Riverdale (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 2 - Chapter Ninety-Seven: Ghost Stories - full transcript
Gather around, kiddies.
It's time for a ghost story.
No, a few ghost stories,
actually.
The first begins
with a conflict as ancient
as Cain and Abel.
For as long
as the Serpents have existed,
so too have the Ghoulies.
Over the years, they fought
for a myriad of reasons.
Tonight they're rumbling
because Serpent Princess Xandra
fell in love with
the Ghoulie Prince, Daniel.
And in a town like Rivervale,
that is more than enough reason
to spill some blood.
♪ We all fall down
Dan!
What haunts me is that
I was aiming to wound,
not kill.
And I couldn't
have possibly known
that Darla's son, Danny,
was gonna jump in front of her
like that.
Still...
Thanks.
The boy's mother,
Darla Dickenson,
have you thought about
reaching out to her?
To apologize?
I mean, she's a mother
who lost her son,
Doctor, really,
there's nothing I could say
to comfort her.
I know that I wouldn't
be able to live anymore
if something bad were to happen
to Baby Anthony.
I had a reason
for inviting each guest.
Good luck
with your writing today.
Thanks.
Good luck feeding the masses.
Oh, and don't forget
to hang up these pictures.
Consider it done.
They share
one thing,they all need money.
Mantle Motors.
Hey, I'm just checking in
to see if there's any word
on your dad.
It's not so good.
The nurse said he's having
a bad day and I shouldn't
visit him at the hospital.
You know, Reggie, it's okay
for you to be upset about
your dad being sick.
What kills me
is that we were doing better.
I just thought
we'd have more time.
Thanks for calling, Ronnie.
I'll see you when I get home.
Okay.
See you in a bit.
Holy crap.
Oh...
I had a car exactly
like this one back
in high school.
Man, the times we had.
She's a beaut, isn't she?
I was hoping to get her
appraised and sold.
Tell you what I'm gonna do.
I'll buy it off of you.
Double the Blue Book value.
All cash.
Just like old times.
I've missed you, Bellissima.
♪ Feel real, feel real
♪ Feel real, feel real
♪ Feel real, feel real
Ronnie?
Hey, don't mean
to be a new noodge,
but I was getting worried.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, I just got caught
doing some paperwork.
I'm about to head out
the door now.
No worries, lover.
See you soon.
Hey, you.
Hey.
What happened to hanging up
the art today?
I'm sorry.
I'll do it tomorrow, love.
I promise.
You know what? It's, um...
It's all good.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Jeez, Tabs.
I thought my walls in New York
were paper thin.
Wait. Do you feel that?
Yeah.
I think there's
a draft coming through.
I think there's
something in there.
On the other side.
Whoa!
What the hell is this place?
Are these Scotch bottles?
Isn't that what you used
to drink?
Yeah, when I could afford it.
But why would this place
have been covered up?
I don't know, but I should put
my writing desk in here
and turn this into
a little writing nook.
Wouldn't that be cool?
Hey.
Reggie?
I'm sorry, I stink.
I'm gonna take a shower.
So, Nana, you'll be thrilled.
I was out
in the Maple Groves today,
and the trees are
positively bursting with sap.
They practically drenched me.
In fact, I infused
our brandies with some.
Mm.
To Archie.
To Archie.
Auntie Cheryl.
Mommy is trying
to take Juniper.
What are you talking about,
boy child?
Where is your sister?
She's in the bathroom,
splashing, and she won't
open the door.
Juniper, open the door.
Juniper, open the door!
Juniper, Juniper.
Mama.
Come here. Are you okay?
Okay. You're okay.
So, are you thinking
about any names?
It's still early days, Kev.
But if it's a boy, Archie.
Obviously.
And, uh, if it's a girl,
I was thinking maybe
Polly would be nice.
Cousin, I need your mother
to take the twins for a couple
of days.
Okay. Why?
Because some evil
water nymph out of
an M. Night Shyamalan movie
is stalking the halls
of Thornhill
and threatening them.
Will you let Alice know
or shall I?
Uh...
Okay, so there is a closet
in the original floor plan
of this apartment.
Hmm. Isn't that curious?
Miss Gordon, is there something
that you're not telling me?
Don't you legally have
to disclose any bad things
that have happened there?
I did. To your boyfriend.
Okay.
And what exactly
did you disclose?
About Sam and Diane.
The young couple
who died in the apartment.
I'm sorry, what?
Died there? How?
Murder suicide.
She killed him, then herself.
It was a very
unfortunate situation.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Schaeffer.
This is so unlike... Reggie?
Where are you?
Hey, Ronnie.
Now is not a good time.
I'm at the hospital.
There was an emergency
with my dad.
Was that a school bell?
You are so busted, Mantle.
For a second, I thought
you were having
a secret affair.
What is going on, Reggie?
And where did that car
come from?
Some Joe nobody showed up
in the lot wanting to sell her.
Can you believe it?
'Course she's not the OG Bella,
but she's the same
make and model.
That's right. Bella.
You know, my dad gave me her.
When he handed me those keys,
it was maybe
the greatest day of my life.
So when she came back to me,
I just wanted to...
Relive some happy memories
for a change?
I get that.
But why bring her here?
Why not the Pembrooke?
To be honest, I needed to do
a little fine tuning.
Give her a little TLC,
get her purring again.
Whatever you need to do,
Reggie.
You don't have to sneak around.
And don't forget, I could use
a little TLC every now
and again, too.
I can arrange that.
Yeah?
Mm-hmm.
In fact... I have a crazy idea.
