Riverdale (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 5 - Episode #6.5 - full transcript
The following
isn't an imaginary story.
It happened.
It starts with a corpse
on a lonely country road.
While in the town
of Rivervale...
Archie Andrews has somehow
just come back from the dead.
Arch?
Sorry I woke you, Betty.
No. It's okay.
I was having a nightmare.
What was it about?
The whole town
was sacrificing you.
Sorry I woke you, Fangs.
Oh, I was just...
having this crazy-ass dream.
You were...
drowning.
And you came back as a ghost.
Was I trying
to hurt Baby Anthony?
I was having
the strangest dream, Reggie.
Did I get dragged
to Hell in it?
Nana, what are you doing
in my room?
I had the most
frightful dream, child.
Same. I, um...
You and I swapped bodies
for some reason.
Morning. How'd you sleep?
Uh... I'm not sure.
Oh, were you up late writing?
No, I woke up
in Archie's garage.
I think I was sleepwalking.
Oh, it's probably just nerves.
Yeah.
Wait, what am I supposed
to be nervous about?
Well, it is your first day back
at school teaching, isn't it?
You know, it's got
to be slightly nerve-racking.
But don't worry, it will be
great. You will do great.
Hey, Jughead!
What's up?
Ben?
You're Ben Button?
Of course I am.
Who else would I be?
Ben, you died.
You jumped out of a window when you
sacrifice yourself to the Gargoyle King.
No, you're thinking of that
dude from Stonewall Prep.
Mr. Chipping? Yeah.
No, no.
You did it first.
Maybe you hallucinated it?
Yeah, maybe I'm just
hallucinating all this...
FYI, daytime hallucinations are a
symptom of paranoid schizophrenia.
But listen,
have an awesome day.
Jug, hey!
You okay, bro? You look
like you're about to pass out.
Just light-headed.
What's going on?
Not much. Just updating
everyone on the wedding plans.
Wedding?
Who's getting married?
Awkward.
Jug, Betty and I are getting married
this weekend, and you're my best man.
Impeccable timing, as always.
Yes, Dr. Curdle?
Miss Cooper, I have some
very distressing news.
This afternoon,
I received a corpse.
Jughead Jones's corpse.
Is this more of your
gallows humor, Doctor?
Because I'm looking right at
Jughead, who is very much alive.
That's not possible.
Look, if you're still upset about
not being invited to my wedding,
get over yourself.
Goodbye and please
stop harassing me.
Hey, you okay?
Yeah. Dr. Curdle's attempt
at humor, I guess.
He claims that your body
is on his slab,
which is obviously impossible
because I'm talking to you.
Mr. Jones.
It can't be.
And yet it is.
Well, may I?
It's a paradox. It must be.
How did I...
How did he die?
Asphyxiation.
His wind pipe was crushed.
He was strangled.
And where was he found?
The Lonely Highway.
At the town limits.
By the sign.
Face down.
Where are his clothes,
his personal effects?
Keep this body on ice
and under wraps, okay?
The Lonely Highway, you said?
It was impossible,
yet happening.
Somehow, I had in my possession a set
of comic books that seemed to be about me
and my friends.
Where had I gotten them?
I couldn't remember.
And why was my doppelganger
clutching one when he died?
For that matter, how did I
even have a doppelganger?
Hoping to find sane answers for these impossible
questions, I sat down and began to read...
from the beginning.
How many more boxes
of comic books do you have?
This is just a fraction.
I'll be honest
with you, Jug.
I didn't know you were
that into comics.
Well, what can I say, Archie?
I contain multitudes.
Hey, how was
your first day back?
Tabitha.
I feel like I'm living in a
movie about parallel universes
and I need your help
to figure this out.
Okay.
I've been having
these strange hallucinations.
And these comics,
they're about us.
Our lives.
The first 95
are called Riverdale,
and they're set
in a town called Riverdale.
And then there's this explosion,
and suddenly it's Rivervale.
Okay, So you think Riverdale
is a parallel universe
to Rivervale?
No, no.
I think Rivervale is a
parallel universe to Riverdale.
It's like the comics.
Riverdale comes first.
And then there's Rivervale,
which is a lot like Riverdale
except it's darker, nastier.
It's, um, it's like a warped
reflection of Riverdale,
and it just keeps
getting more twisted.
So we live
in the parallel universe?
Yeah.
I know it's counterintuitive.
Read them,
then we'll talk.
And Tabitha did.
And her experience reading them
was very similar to my own.
I remembered
recent events clearly,
but going back further
in my memory was...
hazier.
Reading about events in the Riverdale
comic books made me recall them,
but as Tabitha said...
That's so strange.
I mean, I remember these things
happening, but not in Riverdale.
All this happened here
in Rivervale,
didn't it?
I went
to Betty and Archie next.
I wanted to ask them
about one page in particular.
Do you remember
that explosion, Archie?
No.
Not at all.
That event is the one that
ended the Riverdalecomics.
The next issue
is when Rivervalestarted.
I have a theory that
that explosion is what created
this parallel universe
we currently find ourselves in.
Wait. I kind of remember
something about this.
Arch, didn't you have a dream
about an explosion like this one
or am I making that up?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But that was just a dream, Jug.
I went
to Veronica and Reggie next.
This is impossible.
What is it?
These comics depict my father
terrorizing Riverdale for years,
but my father died the night
before my quinceanera.
I was so distraught. We had to
cancel the Jonas Brothers performance.
That's a massive discrepancy.
Because in Riverdale,
Hiram is the main villain.
He's like Darth Vader.
So if Rivervale is the dark
twin-verse then who is our Big Bad?
How come I look different?
What do you mean?
I mean, I look like
two different people, look.
Both devastatingly handsome.
But other than that...
That might be an anomaly.
Have you shown these to Cheryl?
So, according to this horrid pamphlet,
Kevin Keller and Moose Mason
discovered the corpse
of my dead brother
whilst secretly
canoodling in the woods?
