Riverdale (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 15 - Chapter Seventy-Two: To Die For - full transcript

[phone ringing]

I'll get it.

Hello?

This is she.

I understand.

Thank you.

[sobs]

[Alice] Honey.

What's wrong?

What was that call about?

It was...



That was Yale.

The admissions office.

And what did they say?

They were telling me about...

a spot that recently opened
in their class of 2024.

And after a second review of
my application, they wanted me to fill it.

The implication being...

that was Jughead's spot.

They didn't say that, but...

How did that make you feel?

Mom, do we...?

[beeps]

It was a night like any other
when Forsythe Pendleton Jones III

or Jughead, affectionately,



went to a school party in the woods.

But unlike his peers,

Jughead never came home.

A few days later, his body was discovered
at the bottom of a ravine.

The mysterious circumstances
around his death

are the subject of this documentary.

I'm Alice Smith.

And this is Murder in a Small Town.

As the oldest resident of our town,
tell us, Nana Rose,

when did the darkness begin
to take hold of Riverdale?

Riverdale was a town born in blood.

And it has bathed in it ever since.

- Thank you.
- Yup.

[oldies music playing over speakers]

Sweet cousin, I am so, so sorry.

Looks like the Blossom family curse
has finally caught up to you.

And that I now have a rival
as Teen Queen of Tragedy.

Lucky me.

Promise me you won't do it.

Do what?

Take your own life.

We all know you and Jughead were
Riverdale High's Hamlet and Ophelia.

And I know what it's like
to lose your other half.

The despairing thoughts can flood
without warning.

Don't let them drown you.

I promise I won't.

Nevertheless, from now on, Betty Cooper,
you're under suicide watch.

Consider me your constant shadow.

No.

Please, no. Uh...

No. My mom is already being clingy enough
with her documentary. I really...

I just can't have anyone else invading
my personal space right now.

What's first on today's agenda?

I will be going to Stonewall Prep

to gather the rest
of Jughead's belongings.

My convertible is right out front.
I'll drive you.

Fine, just... You're staying in the car.

Save your tears.

No one's watching.

- Bret.
- You got your wish, Ponytail.

Forsythe isn't going to Yale.

So, I guess it'll just be you and me
in New Haven.

["Flames" playing]

♪ Well, well
You better run from me ♪

♪ You better hit the road... ♪

- Ow, ow. Wait, Archie, you're on my hair.
- Oh, I'm sorry.

That's okay.

[exhales] I'm fine.

Not trying to overanalyze this...

rendezvous interruptus, but...

are you thinking about
what I'm thinking about?

You mean, Betty's whole...

"kick the hornet's nest" plan
against the Stonies?

Yeah.

Hermosa, ever heard of knocking?

Mm, you're gonna be late for school.

Though I do understand
how you can get lost in those abs. Ooh.

- I don't think we've met.
- That's quite intentional.

Hermosa, kindly tell me what
you really want or get out of my room.

After you announced
you are possibly deferring Barnard,

I called them.

Well, Hermione Lodge called them.

You're under investigation.

[sighs] God, I wonder what that's about.

Oh, I cannot wait to find out
and tell Papi all about it.

Now, rise and shine.

The espresso's getting cold.

[Alice] Sheriff Jones, can you tell us
where you are in the investigation?

Uh, yeah. [clears throat]

Uh...

A couple of nights ago, a body was found
in the woods, in a ravine,

that was positively ID'd as my son.

Dr. Curdle Jr. completed his autopsy
and declared...

the cause of death was blunt force trauma
to the head.

We also got a call a couple of days ago
from a hiker who found a bloody rock

in the woods near
where Jughead was discovered.

It was bagged for evidence

and sent to a lab for testing,
so we'll know more soon.

So, you suspect foul play.

Nothing's off the table.

And earlier,
did I hear that you have a new lead?

Yeah. Just waiting on a warrant,
so I can act on it.

- Bret, what the hell?
- His dad is in your room.

