[macabre classical music playing]
[creaks]
Oh, hello there. And welcome to Thornhill.
The Blossom family's ancestral home.
A house of secrets and mysteries.
And the most haunted place in Rivervale.
But is it haunted by ghosts? Or memories?
Or something else?
A curse?
Perhaps all three.
[chiming]
Well, would you look at the time.
It's 7 a.m.
And the women of Thornhill, past and present,
are waking up, across the decades.
In the here and now, Cheryl Blossom wakes up from a dreamless sleep.
[alarm ringing]
[Jughead] As, 65 years ago, Poppy Blossom stirs awake in the same room
in the same bed.
And while further back still,
Abigail Blossom opens her eyes to meet the day.
[exhales]
[Jughead] Three Blossom women,
one story echoing across time,
burning as bright and eternal as a comet's tail in the night sky.
[macabre classical music continues]
[knocking on door]
[inaudible dialogue]
[knocking on door]
Today, we will be discussing comets. In particular, periodic comets.
Bailey's Comet passes through the inner workings of our solar system
once every 65 years.
Tonight's a momentous night.
You lucky girls will be able to marvel at the comet's beauty on the North Hill
as it streaks through the night sky and over Rivervale.
-Mm-hm? -Mistress Cheryl,
will Nana Blossom be able to join us tonight?
She's feeling quite weak today, so I'm afraid not.
And I will not be with you.
I will be by my nana's bedside.
Conducting certain rituals to help her transition into the afterlife.
-[clock chiming] -[Cheryl] I have some good news, Nana.
Tonight's the night we've been planning for all these years.
Bailey's Comet returns to our skies.
Oh, you bring me such relief, dear child.
I must ask you again while you are in your right mind.
Roseanne Blossom, are you certain you wish to continue down this road?
Once done, it cannot be undone.
And there is risk.
There's always a risk when spellcasting.
I have never been more certain.
Very well, then.
Let's begin with the ritual.
To walk in their shoes, you must first know their stories.
Their histories.
Who do you wish to begin with?
Both.
For their stories, as you know, are intertwined.
All right. Let's see.
Ah, yes. Poppy had just hosted one of her delightful salons.
Thanks for letting me stick around and bend your ear alone, Poppy.
Of course, Tam-Tam.
And you did seem quiet during our discussion of Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Oh, it's so silly, Poppy.
I wanna start working at the diner, but my husband is against it.
Home is where I belong, he says.
But I know I would do a better job of managing Pop's than he does.
Hmm.
[pop ballad playing indistinctly over speakers]
-What's this? -Some herbs from my garden.
Sprinkle them in eggs Benedict
and he'll come down with a nasty stomach bug.
And then you can be the heroine and step up and run Pop's for the day.
Oh, Poppy. I don't know what we'd do without you.
I see here from your résumé that you have five years' teaching experience.
-Is that right? -Yes.
When I came across your announcement, I was moved to apply.
My old school was shut down and turned into a hospital after the war began.
A wretched affair, isn't it?
My brother, James, is fighting on the Western Front.
Tell me, the pox is rampant throughout our land.
-Have you been afflicted by it? -Yes, when I was but a babe.
I, too, survived that hellish plague.
Are you married?
[dramatic classical music playing]
-No, ma'am. -Good.
I have no need for women with husbands.
You're hired.
Is it Thomasina or Miss Topaz, which do you prefer?
Thomasina.
Very good. Where did you say you were from again?
Nearby, Greendale.
[woman screams]
Today, ladies, we shall be discussing proper table etiquette,
especially in regards to shared plates and clear soups.
Actually, Miss Blossom, I had a notion about today's lesson.
Bailey's Comet is set to pass over Rivervale in a few days' time.
It offers an excellent scientific opportunity for the girls.
Firstly, Thomasina, it's unladylike to be traipsing around the woods after dark.
But more importantly,
the Thornhill Academy for Girls is a finishing school.
