‘Riverdale’ Fan Theories Suggest TBK Is Someone Close to Betty
Riverdale season 5 presents a new serial killer mystery, and fans think they might know who he is. Betty Cooper had a harrowing encounter with the Trash Bag Killer, aka TBK, once already. But some fans believe she survived because TBK is someone she knows.
On ‘Riverdale,’ Betty Cooper is now an FBI trainee
In the Riverdale time-jump, Betty (Lili Reinhart) is an FBI agent in training. Before heading back home to save Riverdale High, she was at Quantico undergoing mandated therapy for her traumatic run-in with TBK.
A series of flashbacks reveals that Betty tracked the notorious murderer, who dismembered his victims, wrapped them in trash bags, and discovered his lair. Without calling for back-up, she went into his home and was captured and held in a pit for two weeks.
Outside of the psychological trauma she suffered, Betty gets out unscathed. But TBK escapes and heads back out into the world. Betty is left with recurring nightmares, something she won’t admit to anyone.
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What we know about TBK so far
In Betty’s flashbacks, the Trash Bag Killer wears a black mask, making his identity a complete mystery. But in the assessment Betty presented to her FBI colleague and part-time lover, Glen (Greyston Holt), she found that TBK is a traveling serial killer.
But Glen wasn’t thrilled about Betty’s investigation into TBK. After the murderer captured her, Glen forbade her from pursuing him any further. And he told her to stop collecting evidence and investigating the case altogether.
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In episode 9, “Destroyer,” Betty is surprised to find Glen in Riverdale exploring the presumed murder of Polly Cooper. He tells her that she can’t investigate her own sister’s case. And he reveals that the FBI is now involved with Lonely Highway disappearances and deaths.
‘Riverdale’ fans think Glen is TBK
After seeing Glen show up in Riverdale unannounced, fans suspect he might be up to something fishy. He’s prevented Betty from investigating TBK and her sister’s case. And some think his demeanor hints he might be the Trash Bag Killer.
“Glen is TBK. Plain & simple,” a Reddit user suggested. They never show him around other colleagues; he’s always in a poorly lit office — he is clearly TBK. He probably didn’t even run a blood test. He just put Polly in a refrigerator and flushed the sample down the toilet. He’s trying to make Betty look crazy (guilty), and he’s clearly up to something.
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“Either he is TBK, or they want us to think he is TBK, then have a last-minute twist for the real killer,” another Redditor shared. “I mean… they can’t be THAT obvious, right?
Some fans couldn’t help but notice how similar Glen is to Betty’s FBI Agent brother, Charles, who became a serial killer like her dad. And one fan suggested that if Glen is TBK, he may have a connection to Charles too.
“I’m thinking [Glen and Charles were] friends in FBI School or high-school or something like that,” the Reddit user wrote. “And they both realize they have dark pasts, and they both joined FBI to kill… Hence Glen TBK!!!”
As the mystery of the Riverdale Mothmen and the missing women unfolds, fans may better understand how TBK fits into the story and who he might be. New episodes of Riverdale air Wednesdays on The CW.