It's cool, right?
I decided to go for
a nautical Neil Gaiman theme.
Okay, so you didn't have time
to hang up our pictures,
but you did have time to put up
a door on your new nook. Huh?
Also, why didn't you tell me
the truth about this place?
What truth?
About Sam and Diane,
the murder-suicide couple.
Because when
you saw the apartment,
you fell in love with it.
Also, I, I know this is gonna
sound weird, but I thought,
maybe I could write about them.
I've been doing some digging,
and it's a pretty
fascinating story.
He was a painter,
obsessed with his work.
She bludgeoned him to death
with a hammer and then
hung herself.
Why'd she do that?
No one knows for certain.
She just sort of
snapped one day.
How completely ghoulish.
I know.
It's an unsettling story.
That's why I didn't want
to tell you.
I'm not upset about something
that happened 50 years ago,
as disturbing as it is,
Jughead.
I'm upset that you chose
to hide something from me.
I should've told you.
I'm not gonna do something
like that ever again.
And if you're worried
about the ghosts--
I'm not.
And on the plus side...
I'm feeling kind of inspired.
Are you writing again?
No, but I'm getting close.
Hey, Toni.
Um, I need your help.
Sure, Betty. What's up?
Um, I'm here about a case.
An incident
of domestic violence.
Looks like a mother
drowned her daughter
in a bathtub.
And, Toni, she's a Serpent.
Her name's Lucinda Villa.
Her daughter is--
Sandra.
But she's 16.
Drowned how?
Dr. Curdle said that there were
bruises on her shoulders,
like someone held her under.
So the FBI wants me to charge
her mother with murder.
No, I know Lucinda.
She'd never hurt her daughter.
Well, she's not talking to me,
so maybe she would talk to you.
Okay.
Lucinda, I know
you didn't drown your daughter.
You loved her
with all your heart.
But you were you
the only one home
when it happened.
Who did this to Sandra?
It was...
La Llorona.
"La Llorona"?
Who or what is La Llorona?
According to the
old folk tales,
it's a spirit of vengeance
who preys on young children.
She drowns them.
Okay, Toni,
I appreciate your help,
and I want to give Lucinda
the benefit of the doubt here,
but I can't put
"spirit of vengeance"
on my report.
♪ Whoa, my love ♪
♪ My darling
♪ I've hungered
For your touch ♪
♪ A long, lonely time
Dear God, Reggie,
those are my students.
Okay, that's it. We're done.
I've indulged you long enough.
What about dinner?
We're taking it to go.
Now.
Jughead, can you keep it down?
Jughead, can you just
please stop for a second?
Jughead?
Hmm.
How many times
have I told you not to leave
the toothpaste uncapped?
Uh, it wasn't me.
Yet it was uncapped.
I don't know.
Maybe, it was the ghost
that you heard banging
in the closet.
You know, when you woke me up
in the middle of the night.
I don't need any attitude
right now.
Please, just put
the toothpaste cap
back on the tube.
It's common decency.
Reggie,
I think we should
talk about last night.
It was really
uncomfortable for me.
What?
You're telling me
you've never made out
in a car?
Of course I have.
But last time that happened,
Chuck Clayton tried
to tarnish my good name,
so maybe that's why
canoodling in your
stupid car triggered me.
First of all,
Bella's not stupid.
Second of all,
you've got kinks too,
like making out on a bed
full of dirty $100 bills.
That was in the privacy
of our own home,
not plastered
on the leather seats
of some stupid ride.
Okay, that's the second time
you've called my car stupid.
Veronica, are you jealous
of Bella or something?
Don't be ridiculous.
Fine. No more carscapades.
Great.
You okay, Tabitha?
That's the third plate
you dropped today.
I'm sorry, Grandpa.
I just... haven't been
sleeping well.
Any reason in particular?
Grandpa, you don't believe
in ghosts, do you?
Sure, I do.
This diner was haunted
for a while by the ghost
of a waitress
who died in an accident
with a deep fryer.
When we opened back up
a couple of days later,
strange things began to happen.
The jukebox would start
playing on its own.
Pots and pans
would fall off hooks.
How did you get it to stop?
Remember we had those riots
in the 1980s,
when every window was broken?
Well, after that night
we didn't have
another incident.
It was almost as if the racket
scared the ghost off.
I guess the dead
can be as afraid of us
as we are of them.
Well,
from what you're telling me,
it's clear as day,hermanita.
Reggie's going
through a quarter-life crisis.
Actually, the timing
of a quarter-life crisis
does make sense.
Mm.
Especially considering
what's happening
with Reggie's dad.
My advice,
cut Reggie some slack.
Let him play with his toys,
hell, get him some fuzzy dice.
Maybe you're right, hermosa.
I mean, it's not like I'm
actually jealous of Bella.
Hey, Betty.
I'm just calling
to check in on Lucinda.
How's she doing?
She's still sticking
to her story about La Llorona.
I know this sounds crazy,
but is there any universe
in which she's
telling the truth?
I've been doing
lots of research,
and ghosts like La Llorona
exist in different cultures.
They're spirits
of unfettered
feral motherhood.
And look, there's different
versions of the legend,
but they're always mothers,
and they always
go after children.
I even read one article
where a La Llorona
can go after an unborn child.
Okay, Toni,
that's enough, okay?
I'm sorry, but your friend
is going to be charged
for murder.
Betty, you need
to listen to me.
Something very bad
is happening in Rivervale.
And I don't think
any of our children are safe
until it's over.
