Entertainment

These 6 Black Hood Theories Will Convince Any 'Riverdale' Fan

by Rebecca Patton
Katie Yu/The CW

Oh, Midge, viewers hardly knew ye. Riverdale's musical episode, Chapter Thirty-One, "A Night to Remember," proved to be filled with just as much blood and gore as a Stephen King adaptation. Which it coincidentally was. With the latest revelation that the Black Hood is back in action, things just got much more interesting in Riverdale. But the question remains: Who killed Midge on Riverdale?

During the opening night of Riverdale High's production of Carrie: The Musical, in a number featuring Alice Cooper as Mrs. White and Midge as Carrie, the wall to Carrie's closet is revealed, and Midge's dead body is revealed tacked to the set. There are words written in what appears to be blood behind her, which reads, "I am back from the dead," and, "All those who escaped me before will die. B.H." It was a shocking and gruesome moment, to say the least, even in a show as bleak as Riverdale.

So whodunnit? The obvious suspect is Cheryl Blossom, since she wanted the role of Carrie but was denied. But, it's probably not that simple. Especially since Cheryl directed her anger toward her mother, literally covering herself in blood and threatening to burn down Thistlehouse if she wasn't emancipated. It's unlikely she could have done both things at once, but her erratic behavior still raises an alarm.

However, there are others who may have wanted to see Midge dead, although it's difficult to imagine, since she's so sweet and inoffensive. Here are the top theories as to who is the Black Hood:

Fangs Fogarty

Audiences saw Fangs being super weird with Midge in her dressing room right before the show. What could have been dismissed as a covert make-out session made the whole scene much more sinister in retrospect.

Ethel

The CW

This episode makes it very clear to the audience that Ethel wanted to be cast as Carrie White. She was definitely disappointed that she wasn't Cheryl's understudy for the role, and Jughead even found cut-up magazines in her trashcan, which looked an awful lot like the ones used to make the blackmail note Kevin received. But Betty and Jughead confronted her about it on-camera, and she seemed sincerely offended that they would even ask. Maybe sweet Ethel isn't capable of something so dark. (Or maybe that's what she wants us to think.)

Polly

Um, what? Yes, you heard that right. According to a Reddit user named ScoobyDoo416, the oldest Cooper child is much more sinister than she lets on. "Everything started from Polly," the poster said. "The Jason Blossom drama. The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Her escape. The murders punishing members of Riverdale for their sins."

Hmm, that makes sense. After all, the audience never sees her, since she's usually off at an unknown location taking care of her baby. "Polly has people at her disposal to be in those masks," ScoobyDoo416 guesses, "and she appears and disappears to a location WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHERE."

Very suspicious.

Chic

The CW

The tormented half-brother of Betty and Polly, Chic is a confusing presence in Riverdale. Although he's clearly got issues, he may not be the villain the writers are making him out to be. After all, nothing is surface level in Riverdale. Although he's a popular theory on the Riverdale subreddit, many are also calling The CW's bluff. As Reddit user named quoth_tthe_raven pointed out, he's just too obvious.

Hal Cooper

Yes, when it comes to the Black Hood fan theories, the whole Cooper family's involved. This one was put forth by several people on Reddit as well as the AV Club's LaToya Ferguson. "Hal tried to use threats to get Cheryl to drop out (for Penelope, his true love) and then won double when Kevin made the ridiculous choice to have Midge understudy," she argued.

Sheriff Keller

Per quoth_tthe_raven in the same Reddit post, Keller is sleeping with the former Mayor McCoy, whose daughter is a singer. Perhaps taking Cheryl out of the picture would ensure Josie gets a shot at stardom. "Keller was backstage a lot prior to the performance," the Redditor said. "Who is to say he didn't have access to the school before to drop the sandbag?" However, if this theory holds true, things didn't go as planned when Midge was cast in the lead role instead. So, perhaps he decided to take more drastic measures.

Whomever the Black Hood ends up being, audiences should expect a sad upcoming episode, in the wake of Midge's death, along with a new murder mystery. It wouldn't be Riverdale without one.