[Jughead] The weather reports were grim.
But we had a more dire prognostication to deal with. The apocalypse.
Brought about by one Percival Pickens.
Maybe unavoidable, but we had to try.
I'm thinking we stage a coup.
Percival manipulated his way onto the Council
and he's using it as a soapbox, a platform.
-So why don't we just knock him off it? -And what? We take over?
-I mean, why not? -What if the council refuses to step down?
Okay, if we are seriously going to attempt a coup de town,
then we need to get public support.
Veronica, Reggie, Toni, Fangs, Cheryl.
Kevin too. I don't think he's gone over completely to the dark side yet.
Let's reach out to folks and host a meeting.
We can do it at Pop's.
Tonight, after nightfall.
[ominous music playing]
They're holding a secret meeting at the diner tonight.
They're planning on overthrowing the Council
and appointing themselves the new town leaders.
I'm tired, Alice.
I'm tired of these agitators.
I couldn't agree more.
But I have an idea.
So the RIVW weather girl is out sick,
and she has been going on and on about this fog rolling in.
Calling it "the wrath of God."
Maybe we use it to our advantage.
Stop the meeting from happening and give you time to make your next move.
[Alice on TV] Attention, Riverdale.
This is Alice Cooper coming to you with an emergency weather warning.
A large, dense, slow-moving fog
is rolling into Riverdale and the surrounding areas later today.
Meteorologists are likening it to the Great Fog of 1922,
which enveloped our town 100 years ago.
So due to imminent power outages and hazardous driving conditions,
at sundown tonight,
the town council has instituted a curfew for all of its citizens
to stay home until the fog clears.
Close your windows and vents,
bring your pets indoors,
and hold your loved ones close.
The fog is coming.
[tense music playing]
The casino is a ghost town, Jay. Where are all my customers?
[Jay] It's this fog that's rolling in. It's keeping people at home.
I see.
In that case, let's just close up shop and send everyone home.
I'll lock up when I leave for my meeting later.
Understood, Miss Lodge.
[pensive music playing]
Agent Cooper. I just got word.
The Trash Bag Killer.
There's a woman who escaped from him just like you.
Okay. I wanna talk to her now.
[ominous music playing]
Hey, Kev. What are you doing tonight?
-Going to the meeting that Archie called. -Even though you're Team Percival?
But putting all that aside,
how about you come over for dinner tonight with Fangs and I before the meeting?
So we can talk about Baby Anthony's future.
Just us.
No lawyers.
Toni, you and Fangs are Serpents.
I don't think you can provide a safe environment for Baby Anthony.
What else is there to talk about?
How about your compulsive cruising?
Look, I'm all for sex positivity, Kev, but you, my friend,
are addicted to putting yourself in risky sexual situations
that often end in violence.
So I'm not really sure you're the person that should be arbitrating
the future of our son.
Six-thirty sound good?
[tense music playing]
Mumzie?
What are you doing here?
Dear child. May I come in?
After you banished me from Thornhill,
I traveled the world searching for sanctuary.
And eventually found myself in the Himalayas.
At the original convent of the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
You've gotta be kidding me.
I presented myself on their doorstep with nothing but the clothes on my back.
And now the sisters have decided that I can pledge myself fully to Christ.
You're telling me they're letting
an ex-dominatrix, convicted felon serial killer
join their convent?
The sisters believe in redemption, Cheryl.
They've given me one weekend to attend to any unfinished business
before I take my final vows.
You are my unfinished business, Cheryl.
Speak plainly, Mother.
I have a surprise for you.
Something that I would like to give you.
But first, I would love a hot bath and a warm, scrumptious meal.
Mother.
Every time you come back into my life, you gaslight me.
I understand your skepticism, Cheryl.
But every word that I've said is true.
Yes. Fine.
You can stay for supper, Sister Blossom.
Thank you, child.
Bless you.
[Penelope sighs]
[Jughead] It looks like we don't have to kick people out.
I guess Alice's doomsaying about all this fog
means no one is out and about.
Probably for the best.
Hey. While we're waiting on everyone,
I've been wanting to talk to you
about something I've kind of been obsessed with.
Sure. What's up?
You can time-travel now.
In an extremely limited way.
Only alone
and only within spitting distance of Pop's.
I was thinking that you could stop that bomb from going off.
At Archie's house.
If it doesn't go off, then I don't lose my hearing,
and I really wanna hear again.
Not thoughts, like, uh...
Like the clock ticking or burgers sizzling.
Jug, I'm--
I'm sorry, but I've tried.
The bomb is a fixed point in time. No matter what I do, it always explodes.
Can you get me out of the garage, at least?
