How many times have you wondered if you could have any superpower,
what would it be?
Because, of course,
no one ever thinks about the downside to having superpowers.
The piercing headaches and blind spots.
The kisses of death.
The strange, debilitating vulnerabilities you develop.
What the hell are you doing now, Percival?
And Reggie, are you serious?
You do realize he's using his Jedi mind tricks to control you, right?
I know you think I'm an idiot, Archie, but the Mayor's taking us places.
Especially after I build my new railroad,
which will take a route directly through this quaint
but woefully outdated diner.
You are not tearing down Pop's.
You'll have to go through me first.
Classic American bravado.
Tell me, have you seen my new ring?
Pure palladium.
Don't make me beat you up again, Archie.
I doubt your body or your bruised ego can survive another encounter with me.
Future's coming.
Best not to be a penny on the tracks.
Nana, I'm debating consulting the spirits for guidance.
Given recent events, my mind has turned to the past.
Namely, my junior high sweetheart, Heather.
The lost love.
I stalked her on social.
She's a librarian and she lives in Greendale, which is not that far.
I can't help but thinking maybe our story isn't finished.
Well, if you ask me, what's done is done.
Heather's gone. Let her be.
Sphere of Knowledge, should I call Heather?
_
Fine.
In that case...
maybe an email.
That's good, right?
No presh.
Any luck with Tabitha in Albany?
Nah, she's hitting some dead ends.
It's not looking so good.
Jeez, can we not get one win on this guy?
I mean, he stole the mayorship.
He's coming after our friends, our family. It's like we're...
playing constant defense.
God, if you're going to start using sports metaphors,
then I'm going to start using comic ones.
I didn't even know you were that into comics.
What can I say?
I contain multitudes.
Well, what can I say, Archie, I contain multitudes.
I asked my mom for all these old comics from Toledo.
After that stuff with my grandpa only writing one book,
I thought it would be good for me to go back into creative writing,
like comics or graphic novels.
How did Superman do it? How did he beat Kryptonite?
Well, if I'm remembering my Kryptonian lore correctly,
there's an old comic where Supes just built up an immunity to it by exposing himself.
You know, come to think of it, Mighty Mouse did the same thing.
What was Mighty Mouse's weakness?
Limburg cheese.
I mean, it's not exactly hard science that we're talking about here.
Well, nothing has been scientific since that explosion.
And Cheryl might still have some palladium.
Talk to me, Doctor, what's your diagnosis?
Your body seems to be generating enormous amounts of toxins.
And it's not just from the saliva on your lips.
It's in your tears,
in your blood, in your perspiration.
I'm actually not sure how you haven't died yet.
So what do we do?
I'm going to suggest a strict regimen of dialysis to detoxify your body.
Wait, dialysis?
But I don't even feel sick.
We need to lower the amount of poison in your body, Miss Lodge.
And until we do,
I think that you should avoid any and all physical contact
with any person or persons.
I need your help, Jug.
- What's up? - Can you...
Will you read my mind?
This sounds like a trap.
Not my conscious mind, my subconscious mind.
I need you to go deep into memories that I may have repressed.
First off, I don't even know if this is something I'm capable of.
No, I know.
I know. A lot of...
TBK stuff resurfaced for me during the fog.
And then Percival's damn library books
brought up things from my past about my dad and...
I just feel like an open wound.
A reopened wound, and I'm trying to stitch myself...
back together, but I need the missing pieces.
The things that my memory is suppressing and I can't get to them on my own.
So, please, Jug.
Okay.
Yeah. Okay. I'll do some research on deep mind reading.
'Tis only fitting, since you were the one who dug it up from my mines.
Thank you, Cheryl.
I'll get it back to you ASAP.
No rush.
But, Archie, you do realize you are playing with forces
far beyond your understanding or the natural world?
You don't know where your powers come from
or why palladium specifically weakens you and not the others.
Are you certain chasing immunity is worth the risk this aura poses you?
Percival hasn't left me with many options, Cheryl.
True, but unlike you, I do have experience in the supernatural.
Perhaps I can divine a pathway through this for you?
Without it costing you your life.
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- Yes, Jay? - I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Lodge,
but Mr. Shipley just left another message saying that...
I don't care how many prime investors call.
We're pushing the shareholders meeting.
I told Mr. Shipley that and he said they're holding a sit down meeting,
with or without you, at the casino.
