Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Riverdale episode "Chapter 26: The Tell-Tale Heart." Read at your own risk!
Riverdale delivered many mind-blowing moments in "Chapter 26: The Tell-Tale Heart". But the reveal that Agent Arthur Adams was not affiliated with the F.B.I., and was an informant for Hermione Lodge was the best of them all. Interestingly enough, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said that plot twist would have never happened had it not been for executive producer Greg Berlanti and Dawson's Creek. Berlanti passed on some sage television wisdom to Aguirre-Sacasa when learning about Agent Adams, and it ended up changing Season 2 for the better:
He was going to be a FBI agent originally, and [executive producer] Greg Berlanti said, 'Careful with the FBI stuff and Archie going undercover for the FBI and wearing a wire.' He was like, 'Archie shouldn't wear a wire. We did it on Dawson's. People didn't like it.
The Dawson's Creek moment Greg Berlanti is referring to was when character Joey Potter wore a wire for the police to get her father to confess to dealing drugs. The moment has been criticized by fans of the series and even the Dawson actor himself, James Van Der Beek. Had Berlanti not intervened in the Riverdale writing for Season 2, Archie might've done the exact same thing to Veronica's dad, Hiram. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Variety that, following Berlanti's suggestion, the writers flipped the script and wrote Agent Adams to be an informant of Hiram's, but then changed their minds and landed on Hermione.
The change in script definitely paid off, as Riverdale has now set Archie on a path much darker than the one he was headed down at the start of Season 2. Archie ratting out Hiram wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world, but it would've been out of character. Archie thus far in Season 2 has been all about doing things the wrong way, provided it gets done. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased Archie's allegiance to the Lodge family will put him at odds with his father Fred, and that this twist will also introduce some drama between Hermione and Hiram as the two engage in a bit of a power struggle.
Family in-fighting can only mean bad things for Archie, as the Lodge family not being on the same page could cause them to slip up and have some of their more illegal dealings be discovered. Archie might still have Veronica's love by the time Season 2 concludes, but could he also have a criminal charge to boot? There's never really any telling with Riverdale, and all we can hope is that Archie's commitment to breaking bad doesn't end with the character behind bars, or a target worthy of bringing the actual Black Hood out of hiding.
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW. For a look at shows set to premiere in 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide.
