Every town has that one special place
where its community comes together.
In Riverdale, that place is Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe,
a home away from home.
But the diner has had a secret history as well.
Across the decades, it has been a battleground.
Wars fought at Pop's have shaped the town's identity.
And, lo and behold, another battle was brewing.
It is my great pleasure
to introduce a dedicated council member,
selfless philanthropist, and successful businessman,
Percival Pickens.
Welcome, Percival.
Thank you, Alice. Delighted to be here.
So it's my understanding that you have a game-changing announcement
for the future of our fair town.
That's right, Alice. I've been putting together a project that I hope
will galvanize and revitalize Riverdale.
A new privately-owned railway
that will drive right through the heart of Riverdale,
bringing with it much-needed jobs, tourism, and revenue.
What does he mean by "through the heart of Riverdale?"
So, would this rail line have an official stop here in Riverdale?
Absolutely, Alice.
Are you familiar with Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe?
Well, that would be the most ideal central location for a station.
It would mean bidding adieu to Pop's,
but progress demands it.
I will never sell the diner to you, ever.
Well, that is disappointing.
I had hoped that as a council member,
you'd be able to put Riverdale's best interests
above your own personal, craven ones.
Are you honestly going to deny the economic, social,
not to mention labor benefits, this project would bring to our town?
To favor a diner that...
let's be honest, is well past it's heyday.
I don't know what your angle is with this sham train project,
but the only person it will benefit is you.
Well, your neighbors may feel differently.
They, in fact, may want you to do what's best for the town...
and sell me that land.
Again, never.
Archie, we can't let Percival do this.
Pop's is my family's legacy.
The first Black-owned business in Riverdale. We have to fight him.
Tabitha, I can't go up against Percival right now.
All right? He pummeled my ass.
He knows my weakness. So I'm sorry.
Until I come up with a workaround, I gotta lay low.
You need to keep away from Percival. We all do. He's dangerous.
He can get inside your head. Get you to do things for him.
And no matter what, never ever be alone in a room with him.
You heard what Percival said on TV, Toni.
He's coming for Pop's now. And if he's coming for Pop's,
then he's coming for the Whyte Wyrm too.
Not exactly.
He's claiming that his new station wouldn't affect the Whyte Wyrm.
He's building above us, where Pop's is,
but supposedly we wouldn't need to shut down for a day.
Not that I believe him.
I'll support you in whatever way you need, Tabitha,
but devil's advocate?
Your satellite Pop's is doing gangbusters business for us.
Why not take the money Percival's offering you
and re-open a new and improved diner
in a much better, safer location?
Dearest Tab-Tab...
though I've missed most of Percival's antics to date,
I do agree he is a scourge on this town, as all Pickens men are.
- I will help you destroy him. - Great.
Just as soon as I learn to control certain...
skills I've been developing.
I'm rather a work-in-progress, as they say, but I am getting there.
Kevin.
What news?
Just as you predicted, Tabitha is trying to rally support for the Chock'lit Shoppe.
Not getting much traction, I'm hearing.
Well, not yet, but she's tenacious.
Ultimately, she won't be able to stop me, but she might slow me down.
That would be annoying.
Totally.
Well...
I gave her a fair chance.
Percival's painted me into a corner.
To the point where there's a part of me that's started to wonder
is it possible his proposal is actually what's best for the town?
No. No way.
Pop's has endured for a reason.
It's Riverdale's anchor.
People may have forgotten about that, but it's true.
Yes, but if you ask those same people what would benefit the town more,
Pop's staying open, or a bright, shiny new railroad,
it's hard to argue.
Not to mention, how can I fight him
if I don't have anyone's support?
You do have support. I support you.
How did you know I was thinking that?
I didn't say anything.
You answered a direct question that I was only thinking.
Jughead, what's going on?
And don't say "nothing" because weird stuff has been happening for a while now.
Yeah.
All right. Yeah.
I have something to tell you.
Okay, so you can read thoughts.
Betty can see threatening auras.
Archie is invulnerable unless he comes into contact with palladium.
Cheryl is a fire starter, and Percival can control people's minds?
Yes.
But he didn't manipulate you...
which is interesting.
