Riverdale Fans Are Freaking Out About Season 6 Premiere's Shocking Death

Riverdale's sixth season returned on Tuesday night, introducing a status quo for the series that fans had to see to believe. The premiere kicked off a five-episode event dubbed "Rivervale", which took a decidedly spookier and more unsettling approach to the series fans know and love. The first episode began to showcase what the "shadow town" of Rivervale brings — and for one character, it appears to have (briefly) brought their tragic end. Major spoilers for the Season 6 premiere of Riverdale, "Chapter Ninety-Six: Welcome to Rivervale", below! Only look if you want to know!

At the center of the episode was an ongoing conversation between Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa) and Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) about their future, and whether or not they would soon be having a baby. By the end of the episode, Betty welcomed the idea of them having a kid together — only for things to quickly turn sour. Archie was brought to a ritual being held by Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and her civilization in Thornhill, which would apparently help bring the dying maple trees back to life. The ritual in question involved the civilians of the town sacrificing Archie, so that his "pure heart" could replenish the town, and his and Betty's child could eventually do the same as an adult. Cheryl proceeded to crucify Archie and literally rip his heart out.

Even for Riverdale — and for the decidedly-alternate reality of "Rivervale" — the nature of Archie's Midsommar-esque death definitely surprised some. Here are just a few reactions to it.