You never know what you're gonna see when you walk into the Cooper household. Maybe there's a pregnant sister packing things up before returning to a mysterious farm/cult. Maybe a long-lost older brother has moved back in and is working as a webcam performer. But despite the frequent shocks and surprises that come with living with her family, the last thing Betty could've expected was to see Alice Cooper cleaning up a dead stranger's blood in her kitchen. This begs several questions, like what exactly went down in the Cooper household between a mysterious stranger knocking on the door and Alice Cooper cleaning up their blood? Did Alice kill someone on Riverdale? Who was it that died in the Cooper house, anyway?
The mysterious stranger came a-knockin' for Chic earlier in the episode, but never got a chance to reveal his true identity. Whoever he was, it seemed that he meant bad news because Chic was not happy to see him. Whatever ended up happening between Chic and the stranger, it's clear that Alice Cooper is on her son's side and will do whatever it takes to keep him safe, even if it means cleaning up a stranger's blood.
Who is the stranger? Was it Chic who killed him or Alice? How is Hal Cooper going to react to this? Here are some some possible explanations as to what went down in the Cooper household that night.
The Cooper family has already seen Chic be on the other end of violent aggressors. In his very first appearance, Betty saved him from being assaulted by his landlord. Whoever appeared at the Cooper house that night clearly wanted something from Chic, but what was it? Earlier in the episode Chic brought someone else to the house, but insisted that it was for a job interview. He also took the opportunity to remind Betty that when working as a webcam performer to never, ever, reveal your address to someone you're performing for. Did Chic talk the talk without walking the walk, or is this mysterious stranger looking for Chic for another reason related to drugs, money, or the million other shady dealings that are popular in Riverdale?
Whatever happened, things quickly turned bloody, and one of three things happened. The first thing that could've happened is that the stranger slipped and fell and a lot of blood came out of him — and it's probably not that. The other two options are that either Chic or Alice killed the stranger. While Chic may have needed to defend himself, Alice has gone out of her way to protect Chic in the past. She may have gone as far as killing someone who threatened her child, which is why she's the one cleaning up the mess.
As if the stress of having to clean up and probably cover up a murder wasn't enough, the Coopers that witnessed it are likely going to have to keep this secret from their own family. Hal Cooper hasn't been the most welcoming father, or the most welcoming person, or really welcoming in any possible definition of the word. Hal's open contempt for Chic has already the topic of dinner table conversation for a while, and discovering that Chic is either directly or indirectly responsible for a dead body in the Cooper household could be the last straw. Alice is fighting to keep her family together, but this may be what breaks them apart.
Riverdale is built on cliffhangers, but this may the show's most surprising cliffhangers ever. No matter what truth is that is revealed, the Cooper family will never be the same again. Whatever reason that stranger had for searching for Chic, the Cooper family has killed someone and decided that instead of calling the police, they would deal with it themselves. Being a Cooper has never been easy, but it's just gotten a lot more dangerous.