Fine. It's their funeral.
Nana, have you seen my book on Rasputin?
Yes, I was reading it the other night.
Okay. Well, can I have it back?
I'm doing some research, and it may contain
some esoteric information to help poor Archie.
Or is it merely to distract yourself from the fact
that Heather hasn't responded to your email yet?
Well, she hasn't, has she?
No, sadly.
In my experience, people usually respond promptly to emails...
when they care.
In your experience, people also communicated by pigeon.
Now get my Russian tome, you Baba Yaga.
Hey, I'm gonna go meet up with Jughead.
Are you okay?
Yeah, totally.
Before you leave, could you open this can for me?
Sure. Why... why do you need my help?
Oh, my God, Archie, were you punching a brick wall?
You are going to break every bone in your body.
That's just it, Betty,
it was a regular workout.
Even before I was invulnerable, I would tear into that bag and it was no problem.
This time I felt like I was punching nails.
Because you're wearing that stupid rock.
Stop this crazy regimen that you're on.
I can't, Betty.
I can't be weak in the face of Percival.
Sorry I'm late, boys.
Had to make myself presentable for such VIPs.
Veronica, is that you?
Yes, it is, Reginald.
Can't believe you're here, though, considering I banished your ass.
As for my appearance, I was feeling rather germophobic,
but since you all insisted on meeting in person, well, here I am.
Good, because we, as shareholders, and don't forget,
I'm also co-founder.
We have a lot of concerns about what's happening at the Babylonium.
What are these concerns?
For starters, we're questioning your decision to remove me
from the casino's day-to-day operations.
- Well, if that's your biggest worry... - It's not.
There's also the fact that no one in this room
sees a return on their investments
until the casino starts turning a profit
and there hasn't been one week under your leadership
that the Babylonium's been in the black.
- Is that all? - It was.
But I also have to add you look insane right now.
Nice, Reggie.
Gentleman,
clearly my former colleague has been stirring the pot.
But need I remind you, when we opened the Babylonium,
we all knew that the first year would be the most difficult.
Yet every week we move toward profitability.
Nevertheless, we found a buyer for the casino.
If we sell now, we get our money back.
Plus a little extra.
Selling now would be a colossal mistake.
Woefully shortsighted.
Give me a few days to put together a new company valuation,
so you can see exactly what you'd be walking away from.
So I did a deep dive on memory reading.
Meditation, hypnotherapy, guided visualization.
They all circle the same ideas, right?
I think we can apply these principles to my gift, or...
power.
Okay, great. What do I do?
You're going to need to think of your memories
as something visual.
I recommend a...
a series of comic books.
Then your mind will organize these free-floating memories
into a collection.
And your subconscious mind will do the same with your repressed memories,
which I can then access or read.
Okay.
Deep breaths.
Relax.
Establish physical contact.
Let's go digging.
Nurse off duty?
Holy crap.
You haven't gone full Yellow Wallpaper on me yet, have you?
They're crazy.
My parents are crazy.
And now all I can think is, maybe I'm crazy like they are.
Hey.
We're not our parents, Betty.
Also...
What?
Finding anything?
Just surface stuff.
Let me keep digging.
Jug?
Do you think evil can be passed on?
What if it's my destiny, my birthright,
something I'll never be able to control or understand?
Hey, look at me.
I know you.
You're a good person, Betty.
You might have some darkness.
But you're not evil.
Still just shared memories?
Yeah, so far.
I think you're gonna need to go even deeper, Jug.
Daddy, did I do a bad thing?
No, sweetie.
It was Caramel who did a bad thing
by trying to run away. That's why she was hit by that car.
She was a sinner, Betty,
and sinners need to be punished.
Tell me...
how did it feel when you brought that rock down on her?
Bad.
But was there also, maybe...
some excitement?
Oh, my God.
He was grooming me.
My dad was grooming me to be a killer.
It's no wonder you repressed that memory. I would have too.
You have to keep sifting through my mind, Jug.
I've lived with darkness my whole life, but where did it start?
Okay.
But first we take a break. Both of us.
Merciful Gaea, you look like death warmed over, Archie.
- It's the palladium. - I knew something like this was going to happen.
You're an amateur trafficking the arcane arts.
- I have to... - Build up an immunity to it, yes,
and you will, the right way.
With some of my yummy palladium soup.
