‘Riverdale’ Recap With Spoilers: “Chapter Twenty: Tales from the Darkside”

The episode opens with a black-and-white crawl, explaining that audiences are about to see the next chapter of the “Black Hood murders.”

The members of the town read a letter from the Black Hood, proclaiming that he’s killed the Sugarman. He threatens to kill anyone who sins within the next 48 hours.

Betty and Jughead lay in bed. Betty says that she thought revealing the Sugarman’s identity would stop the Black Hood, but Jughead tells her there’s nothing she could do. She continues to theorize about how the Black Hood killed the Sugarman, and has some sort of realization about it.

Jughead gets a phone call from Penny Peabody, asking to cash in that favor Jughead owes her. They meet at Pop’s, where Penny reveals that FP got injured in a fight at the prison. She asks Jughead to deliver a crate of drugs for her, in exchange for the money to get FP out of jail. Penny suggests that Jughead needs a car to make the delivery.

Jughead asks Archie for help with the favor, and Archie agrees. Later that night, they find the crate, and begin to transport it.

Archie asks Jughead how long he will stay a Serpent, and Jughead says he isn’t sure, because he’s just trying to get by. Archie muses about their future together, saying that he thought about the two of them moving to New York together with Betty and Veronica.

Suddenly, Archie’s tire goes flat, leaving them stranded at the side of the road. A truck pulls up beside them, and a man steps out of it. He offers to drive Jughead to Greendale alone, and he accepts.

While in the man’s car, the man suggests that he thought that Archie was Jason Blossom.

Act 2

Jughead rides in the stranger’s car. On the radio is a sermon that argues that the Black Hood is saving Riverdale. The man in the car compares the Black Hood to the Riverdale Reaper, a killer that came through the town before.

Archie gets a spare tire for his truck. In the distance, he spots a deer, who makes eye contact with him. Archie looks at the Greendale and Riverdale signs nearby, unsure of what to do next.

Jughead and the man stop at a gas station, and the man goes inside to pay. Jughead spots a suspicious looking tarp in the back of the truck, and finds a dead deer underneath it. The man then invites him inside the cafe to eat.

Inside the diner, Jughead asks the man to tell him about the Riverdale Reaper. According to the man, the Reaper killed a family living outside of Fox Forest, and was never seen since. The man suggests that even if the Reaper isn’t the Black Hood, its a sign that Riverdale is in danger. The man asks Jughead to pay for the dinner bill, but he can’t, and a confrontation ensues. Archie comes in, and offers to pay the bill.

Archie and Jughead continue on their journey. They transport the crate to Greendale, where they are met by a woman in a wheelchair. She says that Penny has turned Jughead into her regular delivery boy, but he says that isn’t true. Archie and Jughead drive away.

The two of them sit at Pop’s. Jughead suggests that the two of them research the Riverdale Reaper.

Jughead visits FP in jail the next day, and sees that his face isn’t damaged at all. Jughead confronts Penny about that, and she says that it was an incentive to get him to do what she wanted. She shows him a surveillance video of him and Archie transporting the crate, and threatens to share it with the Sheriff if Jughead disobeys.

Act 3

Josie practices in the Riverdale High music room after hours. She is startled by the school’s janitor, who agreed to let her practice there.

Josie arrives home, where her mother, Sierra, chastises her for being out late. The next day, Josie complains to Cheryl about her Mom, and about the guilt she feels for working on a solo career without the Pussycats. She opens the door to her locker, and finds a teddy bear with an “I’ll be watching you” note attached to it.

Josie practices in the music room, where she’s joined by Chuck Clayton. He begins to ask her out, but she turns him down.

While in class, Cheryl offers to go with Josie to the recording studio. Josie says that she can’t, because of her schedule.

Josie gets out of the shower in the locker room. She’s met by Valerie and Melody, who confront her for building a solo act. They break up the band and leave Josie.

Josie walks through the hallway and hears a weird noise. She accidentally confronts Chuck, and asks him for a ride home.

Josie and Chuck sit at Pop’s. Chuck argues that he’s trying to be better after what happened to him with the Burn Book. He asks Josie to dance, and she accepts. Sierra and Keller barge in and take Josie home.

Act 4

Sierra accuses Josie of acting out, but she swears that she isn’t. Mayor McCoy reveals that she’s started getting death threats, and that one of them mentioned Josie.

Keller asks Josie if she’s received any suspicious packages or notes recently, but Josie says she hasn’t. Josie and her mom embrace.

Josie tells Cheryl about that the next day. Cheryl asks why she didn’t tell Keller the truth about the notes she’s received. They find another note and a box in the music room – with a drawing of Josie with the phrase “If I can’t have you, no one can.” They open the box and find a pig’s heart.

Cheryl confronts Chuck about the messages he sent to Josie, but Chuck swears he didn’t do it. The janitor reprimands Chuck and takes him to Weatherbee’s office.

Keller reveals that there is no evidence that Chuck sent the letters, but Sierra tells him to keep looking.

Josie practices in the music room. The Black Hood comes in and slits her throat.

Josie wakes up from her nightmare, too panicked for her vocal cords to look.

Cheryl sits in her room, listening to Josie’s demo while sketching a picture of the two of them together.

Act 5

Betty and Jughead lay in bed, talking about the Black Hood. Betty continues to theorize about how the Black Hood killed the Sugarman, and has some sort of realization about it.

Keller tells Betty and Veronica that his dad has been acting erratically since the Black Hood attacks started.

Betty and Veronica reveal that they both have theories about Sheriff Keller. While Veronica thinks that he’s having an affair, Betty suggests that he’s actually the Black Hood. They both attempt to prove their own theories.

Veronica suggests that they have a sleepover at Kevin’s house.

Betty interviews Keller about the Black Hood killing the Sugarman. He takes Betty to the holding cell, and laments about how he wasn’t able to stop it.

Keller teaches Veronica how to play a board game. Veronica gets a call from Betty, who coaches her through finding more information in Keller’s house.

Veronica travels down into the basement and sees Keller lifting weights. They strike up a conversation. Veronica asks about Keller’s wife, who’s stationed in the military. She begins to ask Keller how he copes with it, but is interrupted by Kevin.

Veronica watches Keller leave the house in the middle of the night. She relays this information to Betty the next day at Pop’s, and Betty argues that that coincides with a Jingle Jangle addict being murdered overnight.

Betty spies on Keller as he leaves the house. She sneaks into his house, and finds a way to open his office. Inside it, she finds a suspect board filled with information about the Black Hood – and a black hood in a drawer. Keller enters the office and confronts her.

Act 6

Betty calls Veronica, and suggests that Keller is still hiding something. Later that night, they stakeout Keller, and follow him to a motel. Betty watches as Keller goes to a room with Sierra.

Betty and Veronica sit at Pop’s, contemplating what to do next. They see Archie and Jughead enter the diner, but leave them alone. They then vow to keep the affair secret from Kevin.

Josie and Cheryl also sit at Pop’s.

Jughead decides to visit FP at the prison, and leaves.

Pop gets a phone call from the Black Hood, saying that everyone failed his test, and he will kill again.