Riverdale Unmasked the Black Hood... Or Did It?

Hooray! The Black Hood finally died on Riverdale... we think.

Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Archie (KJ Apa) went chasing down another lead on the Black Hood only to find themselves back at Joseph Conrad -- the only surviving member of the Conrad family massacre that occurred decades ago in Riverdale. They thought he was going to be the Hood's latest victim, but after being led to a fake grave by the serial killer himself, Betty and Archie managed to chase the masked man down. He was about to jump off the bridge into Sweetwater River, but Sheriff Keller showed up just in time to put a fatal bullet in the Black Hood. It was Joseph Conrad under the hood the entire time.

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Now, Joseph Conrad fits the description. He has green eyes and he's someone that Betty would recognize because he's been a janitor at Riverdale High for years, but doesn't it feel a bit convenient? Everyone is taking the news at face value, though. That leaves time for Betty and Archie to think about the forbidden kiss they shared in the middle of the chase, Veronica (Camila Mendes) to dive deeper into her role at Lodge Industries and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) to fear the return of Penny Peabody after he mutilated her and sent her packing.

TV Guide talked to Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa about the Black Hood reveal (should we trust it?), Betty and Archie's kiss and whether Jughead can ever come back from what he's done.

Have we really seen the last of the Black Hood? Part of me doesn't believe it.
Aguirre-Sacasa: I think as Jughead's closing ode says and with Betty looking into the flames, everyone wants to believe the Black Hood is over, but it's Riverdale. I always say that no one stays dead forever. You'll have to watch the second half of the season.

Speaking of Betty, are we going to see a much fuller version of Dark Betty in the second half of the season?
Aguirre-Sacasa: Part of Betty's story throughout the series is this wrestling with the darkness inside of her. That's a darkness that's drawn towards violence and sexuality. We saw it last season, especially in Episode 3. Then we kind of saw it a little bit when Chuck came back. We've hinted at it bubbling throughout the season and then it came roaring back in the last episode when Betty, in a very misguided way to get close to Jughead, tapped into that part of herself again. That tension between Betty's light and dark and what Dark Betty really means is something that we will continue to explore as the season continues.

Jughead also went darker than we've ever seen before in this episode. Is what goes down with him and Penny Peabody a point of no return for Jughead?
Aguirre-Sacasa: That's what FP says. That's what Jughead fears has happened. It feels like it. He does feel like he's lost something. It's exactly like you said, he's crossed a point of no return. Luckily, for Jughead, he's got very good friends that will try to enter the wilderness and drag him back from it. It's pretty intense. Again, we'll be feeling the repercussions from that throughout the rest of the season.

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When it comes to trying to save Jughead, is it possible that Jellybean and his mom could be part of that?
Aguirre-Sacasa: Anything is possible! Certainly, Jellybean and his mom Gladys are out there somewhere. It could be!

Betty and Archie also kissed this episode, but then Archie and Veronica made up. How is that kiss going to complicate things? Now we have a love square.
Aguirre-Sacasa: It's a secret, right? The worst person in the history of the universe saw the secret, which was Cheryl. That kiss -- we don't know what it means yet. It happened in a really intense situation. They were packed like sardines in that car. It may have meant more to one person than the other. It may have been something that they both immediately regret. It may be something that they both wanted to try and now they tried it and now it's out of their system. We don't know yet what that kiss means but it's the beginning of a story, not the end of a story.

Veronica takes a huge step towards joining the family business in this episode. What is that going to mean for her going forward?
Aguirre-Sacasa: Ever since last year, she's wanted her family reunited and that's what she's been working towards. There's a lot of ways to reunite with the family. She's been trying to drag her family into the light and be the good girl, be legitimate and be honest. It hasn't worked. They've been keeping secrets from her and it's sort of like, "Well, if that doesn't work maybe this will work." But it comes out of her deep desire to be close with her family.

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Are FP and Alice ever going to be a thing? Will there be more tension between them in the second half of the season?
Aguirre-Sacasa: There will always be tension between FP and Alice, for many reasons...It is safe to ship it, for sure.

One looming mystery we have from Season 1 is Betty's brother that Alice gave up for adoption. Can you tease how he will play into the second half of the season?
Aguirre-Sacasa: Stay tuned.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies)