[dramatic music playing]
Jug, ever think we'd have a night before the first day of school again?
No. Not in a million years.
I'm cramming to finish this book
my students were assigned for summer reading.
Of Mice and Men. Feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone.
Gonna hit the sack. Big day tomorrow.
On behalf of Lennie, George and myself: Good night, sweet prince.
["Back To School Again" playing]
After all these years, it's still adorable to witness your back-to-school jitters.
I'd be there if I wasn't waiting on our house diva.
Could you tell Queen T my truck is leaving without her?
This outfit is a masterpiece that can't be rushed.
And we're taking my motorcycle.
♪ Gettin' lots of action And lots of fun ♪
♪ Scorin' like a bandit Till the bubble burst... ♪
Ms. Topaz. Mr. Keller. Nice to see you.
-Good morning, Waldo. -I'll never get used to that.
♪ All summer long I was happy and free ♪
♪ Save my soul ♪
♪ The board of education... ♪
[bell ringing]
♪ I gotta go back, back Back to school again ♪
♪ You won't find me Till the clock strikes 3 ♪
♪ I'm gonna be there till then ♪
♪ I gotta go back, back Back to school again... ♪
I thought economics class was just for seniors.
Um... Some of us are auditing.
Hmm.
Well, as long as you're taking it seriously.
We will talk about my experiences overseas,
but the RROTC's focus is on physical fitness and military history.
So, again, what year was the United States Army founded?
This semester, our main project in shop class
will be taking apart this classic car, a 1954 Crestline,
and putting it back together.
Any questions before we get started?
Wasn't your dad, like, the Black Hood?
He was.
As a matter of fact, he taught me everything I know about cars, so...
Any relevant questions?
♪ I gotta go back... ♪
[Jughead] Who did the summer reading?
♪ Back to school again... ♪
Who can tell me what it was?
♪ You better be in by 10... ♪
This is gonna be great.
♪ Back, back to school again ♪
[Hiram] By all rights, that school should be shut down.
Instead, there are over a hundred students enrolled.
What do you care, Mr. Lodge? You got what you wanted.
Riverdale doesn't even exist since you unincorporated it.
Reggie, a high school offers hope.
And people are sentimental about Riverdale High
for reasons that elude me.
As long as it remains open,
there's a slight chance the town will grow back around it.
-Like a weed. -Hm.
And that is bad for our business.
I hear you. So, what are you thinking, boss?
[Veronica] As you can see, this used to be a video store.
But with a little TLC,
it'll be the perfect spot for my new jewelry store.
I cut my teeth in the Diamond District, as you know, Smithers.
I can bring Manhattan magic to this town formerly known as Riverdale
in the form of exquisitely high-end bling.
And will Mr. Gekko be involved in this business enterprise?
I haven't decided yet.
He knows I'm in Riverdale, teaching temporarily.
But the permanence of opening a shop might send him spiraling.
Well, Ms. Cooper, how was the first day?
Well, they're terrified of me.
Being I'm the daughter of the Black Hood.
Ooh. That sucks.
Yeah. On top of which I can't stop thinking about Polly.
Didn't your mom say she does this? Takes off for a couple of days?
Yeah. That's why I'm trying not to panic.
[dramatic music playing]
Well, in the meantime,
maybe I can distract you.
Tonight?
-My new roommate's working at Pop's. -It's too risky.
It's not like we can go to my house, with my mom and the twins.
We're in our 20s.
It's supposed to be easier to find places to hook up.
Wait. I think I have a crazy idea.
♪ Doo-wop Many nights... ♪
[Tabitha] It is dead as a doornail in here, Jones.
If you wanna write, by all means. At least until we get some customers.
I was actually kind of hoping I could interview you for my book.
Me? Why, what's your book?
It's about Riverdale. People who live here.
-Portrait of a Small Town type of thing. -Okay. What do you wanna know?
You left a six-figure-a-year job in Chicago to come run Pop's?
You must have had every CEO offer that you wanted.
Or I could become the CEO of my family business.
And take everything I learned at my fancy schools
and invest it in something meaningful.
I'm not playing around with Pop's. I put in that gas pump out front
to attract truckers driving the night shift.
