Riverdale (2016–…): Season 7, Episode 19 - Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six: The Golden Age of Television - full transcript

For years,
Riverdale had prided itself

as being the Town with Pep.
Safe, innocent, utopian.

But after recent events...

...there was no denying

the darkness that churned
beneath Riverdale.

The inequality,
the prejudice,
the fearmongering.

It had been bubbling
to the surface,

and very nearly exploded.

Now, a re-shuffling
was happening.

Now, some new way
of thinking, of being

was required.



Principal Featherhead
was stepping down
from his cherished post.

The official story was
"for personal reasons".

But word from the bird
was that he'd been identified
by an anonymous accuser

as an accessory
to Mayor Blossom's
Soviet shenanigans.

With a sudden vacancy
in the Principal's office,

the PTA is initiating
a county-wide search
for a replacement.

-Mmm.
-Here's hoping this one
makes the grade.

Yes.

In light
of recent revelations,
and after much discussion,

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper
had decided

to continue
living on Elm Street
as husband and wife,

though Mr. Cooper
would be moving into
the basement bedroom,

a decision that frankly
flummoxed Betty.

You know
the truth now, Betty.



Why didn't you
leave Dad back then?

When you first learned about
his affair with Mrs. Muggs?

I didn't want to
break up our family
over his indiscretions.

I didn't want you and Polly
to grow up without a father.

Well, why don't you
divorce Dad now?

What am I
gonna do?

My life is so intertwined
with your father's.

This is his house.

I don't own this station.
I can't even open
a bank account on my own.

And what, uh...

What about when you
go off to college?

I'm gonna be alone.

You know that I have
never been alone
a day in my life?

I lived in
my parents' house

until the day
that I married
your father.

It's just
the three of us now,
children.

May your idiot father
and viper mother

both rot in
a Russian gulag

for the rest of their
miserable lives.

From your lips
to Moloch's ears, Nana.

I always knew
there was something squirrelly
about Mom and Dad.

In the meanwhile,

it's up to us to ensure
that the Blossoms
rise from the ashes,

like phoenixes.

I wholeheartedly concur.

And rest assured,

I know exactly
what my first order
of business will be.

So,
with Featherhead gone,
who's gonna run the asylum now?

Well, not to sound
like Chicken Little,

but what if
it's Dr. Werthers?

There's got to be
better candidates
out there.

Like Captain Hook
or Godzilla?

Just so long as they don't
ask my uncle to step up.

Well, I actually know
the perfect candidate,

but we would need
support from the PTA
to push it through.

My mom's president
of the PTA, of course.

Well, that's a brick wall.

The last time we appealed to
your mom's better angels,
she let us down.

She did, but I think
that we should give her
another chance.

A lot has changed for her
since then.

Well, in the meantime,
I'm going to pay
a house call

on good old
Dr. Moldy.

Oh, I knew it.

Featherhead is barely
out the door,

and you're already trying
to take his office?
So what's the plan?

Are you going to
study us like lab rats

or experiment on us
like some two-bit Dr. Moreau?

Alas, Mr. Jones,

I have no interest
in being principal
of this school.

No, I'm off
to do real work,
in Washington.

I'll be serving on
the President's subcommittee,

looking into the causes
of juvenile delinquency.

Specifically, its links
to comic books

and other subversive forms
of popular culture.

Well, golly!

Don't let the door
hit you on the way out.

Oh, fear not, though.

My tribunal will still be
doing the important work
of regulating comic books.

Censoring them,
you mean.

As a matter of fact,

here is our response
to your latest issue,

which we're rejecting
for the reasons
outlined herein.

Good luck to you
and your colleagues
at Pep Comics,

while it still exists.

Damn, Red,
you still got it.

I'm just buzzing,
Reg. Buzzing.

Earlier this week,
Ms. Grundy told us
to read On the Road

by king of the Beats,
Jack Kerouac.

Brought everything
into focus for me.

"I was surprised,
as always,

by how easy
the act of leaving was,
and how good it felt.

The world was suddenly
rich with possibility."

