Previously on Riverdale...
Archie Andrews,
I'm Special Agent Adams with the FBI.
We believe Hiram Lodge is conducting criminal activity.
You're in a unique position to help us take him down.
I need some assurance from you.
That no matter what happens to Mr. Lodge,
my dad is gonna be okay.
I can protect your father.
But effective immediately,
Southside High School is shut down.
Well, it's done.
After a few weeks, we'll quietly go about
purchasing the land beneath Southside High.
And you'll get your sizable donation
to your re-election campaign.
Daddy, this is...
Archie Andrews.
The boy who has captured my daughter's heart.
I hope we can respect each other.
Of course, Mr. Lodge.
No more sneaking into my daughter's bedroom.
Ever.
You wanted me to get a job, Cheryl, and I did.
Providing comfort and companionship
to the lonely men of Riverdale.
You remember that baby my mom put up for adoption?
Hey! Let go of my brother.
You'll be safe here.
One week after Riverdale High's
absorption of its Southside counterpart,
and everything was the same.
And nothing was the same.
Take Archie Andrews.
On the surface, he's getting ready for basketball tryouts,
as he does every winter.
But underneath, he was churning,
his life in chaos
after an unexpected visit from the Feds.
Meanwhile, the town was preparing to honor
its founding father, General Augustus Pickens.
Mr. Jones, eyes up front.
Thank you, Mrs. Haggly.
As I was saying,
each year, we honor the memory of General Pickens,
yet few know the truth.
That it was my great-great- great-grandpappy
Colonel Barnabas B. Blossom,
who bankrolled General Pickens' settlement of,
"...an Eden along the river of Sweetwater,
where maple trees grow taller than the steeples
of Europe's grandest cathedrals."
Which is why every year I petition the mayor's office
to rename Pickens Day.
Thank you for that, Cheryl.
Mr. Jones,
we look forward to your oral history report next week.
The students we transferred to Riverdale High are fine,
but their parents are in my office,
every day, wanting me to reopen Southside High.
Which is why we've been discussing how our new neighborhood
could use something positive to focus on.
With your blessing, we'd like to make Pickens Day
bigger, more of a celebratory event.
Sponsored by Lodge Industries.
And Andrews Construction co-sponsoring.
You mean you wanna turn Pickens Day
into a commercial for your SoDale project
like your open house?
Au contraire, Madam Mayor.
The open house was for investors,
but this event would be for North and Southsiders alike.
Two halves of a whole coming together...
And trying to distract people with a party?
What if it backfires and things get violent?
No. What about the Serpents?
They've been quiet lately, but they're wild cards
- and they could cause trouble. - We've thought of that.
And so we've offered to hire them as security for the event.
Fred, you're on board with this?
FP told me the Serpents are looking for work,
figured we'd let 'em keep the peace.
I'm sure you had your reasons for closing down Southside High,
but this is an opportunity to let the Southside know
that you're not turning your back on them.
Hey, Dad.
Hey, bud.
Archie.
Sorry to interrupt.
Mind if I join you guys?
- Actually, we were just finishing up. - Mmm-hmm.
Thanks, Fred, for having us.
Madam Mayor, you'll let us know in the morning?
Hey, Mr. Lodge.
Excuse me, Archie.
Hey.
Oh, um, I'd kiss you, but you're sweaty.
So, how long do you plan on staying with us, Chic?
For as long as he wants.
I'm just trying to plan my life, Alice.
And since we're not getting any answers about anything...
What would you like to know, Hal?
For starters, Betty brought you here all bloody.
Why? What happened?
Dad.
You don't have to, Chic.
The person who attacked me, his name's Marcel.
He runs the hostel.
Sometimes, he books clients for us.
The night you showed up, Betty, I wasn't in the mood to work.
Marcel was trying to convince me otherwise.
So, what, uh... what kind of clients?
Hal!
- No, I wanna know, too. - Betty.
All kinds.
Ranging from nice to, hell, even nastier than Marcel.
I can go into specifics if you'd like.
I've also got a pretty good collection of scars I could show you.
I have scars, too.
Crescent moons on my palms.
From digging your nails in.
- Yeah. - Yeah, I used to do that, too.
Syrup.
