Riverdale Series Finale Synopsis Reveals Surprising Timeline Twist

The CW’s Riverdale is coming to an end in just a few weeks and while the series’ main characters have been left in the 1950s for the entirety of the series’ seventh and final season, it sounds like things will be jumping back to the present for the fan favorite show’s big sendoff — in a very unexpected way. The CW has released the synopsis for “Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale”, the twentieth episode of Riverdale’s seventh season and the series finale. The episode is set to air on Wednesday, August 23rd. According to the synopsis, we catch up with an elderly Betty in the present day who wants to relive the last day of her senior year with her friends — with all of their memories restored. You can check the synopsis out for yourself below.

“NOW LEAVING RIVERDALE — Back in present day and longing for her former life in Riverdale, 86-year-old Betty (Lili Reinhart) turns to a special friend to help her relive her last day of senior year with her friends as they were, their memories restored.  KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Madchen Amick, Casey Cott, Charles Melton, Vanessa Morgan and Drew Ray Tanner also star.  The episode was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.”

As fans of the series will recall, Betty and her friends all had their memories erased when they were taken to the 1950s timeline so there are a few details in this synopsis that are of interest. Does Betty being 86 in the present day mean that they never returned to the correct timeline? Does the restored memories mean that they did? Fans have just a few more episodes to go to find out.

Will Riverdale Return to the Present Day?

While the season premiere made it seem like the end goal was for the gang to find a way to set the universe right so that they could return to the present day, series star Mädchen Amick had cast doubt on the series making it back to the present day — at least in a way that fans might expect.

“I don’t know if I should answer,” Amick told Decider when asked about the setting. “No, we don’t get out of the 1950s. So, I guess maybe that is a big spoiler. I will say you do experience the characters in different… dimensions, that you get to see a lot of closures that are outside of the 1950s. I can tease it that way. I think that’s saying enough.”

When is Riverdale‘s Series Finale?

In May, The CW announced the series finale dates for both Riverdale and Nancy Drew. Both shows will air their series finales on Wednesday, August 23rd. Nancy Drew‘s finale will air at 8/7c with Riverdale‘s airing at 9/8c.