So it took me all day,
but I finally figured out
how they get the ship
in the bottle.
Um, were you seriously
doing this all day?
Uh, yeah, I kind of
got fixated on it.
Jughead, I thought you were
going to be writing.
That was our deal.
No, I get it.
This is just my process.
I'm refilling the well
of my creative subconscious.
And what about these bottles?
What happened to the Scotch
that was in them?
Nothing.
Tabitha, I picked
those bottles up
behind Whyte Wyrm.
Hey, I'm not drinking again.
I promise.
I think I-I know
I'm ready to start
writing again, okay?
Okay.
God...
Seriously?
It worked.
What did?
My process.
I've been writing all night.
The words have just been
flying out.
Look, look, it's a novella.
It's almost finished.
Wow, that's--
That's amazing, Jughead.
When can I read it?
Uh, not just yet.
I don't really let anyone read
my vomit drafts, like ever.
But the second I revise it,
you are going to be
the first one to read it.
Okay?
Okay. I can't wait.
You know what?
This is a nice car.
Reggie Mantle!
You lying cad!
Oh.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What are you doing
with a photo of Miss Soprano?
What? Who is Miss Soprano?
She was our
driver's ed teacher.
That is, until the allegations.
Allegations?
Of inappropriate relations
between her and, uh,
some of the boys.
What was her first name again?
Something Italian.
Isabella, if I
recall correctly.
Oh, my God.
Keep working.
I'll just be a minute.
I know who you are.
And I know what you want.
Don't even think about it.
Toni! What the hell?
How curious, Miss Cooper.
According to the sonogram,
you are no longer pregnant.
What?
What are you talking about,
Dr. Curdle? I was pregnant.
You told me
that I was pregnant.
I took a test
that said I was pregnant.
Hysterical pregnancies
can manifest the same symptoms
and conditions
as actual pregnancies.
Perhaps that's what
happened here.
Toni, I believe you now.
I think La Llorona
is in Rivervale.
I'm gonna try and help Lucinda.
Thank you.
But, Betty,
did something happen?
I think so.
Um, but I'll tell you
about it later, okay?
In the meantime,
there's a hunch
that I need to pursue.
Can we meet up afterwards?
Absolutely. I'm here.
Okay. I'll call you.
More coffee?
Uh, decaf, please.
Oh, you got it
Everything okay?
Yes.
Just a little on edge.
How are you?
How-How's life with Jughead?
To be frank,
I had no idea
living with a writer
would be so... intense.
Oh, yeah.
He could be
pretty single-minded
when he got in the weeds
with a story.
But it was always
very exciting to read
those early vomit drafts
of his, you know?
Wait, Jughead
let you read his vomit drafts?
Yeah, all the time.
He said he wanted me
to experience his stories
in their rawest form, you know?
Yeah, same with me.
Janet, what's the occasion?
I hate to be
the bearer of bad news,
but I received
an anonymous complaint.
I'm here on
a wellness check, Toni,
for Baby Anthony.
What?
Somebody thinks I'm not
taking care of my baby?
Janet, you know me?
I do.
But, you know,
as a social worker,
I have to investigate
every claim.
I don't even know
what to say.
Who called Child Services?
Was it Kevin?
I can't disclose
that information.
Anthony!
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
Mama's got you.
I got your text, Ronnie.
What's going on?
Ronnie, why?
Why'd you do this to Bella?
Because I know who Bella is.
The real one.
Isabella Soprano,
the sick teacher
who had inappropriate
relationships with
her students, including you.
What?
I can stomach a lot, Reggie,
but I will not allow you
to romanticize
an abusive relationship.
She was an adult,
and she took advantage of you.
And this-This sick obsession
with your car
is just a continuation
of that toxic dynamic.
But we never did anything.
She was the one adult
I could trust.
The only one I ever told
about the abuse
that was going on in my home.
She listened to me.
She helped me.
Reggie...
It's just a car.
I just got back
from the hospital
and my dad died 20 minutes ago.
Oh, my God. Reggie.
I'm so, so sorry.
I will always be here for you.
It's just you and me,
as it should be.
Toni, I found something,
a pattern, retracing her steps.
So she's following
a direct line
from Sweetwater River.
First Thornhill, where Cheryl
encountered her,
then Lucinda's,
my house, Rivervale High.
Now--
This apartment.
Where she came after
Baby Anthony.
Her target was,
and I bet still is,
Baby Anthony.
Well, how do you know?
Mother's intuition, I guess.
Fangs,
take Baby Anthony
to the Whyte Wyrm.
And surround him
with the Serpents.
I don't think she'll
go after him
with a crowd around.
Okay.
And where are you going?
Cheryl's.
We need to contact
that ghost bitch,
and she's the only person
I know who knows
how to channel the spirits.
So we'll go to the funeral home
tomorrow morning
to finalize arrangements.
But... everything's in order.
Thanks, Ronnie.
I have a surprise for you.
I was going
to wait until things
calmed down a bit,
but I think my Reggie-kins
deserves a pick-me-up.
You'll find that car key
fits into a gorgeous
1969 Camaro SS 4-speed.
I thought you might
want to take it
for a spin later tonight.
This is great.
Thanks, Ronnie.
I really appreciate it.
Reggie...
We're gonna be okay, right?
Of course.
Nothing could
ever come between us.
Hear ye, hear ye,
we sacred women
have gathered here
to summon the entity
known as La Llorona,
or the weeping woman.
Spirit, your sisters
call out to you.
You who visited this house
and the house
of Elizabeth Cooper
and the house
of Antoinette Topaz.
