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Harper's Bazaar

The Black Hood Returns on Riverdale

Amy Mackelden
Updated
Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

From Harper's BAZAAR

As Season 2 of Riverdale nears its finale, the Black Hood is back, and the body count is rising.

Following Midge's tragic onstage murder in Episode 18 and Chic's disappearance in Episode 19,the Black Hood continues his reign of terror, and there's seemingly nothing Riverdale's residents can do to stop him.

And, here's a fun fact you didn't want to know. This episode was directed by Gregory Smith, who played Ephram in Everwood! Teen shows stick together.

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Here's everything that happened in Riverdale Episode 20, "Shadow of a Doubt":

1) Betty suspects her dad is the Black Hood.

Jughead laughs off the idea, but Betty is convinced her dad is the Black Hood. From the phone calls she's always received from the serial killer to her dad's hatred of Chic, Betty is sure her own father is Riverdale's murderer, and she begins to investigate him.

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

2) Word of Veronica's heroics has gotten out.

The mafia families have heard about the way Veronica drugged Nick St. Clair and held him for ransom. As Veronica explains to Archie, the sons of the mafia families are coming to "court the rare mafia princess." A stream of eligible young men appear in town, and Veronica meets with each of them to discuss business opportunities.

3) Archie is hunting the Black Hood.

Under the guise of campaigning for his father's mayoral campaign, Archie is going door to door in Riverdale to, as Hiram Lodge puts it, "stare into men's eyes." He's hoping he'll be able to locate the Black Hood simply by meeting with as many residents as possible, and identifying the killer by those eyes he can't forget.

4) Betty asks Cheryl if she realized her own dad had murdered Jason.

Cheryl reveals that subconsciously, she knew her dad had murdered her brother. But Cheryl tells Betty Hal Cooper isn't stealthy enough to be the Black Hood, seeing as his affair with Penelope Blossom was less than discreet. However, Betty says she can feel it in her bones.

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Cheryl tells her, "You need concrete proof, a confession, or both."

5) Hiram encourages Archie to re-form the Dark Circle.

Speaking to Hermione, Hiram reveals, "If Fred can't control his own son, he certainly can't control the whole town." He encourages Archie to restart his fledgling vigilante group to help hunt the Black Hood. But really, Hiram wants Fred Andrews to look incompetent.

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

6) Moose reveals that Midge was cheating on him.

He tells Archie and Reggie that Midge revealed to him on the night of her murder that she'd been seeing someone else behind his back-a Serpent. Moose was worried he'd look like a jealous boyfriend with this revelation, and everyone would think he'd killed her, so he didn't tell law enforcement. The news that a Serpent was seeing Midge is enough to rile up Reggie and the Dark Circle.

7) Reggie accuses Sweet Pea of having an affair with Midge.

Reggie accosts Sweet Pa and a fight almost breaks out between the football team and the Serpents. Luckily, Jughead and Archie are on hand to stop it, for now.

8) Betty suggests her mom go back to work at the newspaper.

Really, Betty is using her mom's employment as an excuse to spend time in the offices at The Register so she can continue investigating her father and snoop through Hal's positions.

9) Fangs confesses he was hooking up with Midge to Jughead.

Jughead caught him in Midge's dressing room on the night of her murder, and Fangs is worried the documentary footage will implicate him. Jug tells Fangs he should've told the Sheriff about his relationship with Midge, and Fangs is clearly nervous. But is he guilty?

10) Jughead meets with the new Sheriff.

However, Hiram is already there, attempting to tarnish Jughead's name while singing Archie's praises. Jughead begs to get his documentary footage back in an attempt to protect Fangs. However, the new Sheriff won't release it-he's clearly under Hiram's thumb.

11) Veronica picks a suitor.

Veronica agrees to go into business with one of the young men courting her, and takes Archie with her. She agrees to open a casino with her suitor, and plans to invest the money she got last week from Nick St. Clair's family. However, Hiram refuses Veronica's choice, telling her he put the money into a trust she can't touch until she's 21.

12) The mafia families think Archie shot Poppa Poutine.

Veronica's suitor reveals that Poppa Poutine's son is looking for revenge, and everyone is under the impression that Archie made his bones by killing Poutine. Archie says he had nothing to do with the death, but this makes no difference, as the mafia families are convinced that Archie is the killer.

13) Betty finds Hal's diary and cross-references the murders.

Betty scours Hal's diary and discovers that his schedule lines up with the murders. Every time a Black Hood murder has taken place, Hal has conveniently been on a business trip or at a meeting. This convinces Betty that her dad is the Black Hood even more.

14) Betty receives a call from the coroner.

Pretending to be her mother, Betty takes the call. The coroner reveals that a body has just been brought in, an "unidentified male, mid-twenties... mutilated." Convinced the body will be Chic, Betty pays him so she can visit the corpse.

