Riverdale (2016–…): Season 7, Episode 20 - Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale - full transcript

-[Jughead] Sixty-seven years
have gone by.
-[typewriter clacks]

It's the present day.

Since our last chapter,
teenagers have become adults,
got married,

raised children of their own.

Many have taken
their last breaths.

This story tonight is about
saying goodbye to a town
that was once lost in time.

But also, goodbye to the people
who once lived in that town.

It starts near the end,
with a woman named
Elizabeth Cooper.

She's 86 years old now,
resting in a small room
in her granddaughter's house.

She checks the obituaries
every day.

You knew him in high school,
didn't you, Grandma Betty?



Seems like
he was an interesting person.

He was.

Well, we all were.

We had such
marvelous adventures.

Oh, you wouldn't have
believed it, Alice.

Well, that's it.

That means
I'm the last of them.

[sighs]

Alice, honey,
I want to go back.

To Riverdale, one last time
before it's too late.

[sighs] I am forgetting
more and more every day.

And I want to go back
before I forget everything.

Well, let's see
how you're doing tomorrow.

If you're up for it,
yes, we can take a drive
to Riverdale.



Thank you, dear.

[sighs]

[crickets chirping]

[bells chiming]

Hello?

Ah. I must have
fallen asleep.

I was going through our...
Our yearbook.

Trying to remember.
[chuckles]

-Remember what?
-Oh. [sighs]
Everything, I suppose.

I'm going back
to Riverdale tomorrow.

My granddaughter
is taking me.

Oh, going through
these pictures,

I... I just wish
I could go back to...

How it was.

How we were.

You can, Betty.

You could pick a day
and I'll take you.

Though, it might be
painful for you.

Why should it be painful?

Because you won't just be
living that day.

You'll be seeing
yourself live it.

Still... [sighs]

If you say we can, then...

I wanna go back
to a day I missed.

The day everyone got
their yearbook, senior year.

I... I had the mumps
and I had to stay home, and...

[sighs deeply]

I never got
my yearbook signed.

I've always regretted that.

Then we'll start
in the morning.

You just have to
walk through that door,

and you'll have your day.
The day you missed.

Oh, my goodness,
it's my room.

It's exactly like
I remember it. [gasps]

Hello, room.

Is that...

Is that really
what I looked like?

There were so many things
I wanted to change
about myself, back then.

Why? I was perfect.

We were all perfect.

[gasps softly]
My window.
[laughs]

How many sunrises have I seen
out this window?

How many moons,
how many times...

How many times have
I looked out this window
into Archie's?

In the thousands, at least.

Archie is about to have
a big talk with his mom

about what he's going to do
after graduation.

[Mary] Hey, sweetie.

Breakfast is ready.

Thanks, Mom.

Hey, Mom.

I don't wanna be a pest,

but I got to let Vic know
by tomorrow if I'll be joining
his crew on Monday.

It just doesn't
make sense to me.

Driving around the country
with some dusty road crew?

Pouring concrete,
digging ditches.

Well, it's like
President Eisenhower
said on the news.

I'll be building the highways
that help connect
people and places.

From coast to coast,
all the way to California.

It'll give me something
to write about.

But you've written
so many wonderful poems
in Riverdale.

Mom, it's only gonna be
three months.

And then I'll be back.

No, Archie. No.

You'll get one look
at the Pacific Ocean,

and forget
all about Riverdale.

Forget Riverdale?

Fat chance.

This will always be my home.
Our home.

[chuckles]

What?

You're just like your father.

He was full of wanderlust.

He always dreamt about
settling in the West.

He never did, but...

Maybe you will.

With my blessing.

[chuckles softly]

Thank you.

I love you, Mom.

I love you too, Archie.

I don't remember
what happened to Mrs. Andrews.

[Jughead] She bought
a dress shop.

And then, one day,
a woman named Brooke came in.

They started a conversation,

and a few weeks later
she moved into
the Andrews' house.

They stayed together
until the very end.

Mrs. Andrews was always
such a kind woman.