If and when the US government
brings actions against Hiram Lodge
before any domestic court of law,
that agreement ensures your father's immunity.
This is nuts.
The Lodges were just at my house planning a party.
When was this? Who was there?
Last night.
And it was Mr. And Mrs. Lodge, my dad, the sheriff, Mayor McCoy.
That's it.
Why weren't you a part of this?
Because I was playing basketball.
Agent Adams, what can we do to speed things up?
I just... I wanna get through this
and back to my life, my normal life.
Do you have any relationship with Hiram Lodge, directly with him?
Nothing. He doesn't even like me.
Then let's change that.
You have to establish trust.
Get him to lower his guard around you.
The sooner you get access to his inner circle,
the sooner we'll get what we need to bring him in.
And then, you can go back
to playing in the band with your pals 'n' gals.
Well, he's very fetching for someone who was living on Skid Row.
Yeah, he's a hottie who looks incredibly familiar to me, by the way.
Your adventures in the woods?
I don't know, but maybe if we were allowed to meet this hottie in person...
Chic's still acclimating.
And I'm trying to get him to trust me,
but my mom is treating him like he's a ten-year-old
and my dad's acting like he's the devil's spawn.
Well, I have an amazing idea.
Bring The Omen to Pickens Day and we can all meet him.
Everyone's coming, right?
No, because the Serpents weren't invited.
The Serpents were specifically asked to come.
Yeah, to provide security.
It's like we're all on the Snowpiercer train,
but the Serpents happen to be the ones eating the cockroaches.
You don't have to work if you don't want to.
The damage, as they say, has already been done.
Talk to you guys later.
Plans with Toni?
Uh, yeah, I'm interviewing her grandfather
for my oral history report.
The oldest living Serpent.
Archie, what is it?
Look, I feel stupid even talking about this,
but... it's about your dad.
I kind of get the feeling he doesn't really like me.
What?
No, that's not... That's not true.
Okay, maybe it's a little true,
but it's not anything you're doing, per se,
it's more that...
Well, for starters, you don't speak Spanish.
I can drop French and start taking Spanish.
This is really bothering you, isn't it?
To be honest, yeah.
Do you have any suggestions on what I can do?
To endear yourself to Daddy?
Well, now that we're talking about it.
What, your dad likes wrestling?
He was captain of Riverdale High's
wrestling team back in the day.
Says it changed his life.
Now that the season's starting back up, it's like
my mom and I are background extras in the movie Foxcatcher.
Wrestling? Really?
Lodge Industries basically bankrolls the team.
He was just talking to his old coach
asking if he could sit in on tryouts.
God, Ronnie, you know what's super weird?
I was just telling Reggie how I was gonna take a break
from basketball this year to try something new.
It would absolutely score you some points with my dad.
Thanks again for meeting with me.
Toni told me that you're one of the founding members of the Serpents.
Yes. The snake, the laws,
it's all based on Uktena tradition.
Who were the Uktena?
Uktena is a serpent,
a horned serpent, a water serpent.
Before there was a Riverdale,
all this land belonged to the Uktena.
How did the Uktena evolve into the Serpents?
The Uktena, we didn't evolve.
We were all slaughtered.
When my grandpa was a baby, there was a raid,
and it was led by your hero over there, General Pickens.
The battle, if you want to call it that...
only lasted for 12 minutes,
but the slaughter was total and savage.
The General Pickens...
whose statue stands proudly in Pickens Park?
Yes, and every year the Northside
honors this man who massacred children.
When my grandpa died,
we formed the Serpents as a way to keep the family together.
How do people not know about this?
Well, some do, but...
It's called the whitewashing of history, Jones.
What, did you think Jason Blossom was the first person
to be murdered in Riverdale?
You know I'm down to help,
but why can't it just be the two of us singing a duet at Pickens Day?
I mean it could be,
but the Pussycats are a brand.
Why let it sit fallow?
Josie. Veronica.
What's this all about?
We are bringing back the Pussycats to play Pickens Day.
And whose idea was that?
Uh, it was Veronica's.
Weren't we focusing on your solo career?
We could bill it as a special event, one night only.
I was talking to my daughter.
In fact, why don't we continue this conversation later
when it's just the two of us?
Hey, Kev, what's up?
