Riverdale (2016–…): Season 7, Episode 18 - Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five: For a Better Tomorrow - full transcript

[woman screaming on screen]

[Jughead] One distinct
advantage of dating
the owner of a movie theater

is getting to see flicks
with my pals for free.

Which is why
every Tuesday night,
we would gather to watch

whatever latest atomic age
fright-fest was playing,

little imagining
that we would soon
be walking into our very own

real-life,
science-fiction-tinged B movie.

There, suddenly,
was a melting man,

coming towards us
looking like a wax statue

that had been left out
in the sun for too long.

At which point the cavalry
suddenly arrived.



[gunshots]

Sheriff Keller would
soon be claiming
that the man was a vagrant,

suffering from a rare case
of... wait for it... leprosy.

But that didn't jibe
with what I overheard
Ethel say to Ben Button.

He's wearing the same uniform
my dad did when he worked
at the maple factory.

Once again,
there was something rotten
in the town of Riverdale,

and if I was going to get
real answers this time,

I'd have to
hunt them down myself.

Luckily, I knew for a fact

that the town coroner,
Dr. Curdle,

was a fan
of Pep's horror comics,

which were hard
to come by these days.

Unless you had an inside
connection like me.

Oh, yes.



These are quite
marvelous, Mr. Jones.

Worthy of a quid pro quo.

Keen-o. So, clue me in
on what you know about
that mysterious melting man.

How'd he end up
looking that way?

I believe he was suffering
from acute radiation poisoning.

[whistles] Jeepers!

Nuclear or atomic?

And where would he get
radiation poisoning?

I couldn't say.

Unfortunately, I didn't have
much time with the body

before Mayor Blossom claimed it
and whisked it away.

The melting man,
as you call him,

was an employee
of the mayor's maple factory
is my understanding.

That stinks like a rotten fish.

[birds twittering]

Ethel, are you ready
to walk to school?

Betty, are you sure
you don't want your mom

to drive you
and Ethel to school?

Under no circumstances.

Ethel, come on.
We're gonna be late.

[Alice] Don't worry, Hal.

One day it'll be
raining cats and dogs,

and she will finally
let me give her a ride.

-You'll see.
-Mm, no, I won't.

Ethel, Veronica and I signed up
for driver's education
at school.

So, pretty soon
I'll be driving myself
wherever I want.

Great news from Coach Parsley
over at Camp Evans.

You are in, Reggie.

-No foolin', Coach?
-In where?

Only the best
summer basketball camp

for high-schoolers
in the country.

[Mary] That's wonderful news.

Congratulations, Reggie.

And what about you,
Bill Shakespeare?

What are your plans?

Guess there's no summer camp
for poetry, is there?

Well, there'll be plenty
for Archie to do
in town, Frank.

He can pick up
his old job at Pop's,

or he can help me down
at the dress shop.

Oh, you hear that?

You can work
in your mom's dress shop.

[scoffs] I bet you wish
you didn't quit the team now.

Let's motor, sis.
Train's leaving
with or without you.

And who,
pray tell, was that?

You enlisting, Dad?

Oh, don't be asinine,
the both of you.

That was General Taylor
from Washington.

He was delivering
unto me, uh...

Well, a gift.

Come into my study,

I want you to see it.

What godforsaken creature
is that?

This is Moloch, Cheryl.

Ancient pagan deity.

It can only be appeased
through child sacrifice.

You should both
keep Moloch in mind,

should you ever be inclined
to give me any more grief.

[school bell ringing]

[Jughead] Ethel?

Look, I don't mean
to open old wounds,

but that melting man
outside the Babylonium...

-What about him?
-You told Ben

that he was wearing
the same uniform
that your father did

at the Blossom maple factory.

I... I was just wondering
what your father
actually did there.

He was a janitor.

Why?

Did he ever get sick?

My mom sometimes said
that he started drinking

to help deal
with the chronic pain he felt
in his stomach and his joints.

And also because
he was losing his hair.

Golly.

But, Jughead, why are you
asking me about this?

Look, I can't say
for certain yet,

but the fact that your father
and the melting man,

and Mr. Rayberry,
now that I think about it,

all worked at
the Blossom maple factory

and all bit the linoleum

in, shall we say,
bizarre circumstances, I--

Well, I just don't think
that's a coincidence.

I think the Blossoms
are hiding something.

And I'm going to find out what.

So I can get us, you, me,
Mrs. Rayberry...

some closure.