[sighs]

She once gave my mother hell
for disowning me.

[chuckles]

[Alice laughing playfully]
Stop.

Is that...

[laughter continues]

[Polly] A baby shower
outside in the middle of June.

Oh, no.

[Alice] Please, stop being
so dramatic, Polly.

Look at those
cute little paper fans.

Mom. Polly.

You're alive.

And you're so young,
and you're talking again.

Elizabeth, what are you doing
out of bed?

You have the mumps,
young lady.

No, no, I feel fine.
I'm going to school.

Mom, you did it.

You divorced Dad,
you became a stewardess,
just like you dreamed.

Well, my dream
was to see the world,

not pass out peanuts
on a puddle-jumper
to Poughkeepsie,

but life goes on.

No, wait,
don't rush off, Mom.

Just... Can I... Just...
Just look at me.
Just... Look at me.

For heaven's sake,
I'm looking at you, Betty.

And I'm seeing a girl who,
if she doesn't have the mumps,

better hurry up
so she's not late for school.

Right. Of course, school.

-[chuckles]
-First...

[softly]
I love you, Mom.

Oh.

I love you, Polly.

[sighs]

[sniffles]

I'm so, so happy
to see both of you again.

[sniffles]

Was my mom a stewardess
for very long?

On the contrary.

One night,
her pilot had a steak,

three martinis
and a heart attack.

[beeping]

And your mom
took control of the plane

and flew it from Riverdale
to Poughkeepsie,

landing it safely.

[chuckles]

That's right.

And one of the passengers
on the plane
asked her to dinner

out of gratitude
for saving his life,

and a few months later
they got married.

He offered
to show her the world,

and she wrote you postcards
from everywhere they went.

Until one day
the postcards stopped coming.

What about Polly?

She had her twins,

Juniper and Dagwood.

She was very fulfilled.

She led a happy life
with her family,

but she never got back
to performing
as Polly Amorous.

I only ever saw
Polly perform once

at the Babylonium,

but I can
still picture her.

She was such a star.

Are you ready?

To go back to school
one last time?

[students chattering
indistinctly]

Is this real?

Or a dream?

It's more like
something in between.

But this is really
what happened on that day,
back in 1957.

Everyone is so young
and beautiful,
and carefree.

They have no idea, do they?

How special this time is,

how quickly it goes by,
like the blink of an eye.

[Veronica] Bee?

You're not supposed
to be here.

Or did you have some kind of
miracle recovery?

Veronica. [gasps]

[exclaims] Oh,
thank goodness. [gasps]

This is too wonderful
for words.

[chuckles] Well,
there's an ego boost
I didn't know I needed.

You should get the mumps
more often.

[bell rings]

Well, come on, then.

The day has barely begun,
and we're already behind.

There are about
a million things to do
before the last bell rings.

We're getting
our yearbooks today.
Don't forget.

[bell chimes]

I can't believe it, Vee.

This is the last time
we'll be walking into
Riverdale High

ever in our lives.

Betty, we haven't even
graduated yet.

It's too soon to be
swamped with nostalgia.

That said, I'm feeling
a little verklempt myself.

I'm gonna powder my nose.
Catch you later?

Yes, later.

[speaker crackles]

[bell chiming]

[Toni] Attention,
Riverdale High students.

Toni.

As your senior class president,

I'm reminding all students
to pick up their yearbooks
in the varsity lounge today,

one per student.

Now... [sighs]
On a more personal note,

as we seniors
look forward to graduation,

it's only fitting that I share
one final poem with you.

It's entitled "Dreams",
by Langston Hughes.

"Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow"

Students of Riverdale High,

we dreamed of a better
school for ourselves.

And with
Principal Weatherbee's help,

we made it happen.

As some of us
head out into the world,

please remember that we,
each and every one of us,

have the power to make
real and lasting change.

But we have to dream it first.

I remember these.

Articles about Rosa Parks
and the bus boycott.

Toni always made sure that
Riverdale High was in dialogue

with whatever greater issues
were affecting the country.

It's true.

And that
will continue, until...

