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Riverdale season 2, episode 5 review: Chapter Eighteen

By Rob Wolkenbrod

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Riverdale took more shocking and surprising turns in “Chapter Eighteen: When a Stranger Calls.”

Alice and Betty become the primary subjects of this Riverdale episode, and of the Black Hood’s interest. He wants Betty’s life to crumble to pieces, but in a systematic fashion. It becomes cold and ruthless, as he wants Betty to publish a damning article on her mother, along with cutting Veronica out of her life. Both moves are successful, perfectly demonstrating the Black Hood isn’t just a physical monster, but a psychological villain.

Betty almost undergoes a mental breakdown, when the Black Hood tells her to eliminate Jughead out of her life. She can’t go through the pain of this, and asks Archie to do her dirty work. Lili Reinhart’s work as Betty has been terrific in season 2, as she demonstrates a deep, mentally-damaging path for this character.

By the episode’s end, Black Hood eyes a darker path out of Betty. He makes her put on the hood and look in the mirror, noting how they’re the same. Is he trying to reveal the psychopathic side that came to light in season 1?

MORE RIVERDALE REVIEWS: “Chapter Seventeen”

Archie doing Betty’s dirty work became one of “Chapter Eighteen’s” most intense moments, and became more than just ad-libbing. The explanation for Betty wanting to break up with Jughead seemed more like Archie’s thoughts becoming words, fracturing two relationships in the process. It makes not only Betty and Jughead enemies, but the latter and Archie. It further divides the line between the North and South, potentially leading toward another bloodbath, except with the long-time friends front and center.

Was this division in Riverdale a goal of the Black Hood? His moves are tearing everyone apart, and not just Betty. It’s terrific writing to set this up and create tension in the words, not just the actions.

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The division led to Jughead accepting his dark path. He trends down the entire episode, despite being reluctant about joining the Serpents and wanting to pause the division between the two sides. That’s obviously not going to happen now, as Jughead is officially on the other side of town. Him and Toni kissing only furthers the issue, at least for Betty.

The story I had no interest in was the flirting between Veronica and Nick, the son of a Lodge family friend and business partner. He had interest in her for years, and even tried making a move, all while Archie sat back and did nothing. It seemed like filler for Veronica, as Riverdale awaits a bigger storyline for her, Hermione and Hiram, which inevitably becomes important to the season. Then came Nick’s drugging and attempted rape of Cheryl, before Veronica and the Pussy Cats intervened and beat him up.

It was a brutal way of doing this, but Riverdale garnered sympathy for Cheryl, who didn’t have it in season 1. Her storyline looked lost through season 2, as well. That obviously was for a reason, leading to this character turn under horrible circumstances. Look for an emotionally damaged and troubled version of Cheryl for the rest of the season.

To close the episode, the Black Hood has one last piece of psychological warfare. He reveals he knows about Archie’s conversations with Betty [about the Black Hood] and demands she choose someone for him to kill, or he’ll kill her sister, mother and father. So, she says Nick.

Notes Passed Around in Class

  • “Chapter Seventeen” pointed toward Hal being the Black Hood. However, this man threatened the livelihood of everyone in Betty’s family, including Hal. Was that just a way to throw everyone off? The Black Hood mostly targetted the important people in Betty’s life, but no mention of Hal until the closing moments of “Chapter Eighteen.”
  • Nick is a goner, but as a product of Betty’s dark, ruthless side that came to prominence. She hadn’t been like this since season 1, so the Black Hood might have a point about them being the same.
  • How much further will this go, though? Might Betty become the verbal aspect of the Black Hood’s game and a co-conspirator?
  • Jughead’s relationship was severed with Betty and Archie, with the original desire to keep the North and South apart. Now that won’t happen, and I’d think these two fight before season 2 ends.
  • Will the South even exist? Hiram wants to wipe it out and create a “haven.” How soon will his plan get underway?

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Riverdale returns on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the CW.

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