Archieverse Wiki
Advertisement
Archieverse Wiki

Everyone's afraid to say it, so let me be the first. There is a serial killer amongst us. San Francisco had the Zodiac. New Orleans had the Axeman. Texarkana, Texas, had the Phantom Killer. The list goes on and on. Add to their ranks Riverdale's very own psychopath the Black Hood. [...] There it is. Terror was seeping into the bedrock of Riverdale. A Town Hall meeting had been set by Mayor McCoy. People were afraid to walk the street alone, especially as dusk approached. Shops closed early, locks were added to doors, suspicions between the North and South side deepened, fanned into flames by Alice Cooper. As everyone wondered what dangers lurked in the dark, when would he hear from the Black Hood next, and how far into darkness, would Archie go on his quest to avenge his father... And to stop the Black Hood?


"Chapter Seventeen: The Town That Dreaded Sundown" is the fourth episode of the second season of Riverdale[2], and the seventeenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on November 1, 2017.

Synopsis[]

TERROR IN RIVERDALE – When Archie’s attempt to take matters into his own hands spirals out of control, Mayor McCoy calls an emergency town hall meeting to deal with the growing chaos in Riverdale. Meanwhile, when Betty finds herself at the center of a deepening mystery, her decision to keep some parts of it from Jughead causes further friction between the two. Elsewhere, Veronica grows concerned for Archie when she realizes the lengths he would go to seek revenge against the person terrorizing Riverdale. Finally, tensions between the North and Southside finally come to a head and leads to an unexpected showdown.[3]

Plot[]

SPOILERS AHEAD


RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-06-Jughead

Jughead in the library

Jughead arrives at the library to check out books on several well known serial killers, ranging from the Zodiac Killer to the Axeman of New Orleans to Phantom Killer of Texarkana, Texas. He hopes to further his understanding of the Black Hood. After selecting the books he has chosen to read, Jughead reaches the check out counter, where the librarian, Ms. Paroo, expresses her concerns over the recent attacks and the video put online by Archie and the Red Circle.

With terror seeping into the bedrock of Riverdale, Mayor McCoy schedules a Town Hall meeting in hope to address everyone's concerns.

Meanwhile, people were afraid to walk the streets alone, especially as dusk rose. Cheryl and the River Vixens were no exception, deciding to walk in small groups due to safety in numbers.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-12-Alice

Alice deepening the divide between sides

Elsewhere, shops closed early and locks were added to doors, specifically the doors of the Cooper house. Suspicions between the North and Southside deepened. Fanned into flames by Alice Cooper, who published multiple antagonizing articles from the Register.

As everyone wonders what dangers lurked in the dark, Jughead continues working on his novel from the trailer. He grows nervous after hearing a strange noise come from just outside the door. He peaks his head outside, only to find that nothing is there.

The next morning, on a quest to avenge his father and stop the Black Hood, Archie went out into the woods for target practice, firing a sheet of white paper with a drawn on red target.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-16-Veronica

Veronica answering her parents' questions

Archie has certainly succeeded in riling up everyone in Riverdale with his video to the Black Hood, even the Lodges are uncomfortable with the message depicted in the video. Hermione and Hiram want answers from Veronica in regards to her involvement with the Circle, though she doesn't seem to think the video is as serious as her parents are making it out to be. Hermione reminds Veronica that the video is threatening violence, thus making Archie dangerous, too dangerous in fact, to be anywhere near Veronica. In the best interest of her protection, Hermione forbids Veronica from seeing Archie any further. However, she has no intentions of breaking off her relationship with Archie, without first getting his side of the story. Once Veronica is out the room, Hiram gives a devilish grin. Between the Black hood, the Red Circle, and the Town Hall meeting, there is so much chaos and confusion taking place.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-19-Alice-Betty-Hal