Don't... Don't...

tell me what happened
to Toni, please.

I don't wanna know yet.

All right.

I won't.

Ew, barf,
what are you doing here?

The word from the bird
is that you had the mumps.

Back off. I don't want
your mumpy cooties.

No, it's fine, Cheryl.
That was a false alarm.

Can I please get my yearbook,
and will you sign it for me?

Not right now, Betty.
As you can see,
I'm busy. Later.

But what if
I don't see you again?

You most certainly will,
as long as you're not germy.

I expect you at my and Toni's
art show opening
at the Dark Room, tonight.

And afterwards,
we're hosting a little
get-together at Thornhill.

-I'll be at both.
-Of course you will.

Now move along, Betty.
There's a line behind you.

Toodles.

Aw. Thanks, Fangs.

No sweat, Bets.

Fangs is used to
giving out autographs

now that he had
a hit single on the charts.

Baby, come on.
"Pixie Girl" only made it
to number eight.

That's a huge accomplishment.

And what finally got my parents
to sing another tune
about us getting married.

And wait till you hear
his next song, Betty.

Speaking of, we gotta motor.

I'm supposed to be
at the recording studio
in half an hour

to lay down some tracks
before going on my summer tour.

Tour?

Six weeks on the road
with an all-star lineup.

A different city every night.

They booked us
a super-boss tour bus
and everything.

Catch you later, Betty.

Bye.

It didn't work out
like they had hoped, did it?

No.

Four weeks into his tour,
Fangs' bus was heading over
the Rocky Mountains

when one of its tires blew.

There were no survivors.

Poor Fangs.

[imperceptible]

He was the first one of us
to... [sniffles]

pass away.

But,

that's his gold record,
over there.

It'll hang
in this room for as long as
there's a Riverdale High.

What about Midge?

Well, thanks to Fangs' songs,

Midge and their daughter
were taken care of for
the rest of their lives.

I remember.

I'm remembering more and more.

Hey, Betty, what are you
doing for lunch?

It's a beautiful day.

Clay and I
are gonna eat outside
if you want to join us.

Kevin.

It is a beautiful day.
I would love to join
you and Clay.

Gosh, I can't believe
this is the last time

we'll ever have lunch
together at school, Betty.
Can you?

I know.

Everything's going
so fast, Kev.

And Clay, I feel as if
I've barely got to know you.

That'll change.

Clay and I are gonna be
roommates next year.

Aw!

With me going to Columbia
to study literature

and Kevin going to
NYU to study
musical theater writing,

it just made sense
for us to get
an apartment together.

-Mmm.
-That's what
we told our folks.

Well, my mom and Clay's dad,
they were swell about it.

Just asked us to be careful
like they always do.

And we always are.

What happens to them?

Nothing awful, I hope.

No.

They lived a very spirited life
in the heart of Harlem.

[Betty] Yes, I remember
visiting them.

All they had to do
was open a window,

and an entire universe
of music and art would pour in.

[Jughead] Clay became
a tenured professor
at Columbia University.

And Kevin started
an off-Broadway
theater company.

They saw and survived so much
from that apartment.

Kevin was 82
when he went to sleep
and never woke up.

Clay passed away
a few weeks later.

He went out
to enjoy some sun
in Central Park,

sat on a bench
to feed some pigeons,

and that was that.

Hey, Betty, you okay?

Yeah.

Yeah, I was just thinking
about you and Clay and how...

You two are soulmates.

Sorry. I know I'm being silly.

Well, um,
speaking about soulmates,

what about you guys?

Have the four of you
figured out
what you're gonna do yet?

The four of us?
What do you mean?

Betty, it's us, Clay and I.
We know the truth.

But if you want, even though
it's the last day of school,

we're happy to keep up the ruse
that you're only dating Archie
and not the others.

The others.

What? [stammering]

Come on. Don't tell me
you've suddenly forgotten

that you, Archie,
Veronica and Jughead

have been in a quad
this entire last year.

A quad?

[chuckles]

[water gushing]

What are you so happy about,
little miss mumps?

