- Riverdale celebrated Christmas by going full throttle and full speed ahead as not only did they give us the most disgusting kiss of the series yet, but they unmasked the Black Hood! Let’s dive in!
- If you ever wondered what Christmas was like in Riverdale, you’re in luck as this week was Christmas! Instead of dreaming of a white Christmas, B dreamed of a Black Hood!
- So, the gang played the most awkward game of secret Santa, while there was too much #Barchie eyes happening between Archie and B.
- And Moose returned!
- There’s apparently a new creepy janitor which makes B fear for the old one, Mr. Svensen.
- Our now ex-couples exchange gifts and V is still very interested in Archie but he has other interests, because he’s a douche.
- While Fred gets a typical inflated hospital bill, V tries to get her parents to help them out and they both balked at the idea.
- Also, Cheryl showed up to buy a Christmas Tree from Archie and Fred, because she wants to save Christmas for Mama and Nana Rose Blossom, but she seemed like she was more interested in a kool-aid colored fir . . .
- Nana Rose is Brutal!
Actual show quote!!! - #Barchie investigated Svenson’s creepy home in the middle of nowhere, I’m certain near that bus stop B sat out that one time and then the Black Hood gave B the finger for Christmas, literally. She has to find out the town’s biggest sin.
- White searching her father’s study, V discovered her parent’s owned Pops, paid for Fred’s medical bills with Hermoine’s credit card and confronted her parents. V is best when she is confronting her awful parents.
- In the southside, Juggy decides it’s time to deal with The Serpent Queen once and for all.
- J/K -They move her to Greendale and take a pound of skin from her, literally.
- Through visiting the creepy nuns, #Barchie learn that Svensen pointed the finger at an innocent man for killing his family, so a group of men and possibly one white haired woman killed him. Turns out Nana Rose did not help, but B’s grandfather did.
- Distraught over the revelation, we witness the most gross kiss yet . . .
- And Cheryl did not seem to happy about it either.
- Finally, once #Barchie discover’s the gravesite of where the innocent man, who was NOT the Reaper, was buried, the dig up an empty coffin, only to run into the Black Hood.
- The Black Hood orders B to bury Archie alive and I am okay if this was the big cliffhanger, but the police are in tow, having been called by #Barchie earlier.
- B brazenly smacks the Black Hood in the face with the shovel and helps Archie out of the coffin! Which leads to a chase!
- The chase culminates on the bridge over Sweetwater River. Archie has a gun and the Black Hood appears to want to jump, but too late . . .
- And the Black Hood dies within seconds. He’s unmasked and it’s . . . Mr. Svensen!
- How did V feel about it?
- While they run down a list of reasons why, like how he could have seen Grundy with Archie, Juggy is self aware that this feels like the end of a horror movie.
- Christmas morning, Cheryl finds that Santa didn’t stay over, but Mama Rose has some xxx-mas company.
- #Verachie seemed to have made up as they make out under the mistletoe.
- And B burnes her Black Hood memento’s all except the Black Hood, because, maybe, just maybe, this isn’t over yet . . .
*****Extra Tidbits*****
- Josie and Kevin sing well together. More please!
- Not one FP & Alice moment makes Shane Lee sad.
- Archie recognized the park from one random tree . . .sure . . .
- If the Black Hood saga seems to have wrapped a little too fast and convenient, you aren't alone. We know Svensen was under the Hood, but I’m not sure he’s the real one. Svensen seemed to have had a thing for Josie and why he chose B was never explained. I still wonder if it’s her MIA brother . . .
So that’s the mid season finale. Riverdale returns in, which means we at #Windowless Reviews will return then too. We wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New year and hope you’ll join us for the second part of Riverdale Season 2. Until the, star #RiverdaleStrong!!
OK, so I know this season has received some criticisms and based on what I’ve seen on some social media sites, the general consensus is that this season isn’t as good as the last. I’ve never felt this way. While I haven’t reviewed every episode this season, I have watched religiously. Now, I do not have cable so we congregate on Thursday evenings when the episode hits the seed. My boyfriend and I sit down and watch this ridiculously fun show, and then proceed to talk about it for the next half hour. We’re nearly 30 years of age. Should either of us be ashamed? Probably, but I don’t care. Anyway, I love this show. Is it perfect? Nah. But it’s visually beautiful and it’s so dramatic and over the top in the best possible way, so I rarely complain. I even somehow managed to defend Betty’s creepy pole dance in my head for myself last week, but the Black Hood reveal….
