A post by the official Archie Comics Twitter on Monday announced the return of Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews in the second season of Riverdale. The show made our list of 2017’s best television (so far) and we aren’t the only ones eagerly awaiting a second season, which premieres Oct. 11. While news has leaked slowly but steadily about the forthcoming season, details concerning the central plot and storylines remain scarce.
The show’s shocking season finale in May finally revealed the motivations and identity of Jason Blossom’s killer, the mystery of which entangled Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his friends—Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse)—all season long. Within the same episode, a jumping-off point for next season was established with the shooting of Archie’s father Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), whose fate was left in question as he lay on the floor of Pop’s bleeding out as Archie watched. Mary’s impending returns brings more questions for Fred’s fate, who surely doesn’t make a quick recovery (if any), considering she returns to Riverdale unplanned and so soon. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa already confirmed that Archie will undergo a Bruce Wayne-like transformation in the next season, which doesn’t bode well for Fred or Mary’s fates.
Mary herself has history with other motherly characters in the show, particularly Hermoine Lodge (Marisol Nichols) and Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick), who are both steeped in drama as well. Ringwald first appeared as Mary late in season one when she returned to Riverdale from Chicago to finalize a divorce between herself and Fred. During her return she reconnected with Hermoine and Alice at the high school prom, where viewers got a glimpse of the women’s history that has carried over into their children’s lives.
While fans anxiously await Fred’s fate, whether Mary stays in Riverdale and plays a bigger role in the next season’s drama is another question with major implications for the plot of season two. See Archie Comics’ announcement tweet below.
Archie’s mom is back for #Riverdale Season 2! Hi, Mary!@MollyRingwald@kj_apapic.twitter.com/nCHHtcVLW7
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) June 26, 2017