Oh, I'm just remembering

where I was a year ago.

Feeling boxed in
by my mother's expectations
and society's rules.

Fighting to have
my voice heard.

Yes, yes, we all read
the Teenage Mystique.

And now?

And now I'm remembering,

that it's been
a really fun year.

Ugh.

-[door closes]
-[Betty] Thank you for signing
my yearbook, Reggie.

Anything for the gal
who helped me fix up Bella.

Got to say, though.
You and me

could have had
one hell of a senior year

taking Bella up
to Lover's Lane.

If only you'd chosen me
over chowderhead Andrews.

I didn't choose Archie
over you, Reggie.

Or over Jughead,
for that matter.

Can you keep a secret?

One that only
a handful of people know?

Yeah?

Turns out, after
Angel Tabitha's last visit,

I remembered what it was like
being with Jughead

and being with Archie.

And Archie and Veronica
remembered

what it was like
being with each other.

But Veronica and Jughead
had just started a thing,

and remembering
all of that, sort of, just,

took the pressure off of us
having to make a single choice.

So the four of us realized

that we could,
and maybe should,

just be together,

at the same time.

Are you saying that
for the past year,

the four of you
have been dating

each other?

It started innocently enough,

with the four of us
going on double dates,

me and Archie,
Jughead and Veronica.

And then it kind of
naturally evolved from there.

Some nights, Archie would
sneak into my bedroom

and Veronica would
go home with Jughead.

Other nights,
Archie would spend the night
at the Pembrooke

and I'd go over to Jughead's.

And sometimes,

more often than you'd imagine,

I would find my way
to Veronica's.

Okay, but you guys
never thought about

bringing me into the mix?

Veronica and I
talked about it, of course,

a flutter bum like you.

But you were always
so focused on basketball.

Trust me, I would have
made the time, Goldilocks.

But, speaking of that,

I better get back to it.

I'm so glad
I got to know you, Reggie.

This you.

And I think you're destined
for greatness.

You too, Cooper.

Did Reggie go professional?

[Jughead] Yes.

The following year
he played for Kansas State.

And then he got drafted
by the Lakers.

During the off season,

he would work
at his family farm

until his folks passed away.

Then he had to sell the land.

[Betty] At which point
he started coaching here,
at Riverdale High.

He was buried in Duck Creek,

next to his wife
and his parents.

He had two sons,

who still run
the used car dealership,
Mantle Motors.

We go to the Babylonium next.

[Veronica] How's that
absinthe, Betty?

It's delicious.
It's just a bit early
in the day for me.

Well, I want to prepare you
because I have news,

that I haven't yet shared
with the boys.

The final pieces
fell into place yesterday,

but I'm moving back
to the City of Angels.

Los Angeles?

Why? How?

Josie McCoy's words
about taking over Hollywood

have been ringing in my ears
since her visit.

So I finally called
my good friend Peter Roth

and asked about getting a job,
working for him in La La Land.

I've done the small town thing.

I've done
the theater owner thing,

and I now know
what I wanna do next.

And what is that,
Miss Lodge?

I want to produce movies.

And run a studio someday.

Just like you.

I can't tell you
how excited I am

to begin this
next chapter, Betty.

To get in on the ground floor,

learn the ropes, work my way up
to being a studio executive,

one of the gatekeepers.

Wow.

It sounds like
an opportunity of a lifetime.

It is.

But I'm detecting
something, Betty.

I'm so proud of you.
[chuckles]

Of all the things
that you've done,

of all the businesses
that you've started.

[laughs]

This move feels...

The most right.

I agree.

Like it was my destiny.

To be in the movies.
[laughs]

[sighs] The only thing is,
California's so far away.
[chuckles]

[softly] Betty,

it doesn't matter
how far away we are.

We will always be
in each other's lives.

I promise.

I always loved this theater.

It had a good run.

Lots of kids made out here.

Lots of gum under these seats.

And Veronica?

[Jughead] The summer
after graduation,

Veronica started
as an assistant
at Silver Shield Studios.

But within a few years,
she was running the place.