Yeah.
How's that sync up with your
memory of Jason's death?
It doesn't,
you ghoul-lunatic.
To begin with,
Jay Jay's not dead.
What're you talking about?
That's impossible.
I mean, your life was basically
defined by his death.
I don't know what to tell you, but I
can assure you he is still very alive.
No, he's dead.
You had a funeral for him,
and then you talked
to his corpse for months.
Oh, hey, Jughead.
I didn't know you were here.
You ready to go
hit the court, Cher-Cher?
Yeah, I just need a minute.
Wait for me at the convertible?
Sure. Don't take too long.
Uh... We... We had an
in-memoriam page for him...
in our yearbook.
No, hobo, we didn't.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
my beloved and very much alive twin brother
and I are off to play doubles. Toodles.
And feel free
to see yourself out.
And then,
I had one of my hunches.
I was right.
Though Riverdale and Rivervale
diverged in ways minor and major,
they were analogous.
But I needed to understand
the rules of these worlds.
I needed to sharpen my
knowledge of parallel universes.
Damn, you're all
knotted up, babe.
- What gives?
- Jughead.
He triggered me with all
that talk about my father.
Yeah, Donnie Darko is the worst.
I got you, though.
How can Reggie
make it all better?
Hey, babe. Miss me?
I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but The
Philosophy of Parallel Universes
was checked out years ago
and never returned.
What?
Who checked it out?
Dilton Doiley.
Great.
Can't even ask him
because he's dead.
Mr. Doiley is alive.
In fact, he teaches physics
just down the hall.
Dilton.
Hey, Jughead.
I heard you were coming back
to teach. We've missed you.
Yes, we have.
Ethel, what are you doing here?
Ethel's
my teaching assistant.
Oh, yeah?
So, I shared
my wild theories with Dilton
- who, miraculously, said...
- I believe you, Jughead.
And I know a thing or two
about parallel universes.
Okay. I think the explosion at
the end of issue 95 of Riverdale
is what created Rivervale,
like the Big Bang.
- It's as valid as any theory.
- Why do you think
the events that happened in
Riverdaleare playing out differently here?
In my research, parallel
universes are exact copies
or mirror images
of one another.
What you're
describing is...
- something in between.
- Like a warping, right?
And...
I don't know, I have this...
impending sense of doom,
like something bad
is going to happen.
- What do we do about it?
- Do?
We do nothing.
At any given moment,
there are an infinite number
of parallel universes in peaceful
coexistence with one another.
Just forget it, Jughead.
- Live your life.
- Dude, I'm not just gonna drop it.
I became aware for a reason,
conscious of the two universes.
Why? What about
the other Jughead?
Isn't that a paradox?
It sounds more like
an anomaly than a paradox.
Dilton, he was
murdered by someone.
Then, have Sheriff Keller
investigate, if you want.
My advice, stop trying to figure
out the secrets to the universe.
You have
a good life here, Jughead.
Go with the flow.
So, you're saying he's me?
No, bro, you're me.
- There is no you, all right?
- There is, though.
I mean, based on
Jughead's earlier visit,
there are two parallel universes,
and, apparently, two Reggies.
But I came first.
I'm Reggie Prime, baby.
Yeah, but you've been
in, like, three issues.
- I've been in dozens.
- Guys...
It doesn't matter who came first
or who has been in more issues.
You're both here now
and whatever else,
we obviously
can't have the two of you
running around town
freaking everybody the hell out.
So, you're both staying here
incommunicado until further notice.
I have to get
the casino ready
for the bachelor and
bachelorette parties tonight.
- What? No. I'm coming.
- Yeah, I want to go.
It's Archie's bachelor party,
and I can't miss it.
I would much rather crash
the bachelorette party.
Yeah!
- How're you hanging in there?
- Yeah, good.
You know, I'm not going to lie, I've
been thinking about my dad a lot recently.
He would've loved this.
Me marrying Betty? Come on. He would
have been beside himself.
This is stupid, but I keep...
I keep imagining...
that, somehow, he'll
show up for the wedding...
He'd be standing
next to us, smiling.
It's not
stupid, Arch.
Come on, the night
is young. Let's dance.
Who wants
to dance with me?
Excellent. Thank you,
other Reggie.
- I knew I could count on you.
- Mm-hmm.
Come on, Reginald.
Don't be shy.
You know, we could have a
sweet thing here, the three of us.
Nobody has to know.
Sorry, Ronnie.
I'm not used to sharing.
Yeah, well, me neither.
You know what, guys?
The irony is, Veronica Lodge
is more woman
than either of you
can handle alone.
Thank you.
Oh-ho-ho!
Do you guys remember
when we were in high school,
we'd party too hard and be hung
over, and we could just skip class?
Yeah, the good old days.
Being a teacher sucks.
- Oh, my God.
- Babe, what's wrong?
My brother has been kidnapped
by some lunatic calling himself
the Black Hood.
What? Who's the Black Hood?
How the hell
should I know, Cousin?
But he's demanding some
insane ransom and saying,
if I don't pay,
he's going to kill my brother.
Listen, Archie, I know
this is gonna sound nuts.
I think I know where
Jason Blossom is being held.
Is this another one of those
parallel universe things?
Well, yeah.
But if the events of Riverdale
are repeating here
in Rivervale, then...
I think Jason Blossom is
being held at the Whyte Wyrm.
What do you want to do?
Let's get Sheriff Keller
to back us up...
and let's go save him.
Jason, Jason...
What the hell is going on here?
It occurred to
me that whoever was under the mask
was most likely the same person
who killed my double.
Rivervale's big bad.
Not Hiram Lodge, but...
Clifford Blossom.
Excuse me.
Are you kidding?
Why aren't you dressed
for the rehearsal dinner?
- Either of you?
- He started it.
I don't care who started it.
I am so done with this macho,
toxic, competitive bull crap.