It's too risky.
There are too many variables.
Temporal paradoxes, ripple effects.
No. Yeah. No, no. I know.
I just thought I'd give it my best shot, you know?
[ominous music playing]
[dramatic music playing]
[suspenseful music playing]
Okay. Well, be safe over there.
Okay. Bye.
That was Tabitha.
The whole town's freaking out about this fog,
we're gonna postpone the meeting until it clears up.
-Why'd you come through the back? -There's a creeper outside my house.
-Right now? Should I go out? -Mm-hm. No. It could be anyone.
Betty, I'm invulnerable.
Well, it could be someone with palladium, okay?
So please don't.
Let's just stay inside until the fog lifts, okay?
Okay. Yeah. You're right. We're good right here.
Yeah.
["Don't Bring Me Down" playing]
♪ The darkened skyline ♪
♪ Outside my room ♪
♪ A kingdom that I gave up too soon ♪
♪ To be with you ♪
♪ Bring me down ♪
What are we doing, Arch?
Are we dating?
I mean, I'm not seeing anyone else.
And I love when we're together.
It just feels right, you know?
And I'm glad you feel that way, because, um...
I'm late.
My period is two weeks late, and I'm never late.
Like, ever.
Oh.
Well, I mean, we're always safe. Right?
Well, yeah, except for that one time when--
Right.
And you're not on birth control?
No, I stopped taking it when TBK had me in that well,
and I just never started it back up again.
Not to blame this on TBK. It's--
Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?
It's okay. I have candles.
[ominous music playing]
[Tabitha] No, Grandpa, we're fine. Everything is under control.
Mm-hm.
Love you too.
What am I gonna do when I lose him?
Hey.
Hey, don't worry. Pop Tate is gonna outlive all of us.
What are you--?
You just read my mind.
Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I caught a stray thought.
Come on, Jughead. We've talked about this. You can't just read my mind.
It's a total invasion of privacy.
No, I know. I don't do it often. I just occasionally slip up.
Jughead, you read my mind every time we have a conversation.
It's the only way we're able to communicate.
-Oh, God. -God.
Hold that thought.
-Do we still have the candles in the back? -Yeah.
How long were you with TBK?
In the well?
Um, two weeks.
How did you get away?
You never said.
[haunting music playing]
TBK usually went out every night after dark.
But this one time, it was different.
We're at a crossroads, Pretty Betty.
But you get to decide how our story ends.
I'm listening.
[TBK] I sense we are kindred spirits.
Don't you?
Yeah-- Yes, I feel the same way.
That's why I'm giving you this choice.
Dismember this body.
Prove we're kindred.
And you don't go back into the well, ever.
Refuse me...
and you're next.
And then what happened?
He put on some classical music.
[classical music playing over speakers]
And he came and stood behind me, close,
and with him behind me like that...
I did it.
I did what he asked me to do.
Dismembered the body.
[flesh tearing]
And he said I could go.
That's it.
There's no heroic escape.
He told me that he knew then, for sure,
that he and I were the same, and that I had--
I had proven myself, and he respected me,
and the world would be more interesting with me in it.
And that this act of dismemberment
would be our secret, binding us forever.
Afterwards, I was just different.
Psychically dismembered, which I guess is--
-That's what he wanted. -You're not dismembered.
You did what you had to do to survive.
Maybe.
You know, sometimes I wonder...
why am I still here?
In Riverdale.
After everything that's happened to us, to this town.
I mean, why not pick up sticks and go west,
or at least to some town that's not cursed.
Yeah.
But then something always reminds me.
The reason I wanna save the soul of Riverdale,
the reason why I bought my dad's house...
is not just because I wanna live here.
I wanna raise a family here.
That's what I'm fighting for.
So, what are you saying, Arch?
I'm saying...
when we get that pregnancy test at the drug store tomorrow...
whatever it says, I'm all in.
Whatever you wanna do, I'm here for you.
[poignant music playing]
I'm not going anywhere.
Thank you.
Reggie.
-What's going on? -Cleaned out my locker.
Gonna clean out my desk. I'd ask if you wanted a ride to Archie's meeting, but--
It got postponed because of the fog.
I know. Tabitha texted me.
-It's like a Stephen King movie out there. -Reggie.
Can we at least have a drink?
For old times' sake if nothing else?
I shouldn't drink and drive. Especially in this fog.
In that case, why don't you drink and...
stay?
-I don't wanna fight. -So let's not.
Let's play poker.
I've been playing poker all day with the wiseguys at the car lot. I--
Well...
What about strip poker?
[whimsical music playing]
Or have you been playing that with the wiseguys too?
There you go.
A sign from God.