Are you somewhere secure where you can talk?
Yeah, why, what is it?
Betty, I... I just remembered where I know Chic from.
He's a video gigolo, a webcam boy, a cyber-trick.
- Synced and corrected by VitoSilans - -- www.Addic7ed.com --
Mom...
a really weird thing happened
when I was at Josie's last night.
Mayor McCoy was acting like I was a bad seed,
out to corrupt her daughter.
I don't believe Sierra is comfortable
with how we've let you become involved in the family business.
Why does she even care?
Maybe she's afraid you're gonna tell Josie.
- I would never. - Of course not, mija.
And I'm not making excuses for Sierra.
In fact,
should her coldness persist,
I'll happily have a conversation with her.
I thought basketball was your sport.
- I'm branching out. - Ah.
What are you doing here, Mr. Lodge?
Just checking out the team.
You know, I wrestled in high school.
Really? No, I didn't know that.
What weight class are you in?
175, but I'm trying to get down to 170.
Hey, Andrews. It's a good thing you're not in my weight class.
I'd wreck you, Gingerbread Man.
Let's bring it in.
Firstly, I want to thank a gentleman
who's really showing his support for the team this year.
He wrestled for me my first year as coach.
That is Hiram "The Ram" Lodge.
Guys, let's show him some appreciation.
Now listen up.
Not everyone's gonna make the team this year.
There'll be cuts every day, boys,
so make each match count.
All right. Pair off.
Up and downs. Let's go.
Archie. You do know wrestling's not like football or basketball, right?
I went up against Moose in the Oklahoma Drill, Kev,
I'm good.
Thatta boy.
Okay, reset. Again.
It felt so good, Betty.
It's like, yeah, Archie, you have the physique of a 1970s porn star,
but that doesn't mean you can wrestle.
Speaking of porn stars...
Did you get lost down a webcam rabbit hole last night?
It's... fascinating.
I brought Chic home to help my mom
without knowing who he was,
and now to find out he's actually multiple people,
performing online.
How do I broach that with him?
Do I broach that with him?
Hey, am I interrupting?
- Yeah, kinda... - No.
I just wanted to run some stuff by you, but I can come back.
No, no, no, it's fine.
By the way, I'm really digging Kevin's new gossip column.
Readers love it.
And I needed to fill the extra space when you...
I'm actually working on a story right now.
Here.
When I interviewed Toni's grandfather for history class,
he had some pretty intense things to say
about General Pickens.
But then I did some follow-up research.
General Pickens was hired by Barnabas B.s lossom
to remove the Uktena tribe by force.
Betty, he killed
400 innocent men, women and children.
Oh, my God! That's horrible.
And adding salt to the wound,
the last remnants of the tribe, the Serpents,
are being squeezed out of existence.
Toni's grandfather lives in a trailer
the size of a broom closet.
And Hiram Lodge is honoring this murderer
instead of trying to make amends.
I think it's a story we need to tell.
Are you gonna try to get a quote from Hiram Lodge?
Kevin told me what happened.
You okay?
I'm fine. A bruised ego more than anything.
But Kevin's gonna work with me, get me up to speed.
Great.
But should you not be a natural-born wrestler,
I thought of another way you might curry my father's favor.
Though Pickens Day is taking a back seat to his wrestling obsession,
he will be there.
And I suspect he'd be tickled to see you singing with me and Josie.
Chic, hey.
He threw out my stuff!
What, who did? What stuff?
Marcel, my landlord, the guy you maced?
He got rid of everything. Everything I need to survive.
My laptop, my camera.
Wait. You went back there
and talked to him after what he was doing to you?
My entire life was at that hostel.
Like my mom said, you can stay here as long you want.
You don't think this is long-term, do you?
I don't know, maybe it can be.
Wow. Wow. If you believe that,
then you're even crazier than I thought.
This is Hiram.
Hi, Mr. Lodge? Yeah, this is Jughead Jones.
I'm writing an article about how General Pickens
massacred the Uktena tribe and stole the land you're building on.
I'm sorry he sold all your stuff.
? Can you hear me? ?
? Am I drowned out In the crowd ?
? Are you... ?
Hey.
What are you guys doing in here?
We're just working on some Pickens Day songs.
