Riverdale (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 16 - Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Blue Collar - full transcript

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.

Ah, 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?

Uh, 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.

Mmm.

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.

Hmm. 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 uh... certainly enough
to incapacitate him.

*RIVERDALE *
Season 06 Episode 16

Episode Title: " Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Blue Collar"

Aired on:
May 29, 2022.

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.

- Mmm.
- 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, uh,

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.
- Hmm.

Still, maybe you'll change
your mind, eh?

Mmm. 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.

Oh!

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.

Mmm.

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, um,

textbook serial killer
behavior, total...

cliche, really.

Kind of like, um,

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, um...

doing what I did to it,

maybe...

my shadow-self
would have remained dormant.

Crazy to imagine, huh?

Yeah.

I know.
Total heart breaker, 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.

Mmm.

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.

Uh, 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.

Hmm.

"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.

Oh, 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.

You know, 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.

Hmm.
Well played, Reggie.

And you left
everything undisturbed?

- Mmm-hmm. You know it.
- Good.

Very good.

Oh, 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?

Hmm?

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...

What's going on?

Jughead,
what's wrong?

I'm... Uh...

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.

Um...

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...

Oh, I love that picture.

Mmm.
Best cheeseburgers in town.

Oh, 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.

Oh. 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.

So 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.