- Previously on Riverdale: - My dad was the Black Hood.
- He tried to shoot my dad. - Impossible. He was with us.
I rearranged Nick St. Clair's pretty-boy face.
When some hillbilly threatened Mr. Lodge's daughter, I did the same.
- Andre. - I'll take it from here.
- The fire's started. Chaos is good for us. - A new sheriff's taken over for Keller.
- A man I know well. Michael Minetta. - For all of Mr. Lodge's talk
about order, he was nowhere to be seen.
Don't get between me and my dad. You'll lose.
This is from when I turned the tables on Nick. His parents gave me a million.
I put it in a trust you won't touch until you're 21.
You paid the Ghoulies and Penny to go to war with the Serpents?
How much is this costing? I have a counter-offer.
I hand myself over, there's no bloodshed.
You're a true hero, Jughead.
Let your dying thought be that your sacrifice was for nothing.
Come back to me, Jug.
We're not done yet. You hear me?
Our story's not over. It's just beginning.
So, you come back to me.
Okay?
Dad.
Jug.
What did I miss?
What you did brought every Serpent out of the woodwork.
You would've been proud.
It looked like we were gonna win, but in the end, there were just...
Just too many Ghoulies.
- It was like shooting snakes in a barrel. - Why?
- Why did you go? - To avenge you.
- I had an agreement with Hiram. - There was no stopping the others.
They were churned up about you and Fangs. Even though Fangs...
- He's alive. - Fangs is alive?
But I thought...
A deputy told you he was dead?
- Yeah, that was a lie. - A ploy, you mean.
To goad the Serpents into a fight they couldn't win.
All of Riot Night was a Hiram Lodge-orchestrated mousetrap.
The Serpents followed me into it.
Sunnyside Trailer Park fell.
Our trailer's still standing. Most of them burned.
Jug.
After the rumble, some of the Serpents defected. They...
They joined the Ghoulies. Others were arrested.
More went into hiding. The rest...
They left town.
The Serpents... they don't exist anymore.
We had our time. Nothing for you to do but to get better.
- And to be there for Betty. - Betty?
What happened with Betty?
I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you.
To help with your dad.
No, Jug.
I never wanna see him again.
Right now, all I care about is you.
And taking care of my mom.
And figuring out how to...
atone for all of the horrible things my father did.
So, I guess we won't be running for student council.
Probably not.
Here's your schedule for the next three days.
My mom's doing an Eva Peron-like "Rainbow Tour."
Shaking the trees before election night.
I took the liberty of booking you right behind her,
so people know they have a choice.
Well, I appreciate that, Veronica, for what it's worth, but...
Everybody's saying your parents saved Riverdale after the riot.
It was their guy, Minetta, who rounded up the guilty parties.
We know the truth. Mr. Lodge doesn't wanna save the town.
- He wants to take it over. - I won't rest until you're elected mayor.
Even if it means I have to put my own political ambitions aside.
In what respect?
I'm no longer running with Archie.
Conspiring against my parents is a full-time job.
Hey, Betty. Any news?
- I'll be out first thing tomorrow. - That's good, Jug.
We still need your brain. There's another mystery.
Mr. Cooper was at the town hall when some other Black Hood shot at the candidates.
He was at home with Betty when another Black Hood,
probably the same as the one at the town hall, came after me and my dad, so...
The second Black Hood's attacks, at the town hall and on your dad,
seem to indicate a political motive.
- Which to me, suggests... - That my father's behind them?
I don't disagree.
With Fred out of the way, my mother's victory is assured.
So, if we're gonna stop Hiram, we've gotta do it now.
Once the Lodges control the mayor, they'll be untouchable.
Do you think Hiram would put on a hood and start shooting people for a mayorship?
No. But he would hire someone to do it.
We were thinking it could be a Serpent, Jug. Or a Ghoulie.
Or, even more insidiously...
the man Hiram put in charge of restoring peace and harmony.
- Sheriff Minetta. - He was supposedly guarding the hall,
- but no one saw him. - He was MIA for Riot Night.
- I'd start there. - Will do.
I have to go to the sheriff's station anyway.
Why, Arch?
I have to identify your dad, Betty.
And with that, it's official. Congratulations.
With Nana Blossom as my guardian, and I her youthful ward,
Mummy and Uncle Claudius' stranglehold on my life and happiness has ended.
I will file the papers and send this letter of separation to your mother.
Oh, no need.
She and my odious uncle are living in one of the barns.
