A war has been brewing in Riverdale
between Percival Pickens and Archie Andrews.
A conflict between good and evil,
or in this incarnation,
between those who work and those who exploit workers.
Before we begin construction of my railroad,
a few minor details. Starting today,
my company will provide you
with all the tools and equipment you require.
This rental fee will be deducted from your pay.
Our pay,
which is actually less than what we discussed, Mr. Mayor.
Well, I'm simply responding to fluctuations in the marketplace, Mr. Fogarty.
Get to work.
Percival has started construction,
which is bad news for us,
especially if it's not an ordinary train that he's building.
- Cheryl, you called it... - A ghost train,
which would grant him dominion over the souls of the living and the dead.
Which, of course, one can't just run around saying to people.
Most of Percival's crew used to work for you, Archie.
Can't you convince them to quit?
No way. No. A lot of these guys haven't worked in months.
They'll take whatever they can get, even if they're being exploited or abused.
- Which gives Percival the upper hand. - For the moment.
But now that he's got a crew, he's breaking all the promises
that he made to get them to sign up.
- He's also 100% anti-union. - Of course he is.
Unions literally unite people
and united people are more difficult to control.
And Percival, as we know, is all about control.
And tweed.
He's trying to break the workers' spirits,
their resolve.
A lot of these guys have spent most of their lives working union jobs.
I mean, if I can do some good old-fashioned agitating,
remind them that Percival's values are the exact opposite of their own,
that he doesn't care about them,
we might be able to get them to vote to unionize.
So that instead of quitting, the workers would strike.
Work on the railway would stop.
And once again we're in a battle for the town's soul.
What exactly can I do?
Sing Bruce Springsteen covers?
- No, thank you. Dua Lipa or bust. - No, Cheryl.
But the Blossoms and the Pickens have a long history of working together.
For which I am deeply ashamed.
Are there any family records or documents that you could raid
for damning evidence we could use against Percival?
As a matter of fact, a friend and I are currently in the process
of cataloguing the Blossom archives.
I'll let you know if I find any dish or dirt.
Now, can I please go?
And, Archie, if you really want to rally support against Percival,
one of my waitresses heard that Percival's apparently
making his crew pay for their own coffee.
So why don't you and I head down there in one of my pop's trucks
and, you know, innocently hand out some free cups of joe.
Maybe suggest they start hanging out here,
the headquarters of the Resistance.
So when did your poison powers first start to manifest?
A few weeks ago.
Did anything traumatic happen to you right beforehand?
My father, his death was definitely traumatizing.
Wait, are you Veronica Lodge as in, Lodge Rum?
- I am. - I knew your father. Well, of your father.
- How did you know Hiram? - I used to be an ATF agent.
I was part of the team tracking his rum and Jingle-Jangle operations
before I got reassigned to busting up illegal absinthe rings.
Wait, I thought absinthe was legal.
A watered down, regulated version is.
But there is an underground market that caters to purists,
those that don't mind that real absinthe is poisonous.
Wormwood, one of its main ingredients,
provides its signature flavor and green color.
But it's extremely toxic.
Which actually brings me back to you, Veronica.
According to your blood work,
you're one of the healthiest people I've ever met.
While your body may be producing poison,
it's filtering out the toxins at an even faster rate.
Your entire body is basically one giant bio-dialysis machine.
Mom, what is it? I'm at work.
Where is he?
He's upstairs in your room.
Sweet digs.
Gotta ask.
How do you afford this?
Percival is helping me out a bit.
Of course he is.
It was time for me to get out of my dad's house.
I need to establish a permanent residency.
To get custody of Anthony?
- You're still going ahead with that? - Yes, Moose, I am.
I don't... have much of a choice.
- What's happening to Charles? - It's simple, Betty.
He's dying.
But how? Wh... Why?
They don't know exactly.
They think it's some sort of sepsis or leukemia.
And the prison infirmary is full, so they sent him home.