But a comet, like any celestial body,
is fundamental to the understanding of our lives.
It's much like a poem.
You see, everything, stars, time, and even you and I,
we're all part of an intertwining cosmic fabric.
I see.
And you'll be wanting to teach other impolite topics from the world of men.
Indeed I will.
Because men have all the power. And the world need not be that way.
That's enough, Thomasina.
So long as you teach at my school, you will follow my curriculum.
Class dismissed.
[over speakers] ♪ There's a moon... ♪
[Poppy] All right, ladies. If you could please take your seats.
♪ There are stars... ♪
So for this week's salon, I was thinking maybe we discuss Bailey's Comet?
Which I just read will be passing over our little town later this year.
-What do we think? -[Tammy] We should have a viewing party.
Set up on the roof of Pop's.
[Bitsy] That's a swell idea, Tammy.
Though I can't imagine Jack would be very interested in a comet.
Oh, by the way, Poppy, guess who's working the diner's register these days.
Curious timing, this comet.
Didn't the Soviets just launch Sputnik?
Wait, is that the missile?
It's the Russian space satellite, Velma.
-For spying on us Americans. -You're absolutely right, Bitsy.
Can they do that?
[Annie] Oh, by the way, did you hear?
Wendy Weatherbee was just arrested for conspiracy.
-No. -Yes.
Wendy's as red-blooded American as us.
Apparently, now she's just red.
My question is, are our children safe at school?
Ladies. Ladies. No need to fret.
My opinion is,
if people discuss their different ideas in the privacy of their own homes,
-well, what's the harm? -Poppyseed Blossom.
Do you mean that?
I truly do.
I suppose I'm just not a fan of witch hunts, of any kind.
Thank you for letting me stay behind, Poppy.
I won't take up too much of your time.
Oh, pooh, Bitsy.
Time spent with you is always the highlight of my week.
But what's going on?
The truth is, I'm not happy in my marriage.
I've wondered.
Jack thinks the answer is to have another child.
Even though my first pregnancy was...
Well, you remember how hard that was on me.
Have you considered divorce?
Divorce Jack?
No. I couldn't, Poppy. Jack's Catholic.
Well, maybe it's just about not getting pregnant right now.
Have you ever looked into birth control?
No. I couldn't possibly ask Dr. Curdle for something like that.
Not to worry. I have just the thing.
Take this special ginger root from my garden.
A few flakes every day in the morning
will make sure you don't start baking a bun in the oven.
Oh, Poppy.
I'm so grateful to you for listening and understanding.
What would I do without you?
[pensive music playing]
["Nightcall" playing]
Oh, my-- What the devil am I doing?
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Poppy.
Bitsy, everything's fine. Nothing bad happened.
Everything will work out.
You'll see, okay?
-Okay. -Okay.
Thomasina?
Yes?
I...
wanted to apologize for my outburst earlier.
I'm afraid I should be the one to apologize.
After all, it is your curriculum, not mine.
True, but...
after some quiet reflection, I've realized you're right.
From now on, we're going to teach these young women hard truths, tough knowledge.
Prepare them for a world that might not exist yet but someday will.
Yes, Abigail.
What can I do to help?
♪ I'm gonna drive you through the night ♪
♪ Down the hills ♪
♪ I'm gonna tell you Something you don't want to hear ♪
♪ I'm gonna show... ♪
[Velma] Poppy?
♪ ...where it's... ♪
-[record scratches] -[Velma] Earth to Poppy?
Velma. I am so sorry.
You were telling me about your husband?
Yes. It's just that...
lately, things have been a bit...
-vanilla in the bedroom. -Hmm.
And I wanna spice things up a bit, with the mister.
But I don't know how to exactly.
Mm.
Well, I have got some spice for you.
-The Kama Sutra. -Ah, it's the bee's knees.
Oh, also...
-What's this? -My own special aphrodisiac mix.
Sprinkle that into his roast beef and...
he'll never want to leave your bed.
[sighs]
Abigail?