We're all adults here. So, we
should be able to act like we're adults.
But until that happens,
you're both grounded.
- What?
- No fair!
You two need to work out whatever it is
you need to work out in order to co-exist.
You're out of the Pembrooke
and out of my life.
Idiot.
I want to thank everyone for being
here on this very special occasion.
It's not every night that a mom
gets to host the rehearsal dinner
for her daughter's wedding
to the finest young gentleman
in this town, Archie Andrews.
Now, I think my husband, Hal,
would like to say a few words.
Just a few, though.
Thank you, Alice. Uh...
I remember
when Betty was born, she...
Toni? What is it?
What's happened?
I knew it
even before Toni said it.
She's dead.
Who's dead, Toni?
Cheryl.
She was strangled.
Betty and I went to Thornhill
straight from the rehearsal dinner.
The scene there
was a gruesome one.
The rules of this universe were
making less sense every day.
It was as if Riverdale's reality was
trying to reassert itself on Rivervale,
and innocent people
like Cheryl were dying.
How could I take Dilton's
advice to do nothing?
Wait a minute.
Dilton. I've been wondering
who this universe's big bad is.
Could it be meek Dilton Doiley
hiding in plain sight?
Well, considering you're here in the middle
of the night, I think it's time we talk.
- A little busy right now, Jughead.
- No.
Dilton, you asked me
to sit down and do nothing.
But it's happening again.
The same events that took place
in Riverdale are happening here!
People are dying.
Yes. Isn't it glorious?
What?
- Oh, you know what's going on, don't you?
- He does.
I'm sorry, Jughead.
But I had to see
what would happen
if the universes
remained conjoined.
And now, we know.
They've become
dangerously unstable,
and eventually, they're both
going to implode.
Why are they
going to implode?
Riverdale
and Rivervale,
the two universes
are expanding,
as universes do.
But they're still linked
at the point of creation.
So, what? They're bleeding
into each other?
They're just going to expand
into each other?
And I, Dilton Doiley,
will have a front row seat
to their destruction.
I'll be the first scientist
to document
a prime and pocket universe
collapsing in real time.
How do we stop it?
We don't. We can't.
It's too late.
Ethel?
I snuck poison
into his grape juice.
Why?
Because he was willing to let
everyone in two universes die,
just so he could study
what happens when
the twin-versus implode.
Ethel, do you know how to save
these universes?
Of course I do, Jughead.
Well, one of them,
the prime one,
I can save Riverdale.
Reggie?
Reggies?
You dim, egotistical,
narcissistic morons.
When I said "Settle this,"
I didn't mean with a duel.
That's the moment in time
the pocket universe,
this universe, was created.
If we could recreate the
circumstances of its birth,
then theoretically,
the same energy
that conjoined them
could also separate them.
We just need to figure out what
that moment was and where?
I think I know.
Archie's bedroom,
when that bomb exploded.
No, I think it would have to be a more
significant event than just an explosion.
That might not
sound like a lot,
but it was a confluence
of good and evil.
Archie and Betty's love,
Hiram's, hate.
There was creation.
I was in the garage, writing,
and destruction,
the explosion.
There was science.
Archie had this...
chunk of palladium
on his desk,
and magic.
Cheryl's curse on the town.
That might definitely do it.
Okay, so by your logic,
we just have to accurately recreate
the events in Archie's bedroom.
As closely as we can.
And the universes
should separate, yes,
The prime universe
will stabilize,
and our universe will...
Cease to exist.
Everyone in Rivervale
will die?
Jughead, Rivervale
wasn't ever meant to exist.
You, me, all of us,
our town, we're just...
Aberrations.
One, big, messy anomaly
that will simply stop being.
And if we do nothing...
both universes will collapse?
Billions will die?
So we just need to detonate
a bomb under Archie's bed.
- With Betty and Archie in it.
- What?
No, no, no.
We're not blowing up
Archie and Betty.
They're about to get married.
We have to recreate the
circumstances as closely as possible.
I mean, if not Betty and
Archie, then maybe it could be...
Me and Veronica.
What are we, if we're not
counterparts to Archie and Betty?
Ethel...
you're brilliant.
So if,
what you're saying is true,
and we do this...
we won't die?
No.
We'll... cease
to exist painlessly.
All so Riverdale,
a universe we don't even know
for sure exists,
- can be spared.
- It does exist, Veronica.
It's a universe
of high school dances,
and masked serial killers,
of football, and milkshakes
and musicals, and cults,
diabolical board games
and murderous nuns.
It's a world where
billions of people will die
if we don't split
the universes.
All right.
Let's do it.
Let's make out
to save the universe.
One thing.
Can we do it
during the wedding?
Because I'm not really
in the mood?
Yeah, I hear that. Same.
Here's to Vughead
becoming cannon.
Is it
possible to be nostalgic for a life
that you're not
even sure is yours.
Flipping through the yearbook,
I remembered things
as if I'd seen them
in a movie of my life.
All right, Lodge.
We doing this or what?
Archie, what are you
doing here?
You know, when you didn't
show up to my wedding,
I knew, you'd be doing
something stupid
like trying to separate
the two universes.
Well, I can't let you do that.
Before you do anything final,
know that Veronica
is on her way here right now.
No, Jug, she's not.
Ronnie's dead.
I killed her.
What?
Why would you do that?
Because you told her the truth
about the universe,
and she was gonna
help you destroy it.
You killed Cheryl...
and the other Jughead?
Not Hiram or Clifford or Hal,
you're Rivervale's Big Bad...
I'm not a villain, Jug.
No one stays dead here.
Cheryl and Ronnie.
They'll be back.
All the people we've lost...
Everyone comes back to life
in this universe.
Everyone comes back.
Is this about your dad?
Don't you get it?
He's coming home.
He has to.
He would never
miss my wedding.
Especially not to Betty,
he loved Betty.
Archie, how do you
know all this?
The rules of this world?