Spirit, speak to us.
What is thy name?
Spirit, reveal thyself.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Is that the spirit?
Who are you? Name thy self?
My name was Martha Mallon.
My employ was as a nurse
in the children's ward
of Rivervale's first hospital.
In those early, hungry years,
we lost many a babe
from the pox,
from the bitter cold,
from a doctor's careless hands.
The townsfolk blamed me
for the loss of their children,
accused me of being
a witch woman.
And they dragged me
and my own children
to the Sweetwater River,
weighed us down with rocks,
and threw us
in the dark waters.
We drowned,
and I became
this cursed thing that I am.
Who summoned you here, spirit?
Who called you
to this earthly plane?
What's happening?
Do not break the circle
or we'll lose contact.
Speak, Martha,
who summoned you here?
We have to stop, Cheryl,
she's gonna drown.
Not yet, we need a name.
Speak, Martha,
who summoned you here?
Who called you to this plane?
It was Darla Dickenson,
who did so
from her son's grave.
Nana, I'm sorry,
are you all right?
Are you all right?
Forgive me.
Darla Dickenson,
why does that name
sound so familiar?
She's the woman
whose son I killed.
That's why she's doing this.
Tabitha?
"She doesn't understand me.
How could she?
She doesn't have
an artist's soul."
Mmm.
You broke into my desk?
It's a huge breach
of privacy and my process.
Oh, right, right, your process.
Your process.
You mean how you sit around
all day playing with your
toy boats while
I work my ass off
so that you can write
a story about a wife
who doesn't understand
her husband and then
kills her husband
because he leaves the cap
off the freakin' toothpaste?
Hey-Hey, hey, hey.
Are you for real?
Are you kidding me?
This story is not about us.
It's about the people
who lived here before us,
Sam and Diane.
Oh, Sam and Diane.
Also--
Yeah, give me a break.
Also, she doesn't kill him
because of the toothpaste.
She kills him because
he's too obsessed
with his work.
Ah, I'll tell you
why she kills him.
She kills him
because she gets sick
of supporting him
while he displays
a complete disregard
for her feelings.
Maybe that's why
she brains him with a hammer.
Oh!
What's with the Scotch that
you're allegedly not drinking?
I'm not!
Those are for the ships.
And I'm going to pour them out.
Oh.
Let me get this straight.
You bought a bunch of Scotch
with money that I earned
so you could just
pour it down the drain
for your stupid boats.
Well, you know what?
Screw your ship.
Screw your...
Hey!
Tab--
You know what,
screw your writing, too.
Don't.
Yes!
Please, don't, don't, don't.
Don't! Don't!
Don't!
How could you?
This was a gift from Betty.
No!
We're not like them.
We're stronger.
We're stronger and we
made a promise that we would
work through our problems.
And I love you...
Jughead, and I'm...
sorry.
I'm sorry.
Did you say, "I love you"?
Yeah.
I've been wanting to
say that for a while.
Yeah. I've been
wanting to say it, too.
I love you.
Was that...
What, the ghost leaving?
Are ghosts real now?
I think maybe they are.
And I think maybe...
we scared them away.
Finally...
I've been expecting you.
Darla, I'm sorry.
Sorry that Danny
was taken away from you.
And I'm sorry that I was
responsible for his death.
Do you know how many
sons I've buried, Toni?
Danny was my last one.
My little boy.
Darla.
We know you
summoned La Llorona.
Now you need to call her off.
You can't call off La Llorona.
Once summoned,
once a child is promised,
there's no stopping her.
At least,
not until Anthony's dead,
in her arms.
So that's what you want?
An eye for an eye?
My baby's life for your son?
Yes-
Well, it's not gonna happen,
because there's
a crew of Serpents surrounding
Baby Anthony, guarding him.
Toni...
you're a mother.
Even if there were
50 men standing
between you and your baby,
would that stop you?
No.
Exactly.
Now imagine that
primal maternal force
times a hundred.
La Llorona is a storm
unlike any you've ever seen.
Oh, my God.
Fangs?
Anthony?
Fangs!
Hey!
Where's Anthony?
Where's our son?
She...
She took him.
Where? Where did she take him?
Sweetwater.
Go!
We need to beat them
to the river.
Hey, you're kind of quiet.
Understandably.
I guess I'm just... wondering.
What?
Our fighting, was that...
the ghosts... or... us?
I don't know. Maybe both.
Look, that was
our first real fight.
We survived.
We lived to tell the tale.
I mean, barely.
What's our next test gonna be?
Maybe love is just
a series of tests,
test the strength
of our relationship.
I know that's
kind of bleak, but...
it's also kind of--
Kind of sweet.
Stop!
You're not taking my baby.
He's innocent.
No one is innocent.
You were, your children were.
I'm sorry for everything
you went through,
but you could show us mercy.
You could spare my son.
I was called forth.
I can't return
without the babe.
Well, what if I could
take away the suffering?
For good.
You could give it to me.
And that way, you'd be free.
Why would
you offer that?
Because I would give up
anything for my son,
my life.
But also because I killed
another woman's child,
and I should be
punished for that.
And it should be me.
Not Baby Anthony.
You've suffered enough, Martha.
Let me take your place.
Promise me you'll
take care of him, Betty.
Protect him, Betty.
And please let him know
his mother loved him.
Hmm.
Let me ask you
something, friends.
Is there a better word
for motherhood
than "sacrifice"?
The next time a weeping woman
rises from Sweetwater River
or, if you prefer,
the river Styx,
a different soul
will take her path,
a path that both begins
and ends in Rivervale.