Why didn't you wake me?
Because you are so beautiful when you sleep.
Thomasina.
How I wish we could live in this little perfect world of ours forever.
[knocking on door]
Who could that be?
Only trouble comes knocking at this hour.
[pounding on door]
[man] Abigail Blossom, open up! I'm here on official business.
Constable Keller. State your business.
I'm looking for a murderess. The harlot's name is Thomasina Topaz.
[dramatic music playing]
There is no one here by that name. Now please go.
For your own good. We have a confirmed case of the pox here.
There is a plague upon this house.
[Abigail coughing]
[footsteps retreating]
Thomasina Topaz. I would have the truth from you.
[pounding on door]
[Jack] Don't say a word.
-I know what you did with my wife. -I beg your pardon?
Don't you play coy with me, Poppy.
Well, go on, tell her.
I might've given you the wrong idea about us, Poppy.
I've never been happier in my marriage,
and I would be very lucky to have another child with Jack.
So just butt out, okay?
You hear that?
Keep out of my marriage.
And so help me, if you get anywhere near Bitsy again, I will kill you.
[sobs]
[poignant music playing]
Why did Constable Keller call you a murderess?
When I came seeking employment, you asked if I had a husband.
I said I did not, which is true.
But once I did.
It was an arranged marriage.
He was a cruel man.
He didn't like my ideas of educating womankind.
He didn't like my rituals.
He just sought to control me, with the back of his hand.
And his belt.
Men are such monsters.
One night...
I saw a look in his eyes...
and I knew it was either his life or mine.
So I chose mine.
I chose to live.
Stay here.
Stay with me, forever.
-[door opens] -[Britta] Mistress Cheryl, may I come in?
Brittania. What are you doing here? And where are the other girls?
They left to see the comet from the North Hill.
And why, pray tell, aren't you with them?
Please, Mistress Cheryl, I notice things.
I know you and Nana Rose have been planning something in secret.
I just don't know what it is.
-But I'd like to be here for it. -Come. Let the child stay.
[sighs] Very well, then. You can stay. But not a word out of you.
Pull up a chair.
I was just about to tell Nana what happened to poor Poppy.
[over speakers] ♪ Why didn't you feel guilty ♪
♪ When you kissed me last night? ♪
♪ Though a small voice... ♪
[pounding on door]
[ominous music playing]
Why, hello, boys.
Excuse me, this is my home.
Who do you think you are? Telling our wives we can't satisfy them?
I see. So that's why none of your wives came today.
You bullied them into submission.
Pathetic, if you ask me.
Well, we're not.
In fact, we want you to leave Rivervale, ASAP.
The Blossoms have outstayed their welcome here.
And if I don't leave?
Don't push us on this, Poppy. You know what I do for a living.
Kirk Keller, Thornhill is my home. I'll never leave it.
Okay. Suit yourself. Don't say we didn't warn you.
[pounding on door]
[tense music playing]
Who is it? Who's there?
[man] My name's Fenn Fogarty, ma'am.
I'm a friend of your brother's. I come with news of him.
Mr. Fogarty. Come in. Warm yourself by the fire.
Welcome.
Miss Blossom. It is my sad duty to inform you
that your dear brother, James, was killed.
He gave me this letter to give to you, right before he passed.
[melancholy music playing]
[sobs]
"In the midst of this brutal war,
it is my dying wish...
that you, my beloved sister, Abigail,
would take the hand of my dearest friend, Fenn Fogarty...
in marriage."
"Dearest friend." How intimately did you and James know one another?
War makes all men bedfellows.
Abigail, you cannot marry this man, this stranger.
Thomasina, you don't understand.
My brother was my twin, my soulmate.
If this was his dying wish, I must honor it.
There is a darkness in Fenn.
I do not know what, but I have a sixth sense about these things.
My intuition tells me he means you harm.
Nonsense. He was my brother's confidant.
Letters can be forged.