This all makes a twisted kind of sense, and not just with you,
but just given all of the interactions I've been having lately.
But...
Look, I have an idea for how to make the diner bulletproof.
I tried it back in the day when they were trying to tear down the drive-in.
We declare Pop's a historical landmark, right?
Then they can't bulldoze it.
I mean, wouldn't Percival and the council just block that?
No, you apply for landmark status at a state level,
so it has nothing to do with him.
All we have to do is prove that Pop's has some historical significance.
This should get you started.
It's a box of keepsakes and memorabilia
that document the diner's history over the decades.
If there's an argument to be made
that Pop's is a historic landmark worth saving,
it's in that box.
- This is incredible. Thank you, Pop. - Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.
This is a copy of The Green Book.
Once a safe haven, always a safe haven.
While we work, how about a grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner?
Yeah, that's great.
Tabitha, this box that Pop gave us is like a time machine.
Every significant event in Riverdale happened here at Pop's.
Moral crises, national tragedies,
they all took place inside these booths.
The Rockland County historical society is not going to deny our application.
That's great news.
www.subtitulamos.tv
_
Hey, Teresa.
We got 'em.
Why did you just call me...?
I still can't believe that Pop's made it into The Green Book.
_
Hey, you mind setting these out?
Jughead!
What the hell is going on?
Where are we? When are we?
Is it really 1944?
Yes, Tabitha. It's 1944.
The world is at war, and Titus Tate... is your great grandfather.
Why did he call me Teresa? Why is he acting like he knows me?
It's how his mind is comprehending your sudden appearance.
And also, I'm not Jughead. I'm an angel.
I'm your guardian angel.
An angel who just happens to look like my boyfriend?
Well, I've assumed this form because it's someone that you're comfortable with, and someone you trust.
If you saw my real form in all its glory,
you'd lose your mind and go insane.
I'm one of the good guys.
My name is Raphael.
Wait, is your name...
- is your name Raphael? - It is.
The real Jughead is back in your time,
by your bedside in the hospital.
I remember Jughead and I were here,
researching the diner when some stranger came in...
- with a gun. He shot me. - Jughead raced you to the hospital.
You're now on life support.
If you are my guardian angel, where have you been all my life?
Near you.
We're only allowed to show ourselves in times of cataclysmic events
or extreme cosmic significance.
This qualifies.
So, how or why did getting shot catapult me to 1944?
And how do I get back to the present? My present?
I don't have all the answers.
Only the Almighty does.
Why don't you read this?
_
Okay. So, according to this book,
I might be something called "chrono-kinetic."
Meaning you're a time traveler.
Before I came here, Jughead told me
that the explosion under Archie's bed, the shock of it
had unlocked certain abilities in him, and Betty, and Archie.
So, what if the trauma of getting shot unlocked my gift too?
Sounds like a very plausible theory.
Except I didn't do it consciously.
It was like a reflex.
The bullet hit me, and it triggered a time jump.
But why to 1944?
Maybe you're needed here.
For a mission.
Well, the book didn't say anything about a mission,
but it did say I need a totem,
a talisman, an object that I can focus on
in order to hone my power to control it.
And if I can do that, I might be able to will myself to return to my own time.
- So what's your totem? - I have no clue.
But it would have to be an object of symbolic, mythic, or religious power,
to me or the world.
Sounds like you could be searching for years for a needle in a haystack.
Why don't you focus?
On why you're here.
My mission.
Though you can't or won't tell me what it is.
Teresa, are you coming with me?
Where?
To the community meeting at the high school.
To determine if Riverdale should become a sundown town or not.
Come on. This will decide our future.
Titus didn't see you?
No one can see me except you.
And this... meeting...
this is probably my mission, right?
Sounds a lot like it to me. Yeah.
Thank you all for coming this close to the holiday.
I know that this is a contentious issue,
and I wanted to give people the chance to be able to be heard
before I make my decision.
So I'd like to begin with Sheriff Perkins.
Now, you believe that if Riverdale was to become a sundown town,
that this would cut down on crime?
Yes, Mayor Keller, I do.
I mean, just look at Greendale, Centerville, Seaside.
Their crime rates plummeted 50% once they became sundown towns.