Alice scolding Betty for helping Polly run away

Alice and Hal scold Betty after learning that she helped Polly run away to the farm. At least they knew where she was, Betty explains. She is certain that this is safer than Polly staying in Riverdale, where the killer is targeting sinners, though Alice isn't convinced that this guarantees Polly's safety. Betty tells them that she assisted Polly because she was scared, as was Alice, who is admittedly terrified that every time Betty walks out the door or doesn't answer her phone, that something terrible has happened to her. Alice explains that it's the things they do in secrecy that make it so difficult for her to protect Betty and Polly. Furthermore, she is made out to be the monster simply for trying to protect them. With tears running down her face, Alice exits the room, leaving Hal and Betty to cope with the revelation.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-22-Fred-Archie

Fred telling Archie to take down the video

Archie returns home to find his father watching the Red Circle's public message to the Black Hood. Archie explains that he was attempting to send a message by scaring the killer, though Fred was pretty certain that the only thing Archie's video accomplished is antagonizing the Black Hood, which in turn could make Archie a target. In an effort to prevent any further damage Fred demands that Archie take the post down. While Archie has already taken down the original video, it has already been shared across the internet.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-27-Fangs-Fogarty-Sweet-Pea-Toni-Southside-Serpents

Fogarty. Sweet Pea and Toni watching the Red Circle's video

With her mother on a downward spiral, Betty phones Jughead from the Blue and Gold offices to see if he could join her for lunch. Unfortunately, Jughead has to at least try to maintain a semblance of him being a student. After hanging up with Betty, he realizes the Red Circle's message has even spread to Southside High, where Jughead enters the cafeteria to find Sweet Pea, Toni and Fogarty viewing the video. Sweet Pea suggests that newbie Serpent, Fogarty, bring them the head of the Northsider (Archie) in the video, since he had been looking to ear his Serpent stripes. Jughead advises them against taking action against Archie, who Jughead describes as being milquetoast and a lame target. If Fogarty feels as if he has something to prove, Jughead recommends going after the Black Hood, though this won't be in their best interest, as Sweet Pea would come to explain. The Black Hood is targeting Northsiders, who do nothing but blame the Southside for all their misfortune. He is doing their work for them, essentially making him a hero, in the eyes of some.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-30-Veronica-Archie

Archie explaining his actions to Veronica

Archie walks through the school hallways that morning to frightened and confused stares from his classmates. At the end of the hall, stands Veronica, who is dissatisfied with the video of him circulating around town. Her parents want her to break up with him. Since when do you care about what your parents think, Archie asks. Veronica doesn't, except for when she happens to agree with them. Archie explains that all he is asking of her is that she supports him. However, Veronica can't do so without first knowing what it is that she is in support of. Archie didn't understand why her parents were upset with his actions considering that it was her father that gave him the idea to fight fire with fire. Terror with terror. Regrettably, Archie is called down to Mr. Weatherbee's office before they could continue the discussion.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-31-Mr

Mr. Weatherbee disbanding the football team

Principal Weatherbee will not stand for the Red Circle in his school. Not after watching Archie's video, threatening violence against the Black Hood. Weatherbee expresses his discomfort with Archie's sentiment and then informs him that he is suspended from the football team, effective immediately. From there, the consequences of Archie actions escalate, as Weatherbee decides to disband the entire football team until the Red Circle is brought to an end. If Archie hasn't written a signed letter, apologizing to the Riverdale High community and disbanded the Red Circle by week's end, his suspension will begin and will continue until he has complied. Care to rethink your position, Mr. Weatherbee asks. Archie replies that they all have to do what they think is right, meaning he has no intentions of disbanding the Red Circle.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-36-Kevin-Betty-Blue-and-Gold

Kevin and Betty in the Blue and Gold offices

Betty discovers an envelope, much like the one her mother previously received, among the Blue and Gold’s mail. But this one’s addressed to her. Inside is a letter from the Black Hood, in which he tells Betty he’s doing all this for her. Kevin joins Betty to tell her that while he is still upset about her telling his father, who later told his mother, about cruising Fox Forest, he had since re-upped his online membership to redstatemeat.com, so there would be no cruising in the foreseeable future. Kevin then learns of the letter, and even reads it himself. In that letter, the killer explains that Betty's speech at the Jubilee inspired him. The town's sinners must show their contrition. If not, more suffering and bloodshed would surely ensue. Enclosed in the letter was a cipher, which details where he will punish his next victim. It is a test that only Betty can solve. Kevin immediately suggests that they turn everything over to his father, however, Betty refuses to give up the letter, as it is meant for her. Betty reiterates a line from the Black Hood's letter, that it's all a test. She wonders what if the start of the test began with what she did with the letter. Should she share it? Or not? Is she strong? Or is she weak? Is she even worthy? Though Kevin still thinks she should turn it over to the police. Isn't it better for people to be focusing on the cipher, rather than the letter anyways, Betty wonders. To make this happen, she devised a plan.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-37-Black-Hood-code

