If you have been following the adventures of Archie and friends, then the most important question you need answered right now is: Who killed Jason Blossom and why? The deeper the show delves into the mystery, the more it seems the Riverdale killer was actually after Archie. Yes, squeaky clean, good guy Archie. Plenty of people have motives for wanting Jason dead including Polly, Ethel, and the Coopers, but somehow that only makes me more certain Jason was a victim of mistaken identity.
After all, Riverdale is not the Jason Blossom show. Even though Archie's struggle to choose between football and music isn't the most fascinating story in the world, he is the protagonist. He also bears such a striking resemblance to the victim, even Jason's twin briefly thought Archie was her brother when he ran across the football field wearing Jason's jersey for the first time.
The town of Riverdale is one full of long-held grudges, twisted family relationships, and deceit. If nothing else is as it seems, then Jason's murder should be no exception. Grab a milkshake at Pop's, and join me down the rabbit hole for nine clues the killer's target was Archie, and Jason's only crime was looking too much like the boy-next-door.
1. Both Jason & Archie Were At The Lake
While it has been revealed Jason was actually killed (and tortured) a week after he faked his own death at the lake, it is way too much of a coincidence both he and Archie were there at the same time. Since Jason was tortured, it stands to reason he was taken before he could escape Riverdale. An ill-informed killer may have snatched the wrong redhead.
2. The Town Cannot Stop Comparing Jason & Archie
Even Jason's mom cannot get over the resemblance between the two boys. When the entire town keeps insisting Archie and Jason look so much alike, it is hard to ignore the constant reminders. There has to be a reason the show is so set on driving this point home for the viewers.
3. Jughead's Ominous Narration
Archie's former best friend is writing a novel about Jason's murder, and he keeps offering up glimpses of the future, hinting the narration on the show is not happening in real time. Jughead is fond of reiterating Jason's murder was just the beginning of the story, and by the end of each episode he almost always finds a way to tie things back to Archie. I suspect this is because his book will ultimately be about Archie, and Jason's murder is just the beginning of a much larger conspiracy.
4. Ms. Grundy's Dark Past
Ms. Grundy is out of the picture for now, but the predatory music teacher "tutored" both Jason and Archie. She also has a false identity, a gun, and a manipulative streak. Her ties to Jason and Archie, as well as her presence at the lake, suggest someone from her past may have been watching her. If that person was a former lover, they may have nabbed Jason instead of Archie, in hopes of getting revenge on the shady music teacher.
5. Alice Cooper's Archie Agenda
Betty's mom not only has a vendetta against Jason for the role he allegedly played in Polly's breakdown, she is determined to keep Betty away from Archie. Her drive to prove Archie is nothing but trouble for her daughter goes much deeper than simple over-protectiveness. Alice has motive to kill both Jason and Archie, the bigger question is, if she is the killer, who was her first target?
6. Archie's Summer At The Construction Site
As a dad, Fred seems like a stand up guy, but his construction work has led to him inadvertently getting involved in at least one questionable deal. There's also the small matter of him firing Jughead's biker dad. Archie spent an entire summer working for his father, putting him in a position to hear all kinds of town secrets, even if he wasn't paying attention. (That would certainly explain Jason's torture.)
More importantly, he is Fred's son, and if someone wants to hurt Fred, the best way to do it would be through offing his son.
7. Jughead's Serpent Ties
Everything appears to lead back to the rift in Jughead and Archie's friendship. Remember, Archie was supposed to be on a road trip with his best pal when he was actually having a clandestine day at the lake with Ms. Grundy. As I mentioned above, Jughead's dad has a reason to want to hurt Fred, and since the two mens' sons have been friends for a long time, that suggests there are ties between them as well.
Getting on the wrong side of the Serpents is not a good idea, as Veronica's mom can attest.
8. Those Lodge Family Dealings
Veronica's mom and Fred have serious history. But what about Fred and Veronica's dad? The imprisoned man with influence extending beyond his jail cell is busy making construction deals in Riverdale, and he is using the Serpents to do his dirty work.
If he anticipated Fred would stand in the way of whatever land grab scheme he has going on, then why not make sure the owner of the local construction site was too busy mourning his son to dig into the strange land deals going on around him?
9. Archie's Blossom Family Resemblance
So far, the show hasn't focused too much on the Blossom parents, but Jason's mom caressing Archie's face while talking about how much he reminded her of her dead son was all kinds of creepy. The show keeps hinting Archie may have ties to the Blossom family that even he doesn't know about.
What if Mrs. Blossom discovered Archie is the product of an affair between her husband and Archie's MIA mom? Rather than do the dirty work of disposing of Archie herself, she may have hired one of the town's Serpents to get the job done for her, resulting in the accidental death of her own son.
Each episode of Riverdale brings new mysteries, so who knows how long these clues will hold up, but for now I would not rule out the idea Archie is wondering around town with a target on his letterman jacket-clad back.