Sheriff Perkins, I think we'd all appreciate knowing exactly
what these sundown laws entail.
Well, it's quite simple, Principal Cooper.
All black people, citizens or otherwise,
must be outside the town limits by sundown.
If they aren't, then they'll be treated as trespassers.
You can't possibly be considering this.
Besides the fact that you're making the completely racist assumption
that only Black people commit crimes.
What about all the Black families in town? The Black-owned businesses?
What are they supposed to do? How are they going to survive?
Well, I don't believe we've had the pleasure, miss...
but if certain groups of people can't abide by this
fairly straightforward law...
maybe those people ought to move to a different town.
Like hell.
I did not fight in a war to defend this country,
to come back to a town where people, any people,
are not free and welcome to come and go as their God-given right.
Thank you, Archie.
It's Artie, miss.
And not to mention
five of the men in my fire department are Black.
Now, they're friends of mine.
They've saved countless of our lives.
Fire Chief Andrews and Sheriff Perkins, I'll tell you what.
Clearly I have a lot to think about from this evening.
So, if I suggest, you know, take a step back,
reconvene in the New Year,
and we'll settle this difficult matter once and for all.
How does that sound?
Something is seriously messed up here.
To my knowledge, Riverdale was never a sundown town.
It's almost like someone is trying to rewrite its history.
And I think I know who.
Sheriff Perkins. He has a counterpart in my time, Percival Pickens.
And he is evil.
What if I'm meant to stop him? To derail his plans.
Maybe that's why you were sent here.
To this specific moment in time.
- We need help. We need help. - Please, help.
Please, they're coming for us. We need help. We have a child.
Thank you.
Here you go.
Our car ran out of gas while we were driving through Centerville,
just as it was starting to get dark.
Centreville's a sundown town.
We almost got caught by the police, but we escaped into the woods.
And then we remembered this diner.
We'd read about it in The Green Book.
So we walked here,
avoiding the roads.
Do you think we can maybe stay here a while?
Just 'til the morning.
And then we'll go back to our car, if it's even still there.
It's Christmas Eve. Of course you can stay.
Thank you.
Oh, my God.
It's okay.
Stay calm. I will go deal with them.
Sorry, gentlemen, but we're closed.
We're not here for milkshakes, Miss.
We understand you may be harboring criminals in this establishment.
Our colleagues in Centerville identified some trespassers
in their town after dark, gave pursuit.
Last they saw, the criminals were headed this way.
Well, we don t have any criminals here.
Though we do have a young family.
But the last time I checked, Riverdale was not yet a sundown town.
True, but Centerville is, and they broke the law there,
so those trespassers are coming with us.
And we'd be happy to come in and get 'em.
Do you have a warrant?
No, I do not.
Well, then, you're not stepping foot inside this diner.
Because I know what happens when people are arrested for violating sundown laws.
They vanish, and worse.
Well, I think I'd like to speak to your boss.
I'm right here.
And let me just reiterate,
no one is coming into my diner without a warrant.
Well, in that case, if you don't mind,
we'll just wait here while I radio Centerville,
have them draw up that arrest warrant.
It should be here first thing in the morning,
and we'll conclude our business, and justice will be done.
Radio Centerville, Deputy, and, settle in.
It's gonna be a long night.
We bought ourselves a few hours, but the second that warrant arrives,
there's no stopping those lawmen from forcing their way in here
and taking you all away.
What if we just snuck out the back and made a dash through the woods?
I don't think we can do that, Flynn.
Baby Annie's asthmatic.
What if she has an attack?
We don't have her medicine. We left it in the car.
Damn. What we need is a Christmas miracle.
Yes.
That's exactly what we need.
I can't interfere directly. It's one of the rules.
It's Christmas Eve. You're an angel.
Isn't this the one night of the year you can and should get involved?
- What would you have me do? - Something you said earlier.
That if I saw your real form, it would drive me insane.
- Did you mean that literally? - Yes.
Your eyes would start to bleed, and your mind would snap in two.
Does that mean the sheriff's mind would snap in two as well?
All right, I'll see what I can do.
Thank you, Raphael. Thank you.
But just... give me a second. I want to call Chief Andrews,
and then I will bring everybody back here.
