'Riverdale' Season 2, Episode 4 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown' Recap: Creepy Romantic Gesture of Vigilante Violence [SPOILERS]

Archie Andrews has gone too far with his Blackhood manhunt. Riverdale is in a state of panic. People cannot walk alone when the sun sets, stores closing early, and the blame game begins. As Archie and his Red Circle crew enable violence taunting the killer to kill again as they come to get his head. His blind rage causes tensions between the North and Southside come to a head and leads to an unexpected showdown. Meanwhile, Mayor McCoy calls an emergency town hall meeting to deal with the growing chaos in Riverdale. And Betty receives an eerie love note from the Blackhood.

San Francisco Had The Zodiac, Riverdale Has The Blackhood

Another letter came in the mail this time addressed to Betty Cooper. It was from the Blackhood telling her he was killing people because of her. He was inspired by her speech at the Jubilee last season to cleanse the town of its sinners. Along with the letter, he sent a code for Betty to decipher. The code would reveal where his next target would be. Afraid of the judgment, she hid the letter and only gave the code to both her mother and the sheriff. Like any journalist, Alice chose to publish the code. Alice believes the whole town is concerned and should not be kept in the dark while a serial killer is on the loose.
On the other side of town, Jughead is trying to get in the mind of a serial killer. In the opening of the episode, he compares Blackhood to infamous serial killers. Such as the Axe Man of New Orleans, The Phantom Killer of Texas and of course the Zodiac. An unusual interest he shares with his new friend, Toni Topaz. The two try to figure out the code the Blackhood sent. While he is on a quest to decipher both the code and the mind of a serial killer, Betty tries to contact Jughead for support—because there’s nothing worse than being the inspiration for a serial killer’s bloodlust.

Archie Is Looking For Blood In All The Wrong Places

Archie needs to learn how to differentiate a serial killer from juvenile delinquents. It’s the difference between Southside Serpents and the Blackhood that Archie hasn’t figured out yet. It’s been established Southside Serpents is a gang of troublemakers and drug dealers but not a group of killers. Meanwhile, a serial killer is a narcissist with a disturbing reason to kill. But it’s not only Archie who is pitting the blame onto the Southside, even Alice Cooper says they are the problem.

The only difference between the two is the loaded gun. Alice uses the paper and the town hall to convince the town Blackhood is a serpent and Archie targets them himself. Despite the school Principal and the Sheriff shutting down Archie’s Red Circle crew, he is still out there to avenge his father. But this causes him to pit it against the Serpents. In the end, it looks like everyone would believe Southside is a home of killers. When The Serpents paid a visit to Archie as payback for the other night, it leads to a fight between Northside and Southside with no winners filled with black eyes and wounded legs.
As things were getting worse, Veronica comes in with Archie’s gun. Unlike her boyfriend, who pointed the gun at a serpent, she fired it in the air as a warning shot. The Serpents dispersed before more trouble arises, but not without leaving a few scratches and bruises. Archie realizes the mess he has created and decided to throw his gun in Sweet Water River. It’s only the beginning of the town divided, though.

Breaking The Code of A Serial Killer

After ignoring most of Betty’s messages, she decided to visit Jughead hoping as a couple they’d crack the code together. But to her dismay, Jughead and Toni were already getting a headstart. Instead of letting her jealousy show she opted for a code-breaking party with her, Kevin, and Toni. However, the code is hard to crack without understanding the Blackhood’s motivations. Of course, the reason they can’t understand his motivations is that Betty hasn’t shown the letter yet.

While they were trying to crack the code, Toni and Betty have a spat about the Southside. Betty, like most of the Northside, believes the Blackhood is a Serpent. This insults Toni and she walks out with Kevin, leaving her with Jughead. Betty leaves after realizing she has made it worse. The next day Jughead confronts her about the letter he found tucked in Betty’s books. Betty tells him she’s afraid Archie will blame her for inviting the Blackhood to kill. Jughead comforts her and even compares her to Nancy Drew. Betty suddenly realizes how to break the code because it was only meant for her to solve. The two deciphered the message telling them he will strike again where it all began. It meant he would kill again during the town hall meeting.
Betty and Jughead were able to evacuate the town hall before the Blackhood strikes again. This time she comes clean to her parents, the Sheriff, and the Mayor about the letter. By the end of the episode, she receives a call from the Blackhood.
“Riverdale” continues next Wednesday with “When a Stranger Calls,” at 8/7c on The CW.