Poor Charles.
Whatever awful things he did, he's still your brother.
And what he needs right now is family.
So can we please just call a truce?
Spend what little time he has left together.
There you go.
Cup of coffee, Uncle Frank? It's free.
- This is against company policy. - Calm down, Frank.
We're just stopping by to let everybody know
about a new special we're having at Pop's
in honor of our new location.
Twenty-five cent burgers.
Same price as they were back in '49.
Yeah, you know, the year the unions first came to Riverdale.
Swing by after your shift, fellas.
We're having a bit of an open mic night.
Bye.
Well, your suspicions were correct, Reggie.
Mr. Jones certainly stole a memory from you.
His psychic fingerprints were all over your mind.
Yeah, it's like an itch I can't scratch
and it's driving me crazy.
I must admit,
I underestimated Mr. Jones' powers.
It may be that he is a more formidable threat
than I had originally anticipated.
Hey, you said you were going to teach me magic. When's that going to happen?
- Is that me? - It's a totem.
Something to teach you one of the oldest arts of deception...
ventriloquism.
Tomorrow, during Jughead's act,
you are going to distract him by throwing your voice.
Meanwhile, I'm going to sneak into his mind and...
open the floodgates, as it were.
Hopefully do some damage.
Not enough to kill him, but certainly enough to incapacitate him.
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Thank you.
So I heard Percival changed the terms of your contract.
Big time.
Longer hours, lower pay, no overtime.
You know, you have options.
Rights that protect you from this kind of abuse.
You're talking about unionizing. Percival's never gonna go for that.
No, he won't. Because he wants all the power for himself.
But, Carlos, you used to be a union man.
- Your dad was too. Just like mine. - Yeah.
The union protected them. It can protect you.
- We can't quit, Archie. - I'm not telling you to quit, Fangs.
I'm reminding you that you're the ones building the railroad
while Percival sits in his champagne suite.
And Carlos, you're right. Probably Percival will say no
if you ask to unionize.
But what's the harm in trying?
Thank you for agreeing to sit down with me, Agent Drake.
What can I do for you, Veronica?
You're familiar with my family business.
Well, our little convo earlier got me thinking about
pivoting off rum to absinthe.
It's dangerous stuff.
What if I were to distill a version of absinthe that contained wormwood
but wasn't deadly when ingested in large quantities?
I'd say you'd be creating a new, lucrative market for yourself.
And can I get in on it?
Thanks for giving up your room for me, Betty.
I've mostly been...
staying next door.
Hey, how's Chic?
Did you guys ever end up...
- getting married? - No.
No, I haven't seen him since the prison escape.
They put us in separate wings when they took us back to Shankshaw.
So sadly, I've had zero contact with him.
Yeah.
But, you know, Chic, he's a survivor.
Unlike me, apparently.
Can I ask you something?
Are you afraid of what's coming?
Death and what comes after it?
I've made my peace with it.
I've done some terrible, terrible things, Betty.
And this, I guess, is my...
my punishment.
Oh, Heather...
I'm sorry we had to put my witch training on hold for research.
- I hope you don't mind. - Not at all.
And I believe I've just found something.
This letter references the Malleus Maleficarum.
The Malleus what?
One of the most powerful arcane texts in existence.
Okay. So, according to this letter,
a feud between the Blossoms and Pickens clans broke out
because a Pickens ancestor stole the Maleficarum from a Blossom ancestor.
I don't think this is the kind of dirt Archie had in mind.
No, but if Percival is an evil sorcerer
in possession of the Maleficarum, we must get it back.
Didn't you say his Curiosity Shop
was a veritable treasure trove
of arcane artifacts and esoterica?
- Yes. - Also, retrieving the Maleficarum
provides us with the perfect opportunity
for me to teach you a new spell.
Tell me, Cheryl, how much do you know about turning unseeable?