Archie's agreed to help.
Yeah, but we can take it to the living room...
No, no.
Not at all.
I have to say, the thought of you two
being in here alone used to upset me deeply.
But after seeing your performance today, Archie,
for some reason I'm less worried.
Daddy, be nice.
Not everyone can wrestle.
It takes a certain kind of man.
Excuse me, "man"?
My point is there's no shame, Archie, in admitting defeat.
And accepting the fact that you're more suited to...
singing with the Pussycats.
Daddy...
Archie may not be a star wrestler yet,
but he's an incredible musician.
And bonus for me, incredibly sexy when he sings.
Thanks, babe.
Ah.
But on second thought, maybe I shouldn't be
spreading myself too thin these days.
Honestly?
Yeah, I should get home,
practice some moves Kevin showed me.
But I'll see you at tryouts tomorrow, I hope, Mr. Lodge?
Yeah.
Do you know who used to sit there?
Dad...
Our daughter, Polly.
You sit in her chair, you sleep in her bed.
You're filling a void.
That's the reason you're here, the only reason.
It's okay.
It doesn't bother me.
Everyone needs something, right?
And I don't expect to stay here for free.
I never have.
We're focusing on fundamentals today.
Starting with the fireman's carry.
And since it was his signature move back in the day,
I've asked Hiram Lodge here to demonstrate.
Ram, will you do us the honor?
All right, then. I need a volunteer.
Archie Andrews.
Come on.
- What are you waiting for? - Mr. Lodge?
Come at me. Come on.
This is a simple but effective move
when your opponent gets cocky.
Dominating your rival,
demoralizing him,
is the key if you want to win.
Get the message?
I always win.
"General Pickens was a murderer...
and ripples from his gruesome acts
continue to be felt today.
Descendants of the victims
are still being displaced.
So I challenge the Northside,
instead of honoring men like General Pickens and Hiram Lodge,
hold them accountable.
Reparations must be paid to men like Thomas Topaz,
who are too old and beaten down
to fight back for themselves."
This town is messed up,
and it needs to own up to its history.
My grandfather isn't some broken-down victim, okay?
Or some prop for your insane vendetta against the Northside.
No, of course not.
Look, I get it.
You hate the Northside.
You hate that instead of inviting you to a party,
they asked you to work it.
It triggers all your rage
about being born on the wrong side of the tracks. But this?
This wasn't your story to tell.
I can't cancel Pickens Day,
but I don't want you performing at it.
Not with the town riled up over this article.
What if there's a riot?
No one's rioting, Mom, and I promised Veronica.
Okay, well, I'm sorry.
You can tell her that the Pussycats
aren't hers to order around.
Why is Veronica triggering you all of a sudden?
Baby, let me tell you something about Veronica...
and her parents
and the way they do business.
And the way they use their daughter to do their business.
? Nightshades on a warning ?
? Give me strength Or give me your light ?
? Give me anything Even sympathy ?
? There's a chance... ?
- You're late. - I'm out.
I'm not performing at Pickens Day.
Wait, what?
It's just I don't like being manipulated by a Lodge.
What?
Josie, is your mom making you do this?
My mom?
Whatever she and your parents have going on,
that's between them.
She doesn't want me to be a part of it.
My mom says that she may have to do what your parents want,
but I don't have to do what you want.
What? Josie...
The cameras aren't here, Jackie O.
And what about Jughead's article?
What about it, Cheryl?
It says that Great-Great- Great-Grandpappy Blossom
hired General Pickens to steal land from the Uktena.
Well, how do you think we got started in the maple syrup business?
Help me up.
But then that means our family is partly responsible
for killing literally hundreds of people.
For what? A bunch of maple trees?
It wasn't just trees.
Dark, fertile earth.
A mighty river.
Back in those early days, we had a hand in everything.
Building the railroads,
operating the saloons
and, yes, even a brothel.
The old ways die hard, it seems.
You're definitely getting better, Archie.
I appreciate the help. Kevin. You're a legend.
Anytime. Can I ask you something?
Why wrestling?
Why now? I mean, you're trying to impress Mr. Lodge?
To be honest, it didn't start there.
But now...
Yeah, it's like there's nothing I can do to earn his respect.