Or the devil.
Either way,
luckily, I have a serious penchant for DripChic candles.
-Tabs? -[Tabitha] Yeah?
Do we have any tubing?
What do you need it for?
I need tubes to siphon gas from our car for the generator.
Well, yeah, we have some, but, Jug, our car's at the edge of the parking lot.
You won't be able to see three feet in front of you.
And what if...?
What if something's out there?
No, no. Come on. I'm fine. I'll be right back.
Hey. When I was back there, I saw this old ham radio.
It runs on batteries. Maybe you fire it up?
-See what people are saying about the fog? -Yeah.
Okay.
[ominous music playing]
[bell jingling]
[suspenseful music playing]
Oh, hell no. What are the odds?
Give me those boxers, Mantle.
Or if you're feeling shy...
I'd settle for a kiss.
Or better yet...
both?
[pensive music playing]
Let's start with a kiss.
[tender music playing]
Can we actually take this party up to one of the champagne suites?
Anything you want.
You know, maybe we were too hasty before.
Breaking up, I mean.
You're the one who ended it.
Yeah, well, you shouldn't have stolen those slot machines.
But maybe--
Just maybe...
I overreacted.
[Veronica chuckles]
The truth is we're a good match, Reggie.
And it might not be too late to start over.
I kind of like what I'm hearing.
Good, 'cause I kind of like what I'm saying.
But if we're gonna pick up where we left off--
Possibly.
You need to get rid of that painting of your dad.
The one that's been looking over my shoulder for months.
Reggie, it's just a painting.
Ronnie, we both know it's more than just a painting.
Okay.
-All right. Fine. It's gone. -Cool. Let's do it now.
Now?
What's the urgency?
Because I don't believe you'll do it otherwise.
Come again?
Like I said, Ronnie...
I don't wanna fight.
We're not fighting.
We're having an open, honest dialogue.
What did you mean with that snarky comment?
Our whole relationship, I've always felt like second fiddle to Archie.
And now I'm dealing with your old man looming over my desk?
The irony.
Okay, so this is the point in the conversation
when I assure you
you're not a consolation prize, right?
Guess what? I feel the same as you.
If I had my druthers, I'd be living in New York,
working on Wall Street, my father would still be alive,
but things didn't pan out that way.
And need I remind you...
I gave my own ultimatum to Archie once upon a time.
Me or Riverdale. And he chose Riverdale.
So the reality is...
we're all someone's consolation prize.
So in your ideal world...
who's with you in New York? Me or Archie?
I broke up with Archie because he wouldn't move to New York with me,
so the question is moot.
Damn, Ronnie.
All you had to say was, "You, Reggie. You're the one."
Okay, you know what? Forget Archie. Forget my father.
The way I see it,
we're just a man and a woman in this town, in this room,
and that is all that matters, Reggie.
Really?
Because the way I see it...
we're recreating your parents' dynamic.
-I am nothing like my mother. -No, Ronnie.
You're like your dad.
And I'm recreating my own parents' dynamic.
My mom chose her career over my dad every time.
So it's not just on you, Ronnie.
It's on the both of us.
[poignant music playing]
[scoffs]
Sometimes, I've wondered if...
the reason we're such a good match is that...
we're actually bad.
In ways that are...
simpático.
Yeah. That's why we gotta break the screwed-up--
Toxic cycle.
Yeah.
For both our sakes.
Fog notwithstanding,
I'm starting to see things crystal clear, finally.
I'm gonna get my stuff and go.
I'll see you.
[door closes]
[pensive music playing]
Shoot. I'm late.
[Moose] Kevin?
Was hoping I'd see you.
Moose, what--? What are you doing here?
Getting reacclimated to the old stomping grounds.
I'm Riverdale High's new P.E. teacher.
I had no idea.
Can we catch up?
I'd love to, possibly, but I can't. I'm late for dinner.
Well, you can't leave right now. It's too foggy out.
Maybe we can wait for it to lift? Together?
Come on, Kev.
We haven't talked, like, really talked, in forever.
Fine, yeah. Um...
Just for half an hour.
Because of the fog.
Before Kevin arrives,
we should probably get on the same page about the Serpents
and how they're going to evolve, or not, in case he asks.
I just want Anthony to be raised the same way that we were.
You know? Old-school Serpent style.
I want him be able to defend himself.
Fight when he needs to fight with the Serpents by his side.
I don't want him to get killed by a Ghoulie.
Now, first of all, don't say that out loud.
And second of all, all the Ghoulies were killed.
By cops.
If Baby Anthony was gonna be a gang member,
he'd be in constant danger from cops.
Well, he's gonna face the same kind of harassment as a political activist.