How did you know
to kill the other Jughead
before I even showed
you the comics?
Bro, I know all the secrets
of this universe.
I was at ground zero
for the birth of Rivervale.
The moment of creation
and destruction.
The threshold of revelation.
I saw everything.
The other Jughead, the dead,
coming back to life,
the distortions.
It's not a copy or a mistake
like you think it is.
It's another chance for me
to be with my dad.
Archie...
If we don't separate
these universes,
and soon, everyone's
going to die in both of them.
And you don't know
that Fred can come back.
- Not everybody does...
- If there's a 0.001% chance
that he will,
I want to be here
waiting for him.
I'm sorry.
Hey.
Never leave a Cooper woman
standing at the altar.
Hey. Hey, are you okay?
How did you know
to come here?
When Archie stood me up
at the altar,
something clicked.
I don't know, like,
my life flashed before my eyes.
I knew to come here.
You also know that
Rivervale should not exist.
That bomb needs
to be detonated.
By us?
If you're willing.
What we do now.
We just wait?
No. We need to recreate
the moments before
the original explosions
closely as possible.
Oh, well, Archie and I...
I know, I read it
in the comics.
Hey. Whoa.
Hey, sorry. Look...
There may be a way
to separate the two universes
without erasing this one.
Okay?
Well, we should probably stop the
bomb. Betty, could you please disarm it?
What I'm... What?
I don't know
how to disarm a bomb.
Yes, you do.
You went to the FBI Academy.
You've actually
done it before,
when Polly had a bomb
strapped to her body
You came back
from the dead too.
Where were you
after Archie strangled you?
The great Pop's Chock'lit
Shoppe in the sky.
From the second I walked
through that door,
I immediately felt at peace.
The sweet Hereafter Pops
is a lot like ours,
except it also sells comics.
It's like one of those
old fashioned soda shops.
Everything about this Pops
is old-fashioned.
Grab something to read,
and have a seat.
It's all you can eat.
On the house, of course.
And that's when I found it.
A special comic book
that came in between
issues 95 and 96,
and it bridged the gap between
Riverdale and Rivervale.
It told the tale of two
linked universes
and how,
if that second universe
were to become separated
from the first, it would die.
Unless a new power source
could be found and maintained.
I was looking around
at all these comic books.
All these wonderful stories
made me realize what that
power source could be.
And so I resurrected,
and I came right here.
What is the other
power source
that's going to fuel Rivervale
after it separates?
Imagination.
It's limitless
and all powerful,
it's boundless
and ever replenishing.
There's no fuel more potent,
no generator
more awesome.
I don't understand.
I think I do.
The explosion
is destruction, right?
What's the opposite
of destruction?
- Creation.
- Exactly.
I mean, it's all the comics,
how Jughead here
is gonna save Rivervale
by becoming a living battery.
- A, um...
- Story generator?
That powers Rivervale by writing
the stories that fuel the universe?
So it doesn't have to keep
leeching off of Riverdale.
It's an over-simplification,
but, yeah, you write,
and Rivervale lives.
One thing though,
once you start producing,
you will have to be
in complete isolation.
I mean, think about if someone
saw two Jugheads
just walking and talking, it could
actually break down reality, so...
Well, no. No!
Then why can't you do it?
I'm the narrator.
He's the writer.
What does that mean?
This isn't fair!
No! It's...
It's how it has to be...
if everyone is going to live,
our family, our friends.
This is why I became aware,
isn't it?
Because I'm both inside
and outside of the story.
In the end, the universe knew I'd
be the only one capable of saving it.
All right.
Where do I set up shop?
Dilton's bunker?
Your typewriter is already
down there.
You'll have plenty of paper
and tons of food.
And once you're settled,
we'll, uh, seal you in.
This is insane. I will not be
able to live with myself, Jug.
Actually, you will, in time.
Well, very quickly, actually.
Soon you will forget all about
Jughead's sacrifice for you and for us,
and he will fade from memory.
Oh, my gosh!
- This is...
- Hey, Hey! Look at me.
I need you to be strong.
Please.
I need you in my corner
for this one.
Make sure that bomb goes off.
Jughead.
It's gonna be okay.
Really.
We got this. You and me.
Saving the universes.
It was at this moment,
that Jughead and Betty began, yet again,
the doomsday clock's countdown.
While in the living room,
Archie Andrews reanimated and
resumed his mission to stop Jughead.
Hey, Cooper,
whatever happens...
We'll face it together.
There was
nothing to do but wait.
Betty and Jughead
held each other tightly,
like children
terrified of the dark.
As the bomb's counter
finally reached zero,
Betty and Jughead braced themselves
for an explosion that should have
obliterated one
or more universes.
But instead...
never happened.
The bomb was gone.
The pounding on the door
had ceased.
And Betty and Jughead realized
that the storm had passed them by.
They survived.
They could resume their lives.
There you guys are.
We were just about to send
a search party.
Seriously! What were you guys
doing up there?
- Um...
- I actually can't remember.
Don't mind him.
He always turns into a space cadet
when he's working on a new novel.
No, seriously, what were we...
What were we doing?
Oh, come on, Betty. Your
spaghetti's gonna get cold.
- Hi.
- Hey. Thank you.
After
dinner, Jughead and Tabitha
will start moving
his belongings
out of Archie's garage
and into their new apartment.
Including a comic book
collection,
Jughead had forgotten
that he had.
And though he will not know it in the
moment, this collection of comic books
and the secrets contained
within its pages
will one day save his
and countless others' lives.
So it worked.
Rivervale will continue to exist in
an endless time loop you created,
as long as you keep typing.
Luckily, I've got
a lot of stories.
One question, though.
What happens in
the prime Riverdale universe?
Guess we'll never know
if someone did something
to change the course
of events in Riverdale.
Can you hear that?
It's my phone.
- Hello.
- Get out of that house, Betty!
Who is this?
Listen to me,
there's a bomb under the bed.
You have to go now,
right now!