Tomorrow, when he goes hunting,
we will search his room for proof of his true intentions.
I am certain that man is not who he says he is.
I will not let any harm come to you, I swear it.
-[door opens] -[bell jingles]
[on jukebox] ♪ I love you, be true ♪
♪ Promise me, darling... ♪
Hello, Tammy. It's nice to see you working here.
I'll have my usual. A patty melt, coleslaw and a glass of buttermilk.
Do you maybe want that to go, Poppy?
[tense music playing]
No, I'd like to eat it here, thank you very much.
Fine.
-[door opens] -[bell jingles]
[ominous music playing]
What's the meaning of this? What are you doing here, Kirk?
We've received an anonymous tip that you, Miss Blossom, are a subversive,
a suspected communist sympathizer.
-That's an outrageous lie and you know it. -Is it?
What about the closed-door meetings you've been coercing
the unsuspecting wives of Rivervale to attend?
What are you doing? Those are my heirlooms.
You left us no choice.
Sorry, Poppy. We're taking you in for questioning.
[Abigail] What, pray tell, are we looking for?
[Thomasina] Evidence of his malfeasance.
[Abigail] This isn't my brother's hand.
This is someone practicing my brother's hand.
My family seal.
This is the official Blossom crest.
Thomasina, I think you were right. The betrothal letter was forged.
Which means you don't have to marry that imposter.
Objects of the occult.
[eerie music playing]
I knew he was trafficking in the dark arts.
Abigail, I'm afraid it's worse than I feared.
Fenn Fogarty is not just a scoundrel.
He's a warlock.
What?
How could you know that?
I have knowledge about these things.
Heaven protect us.
These are death portraits, Thomasina.
I think he's a murderer.
My Lord.
I think he murdered my brother, James.
Women, I'm back with supper.
[suspenseful music playing]
-What the devil are you doing in here? -Begone from my house this instant!
You do not give me orders, woman.
Once we are married, I will become lord of this manor.
-Will you, now? -Abigail, get back.
[Abigail] Stop!
Do it, you devil.
Obey me, or I'll slit her throat where she stands.
Fenn, please.
I'll marry you, Fenn.
I'll marry you.
Good.
Yes.
We'll do it tonight.
Legally, properly.
We'll need a vicar, then, to perform the ceremony and bear witness.
-You'll have to fetch one in town. -[Fenn] Oh, no.
You'll go fetch him.
If I leave, you two will collude to kill me and run off together.
I'll lock this saucy Sapphic wench in the chapel.
If you're not back within an hour with the vicar...
I'll kill her.
All right.
[Kirk] All you have to do is cooperate.
We know you're a communist. Admit it so I can let you out of here.
I won't admit to a lie. I haven't done anything wrong.
-Is it true you once visited Russia? -Yes.
To participate in a chess tournament.
Are you loyal to this country, its government, the flag?
Yes, yes and yes.
Are you against God and religion?
I'm against witch hunts and groupthink.
And yet you organize gatherings.
Unsegregated, I might add.
Where you read banned books.
Is it true you use contraceptives?
What is it you want from me?
Admit you're a commie, sign the confession.
Or I'll put you in jail to rot.
Do what you want.
I'm not signing anything.
I'm surprised they let you in to see the Red Devil.
You're not the devil, Poppy.
But you do need to sign their confession.
[sighs]
It's just your name.
But what else do I have other than my name?
My principles?
All the things those men are terrified of.
If you wanna stay in here and suffer for your principles,
then go ahead.
But I thought you cared a little bit more.
About...
Well, about us.
Bitsy, don't you see?
I'm doing this for us, for you...
for womankind.
For all the freethinking, independent daughters who will come after us.
["Nightcall" playing]
♪ Ooh... ♪
Bitsy...
don't tell me you're pregnant.
♪ Ooh... ♪
We'll get through this somehow.
♪ And I'll tell you ♪
[singer vocalizing]
No. This baby is exactly what Jack and I need.
