Riverdale season 2, episode 7 review: Chapter 20

Reviewing Wednesday night’s episode of Riverdale, titled “Chapter 20.”

“Chapter 20” of Riverdale turns into a three-part episode, with three 20-minute segments that told separate stories. Archie and Jughead, Josie, and Betty and Veronica. All of them surrounded the Black Hood but with other, creepy details that accompanied them.

With three chapters, we’ll break them down separately. So, let’s start with our titular character and his best friend.

Archie and Jughead

This story was more about Jughead, with Archie along for the ride. As always, he looked to back his troubled friend up, which became the case through “Chapter 20.”

Penny Peabody was teased to be this ruthless leader of the Southside Serpents, but she seemed … sweet. The original notions didn’t seem to hold up, until she made Jughead transport a case of drugs — promising to help Jughead with his father’s prison situation.

Along the way, Fred Andrews’ truck, which Archie and Jughead were driving, blew a tire. So, a suspicious man (Candyland’s Tony Todd) pulled over and offered to give Jughead and the crate a ride, while Archie waited for help.

At a diner, the man warned Jughead of the Riverdale Reaper, who apparently killed a family during the night. He figured this assailant and the Black Hood were the same person, calling it “killing season” in Riverdale. Then, he decided to make a broke Jughead pay for their meal, in order to take the crate (he knew it was drugs) — until Archie arrived, paid the bill and saved the day.

When Archie and Jughead delivered the drugs to an older woman, she revealed that Peabody made the youngest Jones into the newest drug deliverer, much to the surprise of everyone. It peeled open the dark side of Penny, who told Jughead, she had to “incentivize” him — making up a story about FP getting attacked by Ghoulies in prison. FP “broke a promise” to her, thus taking it out on Jughead. Ouch.

Josie

Josie’s chapter didn’t get any lighter.

The second chapter surrounded Josie’s singing career, which Cheryl was all for. This Blossom wanted Josie’s career to “blossom” and take on a solo career — pushing the private singing lessons and extra practice at night. She did this as a favor for Josie thwarting Nick St. Clair’s attempted sexual assault.

However, someone stalked Josie, giving her gifts as a way to get to her heart. It was painted to be Chuck Clayton, who was a predator in season 1 of Riverdale but had changed by “Chapter 20.” Jose was reluctant to believe it, until she found out someone sent her mother, Mayor McCoy, death threats and discovered a pig’s heart in her locker. So, Chuck became the fall guy, even though he was innocent. It wasn’t the janitor, either, who was apparently the only one with Josie at Riverdale High School, when the lights were out.

One of the gifts was a pencil portrait of Josie, which said “If I can’t have you, no one can.” Moments later, we see Cheryl’s sketching an almost identical photo. Creepy, right?

Oh, and that dream of Josie playing the piano, only to have her throat slit by the Black Hood. Way too real.

Betty and Veronica

The story wrapped with Betty and Veronica, who were on a “Let’s Discover the Black Hood’s Identity” investigation. They turned to Sheriff Tom Keller, given how the Black Hood found no issue breaking into the Sheriff’s Station to kill Mr. Phillips.

Betty threw everything out the window and believed Keller was the Black Hood. Meanwhile, Veronica assumed that since Kevin Keller spoke of his father’s recent mood change, it was due to having an affair. Only one of them was right.

For the next 20 minutes, Betty and Veronica seeked information and stalked Sheriff Keller. This included Ronnie’s travel into the Keller basement, only to find Tom working out. However, this wasn’t enough, so Betty broke into the house, unlocked a secret room and found dozens of Black Hood-related clippings, along with an actual black hood. Case solved, right?

Wrong.

Keller caught Betty and brought her to the police station, where Mr. Cooper met them. The newspaper clippings were evidence against the Hood, while the black hood was found in Archie’s locker (previous seen in earlier season 2 episodes). Case still not solved.

However, amidst this, it was Veronica that proved to be correct. Betty didn’t give up on stalking Keller, so they followed him to a hotel. He knocked on a door, and out came Mayor McCoy. They kissed, proved one theory right and another wrong.

To close the episode, all of these featured characters went to Pop’s Diner. That led to Pop receiving a phone call, which revealed Black Hood’s declaration, that everyone “failed the test” and a “day of reckoning” is upon Riverdale.

Notes Passed Around in Class

• I guess it was just a lazy officer that caused Mr. Phillips’ death. Fire that man or woman.
• Along with that, you can throw your Sheriff Keller theory away. Unless those last 20 minutes were a brutal ruse on the viewers, it doesn’t seem that he’s the Black Hood. Mr. Cooper remains the leader in the clubhouse, but with all the swerves Riverdale has thrown at us in season 2, it can’t be him. It just can’t, right?
• In recent reviews, I praised Cheryl’s “face” turn, as coined in wrestling. So much for that. It lasted for the moment Josie stopped Nick St. Clair’s criminal act, but clearly transpired into an obsession.
• Cheryl romantically wants Josie, something I didn’t see coming from the start of the “Josie” chapter. It seemed like the janitor, and the show painted a great picture of him being the creepy old man that traveled through the halls at night, cherishing his every moment with the now-former singer for the Pussycat Dolls. Instead, much like season 1, it’s all about Cheryl and her agenda.
• Speaking of wrestling, we had Penny’s official heel turn. She removed her charming “disguise” and unveiled how ruthless she can be, taking out a personal vendetta on Jughead. Someone won’t get out of this alive, and since FP will get out of jail in “Chapter 21” (also the midseason finale), he seems like the potential fall guy.

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Riverdale returns on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the CW.