'Riverdale' recap: 'Chapter Nineteen: Death Proof'

In the latest episode of Riverdale, Betty tries to find the Sugarman, Cheryl and Veronica deal with Nick, and Archie tries to help Jughead.

Previously on Riverdale, Betty gave the Black Hood the name Nick St. Clair after he attempted to rape Cheryl. Betty also broke up with Jughead and tried to ruin her friendship with Veronica because of the Black Hood’s death threats.

“Death Proof” begins the next morning at Jughead’s, where his voiceover talks about how everyone has a mask. Toni walks out of one of the rooms and asks if he wants breakfast.

In Northside Riverdale, Betty runs to the hotel where Nick is staying and sees his door is ajar. She opens it and finds Nick alive. His parents walk in and Betty tells them they are not safe, but then Sheriff Keller arrives. He asks the family to come to the station and tells Betty to leave.

While walking, Betty gets a call from the Black Hood. They tell her Nick is not from Riverdale and therefore is ineligible for the game. The Black Hood says Betty is as just as they thought, so now their true work can begin. They hang up and Betty gets a text from Archie.

At the Lodge’s, Hiram and Hermione talk to Penelope Blossom about Cheryl’s assault. Penelope blames her daughter and then says she wants the matter solved discretely. Veronica and Cheryl listen behind Veronica’s door as Penelope says Cheryl will not press charges. Cheryl tries to brush the assault off, but Veronica tells her Nick has done it before, had even tried to assault her too. Cheryl says Veronica should take Nick to court then, and leaves.

Jughead and Toni have breakfast at Pop’s and talk about their relationship. They made out the night before, but Toni tells him she does not want to be his rebound from Betty. Toni reveals she is bisexual by saying she generally likes girls more.

Betty tells Archie what happened and says she cannot keep playing the Black Hood’s twisted game. Betty says Polly is getting help from the farm people to hide and she will tell Veronica and Jughead soon. The two arrive at Pop’s and see Jughead and Toni sitting and laughing together. Seconds later both receive calls from their parents.

Mayor McCoy and the other parents of teens at the party gather at the Cooper’s to talk. Archie tells Veronica to go easy on Betty because she just broke up with Jughead. Reggie admits he got the jingle jangle from a Southside dealer. Veronica says Nick asked him to find drugs for the party and talks about his attempted assault of Cheryl. Keller tells them they are not credible witnesses because of the drug use. Mayor McCoy is outraged her daughter Josie took the drug since her father had drug issues. McCoy says her new main issue is cleaning up Southside Riverdale.

At Southside High, Jughead shows Mr. Phillips his article. Mr. Phillips then reminds them of their deal because he knows Jughead is a Serpent now. Jughead gets a text from Archie and finds him in the hallway. Archie tells him McCoy and the cops are coming to raid Southside and they need to leave immediately. The Mayor and the police burst in seconds later with a police dog. Jughead sees Toni, but Archie pulls him away saying he is no good to her in jail. The police start cuffing Serpents, including Sweet Pea and Toni. Archie takes Jughead to Pop’s and tries to talk him down. He also tells him to talk to Betty. Jughead gets a text from Tall Boy and leaves.

Meanwhile at Riverdale High, Veronica tells Kevin about Nick’s harassment and attempts on her during the party. Kevin says to tell someone, but Veronica believes Hiram will hurt Nick if she tells and she does not want that on her conscious. Betty tries to talk to them, but they leave. After, the Black Hood calls and Betty answers. He asks for her help in discovering the real identity of the Sugarman, the maker of jingle jangle. He says Cheryl’s father was a supplier. If she chooses not to help, someone she knows dies.

Betty goes to see Cheryl at her house and asks her about the Sugarman. Cheryl says the Sugarman was a tale her mother told when she was young, just a Boogie Man story. She waves Betty away when she suggests the Sugarman is real. Later, Cheryl goes through some of her old things and finds a drawing of the Sugarman with her and Jason.

At the Andrews’ house, the men have dinner while they talk about Archie’s community service for the drug use at the party. Fred tells him to keep an eye on Jughead since he is in Southside. He says he hopes Archie has more luck with Jughead than he had with F.P.

Meanwhile, Jughead meets with Tall Boy and the Serpents. Tall Boy introduces him to Malachai, a Ghoulie, and says they are teaming up. He wants Jughead to endorse the decision for the two gangs to unite against Northside Riverdale. They say either they evolve or die.

Betty goes to Pop’s to ask Keller questions about Sugarman. He says Clifford Blossom was the Sugarman. Since jingle jangle was not released until after Blossom’s death, the supplier is unknown. Sitting in a booth, Veronica calls to her and Betty apologizes for her behavior. Betty gives in and tells her best friend what has been going on. Veronica agrees to help Betty find out about the Sugarman.