I have ideas for merchandising, franchising...
[door bells jingle]
[sighs] Just great.
Wait. Aren't you one of our teachers?
Yeah, I am.
Take a seat. I'll get the menus.
["Mine" playing]
♪ How you look so precious When you smile? ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Hit it from the back and Drive you wild ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Girl, I lose myself up In those eyes ♪
♪ I just had to let you know You're mine ♪
♪ Hands on your body I don't wanna waste no time ♪
♪ Feels like forever Even if forever's tonight... ♪
[alarm blaring]
[Archie] What the hell?
[boy] Get out of here, man! Go!
Archie, get the hose.
[dramatic music playing]
Thank God you were-- What did you say you were doing?
Well, luckily, I was out, um...
night-jogging,
and I heard the alarm go off.
I saw some Stonewall Prep students rushing off. Some real bruisers.
Probably football players. The Stonewall Stallions. Hiram's team.
He sponsors them. In return, they do odd jobs for him.
Like setting our school on fire?
I can try arresting them, but Hiram'll have them out on bail.
-Hiram's got the DA in his pocket. -That's part of it. The other part is--
Stonewall Prep Stallions are the county's best football team.
The only ones who win games.
As much trouble as they cause,
they're the only thing people have to root for.
The Bulldogs and Bulldog Pride are things of the past.
They're star football players, so what? They can't be above the law.
Who's their coach? Hiram?
Not quite.
-[whistle blows] -[indistinct chatter]
There you go, boy.
Quick feet, quick feet.
What's up, Andrews? Come to watch a championship squad in action?
Reggie, you scumbag.
Your boys paid Riverdale High a visit last night.
-I heard you had some trouble. -You're not even denying it.
Why would I? Unless there's proof.
Send your squad to my school again
and I'll give you a beatdown like you've never had.
As for you boys, I'm looking forward to kicking your asses on the field.
[dramatic music playing]
[students snickering]
Wow.
Inspired.
Yes, it's true, I work at Pop's.
I would love to say that working at Riverdale High paid a livable wage,
but alas, I had to take a second job.
But aren't you supposed to be some kind of bigtime writer?
The only writing I wanna talk about today is Of Mice and Men.
So can anyone tell me what this book is about?
Okay, plan B.
Pop quiz.
[all groan]
Hand these out.
Supply and demand
is the foundational principle of economics,
so I'm gonna make sure that you all--
Special delivery for Ms. Gekko.
-Chad, what are you doing here? -Surprising my wife.
-But I'm in the middle of a class. -I'll just wait quietly at the back.
[Archie] Mr. Weatherbee, uh, Waldo,
I wanna bring Bulldog Football back as a coach.
I think having a football team would be huge for school pride,
and it would help bring what's left of this town back together.
-You know where we're at financially. -I'll get the money. Somehow.
-Will you have enough players? -I only need 11.
All right, Mr. Andrews, let's see what you can do.
[dramatic music playing]
[Chad] As you can imagine, my wife tells this guy exactly
-where he can stick his designer loafers. -[all laughing]
Archie.
This is Chadwick, my husband.
-He surprised me with a visit. -And cupcakes.
So you're the famous Archie.
Nice to meet you.
Well, we've survived two days of the school year.
How about we celebrate tonight?
-It's Karaoke Tuesday at the Whyte Wyrm. -Obviously, I'll be defying gravity.
As long as I can get a vodka tonic, I will be watching.
-I don't know if we-- -Sounds good.
What? You hate karaoke.
What's that expression? Uh...
When in Rome, embarrass yourself in front of total strangers.
[all chuckling]
-[Toni] Betty, do you have a minute? -Sure, what's up?
Kevin mentioned your sister's missing.
Yeah. Have you heard something?
You know how Fangs and other Serpents are truckers now?
-Yeah? -Well, I asked around.
And some of the guys have occasionally seen Polly
hanging out at this sketchy truck stop off the Lonely Highway.
-Doing what? -Dealing for the Ghoulies.
Or hooking up with truckers.
-[sighs] Or both. -Yeah.
Sadly, Polly's not the only young woman in Riverdale making a living that way.