And the more he looks down on me,
the more I want to show him that he's wrong.
Yeah, it's personal now.
Why'd you buy me that laptop?
Oh, um, I didn't.
It was just an old computer I had from The Register.
Why'd you come back to get me?
You're my brother.
And my mom was depressed.
No. Sorry, everything is a transaction.
No one, not even you, is that nice.
So why do you care, Betty?
What do you want?
And careful, I'll know if you're lying.
To figure out why I am the way that I am.
There's a darkness in me
that I don't understand.
That scares me.
And I thought that maybe if you had it, too,
which I think you do,
you'd be able to help me make sense of it.
I know about the webcamming.
That's why I got you the computer.
So if you ever want to talk about that
or compare scars...
No, thanks, I'll pass.
I told the doorman I was here to see Veronica.
And I'll have to speak to Andre about that.
What is it, Archie?
Why don't you like me, Mr. Lodge?
Why is that? What did I ever do to you?
You're really asking me that?
You really don't know?
Yeah, I am, and, no, I don't.
Your father
slept with another man's wife.
And why shouldn't I assume you have the same weak character?
I'm not my dad, Mr. Lodge. I would never...
Maybe that's true, but still
you're not good enough for my daughter
in any respect. You're not worthy.
I don't think that you'll ever be able to take care of her...
I took care of her while you were in prison.
Excuse me?
When she and Mrs. Lodge moved to Riverdale,
I was there for your daughter when you couldn't be.
You would say that to me?
In my house?
What the hell is going on in here?
Veronica...
Hey, we were just...
Having some juvenile chest-thumping contest?
No, not at all, mija. I just asked
Archie to come over and plan some one-on-one training.
Really?
Is that why it looks like you're about to kill each other?
Hello?
Meet me outside in five minutes.
Mr. Lodge?
What time is it?
Thank you.
You know why I love wrestling, Archie?
Because when it's two men on the mat,
it doesn't matter who you are
or where you come from,
or even how strong you are.
It's about sheer will
and knowing your opponent.
Maybe even better than he knows himself.
Which is why, Archie...
you will never win.
What are you talking about?
Veronica...
has a lot on her plate right now.
And I don't want her worrying about us.
So after this morning, we can say that I helped you.
And that we went for a jog
and we broke bread together.
And I will tolerate you
until this phase runs its course.
"Runs its course"?
You're not the first boy who has turned my daughter's head.
You see, boyfriends,
they come and they go.
But fathers...
Fathers are forever.
You're not hungry, mija?
Is it Archie and your dad?
No, it's Josie.
We got into a fight
and she dropped out of Pickens Day.
I see.
And this is Sierra's doing, I assume?
That's it.
I'm taking care of this.
No, Mom. It's like you said,
our family works differently from other families.
And if Josie and Mayor McCoy don't like the way we do business,
that's on them.
But the show must go on.
I was angry.
Because the Southside is our home.
I'm sick of watching it get dismantled
piece by piece in front of our eyes.
They take our drive-in.
Then they take our school.
I thought you were apologizing.
I am.
I shouldn't have used your story
or what happened to the Uktena against the Northside.
I had no right...
I had no right.
I'm sorry.
Whatever your reasons were,
you opened an old wound.
Now, something has to be done to heal it.
Do you have something in mind, Grandpa?
What are you doing here?
Daddy invited me.
He told me it was your last day of tryouts
and that I should come watch.
He says you guys had a good talk.
Anyway, not that you need it,
but good luck.
I'll be up in the stands, cheering you on.
Gather around, boys.
We're gonna change things up a bit.
First up on the mat is Andrews,
who is going up against Clayton.
Wait.
Coach, isn't Chuck in a higher weight class than me?
Damn, Andrews. You sound like my little sister.
Come on. Time for Thunderdome.
Enough chatter. In the center. Now.
Archie.
That's right, Archie. Get him.
One. Two...
three!
Eat up.
Can't have an empty stomach for Pickens Day.
Especially since it'll be our first outing as a family.
Actually, I'm, uh... I'm staying behind.
I have a few odd jobs to catch up on around the house.
Fine, Hal, I won't beg.
Salad.
Sierra, I'm so glad you made it.
And, Josie, I'm sorry you won't be singing with us today.