It's time for a ghost story.
No, a few ghost stories,
actually.
The first begins
with a conflict as ancient
as Cain and Abel.
For as long
as the Serpents have existed,
so too have the Ghoulies.
Over the years, they fought
for a myriad of reasons.
Tonight they're rumbling
because Serpent Princess Xandra
fell in love with
the Ghoulie Prince, Daniel.
And in a town like Rivervale,
that is more than enough reason
to spill some blood.
♪ We all fall down
Dan!
What haunts me is that
I was aiming to wound,
not kill.
And I couldn't
have possibly known
that Darla's son, Danny,
was gonna jump in front of her
like that.
Still...
Thanks.
The boy's mother,
Darla Dickenson,
have you thought about
reaching out to her?
To apologize?
I mean, she's a mother
who lost her son,
Doctor, really,
there's nothing I could say
to comfort her.
I know that I wouldn't
be able to live anymore
if something bad were to happen
to Baby Anthony.
I had a reason
for inviting each guest.
Good luck
with your writing today.
Thanks.
Good luck feeding the masses.
Oh, and don't forget
to hang up these pictures.
Consider it done.
They share
one thing,they all need money.
Mantle Motors.
Hey, I'm just checking in
to see if there's any word
on your dad.
It's not so good.
The nurse said he's having
a bad day and I shouldn't
visit him at the hospital.
You know, Reggie, it's okay
for you to be upset about
your dad being sick.
What kills me
is that we were doing better.
I just thought
we'd have more time.
Thanks for calling, Ronnie.
I'll see you when I get home.
Okay.
See you in a bit.
Holy crap.
Oh...
I had a car exactly
like this one back
in high school.
Man, the times we had.
She's a beaut, isn't she?
I was hoping to get her
appraised and sold.
Tell you what I'm gonna do.
I'll buy it off of you.
Double the Blue Book value.
All cash.
Just like old times.
I've missed you, Bellissima.
♪ Feel real, feel real
♪ Feel real, feel real
♪ Feel real, feel real
Ronnie?
Hey, don't mean
to be a new noodge,
but I was getting worried.
Is everything okay?
Yeah, I just got caught
doing some paperwork.
I'm about to head out
the door now.
No worries, lover.
See you soon.
Hey, you.
Hey.
What happened to hanging up
the art today?
I'm sorry.
I'll do it tomorrow, love.
I promise.
You know what? It's, um...
It's all good.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Jeez, Tabs.
I thought my walls in New York
were paper thin.
Wait. Do you feel that?
Yeah.
I think there's
a draft coming through.
I think there's
something in there.
On the other side.
Whoa!
What the hell is this place?
Are these Scotch bottles?
Isn't that what you used
to drink?
Yeah, when I could afford it.
But why would this place
have been covered up?
I don't know, but I should put
my writing desk in here
and turn this into
a little writing nook.
Wouldn't that be cool?
Hey.
Reggie?
I'm sorry, I stink.
I'm gonna take a shower.
So, Nana, you'll be thrilled.
I was out
in the Maple Groves today,
and the trees are
positively bursting with sap.
They practically drenched me.
In fact, I infused
our brandies with some.
Mm.
To Archie.
To Archie.
Auntie Cheryl.
Mommy is trying
to take Juniper.
What are you talking about,
boy child?
Where is your sister?
She's in the bathroom,
splashing, and she won't
open the door.
Juniper, open the door.
Juniper, open the door!
Juniper, Juniper.
Mama.
Come here. Are you okay?
Okay. You're okay.
So, are you thinking
about any names?
It's still early days, Kev.
But if it's a boy, Archie.
Obviously.
And, uh, if it's a girl,
I was thinking maybe
Polly would be nice.
Cousin, I need your mother
to take the twins for a couple
of days.
Okay. Why?
Because some evil
water nymph out of
an M. Night Shyamalan movie
is stalking the halls
of Thornhill
and threatening them.
Will you let Alice know
or shall I?
Uh...
Okay, so there is a closet
in the original floor plan
of this apartment.
Hmm. Isn't that curious?
Miss Gordon, is there something
that you're not telling me?
Don't you legally have
to disclose any bad things
that have happened there?
I did. To your boyfriend.
Okay.
And what exactly
did you disclose?
About Sam and Diane.
The young couple
who died in the apartment.
I'm sorry, what?
Died there? How?
Murder suicide.
She killed him, then herself.
It was a very
unfortunate situation.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Schaeffer.
This is so unlike... Reggie?
Where are you?
Hey, Ronnie.
Now is not a good time.
I'm at the hospital.
There was an emergency
with my dad.
Was that a school bell?
You are so busted, Mantle.
For a second, I thought
you were having
a secret affair.
What is going on, Reggie?
And where did that car
come from?
Some Joe nobody showed up
in the lot wanting to sell her.
Can you believe it?
'Course she's not the OG Bella,
but she's the same
make and model.
That's right. Bella.
You know, my dad gave me her.
When he handed me those keys,
it was maybe
the greatest day of my life.
So when she came back to me,
I just wanted to...
Relive some happy memories
for a change?
I get that.
But why bring her here?
Why not the Pembrooke?
To be honest, I needed to do
a little fine tuning.
Give her a little TLC,
get her purring again.
Whatever you need to do,
Reggie.
You don't have to sneak around.
And don't forget, I could use
a little TLC every now
and again, too.
I can arrange that.
Yeah?
Mm-hmm.
In fact... I have a crazy idea.
It's cool, right?