Fangs said some truckers arrange meetings with these women
by posting on Nedd's List.
I don't know if Polly has an account.
Yeah. Thank you, Toni. I'll look into it.
Do you know where exactly this truck stop is?
The thing is, the men have been threatening to quit.
[Cheryl] Under no circumstances.
The constant hammering of nails and buzzing of saws
is the only thing that quiets my troubled soul.
Tell your brutes they'll get their money and a bonus for their patience.
[dramatic music playing]
Now begone from my sight.
[whirring and hammering in distance]
[sighs]
Thanks to that charitable donation Toni squeezed out of me,
the Blossom coffers are empty, Nana.
It's time for Operation Goldfinch.
Call Crestby's to send an appraiser
whilst I finish my copy of this portrait of Jay-Jay.
And pray my subterfuge will save us from financial ruin.
According to my mom, Polly doesn't have a laptop,
but I asked the twins and they said she uses theirs.
So Polly doesn't have a Nedd's List account, but Patty does.
Oh, my God. Check sent messages.
-Who was the last person she contacted? -Someone named "TruckerBoy69."
And they arranged to meet up the night she disappeared.
Either he knows something or he did something.
Send him a message asking to get together again.
Okay, sent.
[sighs] Okay. Now we just wait, I guess.
Can we karaoke while we wait?
[upbeat rock music playing]
[all] Cheers.
By the way, Jones, I have the next subject for your book.
A real character.
-Oh, yeah? Who's that? -Old Man Dreyfuss.
Lives on and runs a junkyard off the Lonely Highway.
He came in today for pork chops
and I asked if you could interview him for your book.
He said yes.
-Did you get his number? -Oh, no.
Dreyfuss does not have a phone. But I do have his address.
-Okay, what's his story? -You've gotta ask him about the Mothmen.
-The Mothmen? -Mm-hm.
All right, all right, we've got a special treat for you guys.
She used to own this place back in the day,
so let's give an extra loud Whyte Wyrm welcome
to Veronica Lodge!
-She probably forgot it's Gekko now. -Knock them dead, babe.
["Shallow" playing]
♪ Tell me something, boy ♪
♪ Aren't you tired Trying to fill that void? ♪
♪ Or do you need more? ♪
♪ Is there something else You're searching for? ♪
[Chad] ♪ Tell me something, girl ♪
[cheers and applause]
♪ Are you happy in this modern world? ♪
♪ Or do you need more? ♪
♪ Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore? ♪
♪ I'm off the deep end Watch as I dive in ♪
♪ I'll never leave the ground ♪
♪ Crash through the surface Where they can't hurt us ♪
♪ We're far from the shallow now ♪
♪ In the shallow, shallow ♪
♪ We're far from the shallow now ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
♪ Ah, ah ♪
♪ In the shallow, shallow ♪
♪ We're far from the shallow now ♪
[cheers and applause]
[dramatic music playing]
[breathes deeply] Good morning, lover.
Good morning, Ms. Gekko.
-Man, I haven't slept that well since-- -Forever.
I know.
Same.
It's fun having you here, Chad.
So...
Why don't I stay in Riverdale for a few days?
What do you think?
I think that would be nice.
Mm-hm.
[Archie] Congratulations, you are the newest recruits
to Riverdale High's legendary football program,
which will fulfill your physical education requirements for this year.
-All good? -[all] Sir, yes, sir!
Six down. Five to go.
Who wants to play football for the Bulldogs?
[pop music playing]
Welcome aboard.
And that's eight.
I'm looking for football players.
No previous experience required. I just need a few more bruisers.
That's ten.
[sighs]
Who here wants to play for the Bulldogs?
♪ Don't know how to play it safe... ♪
Awesome. One more is all I needed. What's your name, bro?
I'm Britta. Is that cool?
As long as you don't mind playing both sides of the ball,
you complete my team.
Now I just need funding.
-How much funding? -Twenty thousand.
-There's gotta be a sports budget-- -There is.
But the little money that's available has already been earmarked for something else.
-What about Cheryl? Can you ask her? -No way. I already called in my one favor.
Nobody's stopping you.
[Cheryl] You need more money from me, you say?
Yes. For the football team.
