*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
Last week on Riverdale, Jughead (Cole Sprouse), FP (Skeet Ulrich) and Gladys (Gina Gershon) successfully rescued Jellybean (Trinity Likins) from the Gargoyle King. And now, the teens gather for a “Fire & Ice” themed prom that coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to the Battle of Winterfell.
Here’s what went down in Chapter Fifty-Five of Riverdale, titled “Prom Night.”
The episode picks up right where we left off in Chapter Fifty-Four, with the police examining the bus of prisoners—including Hal (Lochlyn Munro)—that crashed while being transferred to Hiram’s (Mark Consuelos) new prison.
When Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) arrive at the scene, Betty starts to panic when she sees the charred bus, claiming the Black Hood (aka her dad, Hal) is “still out there.” Although FP assures her that they accounted for all the bodies, she’s not convinced.
“He could still be out there,” she says.
Later on, Betty’s at the shooting range when she receives a call from the medical examiner, who confirms that one hand—ahem—tested positive for Hal’s DNA.
At home, Archie (KJ Apa) is thrilled to learn that his mom, Mary (Molly Ringwald), is filling in for his dad, Fred (Luke Perry), who’s “out of town.” Archie’s excitement is short-lived, though, because his mom doesn’t support his boxing career.
“I won’t support you getting pummeled,” Mary says.
At the gym, Veronica reveals that she’s focusing her attention on an all-new project: Archie. She says she’s serving as his new manager, which means she’s going to update the facility and act as Archie’s publicist.
The next day, Archie’s mom reveals that she reached out to a friend, securing him a meeting with a military academy that has a boxing program.
While the interview goes swimmingly, the recruiter demands to see him in the ring. So, Archie schedules the match, which just so happens to fall on the same day as the tournament. And he gets obliterated.
Although Veronica tries to stop him from doing the second spar, Archie brushes it off and hops in the ring…before collapsing on the floor.
Now that Jellybean is home safe and sound, Jughead turns to her for more information. What did she see? Who did she meet? Why did she start playing Griffins & Gargoyles?
Her answers are vague, but she does mention something about her next quest, which includes finding the Gargoyle King’s “Gospel,” where he keeps all his secrets. Jughead’s search leads him to an abandoned bus, where he discovers the handbook hiding in one of the seats.
Meanwhile, Jughead and Betty are growing more and more skeptical about Kurtz’s (Jonathan Whitesell) autopsy report, since it claims the markings on his back were tattooed several weeks prior to his death. When they track down the tattoo artist, he says it wasn’t his first time creating that design. In fact, he previously inked a man with blond hair and blue eyes, and Betty is convinced that it’s Edgar (Chad Michael Murray).
Cut to Betty storming into The Farm. She accuses Edgar of being the Gargoyle King and demands he reveal the tattoo. Edgar takes off his shirt and twirls around, showcasing a clean—yet ripped—bod.
Back at school, Jughead tries to comfort Betty. “There’s no way your mom is marrying a second serial killer,” he says. Nice try, Jug.
That’s exactly what’s happening. So, Betty devises a plan that is designed to lure the Gargoyle King to their upcoming prom, which is “Fire & Ice” themed.
Although Jughead enlists the Pretty Poisons to act as security detail, it proves to be a complete waste because Betty receives a note during the dance, requesting she meet the Gargoyle King alone in the hallway.
When she does, Betty comes face to face with him. Right when she’s about to shoot him, a one-handed Black Hood (gasp!) appears out of nowhere, knocking her to the ground.
She immediately runs in the other direction, saying, “Dad, why are you doing this?”
The episode concludes with a few key scenes. Here are the takeaways:
“What do we do?” Betty asks, to which Edgar responds: “You stay here. Let The Farm protect you.” Betty agrees.
Welp, it was only a matter of time. Riverdale returns to The CW next Wednesday, May 8, at 8 p.m.
