Riverdale “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man” Synopsis Released

The CW has released a new synopsis for “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man”, the tenth episode of Riverdale‘s fifth season. The episode, which is set to air on Wednesday, March 31st, will see new challenges for the show’s main characters all as they prepare for Parent-Teacher night at Riverdale High School. From the way the synopsis reads, the episode will further play into the twin plot threads of the main characters becoming teachers at the school in order to save Riverdale as well as Hiram Lodge’s (Mark Consuelos) continued efforts to destroy it for his own gain. You can check out the synopsis for yourself below.

PARENT-TEACHER NIGHT — While preparing for the school’s Parent-Teacher night, Archie (KJ Apa) is caught off guard when his former Army General shows up in Riverdale with some unexpected news. Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) pushes back after hearing that Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and Reggie (Charles Melton) have expressed interest in taking over the Blossom maple groves. Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) unconventional way to get through a case of writer’s block causes Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) to be concerned for his safety. Finally, Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Alice (Mädchen Amick) receive some unexpected visitors. Camila Mendes and Casey Cott also star. Gabriel Correa directed the episode written by Chrissy Maroon.

The episode will be Riverdale‘s last for three months as the show takes a pre-planned hiatus. From April 7th through July 7th of this year, the new series Kung Fu will be taking over Riverdale‘s usual time slot. Given that Riverdale is known for wild twists and cliffhangers, it’s likely that “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man” will leave fans with a lot of questions as the big time jump and what that means for the various connections and relationships on the series gets into full swing.

“On a practical level we really wanted to — I call them still the kids [Laughs] — but for the kids to be playing characters closer to their age,” Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa explained to Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “And I think one of the hallmarks of Riverdale has been that it isn’t a procedural. Every episode is its own genre and it’s constantly reinventing itself and it felt like if we had stayed in high school, we might run the risk of playing the same beats and the same stories over and over again. So I think the idea was that it would sort of be a creative boost for the writers, a creative boost for the actors, and after four years of very gonzo, intricate, incestuous plotting, it was like, “Oh!” Well, we can just drop everyone into new storylines that feel organic to the characters, but allow us to feel like we can move a little more nimbly. Without the burden of, you know, Bughead dating or the burden of Archie still wrestling with the immediate death of his father. It felt like a way to freshen everything up and I feel like that was the big goal.”

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. “Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man” airs on March 31st.