What was that? It isn’t Mr. Svenson, you guys. It just can’t be. Archie made this whole deal about his eyes and I want that to be a credible claim, that Archie can recognize him just by looking at his supposedly distinct eyes. And I am a little disappointed that he gave in that easily and accepted that Svenson is their guy.
I’m sure Archie is just tired though, and why wouldn’t he be? I love how disheveled Archie has looked all season.
How to tell if Archie is a hot mess? Look at his hair. The messier the hair, the more stressed he is. And on this particular night he appeared to be super stressed and worn down, so I think that’s why he was quick to accept Svenson as the Hood, because that means this is all over and he, and the rest of the town, can finally relax.
Svenson was the kid that survived a tragedy. His whole family was murdered in their home, but Svenson managed to escape. Sometime later he managed to identify the murderer and a group of men from the town buried him alive. This info was learned by seeking out the terrifyingly lovely Nana Rose who was somehow associated with the gang of men that buried a man alive. They got the wrong guy, though. I guess. Or at least that’s what Betty concluded. That’s why they believe Svenson to be the hood. They think he wanted to condemn the whole town of their sins to correct his sin. But I ain’t buyin’ it. I think this story will continue. I think Svenson was framed. I hope.
But other than them revealing the wrong person as the hood and us having to wait even longer to find out who the hood really is, there were lots of other enjoyable things going on. Little things to be appreciated, and I would like to share those things with you now, whether you agree with me or not.
1.Toni is so supportive of and loyal to Jughead.
She started out as a threat to Bughead, but now, of all the younger Serpents, she is the one that helps Jughead the most when it comes to him being a leader. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know how he would manage to rally them. In the midseason finale Jug attempted to take care of his Penny problem. If you remember, she taped Jug and Archie delivering drugs to a location and now she is holding this video over Jughead and his dad to get them to do whatever she wants. Jughead collected Penny, drove her over to the next town, and did something to her. The last we saw she was on the ground threatening Jughead with Serpent rules, but then he bent down and said her tattoo didn’t make her a Serpent, then he pulled a knife out and, I'm guessing, cut her tattoo off. He was supported by seven or so Serpents that he gathered with a speech, and Toni’s assist of course.
2. Archie’s pep talk in the car.
I don’t think we get to see Betty and Archie moments enough. Bughead and Varchie are always paired together. I’m not trying to pick a ship here, I’m just pointing out how nice it was to see Betty and Archie act like they’ve known each other since they were tots, because haven’t they? They were supposed to have been really close at one time and we rarely get proof of that. The support offered by Arch here was wonderful. Betty was on the verge of collapse after learning her grandfather was part of the group that buried the maybe innocent man alive. She was starting to suspect that the Black Hood was punishing her for her relation to a man that would commit such a crime. I should also point out that this was before they suspected Svenson of being the Black Hood. At this point they thought they were on a mission to save him from the Black Hood. Anyway, Archie saw that the situation called for a calm partner in order to get them back on track. He balanced the situation and all was well after that. Of course until later on when the Black Hood would hold Betty at gunpoint and force her to bury Archie alive.
3. Cheryl in general.
She spends her family’s last dimes on a Christmas tree and then yells at her mother for not having a job. She also justifies the tree by saying it has made Nana Rose really happy.
I guess this is Nana Rose being really happy. Once Cheryl leaves the room Nana Rose tells mama Blossom that she should have drown her kids like a basket of kittens when they were born.
This is a special brand of crazy that I can tolerate. It's incredibly amusing and it's what makes me LOVE the Blossoms. Well, the remaining Blossom women. Papa Blossom was good to go in season one. I don't miss him.
4. Possible return of Betty’s alter ego.
Dark Betty is an amazing thing. The fact that the girl next door is so dark underneath it all is an amazing thing to watch. It’s entertaining, people. Who can deny it? Honestly, I think Betty is the catastrophic one out of Bughead, even if Jug wants to believe it’s him. Betty was burning Black Hood things she had stored in a box under her bed, when she got to the mask she threw it in the fire as well. It was almost immediately retrieved, though, and we were left with this image
What does it mean!? Maybe nothing. It was the midseason finale, after all, and we needed to leave off on a curious note.
So I’ll leave you here with a few questions. Feel free to discuss these with us in the comments because I really want to know what everyone else is thinking.
Is Dark Betty back? How long will it take Penny to hike her way back to Riverdale, especially since she might be bleeding out? What did Veronica’s parents tell her? Do you trust Veronica’s decision to join her parents industry? Does Veronica have plans of her own once she gets involved? Where the hell is Polly? How stressed out is Archie in this picture?
See you guys next year!