You really got
the bug, huh?

Yeah, I guess
I do, Reg.

So much so,
that this summer,
I'm gonna ride the rails,

hit the trails,

I'm gonna be
a vagabond writer.

Hop trains,

explore the country,

sleep under the stars,

and then write about
my experiences,

wherever they may
take me.

And what's your mom
gonna say about that?

Mom can't say
diddly-squat,

because I'm doing this
during summer vacation.

Well,

jumping trains doesn't
beat going to the best
basketball camp in the world,

but if it floats your boat,

good on you, Arch.

So as a parting gift,
Dr. Werthers rejected
Zip Comics number 42.

And what was his rationale,
may I ask?

Well, it's got to be
because of the last story
in that issue.

The Comet.

What?

But that one's
the cat's pajamas.

I know. It's based off
a W.E.B. Du Bois story

that Tabitha clued me into
last time she was in town.

It's so romantic
and philosophical.

"After a comet hits
and destroys
New York City,

a man and a woman
come together
and fall in love."

Their problem is that

it's a Black man
and a white woman
who find each other.

I haven't even told
Mr. Fieldstone yet.

I think it's gonna
crush him.

I'm sure. That Comet story
is a masterpiece.

Honestly, my first thought
when I read it was,

"This would make for
a fantabulous movie."

Well, if anyone wants
to get in touch with
Du Bois' representatives,

I have
all their information.

Just saying.

Mom, this is your chance
to do the right thing,

to make up for
sitting on your hands

when I asked you
to report on Emmett Till.

I know you regret that.

Mrs. Cooper.

When Riverdale High
integrated,

three of the Black schools
in town shut down.

And suddenly,
dozens of great teachers
were kicked to the curb.

There's this
incredible educator

who spent the last year
driving a cab.

Girls, I would
love to help.

-But the rest
of the PTA--
-Mom.

Make them understand.

Riverdale is at
a turning point.

Now is the time
for a fresh start.

Good morning, students.

I know you've all had
a difficult year.

I know your
previous principal

wasn't exactly
open to change.

To new ideas.

To addressing the needs
of all his students.

Well,

let me make
one thing clear.

I'm here
for every student.

That said,

the challenges that face us
are enormous and systemic,

and if you're not
part of the solution,

then you're part
of the problem.

So I challenge you all.

Be kind.

Be decent.

Be better.

Now let's get to work.

Whoo!

Principal Weatherbee?

-Yes.
-Hi.

I'm Archie,
Archie Andrews.

Please, sit.

What can I do for you,
Mr. Andrews?

Well, there used to be
a teacher who worked here,

a real top-notch teach.

She was falsely accused
of being a communist,

and she was fired for it.

Her name's Mrs. Thornton.

I know Edith Thornton
very well.

She is a wonderful
educator.

I know. Well, that's why
I was hoping that--

Let me see if
I can't right this wrong.

Get Edith back here.

Well, that would be swell,
Principal Weatherbee.
Thank you.

You're welcome.

Hold on to your pom-poms,
my beloved paper-shakers
because...

♪ I'm back ♪

Cheryl, this
is a private practice
for Vixens,

not has-been daughters
of Russian spies.

Now that Principal Weatherbee
is ushering in a new golden age
at Riverdale High,

I am launching a coup
to take back control
of my Vixens.

Therefore, Evelyn,
I am challenging you
to a dance-off.

Winner takes all.

I refuse your challenge.

That's not an option.

♪ They started going steady
And bless my soul♪

♪ He out-bopped
The buzzard and the oriole♪

♪ He rocks in the treetop
All day long♪

♪ Hoppin' and a-boppin'
And singing his song ♪

♪ All the little birds
On Jaybird Street♪

♪ Love to hear the robin go
Tweet-tweet-tweet♪

-♪ Rockin' robin ♪
-♪ Tweet-tweet-tweet ♪

-♪ Rock-rock-rockin' robin♪
-♪ Tweet-tweedilly-tweet♪

♪ Blow, rockin' robin
'Cause we're really
Gonna rock tonight♪

♪ Tweet-tweedilly-tweet ♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet
Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet
Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet
Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet♪

♪ Tweet-tweet♪

Your turn.