The Black Hood's code

With makeup running down her face from the fake tears she's forcefully cried, Betty brings the coded message, without the accompanying letter, to her mother, who in turn, brings it to Sheriff Keller. He wonders why a cipher, and why Betty, rather than sending it through Alice, as he did before. She asserts that the killer is frightened by her and, therefore, had targeted her daughter to send further messages. With a cryptologist in Centerville, Sheriff Keller plans to send it over for further examination, though Alice informs him that she had already posted the encrypted message on the Register, so that all citizens could have the entire town working on it.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-44-Reggie-Archie-Dilton-Red-Circle-Bulldogs

Red Circle meeting

In the boys locker room, Archie tries to rally the Red Circle to take the fight to the southside, the Black Hood’s presumed stomping ground, in an attempt to draw him out, but Reggie is more concerned with the fact that the entire football team has been suspended. He tries to dissuade Archie from his vendetta against the Black Hood, suggesting to him that he sign Weatherbee's paper to revoke the suspension. When Archie refuses, Reggie unleashes his anger against the locker. Archie didn't want to appear weak and helpless. However, Reggie is very much at odds with Archie's recklessness to provoke the Black Hood, since the killer could come after them, and when Archie suggests going to the Southside for an open declaration of war, as he is convinced that the Black Hood is a Southsider with an axe to grind, Reggie calls himself out of the group, taking with him the other Bulldogs, leaving Archie and Doiley alone with their dangerous plan. Dilton concludes that Archie's plan was always to get the Black Hood one-on-one, a fight to the death. The Circle is merely a means to an end, to draw the killer out. If Archie insists on going to the Southside alone, Dilton recommends that he first go to a place on the edge of town, after dark, for supplies.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-46-Hiram

Hiram in his study

Veronica returns home to see if the details, given to her by Archie, regarding him and her father's prior chat are true. She enters her father's study, asking what he and Archie talked about during the night they invited him over for dinner. However, Hiram claims to have no recollection of the specifics of his and Archie's conversation. Veronica is asking because one of the things she loves about Archie is how earnest he is, in more of an innocent sort of way, making him both trusting and kind. However, that simplicity also makes him impressionable, as well as vulnerable to certain forms of attack, such as manipulation. If someone were to pour poison into one of his ears, a dark notion might take shape in his mind, like the Red Circle for instance. Veronica explains to her father that she wasn't insinuating anything, merely asking what he and Archie talked about. Unfortunately, Hiram repeats that he doesn't remember.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-48-Toni-Jughead

Toni and Jughead talking about the cipher

In the Red and Black offices, Jughead's study session of some of America's most infamous serial killers is interrupted By Toni. He is reading Beware of the Zodiac, which Toni notes as being a decent read, however, she preferred Robert Graysmith's definitive books on the subject. Jughead then receives a call from Betty, which he chooses to ignore. Toni is disappointed with his selection in study. If serial killers were an interest of his, she suggests that he check out Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, and Aileen Wuornos. However, none of them fit the profile. Their killer is most likely someone consumed with self-loathing. Conversely, he also sent letters and cryptos to the press, Toni states, as she drops the latest article from the Register in front of Jughead. Do you think he's narcissistic or a Batman villain, Jughead playfully asks. Both he and Toni are "true crime junkies", which is why she is seeking Jughead out. The article from the Register that she gave him, contained the Black Hood's cipher, which she hopes Jughead will help her crack.

