4 'Riverdale' Videotape Theories That'll Make You Question Everything
Listen, if you're saying the mystery of Riverdale Season 4 is gone because Jughead's Stonewall Prep case has been solved, you're dead wrong. All season long, something ominous has been looming over the citizens of Riverdale — you probably just forgot about it. But now that the season is winding to a close, this particular enigma is coming back in a big way, so it's finally time to talk about the Riverdale videotapes, the theories surrounding them, and the many characters who could be involved with them.
Despite the wildly different turns this season has taken, fans likely knew videotapes would play some sort of part of Season 4, since the season's poster teased "sex, lies, videotapes." Once the season started up, it seemed clear videotapes would be the main focus for all the characters: Back at the start of Season 4, a bunch of chilling, unmarked VHS tapes contain hours of footage of Riverdale residents in their homes were delivered all over town. The questions immediately on everyone's minds was who was sending the tapes, and why?
Over the episodes that followed, this storyline was more or less forgotten about, but considering Jughead's new quest to look into this mystery in Episode 17, it looks like it's coming back in a big way.
So, after all that's happened this season, it's time to look into the case of the video recordings. Here are the characters fans suspect to be behind the tapes, and possible reasons for being so freaking creepy:
Mr. Honey
Mr. Honey, the new Riverdale High principal, has taken a much more stern approach in dealing with the school's unruly students that past academic leaders. Right when he arrived, he was introduced as one of the season's new villain when he canceled a school dance. In response to this cancelation, Cheryl threw her own back-to-school party (“Students of Riverdale, we have a new enemy in our midst,” she announced at the shindig).
Sure, canceling the dance made Honey seem like a buzzkill, but it's what happened next that makes him an actual suspect in the videotapes case: He called the cops to break up Cheryl's party. "Mr. Honey is clearly behind the video tapes. It’s how he knew that Cheryl had thrown a back to school party," one Reddit user explained.
Plus, the season finale is titled "Killing Mr. Honey," which sure seems to underscore he could be behind one of the biggest mysteries of the season.
Chic & Charles
Another popular theory is that Chic and Charles may be behind the VHS tapes. There are two ways to approach this theory. Either Chic and Charles are working together in the plot, or Chic is manipulating Charles to help execute his evil plan. The first idea would be a tough pill to swallow, since Betty has grown pretty close to her FBI agent half-brother. However, based on one very surprising scene in Season 4, Episode 6, it seems like Charles and Chic are very much on the same side as one another.
But it might not be so simple as both characters being bad guys. As one Reddit user explains, "I strongly believe that Chic is blackmailing Charles with evidence of his past from when they lived together at the seedy motel and Charles is just a pawn in Chic's game." Chic has already proven he's capable of some dastardly deeds, and FBI agent Charles would be an ideal pawn for a scheme like this.
Evelyn Evernever
Although many of the Farmies were presumably taken to safety at the end of last season, Evelyn went to Shankshaw Prison. The wife/pretend daughter of Edgar is certainly no fan of Betty's after the latter took down The Farm, so the VHS tapes could be her ploy to finally exact revenge. The Farm was known for creating tapes of its members, but since Evelyn is behind bars, she'd likely have to be working with someone else to make this make sense.
Donna & The Stonies
Even though Riverdale seemed to wrap up the Stonewall Prep storyline back in Episode 16, it's possible the Preppies could come back with a vengeance. After all, they did have blackmail videotapes of Quill and Skull members, so again a VHS ploy wouldn't be new for them. Bret once tried to use a sex tape to go after Jughead and Betty Cooper (to no avail), so this could be his crew's second shot at taking the couple down once and for all.
Riverdale Season 4, Episode 18 will air on April 29 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