Hey, I told them to hang back away from the doors.
- You can't see this either. - I won't.
And thank you, Raphael.
Fire Chief Andrews is gonna meet us and help get you home.
But we have to make a detour first.
What happened to them?
Come on, let's keep moving.
Titus will call and have them picked up.
I thought you'd be here burning the midnight oil, Mr. Mayor.
It has been a restless Christmas Eve for me.
I didn't get a chance
to fully explain myself at that meeting before.
So I thought I'd introduce you to some friends.
This is Tracy, Flynn, and their daughter, Annie.
Tonight, they were hunted down like criminals,
for being caught in Centerville after dark.
They are why you can't let Sheriff Perkins
turn Riverdale into a sundown town.
It would cost Riverdale its soul, Mr. Mayor.
_
That was Tracy.
She and Flynn and baby Annie made it home safe and sound.
So I guess all's well that ends well.
But I have to tell you something.
My name's not actually Teresa. It's Tabitha.
And you...
You're actually my...
You won't beat me, so stop trying!
And you know, if I were standing...
at the beginning of time with the possibility of taking...
a kind of general and panoramic view
of the whole of human history up to now...
That's Dr. King. His "Mountaintop" speech.
Which means today is April 3rd, 1968,
and tomorrow Dr. King's gonna be...
Going to be what, Tina?
I need to borrow some money for the bus, Pop.
I need to stop something from happening.
Nothing from the mechanic yet?
Nope. And this is gonna take him two, three hours to fix it. Which means...
Well, we're not getting to Memphis anytime soon.
Is there another bus I can take?
To Memphis? No, ma'am, this is it.
I know what you're trying to do.
Save Dr. King's life.
But as painful as it is, Tabitha,
there's nothing you can do about it.
I don't accept that, Raphael.
Betty once told me that the FBI office in the Riverdale opened up in the 1950s.
Maybe they can help.
Can we help you with something, ma'am?
And if I tried to call the Lorraine Motel?
Where I know Dr. King is staying tonight?
The clerk wouldn't believe you, or the line would cut out. Or both.
This isn't right.
- Or just. - I know.
But some events are fixed points in time. In history.
And sadly, this is one of them.
Certain incidents from the past affected the fabric of the world
so enormously
that the universe won't let them be altered.
So what do I do?
Is my mission Percival-related again?
You could try and find your talisman.
That's still out there.
I can't imagine that I'll be able to focus on anything
other than what's gonna happen tomorrow night.
I'll wait with you, then.
Good evening.
We interrupt this broadcast with a message from Senator Robert Kennedy,
who is speaking to us from Indianapolis.
I have some very sad news for all of you,
and I think, sad news for all of our fellow citizens
and people who love peace all over the world,
and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight
in Memphis, Tennessee.
Grandpa.
Martin Luther King...
dedicated his life
to love and...
Dr. King, accompanied by fellow activists in support of the sanitation workers...
What do we now?
Should we shut down the diner out of respect?
I think that we should stay open.
I think people need to feel like they're not alone right now.
Like they're part of a community.
And maybe things will be better tomorrow.
- Can I help you with something? - Morning. How are you all holding up?
- We're just fine. - Good. Good.
See you've got a full house in there.
Well, there was terrible rioting in Greendale,
Centerville and Seaside last night,
so effective immediately, the mayor is declaring a state of emergency,
banning all public gatherings in Riverdale until further notice.
I need you to get all the people out of this diner by 6:00 pm.
Nobody's rioting here.
People just wanna be together right now to grieve and pray.
And since when does the mayor give the FBI orders?
Mayor asked for our boss's help. We were happy to oblige.
We'll be back at 6:00 pm.
You just have everyone out of that diner by then.
Or?
Or we're gonna start arresting people.
Can I ask you something?
What the hell is your problem?
Someone who meant everything to us was shot down in cold blood,
and all we're doing is listening to the radio and talking
peacefully.
What difference does it make to you?
We understand you and your friends
are very emotional right now.
We just wanna make sure those emotions don't spill over into unrest,
violence and bloodshed.
You're like a powder keg in there.
Hate for it to blow.
What'd that piggy want?
