Evernever

Tonight’s episode of Riverdale saw the kids of the show’s eponymous town taking on Heathers for its annual high school musical. With themes of teen alienation and violence, the musical was an oddly fitting choice for the students of Riverdale high. The musical also provided an opportunity for the town’s resident cult, The Farm, to make further inroads with the residents and students thanks to Evelyn Evernever’s involvement. However, she wasn’t the only important figure of the cult that fans saw in the episode. We were finally introduced to the mysterious guru behind The Farm tonight, Edgar Evernever.

Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Riverdale, “Big Fun”, below.

Edgar Evernever is a figure that has been spoken of frequently, but never actually seen on Riverdale until tonight. A mysterious spiritual leader, both Betty’s sister Polly and her mother Alice have sung Edgar’s praises while Evelyn has also spoken about her father without the cult leader ever appearing. Tonight, though, Evelyn manages to work her way into a co-director position for the musical and after the production finishes its final number, it’s one lone man who begins the applause, albeit in a strange and stilted way. That man? Edgar Evernever, played by Chad Michael Murray.

Best known for shows such as One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls, Murray’s casting was announced last month with Edgar described “as the enigmatic leader of the cult-like Farm, Edgar arrives in Riverdale to spread his teachings and heal the ravaged soul of this once wholesome town. Edgar is a charming, handsome guru, but is he hiding a more sinister agenda?”

Betty certainly seems to think so. One of the various plots on Riverdale this season has involved Betty’s distrust of the cult, especially as it sucks in her mother and, eventually, one of her best friends. In tonight’s episode, however, Betty begins to truly realize just how deeply The Farm has penetrated Riverdale. An attempt to expose the Farm’s nefarious manipulation of the musical backfires when she realizes that Principal Weatherbee himself is now part of The Farm and if that sense of horror wasn’t quite enough, the post-performance applause certainly is.

Betty watches as, one by one, members of the audience follow Edgar’s lead and stand up clapping, each one dressed in white. In short order, the audience is full of people in white, all standing and clapping in a controlled, almost robotic way. It may not be a gruesome murder the way last year’s musical ended, but it’s no less chilling — and no less a sign that dire things could be to come for Riverdale.

What did you think about tonight’s musical episode of Riverdale? Let us know in the comments below.

Riverdale airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on The CW.