Who killed Daryl Doiley on Riverdale?

29 November 2018, 16:14 | Updated: 30 November 2018, 10:05

Riverdale just implied that Dilton Doiley's dad Daryl was murdered by one of the other parents in the town - but who had a hand in it and why is everyone covering it up?

The quest to unmask the villainous Gargoyle King rages on in Riverdale and by the looks of things, we're actually no closer to finding out who is behind the cosplaying drama going on in the town.

So far, several suspects have been identified but thanks to this week's episode ('Manhunter'), it looks like we've just lost our main suspect. Up until this episode, Dilton's dad Daryl Doiley was a pretty popular candidate for the one behind the Gargoyle King. We had never met him as an adult before, he was a key player in the game back in high school and his involvement would certainly explain how Dilton managed to get his hands on the game in the first place.

But it turns out that Daryl is dead (literally didn't know that) and he has been dead for a while (it's implied, through Penelope's testimony and Sheriff Keller's involvement, that he died before season 1.)

Following some very sketchy testimonies from everyone involved, Betty decides to investigate further and uncovers yet another murder mystery that the Hot Parents of Riverdale™ have been covering up for years. Who killed Daryl Doiley?

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3, EPISODE 6 AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Penelope, who put on an absolutely EGOT-worthy performance in front of the audience at the Speakeasy, explained what happened to Daryl.

As we know from the flashback episode, both Penelope and Daryl were game masters during Ascension night. Penelope revealed that Daryl was low-key in love with her and had poisoned the chalices so they could ascend together. Penelope refuses to drink it, but she didn't realise that he didn't empty the cups.

Years later, Daryl comes to Penelope again and confesses his love but she turns him down on account of the fact that they're both married and have families. After the rejection, Penelope says that Daryl was found dead in his car with the windows up and the motor running in an apparent suicide.

Once she's wrapped up her very convincing monologue (the bitch nearly had me for a second), Penelope throws a little smirk and side eye into the mix, confirming that the spiel was one big lie. It's all VERY convenient of her to pin the blame on "Dilton Doiley's dead dad", isn't it?

Anyway, not convinced by her story, Betty does a little more sleuthing and she discovers that Penelope was lying about the way in which Daryl died. Following a meeting with the trusty Dr Curdle Jr. (honestly, the one true MVP of this town), she finds out that Daryl died of Oleander poisoning, not carbon monoxide poisoning. Oleander is a toxic plant, and when ingested, can have serious consequences. And who should own a lovely greenhouse and has been accused of poisoning people before? WELL WELL WELL. IF IT AIN'T AUNTY BLOSSOM.

While Penelope doesn't own up to the murder, she all but confirms when confronted by Betty that it was not a suicide, as she originally said. She then pins the blame on Sheriff Keller, who filed the false death report, and Alice Cooper, who wrote the story reporting Daryl's death as a suicide and not a murder.

Betty confronts the two of them, the both deny the claims and start acting brand new. And so, we're left with yet another mystery as to who was responsible for Daryl's death.

So who are the suspects?

The Blossoms are clearly front-runners. If what Penelope was saying about Daryl being in love with her was true, there's reason to suspect that Clifford might have had a hand in the murder, to finally get him off his wife's back. Even Nana Rose could have been behind the murder, we know she's not as innocent as we all thought and she would certainly be up for killing someone if it meant her legacy was at stake.

Might have even been Hal Cooper in one of his early Black Hood killings (lol). Don't forget that he also owned The Register, who's to say that he didn't have a hand in reporting the article about his death? The Coopers have been known to pay people off in the past for the sake of a story, after all...

For now, the case remains wide open alongside the on-going Gargoyle King mystery. One of those parents has a LOT of explaining to do... what if The Midnight Club are covering up an accident committed by the poor little innocent Fred Andrews? I'm scared...