I decided to go for
a nautical Neil Gaiman theme.
Okay, so you didn't have time
to hang up our pictures,
but you did have time to put up
a door on your new nook. Huh?
Also, why didn't you tell me
the truth about this place?
What truth?
About Sam and Diane,
the murder-suicide couple.
Because when
you saw the apartment,
you fell in love with it.
Also, I, I know this is gonna
sound weird, but I thought,
maybe I could write about them.
I've been doing some digging,
and it's a pretty
fascinating story.
He was a painter,
obsessed with his work.
She bludgeoned him to death
with a hammer and then
hung herself.
Why'd she do that?
No one knows for certain.
She just sort of
snapped one day.
How completely ghoulish.
I know.
It's an unsettling story.
That's why I didn't want
to tell you.
I'm not upset about something
that happened 50 years ago,
as disturbing as it is,
Jughead.
I'm upset that you chose
to hide something from me.
I should've told you.
I'm not gonna do something
like that ever again.
And if you're worried
about the ghosts--
I'm not.
And on the plus side...
I'm feeling kind of inspired.
Are you writing again?
No, but I'm getting close.
Hey, Toni.
Um, I need your help.
Sure, Betty. What's up?
Um, I'm here about a case.
An incident
of domestic violence.
Looks like a mother
drowned her daughter
in a bathtub.
And, Toni, she's a Serpent.
Her name's Lucinda Villa.
Her daughter is--
Sandra.
But she's 16.
Drowned how?
Dr. Curdle said that there were
bruises on her shoulders,
like someone held her under.
So the FBI wants me to charge
her mother with murder.
No, I know Lucinda.
She'd never hurt her daughter.
Well, she's not talking to me,
so maybe she would talk to you.
Okay.
Lucinda, I know
you didn't drown your daughter.
You loved her
with all your heart.
But you were you
the only one home
when it happened.
Who did this to Sandra?
It was...
La Llorona.
"La Llorona"?
Who or what is La Llorona?
According to the
old folk tales,
it's a spirit of vengeance
who preys on young children.
She drowns them.
Okay, Toni,
I appreciate your help,
and I want to give Lucinda
the benefit of the doubt here,
but I can't put
"spirit of vengeance"
on my report.
♪ Whoa, my love ♪
♪ My darling
♪ I've hungered
For your touch ♪
♪ A long, lonely time
Dear God, Reggie,
those are my students.
Okay, that's it. We're done.
I've indulged you long enough.
What about dinner?
We're taking it to go.
Now.
Jughead, can you keep it down?
Jughead, can you just
please stop for a second?
Jughead?
Hmm.
How many times
have I told you not to leave
the toothpaste uncapped?
Uh, it wasn't me.
Yet it was uncapped.
I don't know.
Maybe, it was the ghost
that you heard banging
in the closet.
You know, when you woke me up
in the middle of the night.
I don't need any attitude
right now.
Please, just put
the toothpaste cap
back on the tube.
It's common decency.
Reggie,
I think we should
talk about last night.
It was really
uncomfortable for me.
What?
You're telling me
you've never made out
in a car?
Of course I have.
But last time that happened,
Chuck Clayton tried
to tarnish my good name,
so maybe that's why
canoodling in your
stupid car triggered me.
First of all,
Bella's not stupid.
Second of all,
you've got kinks too,
like making out on a bed
full of dirty $100 bills.
That was in the privacy
of our own home,
not plastered
on the leather seats
of some stupid ride.
Okay, that's the second time
you've called my car stupid.
Veronica, are you jealous
of Bella or something?
Don't be ridiculous.
Fine. No more carscapades.
Great.
You okay, Tabitha?
That's the third plate
you dropped today.
I'm sorry, Grandpa.
I just... haven't been
sleeping well.
Any reason in particular?
Grandpa, you don't believe
in ghosts, do you?
Sure, I do.
This diner was haunted
for a while by the ghost
of a waitress
who died in an accident
with a deep fryer.
When we opened back up
a couple of days later,
strange things began to happen.
The jukebox would start
playing on its own.
Pots and pans
would fall off hooks.
How did you get it to stop?
Remember we had those riots
in the 1980s,
when every window was broken?
Well, after that night
we didn't have
another incident.
It was almost as if the racket
scared the ghost off.
I guess the dead
can be as afraid of us
as we are of them.
Well,
from what you're telling me,
it's clear as day,hermanita.
Reggie's going
through a quarter-life crisis.
Actually, the timing
of a quarter-life crisis
does make sense.
Mm.
Especially considering
what's happening
with Reggie's dad.
My advice,
cut Reggie some slack.
Let him play with his toys,
hell, get him some fuzzy dice.
Maybe you're right, hermosa.
I mean, it's not like I'm
actually jealous of Bella.
Hey, Betty.
I'm just calling
to check in on Lucinda.
How's she doing?
She's still sticking
to her story about La Llorona.
I know this sounds crazy,
but is there any universe
in which she's
telling the truth?
I've been doing
lots of research,
and ghosts like La Llorona
exist in different cultures.
They're spirits
of unfettered
feral motherhood.
And look, there's different
versions of the legend,
but they're always mothers,
and they always
go after children.
I even read one article
where a La Llorona
can go after an unborn child.
Okay, Toni,
that's enough, okay?
I'm sorry, but your friend
is going to be charged
for murder.
Betty, you need
to listen to me.
Something very bad
is happening in Rivervale.
And I don't think
any of our children are safe
until it's over.
So it took me all day,
but I finally figured out
how they get the ship
in the bottle.
Um, were you seriously
doing this all day?
