'Riverdale' Season 4: The mid-season finale introduces us to Frank Andrews, but is the man a friend or a foe?
'Riverdale' Season 4 opened with a heartfelt tribute to Fred Andrews (the late Luke Perry) and the rest of the season had Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) try his best and live life the way his dad did. It may not have turned out so well considering the trouble the teen is going through with the community center, but it was a sure sign the teen was trying to make things work and make his town a better place.
'Chapter Sixty-Six: Tangerine' may have focused its major chunk of the storyline on Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and her dark side, but the episode manages to introduce a new character while at it. Frank Andrews (Ryan Robbins) is introduced as Fred's brother. Deadline has an interesting profile about the character: Frank is a former high school football star with a temper and vices that have a habit of getting him in trouble. He's always lived in Fred's shadow, so he joined the army in search of a purpose. Now, that he's done serving, he's in need of a home.
At the moment, it is too premature to judge if Frank is a trouble-maker. Most of Archie's pals have been introduced to family members who are either sinister or just not good people. There are two options Frank presents: He's either made a grave error and he's looking for some shelter in Archie's home or community center, or he just might be the father-figure the teen needs. It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Red so far and maybe Frank's presence would help Archie focus more on football and college. Even if he isn't going off to a plush university.
Frank can also serve as Mary's (Molly Ringwald) replacement in case she decides to head back to Chicago at some stage. For now, it will be a long wait for fans as 'Riverdale' will only be back next year. If the show does follow the same pattern as last year, then the episodes will be back in mid-January 2020. Until then, it's time to keep the theories and speculations going.
'Riverdale' Season 4 airs 8 pm Wednesdays on The CW and the teen drama is currently on a hiatus.