I've already done my part for the school. And at a great personal cost.
Cheryl, I just thought...
given the fact your brother was a Bulldog...
you might wanna honor him.
How dare you play my brother as if he were a red king card.
Begone! And never darken the halls of Thornhill again.
Leave!
[sighs] When did the appraiser say he was coming?
Oh, she, dear. Minerva Marble.
And tomorrow, she said.
[Betty] TruckerBoy69 responded.
He said, "So good to hear from you, Patty.
I was afraid you were still mad at me. How's tonight?"
-Mad about what? -That's what I'm gonna find out
when we go stake out the truck stop he suggested,
right off Exit 42.
[sighs]
[suspenseful music playing]
[animals hooting and barking]
[clattering]
Hi there. I'm Jughead Jones. I work at Pop's with Tabitha Tate.
She told me you'd be willing to tell me the story about the, uh...
The Mothmen.
[Dreyfuss] About 30, 40 years ago,
me and some buddies got hired to dig out a collapsed mine
not far off the Lonely Highway.
One night, we went to bed,
and the next morning, when we woke up, one of the guys, Ramos, was missing.
We worked the whole day, but Ramos never showed.
Until the next morning...
when Ramos was back,
but Raymond was missing.
Ramos told us that some Mothmen had taken him up in their ship
and now they had Raymond.
-Did you believe him? -Not at first.
But the next morning, Raymond was back,
but Arnold was missing.
And sure enough, Raymond said
the Mothmen had taken him up in their ship.
Now, when you say "Mothmen," are you talking...?
Aliens, angels, Mothmen, call them whatever you like.
They live in the woods and the caves off the Lonely Highway.
I've lived in Riverdale my whole life, why haven't I heard of the Mothmen before?
There were some articles.
Ask around, some people remember.
Aren't you worried that they're gonna come back?
I'm not afraid.
I'm hoping. I'm hoping they come back for me.
I wanna go up in their ship like the others.
This is definitely the place.
[dramatic music playing]
[Betty] Frankview Freight Lines.
That's him, in the blue rig. That's Truckerboy69.
What? Betty, are you sure?
[door opens]
You're not Patty.
No, I'm her sister, and I'm with the FBI. You're coming with me.
I keep saying, I didn't do anything wrong.
You arranged to meet my sister at that truck stop
and that's the last time anyone's seen her.
Look, I did meet Patty three nights ago.
She'd scored some jingle-jangle and reached out.
-We met up at the truck stop-- -And then what?
I told her that we should take a drive, to clear her mind.
She was down with that plan.
But a half a mile up the highway, she freaked.
Jumped out of the truck, started running.
I tried to get her back in my cab, but she just kept running.
That's the last time I saw her.
Honest to God.
So you just left her there? On the side of the road?
I didn't have a choice.
Patty was scared. I didn't wanna make it worse.
What part of the highway?
I need you to be very specific.
Hey, honey.
What's going on? Why are you home so late?
It's about Polly, Mom.
I have a lead I need your help with.
But you should sit down.
[dramatic music playing]
[bell ringing]
I'm sorry, team.
I should've gotten my ducks in a row first, secured the funding.
And the school really can't give us any money? At all?
No. There's no funding for sports, clubs, extra--
[cheering in distance]
["We Were Never Lost" playing]
♪ Woke up tomorrow with the wonders The wonders of today ♪
[cheering continues]
♪ I held out my hand so easily And took the bait... ♪
Toni, since when are the Vixens back?
Since I made it a priority in the budget.
[chuckles] There isn't even a sports team for them to cheer for.
Get over yourself, Archie. The Vixens are a sports team.
And this year, we're gonna be competing against other squads.
Not even Cheryl managed to do that.
Forget the school. Isn't there anyone else who could sponsor the Bulldogs?
It's Doris Bell.
You told me to keep you apprised of goings-on at the school.
Well, there's something I think you should know.
I see. Thanks, Ms. Bell.
So sorry for the interruption, Ms. Marble.
How are you finding that portrait of my beloved brother?
Figurative is back in vogue, and the artist who painted your brother
was chosen for next year's Venice Biennale.