What?

What is it?

Jughead, I appreciate
what you're doing.

But I'm trying
to move on with my life.

I'm applying
for my driver's license.

I just got my car that I won
as Miss Riverdale Teen Queen,

I'm going steady with Ben.

[softly] Hi.

You're going steady
with our Ben? Ben Button?

In any case,
I'm trying to put the past
where it belongs, behind me.

All right, class,
please finish
taking your seats.

Mayor Blossom
and Principal Featherhead
have asked me to show you

this informational film
about what to do in the event

of an atomic bomb
detonating in Riverdale.

[projector whirring]

[narrator] Now,
we must be ready
for a new danger...

the atomic bomb.

You will know when it comes.

There is a bright flash
brighter than the sun.

If you are not ready,
it could hurt you
in different ways.

It could knock you down hard

or throw you against
a tree or a wall.

It is such a big explosion,
it can smash in buildings,

and knock signboards over,

and break windows
all over town.

[Archie] Jeepers,
that atomic bomb movie

really gave me the zorros.

It should have.

That dumb movie
was telling us
to "duck and cover,"

as if flying glass
is going to be
the biggest of our worries.

In truth, most of us
wouldn't even likely
survive an atomic explosion.

What... What are you
playing at, Jug?

Have any of you seen
the newsreels from Japan?

If a bomb drops on
or near Riverdale,

all of us are vaporized
in less than a nanosecond.

Not to mention the radiation
we would all be exposed to,

even if we managed to survive
the initial detonation.

Well, I know what I'd do
if a bomb were heading our way,

I'd sequester myself
in the Pembrooke
sub-sub-basement.

It's like a little
underground city down there.

You'd be invited,
of course, Juggiekins.

Ugh.

I would seek shelter
in the abandoned Blossom mines.

They have stood strong
since before
the Revolutionary War.

Isn't it dark and cold
down in those mines?

Hmm, why, yes, Toni, it is.

I would have to find some way
to stay cozy and warm.

I'd head back to Duck Creek.
We've got a well so deep

no bomb or radiation
could reach it.

Well, why stop at Duck Creek?

I mean,
if we hear these sirens,

I'm hopping in my hot rod,
I'm grabbin' my mom
and I'm heading out West.

There is no way
these radiation clouds
are gonna cross the Rockies.

[sighs] Out West sounds nice.

Sure does.

You can't outrun
an atomic bomb, Archie.

No matter how screamin' fast
your hot rod is.

Guys, I read somewhere
that if you are inside
a refrigerator,

when the big one hits,
you're safe.

But then you're
inside a refrigerator.

Yeah, Kev, what would you do
about food and water?

I mean, I'd be
inside of a refrigerator.

[all laugh]

I'm not holing up anywhere.

Come on, guys.
We can't let this bomb
get us down.

In places like Nevada,
where the US

does most of
its atomic testing,

people have bomb shelters
in case something goes wrong.

That's what it would take
to be truly safe,

a lead-lined
underground bunker.

[Betty] If Russia
wanted to bomb us,

wouldn't they target
larger cities

like Los Angeles or New York?

People who live
in the sticks like us,

we don't actually
have to worry about

nuclear attacks, do we?

Mm. I wouldn't bet
the farm on it.

An atomic bomb
could drop anywhere.

Even here, in Riverdale.

It says, "Make rope end
wrap around the rope."

Whatever that means.

[Archie] Hey,
what are you fellas up to?

We're trying
to tie a sailor's knot
and failing miserably.

A sailor's knot?
I can show you how.

Don't you remember
your Adventure Scouts training?

"The rabbit goes out the hole,

around the tree,

back through the hole again."

You should get a nice loop.

What are you guys
practicing this for anyways?

You do realize
if the bomb hits,

there's not much
a sailor's knot
can do for you. [chuckles]

Kevin and I are considering
joining the Merchant Marines.

Merchant Marines? Wow.

What is that?
Part of the Navy
or something?

No, it's a civilian job.

They pay you
to work on a cargo ship
and travel around the world.

[Clay] You know, Archie,
you might be keen on this too.

A lot of great writers
were Merchant Marines.

A lot of the Beats
have served too.

Ginsberg and Kerouac
both did their time
on the seven seas.

"Adventure awaits you
on the open water."

I'll say this much,
I wouldn't hate
getting away from my uncle.

Seeing the world,
having adventures,
it would enrich my writing.

I mean, that sounds
super swell to me.

