'Riverdale' Season 5 Ending Explained: Hiram Lodge Leaves Riverdale For Good

The latest season of Riverdale has concluded and left viewers on a cliffhanger. The good news is that the show has already been renewed for the next season, which means we will be receiving answers sooner rather than later. 

The fifth season of Riverdale saw the series jumping ahead nearly a decade into the future. It is no longer a teen drama and the actors are finally playing characters their own age. The main characters have gone their separate ways and pursuing varied careers in different cities. But they reunite in Riverdale to try and stop Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) from destroying it. Here's what happened in season 5 of Riverdale with all the spoilers ahead. 

'Riverdale' Season 5: Plot

It is seven years after the gang has graduated from high school. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) has joined the army; Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) has moved to New York to work on his book; Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) is married to Chadwick Gekko (Chris Mason) and along with him has become the "She-Wolf of Wall Street." Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhardt) has become an FBI. They have left their town only to return to it in order to stop Hiram who was trying to gut their town in an attempt to mine for the wealth buried under Riverdale.

As expected the fifth season has the crazy plotlines that Riverdale came to be known for. There were defining moments in the show that lived up to the show's reputation including the finale. 

The Blossom Family Secrets

One key point in the fifth season is the disappearance of Polly Cooper, Betty's sister. This also explores the myth of the haunting of the Lonely Highway by the Mothmen. The so-called mystery is clarified as a way Nana Rose tried to hush her husband's illicit affairs. She explains that his illegitimate children were given away to the cave-dwelling Starkweather family to protect the reputation of the Blossom family and the Blossom Maple Syrup farms. The legend was a way to discourage people from approaching the family who then took to rob people crossing the highway. They then took to hunting women for sport and Polly Cooper was one of their victims.

In another bizarre reveal, Nana Rose also tells Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) that her ancestor, Abigail, was murdered in the witch trials in the 1800s. Her killers were none other than the ancestors of Archie and Jughead. She explains that Abigail had cursed her murderers' bloodlines and Cheryl decides to recite the curse as well setting something off in the town. This seems to be the set-up for what is to come in the next season with a cross-over of Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. A witch plot is coming your way in the next season.

'Riverdale' Ending Explained: Barchie And a Bomb

The main story is Archie's attempt to revive Riverdale and foil Hiram's ploy to turn the town upside down to extract all the palladium under it. His extreme motivation is explained as his guilt for causing the death of his father in the past, whose dream it was to mine the palladium from under the town. His antics lead to Veronica turning her back on her father even as he tries to manipulate her into helping him. He is kicked out of town but not before making one final dramatic appearance before leaving for good (since Consuelos has confirmed his departure from the show.)

There is, of course, the love triangle of Archie, Veronica, and Betty. Archie arranges a "friends with benefits" setting with Betty and then also has a moment with Veronica as well. But he ultimately chooses Betty. And just as they decide to consummate their relationship, they realize there is a bomb under the bed. The series ends with Hiram driving away from town as smoke rises in the distance. Was it the bomb or something else? Chances of the main characters being killed off are slim but we will know more as soon as November 16.