I'll happily deliver this missive.
Especially with Fred.
Now, now, Claudius.
First things first.
Yeah, that's right. He lived here.
The Black Hood. Come closer. Do you wanna come in?
Do you wanna see where he planned his murders?
- Where he ate? Where he slept? - Get out! Go!
- The door is open. - Go home. Turn off your cameras.
- Come closer. - Leave us alone.
- Do you wanna see the Black Hood's Lair? - Go home!
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
I don't have to go back to school today. I could come over.
I'm not sure my mom's up for company, Jug.
Not until the lookie-loos move on.
- I'm worried about you. - I know.
Me, too.
My mom and I...
We'll just have to get through it. And we will.
Okay.
- If you need anything... - I'll call you.
- I love you. - I love you, too.
Ready to do this?
We're set here.
Archie, can you identify the man at that table?
That's Hal Cooper.
My neighbor.
The man who shot my dad at Pop's Diner.
He's one...
of the Black Hoods.
A lot of people took advantage of Riot Night.
We had multiple reports of looters wearing ski masks.
The man in my house wasn't a looter. He was there to murder my father.
You may not be taking this seriously... but I am.
I'm not gonna let this go. Make sure your boss knows that.
What can I do for you, Betty?
I just wanted to say I'm sorry, Mr. Andrews.
You have nothing to apologize for, Betty.
- You didn't do anything wrong. - I'm supposed to be this...
great detective.
But I didn't see what was right in front of me.
And people paid for that mistake with their lives.
Moose? You okay?
All of her stuff is gone.
- Whose stuff? - Midge's locker was trashed.
And all the notes people left her
and her books and her stuffed animals...
it's all gone.
They're just things. You're gonna be okay, Moose.
You're withdrawing from the race?
It's clear.
Reggie Mantle is not ready to be a leader of men.
And my mom and I had a big talk after the riots, and I am an artist.
Not a politician.
I need to get back to what I'm best at. Music.
- Then there was one. - Don't forget about Ethel Muggs,
who's running as a third-party candidate.
This is how it ends?
Not with a whimper, but a memo from Weatherbee.
Riverdale High is now suddenly overcrowded.
Starting next week, former Southside High students
will be bussed to Seaside High, which is two hours away.
Meaning he blames us for trashing the school during Riot Night.
Well, to be fair, Sweet Pea... you did.
What's our play? Do we have one?
I don't know. We can't keep fighting for a gang that doesn't exist.
What about us? Or the other Serpents at the Wyrm?
What Serpents at the Wyrm?
Buenos dias, Veronica.
I thought you'd wanna know,
I saw your strapping, conquistador father in a summit with Mummy and Uncle Claudius.
In one of Thornhill's barns, of all places.
It looked like collusion.
Daddykins.
Care to comment on rumors you're having secret meetings
with Claudius and Penelope Blossom?
Certainly. I'm looking to diversify Lodge Industries' holdings
- by getting into the maple trade. - I see.
So, it's not that you enlisted Claudius to impersonate the Black Hood
- and take potshots at Mom? - Veronica, have you lost your mind?
Your imagination's getting the better of you.
Maybe. Maybe not.
But I don't think any of us can deny it's not at least possible
that you'd put Mom in the crosshairs to pursue some personal, political agenda.
I don't understand.
You saw what the Ghoulies did to most of Sunnyside.
A lot of Serpents couldn't afford to leave Riverdale.
So, we came here.
Does my dad know about this?
You should come to school, be with us.
No. How can I?
- You can't carry this weight on your own. - Veronica's right.
My dad killed Midge.
He shot Moose. How am I supposed to show my face there again?
Do you hate him for what he did to your dad?
Because I do.
I hate my father.
Since when are you drinking?
I am celebrating the fact that I am no longer Hiram Lodge's busboy.
He fired me from Pop's today. He's cleaning house.
- Getting rid of stragglers. - He's a bastard.
- Yeah. - Who cares? We have work to do.
Why'd you lie?
You told me the Serpents don't exist.
- They're at the Wyrm and need help. - What they need
is to cut bait and get out while they still can.
Now, I wasn't lying when I said that it was over, Jug.
It is time, boy.
- What are you talking about? - It is time to skip town.
- I'm not going. - You bet your ass you are.
Toledo. I already told your mom.
No, I'm not leaving Betty. We are not abandoning the Serpents.
I won't be standing over a body bag with you zipped up in it.