The raw ore is too intense for you.
You have to titrate your exposure, Archie.
Like the Russian mystic Rasputin did.
He ingested small amounts of diluted poison over time
to build up a resistance to it.
And it worked for this Russian guy?
Absolutely, he became almost impossible to kill.
They had to drown him in the end.
Reggie, what the hell was that ambush?
Seems we could ask you the same thing.
There really should be rules.
Feel free to move out anytime you want, Percival.
But back to you, Reggie.
I had a feeling you might be in cahoots with this charlatan.
Did he put you up to this whole misguided play?
There you go again.
You can't imagine me doing something,
anything for myself, can you?
But guess what?
This is all me.
I called the meeting.
I rallied the shareholders and I lined up the buyer.
Why?
Because we broke up?
What is the matter with you?
How low is your self-esteem, seriously?
You're a 6'2, 200-pound jellyfish.
I sincerely, legitimately, truly believe you should have your head X-rayed
because I guarantee you, there is Swiss cheese where your brain is supposed to be.
You ignorant, insecure, petty...
Oh, my God.
What the hell was that?
I don't think the dialysis is working, Dr. Curdle.
I'm giving people nosebleeds.
Indeed.
Your latest toxicology panel reveals
the toxins in your body have increased,
not decreased.
Okay, so what are my other options?
The barbarians are at the gate,
and the last thing I need is to start showing signs
of weakness or sickness.
To be honest, Miss Lodge...
I don't see how this ends other than with you
succumbing to the very toxins your body is producing.
I see.
Sounds an awful lot like a death sentence, Dr. Curdle.
I'm deeply sorry.
Trusted oracle, still no email from Heather.
Should I call her?
_
Screw it.
Greendale Public Library, this is Heather speaking. How may I assist you?
One thirty-five.
I haven't weighed 135 since junior high.
Ready for round two of "So my dad's a serial killer
and tried to make me one too?"
I honestly have no idea what the criteria is for "ready" here, so...
I don't understand.
These tests you made us get, it says
I have an MAOA gene mutation? What does that even mean?
That means you're special, Alice, you're strong.
The MAOA is the warrior gene.
- The serial killer gene. - What?
No, no, honey, that is a wonderful thing.
That means that maybe one of the kids has it.
Betty.
- I'll bet Betty has it. - And you're excited about this?
Oh, my God, Jug, my mom is worse than my dad.
'Cause she's been lying to me for my entire life
to cover up what? That she has the gene?
God! What if that's not even the worst of it?
Hey. Hi, Vee.
Hey, Bee.
I got some rough news today and I was wondering
if you were around for a drink or several?
Same. Yeah, I can meet you at the Whyte Wyrm in, like, 30?
You're an angel.
Hey, Betty, what's up?
Yeah, I'm down.
Remember in high school when I sponsored that kissing booth?
Well, now I'm cursed with the kiss of death.
Welcome to the sad superhero club, Ronnie.
Thank you for risking cocktail hour with the Spider Woman.
Of course, Vee, and we're not in any danger from you. You would have...
an aura.
Still...
Sounds like we're all having a time of it.
Yeah, I mean, that's why I stopped micro-dosing
Cheryl's palladium soup.
I was losing strength, density.
All this means is that we have to find another way to beat Percival.
And I suppose we have Pickens the Perverse to thank for our...
respective afflictions.
We're not sure, Vee, because our powers started manifesting
before he got to town.
We think the explosion in my bedroom triggered our powers.
Not that it matters much.
The bottom line is I'm screwed.
I mean, I'm literally toxic.
If I touch someone or spit on them or cry on them,
they die.
And to add insult to injury, I'm facing a hostile takeover at work
while dealing with this acute health crisis.
And the worst part of all of this is that my last non-lethal kiss
before Heraldo's death was with backstabbing Reggie Mantle,
and now, for as long as I live,
that's going to be my last meaningful human contact.
How sad and awful is that?
Enough wallowing, though, let's have another round.
- On me. - Ronnie, I'm...
I'm good. I'm definitely feeling it.
Same. I... How are you not tipsier, Vee?
You've had more shots than both of us put together.
Actually, now that you mention it...
I don't feel the alcohol at all.
Your palladium is killing me. My hair is falling out.
I'm losing a ton of weight,
Dr. Curdle said my symptoms suggest acute anemia.
