Who's the serial killer in the CW's Riverdale?
Spoiler Notice: If you haven't watched the latest episode, you probably don't want to read this article!
A question that boggles the minds of Riverdale viewers around the globe; who in the world is the serial killer in season 2? The question's been around since Fred, Archie's dad, was shot in the season 1 finale episode. Then, after Miss Grundy was killed and Moose was shot: we still don't know.
However, the latest episode (S2 E5) did give us some more insights on who the killer might be. And we know it's probably on your mind too. After Episode 4 determined the killer had some forms of relations with Betty, Episode 5 definitely confirmed any speculations we may have had. The killer clearly knows her, right? The black hood called Betty's cell phone using an unknown number. He had demands for her; threatening to kill Polly and Betty's friends if she didn't commit.
Once she did, she was granted a few questions. The first question Betty asked was whether or not she'd recognize the killer if he took off his hood. The answer gave everyone shivers, "Yes." This means that us viewers most likely have met whoever the killer is in previous episodes.
After speculations rose (in the first episode of season 2) that the killer could've been Betty's father, Hal Cooper, when fans compared the black hood and Hal's faces in side-by-sides, these past few episodes have been almost clear-cut indications that the killer is Hal, right? Well, almost. We've managed to find a few turn-offs of those theories. However, first we'll label some of the clear similarities between the two.
The black hood's physical shapes appears quite buff (though not extremely) as well as quite thick, tall. It's clear to us that he is a white male, and within his 40's or older. He has green eyes, and pale eyebrows suggesting he is not a brunette or dark haired man. He's sent a letter of proof to Betty's home to legitimize himself before also sending a letter to Betty saying he was doing it for her. The black hood claims he and Betty both want to clear the town of sinners. He also sent Betty a hidden coded letter of which could only be broken using a book she once read as a young child.
So, if that wasn't enough to convince you, episode 5 also featured a few moments of confusion during the numerous phone calls. When the serial killer asked her if she was alone, she said both of her parents were at work. He then said he was watching them through a big picture window. At the same time, he knew she was with Archie.
However us at Mount Royal Times have found a buster for this theory. One of the main themes of the killer is that he is trying to clear Riverdale of 'sinners' like the 'child predator' Miss Grundy, 'drug addict' teenagers like Moose and Mitch, etc. But one non-Christian, considerably a 'sin' thing that Hal Cooper suggested was that his wife, Alice, as well as his daughter, Polly get an abortion to terminate their pregnancies.
Although some may say it's not a sin, it seems as if (based on the route of the black hood) he may as well compare it a sin anyways. But one thing remains. The final moments of the show, Betty is pressured to tell the black hood a name of a sinner for him to kill or he'd murder Polly. Betty says the name Nick St Claire, the name of Veronica's ex-friend of which had intoxicated Cheryl and attempted to sexually harass or rape her.
The killer didn't question who Nick was, which makes us almost certain that he did in fact know who Nick was and may have some ties to Veronica as well. Some fans have suggested Veronica's dad, Hirom Lodge, of which has been pretty 'happy' with the chaos since he's arrived back in town.
This was pretty much debunked by the irrelevant ties to the murder of Miss Grundy and the shooting of Moose, as we cant find any connections between the two incidents and Mr Lodge's personal beliefs.