Spoiler Warning: Do not read ahead unless you’ve watch “Riverdale” Season 2 Episode 21.
Is everyone breathing? Is everyone away from the Ghoulies?
Okay, time to recuperate from tonight’s episode of “Riverdale,” in which not only did we discover the identity of the Black Hood and also who shot Fangs, but were left to fret about Jughead’s safety for a week.
It turns out that Betty was right, the Black Hood was her dad, Hal Cooper, which he reveals to Betty and Alice in a creepy “IT”-like moment with old home videos. Betty had her suspicions about her dad — and we did, too — because of the Nancy Drew book cipher from earlier in the season and because Hal’s “business” whereabouts matched up pretty perfectly with Black Hood incidents.
Hal explains to his “two best girls” that his father was the one who killed the Conway family. If you recall, Mr. Svenson was the only survivor of the Conway family, and was apprehended earlier in the season for being the Black Hood. When they were kids, Hal convinced him to accuse an innocent man of the murders to spare his father. Murder is the Cooper family business!
Buuuut another theory is also proved correct: there are two black hoods, because Hal was with Betty during the shooting at the Mayoral debate.
Elsewhere in the episode, Veronica discovers that it was Midge’s mom who shot Fangs, because he was rumored to be her killer (it was really Hal).
The episode ended with another cliffhanger: F.P. finds Jughead bloodied and unconscious in the woods after being beat up by Penny and her gang of Ghoulies. His goal was to sacrifice himself for the safety of the rest of the Serpents, but Penny promised him the gesture would be for naught.
Tune in for the Season 2 finale next Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.