Anemia?
That's interesting.
A diagnosis of anemia means the level of metals
in your blood is practically nonexistent,
which would account for your plummeting weight.
It's feasible the palladium has neutralized
the other metals in your body, compromising you.
I'm not wearing the palladium pendant anymore.
I dumped the rest of your soup, so why am I still weakening?
It could be at this point that...
you've poisoned your body and it's simply breaking down.
So what can I do, Cheryl?
Replenish your iron-depleted system.
Rebalance your humors, whilst I consult my medical texts.
Hey, did you have a fun night?
What the hell were you thinking lying about the serial killer gene, Mom?
What? No, I did not, and watch your tone with me, young lady.
At the farm, you and Polly said
that I was the only member of our family who had the gene,
but back in the day, Dad made you get tested
and you have it too.
That... that is absurd.
How about the fact that Dad was grooming me to be a murderer
just like him? Did you know?
No, absolutely not.
That didn't happen, Betty. Where is this coming from?
Is this your persecution complex again?
Oh, my God.
Whatever.
I promise you, I will get to the truth, Mom.
- Raven-haired goddess. - Thank God you exist, Cheryl.
You're the only person I know who grows poisonous plants in their greenhouse.
As requested, I prepared an assortment for you.
Hemlock, night shade, snake root,
rosary peas and white oleander.
These are perfect.
I want to test a hunch,
that the toxins my body is producing are
making me immune to other poisons.
Just remember, there's no shame in having your stomach pumped.
I will have a private ambulance on standby.
Also...
you wouldn't happen to have any books about spiders, would you?
But of course. How many would you like?
Okay, now that we've banged around in my subconscious,
it's time to excavate my mom's
to find out what she knows about my core wound, that I don't.
I don't know if I feel super comfortable with that.
You have my permission.
This is like the equivalent of her reading my diary in high school.
She's hiding something big, Jug.
I mean, what if she saw proof that my dad was grooming me?
What if she knew that he was the Black Hood?
I will do all the work and prompt her.
You just have to stand close enough to hear whatever shakes loose.
Excuse me! You can't just barge in here like this.
- We're about to go live. - What are you hiding about Dad?
I know it's something big, so why don't you just...
Why don't you just tell me?
What is the worst thing that has happened in our house
- that you've kept hidden from me? - I am not hiding anything.
You know everything about him.
You need to leave.
- You need to leave now, before I call security. - Come on.
Come on. I got what we need.
It's underneath the table.
Under the floorboards in the dining room.
That's where the truth is. Whatever your mom is hiding.
Then that's where we'll dig.
It's Archie. Do you mind if I...
Yeah, of course.
Hey, Arch, are you okay?
Okay, I'll be right there.
Looks like the past is going to have to wait a little bit longer.
- Is he all right? - Cheryl wants to talk to both of us
about her new-new plan.
Well, hopefully, it's better than palladium soup.
As promised, I continued to do some research on my archives
and came across an ancient spell of transmutation in an alchemy book.
And before you roll your eyes, cousin,
ancient alchemists failed to create a formula that could turn
basic metals like lead or iron into gold,
but they did devise a spell that could turn gold into iron.
Not particularly useful...
until now.
Because after all, what is palladium but white gold?
- How is this going to help me? - If the spell was used on you,
it could potentially neutralize the palladium
that has seeped into your body by transmitting it into iron,
the very iron your body so desperately craves.
Moreover, if I apply a certain amount of heat to your body,
the way the ancient alchemists did to metal,
you could be forged.
"Forged"? Meaning?
Strengthened, made impervious.
Perhaps even to palladium.
Well, then, let's do it.
- Forge me, now. - Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on.
Are there side effects to this spell?
Yes. Since you are currently in a weakened state
the heat needed for forging might kill you.
That's a pretty significant side effect, Cheryl.
The palladium is already killing me.
- True. - I'll do it.
But before we do, can Betty and I have one more night?
Of course.
I understand.
Are you sure about this?
There's only one way to find out, right?
And how are we feeling today?
Same as when I killed that bottle of tequila.
No hangover, no ill effects.
So it's as you suspected, you are immune to poison.
- How marvelous. - Also...
according to this book you lent me,
however venomous spiders may be,
they don't ever poison themselves.
And most spiders can control the amount of venom they secrete
at their own volition.
