Riverdale’s Latest Big Reveal Is Its Best One Yet (2024)

Warning: Spoilers for Riverdale season five episode two ahead.

After a season of VHS tapes getting placed on doorsteps at the worst possible times, static videos of homes, and a whole lot of finger pointing, tonight's Riverdale episode finally brought an answer to the question everyone has been asking: who is the videographer wreaking havoc on the town? The conclusion of this mystery might have been predictable for some, but I would have to guess that, in general, viewers were surprised. Overall, though, I believe this big reveal may be among the best in the five seasons of a show that loves to unmask a bad guy, and it bodes well for what's to come as Riverdale starts to make some major moves.

The obvious suspect when it came to who was sending out the tapes was, of course, David, owner of the Blue Velvet Video Store and keeper of the Scarlett Suite. There was also the possibility of it being Charles, who finally admitted to his villainous (and in my opinion, underwhelming) ways in this episode. But no, the writers really threw us for a loop with this one. The auteur was young Jellybean Jones.

OK, I know there were theories that Jughead's little sister was behind this mystery, specifically one on Reddit that guessed Charles brainwashed JB to help him with his evil plan. The reality, though, was so much less malicious, and that's what was refreshing about it.

Instead of painting Jellybean like another baddie, one that could join the ranks of the dozens of Riverdale adversaries that have been caught over the years, she's simply a younger sister who is sad to see her brother go. So sad, in fact, that she will do anything to get Jug to stay. As a result, she creates a mystery for him to solve, something so intriguing it keeps him in town. Yes, her plan is dramatic, but in the dark world of Riverdale, it makes sense that her idea would involve voyer-esque tapes and snuff films, right?

I can kind of relate to Jellybean. As the youngest of three siblings, it was hard to see both of my older brothers leave the house for college. Just as I was getting old enough to keep up with them, they were packing their bags for something new. Did I devise an elaborate plan a la Jellybean to get them to stay back? No. I watched my brothers leave, enjoyed my new wedgie-less life without them, and eventually, followed one of them across the country for college. Then again, I did spend over a decade at home with my brothers, something that Jellybean missed out on. Jughead just reentered her life after years apart and suddenly, she was forced to say goodbye to him once again. For the first time in five seasons, Riverdale got me to relate to a big mystery reveal. I felt for Jellybean, balancing her emotions when she heard Jughead got into the University of Iowa. Yes, she's happy for her brother, but she's sad to see him leave after they were just reunited. I almost understand why she did what she did, though personally I would have gone about things differently.

We were expecting the worst when it came to the identity of the voyeur. Someone vindictive, someone watching the houses of Riverdale, ready to attack at any moment. Instead, we got a girl who loves her brother so much she would go to great (and admittedly ridiculous) lengths to keep him around. Because of that, tonight's episode feels like a turning point for the show.

With just one more episode before we jump seven years into the future, I hope the writers continue on this trend of focusing more on the relationships of the characters and less on the shock and awe of the murders, cults, and darkness. Yes, there will be mysteries in the "New Riverdale" because it wouldn't be Riverdale without them. And there will probably be mafia men, buried secrets, and lots of thrown punches. I'm OK with that. At this point it's expected in this dark teen drama. But the auteur conclusion proves that not all mysteries have to end with a bad guy in jail or someone in the morgue. It can end with a revelation, a hug between father and daughter, brother and sister, and a realization that not everything in the Town of Pep is evil, sometimes you just have to look past the fake blood.

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