Abandoning the far-fetched fantasy plot of the third season, CW’s new instalment of Riverdale has reigned it in for a comparatively tame fourth season involving brainwashing cults, drug-running and sleazy sexploits. With new episodes also dropping on Netflix, fans are racking their brains for clues to how things will go down.
Ever since transferring to the elitist private school Stonewall Prep, Jughead (played by Cole Sprouse) has been engaged in a deadly game of wits with teachers and students alike.
Most notable is the pompous Bret Weston Wallis (Sean Depner), who resents Jughead’s literary talents arising in someone with a more impoverished and violent background.
Bret has forced Jughead to defect from the school with a foul mix of sabotage and blackmail.
Probably most abhorrent was his taping of sex tapes involving Jughead and his loyal girlfriend Betty (Lili Reinhart) using covert video cameras.
READ MORE: Riverdale season 4 Netflix release date, cast, trailer, plot
One fan has hit upon a sinister theme of clandestine camera footage that has been threaded throughout the season that could end up being linked.
Reddit user AnnaK22 suggested: “Is it possible that he is related to Kevin’s storyline? The whole tickle porn thing.
“I think Bret works for a similar organization or better yet, Bret is the head/sponsor of the organization.”
Kevin (Casey Cott) has recently become involved with an unusual club who enjoy taping themselves being tickled.
Bret is already a rich upstart with major influence across Riverdale, so it’s entirely possible that his schemes have spread across to Riverdale High.
They added: “In addition to that, whoever is filming everyone’s houses, maybe Charles, is also somehow linked to Bret.”
Riverdale is known for lifting inspiration from popular films, but the CW show has outdone itself this season by borrowing the premise of Michael Haneke’s French thriller Caché.
Across the small town, households are being delivered sinister videos of their front doors that appear to be creeping closer with each new tape.
Viewers already know that Bret has access to a substantial stash of blank tapes, and a threatening scheme like this certainly appears to be in line with his villainous machinations so far this season.
Finally, the fan concluded: “Anywho, there’s just a lot of secret filming this season and I hope all the storylines merge into one by the end.”
Fans expecting a completely cohesive storyline from Riverdale have been let down in the past, but the more streamlined mysteries of season four have raised expectations for a thrilling season finale.
Riverdale season 4 continues Thursdays on Netflix.