Did Riverdale Just Confirm Another Black Hood Fan Theory?

This post contains spoilers for Riverdale Season 2, Episode 20, “Shadow of a Doubt.”[hhmc]

With just two episodes left in its sophomore season, Riverdale is determined to keep viewers guessing until the end—and unlike many dramas, whose mysteries often get solved on Reddit months before they unravel onscreen, it seems this show actually knows how to keep its mouth shut. Last weeks installment dropped some pretty obvious hints that Betty Coopers father, Hal, is actually also the mass-murdering Black Hood. This week, however, seemed to at least complicate that notion when the Black Hood showed up at a local debate with a gun, shooting at townspeople below—including Hal. But that doesnt necessarily mean Hal was a decoy all along. Theres also the possibility that Riverdale is taking a page out of Screams playbook—and that there might really be two killers on the loose.

There have, after all, been some head-scratching aspects to Season 2s various murders. Ms. Grundy, the Black Hoods first victim, was choked by a masked man in her home. Fred Andrews came next: a masked man hit him with a nonfatal gunshot at Pops Chocklit Shoppe. One could dismiss the two different methods based on location; it would be difficult to fatally strangle someone in a populated diner. But the next incident complicated things further: someone opened fire on Moose and Midge in their car in the woods, without bothering to check to see if theyd survived. Was that a mistake, or an intentional move by someone who wasnt actually trying to kill the teenagers?

In any case, both survived. When Midge told Archie about the killer, she described a man who wasnt wearing a mask, with “blank” eyes—though Archie recalled them being green. Midge ultimately bit the dust next, though, when the Black Hood killed her during the shows musical episode—a murder the Black Hood used to prove that he (or she) was still at large after Sheriff Keller shot the previously identified culprit, Riverdale High School janitor Mr. Svenson. The Black Hood also shot Robert Phillips, the drug dealer who had been supplying Southside High, in his jail cell. And finally, last week, we saw the Black Hood chase down Bettys fake brother, Chic—whose whereabouts and wellbeing are, so far, unknown.

This week added a new clue to the pile: it seems that the Black Hood showed up at Cheryl Blossoms house to attack her at the same time that Betty was meeting up with her father to confront him. At this point, its clear that either Hal was another red herring, or there are two killers on the loose—presumably with different motives. That second option effectively means that multiple fan theories could be right—or possibly none of them, if the killer turns out to be someone no one suspected. (Although then again, pretty much everyone is the subject of one fan theory or another.)

There are a million possible guesses as to what might be going on—but Ive got a hunch that whoever the killer(s) might be (Hal, Sheriff Keller, Tallboy, Dark Betty, one of the Blossoms) Hiram Lodge has something to do with this whole mess. As Hermione continues her bid for mayor against Fred Andrews, Hiram has been revealed to be funding Archies old vigilante group, the Dark Circle, with the intention of stirring up violence and controversy between the South Side and the North Side. What better way to ensure that the chaos consuming Riverdale reaches a fever pitch than to guarantee that the town is also cowering in fear of a serial killer?

Whoever the Black Hood might be, though, Riverdale deserves credit for keeping its secret for so long. Many other dramas, including Westworld, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead, have struggled in recent years to stay one step ahead of legions of fans trying to uncover their secrets. And while theres no shortage of enthusiasm and obsession among Riverdale fans, but the writers room has weaponized that very hobby against them—planting clues as seeds for theories that will one day sprout into perfect decoys to keep everyone occupied while the real answer remains hidden. Yes, that has played into some of the bloating fans have felt this season, as the series ballooned from a 13-episode first season to 22 installments in its second year—but once that killer is finally unmasked, this is one story arc that feels genuinely ripe for a real payoff.

Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:22 Movies and TV Shows That Will Save Us in 2018

Westworld (Season 2)

HBO is once again hoping youll ignore the big Game of Thrones-shaped hole in its schedule and turn your attention back to the sci-fi mind game that is Westworld. The Emmy-nominated series, starring Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton, is ready to confound you once again in its second season. Until its spring 2018 premiere, take a trip back in time and revisit nine burning questions we still have about the finale.Photo: By John P. Johnson/HBO.

Grown-ish

Yara Shahidi takes the lead in this youthful Black-ish spin-off set to air on Freeform starting Jan. 3, 2018. In this series, Zoey is finally off to college, stumbling through cringeworthy rites of passage like embarrassing herself at a frat party and hiding secrets from her parents.Photo: By Eric Liebowitz/Freeform.

Superhero Smorgasbord

Every superhero you love is coming out with a new movie in 2018. In no particular order, get ready for a bounty that includes: Black Panther,Avengers: Infinity War,Deadpool 2,The New Mutants,X-Men: Dark Phoenix,Ant-Man and the Wasp,Venom, and Aquaman.Photo: By Zade Rosenthal/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Everett Collection.

The Winter Olympics

Tis the season to watch a bunch of perfect human specimens fight for tiny gold medallions. This years Winter Olympics will kick off on Feb. 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.Photo: By Julian Finney/Getty Images.

The Chi

After breaking out on Master of None and winning a historic Emmy for one of this years best TV episodes, Lena Waithe is ready to claim her spot in the prestige-TV realm. Enter The Chi, her Showtime series about young people coming of age in Chicago, set to premiere on Jan. 7.Photo: By Matt Dinerstein/SHOWTIME.

A Wrinkle in Time

The classic Madeleine LEngle tale is finally coming to the big screen on March 9, 2018, thanks to Disney and director Ava DuVernay. The sci-fi story about a girl tesseracting her way through time to find her missing father will star newcomer Storm Reid alongside stars like Oprah Winfrey,Mindy Kaling,Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine.Photo: By Atsushi Nishijima/Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

After some catastrophic ups and downs, Han Solos origin story will finally be revealed to us on May 25, 2018. The Star Wars spin-off stars Alden Ehrenreich as the galactic smuggler and also features Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Emilia Clarke playing a mysterious character named Kira.Photo: From Lucasfilm Ltd./Everett Collection.PreviousNext