Today marks
the beginning of a new era
for the Vixens.

To that end,

I have decided
to live in the light.

I'm going steady
with Toni Topaz.

And if anyone here
has a problem with that,

you are more than welcome
to follow Evelyn out that door

and into a dumpster.

We're in full support
of you, Cheryl.

And

-we also...
-Want to live in the light.

Mr. Fieldstone, I'm sorry
I didn't tell you sooner.

Hey, I get it, kid.
I get it.

"Rejected for not promoting
traditional American values."

You know
what that's code for?

They didn't want to see
a Black man and a white woman
end up together.

-So what do we do now?
-What do you mean?

We publish without
the damn seal.
That's what we do.

Send it out in the world
and hope for the best.

I was hoping
you'd say that.

And depending
on the sales,

I was thinking,
next time, we could--

There's not gonna be
a next time, kid.

No, that's it for me.
I'm done.

I mean, this is the best comic
I ever put together.

It's a work of art.

I mean, it actually
says something.

That tribunal
couldn't care less.

So let The Comet be
Pep's swan song.

I can't imagine
a better one.

In the meantime,

would you do me
a favor, kid?

Would you write
the last editorial?

Think of it
as our eulogy.

For the final issue
of Pep Comics.

It's been an honor, kid.

It really has.

Well...

It was a beautiful dream
while it lasted.

Oh, my gosh,
I've been waiting for this.

What did you get, hun?

It's the first copy
of my book.

You wrote a book?
Your mom and dad
must be very proud of you.

Oh, hey, Kev.
What are you doing here?

Hey, Dad. Audrey said
you weren't feeling great,

so I thought I'd bring you
some of Pop's chicken noodle.

Oh, boy, I...
I appreciate that, that's...

That's great.

Coach Andrews?

What's going on?

Uh, I'm staying in
the motel as well,

and, uh,

the shower in my room
is on the fritz.

So your...
Your dad let me use his.

Ah.

Right.

You... You want
to come in and grab a flop?

Um...

No, no, um,

I should...
I should probably cut out.

Mom,

I have something
that I want to show you.

Oh.

What is it, Betty?

I wrote a book.

Goodness, yes.

You... You did.
I see that you're
on the cover

in undergarments.

I really, really want
you to read it.

Hmm.

It says right there
in the title that
it's for teenagers.

I mean, why would I read it?

Well, in an ideal world,

I'd love for you
to be proud of me
for writing a book.

But I'll settle for
you reading it,

just to get to know
me better.

And maybe
by getting to know me better,

you might get to know
yourself better.

Oh, it is so great to have you back, Mrs.
Thornton.

Geraldine shared
some of your
recent poems with me.

I do hope you
plan to stick with
your writing.

Oh, I do.

In fact, this summer,
I'm gonna hit the rails.

Like all the Beat writers do.

I'm gonna see
if I can get

at least one great, big,
juicy Allen Ginsberg-like
poem out of it.

Oh, that's wonderful.

You'll see what the world
beyond Riverdale is like.

It's exactly what
you should be doing
at this point

in your development
as a poet.

Clay.

Tell me, have you ever read
the story, The Comet?

Of course. Multiple times,
in fact.

I figured you would've.

In that case,

how would you feel
about writing and directing

an adaptation of The Comet
as a major motion picture?

Is this a gag?

I've actually been
fiddling with

a screenplay version
of The Comet for years.

Well, thanks to Jughead,

I connected
with Du Bois' agents.

And it turns out
the movie rights had been
languishing for years.

So I snapped them up,

and I suspected
you'd be passionate
about this.

Veronica, I can't believe
what I'm hearing.

It's going to be
an uphill battle,

but there are things
we can do,

like get the right star
attached.

Someone like, say...

Sidney Poitier.

Precisely.

Can you get to him?

I might not
be able to get to him.

But we both know
someone who can.

