Riverdale's Casey Cott Teases the Gryphons and Gargoyles 'Madness' Ahead

Riverdaleis going deep down the Gryphons and Gargoyles rabbit hole, as proved by this week's episode. The gang broke Archie (KJ Apa) out of juvie, which lined up as the literal interpretation of Jughead's (Cole Sprouse) latest quest within the game. It seems that Archie is a central piece to this puzzle, whether the rest of the kids realize it or not.

Archie almost didn't make it to freedom though. Joaquin (Rob Raco) shivved our ginger hero right before his last Teen Fight Club match for the warden. Joaquin's involvement in Archie's takedown and his appearance here was a big shot to his ex, Kevin (Casey Cott). Joaquin disappeared into the wind in the chaos of Archie's breakout, but it's safe to say that he's front and center in Kevin's mind, and the sheriff's son will be dedicating a lot of energy to figuring out what trouble his ex is in.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

TV Guide talked to Cott about the surprising reunion and how Joaquin will draw Kevin -- and his friends -- deeper into the madness of Gryphons and Gargoyles.

Kevin runs into his ex Joaquin while they're braking Archie out of juvie. How did that shock to the system feel?
Casey Cott: I think it's at first pretty shocking, and then I think obviously Kevin kind of makes a mad dash to try to find him and help him out. It's funny, I thought it was interesting the way they kind of chucked Joaquin back in and Kevin obviously still has something in there for Joaquin, so his first response is to, once he gets that little tunnel open for Betty, to go find him and try to help him out. I think it kind of just shows how loyal Kevin is again. At the end of the day, Kevin's just kind of a sweet guy trying to help everybody out. It was interesting though, I think it was a cool little twist.

How is Kevin going to continue to search for him and how is that sort of going to be balanced with Kevin deciding to start playing Gryphons and Gargoyles?
Cott: I don't know how much I can say about that. I will say that Joaquin has a cool little story kinda coming up and it may or may not involve Kevin. I think the town is in such a tizzy and I think everybody's so thrown off by what this Gryphons and Gargoyles thing is. It's kind of all-consuming as we go forward. Obviously, now we know that the parents were involved and [that] kind of created this mass hysteria. It's kinda this black hole that's sucking everyone in the town in. It's kind of fun to see how Kevin gets sucked in and what role Joaquin plays in that.

Riverdale Sneak Peek: Is One of the Parents the Gargoyle King?

How does Joaquin's return complicate Kevin's relationship with Moose?
Cott: Joaquin plays a wonderful role, but I think Kevin and Moose are going pretty solid for now. ... In some way, Kevin's story is almost beginning halfway through Season 3, what we're about to shoot right now. I think right now Kevin's kinda part of a lot of other people's stories, but we really dive into Kevin and Moose later in the season -- but as of now they're going real strong.

Do you think that Kevin is as susceptible to this game as Jughead and maybe some of his other friends are? Or do you think he'll be a little bit stronger?
Cott: I think Jughead is someone who is quite curious all the time, and I think it's easy to have someone with a curiosity of Jughead to get sucked into a game like Gryphons and Gargoyles. ... The game takes no prisoners, everybody gets sucked in. I don't think it's a matter of how strong you are, but Kevin definitely dabbles as we go along. I think we all keep going back to this bunker that's been created and all the madness that happens down there. Kevin will definitely get sucked in.

We also found out that Sheriff Keller and Sierra are engaged in this episode. How does Kevin feel about this upcoming wedding? Josie doesn't seem to be that stoked about it.
Cott: Kevin and his dad, as we've seen in the past two, three years -- they have such a unique love for each other, and I think a kindness and compassion. ... Obviously, Kevin hasn't had a mother figure for a while, at least not one that I know of. So, it'll probably be nice to have some women in Kevin's life. I think it's a lot but I think there's some sort of -- he's probably a bit more excited than Josie I should say.

We Finally Know When Roswell, New Mexico Will Arrive

What are you most excited for fans to see now that Kevin is officially playing Gryphons and Gargoyles?
Cott: I think it's fun to watch. Kevin's in this new ROTC role as well and it's interesting and kind of cool to see him sucked into both of those. You know? ... Gryphons and Gargoyles almost influences all the kids to kinda be an extreme version of themselves. So it's kinda fun to see that with Kevin. It's weird to watch all these kids get even crazier and crazier than they've already been.

Riverdale continues Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)