Only from Harry Potter and the Wizards of Waverly Place
- that you need a special cloak. - To turn unseeable,
you just have to be able to hold your breath and keep a level head
as you bend the spectrum of visible light around you.
Don't worry, I can teach you.
Okay.
- So, so sorry to drop in. - What is it, Veronica? I have company
and we're in the middle of something much more interesting than whatever you're about to say.
I'm looking for a book about how to distill absinthe
as well as any wormwood you might have in your greenhouse.
Fine.
Wait here, Spider-Woman.
Archie, it appears you've been talking to my crew behind my back.
- I didn't know I needed your permission. - Well, listen...
I've got a proposition,
an offer that could prove mutually beneficial.
Why don't you join my team?
You want me to work for you?
Look, I empathize with your concerns for my employees.
And the truth is, I could use a man like you,
someone who would keep me honest and protect the crew he commands
all while earning a pretty penny for his efforts.
You know, the fact that you think
that I can be bought or bribed
just goes to show how corrupt
and deluded you are.
Still, maybe you'll change your mind, eh?
And maybe you'll come to realize
that whatever it is you're really building,
Riverdale is not the place for it.
And how long have you been a part of the Serpents, Toni?
- My entire life. - You as well, Fangs?
I was born a Serpent, and I'll die a Serpent.
According to both your files, you have multiple arrests between the two of you.
Mostly misdemeanors but these are extensive rap sheets.
Well, most of those incidents happened when we were juveniles.
- It sounds like we're on trial. - You are.
Kevin's lawyers are going to use every bit of information
to expose you both as unfit parents.
He's also asked for a paternity test for Anthony.
Hell, no. Whatever the results are, he's just going to use it against us.
I said as much.
Shifting gears.
Have you given any thought to possibly retiring from the Serpents?
- We're not retiring. - We haven't figured that out yet.
The Serpents are in a bit of a transition.
Rebranding from biker gang to political activist group.
Well, if that's gonna happen, I suggest it happens fast.
- I don't like her. - Me neither.
But we don't have to like her, Fangs.
She just needs to win this case for us.
Have you thought any more about my proposal?
Yeah, I have. And...
I just want to make sure that I'm getting married for the right reason.
Wouldn't stability in Baby Anthony's life be the right reason?
Us being a family united.
You mean, like the Serpents?
I see something through the fog.
The first date that you had with your fiance...
The Bijou Theater.
was at the Bijou Theater?
Yes. Oh, my God, that's right.
You're a fraud.
Ladies and gentlemen, please no heckling.
Forsythe must have complete focus.
Your act is a joke. Get off the stage.
Is it Reggie?
_
Breaking into Mr. Jones' mind won't be as simple as I thought.
I need something to pry my way in.
A talisman.
An object of Mr. Jones',
something that's an essential part of his being.
Any notions?
Back in high school, you never saw Jones without his stupid beanie.
He wore it every day, 24/7.
He buried it in a time capsule.
But I know exactly where that is.
You will deliver the beanie unto me.
I will also need some other objects of Mr. Jones'.
When I slip back into his mind,
I mustn't be recognized as a hostile entity.
This time, the disguise must be absolute.
So you asked management to unionize.
- What did they tell you? - To go pound sand.
Because Percival doesn't care about you.
All you asked for was to be treated fairly, like human beings.
Well, he doesn't see you that way.
To him, you're a piece of equipment, like a shovel or a sledgehammer.
And make no mistake, Riverdale is at a crossroads.
What you do now will not only set the course of your future
but the future of your children and their children.
Don't we want to live in a town where if we put in an honest day's work,
we get paid an honest day's rate?
So we can keep a roof over our heads and feed our families?
Yeah.
What about from your childhood?
Could you tell that there was something different about you?
Boy, you do not let up.
I'll admit, I'm trying to better understand certain parts of myself.
There was this...
one time...
I caught a possum in a trap
in the attic of The Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
- And what did you do with it? - Call it...
textbook serial killer behavior, total...
cliche, really.