[melancholy music playing]
I-- I can't believe I let you fill my head with your silly, stupid ideas.
Jack was right about you.
You're just a sad,
jealous, sexually repressed spinster.
I know you don't mean that.
Well, you don't know anything about me.
After Bitsy visited Poppy in jail,
they didn't see each other for the next nine months.
[Britta] Why so long?
And what brought them together again?
[Jack] Poppy, I need your help.
It's about Bitsy.
[tense music playing]
-Did something happen? -[Jack] She's in labor.
She's convinced something's wrong
and says you're the only person that can help.
If you do this, you will not return to this cell.
I swear it.
Okay, yeah.
Interestingly, in a confluence that can only be called cosmic,
the night Bitsy's baby was to be born
and the night Abigail Blossom was to be married...
were both nights when Bailey's Comet passed over Rivervale.
Same as tonight.
["Riverside" playing]
♪ Down by the river... ♪
[Britta] So Abigail did marry Fenn?
[Cheryl] She didn't have much of a choice, did she?
But fret not, dear Britta,
for Abigail's story is far from over.
An idea for how to catch Fenn at his most vulnerable
was already taking shape in her mind.
♪ When by the water We drink to the dregs ♪
♪ Look at the stones on the riverbed ♪
♪ I can tell from your eyes ♪
♪ You've never been by the riverside ♪
♪ Down by the water, the riverbed ♪
♪ Somebody calls you, somebody says ♪
♪ Swim with the current and float away ♪
♪ Down by the river every day ♪
♪ Oh, my God ♪
♪ I see how everything is torn ♪
♪ In the river deep ♪
♪ And I don't know why ♪
♪ I go the way ♪
♪ Down by the riverside ♪
♪ When that old river Runs past your eyes ♪
♪ To wash off the dirt on the riverside ♪
[wind roaring]
♪ Go to the water so very near ♪
♪ The river will be your eyes and ears ♪
-♪ Oh, oh ♪ -♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Ah ♪
-♪ Oh, oh ♪ -♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Down by the riverside ♪
♪ Down by the... ♪
Say hello to your beautiful baby girl, Bitsy.
She's perfect.
[poignant music playing]
I just wish I were bringing her into a better world.
Actually, this little one was born under Bailey's Comet, Bitsy.
It's a sign of great things to come.
Nothing will hold her back.
Before I forget...
It was in my pocketbook.
Something for when the time is right.
You'll know when to use it.
Come now, dear one. Join me.
Hurry, it's time to fulfill your wifely duties.
Did you ever hear, Fenn,
of that terrible case in Fall River, Massachusetts?
About the young woman, Lizzie Borden, and what she did to her tormentors?
[groans] What's this now?
She killed them with an ax.
[dramatic music playing]
[ax clunks]
Thomasina, my love.
[ominous music playing]
Thomasina, no.
Thomasina, please, no.
No, no, no.
Wake up. Please wake up.
[Fenn groans]
She was the perfect...
addition to my collection.
You... monster.
You're going to burn in hell for what you've done.
How right you are, Abigail.
The comet.
What perfect timing.
Calling upon my dark knowledge, fueled by the midnight light,
I curse you, Abigail Blossom.
May your life be as everlasting and solitary as the comet's.
[Fenn coughs]
May you remain unloved and alone
for all your miserable days.
No.
Well?
Both mother and daughter are fine.
-Okay, let's get you out of here. -What are those for?
You told me if I helped, I'd be freed!
We said you wouldn't have to go back to your cell.
-You are on house arrest. At Thornhill. -What? For how long?
Indefinitely.
Come on, Poppy, don't make a fuss.
[Cheryl] And so Poppy was shut away...
doomed to spend the rest of her days haunting the halls of Thornhill.
So Poppy was arrested, but what happened to Abigail?
She, too, lived out her days in this house...
forever alone.
[eerie music playing]
I'm afraid to ask what happened to Bitsy.