We have to go.
Now.
isn't an imaginary story.
It happened.
It starts with a corpse
on a lonely country road.
While in the town
of Rivervale...
Archie Andrews has somehow
just come back from the dead.
Arch?
Sorry I woke you, Betty.
No. It's okay.
I was having a nightmare.
What was it about?
The whole town
was sacrificing you.
Sorry I woke you, Fangs.
Oh, I was just...
having this crazy-ass dream.
You were...
drowning.
And you came back as a ghost.
Was I trying
to hurt Baby Anthony?
I was having
the strangest dream, Reggie.
Did I get dragged
to Hell in it?
Nana, what are you doing
in my room?
I had the most
frightful dream, child.
Same. I, um...
You and I swapped bodies
for some reason.
Morning. How'd you sleep?
Uh... I'm not sure.
Oh, were you up late writing?
No, I woke up
in Archie's garage.
I think I was sleepwalking.
Oh, it's probably just nerves.
Yeah.
Wait, what am I supposed
to be nervous about?
Well, it is your first day back
at school teaching, isn't it?
You know, it's got
to be slightly nerve-racking.
But don't worry, it will be
great. You will do great.
Hey, Jughead!
What's up?
Ben?
You're Ben Button?
Of course I am.
Who else would I be?
Ben, you died.
You jumped out of a window when you
sacrifice yourself to the Gargoyle King.
No, you're thinking of that
dude from Stonewall Prep.
Mr. Chipping? Yeah.
No, no.
You did it first.
Maybe you hallucinated it?
Yeah, maybe I'm just
hallucinating all this...
FYI, daytime hallucinations are a
symptom of paranoid schizophrenia.
But listen,
have an awesome day.
Jug, hey!
You okay, bro? You look
like you're about to pass out.
Just light-headed.
What's going on?
Not much. Just updating
everyone on the wedding plans.
Wedding?
Who's getting married?
Awkward.
Jug, Betty and I are getting married
this weekend, and you're my best man.
Impeccable timing, as always.
Yes, Dr. Curdle?
Miss Cooper, I have some
very distressing news.
This afternoon,
I received a corpse.
Jughead Jones's corpse.
Is this more of your
gallows humor, Doctor?
Because I'm looking right at
Jughead, who is very much alive.
That's not possible.
Look, if you're still upset about
not being invited to my wedding,
get over yourself.
Goodbye and please
stop harassing me.
Hey, you okay?
Yeah. Dr. Curdle's attempt
at humor, I guess.
He claims that your body
is on his slab,
which is obviously impossible
because I'm talking to you.
Mr. Jones.
It can't be.
And yet it is.
Well, may I?
It's a paradox. It must be.
How did I...
How did he die?
Asphyxiation.
His wind pipe was crushed.
He was strangled.
And where was he found?
The Lonely Highway.
At the town limits.
By the sign.
Face down.
Where are his clothes,
his personal effects?
Keep this body on ice
and under wraps, okay?
The Lonely Highway, you said?
It was impossible,
yet happening.
Somehow, I had in my possession a set
of comic books that seemed to be about me
and my friends.
Where had I gotten them?
I couldn't remember.
And why was my doppelganger
clutching one when he died?
For that matter, how did I
even have a doppelganger?
Hoping to find sane answers for these impossible
questions, I sat down and began to read...
from the beginning.
How many more boxes
of comic books do you have?
This is just a fraction.
I'll be honest
with you, Jug.
I didn't know you were
that into comics.
Well, what can I say, Archie?
I contain multitudes.
Hey, how was
your first day back?
Tabitha.
I feel like I'm living in a
movie about parallel universes
and I need your help
to figure this out.
Okay.
I've been having
these strange hallucinations.
And these comics,
they're about us.
Our lives.
The first 95
are called Riverdale,
and they're set
in a town called Riverdale.
And then there's this explosion,
and suddenly it's Rivervale.
Okay, So you think Riverdale
is a parallel universe
to Rivervale?
No, no.
I think Rivervale is a
parallel universe to Riverdale.
It's like the comics.
Riverdale comes first.
And then there's Rivervale,
which is a lot like Riverdale
except it's darker, nastier.
It's, um, it's like a warped
reflection of Riverdale,
and it just keeps
getting more twisted.
So we live
in the parallel universe?
Yeah.
I know it's counterintuitive.
Read them,
then we'll talk.
And Tabitha did.
And her experience reading them
was very similar to my own.
I remembered
recent events clearly,
but going back further
in my memory was...
hazier.
Reading about events in the Riverdale
comic books made me recall them,
but as Tabitha said...
That's so strange.
I mean, I remember these things
happening, but not in Riverdale.
All this happened here
in Rivervale,
didn't it?
I went
to Betty and Archie next.
I wanted to ask them
about one page in particular.
Do you remember
that explosion, Archie?
No.
Not at all.
That event is the one that
ended the Riverdalecomics.
The next issue
is when Rivervalestarted.
I have a theory that
that explosion is what created
this parallel universe
we currently find ourselves in.
Wait. I kind of remember
something about this.
Arch, didn't you have a dream
about an explosion like this one
or am I making that up?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But that was just a dream, Jug.
I went
to Veronica and Reggie next.
This is impossible.
What is it?
These comics depict my father
terrorizing Riverdale for years,
but my father died the night
before my quinceanera.
I was so distraught. We had to
cancel the Jonas Brothers performance.
That's a massive discrepancy.
Because in Riverdale,
Hiram is the main villain.
He's like Darth Vader.
So if Rivervale is the dark
twin-verse then who is our Big Bad?
How come I look different?
What do you mean?
I mean, I look like
two different people, look.
Both devastatingly handsome.
But other than that...
That might be an anomaly.
Have you shown these to Cheryl?
So, according to this horrid pamphlet,
Kevin Keller and Moose Mason
discovered the corpse
of my dead brother
whilst secretly
canoodling in the woods?