You can't be in here.

Your headmaster
and this warrant say otherwise.

My office got an anonymous tip

that you have something personal
that belonged to my son.

Look, I assure you, I have nothing
that belonged to Jughead.

[case clatters]

What about this tie pin?

It's his.

Isn't it?

When Forsythe was expelled,
he threw his tie pin in our faces.

- I guess I forgot I had it.
- You guess?

That's weak sauce, kid.

- Look, I'm sorry.
- Sorry? About what?

Sorry we didn't come forward,
but we were afraid.

You're gonna have to be
a lot more specific than that.

We were afraid of her.

We were afraid she'd do to us
what she did to Forsythe.

- Who?
- Betty, of course!

The night of the party,
Bret and I decided to sneak into the woods

to do what teenagers do.

Until we saw Betty...

holding a rock, standing over Jughead.

And then we saw that she wasn't alone.

She was with those friends of hers.

Veronica and...

Archie, I think?

Is there anyone
who can back up this story?

Bret can.

He was with me.
He was with me the whole time.

Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper
and Veronica Lodge,

you're under arrest for the cold-blooded
murder of my son, Jughead Jones.

This was their move. The Stonies.
We knew that they would do this.

I hope you're right, Betty.

Everything's fine, okay? This is good.
This is where they start tripping up.

This will work. It has to.

Oh, my family's been serving up milkshakes

to the residents of Riverdale
for generations now.

It's in my blood. I love this town.

[Alice] Which must make it particularly
hard when terrible things happen here.

Year after year.

[sighs] I'm not gonna lie, it's painful...

to see this vibrant place, my home,

suffer so much bloodshed and violence.

[buzzer sounds]

[FP] You three sit tight.

I'll be bringing you in
for questioning one at a time,

then we're finally gonna get to the bottom
of what happened that night.

Do you understand me?

The interrogations came next.

Although I wasn't allowed in the room
with the suspects,

a source in the sheriff's office
promised me exclusive access.

[FP] When was the last time you saw him?

I don't remember exactly.

Stonewall students say you saw him laying
on the ground, bleeding from the head.

- Does that jog your memory?
- That's enough, FP.

My daughter had and has nothing to do
with this mess.

Did you speak to Jughead at all
the night of the party?

You don't have to answer that, Archie.

You've said the same thing
to the last 20 questions I've asked.

I appreciate your need to protect
your boy, but I need answers.

-He's gotta give me something.
- Legally, he does not.

As his lawyer, I am required

to make sure that my client is aware
of his rights.

We don't have long.

FP said he could only give me
a few moments with you alone...

with the security cameras off.

Betty, honey, I know you did it.

-Mom, seriously?
- Well, not on purpose. Not premeditated.

But...

I know what it's like to be driven
by rage and desire.

And sometimes things can
just get out of hand.

I told you, I didn't do it.
It was the Stonies.

Betty, FP has the proof.

And to be honest,
I was expecting something like this.

But I can't help you
unless you tell me the truth.

-Mom...
- [door opens]

[Alice clears throat]

-[FP] Forensics on the rock came back.
- Oh, no.

And?

Turns out it wasn't blood.

It's run-of-the-mill corn syrup,
theatrical stuff used to make fake blood.

So, what does that mean?

Betty...

you and your friends are free to go.

[beeping over TV]

-Put down the controller.
- Hey!

Bret, we've got a problem.

Betty and her friends were released
from jail,

-and the rock tested negative for blood.
- That's, um...

That's unexpected.

Considering we watched Jonathan smear
Jughead's blood on said rock,

I'd say it's impossible.

Which means either Betty somehow
interfered and switched out

the bloody rock with a fake one
or Jughead's sheriff daddy is lying.

-What's your instinct?
- I don't know. I have to think.

Something about all this...

[cell phone ringing]

Hello?

[Donna] I figured it out, Betty.

It's 3 a.m., Donna.
What the hell do you want?

You got too confident.

Overplayed your hand.