Funnily enough, her husband died under mysterious circumstances
about a year after their second child was born.
Some say he was poisoned,
though the coroner didn't find any poison during his autopsy.
Then again, some plant-based toxins don't leave a trace.
[doorbell chimes]
Oh. Is that her?
Is she finally here?
["Season of the Witch" playing]
♪ Mm, mm ♪
♪ Must be the season of the witch... ♪
Well, well, well, look at what the black cat dragged in.
If it isn't Sabrina Spellman.
Cheryl Blossom.
Feels like it's been centuries, doesn't it?
Thank you for coming.
My nana and I are forever in your debt.
Oh. Don't be ridic. You know I'd do anything to help a fellow witch.
Nana, Britta, there's someone I'd like you to meet.
Hey, ladies, what's happening?
Sabrina is a dear old friend,
and she's come to help us with our little ceremony.
How do you know each other?
Oh, we have a lot of mutual friends, share a lot of the same interests.
Our covens are in the same softball league.
Sabrina is the one who told me about performing a transference.
[Sabrina] Yes, indeed.
My cousin Ambrose taught me how to do it.
Essentially, a transference is a very tricky spell
that can only be performed on a night of great cosmic significance.
Like tonight, with Bailey's Comet approaching.
Speaking of, it's nearly time.
Brittania, we witches must spellcast alone.
Do you mind?
Yeah.
[door closes]
Are you ready?
Yeah.
Okay.
Let's begin.
[stirring music playing]
[wind roaring]
[all] Our flesh and blood are but a cage That withers as we wear our age
But hark, there is a way to switch Two willing souls with one bewitched
Let us sunder body and soul Exchange the spirits, new and old
Our flesh and blood are but a cage That withers as we wear our age
But hark, there is a way to switch Two willing souls with one bewitched
Let us sunder body and soul To exchange the spirits, new and old
[exhales]
[gasps]
It-- It worked.
The transference.
How do you feel, Abigail?
Free...
at long last.
Fenn's curse...
is broken.
Let go, Abigail.
Let go and finally be at peace.
Reunite with your dearest Thomasina.
[uplifting music playing]
Happy sad endings are the best.
Did Nana Rose pass, Mistress Cheryl?
-Uh-- -I'll take this one.
Nana Rose's body did die,
but not before we'd transferred her soul into...
Mistress Blossom's body?
Yes. And vice versa.
It was a classic body swap, Freaky Friday-style.
But you should know this, there was no Cheryl. Not really.
Or there was, but she was also Poppy,
and before that, she was Abigail Blossom.
I don't understand.
When the warlock Fenn Fogarty died,
he cursed Abigail with immortality.
To hide that fact,
she created the persona of Poppy Blossom,
then Cheryl Blossom, so that no one would suspect the truth.
But Abigail was forever haunted
by the loss of her first true love, Thomasina.
She wanted, more than anything, to be reunited with her.
The only way to do that was to move her soul
into a body no longer meant to be in this world.
And tonight, that's what we did.
The soul that once inhabited this body, Abigail's soul,
has moved on to a peaceful eternity
in the sweet hereafter.
And now I, Roseanne Blossom, can once again enjoy my precious youth.
And Cheryl-Poppy-Abigail...
she's really dead?
No.
There is no death for witches.
Only transformation.
I mean, I died and came back.
Abigail was a witch?
She was.
As was Thomasina.
Which we can definitely talk you through,
but how about we do it over a milkshake at Pop's?
["Nightcall" playing]
♪ And I'll tell you ♪
[singer vocalizing]
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ And I'll tell you how ♪
[laughs]
♪ To tell you how ♪
♪ Tell you how ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ I'm giving you a nightcall ♪
♪ To tell you how I feel... ♪
I feel like the 20-something witch Sabrina Spellman, visiting Rivervale
from the neighboring township of Greendale, summed it up perfectly:
"Happy sad endings are the best."
Enough said.
♪ And how I feel ♪
[woman screams]
[theme music playing]