Or whatever you want the Sweetwater Serpents to be.
Well, less so, I would say,
but clearly we're not gonna see eye to eye on that, so...
Maybe when Kevin gets here, we don't focus on the Serpents.
Instead, we appeal to him as a compassionate human being.
And tell him we wanna avoid an expensive, drawn-out legal battle.
Totally.
What the hell? I just paid this month's bill.
It's probably the fog.
I'll go get some candles.
[ominous music playing]
So I'm still teaching here. Obviously.
But I'm also a part-time deputy, working with my dad.
What happened to Broadway?
That was a pipe dream.
And you and Fangs?
You two never got back together?
No.
Full disclosure, I'm in the middle of a custody battle with him and Toni.
-That's a tough situation. -Yeah.
What about you?
Regale me with stories from the open road.
Wish I had some.
I got laid off from the trucking company when the Lonely Highway shut down.
And my dad recently got out of prison,
so I've been living with him, getting him reacclimated.
And here we are.
Back at Riverdale High.
Kevin...
Um...
I know I bailed on you
after that horrible night when my dad dressed as the Gargoyle King
-and tried to scare us while we were-- -Having sex for the first time.
-Yes. -Yeah.
I remember that.
Hard to forget.
Traumatized me for life, to be honest.
Anyways,
I've always kind of regretted the unfinished business between us.
Which unfinished business, specifically?
[tender music playing]
-Sorry. -No, no, no. It's okay. I was...
feeling it too.
Um, I just need to send a quick text to someone.
Okay.
[cell phone beeps]
"Sorry. Don't think I can make it tonight because of the fog.
Raincheck."
Raincheck.
Hmm.
You know, I knew.
I knew he would do this.
You know, he bails on people.
He bailed on our marriage.
-Now he's bailing on us as a family. -Fangs.
And now he's suing us for custody?
-Why are we trying to make nice with him? -For Anthony's sake, Fangs.
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
Where do you think I'm going? I'm gonna handle this my way, on my terms.
Look, as good as it would feel beating up Kevin,
it's not gonna make our problems go away.
[sighs]
I want this settled, Toni.
It will be.
Soon.
And if Kevin doesn't wanna work this out between us,
then we'll battle it out in the court.
If it needs to get personal and dirty to win, we will.
But I need you here with me, Fangs.
Not arrested again.
And Baby Anthony needs you.
He needs his father.
So please stay here with us?
For me?
[tender music playing]
[radio static]
Is anyone out there? Hello?
[ominous music playing]
[man] Out of the house--
[radio static continues]
Hello?
Hello? Is someone there?
It's under the bed--
Do you need help? Hello?
Jughead.
[dramatic music playing]
[bell jingling]
Sorry that took so long.
Oh, my God.
I got turned around in the fog.
-Were you just coming out to look for me? -I was worried.
-Did you get the gas? -Yeah. Filled to the brim!
Let's fire up the generator.
[sighs]
Well, that is one way to catch up.
Yeah, it feels like we're back in sophomore year.
I'm gonna go wash up, all right? Be right back.
[ominous music playing]
Oh, my God.
You okay? You fell asleep there after we--
Moose.
Oh, my God. I thought-- I thought I saw the--
What?
Nothing. Never mind. Just a dream, I guess.
I'm here, Kev.
I got you.
[dramatic music playing]
Mumzie!
Dinner is served!
Mumzie?
[ominous music playing]
Wherefore are thou, Mother?
You evil wretch!
-Cheryl. -Is this why you're here?
To steal Julian?
I knew it.
Who sent you?
Was it Percival?
Or did Abigail herself summon you?
I'm merely reacquainting myself with Thornhill.
I can't believe you kept this old doll
all these years.
And I can't believe I let you back into this house and my life again.
-What are you doing? -Something I should've done
a long time ago.
[thuds]
[engine sputtering]
[generator starts]
Okay.
Okay!
Nice!
[ominous music playing]
[groans]
Welcome back, Mumzie.
Tell me, do you feel that?
Do you feel yourself getting hotter?
Cheryl, what are you doing?
I'm making your body temperature rise.
Right now, you're at about 112.
[groans]
Hundred and twenty-two.
One-forty.
How are you doing this?
I'm pyrokinetic.
But you--
You couldn't come back and just be a normal mother, could you?
No.
You're still your usual gaslighting, manipulative self.
As you'll always be.
But...
things have changed.
I have changed.
For the longest time, you were the dragon and I was the maiden.
Locked away in the tower.
But now...
I am both.
The maiden and the dragon.
And you are going to feel my fiery wrath.
Please, Cheryl. Don't do this.
I have something for you.