Uh, yeah, I kind of
got fixated on it.
Jughead, I thought you were
going to be writing.
That was our deal.
No, I get it.
This is just my process.
I'm refilling the well
of my creative subconscious.
And what about these bottles?
What happened to the Scotch
that was in them?
Nothing.
Tabitha, I picked
those bottles up
behind Whyte Wyrm.
Hey, I'm not drinking again.
I promise.
I think I-I know
I'm ready to start
writing again, okay?
Okay.
God...
Seriously?
It worked.
What did?
My process.
I've been writing all night.
The words have just been
flying out.
Look, look, it's a novella.
It's almost finished.
Wow, that's--
That's amazing, Jughead.
When can I read it?
Uh, not just yet.
I don't really let anyone read
my vomit drafts, like ever.
But the second I revise it,
you are going to be
the first one to read it.
Okay?
Okay. I can't wait.
You know what?
This is a nice car.
Reggie Mantle!
You lying cad!
Oh.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What are you doing
with a photo of Miss Soprano?
What? Who is Miss Soprano?
She was our
driver's ed teacher.
That is, until the allegations.
Allegations?
Of inappropriate relations
between her and, uh,
some of the boys.
What was her first name again?
Something Italian.
Isabella, if I
recall correctly.
Oh, my God.
Keep working.
I'll just be a minute.
I know who you are.
And I know what you want.
Don't even think about it.
Toni! What the hell?
How curious, Miss Cooper.
According to the sonogram,
you are no longer pregnant.
What?
What are you talking about,
Dr. Curdle? I was pregnant.
You told me
that I was pregnant.
I took a test
that said I was pregnant.
Hysterical pregnancies
can manifest the same symptoms
and conditions
as actual pregnancies.
Perhaps that's what
happened here.
Toni, I believe you now.
I think La Llorona
is in Rivervale.
I'm gonna try and help Lucinda.
Thank you.
But, Betty,
did something happen?
I think so.
Um, but I'll tell you
about it later, okay?
In the meantime,
there's a hunch
that I need to pursue.
Can we meet up afterwards?
Absolutely. I'm here.
Okay. I'll call you.
More coffee?
Uh, decaf, please.
Oh, you got it
Everything okay?
Yes.
Just a little on edge.
How are you?
How-How's life with Jughead?
To be frank,
I had no idea
living with a writer
would be so... intense.
Oh, yeah.
He could be
pretty single-minded
when he got in the weeds
with a story.
But it was always
very exciting to read
those early vomit drafts
of his, you know?
Wait, Jughead
let you read his vomit drafts?
Yeah, all the time.
He said he wanted me
to experience his stories
in their rawest form, you know?
Yeah, same with me.
Janet, what's the occasion?
I hate to be
the bearer of bad news,
but I received
an anonymous complaint.
I'm here on
a wellness check, Toni,
for Baby Anthony.
What?
Somebody thinks I'm not
taking care of my baby?
Janet, you know me?
I do.
But, you know,
as a social worker,
I have to investigate
every claim.
I don't even know
what to say.
Who called Child Services?
Was it Kevin?
I can't disclose
that information.
Anthony!
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
Mama's got you.
I got your text, Ronnie.
What's going on?
Ronnie, why?
Why'd you do this to Bella?
Because I know who Bella is.
The real one.
Isabella Soprano,
the sick teacher
who had inappropriate
relationships with
her students, including you.
What?
I can stomach a lot, Reggie,
but I will not allow you
to romanticize
an abusive relationship.
She was an adult,
and she took advantage of you.
And this-This sick obsession
with your car
is just a continuation
of that toxic dynamic.
But we never did anything.
She was the one adult
I could trust.
The only one I ever told
about the abuse
that was going on in my home.
She listened to me.
She helped me.
Reggie...
It's just a car.
I just got back
from the hospital
and my dad died 20 minutes ago.
Oh, my God. Reggie.
I'm so, so sorry.
I will always be here for you.
It's just you and me,
as it should be.
Toni, I found something,
a pattern, retracing her steps.
So she's following
a direct line
from Sweetwater River.
First Thornhill, where Cheryl
encountered her,
then Lucinda's,
my house, Rivervale High.
Now--
This apartment.
Where she came after
Baby Anthony.
Her target was,
and I bet still is,
Baby Anthony.
Well, how do you know?
Mother's intuition, I guess.
Fangs,
take Baby Anthony
to the Whyte Wyrm.
And surround him
with the Serpents.
I don't think she'll
go after him
with a crowd around.
Okay.
And where are you going?
Cheryl's.
We need to contact
that ghost bitch,
and she's the only person
I know who knows
how to channel the spirits.
So we'll go to the funeral home
tomorrow morning
to finalize arrangements.
But... everything's in order.
Thanks, Ronnie.
I have a surprise for you.
I was going
to wait until things
calmed down a bit,
but I think my Reggie-kins
deserves a pick-me-up.
You'll find that car key
fits into a gorgeous
1969 Camaro SS 4-speed.
I thought you might
want to take it
for a spin later tonight.
This is great.
Thanks, Ronnie.
I really appreciate it.
Reggie...
We're gonna be okay, right?
Of course.
Nothing could
ever come between us.
Hear ye, hear ye,
we sacred women
have gathered here
to summon the entity
known as La Llorona,
or the weeping woman.
Spirit, your sisters
call out to you.
You who visited this house
and the house
of Elizabeth Cooper
and the house
of Antoinette Topaz.
Spirit, speak to us.
What is thy name?
