Every season, “Riverdale” just amps up the absurdity, and most recently, it did this by introducing Percival Pickens (Chris O’Shea), the most recent bad guy.
The main characters inexplicably get superpowers at the same time Percival arrives in town.
At first appearance, Percival appears to be a clone of Hiram Lodge, the town’s former villain.
They are evil businessmen who intend to waste Riverdale’s “heart” by purchasing the area and handing control over to the naughty Ghoulies.
Money and fear are two of Hiram Lodge’s personal superpowers. He is locked up at the start of the series, but that isn’t where he stays for very long.
He quickly gains control of Riverdale and even purchases a nearby public school in order to build a private, for-profit prison.
He alternates between being astonishingly kind at times, helping his daughter Veronica, and cartoonishly cruel at other times.
The richness gave Percival’s persona, which lacks compassion, a human touch.
Consuelos told Recap Rewind that “there’s gotta be some redeeming moments for Hiram like the protection he has for Veronica.”
The mafia bosses from “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” come to mind when comparing Hiram’s devotion to his family and his network of illicit enterprises.