I believe this portrait could easily fetch...
a quarter of a million at auction.
And worth every penny.
Mm. Hm.
I wonder...
might I get to keep my Jay-Jay for one more night?
So we can say our proper ta-ta's?
I understand.
I'm staying at the Five Seasons, but I'll be around in the morning.
Even better, I'll have my men deliver it to you.
Hm. Well, it was a pleasure dealing with you.
Should you decide to sell any other items, do let me know.
I will indeed, Ms. Marble.
[dramatic music playing]
Now that's she's authenticated our original,
we can swap in your perfect copy.
And Marble shall be none the wiser.
But what's the matter, child?
Oh. Nothing, Nana.
Just some upsetting news from Riverdale High.
I'll be fine.
[dramatic music playing]
Betty!
Oh, my God. No. Oh.
These are her things.
These are Polly's things.
-[Jughead] More coffee, champ? -Yeah, sure. Thanks, Jug.
How goes it with the Bulldogs?
It doesn't.
The kids don't have any equipment. They can't afford equipment.
And the school doesn't have any money.
If you promise to never bring up the epic highs and lows
of high school football, I can ask Tabitha if she's willing to sponsor the team.
Yeah. Can't hurt.
There is one more person I can ask.
Veronica.
But that'd be weird, right?
I interviewed a guy who wants to be abducted by Mothmen aliens.
-I think weird is relative. -[chuckles]
I say go for it. Embrace the weird.
[Veronica] What do you think, Chad?
I know it's a tad sleazy, but it's the perfect spot for a jewelry store.
Good foot traffic, close to SoDale.
The only bad thing is, it's not in New York.
But maybe that's the whole point, huh?
[dramatic music playing]
Cards on the table, Chadwick.
Being back in Riverdale, seeing my friends,
working on a new business,
it's been good for my soul.
So we'd have a place in the city and a place in Riverdale.
-Where I'd be welcomed? -Yes.
But I need your support on this, Chad.
And love.
You have it.
Are we gonna buy a new house or stay at the Pembrooke?
Bite your tongue, I'm never leaving that apartment.
-But it could do with a remodel. -Mm-hm.
It's time for a change.
Starting with a clean slate.
[Alice] What happened to her, Betty?
What happened to Polly out on that highway?
I don't know, Mom.
But I do know one thing, if that creepy guy in jail had hurt Polly,
he wouldn't have told us where to go.
So we have nothing. We have no leads. She could be anywhere.
-We didn't find Polly's cell phone. -No.
So we can trace it through the phone company.
Or if they can't, maybe the FBI can.
And if not?
[dramatic music playing]
We wait.
And we hope.
[Chad] So I need to be back in the city on Monday, the 19th.
Fine. We have your niece's birthday party that weekend.
So Mondays through Thursdays,
I'm in the city, then here every other weekend.
And I'll be in New York every other weekend.
You know, there is one other option that your father suggested.
I could move to Riverdale full-time and help him manage the SoDale properties.
You're in finance, not real estate.
And wait. Have you and my father been talking behind my back?
[knock on door]
[dramatic music playing]
-Archie. -Hey. Sorry to come by unannounced.
Don't be. Come in.
Archie. This is unexpected.
Chad. Hey, you're still here.
Um... Listen, the thing is, I'm restarting the football team at Riverdale High.
And there's no budget for anything.
Say no more.
As a former Vixen,
I made an oath to always support my beloved Bulldogs.
I will cover the start-up costs.
Thank you, Veronica. I promise I'll pay you back 100%.
You mean, pay us back 100%.
Of course.
Pay you guys back.
Thank you, Chad.
You know, actually, now I think about it...
you're a vet, a proud guy.
You don't wanna be taking handouts.
So how's this for an idea?
Instead of us loaning you the money,
what if you renovate our apartment, this apartment?
What are you talking about?
We help out Archie's team, he does this job for us and gets paid.
I'm sure Archie has other things he's gotta be doing.
[Archie] No, it's fine.
I don't wanna be taking handouts.
I'll call some of my dad's old crew, see if they can help out.
Awesome sauce.
-Thanks again. -Of course. See you at school tomorrow.
Okay. What the hell was that?