That rock found by that hiker
wasn't smeared with synthetic blood.

It was real.

Which must mean you're working
with Jughead's dad,

which made me wonder,

why would a sheriff...

father...

help the girl who killed his son?

He wouldn't.

Unless, of course,
Jughead isn't dead at all.

You saw his body, Donna.
You and Bret burst into the morgue.

I saw a body.

I never looked into
Forsythe's cold, dead eyes.

I didn't even see his face.

Are you seriously suggesting
I made Jughead pretend to be dead?

It's what I would have done.

In fact, I would have done everything
to make the lies seem real,

to buy myself more time
to outwit my enemies.

Now you're keeping Jughead tucked away

while you desperately search for proof

that would tie us to attempted murder.

You're vamping. You won't beat us, Betty.

I am going to implode your little scheme

and lead this investigation
right to your doorstep.

There's no way out of this for you.

- Morning, sweetheart.
- Morning.

Mr. Jones, I know it might be weird,

but I think the time is right
to host a funeral.

We could have a public wake,

here in Jughead's home.

It might help everyone who knew him
just to bring some semblance of closure.

If you wanna organize something, Betty,
that'd be all right with me.

[Hermosa]
Well, well, if it isn't the jail bird.

I'm innocent of all charges
and was released within hours.

- I have never killed anyone, Hermosa.
- Maybe not...

but sometimes it's better
to be safe than sorry.

Isn't that your alias?

Oh, I bet you would love
to run me out of town.

Get me out of the way,
so you can finally swoop in

and take control of the family business.

Well, tough luck.

Hey, guys, it's time for group training.
Where is everyone?

They're, um, not coming.

Why? What's going on?

Everyone's saying that you're a murderer,
that you killed that Jones guy.

Toby, I swear to you,

I would never hurt my best friend.

I did not kill Jughead.
I didn't kill anyone, okay?

- I'm one of the good guys.
- If you say so.

We'll see you later, Archie.

[Alice] So, tell me about your friend,
the late Jughead Jones.

We were really similar in a lot of ways.

We actually spent one night together,

and, um...

it was the moment that cemented
our friendship.

What?

I'm not threated
by what was surely one loveless tryst.

[Alice] And, Cheryl, what are
your feelings on the subject?

I'm sorry I called Jughead a hobo
that one time.

Is that it?

I'm really sorry I called Jughead a hobo
that one time.

[indistinct chatter]

[door opens]

- You got a lot of nerve coming here.
- Sweet Pea, it's okay.

Mr. Jones said that they could come in.

[Donna] Closed casket.

Call me a doubting Thomas,

but that seems like a suspect choice
with such a handsome cadaver.

Classy as ever, Donna.

The funeral home didn't even want us
to have the casket here,

but it's Serpent tradition.

And if you make a scene,
I will throw your ass out.

I wanna thank you for coming today.

I know you all... loved my son.

Things weren't always easy for us.

But my boy was...

always resilient...

and loyal...

and loving.

And...

I'll go.

As many of you know,

Jughead was a fan of crime fiction.

Detective stories.

So, to honor him,
I'd like to read a passage

from one of his favorite
Sherlock Holmes short stories:

"The Final Problem."

"An examination by experts
leaves little doubt

that a personal contest between Holmes
and Moriarty ended in their reeling over,

locked in each other's arms.

Any attempt at recovering
the bodies was absolutely hopeless,

and there, deep down,

in that dreadful cauldron
of swirling water and seething foam,

will lie...

Will lie for all time
the most dangerous criminal

and the foremost champion of the law
of their generation."

[sighs]

[clears throat]

Mr. Mayor.

FP.

Look, this is a difficult time.

And this case, it's just...
It's too personal for you.

It's too painful, so why don't you take
a leave of absence from being sheriff?

You came to my son's funeral to fire me?

Of course not.

Go to hell, Hiram.

I quit.

You must really miss your brother.

When was the last time you saw him?