She became known
for her impeccable taste

and for taking risks
on young, raw talent.

She won two Oscars,

and produced some
of the most iconic movies
of our time.

Vee was buried in
the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

[sniffles]

I visited her grave once.

[sniffles]

We went to some
of her premieres before that.
[chuckles softly]

She was such a force.

[imperceptible]

I wish...

I wish I had kept
in better touch with her.

With everyone, all of us.
We were so close.

Inseparable.

And then we just...

That's what today
is all about.

Remembering and getting
one more chance.

And no regrets.

Thank you all
for coming tonight.

This is the culmination
of a year-long collaboration

between myself and my partner
in all things, Toni Topaz.

Our relationship
is the most thrilling thing
I could have ever imagined.

We're always creating.

There's no separation
between our art and our love.

So, please mingle,
enjoy the work,

-and feel free to buy a piece
or two.
-[crowd laughs]

Also, I'll be sitting
at that table over there,

selling a collected edition
of the first six issues
of Black Athena,

Riverdale High's
acclaimed literary magazine.

It's sure to be
a collector's item.

-[crowd cheering]
-Thank you.

-[fanfare music playing]
-[kisses]

[Betty] These paintings
are incredible.

I should try to buy one.

In case you were wondering,
Cheryl had an incredible career
as a painter.

Her work was shown in galleries
and museums across the country.

Even a couple in Europe.

What about Toni?

Toni and Cheryl
stayed together.

Moved out west together.

They settled
in the Oakland hills
in a Craftsman house,

where they lived as artists
and activists,

and they had a son, Dale,

named after Riverdale,
of course.

And how did they pass away?

Peacefully.

After living full, gorgeous,

-sexy lives.
-[chuckles softly]

What about Julian?

[Jughead] A bit of a lost soul.

After graduation, he enlisted,
served and died in Vietnam.

He was 28.

Nana Rose?

[Jughead] Reincarnated
multiple times.

[both chuckle]

The Bee and Mrs. T got married.

Oh, them.

Frank Andrews and Tom Keller
were murdered.

[Betty] By who?

A hustler they picked up
one rainy night, named Chic.

What's happening over there?

Veronica has just told us
about her plans to go out west,

and we are not taking it well.

I wasn't there
for that conversation?

No.

Well, you should be.

Might help cushion the blow.

What's the tale, nightingales?
Why the long faces?

Ronnie just dropped
an atomic bomb on us.

I told them
my Los Angeles news.

Ain't that just the pits?

Come on, boys.

I know we haven't been
talking about it lately,

but we all knew we'd be
going our separate ways
after graduation.

Yeah, but now it just feels
so real.

And final.

Hey, do we really want
to spend what could be
our last night together,

acting like
a bunch of wet blankets?
[chuckles softly]

Senior year was amazing
and incredibly fulfilling.

Not just physically,
emotionally, too.

Seriously, how lucky were we
to have been brought together?

Given the opportunity to know
and love each other

across, not one,
but two lifetimes?

We should be celebrating that.
Not mourning it.

Not yet, at least.

Betty's right.
The future can wait.

Tonight is about appreciating
everything we've been through.

And let me tell you,
we have been through
a hell of a lot.

[Jughead] You know,
I gotta say,

if I had to live through
high school twice,
which we did,

I'm glad it was
with you three yahoos.

I love you all so much.

Meeting you was the best thing
that could have possibly
happened to me,

heartbreaks and all.

And I'm so glad to be here
to say that to you tonight.

Hey, should we all take one
last ride in my hotrod together

to Cheryl's after party?

[lively string music playing]

Where are the others?

Already inside.

-Why aren't you there?
-I can't.

I can't go in.

-How come?
-Because I know
and you know

that this is the last time
that all of us
will be together, ever.

-[sniffles]
-Betty...

I don't want to say goodbye.

[sobs] I just don't.

It will be too painful,
too much to bear,
like you said.

It was a mistake
to come back here.

I should be at home
with the mumps.

I should not
be saying goodbye.

-It's... It's...
-That's life, Betty.