While stressing to crack the code from home, Betty receives a message from Jughead, telling her he is sorry for the phone tag, but that they would have to talk tomorrow.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-52-Archie-Veronica

Veronica agreeing to support Archie and the Red Circle

Veronica, having accepted that her shady father may have manipulated Archie, stops by his house, and greets him with an apology kiss for "raining on his Red Circle parade". Veronica wishes to support him and his comely crew, even at the risk of enraging her parents, especially her father, which is just what he deserved. Unfortunately, Veronica had not yet been made aware that the Red Circle fell apart earlier in that morning. For the others guy, it is over, but for Archie, he was only just getting started. This is his battle that he believes is for only him to fight. If it's his battle, then its Veronica's battle as well, she explains. It can't just be him against an armed madman. Riverdale needs the Red Circle to expand, not contract. And while the guys may have been spineless cowards, luckily for Archie, Veronica isn't. She then kisses him.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-54-Archie-fake-ID

Archie's fake driver's license

After parting ways with Veronica that evening, Archie takes Dilton's advice, and heads over to the U.S. Army & Navy, where with a fake driver's license, that has him as a twenty-two year old, Wilbur Wilkins, Archie purchases ammunition, a holster, and a Kevlar vest. He informs the clerk that he will be paying in cash and that he is going hunting. Little does the clerk know, Archie is referring to the Black Hood, rather than wildlife.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-57-Jughead-Betty

Jughead and Betty at the trailer

Betty stops by the trailer, the first thing next morning, to catch Jughead before he leaves for school. Betty, who is on her way to the library, had asked Ms. Paroo to set aside all the books she had in relation to cryptograms and ciphers, as she thought it would help in cracking the Black Hood's code, which she hoped that Jughead would join her in doing. However, Jughead regrets to inform her that he and Toni had already started working on the code a day before, which came as little surprise to Betty, because much like Jughead, Toni showed an interest in serial killers. She had an affinity for the darker side of things, Jughead remarks. In that case, Betty proposes that they all work on the code together, her, Jughead, Toni, and Kevin. A code breaking party, Betty calls it. Jughead could even host the event.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-58-Veronica-Red-Circle

Veronica's custom Red Circle T-shirt

Veronica shows up to school with a surprise for Archie. She opens up her jacket to reveal a Red Circle support T-shirt, though doing so meant burning the midnight oil and calling in a few favors. Archie closes her jacket to conceal the shirt, which he advises her against wearing, as it could land her in a lot of trouble. However, Archie has made the mistake of underestimating her. Veronica doesn’t just wear a custom-made Red Circle tank to school, but she also recruits her friends to hand them out to the entire student body, Cheryl included. "The Red Circle is no longer a fringe band of radicals," she tells Archie. "It’s a movement, with style and panache."

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-61-Jughead-Betty-Kevin-Toni

Code breaking party

That night, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, and Toni convened at the trailer, where they collectively attempt to decode the Black Hood's cipher. The symbols look fairly familiar to Betty, however, she couldn't yet place them. Toni recommends that she loosen her ponytail, which she swears is a joke. Back on the subject of cracking the cipher, Toni is looking for doubles letters, such as double L and four-letter words like kill, while Jughead, on the other hand, is looking for common letter associations like T-H, A-N, I-N-G. The problem with this being that they didn't even know if the code was in English. It could be an anagram. So, Jughead proposes that they look at the killer from a more basic perspective, asking why the Black Hood chose this moment to start killing people. Betty and Kevin share a look, both knowing where the inspiration for the killer's spree lied, yet neither came forth. From what little they knew, Betty concludes that the killer is obsessed with cleansing the town of sinners and hypocrites, seemingly attacking anyone with ties to the north side, which Toni refers to as fake news. All the Northsiders ever did was demonize the south side, so it came as no surprise that they would suspect the killer of being from there. Betty clarifies that she is merely stating facts. There were far more drugs and gang activity on the south side, though Toni made a point of addressing how the drugs in town were sold mainly to north side crackheads. As for gang activity, she suggested that Betty take a look at the Red Circle, or as she prefers to call them, the Red Psychos. Toni's surprised that Betty hasn't already come out to say that she suspects the Black Hood of being a Serpent, as they all knew how much Betty hated the Serpent, which is why Jughead has been hiding from her the fact that he sits with them at lunch, Toni reveals. On that note, both Toni and Kevin decide it would be best if they left. Once they were gone, Jughead tells Betty that he sat with the Serpents purely for reasons of survival, though Betty didn't seem too concerned. She appears far more interested in cracking the code.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-68-Archie-Red-Circle

