‘Riverdale’ Season 3 Premiere Photos Show Campfires and Court Cases

Season 2 of Riverdale ended with Archie (KJ Apa) getting arrested for the murder of Cassidy Bullock, who was a cashier in a general store near Veronica Lodge’s (Camila Mendes) family’s lakehouse.

It’s clear that Archie’s arrest was orchestrated by Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) after Archie confronted Hiram at his home and threatened him with a knife.

The aftermath of that decision will play out almost immediately when the teen drama returns, before the season expands to include camping, cults and more.

Scroll through to see photos from the upcoming batch of episodes and set a reminder for Wednesday, Oct. 19, when Riverdale returns on The CW.

Archie in court

It was made clear during Episode 14 of Season 2 that Archie didn’t kill Cassidy, and it’s a safe bet that Season 3 will see Archie’s friends do their best to clear his name, along with Sierra McCoy (Robin Givens), the town’s former mayor and Archie’s apparent lawyer.

A new foe

As a result of Archie’s arrest, he will have to deal with new character Ms. Wright (Penelope Ann Miller), the district attorney who “will weave together disparate moments of Archie’s young life to portray him as a dangerous, violent sociopath who is capable of committing a heinous crime,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Mom in town

Another court shot finds Archie flanked by his mom, Mary Andrews (Molly Ringwald) as well as Sierra.

Labor day

The photos also indicate that Archie won’t be a victim of the court system for long, as he is shown enjoying the last days of summer with Veronica, Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse). In June, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed on Twitter that the title of Season 3, Episode 1 will be “Labor Day,” leading fans to believe the camping scenes are from the gang’s Labor Day celebrations.

Archie set free

Naturally, Archie also finds time to take his shirt off while camping, with the redheaded hero standing in the water while looking concernedly at something off-camera.

Trouble in paradise?

Mendes said at Comic-Con this summer that Archie and Veronica’s relationship may not be as solid as it used to be come Season 3.

“I think they’re going to run into some problems,” she said, via TV Line, with Apa adding, “The distance and separation, if he goes away, is going to be tough.”

Bughead united

As for Betty and Jughead, Reinhart said the two are “rock solid,” adding that the pair “start off Season 3 as the investigative duo that they were in Season 1,” as they explore the show’s latest mystery. In addition, Betty is “owning [her] title” as Serpent Queen after Jughead was named the leader of the gang in the Season 2 finale.

Let the game begin

This season’s poster finds the gang staring down the camera in dramatic sepia tones as a pair of red antlers attached to a skull loom ominously in front of them.

“Let the game begin,” the poster reads.

The scary horned figure also appeared in the trailer for the season, so it’s likely it will have some sort of impact on at least one character, though what that means exactly remains to be seen.

Photo Credit: The CW