Josie McCoy.

But, Clay,

if we're going
to attach a big star
like Sidney,

your adaptation
needs to be undeniable.

Don't worry, it will be.

And who needs to wait
for summer? I'll get
going right away.

Wonderful.

In that case,

I'm thinking a premiere
at Cannes in the next
four to five years.

How does that sound?

Yay!

Hey.

Why the long face?

I just got
the information packet
for Camp Evans.

My basketball camp.

Well...

Well, that's great,
isn't it?

Turns out they flip-flopped
the dates on me,

and now it's smack-dab
in the middle

of our annual
sweet corn harvest
back on the farm.

Well, can't you
skip the harvest
this one time?

The corn we harvest
that single month

supports our farm
for the rest of the year.

There's no way
I can miss it.

My parents need me.

So I just... I gotta

forget about basketball camp.

Well...

Well, heck with that.

No.

Reg, don't sweat it.
I mean, I'll take your
place on the farm.

Stop goofing, Andrews.

You got other plans.

Well, whatever
I had planned

is not as important
as getting you
set up for college

and going pro.

Besides, working the land
with my hands,

giving back to the earth,

and then writing about it
while leaned up against
a haystack...

I mean, that's...

exactly what a Beat writer
should be doing.

My parents won't be able
to pay you, Archie.

And it's not easy work.

Reg.

I got it.

It's all part of
the experience.

You're going to Camp Evans.

Let me take up
the slack at Duck Creek.

Sleep in your barn,

learn the ukulele,
break bread with
your mom, your dad.

Yeah. Okay.

Sounds good.

Thanks, Archie.

I love you, Reg.

I love you,
too, Archie.

Mom?

What is it? What's wrong?

I, uh...

I just finished your book.

And I'm speechless.

Well, I'm really glad
that you read it.

Betty, you wrote a book,

a whole book.

And you're right.

I did get to know you better.

And all those...

wonderful, intelligent,

promising young women.

So full of thoughts
and fears and struggles

and dreams.

They have aspirations.

Yeah, that's true.

And then I think
of myself and

my biggest dream
was being Miss Riverdale.

Mom, you once told me
that you dreamed about
being a stewardess.

You wanted to see the world
and meet fascinating people

and be a fascinating person.

Yeah, well, that was a, uh,

silly dream from a young girl
a long time ago.

No, Mom.

No dream is silly.

I know you think
that it's too late for you,
but it's not.

You can be happy.

Please, please,
please, believe that.

Chances are
you won't ever see this issue
on a newsstand.

Despite that, Pep Comics
has decided to release it.

We are publishing this,
our final issue,

without the Comic Book Code's
seal of approval.

Most likely, that means

this issue will end up
in either a landfill
or a bonfire.

But we here at Pep Comics
refuse to kneel to the
un-American censorship

that was specifically drafted
to silence stories
like The Comet.

We hope that this comic book
will find its way
into your hands.

And hopefully,
the stories in it
will make you think,

and make you feel
a little less alone.

So, we at Pep Comics leave you
with this final message.

It is easier to tear down
than to build up.

Try to be a builder,
not a destroyer.

With that in mind,
enjoy this humble adaptation
of The Comet

by the great author,
W.E.B. Du Bois,

a man who faced
unthinkable adversity
and still chose to believe

that the end of the world
was not a foregone conclusion.

There is always a chance
for a brighter, better,
stronger future.

From all of us at Pep Comics,
this is adieu,
but not farewell.

We'll meet again.

Tabitha.

Hi.

What are you doing here?

- Hi, stranger.
- Ah.

Gee whiz.

You're a sight for sore eyes.

What happened to your glasses?

And
what's that television
doing here?

Jughead,

I am not the Tabitha
who's traveling
across the country

with the NAACP.

I am the Tabitha
that you've forgotten.

Uh,

what are you talking about?

Sit down.

Let me show you something.

Oh.

- Our story is about a town...
-Wow!

Wait! Is this
a color television?

...and the people
who live in the town.