Kind of like,
when you killed Caramel.
No, no, no.
Those examples are nothing alike.
Caramel was a mercy kill.
I think about that possum a lot.
I imagine if I could go back in time and set it free...
instead of...
doing what I did to it,
maybe...
my shadow-self would have remained dormant.
Crazy to imagine, huh?
Yeah.
I know. Total heartbreaker, right?
He gets that from me.
Looks just like his daddy.
Anthony's not your son.
If he was, you wouldn't have walked out on him like a coward.
- Hey, dude, what the hell is your problem? - You're my damn problem, Kevin.
Okay, remember, as long as you're holding your breath
and thinking of the spell I gave you,
he won't be able to see you.
I am already saying it silently to myself.
Hello, miss.
Welcome to my Curiosity Shop.
I'm on a hunt for a gift for a friend.
Mind telling me about some of your favorite items?
Well, that would be my pleasure.
Well, I just happen to have some very rare
ancient Viking battle knives
from a collector I know in Normandy.
That sounds fascinating.
Please tell me more about that.
Back in a tick.
I'm sorry to be a nudge, but I'm in a bit of a rush.
Be right there, miss.
"Absinthe's key ingredient, of course, is royal wormwood."
Okay,
if I'm a human dialysis machine
and my body is metabolizing the poison I'm producing...
maybe I can leech it out of this wormwood.
It's like looking at a reflection of myself, Arch.
Like a preview.
Agent Drake was telling me about this theory
that moral corruption leads to bodily corruption.
So what if Charles's evil,
his malignancy, is what's poisoning and killing him?
Different people or not, it's the same darkness that I have.
He just succumbed to his and started killing people, and now he's dying.
It's like a poison that's rotting him from the inside...
Oh, my God. Oh, God. Oh, my God.
Mom, stop! Stop!
Stop.
I can't believe you, Fangs. You pick a fight with Kevin
right before we're supposed to get into a room with a judge.
If you would have even landed one punch, our case would have ended right there, Fangs.
So now you're taking Kevin's side over mine?
Even as he's running around town, claiming to be Anthony's real father.
I'm not. I'm taking Anthony's side.
And maybe you should too, instead of worrying so much about your damn ego.
Why, Elizabeth? Why did you stop me?
- Mom. - He is in pain.
This is why he came home. He asked for this.
This was his plan. Our plan. A swift death.
Mom, shut up!
I understand that you might think
that this is the right thing to do.
- It is the right thing to do. - I promise you,
you will regret it.
In a week, in two months, in three years, for the rest of your life.
So what are we supposed to do? Just let him suffer?
- I don't know. - Well, I do.
Honestly, I don't have a clue, but you're not gonna do this.
There has been enough murder in this house.
I never imagined I would hold this book in my hands.
Well done...
witch.
As much as I'd love to sit and read sweet passages aloud to each other,
methinks we should return to the Blossom archives
and see if we can find anything to help
Archie and his latest drab crusade.
Of course.
There is a collection of letters I was sorting.
Work correspondence, it seems,
that might require further scrutiny.
Well played, Reggie.
And you left everything undisturbed?
- You know it. - Good.
Very good.
Mr. Jones, you're really not gonna like what comes next.
Kevin, can I ask,
do you really not know which of you is Anthony's real father?
We don't. We wanted it to be that way
so that neither Fangs or I would feel
like less of a father than the other.
Why do you ask?
I'm just trying to understand why you're so hell-bent
on ruining your friendships to get sole custody.
Makes me think that maybe
it's because you're afraid you're not his real father.
- Hello. - Mr. Andrews,
I was just ringing to see if you'd reconsidered my offer.
You know the answer to that.
Oh, it's a pity.
We need you on the team.
Had a terrible accident today.
Worker lost a foot.
It seems your agitation is distracting the crew.
And I am deeply concerned that unless you back off,
more workers will suffer the same tragic fate.