Archie tagging the south side

Having loaded up on dangerous equipment from the U.S. Army & Navy supply store, Archie crosses over the tracks, where he very slowly and deliberately spray-paints red circles all around the south side. The Serpents aren’t pleased to find him on their turf. Sweet Pea and Fogarty initially mistake Archie for a rival tagger, however, they quickly realize that Archie is sending a message to the Black Hood, finding amusement in the notion that Southsiders are typically generalized as being the troublemakers, yet there's a Northsider on their side of town, looking for trouble. Archie attempts to proceed down the sidewalk, but his path is blocked off. Archie made the mistake of coming onto their side of town to tag their turf. Sweet Pea advises him to return to the north side, before he finds the trouble that he's so desperately in search of, but Archie fails to heed his warning. In response, Sweet Pea pulls out a pocket knife, though this would serve him poorly against Archie, who pulls out his gun, and send the serpents running in the opposite direction.

Betty and Jughead wake up on the couch the next morning. They had accidentally fallen asleep while attempting to crack the Black Hood's code, the night before. Betty begins to panic after noticing several missed calls from her mother. She frantically grabs her belongings and exits the trailer.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-79-Mr

Mr. Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller finding a black hood

Archie is pulled out of class and into the hallway by Mr. Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller after the Sheriff got a tip from a bodega owner on the south side that a Riverdale High School student with red hair was waving a gun around, outside his shop. Archie tells them that he was in his garage working on some songs, the prior night. Nevertheless, given his behavior over the last several days, they believe that a look in his locker for any weapons or contraband is warranted. With his father having already been informed of the search, Mr. Weatherbee instructs Archie to open the locker, or else he would. Inside the locker, Sheriff Keller finds a black hood, which greatly resembles the one that Archie previously described from his father's shooting.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-81-Archie

Archie explaining his actions to his father

Upon returning home, Archie explains that the hood found in his locker belonged to Reggie, who came by the house one day, trying to scare him. Fred finds himself at a lost with Archie, who had been barred from school property by Sheriff Keller and Mr. Weatherbee. Fred's shooter was still on the loose, free to target his next victim, as he played some kind of game of cat-and-mouse with Riverdale. Admittedly, this frightened Fred, but not as much as Archie did. His latest actions have proven him to be careless and unpredictable. Fred tells Archie that if he is willing to be honest with him, they would continue the discussion when he returned from the Town Hall meeting.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-84-Hermione

Hermione questioning Veronica's loyalty ton Archie

After Veronica returns home from school, Hermione comments on her T-shirt that was in support of the Red Circle. She asks Veronica if she would still be wearing it when Archie's arrested for reckless endangerment or something worse. Veronica didn't believe that it would ever come to this. Archie was being railroaded, she claim. And you can say that, with absolute certainty, after watching that video, Hermione asks. She then questions the extent of Veronica's adherence, offering her a word of advice in regards to loyalty. There was nothing more honorable and noble than it. But blind loyalty is both stupid and dangerous. Hermione prays that this isn't the case.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-85-Jughead-Betty

Betty explaining to Jughead why she withheld the letter

In the notebooks Betty left at his trailer, Jughead accidentally discovered the letter from the Black Hood, which she hadn't told him about. He tells her that it fell out while he was gathering her belongings. He can't help but to wonder why she kept this a secret from him. Betty initially claims that she withheld the letter from Jughead because he was too busy at Southside High with the Serpents. But as Jughead explains, he was only at Southside High for all of two days. And while it was saddening that they no longer went to the same school, he knows that this isn't the reason she is holding out on him. Betty exclaims that she hid the letter because the Black Hood wrote that she inspired him, and she feared that once Archie learned of this, he would blame her for his father's shooting. Jughead reminds her that while Archie was definitely shook up, he can still recognize the good from the bad. "You're not one of the bad guys" Jughead says. "You're Betty Cooper. Like Nancy Drew meets the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." This reference leads Betty to conclude that in writing the code, the Black Hood used one of her touchstones, and if she is right, she knew how to crack the cipher.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-91-Veronica