Yeah.
How's that sync up with your
memory of Jason's death?
It doesn't,
you ghoul-lunatic.
To begin with,
Jay Jay's not dead.
What're you talking about?
That's impossible.
I mean, your life was basically
defined by his death.
I don't know what to tell you, but I
can assure you he is still very alive.
No, he's dead.
You had a funeral for him,
and then you talked
to his corpse for months.
Oh, hey, Jughead.
I didn't know you were here.
You ready to go
hit the court, Cher-Cher?
Yeah, I just need a minute.
Wait for me at the convertible?
Sure. Don't take too long.
Uh... We... We had an
in-memoriam page for him...
in our yearbook.
No, hobo, we didn't.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
my beloved and very much alive twin brother
and I are off to play doubles. Toodles.
And feel free
to see yourself out.
And then,
I had one of my hunches.
I was right.
Though Riverdale and Rivervale
diverged in ways minor and major,
they were analogous.
But I needed to understand
the rules of these worlds.
I needed to sharpen my
knowledge of parallel universes.
Damn, you're all
knotted up, babe.
- What gives?
- Jughead.
He triggered me with all
that talk about my father.
Yeah, Donnie Darko is the worst.
I got you, though.
How can Reggie
make it all better?
Hey, babe. Miss me?
I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but The
Philosophy of Parallel Universes
was checked out years ago
and never returned.
What?
Who checked it out?
Dilton Doiley.
Great.
Can't even ask him
because he's dead.
Mr. Doiley is alive.
In fact, he teaches physics
just down the hall.
Dilton.
Hey, Jughead.
I heard you were coming back
to teach. We've missed you.
Yes, we have.
Ethel, what are you doing here?
Ethel's
my teaching assistant.
Oh, yeah?
So, I shared
my wild theories with Dilton
- who, miraculously, said...
- I believe you, Jughead.
And I know a thing or two
about parallel universes.
Okay. I think the explosion at
the end of issue 95 of Riverdale
is what created Rivervale,
like the Big Bang.
- It's as valid as any theory.
- Why do you think
the events that happened in
Riverdaleare playing out differently here?
In my research, parallel
universes are exact copies
or mirror images
of one another.
What you're
describing is...
- something in between.
- Like a warping, right?
And...
I don't know, I have this...
impending sense of doom,
like something bad
is going to happen.
- What do we do about it?
- Do?
We do nothing.
At any given moment,
there are an infinite number
of parallel universes in peaceful
coexistence with one another.
Just forget it, Jughead.
- Live your life.
- Dude, I'm not just gonna drop it.
I became aware for a reason,
conscious of the two universes.
Why? What about
the other Jughead?
Isn't that a paradox?
It sounds more like
an anomaly than a paradox.
Dilton, he was
murdered by someone.
Then, have Sheriff Keller
investigate, if you want.
My advice, stop trying to figure
out the secrets to the universe.
You have
a good life here, Jughead.
Go with the flow.
So, you're saying he's me?
No, bro, you're me.
- There is no you, all right?
- There is, though.
I mean, based on
Jughead's earlier visit,
there are two parallel universes,
and, apparently, two Reggies.
But I came first.
I'm Reggie Prime, baby.
Yeah, but you've been
in, like, three issues.
- I've been in dozens.
- Guys...
It doesn't matter who came first
or who has been in more issues.
You're both here now
and whatever else,
we obviously
can't have the two of you
running around town
freaking everybody the hell out.
So, you're both staying here
incommunicado until further notice.
I have to get
the casino ready
for the bachelor and
bachelorette parties tonight.
- What? No. I'm coming.
- Yeah, I want to go.
It's Archie's bachelor party,
and I can't miss it.
I would much rather crash
the bachelorette party.
Yeah!
- How're you hanging in there?
- Yeah, good.
You know, I'm not going to lie, I've
been thinking about my dad a lot recently.
He would've loved this.
Me marrying Betty? Come on. He would
have been beside himself.
This is stupid, but I keep...
I keep imagining...
that, somehow, he'll
show up for the wedding...
He'd be standing
next to us, smiling.
It's not
stupid, Arch.
Come on, the night
is young. Let's dance.
Who wants
to dance with me?
Excellent. Thank you,
other Reggie.
- I knew I could count on you.
- Mm-hmm.
Come on, Reginald.
Don't be shy.
You know, we could have a
sweet thing here, the three of us.
Nobody has to know.
Sorry, Ronnie.
I'm not used to sharing.
Yeah, well, me neither.
You know what, guys?
The irony is, Veronica Lodge
is more woman
than either of you
can handle alone.
Thank you.
Oh-ho-ho!
Do you guys remember
when we were in high school,
we'd party too hard and be hung
over, and we could just skip class?
Yeah, the good old days.
Being a teacher sucks.
- Oh, my God.
- Babe, what's wrong?
My brother has been kidnapped
by some lunatic calling himself
the Black Hood.
What? Who's the Black Hood?
How the hell
should I know, Cousin?
But he's demanding some
insane ransom and saying,
if I don't pay,
he's going to kill my brother.
Listen, Archie, I know
this is gonna sound nuts.
I think I know where
Jason Blossom is being held.
Is this another one of those
parallel universe things?
Well, yeah.
But if the events of Riverdale
are repeating here
in Rivervale, then...
I think Jason Blossom is
being held at the Whyte Wyrm.
What do you want to do?
Let's get Sheriff Keller
to back us up...
and let's go save him.
Jason, Jason...
What the hell is going on here?
It occurred to
me that whoever was under the mask
was most likely the same person
who killed my double.
Rivervale's big bad.
Not Hiram Lodge, but...
Clifford Blossom.
Excuse me.
Are you kidding?
Why aren't you dressed
for the rehearsal dinner?
- Either of you?
- He started it.
I don't care who started it.
I am so done with this macho,
toxic, competitive bull crap.
We're all adults here. So, we
should be able to act like we're adults.