He's my friend.
I'm sure he'd rather do a little work than crawl to you for charity.
You didn't have to be such a dick about it.
Excuse me.
Have I not been accommodating to you since I've been here?
I've been nice to your friends. I even sang karaoke.
I didn't realize those were such chores for you.
They weren't.
I wanted to do them for you.
If I came across dick-ish with Archie, I'm sorry.
It won't happen again, okay?
Okay.
Good.
What's for dinner?
-Can we get Pop's takeout? -Ugh.
I can't handle another greasy burger and onion rings.
Let's go out.
There's this Italian place that your dad mentioned. Mia's?
[sighs]
Sure.
Let's go to Mia's.
["Juanita" playing]
Are you working on your Mothmen chronicles?
It is so bizarre, Tabitha.
I ended up talking to Old Man Dreyfuss.
He did tell me the people he used to worked with.
All of his buddies from back in the day.
Tracked them down, just so I could corroborate his story.
-Uh-huh. -Get this.
They're all dead.
Couldn't that be a coincidence because they're old?
Curiously, they all died from cancer, and, yeah, that could be a coincidence.
But maybe...
just maybe... [sighs]
they were all exposed to the same radiation on the spaceship. Hmm?
Ah. Is that what happens when you go aboard a spaceship?
No idea. But it makes a great story.
What's the next step?
Dreyfuss said that some articles were produced after their encounter,
so I'm just tracking those ones down.
I'm in.
If you want some help.
Unless you're like the lone-wolf type or whatever.
Sure.
More the merrier.
[knock on door]
-Betty. -Hey.
-Is Jughead home? -No. He's working.
Hmm.
My mom and I are waiting to hear something, anything about Polly.
And she's driving me crazy.
Yeah. I'm feeling pretty crazy and frustrated myself.
[tender music playing]
Let's go upstairs.
[Archie sighs]
[tender music playing]
[cell phone ringing]
-Is that me? -It's me, I think.
Yeah. It's my friend Todd from the academy.
It's probably about Polly's phone.
I should go, but this... was really nice.
[dramatic music playing]
What's this?
Chad...
upon reflection, I think we need to pump the brakes.
Back in New York,
I had the instinct that
we should take some time to be by ourselves.
And as fun as the last few days have been,
I still think we need a break.
-Because of Archie? -No, Chad.
Because of me.
Because I need real time and space to figure out if I'm a Pop's girl...
or a Mia's girl...
or both.
That's not gonna be a problem, is it?
Not at all.
Let me know when you're ready to talk.
[playful music playing]
Cheryl.
Hi, Toni.
I was gonna give you a call, and then I thought:
"Hmm. No, stealing my Vixens warrants a visit in person."
You're playing a very dangerous game, Topaz.
You've each been assigned a locker.
That's to go along with your new cleats, your new uniform and pads.
I'm also psyched to announce our generous sponsor for all this stuff
and other expenses is Veronica Gekko.
Lodge, actually. Veronica Lodge.
Okay.
You heard the lady.
-Let's give her a round of applause. -[cheers and applause]
[Bell] You asked me to call if anything interesting or important happens.
Well, you should know what's going on in the boys' locker room right now.
I see.
Well, thank you, Ms. Bell. Your information is very much appreciated.
We'll be in touch.
You see...
-now I'm angry. -What happened?
Archie Andrews made good on his promise to you
and started a football team.
[tense music playing]
With my daughter's money.
So maybe this time, we pay him a visit.
[Betty] I heard from my friend Todd at the FBI.
He traced the call to somewhere in this region.
Swedlow Swamp?
What was Polly doing there?
How are we gonna find her? That's acres and acres of marshland.
We'll have to keep calling her cell phone until we hear it ring.
[Kevin] Assuming it's still charged.
[suspenseful music playing]
We've been out here for hours.
-I'm freezing. Maybe we should-- -[cell phone ringing]
Shh. I hear something.
[ringing continues]
Let's split up.
[suspenseful music playing]
[gasps] Guys. Guys, over here!
[Alice] What?
[Alice gasping]
[Jughead] Archie, there's a fire!
[dramatic music playing]
On the back porch too!
[theme music playing]