Meaning, mayhap, you can modulate the poison you secrete as well.
I think when I'm in the throes of passion,
anger, lust, fear, despair,
and when my body is producing more endorphins, adrenaline rushing,
that's when I'm at my most dangerous.
So as long as you control your emotions,
you should be able to move throughout the world
without indiscriminately poisoning people?
What about kissing, even dispassionately?
No, that's still very much a third rail.
Alas.
Here, this belongs to you now.
You may be venomous, Veronica,
but you are also resilient.
Remember that.
Hey, Mom.
I think it's time you tell me the truth.
You, your sister and I had just gotten back from apple picking.
Your father sent you girls upstairs to watch cartoons,
said he needed help with something.
And that was the something.
A deputy that had come around to investigate
your father's suspicious activities
and wound up dead for his trouble.
Your father threatened to blame the murder on me if I didn't help him,
and I was terrified.
I didn't want to lose you and your sister.
I didn't want our family to implode.
So I helped him.
I want to ask you again, Mom, did you know that Dad was grooming me?
Honey...
You have to understand, you...
you were your dad's favorite.
The two of you, you had this connection,
and I knew that he had darkness inside of him
and I guess deep down I...
feared that he might
try to cultivate that in you.
So you just wrote me off?
No, I knew that if the time came that I could control it.
That I could control whatever impulses he was trying to...
manifest in you.
That I could undo his influence,
that I could save you.
I could keep him from nurturing whatever was inside of you.
What did you think that was, Mom?
Evil?
No.
We would just have to get past the crisis point
and then I could fix it.
I finally understand why you were so...
controlling.
Or tried to be.
You were obsessed with me being perfect.
The perfect daughter.
But with evil cultivating inside me.
- No, honey, don't say that... - Don't touch me.
- Betty... - No, because you know what? Your...
Your plan...
It didn't work.
Because that evil...
it's still there.
Okay, Cheryl. How are we going to do this?
Well, you read that alchemical spell
whilst I manifest witch-fire inside you.
And pray that you survive.
Ready?
- Do you feel anything yet? - No.
Archie, are you all right?
Don't stop, Cheryl.
Miss Lodge? Mr. Mantle is here to see you.
And voila!
My first test at keeping cool.
Send him up, Jay.
I've almost finished my evaluation presentation on Canva,
which should quell our shareholders fears.
Doubt it, but I'll keep this short and sweet.
Either you sell the Babylonium
or we'll launch a hostile takeover.
You will take this casino from me over my cold, dead body.
Look, I didn't want to go here.
We know you're sick, Ronnie.
What is it, your kidneys?
- If only you knew. - Whatever. You're weak.
Physically, emotionally, mentally.
You leave us no choice but to take you out.
It's for your own health.
And for the health of the casino.
Your concern overwhelms me, Reggie.
And go ahead and try.
It'll be a bloodbath.
Yours, not mine.
Now leave.
I have to get my presentation ready for tonight's shindig.
Wait, why are you wearing that thing again?
Because I want to show you something.
Archie...
Thank God.
It worked.
Cheryl's spell, her pyrokinesis.
It forged me. Percival's palladium won't weaken me anymore.
Good evening and welcome to the Babylonium.
It is my distinct honor
to let you know that our casino's finances
are healthier than ever.
Our projected income is trending upwards.
But more than that,
I want to take this opportunity to dispel all rumors
that I have any interest in selling this casino.
Or that I'm operating at anything less than 110% of health,
of control,
of focus.
So get on board with my vision,
or get ready for a fight to the death.
I also want to give a special shout out to my two best friends,
Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper, who are here with me tonight.
And who, earlier today,
gave me the last little boost I needed.
Bee, Archie, is everything okay?
I'm getting ready for a shareholder's event at the casino.
- Are you performing? - No, just presenting.
I'm feeling more in control, but not particularly fab.
Well, that may change because I have a crazy idea.
And a solution for your last kiss dilemma.
Archie is invulnerable again,
which means he's also immune to poison,
kisses included.
You guys, I'm fine. You don't have to do this.
No, we know, but we love you and we want to see you
get your main-character energy back.
- Besides, what are friends for? - We're in this together.
So, Archie, Betty...
this one's for you.
Well, what do you say, Ronnie?
For old time's sake?
Why the hell not?
- _ - _
Heather?
Is that really you?
You called me. I came.
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