He isn't really dead, is he?

Donna, are you serious?

This is Jughead's little sister.
You're accosting her?

Oh, come on, Betty, you and I both know
that this is all an act.

Bitch, I'm done with you. Let's go.

Do it. Bret, do it!

- What do you think you're doing?
- She told me to do it.

- You preppies don't know when to quit.
- Okay, calm down. He's not worth it.

He was leaving anyway.

Donna, control your little pet, okay?
He seems to have lost his cool.

I don't know what kind of second-rate
detective this former Sheriff Jones is,

but I took it upon myself to do
a little investigating and...

guess what I discovered.

Please, enlighten me.

You, Betty and Archie

all told your parents drastically
different versions of what happened

the night of Jughead's death.

How did you find out about that?

I simply ingratiated myself
to the right people, of course.

Mrs. Andrews,
I'm Veronica's sister, Hermosa.

- What can I do for you?
- I was hoping I could ask your legal help

in drawing up some contracts
for one of my clubs down in Miami.

- I could pay up front.
- Come on in.

Ms. Smith, I wanted to offer you
and Mr. Jones my deepest condolences.

Thank you.

- May I come in?
- Of course.

I knew I was on to something.

Now, I want the truth.

Or what, my dear sister?

Or I sit Papi, Mrs. Andrews
and Alice Smith down at the same table,

so they can compare notes.

[knock on door]

Hey.

So, is it true?

Is what true?

That Jughead, you know, is alive?

What?

Kevin, that's insane,
not to mention cruel.

I'm sorry,
it's just what people are saying.

Who? What people? Seriously, tell me.
Who is saying that Jughead is alive?

Everyone.

But I first heard it from
that Stonewall Prep girl at the funeral.

- Do you mean Donna Sweett?
- Yes, that was her name.

She was talking about
how it was all some elaborate ruse.

[Alice] Why do you think these stories
about Jughead faking his death

are gaining so much traction?

I think because we just wanna believe
that it's true.

Now that I think of it,
I remember freshman year,

we were assigned
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to read.

I barely knew Jughead at the time,
but he was obsessed with that book,

specifically the chapter
in which Tom fakes his own death

to see how the people of his hometown
would react to his passing.

I remember him in class saying,
"Imagine that."

Imagine being able to attend
your own funeral.

[Alice] Reggie,
what do you make of the rumors

that Jughead Jones is somehow alive?

I'm angered by them, Mrs. S.

It pisses me off.

Yeah, of course,

because you deeply miss your friend.

What? No.

I'm mad because that weirdo beat me

by pulling off the most epic senior prank
of all time.

Faking your own death?

That's legendary.

He'll never be forgotten.

[door bells jingle]

[oldies music playing over speakers]

- Hey.
- Hi.

I got here as soon as I could.
What's going on?

I just don't think
I can do this anymore, Arch.

I keep waiting for Jug to come back,

but he doesn't and he won't.

He won't ever come back.

And I don't know
how I'm supposed to keep going.

Day by day, Betty.

We'll get through this. Together.

I just don't know why everyone at school
is saying that he's still alive, he isn't.

These crazy rumors are just making it
so much more painful.

[Archie] Betty, you okay?

You wanna talk about it?

I can't do this, Arch.

I feel so alone.

You're not.

Betty, I promise. I know how hard this is.

I just wanna feel... good.

Even for just a few moments.

I'm here for you, Betty.

I always have been.

Yeah, you have, haven't you?

[clicking]

Oh, grief,

you wicked, heartless aphrodisiac.

Destroyer of endgames and worlds.

Why, oh, why am I always the one
to catch these two kissing cads?

[cell phones chiming]

Andrews and Cooper.

What?

[door opens]

Cheryl.

Is everything okay?
Did something happen with Toni?

Veronica, I had a text drafted
and ready to send to you,

but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

- You deserve to be told in person.
- What are you talking about?

Take a moment.
Prepare yourself for devastation.