Bye for now.
Mom, I've been thinking...
there might be something we can do to help Charles.
What are you talking about?
How could we help Charles? It's terminal, Betty.
Maybe not.
Okay, so I'm still doing research on Percival's ghost train,
but my friend and I did chance upon some pretty damning missives
between my great-uncle Brayden Blossom
and Percival's great-grandfather Paxton Pickens
that should help your cause.
This is about the miners' strike in '49.
Indeed, some bracing, shocking stuff.
Do with it as thou wilt.
All right, who's next?
Who here will be brave enough
to attempt to stump Forsythe the Fantastic?
You there. In the pink shirt.
He's doing his act, boss. Now's your chance.
Thank you, Reggie.
Forsythe, what number is this handsome gentleman thinking about right now?
Let's see. Two million, eight hundred
and sixty thousand...
and two hundred and...
Jughead, what's wrong?
I'm......
I... I can't...
Jughead. What the hell happened out there?
- Did you choke? - I don't know.
It felt like a tidal wave.
I can hear everyone's thoughts, and I couldn't shut them out.
I still can't. It feels like my head's going to explode.
Okay, maybe we just cancel the rest of our shows tonight.
Right? Let you rest.
Okay, yeah. I gotta get out of here.
Britta, hey.
Thanks for babysitting on such short notice.
- Is everything okay? - Yeah, everything's fine.
I just can't find Baby Anthony's pacifier anywhere.
I'm sure it'll show up.
- And how's my little guy doing? - Perfect.
He got so excited when Mr. Keller came by to play with him.
- Kevin came by? - He said he usually comes by on Saturdays to visit.
And then the pacifier went missing?
Yeah.
Is anything wrong, Ms. Topaz?
No. No, no, everything's fine.
But you should get home, Britta.
I can't forget to load all these dishes.
Otherwise we'll be running low during morning rush tomorrow.
Forty-eight down seven, minus...
I love that picture.
Best cheeseburgers in town.
And I gotta remember to schedule that delivery tomorrow.
- Thanks for the assist, Vee. - Of course, Bee.
- I just hope it works. - What's going on?
Hey, Charles, do you remember my friend Veronica?
And this is my colleague, Agent Drake.
So not my angels of death?
On the contrary, we would like to try an experimental medical procedure on you.
Betty...
- I'm on the threshold. - No, I know, I know.
And I know this sounds crazy, so I'm just going to say it.
But we want to hook you up to Veronica to do a kind of
blood dialysis.
Turns out detoxification is one of my special skills.
Based on Ms. Lodge's unique ability
to filter out and process waste and toxins,
we're hoping that her body might be able to purify your blood.
Great.
- Could that actually work? - Maybe.
The question is...
do you even want us to try?
The truth is...
I'm terrified of dying, Betty.
For where I might...
end up for all of my sins.
But if there's even a sliver of a chance...
I want to try.
- What the hell, Toni? - Sit your ass down. Where is it?
Where is what?
- Where is the pacifier? - I don't have a pacifier, Toni.
What were you trying to do, Kevin?
Steal Anthony's DNA, so you can prove you're his father?
You will never be his father.
And I'm not leaving here without the pacifier. So where is it?
It's in my jacket pocket.
If you ever come within ten feet of my baby again,
I will throw you off this building.
Archie and I, we heard about what happened to Sal.
And we are so sorry.
We offered to help with medical expenses.
We also asked if Percival had called to check in yet.
He hadn't.
Look, Percival is not a good guy.
And this job, this railway is not a good job.
But I've already said my piece about that.
So we thought we would read some words written by Percival's great-grandfather
after he learned that the miners voted to strike in '49.
"These ingrates must be stopped.
They threaten us with talk of unions.
They demand fair wages and compensation, respect, dignity.
But I tell you, there's more value in the mules
that carry the palladium out of our mines than in these so-called men.
We must break their backs and remind them of their place,
which is beneath our heels."
