The puzzle of Jason Blossom’s (Trevor Stines) murder has been solved, but there is more trouble than ever brewing in the town of Riverdale when the series returns in the fall. Today at Comic-Con, we had the opportunity to sit down with the cast and executive producers of the show to learn more about what’s coming up next for our favorite group of misfits. They gave us some good scoop on what we can expect to see in Season 2, and discussed everything from strained family dynamics, to broken friendships and the possibility of new romances.

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In attendance were stars: K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Casey Cott, Madelaine Petsch, Ashleigh Murray, Hayley Law, Asha Bromfield, and Executive Producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Sarah Schechter. So, what did we find out about the Riverdale gang and what’s in store for them when the new season kicks off later this year?

Here’s everything we know:

  • A number of the mysteries that were presented towards the end of Season 1 will continue to be explored, like the town’s problem with drug trafficking. The tone of the show will stay true to how the series started off—a crime drama—but will continue to expand. According to Sprouse there will be a “heightened flexibility for the neo-noir stuff,” and things that make viewers forget the show is about teenagers. Aguirre-Sacasa added to that sentiment, “We have a very strong crime and noir element that’s a little bit more dangerous than in Season 1. It does get darker.”
  • While the theme of darkness encompasses the main storyline, Aguirre-Sacasa also said there will be more of those lighthearted moments that viewers are so keen to, “There’s always going to be humor and the aspirational friendship element.” So don’t worry, it’s not all going to be doom and gloom.
  • Cheryl sees the burning of Thorn Hill as a rebirth that will introduce us to a stronger and more independent character. “She’s taking control of her life, she’s not letting her parents [mom] abuse her anymore and she’s going to be the one holding the reins in the relationship with her mother,” Petsch teased. However, this does not mean she will all of a sudden turn into a kindhearted and loving person. After the events in the finale, Cheryl will be meaner, colder and more closed-off to the outside world. There will also be an unexpected love interest for her character that we’ve yet to meet. “I don’t think they’ve arrived [to town] yet,” Petsch revealed.
  • It’s obvious that Cheryl is a very misunderstood character who could really use a good friend. Petsch said the person who she believes is best suited for the job is Veronica. “They’ve had the most interesting connection the entire season. I think it would be really nice for Cheryl to—for once in her life—put her guard down and let Veronica in for good and create a solid friendship with her.”
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    Image via The CW
    According to Reinhart, Betty will be at the core of the mystery for the first half of the season and we will be seeing a broken side of her. “She’s thrown into something that she never imagined and her circumstances break her,” she added. Prepare to see a more vulnerable and hopeless side to Betty that you have not seen before.
  • Episode 2 will feature the cast in retro costumes during a performance by Josie and the Pussycats.
  • Flashbacks featuring the Riverdale parents are highly unlikely. “The problem is that most of the parents on the show—we knew them as teenagers,” Schechter said. The fact that some of the actors playing parents like, Skeet Ulrich, Luke Perry, and now Molly Ringwald, already exist on film in their younger years, makes it difficult to portray them any other way. “It’s hard to flashback when you already know what they looked like. You don’t want to fake that.” Schechter said, although she admitted there is a way to do it well.
  • We’ll learn more about Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) and who she was in High School, early on in the season. The mystery of how she became the woman she is in present day will be revealed and according to Schechter it is going to be “a lot of fun.”
  • The shooting of Fred in the finale might give us a glimpse of Archie’s dark side. “He’s willing to go as far as he can,” Apa said, when talking about his character’s quest for revenge. “I have read the first episodes and he goes pretty deep into it. He’s determined, for his town and for his family.” Aguirre-Sacasa added that Archie would be wrestling with what happened to his father.
  • Josie, Valerie, and Melody’s diverse personalities will continue to shine through. Law and Bromfield hope we can get more fleshed-out versions of the girls and dig deeper into their individual stories, especially now that the series will consist of 22 episodes.
  • There will be uneasiness and possible disagreements within the group as a result of Josie’s musical aspirations. “She’s going to be pursuing her music career more and I think that choice is going to affect the dynamic between the three of them,” Murray revealed.
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    Image via The CW
    Josie’s relationship with her mother will be tested due to the actions the latter takes in response to everything that is happening in the town. “There might be some things revealed that Josie wasn’t aware of that her mom was involved in last season,” Murray said, citing broken trust as one of the issues they will be dealing with.
  • Valerie and Archie’s romance is more dead than the Blossom men. Too soon? “I think she’s over it,” Schechter said. “Archie wanted to make it right and he couldn’t. That’s one of the lessons that we all learn as we’re growing up. There are consequences to your actions and you can’t always unhurt the people you hurt.”
  • Varchie fans rejoice. That relationship will be picking up speed. Schechter revealed that Season 2 will dig into the intense sexual chemistry between Archie and Veronica, which has been simmering since the series’s pilot.
  • A romance between Betty and Archie is not being revisited, although Reinhart cannot say it won’t be explored in the future. “She loves Jughead,” Reinhart said but assured that there will be a good amount of friendship moments between her character and Archie.
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    Image via The CW
    Those of us waiting for Archie and Jughead to form a stronger friendship bond will have to wait a while. They are more likely to drift apart than grow closer together. “Archie becomes this force of pure morality, vigilance, and righteousness and Jughead becomes a kind of character that knows that sometimes you have to do bad to do good,” Sprouse teased. “I wouldn’t really call it a friendship,” Apa said, referring to the way in which their characters would be interacting next season.
  • What’s up for Kevin when Riverdale returns? Cott said we’ll see a darker side of him as the season explores more of his character and what makes him who he is. “Season 2 will dive into the insecurities of his humorous outbursts, what he’s missing, where he’s lonely,” Cott added the show will also be “exploring the friendships and the relationship with [his] father.”
  • Bringing Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Riverdale would be a tricky situation for the writers, given that it would change the whole tone of the show and introduce a supernatural element to the town. However, Aguirre-Sacasa doesn’t necessarily shoot down the idea, “If you are going to introduce that character, the rules of the world change.” He explained that a big part of that is figuring out how to make it all work within the already-established universe, “I’ve probably said too much already. It’s certainly something I aspire, and hope to do in some way.” He concluded.
  • The Lodge family is finally getting that reunion that Veronica’s been longing for, and Mendes gave a few hints on how that relationship could play out, “I think she’s terrified and doesn’t really know where she stands with him. There’s so many mixed feelings.” She went on to say that Veronica will either try to impress Hiram and prove to be worthy of being a Lodge or she will be hard on him and keep tabs on him to make sure he’s no longer being corruptive.
  • There will be drama and heartbreak that will put a strain on Veronica and Betty’s friendship. Mendes said this will all be happening in Episode 5. “They are put to the test a little bit,” Reinhart added. The conflict seems to arise from a place of love and protection but it will not be taken that way by one of the two characters, and it’s what makes it so heartbreaking. “The audience will be hurt watching that,” Mendes said.

Sounds like we better start stocking up on those tissues and be prepared to have our emotions shattered. What are you most looking forward to seeing when the show returns? Sound off in the comments.

Season 2 of Riverdale premieres October 11th on The CW.