After that article came out, I forbade her to, Hermione.
I was worried.
After all, we can't be too careful when it comes to our children.
That was a surprise, Archie...
your victory over Clayton.
Thank you, sir.
Are we done, Mr. Lodge?
Come by the Pembrooke tonight.
We should talk about some things.
I'll be there, sir.
Have you ever had a maple snow-cone?
I have not. Is it delicious?
Oh, Chic... Betty, I'm so happy.
Mom, Mom...
Alice.
Hal, I thought you said you weren't coming.
Do you know what you've let into our house?
In the room next to Betty's?
Would you lower your voice?
And what on earth are you talking about?
I went on your computer, Chic.
I saw what you were doing online with your clients.
Dad, stop.
Stop snooping and stop harassing him.
And I don't want to hear it from you.
You bring home this... stranger
and move him into Polly's bedroom?
It's not Polly's room anymore, Hal. It's Chic's.
He has to go, Alice, and you know damn well why.
Hal, I swear, I threw you out once, I'll do it again.
I'm so sorry, honey.
Come on. Let's get some cone.
Hello, Riverdale.
Happy Pickens Day.
On behalf of Lodge Industries and Andrews Construction,
we are thrilled to kick things off
with a new twist on an old favorite.
So, Veronica and the Pussycats.
? Nightshades on a warning ?
? Give me strength Or give me a light ?
? Give me anything Even sympathy ?
? There's a chance You could be right ?
? If I listen close I can hear them singers ?
? Oh, oh, oh ?
? Voices in your body ?
? Coming through on the radio ?
? The union of the snake ?
? Is on the climb ?
? Moving up, it's gonna race It's gonna break ?
? Through the borderline ?
? The union of the snake ?
? Is on the climb ?
? Moving up it's gonna race It's gonna break ?
? Through the borderline ?
Toni? Jughead? What the hell is going on?
We're here representing the dead and the silenced.
Pickens Day is a lie.
General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe,
my grandfather's family.
And this land,
the land that we're standing on,
the land that will soon give way to a new Southside,
was stolen from them.
And we can't bring them back,
but we can and we must honor them.
Hey, folks, hi. Uh...
I think we can all be proud to live in a Riverdale
where young people stand up for justice.
Where a young woman
can defend the honor and legacy of her grandfather.
And where we can celebrate the living legacy of the Uktena,
who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale,
that is the Southside and that will be SoDale.
So let's hear a round of applause for that, am I right?
That's right. What do you say, people?
No.
How about we get you a proper dessert, Hal?
It looks like you could use some company,
and I've got nowhere I need to be.
Can I come in?
Sure.
Betty, I have a confession to make.
The first night I was here,
I came into your room while you were sleeping.
What?
I kept waking up that night
trying to understand,
"Why would this girl go back to that place for me?"
But I think, maybe, I understand now.
You're alone here.
We'll start with why I webcam.
One of the reasons is to make money.
The other reason is to escape.
To pretend to be someone else.
Yes, but...
more than that...
it's a way of getting away from the darkness I feel inside me, too.
Can you show me how to do that?
And so, with the stroke of a few keys,
the dark education of Betty Cooper had begun.
And also, perhaps,
the criminal apprenticeship of Archie Andrews.
Let's start with a blank slate, Archie.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In college. Hopefully on some type of athletic scholarship.
To study music?
No, that was the old me.
Now I'm thinking more like... business.
Hmm.
Maybe one day I'll even be able
to buy back Andrews Construction from you.
Archie,
as long as you're dating Veronica,
I'm going to demand the best from you...
and that requires learning from the best.
How would like to start your business tutelage under my shepherding?
Sorry about that, Mr. Lodge.
You mean like an internship?
That night, plans would be made...
Alliances would be formed,
and a horrifying act of desecration would be committed...
Must've happened late last night or early this morning.
Well, Hiram, Hermione,
it's your show now.
How would you like this handled?
Swiftly, and with extreme prejudice.
I believe we all know who the most likely suspects are.
I mean, you tell me.
Isn't this something the Serpents would do?
...ensuring that the town's civil war
would go from a possibility to an inevitability.
- Synced and corrected by VitoSilans - -- www.Addic7ed.com --