From a distance,

-it presents itself like so
many other small towns...
-Is that my voice?

-...all over the world.
Safe, decent.
-Just absorb.

Innocent.

-And then
I will explain everything.
-Get closer, though,

and you start seeing
the shadows underneath.

The name of our town
is Riverdale.

♪ Tell me ♪

Well?

I remember.

I remember everything.

That I sent you and everyone
back to 1955

to save Riverdale
from Bailey's Comet.

And that while you
and all of your friends

worked to make this timeline
less dark and nihilistic
and hopeless,

I was trying to untangle
the various timelines
that had gotten jumbled,

shore up the multiverse,

in other words.

We were successful?

You were.

You all did great.

All of your collective,
innate decency,

all of your struggles
have started
to reshape this town,

this world.

And it will just keep getting
better and better.

- Neat.
- Hmm.

Awesome.

I assume that
you were successful, too.

After much trial and error,
I realized it would be
impossible for me

to untangle and pull apart
all of the various timelines.

So, instead, I wove them all
into a single timeline.

This one.

And I used all the energy
from all of the other timelines

to stabilize it
and fortify it.

Great.

It is.

But, um,

now that it's stable,

I can't move anyone
through time.

I can't send you all back
to 2023.

So, the others
won't remember anything

about everything
that happened before?

Well, I can't move them
through time, as I've said,
but I can show them.

I can show them
what I showed you,

and then they can decide

whether or not
they want to remember
their other

adventures, let's call them.

It's the least I can do.

So,
I gathered my friends again.

And I told them
about the future.

And how we couldn't go back
to our previous lives.

But they could remember them
if they chose to do so,

and then decide if they wanted
to keep those memories
or forget them.

Look, I know
it's a lot to process.

So, I'll just
leave the decision to you.

If you're interested,
you know where to find me.

I wondered if any of them
would take me up
on Tabitha's offer.

Jughead?

I drew the short straw.

If this is real,
I figure I might get
a good poem out of it.

My own version of Howl.

Come on.

In the future,

this is called
binge-watching.

Our story
is about a town,

a small town,
and the people who live
in the town.

From a distance,
it presents itself

like so many other small towns
all over the world.

I was a boxer,

prisoner, football player.

I was a soldier,

like my dad.

I was with my dad.

And then he...

Then he died again.

Well,

I promised the others
I'd report back.

What are you gonna tell them?

I'm not sure.

I didn't think
I'd ever see my dad again.

So, I'm...

I'm glad about that.

But I don't know
if they'll wanna
see what I saw.

That said, if anyone does,
they know where to find me.

Hey, Jughead.

Archie told us
what you showed him.

We'd like to see
what Archie saw.

-Together.
-Classic Bee and Vee style.

Our story
is about a town, a small town,
decent, innocent.

Get closer, though,
and you start seeing
the shadows underneath.

The name of our town
is Riverdale.

♪ Tell me ♪

You could have prepared us
a little more for that,
Jughead Jones.

There was...

so much darkness

in that world.

And my family...

My father was a killer.

My sister was murdered

and then came back
to life.

You and I,

we were together.

Yeah.

Until we weren't.

I was with Archie.

And I killed
my husband, Chad,

and my father.

What you're about to see
is your past,

but it's also your future.

And some of it
will be disturbing.

We can handle it.

At times,
you might not even
recognize yourselves.

Where are Kevin and Julian?

Kevin asked if Clay
was in any of the stories
on TV.

When Betty told him he wasn't,
he didn't want to come.

When Julian found out
he was just a doll
in the TV stories,

he didn't want to come either.

But the rest of us wanna see
what our past was like.

Sounds good.

Our story
is about a town, a small town,
decent, innocent.

Get closer, though,

and you start seeing
the shadows underneath.

Now you know.

Now you know
what your lives were
like before the comet.

The adventures you had,
the people you loved,

the people you lost.

The good, the bad.

The bear.

The question is, do you want
to carry this knowledge
with you

for the rest of your lives,

or would you rather forget?

Because I can
make that happen.

Because she's an angel.