And I do love tying knots.

If you're serious,
there's a recruiter
coming tomorrow.

You can ask him questions
and hear what he has to say.

Ladies, you are the drivers
of tomorrow.

As such, it is important
to learn to be alert,

confident, conscientious
motor vehicle operators.

Stop sign.

[all gasp]

Driving is not a right,
as many young men believe.

It is a privilege...

and a responsibility.

Upcoming left turn.

That's wonderful, girls.

Now, let's bring
our cars into park.

And shake it out.

Very good.
Excellent.

Now, your homework
for tonight is to rest,

because tomorrow,
your true test
of skills begins.

We will be getting into
a real, working automobile

to practice parallel parking.

[girls chattering]

How was school today, boys?

Anything interesting happen?

We watched a movie
that taught us what to do

if the Russians
drop a bomb on us.

I'm thinking of joining
the Merchant Marines.

Well, as long as you finish
high school first,

and when that day comes,
I hope you'll still
consider going to college.

Well, now, wait a minute, Mary.

Merchant Marines sounds
like a solid, sensible idea.

Much better than going to
some college to pursue poetry.

Actually, the Merchant Marines
would be a way

for me to pursue
my poetry, Uncle Frank.

A lot of Beats would join
the Merchant Marines

to learn more about themselves

and the world
and then to write about it.

You'd know that if you ever
cracked open a book.

What was that?

Well, no one is joining
anything tonight.

So can we please just
finish our supper in peace?

[Jughead] Well, Dilton,
what's the occasion?

I... I just came by because...

after the melting man
and that movie
my dad showed in class,

I know you're unsettled.

Sue me. I don't wanna die
in an atomic attack.

Yeah, except,
you don't have to worry,
Jughead.

You, you're one of
my best pals.

You're my comic book buddy.

If anything bad
were to actually happen,

I'd take care of you.
You'd be safe.

Well, that's swell
of you to say, Dilton,
but how would I be safe?

It's...

It would probably be easier
if I just showed you.

[metal door opening]

Ho-ho-holy crapola, Dilton.

How does your family
have a bunker?

My dad built it.

He says we're deep enough
to survive an atomic blast

and any radiation
after the blast.

Am I missing something?

Does your dad
think that Riverdale
could be a target?

Dilton?

What does your dad know
that we don't?

Nothing for certain.

But about a year before
Ethel's folks were killed,

her dad showed up
to our house...

with this.

Mr. Muggs wanted to see
if it was worth anything.

He figured since my dad
was a science teacher,
he'd know.

What is it?

Palladium.

Mr. Muggs said
he swiped it from work.

The maple factory?

I guess so.

He said Clifford Blossom
was sitting on a pile of it

and doing something with it.

That's when my dad started
building this bunker.

Because Clifford Blossom was,

or is, doing something
with palladium?

A secret something?
Worth killing for?

In its inert state, palladium
is basically harmless.

But in its purest state,
concentrated and compressed,

some scientists speculate

it could be more
volatile than plutonium,

and if detonated,

more destructive
than a hydrogen bomb.

This is starting
to ring a bell for me.

Not just a bell, in fact,
a four-alarm siren.

Sure enough, I'd recently
had my nose in a story

about a palladium bomb
destroying a small town

by my former,
deceased mentor Brad Rayberry,

who, at one point,
worked at the Blossom factory.

Had he seen
or heard something there

about palladium
that had inspired his story?

[siren wailing]

That's the emergency siren!

As we were warned!

This is it!
This is the big one!

[all screaming]

Jughead! Duck and cover!

Jughead? Jughead?
What are you doing?

Get under your desk!

No! Jughead!

Get away from the--
[screams]

[gasps, heavy breathing]

Damn you
and your fearmongering,
Jughead Jones.

[Clifford speaking Russian]

[Penelope speaking Russian]

[Clifford in Russian]

[Penelope in Russian]

[floor creaking]

[gasps]

[in English]
As a Merchant Marine,
you'll be traveling the globe

on the world's most
technologically advanced ships.

You will work
and train alongside

this country's best
and brightest young men,

all eager to experience life
to the fullest.

-Yes, son.
-Would we have
time to explore,

places we'd be visiting,
you know, really get
to soak them up?

This isn't a pleasure cruise.

It's something you should
all know right now,

no one here
is guaranteed a spot.

Cheryl, hi-ho.

Has anything strange been
happening at your house lately?

Mayhaps. Why do you care?