You say hello.

You walk alongside someone
for a while,

and then you say goodbye.

That's the arc of a life.

Isn't it?

[sighs]

Every minute counts.

[music turns off]

Okay.

As some of you
may know, I'm kind of
a big-time poet now.

We know, Andrews.

-You won't stop
talking about it.
-[all laughing]

In any case, I wrote something
to commemorate
our time together.

Aw! Are you gonna make us
get the weeps, Archie?

This is an ode
to my best friends

and every good thing
that must come to an end.

"Tomorrow, we won't see
each other in study hall

So, here's a few memories
for us to recall

And no, I won't be mentioning
the epic highs and lows
of high school football"

[all laughing]

"I grew up next door
to Betty Cooper

Who everyone thinks
is super duper

Just don't mutter the word
'tangerine'

'Cause it sets off
her serial-killer gene"

[all laughing]

"Veronica Lodge,
always in pearls,

There isn't a business
you haven't given a whirl

Funny to think
you were never prom queen

Then again, you were,
once upon a time,
a human dialysis machine"

I specifically asked
Angel Tabitha not to let
anyone remember that.

[all laughing]

"Cheryl Blossom,
you're as rich
as a Rockefeller

You also kept
your beloved Jason
down in a cellar

[all laughing]

But I'm glad to see you
and the serpent queen
back together

Only thing, Toni,
'Southside' is one word.

So, whoever designed
your jacket
is a terrible speller

[all laughing]

Jughead Jones needs no intro

He made his teacher
jump out a window

[all laughing]

Thinks himself a private eye

Chained himself
to Southside High"

-[all laughing and whistling]
-Do me next.

"Kevin's voice is so beautiful
he belongs in a chorus

But he spends most of his time
cruising Fox Forest"

[all laugh]

"Fangs, look at you now

You're a rockstar greaser

A long way from a cult member
who stole organs
to put in a freezer"

[all laughing]

"Last but not least,
Mantle the Magnificent

Pound for pound
you're my closest equivalent

But there's that other Reggie
so how do we know
you're even legitimate?

I'm gonna need to see
some kind of birth certificate"

[all exclaiming]

Not cool, Andrews.

You know
I'm sensitive about that.

"These are just
some of our wild endeavors

But now we've come to the end
of our time together

It's truly one of my life's
greatest pleasures

To call you all
my best friends

Forever and ever"

[all applauding]

You weren't planning on leaving
without saying goodbye,
were you?

I'm afraid it's time
for me to go.

Oh...

Okay, well...

Tonight isn't goodbye anyway.

[sighs softly]

I know
we'll see each other again.

Maybe...

Maybe we'll even
end up together.

You know, I've always felt

that it would be you and me
at the end of the road.

[chuckles softly]
I mean, it started with us,
didn't it?

A boy and a girl
next door to each other.

That's a lovely
sentiment, Archie.

But that's not what happens
in the future.

No?

No.

Your mom was right.

You make it to California
and you don't look back.

Then you meet
a sweet, strong girl
who makes you laugh.

And you settle down in Modesto.

And you have
a beautiful family.

You're a professional
construction worker
and an amateur writer.

And you are so, so content

and happy.

[sniffles]

And when you die,

you ask to be buried here
in Riverdale

next to your father.

Glad you went in?

I am.

But it reminded me...
[sighs]

There's one last person
I want to visit
before we leave

if we have time.

We do.

I just want to get
some flowers first.

It was right after
the beginning of
senior year that he...

Yes.

It was a terrible blow
to the town.

At least it happened
in his sleep.

What do you think
happens to us

when we die?

Well, I can't speak
for everyone.

But for a man like Pop Tate,

I have a feeling he's probably
still doing what he loved best.

Flipping burgers
and mixing shakes,
and making people smile.

For the rest of eternity,
I bet.

It's strange to say,
but I read your obituary

in the paper.

It was lovely, Jughead.

Yours was a life well lived.

Well, as we used to say
back in the day,

"It was swell."

I put all my eggs
in one basket.