Along those lines,
Angel Tabitha,

can I call you Angel Tabitha?

This is something
we've all been discussing,

and we were wondering,

could we perhaps
just remember the good things?

Forget all the serial killers
and superpowers
and gargoyle kings

and just remember
the happy times we had?

It doesn't exactly
work that way.

Actually, I can
make that happen.

Yes. I can hit
a reset button

and only re-share
the good memories.

I think after everything
you all have been through,

you deserve
that much at least.

♪ Heavenly shades
Of night are falling ♪

♪ It's twilight time ♪

♪ Out of the mist
Your voice is calling ♪

♪ 'Tis twilight time ♪

♪ When purple-colored curtains
Mark the end of day ♪

♪ I'll hear you
My dear, at twilight time ♪

♪ Deepening shadows
Gather splendor ♪

♪ As day is done ♪

♪ Fingers of night
Will soon surrender ♪

♪ The setting sun ♪

♪ I count the moments, darling
Till you're here with me ♪

♪ Together at last
At twilight time ♪

♪ Here in the afterglow
Of day ♪

♪ We keep our rendezvous
Beneath the blue ♪

♪ Here in the sweet
And same old way ♪

♪ I fall in love again
As I did then ♪

♪ Deep in the dark
Your kiss will thrill me ♪

♪ Like days of old ♪

♪ Lighting the spark of love
That fills me ♪

♪ With dreams untold ♪

♪ Each day, I pray for evening
Just to be with you♪

♪ Together at last
At twilight time ♪

♪ Here in the afterglow
Of day ♪

♪ We keep our rendezvous
Beneath the blue ♪

♪ Here in the sweet
And same old way ♪

♪ I fall in love again
As I did then ♪

♪ Deep in the dark
Your kiss will thrill me ♪

♪ Like days of old ♪

♪ Lighting the spark of love
That fills me ♪

♪ With dreams untold ♪

Hey, hey.

Is this the part
where you ghost me?

Don't you wanna see
how the movie ends?

I know how it ends.

And so do you.

Stay.

I can't.

Why not?

Well...

there's already
another Tabitha here,
for one thing,

in this universe.

And what happens to her?

She settles in Chicago.

She goes to business school
and then law school.

She's a civil rights advocate
in every aspect of her life

-for the rest of her life.
-But we don't...

Well, then that's
all the more reason
that you should stay.

We lived together.

We had a life together.

Was any of that real?

Of course, it was real.

Just like this is real.

It was all real.
It all happened.

Hey.

Do you remember
our epic date

before the end of the world,
when we watched Titanic,

and then
we ate at Pop's?

And we had a family.

We grew old together.

That time bubble still exists.

It's still protecting us.

What we had,
what we will always have.

But from this point here,

there is only
one path forward now.

And that is a good thing,
Jughead. Trust me.

Well, it really sucks
that you had to die
to make all this happen.

Except I didn't.

Not anymore.

The comet,

the end times, that doesn't...

That won't happen anymore.

We all took care of that.

Ah.

Classic time paradox.

Can I at least
kiss you goodbye?

Jughead Jones,
you read my mind.

And in
the blink of an eye,
Angel Tabitha was gone.

But she had given us
the greatest gift of all,

our memories.

Edited for maximum joy.

The good ones.

The ones
we would cherish forever.

Though I chose to remember
not only the happy times,
but the dark times, too.

I figured,
as the unofficial
chronicler of our town,

that was my responsibility.

But as it happens,

I wasn't the only
one who decided to
remember everything.

Betty did, too.

More than most,
Betty understood

that we are made up of moments
of both joy and pain,

happiness and suffering,

darkness and light,

and all the scars
we collect along the way.

Another cosmic
reshuffling had happened,

or was happening again.

But the stage was set
for the final chapter

of our epic saga about
the Town with Pep,

one that could
only be called...

♪ Tell me I'm your baby ♪

"Goodbye, Riverdale."

♪ And you'll never leave me ♪

♪ Tell me that you'll kiss me ♪

♪ Forever ♪