Well, I heard you mention those
abandoned mines yesterday.

And I was just wondering
if they're close
to your family's maple factory.

The factory is practically
right on top of them, yes.

Okay...

Look, Cheryl, this is gonna
sound like gobbledygook.

But I have reason
to believe that your father
is up to no good.

I think he is involved
in the milkman murders,

not to mention the melting man,

and I think that those mines

are actually palladium mines,

and that they're not
as abandoned as you think.

Jughead, there's no love lost
between my father and I.

In fact, I'm fairly certain
if he had the chance,

he would sacrifice me
to a pagan god
he worships named Moloch.

But to your point,
he has been meeting
with an Army general

in his study recently,

and I did overhear him
and my mother last night

speaking what I believe
was Russian.

Holy moly!

Do you think
you can get in there
and play gumshoe?

Just poke around,
snoop a little,

see if you find
anything incriminating?

[tires screech]

[all gasp]

[cheers and applause]

I am very pleased to announce
that since all of you passed

both the written
and practical portions

of your driver's
education exam,

we will all be
taking a field trip

to the Riverdale
Department of Motor Vehicles

at the end of the week.

[all applauding]

But girls,
this is very important.

In order to obtain
your legal license,

you must bring a copy of your
birth certificate with you.

The DMV needs to make sure

that none of you
are Russian spies.

[indistinct laughter
and chatter]

[rowing machine clicking]

[Frank] I was wondering
why the light was on out here.

Let me guess,

this is for
the Merchant Marines.

Well, the recruiter said

everyone rows
at least an hour a day
when they're out at sea

to stay in shape, so...
I'm just getting a head start.

Listen, about that...

Can we talk?

Man-to-man for a minute.

I know I'm not your father.

But just so you know,

I want what's
best for you, Archie,

just the same as he would want.

What is that?

[Frank]
Your old man's dog tags.

I know he'd want
you to have them,

just like I'll bet
he'd want you to quit
this Merchant Marines business,

join the Army,
enlist, just like he did.

Oh, you didn't know?

Your father
wasn't drafted, Archie.

He volunteered for the Army

because he knew
what being a real man
and a good American meant.

He believed
there was no greater duty
than serving this country

and fighting for
democracy and freedom.

And you wanna be like
your father, don't you?

Well, yeah, I...

try to be like him every day.

Well, then drop
this poetry nonsense
and join the Army.

Become the kind of man
he'd be proud of.

The man I know is inside you,

fighting to get out.

And the best part
about joining the Army...

you don't have to wait
until graduation.

Let's see what
you're hiding, Daddy.

[wind blowing]

A draft?

[creaks]

Good morning, honey.

One waffle or two?

Uh...

Are those your dad's...

Dog tags. Yeah.

Uncle Frank gave 'em to me.

Well, why would
he have done that?

Oh, I think I know.

But maybe you should sit down
so we can talk about it.

[sighs]

Betty, can we
talk for a second?

Sure.

Are things not hunky-dory?

No, there is a problem, um...

I don't have my
birth certificate.

It's at my house.

Where my parents...

Don't worry about it.
I'll grab it for you.

Really, Betty?

Sure. Yeah.
I'll book it there after school

before we go to the DMV.

Do you have any idea

where your birth certificate
would be?

My mom had a crafting desk

where she kept
important papers and things.

I bet you it's in there.

[school bell ringing]

Did you find something?

Did I ever?
You were right
on the beam, Jughead.

-About what part?
-Everything.

Last night whilst snooping
through Daddy's study,

I stumbled upon a secret panel

and found a bunch of these...

and matching uniforms to boot!

Holy Toledo!

That milkman must've been
working for your father.

Doing his bidding?

Cheryl, are you in danger?

No more than usual.

I also went
to the mines last night

and you were right
about those too.

They are palladium mines...

Very much not abandoned.

Meet me
on the Thornhill grounds
tonight after dark

and bring your camera,
and pray an atomic disaster

doesn't befall us all
before then.

What? Wha--

What was my dad paying
the Muggs' for?

So Frank, Archie told me

about your little talk
in the garage last night.

Did he now?

-And what did he say?
-[Mary] A few things.

But it sounded to me

like you used his father,
your brother,

to try to manipulate my son
into joining the Army.

How dare you, Frank?

Especially when you
yourself never served.

The Army is the best place
for him, Mary.

It'll set him straight.

Let's not mince words, Frank.

We all know
what this is really about.

It's about you not wanting
Archie to write poetry.