We're moving to Toledo.
But pack light. We're only taking the bikes.
♪ One fine day ♪
Do we have a shot, Mrs. McCoy?
Elections are won and lost in these two days.
In my opinion, Fred, your key to victory is the Southside vote.
Southsiders don't vote because they feel marginalized.
If you can get them to the booths,
they'll vote for you, not Hermione.
Sorry to interrupt. Uh, Sheriff Minetta's on the phone. It's urgent.
After your visit, I made it my mission to catch the man who invaded your home.
An anonymous tip led to the suspect, and when we went to question him...
Unfortunately, he engaged in a fire-fight, and we were forced to take him down.
He's dead, but he's the guy.
- No question. - How can you be so sure?
We found guns on the premises that match ones used at both the attack on your house
and the town hall shooting. As well as this black hood.
- Who was he? - Ex-gang member. Gerald Petite.
Also known as Tall Boy.
You haven't gone to visit Dad yet?
We're taking things one step at a time, Polly.
If we don't visit, how are we supposed to forgive him?
What are you talking about?
Betty, at the farm, they taught us forgiveness is the most valuable gift.
If we don't absolve him, we become what he was. Full of hate.
My babies deserve a mother who's better than that.
Maybe Polly's right. I mean, not about forgiving him, but seeing him.
- No. - Maybe that way we can get some answers,
or I can give him a piece of my mind.
If that's what you want, Mom. But you two can count me out.
You were right, Veronica.
It's conceivable your father's behind the attack at town hall.
And it made me think...
that we, or at least you, should have a contingency in place.
There's a bit of leverage, that, should you acquire it,
- will give you power over your father. - That's music to my ears.
Your father's plan for the Southside go far beyond the prison.
He wants to consolidate the entire area into something.
There's one critical piece of the Southside he doesn't own yet
that's keeping his takeover from being complete,
though he's in negotiations with the proprietor.
- What's the name of this spot? - The Whyte Wyrm.
Now, you'll need money to block him, of course.
That should be easy enough to get.
Daddy, Attorney McCoy is representing me
in regards to that million dollars you plundered.
My client would like it back.
That money's in a trust. I'm looking out for her future.
Of course. And I'm looking out for yours.
The election's in two days and you still want Mom to win, right?
Well, if you don't release my funds, I'll start telling your secrets, Daddy.
The fake Black Hood attacks, Papa Poutine's murder,
the crippling of Nick St. Clair. I won't stop until your dirty laundry is exposed.
Or, of course, you could simply give my client what's rightfully hers.
Of course it's Tall Boy.
- I'm an idiot. - You think what Minetta said is true?
- That Tall Boy was the second Black Hood? - He's done Hiram's dirty work before.
He confessed to it, which explains why he died, suddenly, in a fire-fight.
There's no loose ends. He can't implicate Hiram, ever.
Now Sheriff Minetta can say the case is closed.
Hiram is gonna get away with it. He's gonna get away with all of it.
Nana Rose, Cheryl?
You really think that that senile crone
would be a better guardian than your own mother?
Oh, Mumsie.
Enough.
I'm off to deliver nibbles to my cherie and chums at the Whyte Wyrm.
Cheryl, no.
You can't go there.
Not tonight.
And why, pray tell, not?
On top of everything, my dad, who's drinking again, wants to move to Toledo.
Just in time. Weatherbee wants to kick the Southsiders out of Riverdale High.
- Cheryl? - Zip it.
We have to get to the Wyrm. I called Toni.
- What's going on? - Lodge's cyborg sheriff's raiding the bar.
If things turn violent and Serpents get shot, so much the better.
Let's go.
Take only what you absolutely need and can carry with you.
We need to move quickly and quietly.
Minetta's forces are all over, looking for our blood.
If we want our skulls to remain uncracked, we have to go undetected.
Go where? There's nowhere safe.
We've been offered asylum on the Northside.
Come on, Jug. Don't look back.
Hey, good boy.
All right. Two dots and a dash.
Two chicks on a raft, here, Jug.
There's a stack of Vermont up.
I worked at Pop's for a summer. Come on.
What's going on here?
You do all this?
With an assist from Archie.
Toledo's gonna have to wait.
Maybe so.
Bulldogs helping Serpents, Freddy Andrews opening his house to a bunch of snakes.
There goes the rest of your Northside vote, buddy.
We're all neighbors here. All right, bacon.
Hey. Thank you. You came through for me.