The surprise.
Or did you forget?
Too late, Mumzie.
They're letters.
From Heather.
What do you mean letters from Heather?
You remember Heather?
Your best friend from junior high?
After she moved away, she wrote you almost every day.
Of course I remember Heather.
You caught us in my bedroom, called us deviants,
then forbade her from ever speaking to me.
Well, she wrote you.
And I intercepted those letters.
And I kept them.
All these years.
Please, Cheryl.
The letters are my peace offering to you.
Proof, I hope, that I truly have changed.
You must read them.
So where are they, Mother?
May Mephistopheles have mercy on your soul if you're lying to me.
To anyone who can hear me, this is Tabitha Tate.
Broadcasting live from Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe,
Exit 17 off of the Lonely Highway.
If you're lost in the fog, look for the Pop's sign.
We're open.
We have power, food, heat, running water.
Just...
look for the light.
[Cheryl sobbing]
Garden rose tea to soothe you.
All these years, I always wondered why I never heard from Heather.
Did you really hate me that much?
Why?
Why were you so cruel to me, Mother?
Oh, my beautiful child.
I suppose I recognized in you something that I had...
tried so very hard to kill
within myself.
Because I felt like a monster.
I'm so, so sorry.
Tomorrow, when the fog lifts, I'll also be gone.
But before I go, please forgive me, Cheryl.
Forgive me my trespasses.
I beg of you.
[dramatic music playing]
[Jughead] By morning, the fog had completely dissipated,
bestowing upon some of us a sense of clarity.
Hey, Fangs. It's Kev. Listen, sorry I didn't make it last night.
I was calling to say that after a night of reflection and taking stock,
if you and Toni wanna discuss joint custody just amongst ourselves,
-I'd be open to that. -Oh.
You're open to that.
I am. The world's a scary place.
And there's safety in numbers, so I'd be willing to, yes.
Kevin, whatever epiphany you had last night, I had one too.
I don't wanna be half a dad.
And I want my son to be raised with an integrity
that I'm not sure that you possess.
The fact that you're even waffling about Percival--
-That's not fair. -I'll see you in court, Kevin.
Until then, watch your back.
[call drops]
[pensive music playing]
Jay.
Bring me some butcher paper, string, and masking tape.
I need to wrap something up.
-[news theme playing on TV] -Oh, brother. Now what?
[Alice] Welcome to Riverdale Today.
I am your host, Alice Cooper.
Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Riverdale's new mayor,
Percival Pickens.
Alice is saying that Percival is Riverdale's new mayor.
[Alice] Welcome, Mr. Mayor.
What? How?
Tabitha broke it down for me after the broadcast.
While we were waiting for the fog to lift,
the Council of Four, minus Tabitha, met, dissolved itself,
and appointed Percival mayor.
How the hell did he do this?
[Jughead] Collecting enough signatures to ratify the council's endorsement.
So Percival wants to be mayor, like Hiram.
God help us all.
Mayor isn't his ultimate goal. It's just a stepping stone.
To what?
All hail Dictator Pickens.
[Alice] And thank you so much for joining us
in wishing Riverdale a good morning.
Well, so much for our coup.
How did we not see this coming? How do we stop this guy?
Jughead, when I told you that I couldn't stop the bomb
from going off under Archie's bed...
I lied.
I did stop it.
And you didn't lose your hearing.
But you also didn't develop your ability to read minds.
And because of that, Percival won.
Nuclear winter in every scenario that I played out.
Every scenario? How many did you see?
One thousand three hundred and eighty-four.
All of our powers play a part in the final battle.
But yours is especially threatening to Percival's,
because it's the closest to his.
He can control minds, you can read them. You're on the same continuum.
Okay, so we don't go back in time and stop the bomb.
I get it. I'll accept it.
There's something else.
What you overheard me thinking about last night.
About being afraid to lose someone.
[poignant music playing]
That wasn't about Pop.
That was about me?
[voice breaking] In every scenario...
you die.
And we beat him?
-Twice. -Twice?
Out of 1384 times?
That's grim.
Your death is...
fixed.
I have been wrestling with whether or not to tell you.
-I have been wrestling-- -Hey, hey.
Come on.
It's okay. We'll beat him.
Sadly...
it's not the first time I've been destined to die.
Just don't give up hope, 'cause that--
That would kill me.
-Okay. -Come on.
-[Betty] What a surreal 24 hours. -[Archie] Yeah. What a surreal year.
But, Betty, this could finally be good news for us.
And no matter what, like I said, I'm here.
Feeling closer to you than I ever have.
[timer chimes]
You ready?
[tender music playing]
Come on.
[theme music playing]