His great-grandfather wrote that?
Make no mistake,
Percival is a tyrant...
which is why he doesn't want us to unite.
So I guess what I'm asking you is in your heart of hearts...
what do you want to do now?
Heather, I have a confession to make.
The library, though I am very, very glad that we are doing it...
it was a pretense.
A ruse to get you to spend more time with me.
You can leave if you want. I would completely understand,
given the nastiness that is sure to come with Percival
and the ghost train and the Maleficarum and Hecate knows what else.
If it's all the same to you,
I think I'd like to stick around a while longer.
Serpent jacket, brass knuckles.
Did you get into one last fight for old time's sake?
Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did.
But there's been a change of plans.
We're not rebranding.
Why the reversal?
Because denying who we are,
apologizing for who we are,
those are all signs of weakness.
And we need to be strong, especially when Kevin and his team
will sink to any level to mess with our family.
What did he do?
He made a bold move.
But now the gloves are off, full steam ahead.
Which is why I think it's time we induct Baby Anthony into the Serpents ASAP.
And it's only fitting that you, as his father,
choose his Serpent name.
Well, I'd be honored to.
And with regards to your question from before...
earlier...
yes, I'll marry you.
Sorry, I messed up the plan.
Toni ambushed me and took the pacifier before I could take it to the lab.
Don't worry yourself, Kevin.
By the way...
you aren't Baby Anthony's biological father. Fangs is.
How do you know that?
Because I know things, Kevin.
For instance, I know what that baby represents.
He is Riverdale's greatest hope.
Its spirit.
Baby Anthony is the future, Kevin, which is a problem because...
I too am the future.
And there can be only one.
How's your appetite?
I feel better.
- Thank Veronica for me, will you? - Yeah.
And Betty, thank you for the Hail Mary.
I'll confess something to you.
When I first heard about your blood poisoning,
I thought maybe Veronica would be able to cure you somehow.
But I wasn't sure that I wanted to go there.
I wasn't sure that you deserved to be saved.
What made you change your mind?
I did it for Mom.
And because I'm not ready to give up.
- On me? - On me.
I can't change the past, but maybe I should stop fixating on it
and focus on...
what I'm doing in the present...
and in my future.
What does that look like exactly?
I am not sure.
Hopefully catching TBK somehow.
About that...
I think I have an idea about how you might trap him.
You got my message.
Good.
Where is the rest of our crew, Archie?
They're not coming.
You see, they asked me to be their representative.
They took a vote last night.
It was unanimous.
Your crew's on strike, Percival.
- Is that a fact? - Yes.
Looks like your railroad's not going to be built anytime soon.
Certainly not by workers in Riverdale.
We'll see how strong their resolve is in the face of what's coming.
Mr. Andrews,
you haven't seen any real fighting yet.
But you will.
Thank you for your help with Charles.
I know it was risky,
having his contaminated blood running through your body.
I felt a bit flu-ey afterwards, but then it was fine.
How are you, Bee?
It's been quite the emotional roller coaster for you lately.
I mean, I stopped my mom from making a huge mistake
and we saved Charles's life.
I feel a bit relieved and optimistic about the future.
Okay.
Can I book your casino for a special event?
A fan convention?
Sure. Fun.
I mean, we have ample floor space.
Like a Comic-Con?
Sort of. But it would be a convention for fans of...
serial killers.
Jug?
Jughead, are you home?
"Dear Tabitha, something is happening to me.
I can't block out people's voices, their thoughts.
I've lost control.
I don't know how or why,
but it's too much for me and I need to get away.
I'm hoping that if I go someplace quiet
or more importantly, remote, the voices will calm down,
and I'll be able to close the door in my mind again.
That's how it works.
And don't worry, I'll be in touch soon.
Love, Jughead."
Everyone comes back to life...
Maybe that's why she brains him with a hammer.
Would you sell your soul to the devil?
And any other force of evil.
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