Riverdale: Chapter Eighteen: When a Stranger Calls

November 10, 2017 7:57 AM - Season 2, Episode 5

Alice publishes a fiery piece blasting the Southside; Jughead takes matters into his own hands to keep the peace; Betty receives an ultimatum that could destroy her relationships; Veronica's old friend visits for a wild night with the gang.

‘Riverdale’ Boss on Cheryl’s Near-Assault, Jughead as Southside Serpent and ‘Rent’ Montage (Danielle Turchiano for Variety) -- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s “Riverdale” may be an adaptation of a timeless comic book, but the fifth episode of its second season (“Chapter Eighteen: When A Stranger Calls”) is an extremely timely tale.

Riverdale Recap: Dial M for Murder (Molly Fitzpatrick for Vulture) -- Want to chat with a real live serial killer? Call 1-900-BLACK-HOOD for the low, low price of 99 cents a minute, paid directly to the Riverdale Register Libel Defense Fund!

Riverdale Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Chapter 18 - When a Stranger Calls (Chris Cummins for Den of Geek) -- The darkness fully envelops Riverdale in a jaw-dropping episode full of risks and surprises.

posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

That was the most depressing episode yet, with the Black Hood forcing Betty to give up all her friends and then uh...join him in picking targets. Arggggggggggggh.
Seriously, if this isn't her dad, then who is it?! I can't think of any other reasonable suspects she knows who would be able to stalk her/know her childhood reading material like this.

The one thing I really liked in this episode was the Pussycat beatdown. That was glorious.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:08 AM on November 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh yeah: Alice in a red version of the J.Lo outfit with a snake necklace on? Comedy gold. Damn, girl. Also enjoyed finding out she's a huge hypocrite bitching about the Southside all the time.

Ugh, Toni. Just ugh.

I don't get why in order to join a gang, you have to have all of your so-called new friends and family beat the shit out of you. Why is this?

That article from the show boss is interesting because the guy says they pick 3 possible suspects and then choose later which one to go with.

The opening lyrics of "Out Tonight" sound like foreshadowing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:15 AM on November 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh yeah, and UGH, "Lollipop." RUINED FOREVER!
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:17 AM on November 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's interesting to me that the next episode is "Death Proof" (for obvious reasons) and yet this episode ends with a scene extremely evocative of that movie's ending (the Pussycats beating the shit out of Nick à la the women beating down Stuntman Mike.)

And yeah, using a song from Rent to commemorate a gentrification project is some subversive fun.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:51 AM on November 15, 2018