‘Riverdale’ Recap “Chapter 42: The Man in Black”
Archie and Jughead have been walking for days and decide to try to find shelter in a barn. A girl named Laurie Lake catches them and offers them food and shelter in exchange for some light labor. A group of girls in the town are playing G&G say the man in black (Hiram) took all the men to build the prison which might also be a fizzle rocks factory. Laurie, learning who Archie is, knocks him out to be handed over to Hiram. Jughead helps him escape and they head to Jughead’s mother’s place.
Back in Riverdale, Sheriff Minetta has gone missing and Veronica, disgusted with her father, seeks shelter in her speakeasy. With business not turning a profit as hoped, Veronica wants to host a casino night. Hiram is not happy to hear that Elio is helping her and insists that he is still there for her because he is her father. The casino night is going well, except for Elio’s winning streak. Veronica stops his streak and walks away with some major cash. It turns out Hiram gave her a helpful hint on how to beat Elio. Just when Veronica is beginning to think her father might not be that bad, Pops tells her that Sheriff Minetta’s decapitated body was found.
Meanwhile, Betty is still trapped at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Ethel Muggs is her new roommate and is proving to be not as nice as she was in previous seasons. This place keeps getting stranger and stranger. Wait, what are Claudius Blossom and Hiram doing there and why does Sister Woodhouse introduce bad girls to the Gargoyle King? Betty fakes a seizure to gain access to her medical record and escape. Her path is blocked. She is force-fed fizzle rocks and taken to see the Gargoyle King.
There was so much jam-packed into this episode that I don’t quite know where to begin. I loved how the focus was on the fab four and how Hiram was intertwined in all storylines. Stay and fight, really, Archie? When has that worked? Also, Veronica darling, just because your father does one nice thing to help save your speakeasy, it doesn’t mean you can forget everything else he’s done. He will always be the man in black who ruins lives. One major question I have at this point is who isn’t under the Gargoyle King’s spell? I never thought he’d get a hold of Betty, and I wonder how Alice would feel if she knew what she threw Betty into. Next week, the midseason finale, we get to meet Jughead’s mom and sister. Hopefully, we also get some answers.
When Beth “grows up” she wants to see her creations appear on the screen and stage. In her free time, Beth blogs about her love of craft beer and writes screenplays. She received her bachelors in journalism from Youngstown State and received her masters in communication from The University of Akron. She is honored to be a part of the FanFest family.