Jughead's Madhouse Magazine.

It became an institution.

[Jughead] It was
juvenile satire at best.

Just mocking
all of the sacred cows.

[Betty] People loved it.

And they still love it
70 years later.

It's mostly teens
and kids who read it,

but I'm not gonna lie.

As far as legacies go,
I could have done
a heck of a lot worse.

Do you think about that
a lot, legacy?

No.

-Not too much.
-Well, you should.

First, it was
the Teenage Mystique,

a self-published bestseller.

Then there was
your advice column,

Betty's Diary.

All I remember
from those days were
the never-ending deadlines.

Then it was New York...

[Betty] Freelancing
and protesting.

There was so much
to be angry about back then.

Hmm. Still is.

The same fights.

But other people
are fighting them now,

the younger generation.

Who grew up reading
the magazine you started,

She Says Magazine.

The go-to source for feminists
and progressive causes,

exposing hard truths.

Still being published today,
I might add.

As far as
professional legacies go,

I could have done
a heck of a lot worse.

Do you have any regrets
about not getting married?

None.

[inhales]

But I'm so happy I adopted
my daughter Carla.

I loved being a mother.

And a grandmother.

That's my true legacy,

my family.

What about you?
Any regrets about
not getting circled?

Sometimes.

I know
it's impossible, but...

I wish that we could stay
in Riverdale forever

with all of our friends,

as we were.

Young and beautiful,

full of hope.

Bursting with love
for each other.

I know it's not possible.

No.

It's not.

In fact,
it's time to get you back.

I know.

I'm ready

to face whatever comes next.

Oh, Grandma, look.
We're nearly there.

Goodbye, town sign.

Goodbye, Sweetwater River
and all its mysteries.

[young Betty] And Fox Forest
and it's haunted trees.

Goodbye, red door
and the secrets behind it.

Goodbye, room.
Goodbye, window
and Archie's room.

Goodbye, Pembrooke,
with your crackling fires
and sexy sleepovers.

Goodbye to cups of coffee
and late nights of writing

and to maple-syrup mornings
and spin-the-bottle parties.

Goodbye to buttered popcorn
and double-features
and double-dates.

Goodbye to music
and poetry and art.

Goodbye, Riverdale High.

Goodbye to basketball games
and pep rallies
and dances at the gym.

Goodbye, lockers.

Goodbye, Blue and Gold.

Goodbye, chalk dust
and bobby pins

and whoopee caps
and whoopee cushions.

Goodbye to friends
and feeling scared

and Fourth of July
camping trips
and time capsules

and time.

I wish... I wish
there were more of it.

Goodbye, Riverdale.

It was wonderful
getting to grow up here.

Grandma Betty, we're here.

Look, honey.
She's asleep.

[man] I don't think
she's asleep, honey.

[bell chimes]

♪ You're mine ♪

♪ And we belong together ♪

♪ Yes, we belong together ♪

♪ For eternity ♪

♪ You're mine ♪

♪ Your lips belong to me ♪

♪ Yes, they belong to only me ♪

♪ For eternity ♪

♪ You're mine, my baby ♪

♪ And you'll always be ♪

♪ I swear by everything I own ♪

♪ You'll always, always
Be mine ♪

♪ You're mine ♪

♪ And we belong together ♪

Perfect timing, Betty.

We got you a shake.

Your favorite, strawberry.

Thank you.

♪ For eternity ♪

We'll leave them here,
I think.

Where they're forever juniors.

Forever 17.

Always grabbing a burger
or a shake.

Always going to
or coming from some dance,

talking about school,
the big game,

who's dating who,

homework,

whatever movie was playing
at the Babylonium,

you know, the moments
that make up a life.

That's where they've...
Where we've always been.

In this diner,

in this town,

in the sweet hereafter.

So, if you happen to see
that neon sign,

some lonely night at the end
of that long journey,

the journey
that every one of us is on,

pull over, come on in,
take a seat.

Know that you'll always be
among friends,

and that Riverdale
will always be your home.

Until then,

have a good night.

[typewriter clacking]