The CW Releases Riverdale Midseason Premiere Synopsis

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Riverdale season two.

When Riverdale fans return to the quaint-on-the-outside, chaotic-from-within town, they're in for both tricks and treats. 

The CW has unveiled the official synopsis for the midseason premiere of Riverdale, which will return from its winter hiatus for the remainder of its second season in the middle of January. 

Contrary to the hit drama's first season–which centered around the puzzling death of clean-cut varsity jock Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines) and the burgeoning sins of the Southside Serpents, the Cooper family, and Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) himself–its second turn shifted focus to the Black Hood, a holier-than-thou serial killer who ravaged the residents of Riverdale, picking off one by one those he deemed to be miscreants and evildoers. 

Now that we know the real identity of the masked murdered (revealed as the Riverdale High janitor Joseph Svenson/Conway in the midseason finale), the second half of season two will go back to tried-and-true storylines fans love, ones that zero in on the tension in Riverdale High and the relationships of its students.

Here's the official synopsis (via ComicBook.com) for the upcoming episode: "NEW YEAR, NEW DRAMA–Tensions mount when the sudden shut down of Southside High forces Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and his fellow serpents to transfer to Riverdale High. Veronica (Camila Mendes) ensures Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and Hermoine (Marisol Nichols) that she's still on board with their plans for SoDale. Archie (KJ Apa) is conflicted when he is asked to gather some information on Hiram's suspicious business dealings. Betty (Lili Reinhart) sets out on a quest to find her long-lost brother, Chic (guest star Hart Denton). Madelaine Petsch, Madchen Amick, Luke Perry, Ashleigh Murray, Skeet Ulrich, and Casey Cott also star. Tim Hunter directed the episode written by Britta Lundin and Brian E. Paterson (#210)."

Riverdale creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa previously indicated that the series will go "back to basics" moving forward. "The second half of season two gets back to a little bit of Riverdale basics, which is focused on stories at the school, kind of getting back in deep on the relationships and the friendships," he explained. "There's still going to be a pulpy noir crime element to the second half, but there will be a resurgence of high school hijinks and getting back to the roots of what Archie's all about, which is the kids and the school." 

However, the Black Hood mystery will still leave a stain on the town of Riverdale, and Aguirre-Sacasa hinted that there is more to learn in the coming episodes. "On the one hand, I want to say that the Black Hood saga is over with episode nine," the creative said to ComicBook.com following the midseason finale. "We kind of bring it to a close, and new stories and new crime and noir story begins in episode 10, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that... People don't always stay dead in Riverdale, so we're definitely going to be dealing with the aftermath of the Black Hood, and kind of the events of the last two or three episodes for a long time."

We can find out how things will pan out when Riverdale returns to The CW on Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m. ET.