Jughead rambles to Archie about the Ghoulies and how it is really a takeover. Archie reminds him he joined to help keep the peace like his father did, so the two go to see F.P. in jail. F.P. suggests they have a drag race against the Ghoulies. They win and Serpents and Ghoulies stay separated; the winner also takes Southside High.

Cheryl questions her mother about the Sugarman. She says Penelope would tell the kids to stay upstairs when he came and asks if he was one of Clifford’s drug friends. Penelope claims not to know what she is talking about, saying she never told any such stories. She also says any documents of her fathers are with the police or burned in the fire.

The group does their community service picking up trash. Reggie attempts to flirt with Josie, who he made out with at the party. Veronica interrupts and asks Reggie for his jingle jangle dealer’s information. Archie tells Betty to talk to Jughead and she says she will soon.

Later, Veronica meets with the dealer and mentions the Sugarman as she pays for jingle jangle. He runs away and Betty follows. Meanwhile, Jughead goes to Malachai and offers his terms, but Malachai does not agree. The drug dealer comes in pulling Betty and Veronica behind him, much to the surprise of Archie and Jughead. Malachai demands the trailer park and the Serpents hangout as well, and Jughead agrees.

Betty works on Reggie’s car for Jughead to use in the drag race. She tries to talk to him, saying she is trying to protect him and will explain later. She wants his focus to be in the race.

Cheryl is enjoying lunch at Pop’s when Nick arrives. He tries to act like everything is normal and dismisses her rape claims, blaming her for his behavior. She replies she changed her mind and is filing charges. He dismisses her threats, saying his parents deal with her mother makes that impossible. He leaves and Cheryl is distraught.

Cheryl finds the check the St. Clair’s gave her mother and she confronts Penelope. She asks her mom to put her first for once. She also asks for the truth about the Sugarman. When Penelope does not agree to either, Cheryl says she is not getting the money unless she starts telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Veronica and Archie cuddle in his bed and she tries to convince him not to street race. He says he has a plan, but their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from Cheryl.

Veronica rushes home and confronts her parents about taking the money for the development from the St. Clair’s. Veronica tells them that Nick made an attempt on her the night before he went after Cheryl. Hiram is furious and begins threatening Nick. Hermione assures her they will not take any money from the St. Clair’s.

At the race, Betty tells Jughead she still loves him and reminds him of what to do with the car. He and Archie get ready to race against Malachai and another Ghoulie.

During the race, Jughead wants to do a crazy maneuver on a bridge and Archie stops the car. Jughead is furious when they hear sirens. The Ghoulies have been arrested just across the bridge. They get back to the start of the race and tell everyone the cops are coming. Tall Boy yells at Jughead, but Archie tells them he called the cops. Jughead says that will only stop the Ghoulies for a few months and while they are in jail they will be thinking about revenge.

Cheryl arrives home after the race and Penelope tells her about the Sugarman, saying the story was her way of protecting her children from a terrible man. Multiple men have taken on the persona of the Sugarman and she says Clifford introduced Jason to the newest one before his death. Cheryl hands her mother the St. Clair’s check, and Penelope throws it in the fire. Cheryl asks for the name of the current Sugarman and calls Betty and tells her the name. Betty tells Veronica she is unsure what to do, knowing telling the Black Hood the name will lead to his death.

Later, the Black Hood calls Betty and asks if she knows the Sugarman’s identity. She answers yes and says she already turned her information over to the police. The Hood is upset, but she replies this is her game now and she got justice without death. She says she found Jason’s murderer, the Sugarman, and tells the Black Hood she will find them too.

At Southside High, Toni tells Jughead what all the Serpents are saying about the race. He sees cops and wonders if another raid is coming, but Toni tells him they caught the Sugarman. They see the police march Mr. Phillips down the hall.

Archie and Fred talk about Jughead, and Archie says he messed up. Fred takes a pill and Archie asks if he is okay. Fred claims he is continually getting better.

At the Lodge’s the phone rings and Hermione answers. She tells the family the St. Clair’s had a car accident. Nick will be okay, after a few mothers of recovery. Veronica says it is karma while Hermione and Hiram play a game of chess.

At the trailer, Jughead’s voiceover reveals Betty told him about her experience with the Black Hood. Betty sits beside him, reading as he writes about Mr. Phillips. The scene cuts to Mr. Phillips in jail. The Black Hood arrives and shoots him through the bars.

Riverdale continues to be an exciting show. I liked most of “Death Proof,” but I found the drag race part ridiculous. I do not care much for the gang storyline overall, though I do like Toni. Cheryl and Veronica’s storylines are good, if not as long as I would have liked. It seems obvious that Hiram had the St. Clair’s run off the road. Watching Veronica’s reaction, I think she knows and approves since Nick is receiving his well-deserved karma. Penelope tossing the St. Clair’s check into the fire is the first time I really felt like she cares about Cheryl. Also, mechanic Betty is a fun surprise.

Riverdale is off this week and will return Nov 29 at its usual time of 8 p.m. on The CW. Check out the preview for the next episode below.

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