But until that happens,
you're both grounded.
- What?
- No fair!
You two need to work out whatever it is
you need to work out in order to co-exist.
You're out of the Pembrooke
and out of my life.
Idiot.
I want to thank everyone for being
here on this very special occasion.
It's not every night that a mom
gets to host the rehearsal dinner
for her daughter's wedding
to the finest young gentleman
in this town, Archie Andrews.
Now, I think my husband, Hal,
would like to say a few words.
Just a few, though.
Thank you, Alice. Uh...
I remember
when Betty was born, she...
Toni? What is it?
What's happened?
I knew it
even before Toni said it.
She's dead.
Who's dead, Toni?
Cheryl.
She was strangled.
Betty and I went to Thornhill
straight from the rehearsal dinner.
The scene there
was a gruesome one.
The rules of this universe were
making less sense every day.
It was as if Riverdale's reality was
trying to reassert itself on Rivervale,
and innocent people
like Cheryl were dying.
How could I take Dilton's
advice to do nothing?
Wait a minute.
Dilton. I've been wondering
who this universe's big bad is.
Could it be meek Dilton Doiley
hiding in plain sight?
Well, considering you're here in the middle
of the night, I think it's time we talk.
- A little busy right now, Jughead.
- No.
Dilton, you asked me
to sit down and do nothing.
But it's happening again.
The same events that took place
in Riverdale are happening here!
People are dying.
Yes. Isn't it glorious?
What?
- Oh, you know what's going on, don't you?
- He does.
I'm sorry, Jughead.
But I had to see
what would happen
if the universes
remained conjoined.
And now, we know.
They've become
dangerously unstable,
and eventually, they're both
going to implode.
Why are they
going to implode?
Riverdale
and Rivervale,
the two universes
are expanding,
as universes do.
But they're still linked
at the point of creation.
So, what? They're bleeding
into each other?
They're just going to expand
into each other?
And I, Dilton Doiley,
will have a front row seat
to their destruction.
I'll be the first scientist
to document
a prime and pocket universe
collapsing in real time.
How do we stop it?
We don't. We can't.
It's too late.
Ethel?
I snuck poison
into his grape juice.
Why?
Because he was willing to let
everyone in two universes die,
just so he could study
what happens when
the twin-versus implode.
Ethel, do you know how to save
these universes?
Of course I do, Jughead.
Well, one of them,
the prime one,
I can save Riverdale.
Reggie?
Reggies?
You dim, egotistical,
narcissistic morons.
When I said "Settle this,"
I didn't mean with a duel.
That's the moment in time
the pocket universe,
this universe, was created.
If we could recreate the
circumstances of its birth,
then theoretically,
the same energy
that conjoined them
could also separate them.
We just need to figure out what
that moment was and where?
I think I know.
Archie's bedroom,
when that bomb exploded.
No, I think it would have to be a more
significant event than just an explosion.
That might not
sound like a lot,
but it was a confluence
of good and evil.
Archie and Betty's love,
Hiram's, hate.
There was creation.
I was in the garage, writing,
and destruction,
the explosion.
There was science.
Archie had this...
chunk of palladium
on his desk,
and magic.
Cheryl's curse on the town.
That might definitely do it.
Okay, so by your logic,
we just have to accurately recreate
the events in Archie's bedroom.
As closely as we can.
And the universes
should separate, yes,
The prime universe
will stabilize,
and our universe will...
Cease to exist.
Everyone in Rivervale
will die?
Jughead, Rivervale
wasn't ever meant to exist.
You, me, all of us,
our town, we're just...
Aberrations.
One, big, messy anomaly
that will simply stop being.
And if we do nothing...
both universes will collapse?
Billions will die?
So we just need to detonate
a bomb under Archie's bed.
- With Betty and Archie in it.
- What?
No, no, no.
We're not blowing up
Archie and Betty.
They're about to get married.
We have to recreate the
circumstances as closely as possible.
I mean, if not Betty and
Archie, then maybe it could be...
Me and Veronica.
What are we, if we're not
counterparts to Archie and Betty?
Ethel...
you're brilliant.
So if,
what you're saying is true,
and we do this...
we won't die?
No.
We'll... cease
to exist painlessly.
All so Riverdale,
a universe we don't even know
for sure exists,
- can be spared.
- It does exist, Veronica.
It's a universe
of high school dances,
and masked serial killers,
of football, and milkshakes
and musicals, and cults,
diabolical board games
and murderous nuns.
It's a world where
billions of people will die
if we don't split
the universes.
All right.
Let's do it.
Let's make out
to save the universe.
One thing.
Can we do it
during the wedding?
Because I'm not really
in the mood?
Yeah, I hear that. Same.
Here's to Vughead
becoming cannon.
Is it
possible to be nostalgic for a life
that you're not
even sure is yours.
Flipping through the yearbook,
I remembered things
as if I'd seen them
in a movie of my life.
All right, Lodge.
We doing this or what?
Archie, what are you
doing here?
You know, when you didn't
show up to my wedding,
I knew, you'd be doing
something stupid
like trying to separate
the two universes.
Well, I can't let you do that.
Before you do anything final,
know that Veronica
is on her way here right now.
No, Jug, she's not.
Ronnie's dead.
I killed her.
What?
Why would you do that?
Because you told her the truth
about the universe,
and she was gonna
help you destroy it.
You killed Cheryl...
and the other Jughead?
Not Hiram or Clifford or Hal,
you're Rivervale's Big Bad...
I'm not a villain, Jug.
No one stays dead here.
Cheryl and Ronnie.
They'll be back.
All the people we've lost...
Everyone comes back to life
in this universe.
Everyone comes back.
Is this about your dad?
Don't you get it?
He's coming home.
He has to.
He would never
miss my wedding.
Especially not to Betty,
he loved Betty.
Archie, how do you
know all this?
The rules of this world?
How did you know
to kill the other Jughead
before I even showed
you the comics?