To...
keep us from gathering.
By enacting a curfew.
We need to clear out by 6:00 pm tonight, or we'll all be arrested.
I heard a protester was beat up by police at Seaside last night.
We need to do something.
Yeah.
Like hit the streets and raise some hell...
What right do they have to tell us if we can gather or not?
They don't.
But we are not going to play into their hands.
Because believe me, they are looking for reasons to come at us.
What do you suggest we do, then?
Look, I know that agent.
He wants violence. He wants bloodshed. Our blood.
He doesn't want us to gather peacefully
because he wants us scattered and agitated,
and out on her own, looking for trouble
so that we are easy targets for him and his thugs.
But we are not going to fall into his trap.
At sundown, we are going to be right here at Pop's.
Together.
Singing, and praying, and having community.
You just said we'd all be arrested.
No, that's what he said.
I may have an idea to keep that from happening.
One that agent Pierce, gave me himself.
This is Miss Tate, still holding for director Hoover.
And I'm just confirming you told Mr. Hoover
that I know all about his secret files.
Please hold.
J. Edgar Hoover.
Director of the FBI? How did you get his number?
I called the main switchboard, and I've been transferred like ten times.
This is Hoover. With whom am I speaking?
Director Hoover.
You don t know me, but I know you very well.
For instance, I know that you keep secret illegal files
on so called threats to the American public.
Young lady, you are gravely mistaken.
Like the ones about the Kennedy-Monroe affair.
This is absurd.
And, of course, the especially juicy file
all about your boss, President Lyndon Johnson.
Question. He doesn't know about your secret files, does he?
Be a shame if he found out. He'd probably be upset with you.
You'd never get to the President.
I got to you, didn't I?
- What do you want? - Not much at all.
I just need you to muzzle a very problematic agent of yours In Riverdale.
Agent Perry Pierce.
Yeah, this is Agent Pierce.
Director Hoover.
Yes, sir. We were just about to go and break up
an illegal gathering of violent indivi...
Are you sure, sir?
Yes, sir, I understand.
What did Director Hoover want?
He called it off.
Operation Turkey Shoot has been cancelled.
Also, he fired me.
He fired you?
Why?
Someone must have gotten to him,
That agitator...
from the diner.
Keep going. Keep going.
Keep going.
Was that my test? My mission?
Banishing Percival?
Keeping the diner open?
It seems like it to me.
Something awful might have happened in Riverdale tonight.
And you stopped it.
I wish I could do more.
Well, maybe your mission is ongoing.
Tina, we're running low on ketchup. Would you mind refreshing a couple of bottles?
On it.
Percival.
There you are, Tessa. Hurry, I need your help.
Why? What happened?
Someone spray-painted something awful on the diner.
I don't understand.
- What's 88? - Symbols of hate.
88 is a code used by white supremacists.
But why would anyone paint that on our...
On your diner?
Shoot, I caught him in the act.
He's inside with Sheriff Keller right now.
_
Unfortunately, we've been fielding phone calls non-stop,
but a wave of vandalism went through town last night.
New millennium, same hate, I guess.
Was it all kids?
Yeah. They all responded the same way
that Brian Talbot here did when you caught him, Pop.
Which was how?
When I confronted him, he seemed to be in a daze.
He says he didn't even remember spray-painting the diner.
Like he was hypnotized.
How about I take him home and talk to his folks
and see if they give us any insight?
We can discuss pressing charges tomorrow.
Sounds good.
But do you mind if I talk to him for a sec?
Sure.
It's Brian, right?
Yeah.
I'm really sorry about what I did to your diner.
I don't even remember doing it.
So you said.
I found this outside. Thought it might belong to you.
It does.
Ambrose, "The Rocket" Pipps is like the Holy Grail of baseball cards.
He's Riverdale's only Major League ballplayer.
I just got it.
Where did you just get it?
From the Curiosity Shop that just opened up on the outskirts of town.
The guy who runs it gave me a sweet deal.
All I had to do in exchange for it was...
Brian?
I can't remember now.
And what was the name of the shop's owner?
Do you remember that?
Paul something.
Paul Prince, maybe.
And where did you say his shop was again?
Sorry I'm late.