Come on, we're maple partners.
Just please tell me what's going on.

Son of a bi...

Betty? Really, Archie?

Of all people? Betty?

- How could you do this to me?
- Ronnie, what...?

Don't play innocent with me,
Archie Andrews.

Kissing my best friend in the music room
where you and I had our fun?

Why should I be surprised?
That's your special place, isn't it?

It's where you take all your women.

Me, Josie, Ms. Grundy, and now Betty.

And shame on you for taking advantage
of our friend when she is grieving...

and at her most vulnerable.

B, I need you to know,

I do not blame you.

It's my fault.
I'm the one who started it. I...

I kissed Archie. I'm so sorry.

Sorry?

You're sorry?

You scheming, two-faced bitch,

Betty Cooper.

You know what?

You two deserve each other.

So, burn in hell, the both of you.

That's right. You tell them, girl.

[Alice] So, why do you think people are
so ready to accept the fact

that Archie and Betty are dating?

I think there were
a lot of closeted Barchie stans out there

who have been waiting for this moment.

We just hoped that it's true.

Sounds like you're one of these stans.

Oh, no, don't get me wrong.
I support Betty and whoever she likes.

There's a lot of people who don't think
Bughead should have happened.

It was always supposed
to be Betty and Archie.

It was like it was their destiny.

I see.

And what about this rumor
that Jughead is still alive?

If Betty and Archie being together
proves anything,

it's that Jughead is definitely dead.

I know your daughter pretty well.

Not even she's crazy enough to date Archie
if Jughead were still around.

[zipper zipping]

Hi, Betty.

Here all alone?

Why? Are you here to kill me?

Just so you know...

you may have this town, your school
and all your friends fooled, but not me.

You're either building a case against me
and my classmates

or trying to exonerate yourself.

And Jughead is alive
and helping you behind the scenes.

I just don't know where you're hiding him.

Yet.

Donna...

we can't keep having the same conversation
over and over again, okay?

You're obsessed.
Seriously, it is not healthy.

It's fine.

I didn't expect you to just tell me.

But I know he's close by.

Somewhere you two can be alone.

Know how I know?

Because I saw that sex tape
of yours and...

Yowza. Based on the contents,
you can't go two hours,

let alone two days without it.

You are an actual monster.

And you are a nymphomaniac

who is going to trip up sooner
rather than later.

And I'll be there to watch you fall.

[Alice] And that's when you believe
Donna started following you.

She had fixated on me.

She was convinced
that I was sneaking around.

Which was true.

I... had been visiting Dilton's bunker.

It became a nightly ritual.

First, stop at Pop's for dinner.

Then I'd head to the woods alone.

- Gotcha!
- [Betty] What the hell?

Oh, my God. Donna?

Get out of here, you pervert!

[Alice] And how long have you been meeting
with Archie in the bunker?

Kind of just started up after...

It's nothing to be ashamed of, Elizabeth.

I promise you'll feel better
once you tell the truth.

In that case...

before you hear it from someone else, Mom,
I need to tell you something.

Off the record.

Okay, honey.

Well, as it turns out,

this is not simply a story
about a murder in a small town.

No.

It's a story about friendship

and conspiracy.

And what happens
when those two things dovetail

into a highly sophisticated cover-up.

So, our little gambit worked.

Between the look I saw
on Donna's face in the bunker

and your performance
in the student lounge...

You can thank
Helen Mirren's MasterClass for that.

Though I just have to ask.

When you were pretending
to be with Betty...

you didn't feel anything,

did you?

Ronnie...

when will you learn?

You are,

now and forever,

the only girl for me.

[Betty] Even by our standards,
this was a pretty crazy week.

Well, pretending to be dead is one thing,

but hiding under a cot
in this sex bunker of death...

while you make out with Archie
just to convince a bunch of evil preppies

that I did die?

Yeah, definitely cracks
the top-10 craziest things.

But it worked.

And now Donna will start doubting herself.

This whole thing is a game of confidence.

