Riverdale Recap: 2.19 ‘Prisoners’

Riverdale 2.20 Prisoners

Last week’s musical episode was the best, but the fun and games is all over after it was revealed that the Black Hood has returned.

We open the episode with Cheryl singing at Midge’s funeral, along with scenes of Sheriff Keller interrogating everyone who was at the school the night that Midge was killed. The Vixens have special black uniforms, which is kind of insane, and they have decided that they’re the new vigilantes as they “won’t rest until those responsible for the murder of our sister is rightly punished.” As the funeral ends, Cheryl tells Sheriff Keller, “your days of failing this town over and over again are numbered sheriff.”

Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’
Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’

Jughead’s new theory about the Black Hood is that Chic is acting as a copycat killer and Archie does believe that they got the wrong guy in the first place. He thinks Svenson was working with the Black Hood and says that he looked into the Black Hood’s eyes and they weren’t Mr. Svenson’s. Betty does not think Chic is capable of being the Black Hood, but honestly who knows.

The next morning, Archie fails to convince his father to get out-of-town since he’s worried about the Black Hood’s promise to go after everyone who escaped him before. However, Archie should be way more concerned about his own safety as three guys in black hoods show up and kidnap him. It turns out to be Nick St. Clair and two of his buddies as Nick is holding Archie for ransom to prove to his father that he can be big and bad. When Veronica finds out, she asks Hiram to pay the million dollars to get him back, but Hiram isn’t interested as Archie isn’t family and it would make them all look weak.

Hiram tells Veronica to let him handle the Nick situation, but she breaks into her family’s safe except there isn’t enough money and she goes for plan B. She meets with him and asks her basically to sleep with him at his hotel and give him what he’s always wanted.. She has to agree, but she doesn’t know that Nick intends to make Archie watch it on a livestream.

Across town, Betty decides that she and Jughead should look into Chic and go to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy to ask about him and Mr. Svenson. Betty blackmails them with their secret gay reeducation camp and so they hand over Betty’s brother’s file. When she sees the photo of “Charles Smith”, it is not Chic. AKA CHIC IS NOT HER BROTHER!

Betty and Jughead confront Chic at the house causing him to grab a knife, which cuts Alice before Betty knocks him out. They tie him up in the basement and he admits that he met the real Charles on the street before they became roommates. According to Chic, Charles met Alice as he knocked on their door, but Alice slammed the door in his face and said she didn’t wasn’t interested. Afterwards he overdosed on Jingle Jangle.

FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) and Alice Cooper (Madchen Amick) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’
FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) and Alice Cooper (Madchen Amick) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’

Alice immediately remembers the boy in the photo and this sends her on an “I killed my son” spiral and she heads to FP’s. She tells FP that she “had his baby”and named him Charles (I knew it!). She breaks down and says he’s dead while FP tries to calm her. Then FP decides to remove Jughead from the Cooper house and let them decide how to handle things. However, Betty and Jughead head to the motel where they found Chic and the next door neighbour claims that Chic murdered Charles as she heard a fight and the next day only Chic was there. She also claims to have seen bloody sheets in the dumpster.

Chic won’t own up to any of it and then Betty receives a call from the Black Hood, which she knows because her phone starts singing, “Lollipop”.  The Black Hood admits to killing Midge and setting up Svenson. Now, he wants Betty to hand Chic over to him as he says he’s the ultimate sinner.

Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’
Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’

While Alice is busy confessing to Hal, Betty sneaks into the basement with a gun and convinces Chic to go on a walk with her to the cemetery. Chic admits to killing Charles, “I lost control. I didn’t mean to hurt him,” but honestly I’m still very suspicious. Chic almost seems like he’d confess to anything just to save himself. Then the Black Hood shows up and Betty gives Chic a head start. As he takes off running, Betty says goodbye.

Meanwhile, Veronica is dressed up and heads to Nick’s. Archie watches on the live feed as she fixes them drink and the two dance, though it’s clear she slipped something in his drink. Archie manages to bust out of the chair he’s tied to and he sprints across town to Veronica who clearly needs no saving because by the time he gets in, Nick is passed out on the floor. She calls his parents and ransoms Nick for a million dollars, which she presents to her parents. Archie is waiting in Hiram’s study where he says he wants to “make his bones” with Hiram. Essentially, Archie is going after the Black Hood.

Betty then returns home from getting rid of Chic to find out that Hal left and “went looking for you.”

Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’
Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) in Riverdale 2.19 ‘Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners’

Final Thoughts?

This episode was insane. I am so suspicious of Chic and Hal now. Hal is totally the Black Hood and Chic is totally not dead. I can’t believe this season is almost done!

What did you think of ‘Prisoners’? What about the Chic reveal? Sound off in the comments below!

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