He's on the road to ruin.

He's... Well, he's lost.

[Mary] He's not lost.
He's 17.

He's got his whole life
ahead of him.

Whether that's joining
the Merchant Marines,
or the Army,

or going to college
to study literature and poetry,

after he finishes high school.

But he'll be the one
who decides his path,
not his bullying uncle.

[Mary sighs]

I can't have you
here anymore, Frank.

It's time for you to move out.

Mary, you called me
here to help.

And now she's telling you
to hit the road.

And who's gonna be
the man of the house
when I'm gone?

-I am.
-[scoffs] Not that I need one.

I am the woman
of this house, after all.

I'm the one who pays
the mortgage around here.

Well, I suppose
I could shack up
with my old pal Tom Keller.

I hear he's been
handed a similar set
of marching orders recently.

[Mary] Wonderful.

That works out
for everyone then.

Betty. How you doing, kiddo?

Why were you two writing checks
once a month,

year after year, to the Muggs'?

Because, Betty, Mrs. Muggs
was our housekeeper.

Those must have been payments
for those services.

That doesn't make any sense.

Some of these checks
are from two years ago.

If Mrs. Muggs were ever
our housekeeper,

she hadn't been
for as long as I can remember.

Oh, and... and what's
the story behind this photo?

Who's that baby?

Because it's not me
and it's not Polly.

That's Ethel.

Why did the Muggs' have a photo
of you holding Ethel as a baby?

Because the Muggs' asked

if I would be
Ethel's godfather.

And I agreed.

So why haven't
I heard about this?

Why hasn't anyone?

[sputters] I don't know...

[Alice] Stop, Hal.

Just stop.

It's over.

Can't you see that?

You're Ethel's father,
aren't you?

Why don't you
go for a walk, dear? Hmm?

So that Betty and I
can have a little chat.

Mildred Muggs
did clean our house

before you were born.
That part is true.

And at some point,
she and your father
started having an affair.

And I suspected it
for a long time,

but it was finally
confirmed when...

Mrs. Muggs got pregnant.

Your father
admitted everything.

He was crying,

apologizing.
He didn't know what to do.

I mean, if any whiff
of the scandal got out,

the consequences,

for the station, for...
for us, for our family...

So you stayed with him?

I had no other choice.

Yes, I stayed.

But I... I handled it.

I made a deal with the Muggs'

that if they agreed
to raise the baby as their own

and keep our secret

that we would
financially support the child

until she turned 16.

Support... Ethel, my sister?

Your half-sister.

This is why
you "adopted" Ethel.

This is why you've been
the way that you've been...

with me.

Wanting Kevin
to pin me over Archie.

Why you were scared of me
reading Dr. Kingsley's book.

You were afraid of something
like what happened to you
happening to me?

I just wanted to give you

a good, happy life.

Unburdened.

Safe, free of shame.

You've been obsessed
with presenting
as the perfect family

when all along...

this is what's been wrong.

This... secret.

This... shame,

not what I've been doing.

Or what Polly did.

It was Dad's affair...

and your decision
to stay with him

and pretend
that everything was fine.

And for all my efforts,

I failed you.

[voice breaking] As a mother...

I failed you,
and I'm sorry.

You didn't.

You did the best
that you could.

You did what
you thought was right.

But now...

we need to get Dad back here,

and we need to tell
Ethel everything.

[camera shutter clicks]

[Jughead]
What you say is here
is really here?

It is. You will
see for yourself.

[Jughead] Well, wouldn't
there be more guards?

I imagine my father is trying
to avoid undue attention.

That's a good point.

And as Cheryl and I
were on the cusp

of uncovering
one explosive truth,

Ethel was experiencing
emotional shock waves

after learning the truth
about her life.

It explains things.

Why my parents were so sad,

why they fought all the time.

Why I always felt...

I don't know,
like it was somehow my fault.

Oh, it was never
your fault, Ethel.

Ethel...

Mrs. Cooper and I,
were discussing and...

Well, we'd like to...

We'd like to make things right.

And formally adopt you.

Show you that
we could be a... a true family.

I appreciate that.

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper,
it's kind of you to offer.

But I don't think
that's what I want.

What do you want?

To be happy.

To move on with my life.

To start over.

Well, you enjoy my room.

Don't get into
too much trouble.

I won't.

And, uh, I'll see you
at practice, Coach.

Mary, I don't know
how I'm going to survive
without your chicken pot pie.