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The coroner is surprised to see Betty instead of Alice, but takes her money anyway. Speaking to Betty and Cheryl, the coroner explains the body was found "in the men's room at the rest stop outside of Greendale." It's not Chic, but Betty is shaken by seeing the corpse, and feels she is responsible for Chic's death, making her a murderer just like the Black Hood. However, Chic isn't necessarily dead...

15) Fred Andrews receives a letter from the Black Hood.

Pinned to their front door, the note reads, "You're next sinner." Archie is convinced the Black Hood sent the letter and Fred is in grave danger. As a result, Hiram suggests that they all cancel the mayoral debate, but Fred refuses.

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

16) Betty tells her parents about Chic.

She reveals to her mom and dad that she handed over Chic to the Black Hood. She tells them about the darkness she has inside of her, and her dad tells her he feels it too. He says they need each other more than ever, but it's clear Betty is convinced that Hal is the Black Hood.

Despite her actions, Betty's parents stand by her and her decision to give Chic to the Black Hood.

17) Someone leaks the footage of Fangs on The Register website.

A video clip of Fangs with Midge appears on the newspaper's website and the residents of Riverdale begin to suspect a Serpent as the killer. Fangs is arrested at school and begins to fear for his life.

18) The Dark Circle goes rogue without Archie.

Members of the Dark Circle set a dumpster on fire and slash some tires in Southsisde as payback following the revelation that Fangs was having an affair with Midge.

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Archie attempts to disband the Dark Circle, but they refuse, and it's revealed that Hiram Lodge is paying them. He was the person who suggested they vandalize the Southside, and he's encouraging the current discord in Riverdale.

19) Josie's mom is representing Fangs.

Fangs is being held at the police station for having a weapon on school property, and the new Sheriff uses that as an excuse to interrogate the Serpent about Midge's death. However, now that Josie's mom is practicing law again, she steps in to defend Fangs and advises him on what to say.

20) Betty discovers her dad's secret apartment.

And there's a copy of the cypher the Black Hood used to communicate with Betty in his earliest letters. While Betty thinks this is proof that her dad is the killer, it's possible that Hal was simply researching the Black Hood or, as he claims later, that he bought the book as a present for Betty, as it was one of her childhood favorites.

21) The Black Hood turns up at the mayoral debate.

As Hermione and Fred are debating whether or not Midge's killer has been apprehended, the Black Hood appears with a shotgun. He aims and fires at Fred Andrews, and Archie dives in front of his dad to save him.

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

The shooting also shows Betty that her dad isn't the Black Hood, as Hal is in the crowd and runs to protect his daughter. Luckily, no one is injured by the killer on this occasion, but it's a reminder that no one is safe. Plus, the Black Hood gets away remarkably easily.

22) Hiram attempts to get Archie to work with the Sheriff.

Since Archie looked the Black Hood in the eyes, Hiram suggests Archie go with the police department to help find and identify the murderer. But Archie refuses, as he wants to go home and look after his dad.

23) Betty confronts her dad and asks him to meet her at the Town Hall.

In presumably what will be an important showdown next week, Betty goes to the Town Hall, as this is where the Black Hood claims his killing spree began-when he heard Betty give a speech there. Armed with her evidence and a hand gun, Betty waits for her dad to turn up.

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But it seems pretty unlikely that Hal is the killer at this point. He maybe shot Fred Andrews in the Season 1 finale under duress, but it seems much more likely that Sheriff Keller is the real Black Hood, especially now that he's been replaced.

24) Joaquin returns to town to help Fangs escape town.

Joaquin comes back to town to support his fellow Serpent. But will Kevin's ex-boyfriend stick around a little longer?

25) Hiram encourages Reggie to kill Fangs when he's released from prison.

As he has control over the Dark Circle, Hiram encourages Reggie to cause havoc upon Fangs' release from prison. Reggie is easily led, and agrees he needs to take justice into his own hands.

26) Veronica announces that she's supporting Fred for Mayor.

Veronica switches sides! She is fed up with her father trying to control her. After the Black Hood shot at her mother at the debate, Veronica refuses to stand by her father's decision to continue making Hermione run for mayor.

27) The Serpents fail to protect Fangs.

An angry mob waits outside the prison for the release of Fangs. The Serpents attempt to protect Fangs, but Reggie turns up with a gun. Archie manages to tackle Reggie to the ground before he can shoot Fangs, but the gun goes off regardless, and Fangs is tragically shot in the stomach. It doesn't look good.

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

28) Cheryl opens the door to the Black Hood.

At home, Cheryl answers her front door to find the Black Hood there. The episode ends with her screaming. Only two episodes to go!

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