I'm not done yet. How many Serpent jackets can we borrow?
Please have these faxed to the superintendent.
♪ But I turn my grave, you belong to me 'Long to me, 'long to me, 'long to me ♪
♪ As we look in your eyes ♪
- What's the meaning of this? - It's a show of support.
For the Southsiders who are being wrongly transferred.
We're ready to walk out, Principal Weatherbee.
Any student who walks out better keep walking.
- Because they'll be expelled. - You're a good man.
You're not the kind of person who discriminates.
And if you are? Then expel me.
I don't wanna be a part of that.
Everyone, get to class.
- That jacket looks good on you. - Everything looks good on me.
Maybe we should make it official.
Jughead. Come here.
I have insider information that my father is making a play to buy the Whyte Wyrm.
- Along with him firing my dad. - What?
- He did that? - Yeah. Won't be eating there anymore.
Wait, Jughead.
I was gonna make a play to buy the Wyrm
in order to torpedo Daddy's monopolizing of the Southside,
but now I'm thinking there's a better, smarter play here.
If you trust me and we move fast.
Hello? Hog Eye?
Daddy.
Welcome to the bar I bought from Mr. Hoggins two hours ago.
Here's the deed, looked-over by my attorney, Sierra McCoy.
All legal, of course.
But I'm willing to sell the Whyte Wyrm to you.
Or rather, trade it.
In exchange for Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe.
How did you know I was after the Wyrm?
It was the hot gossip amongst the Serpents who escaped to Fred Andrews' house
the night of your misbegotten raid.
You're risking war with me over Pop's?
- Why? - Because I realized,
once I learned how you so callously fired Mr. Jones...
that Pop's is one of the only places left in this town
that my friends and I can call our own.
I'm looking for an even trade here.
You wanna barter?
Let's barter.
But to be clear, if I make this deal with you, that's it.
The last thing you'll get from me.
No more allowance, no more trust fund, no more credit cards.
You'll also sign over your third of Lodge Industries to me.
You'll relinquish your vote, your seat on the board,
your legacy.
Fine.
It's all blood money anyway.
Jug?
Do you think evil can be passed on?
Betty.
My great-grandfather had it.
My grandfather, my father, they were all...
murderers, Jug.
- That's just circumstance. - Is it?
Or is it possible this baby will grow up to be a monster like my father?
Or like me?
That's easy.
No. That baby is not evil.
- And neither are you. - What if it's my...?
My destiny? My birthright? Something I'll never control or understand?
Hey. Look at me.
I know you.
You're a good person, Betty.
You might have some darkness, just like me...
but you're not evil.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe me?
Yeah.
Think you'll eek it out, Arch?
Mine's not the election I'm worried about.
In the meantime, Betty is voting for you, through me, by proxy.
How's she doing?
You know...
I think she's gonna be okay.
I told myself I wasn't going to see you again.
Really?
I never doubted for a moment you'd come.
You're the only one who understands me.
Is like me.
You did...
unspeakable...
horrible things.
I'm not like that.
I am not like you.
Aren't you?
No.
Then why are you here?
To say goodbye, Dad.
And also to say:
No more darkness.
No more evil.
It's over.
You have no power over me.
You'll be back, Betty.
You can move across the country. You can change the locks.
You can fry me in the electric chair,
but I will always be with you, Betty.
The voice inside your head.
Attention, Riverdale High students.
The results of your student council election are in.
Your new student body president is...
Archie Andrews.
In unrelated news,
for the foreseeable future,
all former Southside High students will remain at Riverdale High.
That is all.
Listen up now! All right, listen up!
Some 60 years ago,
the very first Serpent meeting took place on these same riverbanks.
Now, it makes sense that this is where we gather now, where I...
Where I say my goodbye. Would you step up here, son?
- What are you doing? - What I should have a long time ago.
I'm retiring from the Serpents.
For real this time.
Whoa.
Now, my boy...
My boy has never stopped fighting for this crew.
Hell, he almost died for it.
- That's why I'm giving you the mantle. - Yeah!
Whoo!
And now, as for your first official duty as Serpent King...
I think you know what to do with this.
Take it.
Yeah!
All right. All right.
All I can say is...
I love you, Dad.
And the Serpents will not die out. Not on my watch.
♪ You know that All my life ♪
♪ I have been waiting I have been waiting for this ♪
♪ All my life ♪
♪ I have been fighting I have been fighting for this ♪
♪ Dream in my soul ♪
♪ And I won't let it go ♪
♪ You know that All my life ♪
♪ They try to keep me down But I just get higher ♪
I wanted to let you know, Mom...