Oh, come on, Frank.

You know you'll always
be welcome at Sunday dinner.

In that case,
I will see you Sunday.

You...

So you're the man
of the house now.

[chuckles softly]
I hope you're up for the task

and, uh, I hope you don't
hold anything against me.

Of course not, Uncle Frank.

But just to be clear,

writing poetry
doesn't make you
any less of a man.

Some of the most beautiful
poems I've ever read

were written by soldiers
in trenches,

covered in mud and the blood
of their brothers.

Well, maybe that's my path.

Well, maybe not.

Guess we'll have to
wait and see.

We have to show these photos
to Sheriff Keller.

Maybe, maybe not.

For all we know,
Sheriff Keller is in on it.

Kevin's father?

No, he's just
a dimwitted small-town sheriff
that's in over his head.

Well, still, now that
we have hard proof,
it's better to be careful.

Veronica has some
contacts in the FBI

from when they
investigated her father.

I'll reach out to her
and see if she can get me

the names of
some of those agents.

Good thinking, Sherlock Jones.

By the way,
are you and Veronica
officially an item now?

Shucks, I don't know.
[embarrassed chuckle]

Talk about being
in over your crown.

-Oh, I'm holding my own.
-Mm-hmm.

-[knock at door]
-I'll get it.

Gentlemen,
you're right on time.

They're having breakfast
in the grand hall.

Clifford Marion Blossom,
Penelope Pavlina
Novikov Blossom,

you're under arrest
for treason,

conspiracy and advocating
for the violent overthrow

of the American government.

The FBI is shutting down
your so-called Project Moloch.

[handcuffs click]

You did a bad thing, Daddy.

[Jughead] Over the coming days,
the world would learn

about the American capitalist

seduced by
the Soviet sleeper agent.

Operation Project Moloch

was to have been
the next leg of the arms race,

from the A-bomb
to the H-bomb to the P-bomb,

the palladium bomb.

The US believed
Clifford Blossom
was developing it for them,

when, in fact,
his plan had been

to develop the P-bomb
in Riverdale

and deliver it
to Mother Russia.

The FBI and the US Army
were credited

with foiling the plot
against America,

which is fine by me,
because I was busy

putting the rest
of the pieces together.

Mr. Rayberry
must have glimpsed
just enough during his job

at the Blossom factory
to grow concerned.

He warned us,
as he always did,

with his brilliant,
terrifying stories.

He might have continued
flying under the radar,

but then he started
agitating at Riverdale High

invoking the Supreme Court,
spooking the powers that be,

prompting Mayor Blossom
to have his hit man,

aka the milkman, kill him.

Ethel's folks also paid
the ultimate price.

Mr. Muggs had discovered
that the Blossoms were sitting

on a stockpile of palladium.

That made him a threat.

One that, for whatever reason,
needed to be eliminated.

Ethel didn't care so much
about the details.

But now that she knew
the complete truth of her life,

she was ready, she said,

to finally start to hope again

for a better tomorrow.

Hey, love bug,
you ready to peel out?

[pop music playing]

♪ The clock is smiling
Like a long-lost prayer ♪

♪ Another minute
And the class will end... ♪

[Alice] Are you
sure about this, Ethel?

Moving to Hollywood?

Don't you worry, Mrs. Cooper.

I called ahead
to my friend Peter Roth.

He saw some of Ethel's artwork
and got her a job

as a storyboard artist
on the lot.

And I've already
arranged for Ethel

to live with
one of my girlfriends

at the most
glamorous of buildings,

the El Royale.

Thanks again, Veronica.

My pleasure.

Give 'em hell, Ethel.

Don't forget
to send us your address
once you're settled,

so I can come visit you
this summer.

I won't forget.

Thank you
for everything, Betty.

Of course.

[sighs softly]

I'll miss you.

You always were
the best partner in crime.

Thanks, Jughead.

Don't be too sad.

We'll always have Pep Comics.

Well, hopefully. We'll see.

You're going to be just fine.

I truly feel that.

I hope so, Mrs. Cooper.

[chuckles]

[car door closing]

[car engine starts]

[Jughead] Ethel was
the first of us to go,

to leave Riverdale behind.

There would be others soon.

All the pieces
were falling into place.

Project Moloch had failed,

and it was just about time
to find out

if our little town
would be avoiding

an even greater cataclysm.

[epic music playing]

♪ Nothing can stop me ♪

♪ Now ♪

[bell chimes]