Bro, I know all the secrets
of this universe.
I was at ground zero
for the birth of Rivervale.
The moment of creation
and destruction.
The threshold of revelation.
I saw everything.
The other Jughead, the dead,
coming back to life,
the distortions.
It's not a copy or a mistake
like you think it is.
It's another chance for me
to be with my dad.
Archie...
If we don't separate
these universes,
and soon, everyone's
going to die in both of them.
And you don't know
that Fred can come back.
- Not everybody does...
- If there's a 0.001% chance
that he will,
I want to be here
waiting for him.
I'm sorry.
Hey.
Never leave a Cooper woman
standing at the altar.
Hey. Hey, are you okay?
How did you know
to come here?
When Archie stood me up
at the altar,
something clicked.
I don't know, like,
my life flashed before my eyes.
I knew to come here.
You also know that
Rivervale should not exist.
That bomb needs
to be detonated.
By us?
If you're willing.
What we do now.
We just wait?
No. We need to recreate
the moments before
the original explosions
closely as possible.
Oh, well, Archie and I...
I know, I read it
in the comics.
Hey. Whoa.
Hey, sorry. Look...
There may be a way
to separate the two universes
without erasing this one.
Okay?
Well, we should probably stop the
bomb. Betty, could you please disarm it?
What I'm... What?
I don't know
how to disarm a bomb.
Yes, you do.
You went to the FBI Academy.
You've actually
done it before,
when Polly had a bomb
strapped to her body
You came back
from the dead too.
Where were you
after Archie strangled you?
The great Pop's Chock'lit
Shoppe in the sky.
From the second I walked
through that door,
I immediately felt at peace.
The sweet Hereafter Pops
is a lot like ours,
except it also sells comics.
It's like one of those
old fashioned soda shops.
Everything about this Pops
is old-fashioned.
Grab something to read,
and have a seat.
It's all you can eat.
On the house, of course.
And that's when I found it.
A special comic book
that came in between
issues 95 and 96,
and it bridged the gap between
Riverdale and Rivervale.
It told the tale of two
linked universes
and how,
if that second universe
were to become separated
from the first, it would die.
Unless a new power source
could be found and maintained.
I was looking around
at all these comic books.
All these wonderful stories
made me realize what that
power source could be.
And so I resurrected,
and I came right here.
What is the other
power source
that's going to fuel Rivervale
after it separates?
Imagination.
It's limitless
and all powerful,
it's boundless
and ever replenishing.
There's no fuel more potent,
no generator
more awesome.
I don't understand.
I think I do.
The explosion
is destruction, right?
What's the opposite
of destruction?
- Creation.
- Exactly.
I mean, it's all the comics,
how Jughead here
is gonna save Rivervale
by becoming a living battery.
- A, um...
- Story generator?
That powers Rivervale by writing
the stories that fuel the universe?
So it doesn't have to keep
leeching off of Riverdale.
It's an over-simplification,
but, yeah, you write,
and Rivervale lives.
One thing though,
once you start producing,
you will have to be
in complete isolation.
I mean, think about if someone
saw two Jugheads
just walking and talking, it could
actually break down reality, so...
Well, no. No!
Then why can't you do it?
I'm the narrator.
He's the writer.
What does that mean?
This isn't fair!
No! It's...
It's how it has to be...
if everyone is going to live,
our family, our friends.
This is why I became aware,
isn't it?
Because I'm both inside
and outside of the story.
In the end, the universe knew I'd
be the only one capable of saving it.
All right.
Where do I set up shop?
Dilton's bunker?
Your typewriter is already
down there.
You'll have plenty of paper
and tons of food.
And once you're settled,
we'll, uh, seal you in.
This is insane. I will not be
able to live with myself, Jug.
Actually, you will, in time.
Well, very quickly, actually.
Soon you will forget all about
Jughead's sacrifice for you and for us,
and he will fade from memory.
Oh, my gosh!
- This is...
- Hey, Hey! Look at me.
I need you to be strong.
Please.
I need you in my corner
for this one.
Make sure that bomb goes off.
Jughead.
It's gonna be okay.
Really.
We got this. You and me.
Saving the universes.
It was at this moment,
that Jughead and Betty began, yet again,
the doomsday clock's countdown.
While in the living room,
Archie Andrews reanimated and
resumed his mission to stop Jughead.
Hey, Cooper,
whatever happens...
We'll face it together.
There was
nothing to do but wait.
Betty and Jughead
held each other tightly,
like children
terrified of the dark.
As the bomb's counter
finally reached zero,
Betty and Jughead braced themselves
for an explosion that should have
obliterated one
or more universes.
But instead...
never happened.
The bomb was gone.
The pounding on the door
had ceased.
And Betty and Jughead realized
that the storm had passed them by.
They survived.
They could resume their lives.
There you guys are.
We were just about to send
a search party.
Seriously! What were you guys
doing up there?
- Um...
- I actually can't remember.
Don't mind him.
He always turns into a space cadet
when he's working on a new novel.
No, seriously, what were we...
What were we doing?
Oh, come on, Betty. Your
spaghetti's gonna get cold.
- Hi.
- Hey. Thank you.
After
dinner, Jughead and Tabitha
will start moving
his belongings
out of Archie's garage
and into their new apartment.
Including a comic book
collection,
Jughead had forgotten
that he had.
And though he will not know it in the
moment, this collection of comic books
and the secrets contained
within its pages
will one day save his
and countless others' lives.
So it worked.
Rivervale will continue to exist in
an endless time loop you created,
as long as you keep typing.
Luckily, I've got
a lot of stories.
One question, though.
What happens in
the prime Riverdale universe?
Guess we'll never know
if someone did something
to change the course
of events in Riverdale.
Can you hear that?
It's my phone.
- Hello.
- Get out of that house, Betty!
Who is this?
Listen to me,
there's a bomb under the bed.
You have to go now,
right now!
We have to go.
Now.