I went to see Dad today.
- How did it go? - To be honest, it was...
hard.
But I... I think tomorrow, I wanna go back to school,
if you think you'll be okay.
Hello?
Well, um...
I appreciate it. Thanks.
Hermione won.
I'm sorry, Dad.
Dad.
Hello, Fred.
May I come in?
- Was it close, at least? - Very.
- Less than 200 votes. - You came to gloat?
No, Sierra. I came to tell Fred that he ran a great campaign.
Where did you say your dad was tonight?
Veronica?
Hermione?
They're at my house, Mr. Lodge.
Archie, what are you...?
How did you get in here?
The door to the servants quarters that Veronica keeps unlocked.
Oh. I'll have to see about getting those locks changed.
Oh, congratulations, Mr. Lodge. You won.
Everything you wanted.
The Wyrm. The election. The Southside.
The town.
What do you have there?
After my dad was shot, I felt lost, powerless.
And you took advantage of that.
Manipulated me.
I know about Tall Boy, Mr. Lodge.
That you hired him to go after my dad.
The same way you got Andre to kill Papa Poutine.
And that boy at Shadow Lake.
What was his name, Cassidy something?
I practically saw that murder.
And Penny and the Ghoulies who almost killed Jughead at your bidding.
Archie.
These delusions of yours...
You're smart, Mr. Lodge.
So, all or any of this will be hard to prove.
But I will.
Wherever you go...
whatever you do...
I'm gonna be there.
Watching.
When I do prove this, I'm just gonna come for you.
And I won't hesitate, like with the Black Hood.
I'm gonna make my bones, once and for all.
Well, here's a fun fact about my newest acquisition.
According to Pop Tate,
the basement of this very diner used to be a secret speakeasy,
back in the days of flapper dresses and cigarette girls. So...
- Yes? - I wanna reopen that speakeasy.
A cabaret space for world-class entertainment
and decadent cocktails.
A place for North and Southsiders alike.
In fact, Jughead, I was hoping your dad might manage it.
- To make sure the Serpents feel welcome. - That's amazing, V.
What about your dad?
Knowing Daddy...
he's probably plotting some sort of revenge.
And though Veronica said it as a half-joke, in fact...
that's exactly what her father was doing.
Ladies, gentlemen, it's been months in the making, but we're finally here.
- Welcome to the new Southside. - Where's your wife, Hiram?
Now that she's mayor, there are machinations she can't be privy to.
But the plan remains the same. The prison will soon be up and operational.
With your drugs running through it, Claudius.
Like brother, like brother.
Malachai and his Ghoulies will be our soldiers and dealers,
with Ms. Peabody troubleshooting,
hopefully doing a better job than she did killing Jughead Jones.
He wasn't breathing when we left him.
You promised me a brothel, Hiram.
All in good time, Madame Blossom.
What about your daughter? And her meddlesome friends?
Not a concern.
Steps have been taken to dissolve the very glue that holds them together.
I'm proud of you, Mom, for going to visit Dad.
- I know that wasn't easy on you. - We all have our albatrosses, Polly.
I think I have someone who can help you, Mom.
A friend of mine from the farm...
who healed me when I was so broken after Jason.
If you're open to it...
I would love to invite him to visit and talk to you.
That sounds nice, Polly.
What made you decide to book this room?
Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
I don't know.
It felt like after everything,
a night at the Five Seasons might be something you'd enjoy.
I wanted to ask you something.
Now that I am the Serpent King,
I was wondering how you felt about being my queen.
Are you asking me to join the Serpents?
- Sort of. - Jug.
You don't have to answer right now. You can take your time and let me know.
Like, tomorrow at lunch or...
It was a foolish question asked between two young people in love.
But it didn't matter.
For it would soon be overshadowed by the next day's cataclysmic events.
Students, faculty and staff.
Before we inaugurate Archie Andrews as student council president,
rise for our national anthem.
♪ Oh, say, can you see ♪
♪ By the dawn's early light ♪
♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪
♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪
♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪
♪ Through the perilous fight ♪
♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪
♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪
What are you doing?
Archie Andrews, you're under arrest for the murder of Cassidy Bullock.
- What? I didn't kill him... - You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney.
Do you understand these rights...?
♪ Play with fire ♪
♪ It's a dangerous game ♪