I was wondering when you'd turn up, Raphael.
You're getting better at this whole time traveling thing.
You "jumped" again.
Almost an entire second before the explosion.
But I am still playing catch-up to Percival.
You go. I'll keep lookout.
Why does Percival keep popping up at moments of crisis?
In the '40s, he tried to turn Riverdale into a sundown town.
In 1968, he wanted the town to erupt into violence.
And now, in 1999, he's trying to poison the town with pure hatred.
There are some men whose hearts are so cold,
they burn down villages just for the warmth.
Yeah, but how is he doing this?
Is he being reincarnated? Is he an immortal time traveler? A demon?
Wait.
This is the Spear of Longinus,
said to have pierced the side of Jesus at his crucifixion.
It's one of the most powerful objects in history.
And this is the Holy Grail.
The chalice used at the Last Supper.
Tabitha, this could be your needle in a haystack.
This may be your Holy Grail.
What you use to focus and return to your timeline before you get shot.
And what about Paul Prince, aka Percival?
Go get the Grail, and then we'll deal with him.
We meet again, and again, and again.
But nevermore after tonight.
Who are you, really?
My names are legion.
But blow out the candle, and I am the dark.
One thing a lot of people don't know about me
in college, I was on the varsity fencing team.
And the debate team.
My favorite philosophical argument was,
"If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?"
I always said, "Yes."
After Percival vanished, what did you do?
I burned the entire shop down.
Except for the Grail.
Percival's tried to get a foothold in this town
over and over again, but you stopped him.
Though I think, Tabitha, it's time to focus on getting back home.
Your real home.
I feel ridiculous even saying this, but what if...
the Grail isn't my talisman? Then what?
If it isn't, then you keep looking.
You keep fighting.
But I'm hopeful.
Drink up.
To the future.
What the hell?
He's one of Percival's goons.
Though he may not remember that when he regains consciousness.
But he came here to kill us.
Well, me, at least.
- Well, what am I missing? - A lot.
I think it's my turn to do the explaining.
After we tie him up and stick him in the freezer.
- You're a time traveler? - I'm chrono-kinetic. Sí.
With the help of an angel?
Why didn't I get an angel, or Betty, or Archie, or Cheryl?
I think I was being trained, Jug.
For a war that has been brewing for decades, if not centuries.
And its major battles are still ahead of us.
War?
- As in... - There was the same villain in every time period,
who was always hellbent on destroying everything
that was good, and fair, and decent in Riverdale.
Percival.
He kept turning up like the ultimate bad penny.
Look, I'm not sure what he is, but I do not think he is human.
He's like the personification of evil, and it's gonna take all of us,
all of us with powers, working together to stop him.
I'm confused.
If, in the past, pesky Percival has wanted to destroy Riverdale,
then why is he bringing a railroad to the town now?
Well, we don't think that's his ultimate goal.
Though he's making it happen. I overheard my Uncle Frank
talking to someone on the phone. Maybe your mom, Betty.
Percival's trying to get Governor Dooley on board with this train plan,
blocking any attempt to landmark Pop's.
Because Pop's is where the resistance will gather.
Where the forces of good will marshal,
where the final battle will be fought, and he wants to wipe it off the map.
Tabitha, how do you know all of this?
Well, once I finally figured out what my time-talisman really was,
I got better at time-jumping.
Wait. Your talisman wasn't the Grail?
No. Pop's was my talisman all along.
It was like Dorothy and the ruby slippers.
This diner is my personal, limited-functioning time needle.
Makes sense.
All of us have our tethers that allow us some semblance of control.
Pop's would be yours.
Okay, but wait. Tabitha back up.
Right. So, it took me a minute to get the hang of time-jumping.
But once I did, I tried moving forward into the future instead of backwards.
In the future, the diner was an empty shell.
Even worse, outside, the sky was full of ash.
And as far as the eye could see, Riverdale was just gone.
A wasteland.
Is this future definitely going to happen?
Or is it something we can change or stop?
I don't know.
Certain events are fixed points in time,
and the future I saw might be one of them.
But make no mistake, it is the apocalypse we're talking about.
In Riverdale.
And we are sitting at ground zero.
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