'Riverdale' Cast Teases Tragedy in 'Carrie' Musical Episode

In just a few weeks, Riverdale's second season is expected to go into a whole new direction, with an upcoming musical episode, "A Night to Remember". But judging by recent reports, that installment could have plenty of horror beyond the song and dance.

During the show's recent PaleyFest panel (via PopSugar), several of Riverdale's cast members touched on the upcoming episode, which will see the show's ensemble put on a production of Carrie: The Musical. While things appear to be delightfully vintage in the first looks at the episode, it sounds like there will be something sinister lurking underneath.

"The drama of this episode is . . . more than just a drama." KJ Apa, who plays Archie Andrews, teased. "It's a tragedy. It's a true tragedy."

"I don't think it'd be Riverdale if there wasn't something tragic about a musical episode." Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones, echoed. "It can be a breath of fresh air for people who have been watching a debilitating series of events for these characters. But we still find a way to pick you up and slam you back down."

Given just how many things are currently going on in Riverdale - several school and city elections, various threats from family members, and the city's pending turn towards becoming a for-profit prison - it certainly makes sense for that drama to seep in. And according to Marisol Nichols, who plays Hermione Lodge, certain characters will deal with that in different ways.

"Characters are going to fall from grace. And they're going to redeem themselves," Nichols hinted. "And it's Carrie. At the end of the day, you're going to see a bucket full of blood. I don't think it gets more tragic than that."

As showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa hinted, there's a very good reason for the series to be putting on a production of Carrie, besides a similar sort of aesthetic and narrative theme.

"It was something we talked about even in Season 1 to do a musical episode," Aguirre-Sacada explained. "We ran out of time, and we were doing the second season, and we planned the musical for halfway through, but we just kept pushing it and pushing it, so it was, 'We're either doing it now or not doing it.'"

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. "A Night To Remember" will air on April 18th.