And what happens
when you don't have confidence?

Mistakes are made.

And bonus,
you'll have all this uninterrupted time

to figure out how the pieces
of the mystery fit together.

An additional bonus is
that they won't come to try

- and finish my botched braining.
- Mm-hm.

I never thought I'd say it,

but God bless that beanie
for cushioning the blow,

even just a little bit.

Speaking of that...

close your eyes and hold out your hand.

Open.

When did you have time to do this?

[laughs] We all manage our stress
in different ways.

My mom had her documentary,

I taught myself how to knit.

Are you sure telling
your mom was a good idea?

Well, considering Charles,

your dad, Jellybean, Dr. Curdle Jr.,

and Mrs. Andrews are all in on it,

yeah, it felt like
the prudent thing to do.

Yeah, that's fair enough.

When you kissed Archie, none
of those old feelings came back, did they?

Jughead...

No.

Of course not, okay? Don't be silly.

You know you're the only man for me.

And our scheming can take one night off,
don't you think?

[Alice] So, I understand you made quite
the public spectacle

over the Archie and Betty romance.

Um, I think you mean I gave
an amazing performance.

But weren't you afraid that something
might actually spark between them?

I trust Archie.

And I trust Betty.

To be honest,
the thought never even crossed my mind.

[cell phone buzzing]

["Verso" playing]

♪ I can hear your voice ♪

♪ Through the cold, white noise ♪

♪ You're still there for me ♪

♪ I'm still here for you ♪

♪ I can feel your love ♪

♪ Through this empty room ♪

♪ You still care for me ♪

♪ And I still care for you ♪

[Alice] The question still remains:

Why did you go
to such extraordinary lengths

to convince the preppies and pretty much
the whole town of Riverdale

that Jughead was dead?

Because they were trying to pin
the murder on me.

And because if they knew
Jughead was still alive,

they would circle the wagons
and lock down tight.

And we were and still are locked
in a battle of psychological warfare

with the Stonies.

The only way that we would be able to pin
the attempted murder of Jughead on them

is if we forced the Stonies to crack.

You seem quite confident that they will.

No, I can't be certain, but...

after the last few days,

I have a feeling they'll be fracturing
any minute now.

Stop what you're doing, Bret.

I have proof that Jughead's alive.

Whoa, Donna, slow down.
How can you be so sure?

I tailed Betty to an apocalyptic bunker,

where she sloppily swapped saliva

with that carrot-topped Neanderthal.

It was all a charade.

They had takeout from Pop's,

that little diner
that Jones was obsessed with.

And what? There's an extra burger?

Archie's built like a superhero.
I'm sure he could wolf half a dozen.

Forget about the burger!

There was not one, not two,

but three milkshakes in evidence.

I am certain that Jones must have
heard me sneaking down the ladder

and he hid so as not to get caught.

Donna, look...

maybe, um...

you should let sleeping dogs lie.

Take the win.

Forsythe's dead.

We killed him.

Ponytail's obviously moved on.

It's time you do the same.

Don't you ever tell me what to do.

In case you've forgotten,
I'm the brains of this operation.

We still have a job to finish
and a meddling girlfriend to pin it on.

Yes, sir.

And if you ever undermine me again,

you will go the way of Jonathan,
may he rest in peace.

And that's a fact.

Well, well, well...

if it isn't the girl who cried Papi.

I did a little digging
like you asked me to.

And?

You are lucky I am such a good PI

because you'll never believe
what I found out.

[speaks in Spanish]

[Veronica] As it turns out,

my darling half sister
is actually good for something.

At my behest, Hermosa put
her private-eye skills to good use

and did some digging
on those Stonewall WASPs.

And your gal-pal Donna...

is not so sweet.

Everybody, brace yourselves.

Because Donna Sweett is actually...

- Oh, my God.
- Of course.

If this is true, this is our smoking gun.

This is the final piece of the puzzle
that we needed.

I think I know how to take down
these Stonies once and for all.