Veronica finding Archie's gun

Veronica is waken up from her sleep by the sound of Archie calling her. He asks that Veronica retrieve his gun from the school, as he couldn't due to being barred from school property. In the late hours of the night, in the middle of a storm, Veronica makes her way into the school to find Archie's gun, which he had hidden in the tank of one of the toilets. Veronica enters the bathroom stall, removing the back from the toilet, and sticking her hand into the tank filled with filthy water. She then pulls out Archie's gun, which is protected in plastic.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-94-Reggie-Dilton-Red-Circle-Bulldogs

Reggie, Dilton, and the team showing up at Archie's door

After finding the gun, which she later claims to have thrown into Sweetwater River, Veronica races over to Archie's house with a single question in mind, why Archie would need a gun. He tells her that it's to protect himself against the Black Hood. Between the video and the gun, Veronica needs to know the truth if she is going to continue to follow Archie. He confesses that he wants to kill the Black Hood. He wants to be the last thing that the Black Hood sees. Spoken like a true vigilante, Veronica says. Archie's reason for making the video was so that the killer would make him his next target. Archie even went to the south side, hoping that the Black Hood would reveal himself. Should Archie kill the Black Hood, Veronica wonders if he had considered what would follow. He would go to jail. Or even worse, he misses his only shot, and the Black Hood kills him instead. Then what of all the people he would leave behind. Meanwhile, like an idiot, she is designing T-shirts in support of him. Their argument is put on hold by a knock at the door. On the other side was Reggie, Dilton, and the rest of the team, carrying pizzas.

Mayor McCoy welcomes all those in attendance at the town hall meeting. She shares their concerns over the safety of their town and their children. The purpose of the scheduled meeting is to answer their questions, and if she could, to ease their minds.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-104-Southside-Serpents

Sweet Pea and the Serpents coming to Archie's door

Reggie is grateful that Archie didn’t rat him out to Mr. Weatherbee in regards to the hood found in Archie's locker actually being his. Since Archie didn't betray him, Reggie reconsiders his decision to quit the Circle, stating that in "the Book of Reg", Archie's willingness to take the fall for someone else's actions makes him a top-tier loyal badass. Furthermore, after talking among themselves, the group decided to support Archie in his personal fight against the Black Hood by keeping the Red Circle going. The reconciliation is suddenly interrupted by a small group of Southside Serpents, led by Sweet Pea, seeking revenge against Archie after he threatened them on their own turf with a gun. Reggie steadily steps in, stating that Sweet Pea had a bad timing because "Bulldogs ate Serpents for lunch". While Archie is willing to fight Sweet Pea, he wants Veronica to stay behind. She agrees to Archie's request, but if they insisted on fighting, they would do so under certain rules, no weapons for instance, otherwise she would alert Sheriff Keller.

Betty and Jughead arrive at the library, where Betty tells Jughead that when she was a kid, she used to obsessively check out a Nancy Drew book entitled "The Nancy Drew Secret-Code".

Veronica stays back at the house, as promised, pacing back and forth as her concern for Archie grows, while he and the Bulldogs were out waging war against the Southside Serpents.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-114-Mayor-Sierra-McCoy

Mayor McCoy at the Town Hall meeting

Sheriff Keller attended the Town Hall meeting, where he informed the concerned residents that their current budget is low, forcing them to put together a helpline that can be called in order to report any suspicious activity. Alice likens the police department's actions to the Red Circle's hotline, and expressed that it had come time to address the real problem of Riverdale; the Southside. All in due time, Mayor McCoy replies. But, they were there to discuss the Black Hood, and the plan that Sheriff Keller was putting in place, beginning with a town-wide curfew. Alice interrupts yet again to give voice to the indignation of the town, saying that they needed to show strength, starting with closing down the drug-ridden, Southside High, and using the money to increase police presence.

Meanwhile, at the library, Betty uses the Nancy Drew book to crack the cipher, which read that the Black Hood will strike next where it all began, that being at the Town Hall, where he heard Betty's speech that inspired him to go on his cleanse of sinners and hypocrites.

