The killer in ‘Riverdale’ has been revealed in the mid-season finale…or has he?
Needless to say MASSIVE SPOILER ALERTS LIE AHEAD…
In the ‘Riverdale’ mid-season finale titled ‘Chapter Twenty-Two: Silent Night, Deadly Night’, the identity of the Black Hood was finally revealed before the culprit was cut down by Sheriff Keller.
After an extensive investigation that led to the revelation that the school janitor Mr. Svenson was actually the sole surviving member of a family butchered by a killer in Riverdale years ago, it put them directly in the path of the Black Hood and his true purpose in killing sinners in the town.
It seems Joseph Svenson — previously known as Joseph Conway — pointed the finger at the alleged culprit responsible for killing his family and a group of citizens in Riverdale took it upon themselves to track him down and bury him alive as a bit of vigilante justice was dished out. Unfortunately it was later discovered that Joseph wasn’t positive with his identification and the people in Riverdale killed the wrong man.
So that’s why the Black Hood has been coming after people who have sinned, in an attempt to wipe out the people responsible for killing an innocent man all those years ago.
Just before Christmas, Betty receives a severed finger that belongs to Mr. Svenson and it forces her and Archie to go on the hunt for the location of this buried body because that’s where the school janitor has been left — if they can find him in time before he suffocates.
Well, Archie and Betty find the location but when the dig up the grave, the casket is empty. That’s when the Black Hood arrives and tells Archie to get inside and for Betty to cover him up with dirt. They never disclosed the identities of all the people involved with the murder outside of Nana Rose Blossom and Betty’s grandfather but we have to assume Archie’s grandfather was involved as well considering the Black Hood targeted him and his father.
Before Betty can finish burying Archie, the cops arrive after they called them on the way to the grave site, which spooks the Black Hood enough for her to hit him with the shovel before he turns and runs away. Betty quickly gets Archie out of the casket, and they give chase until trapping the Black Hood on a bridge after dropping his gun in an attempt to getaway.
Suddenly a shot rings out — it’s Sheriff Keller to the rescue. He kills the Black Hood before revealing his true identity.
It’s Joseph Svenson.
The school janitor tortured by identifying the wrong killer all those years ago has been exacting his revenge by taking out all the people sinning in Riverdale today as well as the descendants of those responsible.
But by the end of the episode as Betty is burning all the evidence she gathered on the Black Hood, and she stops just short of destroying the mask that he gave her earlier this season. Despite a nice, neat bow being wrapped on the case, Betty isn’t convinced that the town of Riverdale has actually seen the last of the Black Hood.
‘Riverdale’ returns with new episodes on Jan. 17 on the CW.