Spirit, reveal thyself.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Spirit, reveal thy self.
Is that the spirit?
Who are you? Name thy self?
My name was Martha Mallon.
My employ was as a nurse
in the children's ward
of Rivervale's first hospital.
In those early, hungry years,
we lost many a babe
from the pox,
from the bitter cold,
from a doctor's careless hands.
The townsfolk blamed me
for the loss of their children,
accused me of being
a witch woman.
And they dragged me
and my own children
to the Sweetwater River,
weighed us down with rocks,
and threw us
in the dark waters.
We drowned,
and I became
this cursed thing that I am.
Who summoned you here, spirit?
Who called you
to this earthly plane?
What's happening?
Do not break the circle
or we'll lose contact.
Speak, Martha,
who summoned you here?
We have to stop, Cheryl,
she's gonna drown.
Not yet, we need a name.
Speak, Martha,
who summoned you here?
Who called you to this plane?
It was Darla Dickenson,
who did so
from her son's grave.
Nana, I'm sorry,
are you all right?
Are you all right?
Forgive me.
Darla Dickenson,
why does that name
sound so familiar?
She's the woman
whose son I killed.
That's why she's doing this.
Tabitha?
"She doesn't understand me.
How could she?
She doesn't have
an artist's soul."
Mmm.
You broke into my desk?
It's a huge breach
of privacy and my process.
Oh, right, right, your process.
Your process.
You mean how you sit around
all day playing with your
toy boats while
I work my ass off
so that you can write
a story about a wife
who doesn't understand
her husband and then
kills her husband
because he leaves the cap
off the freakin' toothpaste?
Hey-Hey, hey, hey.
Are you for real?
Are you kidding me?
This story is not about us.
It's about the people
who lived here before us,
Sam and Diane.
Oh, Sam and Diane.
Also--
Yeah, give me a break.
Also, she doesn't kill him
because of the toothpaste.
She kills him because
he's too obsessed
with his work.
Ah, I'll tell you
why she kills him.
She kills him
because she gets sick
of supporting him
while he displays
a complete disregard
for her feelings.
Maybe that's why
she brains him with a hammer.
Oh!
What's with the Scotch that
you're allegedly not drinking?
I'm not!
Those are for the ships.
And I'm going to pour them out.
Oh.
Let me get this straight.
You bought a bunch of Scotch
with money that I earned
so you could just
pour it down the drain
for your stupid boats.
Well, you know what?
Screw your ship.
Screw your...
Hey!
Tab--
You know what,
screw your writing, too.
Don't.
Yes!
Please, don't, don't, don't.
Don't! Don't!
Don't!
How could you?
This was a gift from Betty.
No!
We're not like them.
We're stronger.
We're stronger and we
made a promise that we would
work through our problems.
And I love you...
Jughead, and I'm...
sorry.
I'm sorry.
Did you say, "I love you"?
Yeah.
I've been wanting to
say that for a while.
Yeah. I've been
wanting to say it, too.
I love you.
Was that...
What, the ghost leaving?
Are ghosts real now?
I think maybe they are.
And I think maybe...
we scared them away.
Finally...
I've been expecting you.
Darla, I'm sorry.
Sorry that Danny
was taken away from you.
And I'm sorry that I was
responsible for his death.
Do you know how many
sons I've buried, Toni?
Danny was my last one.
My little boy.
Darla.
We know you
summoned La Llorona.
Now you need to call her off.
You can't call off La Llorona.
Once summoned,
once a child is promised,
there's no stopping her.
At least,
not until Anthony's dead,
in her arms.
So that's what you want?
An eye for an eye?
My baby's life for your son?
Yes-
Well, it's not gonna happen,
because there's
a crew of Serpents surrounding
Baby Anthony, guarding him.
Toni...
you're a mother.
Even if there were
50 men standing
between you and your baby,
would that stop you?
No.
Exactly.
Now imagine that
primal maternal force
times a hundred.
La Llorona is a storm
unlike any you've ever seen.
Oh, my God.
Fangs?
Anthony?
Fangs!
Hey!
Where's Anthony?
Where's our son?
She...
She took him.
Where? Where did she take him?
Sweetwater.
Go!
We need to beat them
to the river.
Hey, you're kind of quiet.
Understandably.
I guess I'm just... wondering.
What?
Our fighting, was that...
the ghosts... or... us?
I don't know. Maybe both.
Look, that was
our first real fight.
We survived.
We lived to tell the tale.
I mean, barely.
What's our next test gonna be?
Maybe love is just
a series of tests,
test the strength
of our relationship.
I know that's
kind of bleak, but...
it's also kind of--
Kind of sweet.
Stop!
You're not taking my baby.
He's innocent.
No one is innocent.
You were, your children were.
I'm sorry for everything
you went through,
but you could show us mercy.
You could spare my son.
I was called forth.
I can't return
without the babe.
Well, what if I could
take away the suffering?
For good.
You could give it to me.
And that way, you'd be free.
Why would
you offer that?
Because I would give up
anything for my son,
my life.
But also because I killed
another woman's child,
and I should be
punished for that.
And it should be me.
Not Baby Anthony.
You've suffered enough, Martha.
Let me take your place.
Promise me you'll
take care of him, Betty.
Protect him, Betty.
And please let him know
his mother loved him.
Hmm.
Let me ask you
something, friends.
Is there a better word
for motherhood
than "sacrifice"?
The next time a weeping woman
rises from Sweetwater River
or, if you prefer,
the river Styx,
a different soul
will take her path,
a path that both begins
and ends in Rivervale.