Alice claims that the Southside is a blight of empty storefronts and vacant lots, a pit of violence, waiting to erupt. She then drags Fred into the mix, claiming that he is a victim of a vicious and insane Southsider's bloodlust. Disliking the narrative that Alice is attempting to paint, Fred opposes her, stating that she is responsible for the divide between the warring sides. Fred insists that the south side is not the issue. Their problem truly lies with the Black Hood, who is bringing out the worst in Riverdale by pitting it against itself.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-120-Fred

Fred suggesting that they unite the divided sides

Of course, Fred Andrews turns the other cheek as usual, she comments. While she couldn't say much about Archie, at least he was out, putting up a fight, though Fred didn't view violence as the only answer. They needed to be united in the fight. Only when they allowed the fear to take over, and started demonizing each other, would they be dead. Hermione had told Hiram that Fred was going to be a problem, though Hiram isn't quite sure this is true. The town loved and trusted Fred. It could work in their favor. Moments later, Betty and Jughead enter through the back doors to alert everyone that the Black Hood is on his way to the Town Hall, where the cipher claimed he would strike next. The power to the building then went out. Whether or not this is due to the storm is unknown. But in fear of the Black Hood's arrival, Betty pulls the fire alarm, which results in immediate evacuation.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-123-Rumble-Sweet-Pea-Archie

Standoff; Sweet Pea vs Archie

Elsewhere, in a vacant lot, the Bulldogs and the Serpents stand on their respective sides as the rain comes pouring down on top of them. Archie and Sweet Pea steadily make their way to the center of the lot, where Archie, initiated the fight by throwing the first punch. This war declaring punch erupt into chaos as both sides run forward, attacking each other. As the two sides wage war, Archie spots Dilton pulling out a pocket knife in the midst of the fight. He screams out Dilton's name, though before Archie could intervene, he is blindsided by Sweet Pea, who then delivers a massive kick as Archie laid on the ground. Fortunately for Archie, before Sweet Pea could follow through with one final blow, Veronica fires his gun in the air, bringing the rumble to an abrupt end as both sides scattered into the night. Unfortunately, Dilton had been stabbed in his leg, in the process.

Afterward, Reggie rushes Dilton to the hospital, during which time, they come up with a cover story; Dilton will say that he was minding his own business when he was ambushed by Serpents who stabbed for no apparent reason.

After successfully evacuating Town Hall, Betty and Jughead return to her house, where Betty finally hands over the letter that she had been hiding, to Sheriff Keller, Mayor McCoy, and her parents.

RD-Caps-2x04-The-Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-154-Archie-Veronica

Archie and Veronica at Sweetwater River

After the rumble, Archie heads back home with Veronica, who applies care to his wounds. He admits that the entire situation escalated much further than it was ever supposed to. Looking to lift his spirits, Veronica tells him that Dilton is going to be alright. But only because of her, Archie replies. She saved them both. These are fraught times. No one is thinking straight, so they have to hold on to each other, Veronica believes. As Fred comes up the stairs, he overhears Veronica and Archie's conversation, deciding then that he is no longer needed, as Archie is hearing all he needed to hear from Veronica. Archie is grateful that she lied about getting rid of the gun. He didn't know what he would've done if he had it during the fight. But Veronica doesn't believe that he would've used it, even if he had it, because he wasn't a killer. He and Veronica started kissing on the bed, when she suddenly remembered that they had one last thing to do that night. The two of them headed down to Sweetwater bridge, where Archie threw his gun into the river, hoping to end a vicious cycle of violence.

Betty receives a call from an unknown number while laying in bed. "Hello?" Betty answers, to which the caller replies, "Hello, Betty. This is the Black Hood speaking."

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

  • Amanda Burke as Ms. Paroo
  • Art Kitching as Store Clerk
  • Ardy Ramezani as Football Player
  • Drew Tanner as Fangs Fogarty
  • Nelson Wong as Dr. Phylum

Soundtrack[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Promotional Images[]

Screencaps[]

Videos[]

References[]

Episode Guide[]

Advertisement