["(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" playing]
♪ Five, six, seven o'clock Eight o'clock rock ♪
♪ Nine, ten, eleven o'clock Twelve o'clock rock ♪
♪ We're gonna rock Around the clock tonight ♪
♪ Put your glad rags on, join me, hon ♪
♪ We'll have some fun When the clock strikes one ♪
♪ We're gonna rock Around the clock tonight ♪
♪ We're gonna rock, rock, rock Till broad daylight ♪
♪ We're gonna rock, gonna rock Around the clock tonight ♪
♪ When the clock strikes 2... ♪
[Jughead] The year is 1955.
Number one on the Billboard Charts is "Rock Around the Clock."
An earworm if ever I've heard one.
Now, some random fun facts.
In 1955, a hamburger with a side of fries set you back 30 cents.
A comic book? A dime.
A pulp novel? A quarter.
It's been two days since Bailey's Comet almost decimated us
and we were somehow zapped back to the 1950s.
I'm not sure how that happened exactly,
and not sure if we're merely in the past, or in the past of an alternate universe,
but things are different here in Riverdale.
For starters, I live in an abandoned train car with Hot Dog,
which actually tracks.
And at Riverdale High, we're all juniors again.
Betty and Kevin aren't merely friends, they're dating.
Cheryl's twin brother is alive, but he's not Jason, he's Julian.
No sign of a Reggie yet, but Archie exists,
and he's still pretty much a teen Charles Atlas.
None of them remember our lives from before we became teenagers again,
and I haven't tried to remind them yet.
I've been waiting to reconnect with the one person
who might be able to shed light on our predicament
because she was chronokinetic and the town's guardian angel.
My girlfriend, Tabitha Tate.
Bus from Mississippi's pulling in.
Wonder if it was as bad down there as they're saying on the radio.
[Jughead] I already knew what Pop would soon find out.
It was much, much worse.
Tabitha, Toni, and some of Riverdale High's other students of color
were in Mississippi for the trial of the two men
who murdered Black teenager Emmett Till
for supposedly whistling at a white woman.
The jury deliberated for 67 minutes and then acquitted the killers.
It was one of the single most shameful and appalling events of this or any era.
Uh, Tabitha?
Uh, they announced the verdict on the radio.
Made me sick to my stomach.
If you need anything...
That's what we're trying to figure out now.
What our next move should be.
But I appreciate the offer.
It's Jughead, right?
Uh, yeah. Yes.
I'll let you know.
[Jughead] It's overwhelming.
Heartbreaking.
Whichever genius said the '50s were the greatest decade of all time,
should seriously have their head examined.
[Mary] Archie?
Can I speak to you for a minute?
What's wrong, Mom?
They printed more pictures from James Dean's car accident.
-I can't even show them to you. -You shouldn't look, Mom. It upsets you.
No. What upsets me is the idea of you on the road being reckless.
And that's why...
I'm going to need your keys.
You're not going to drive that hot rod anymore.
Mom. Whoa, now, Mom. I'm a safe driver.
It's not a hot rod. It's barely a jalopy.
It's got fire painted on its doors.
Mom.
Keys. Now.
["That's All Right" playing]
♪ Well, that's all right, mama ♪
♪ That's all right with you ♪
♪ That's all right, mama Just anyway you do ♪
♪ That's all right ♪
-♪ That's all right ♪ -[car horn honking]
♪ That's all right now, mama Anyway you do ♪
♪ Well, Mama, she done told me ♪
♪ Papa done told me too ♪
♪ Son, that gal you're foolin' with ♪
♪ She ain't no good for you ♪
♪ But that's all right ♪
♪ That's all right... ♪
[school bell rings]
-What do you think, Betty? -Toni, your writing is remarkable.
This is the most important piece of reporting
that I've read in my two years as editor in chief at The Blue and Gold.
But we've tried covering Emmett Till before.
Both times, Principal Featherhead has vetoed the stories.
Betty, I heard Mamie Till give the most incredible, inspiring speech
after the verdict was delivered.
And I got a chance to interview people that knew Emmett personally.
His friends, his neighbors.
I made them a promise I would help tell his story.
I agree, wholeheartedly.
I'll make an appointment for us with Featherhead.
[man on film] This is a squirrel mill.
A mill is a hot rod or souped up jalopy which was once just a car.
Well, if you--
Mrs. Thornton, I'm sorry to interrupt your class.
But I did want to personally introduce a new student to our Riverdale High family.
She's just moved here from sunny Los Angeles.
["Lady Sings the Blues" playing]
[Jughead] Damn. Even in 1955,
Veronica Lodge knew how to make an entrance.
Enchanté, I'm sure.
Thank you, Principal Featherhead.
Now before you ask, yes, I am that Veronica Lodge.
The daughter of Hiram and Hermione Lodge.
The married stars of America's number one rated television program, Oh, Mija!
For the foreseeable future,
I will be staying with my auntie and uncle at The Pembrooke in downtown Riverdale.
Why?
Well, you may have heard about MGM's upcoming film adaptation of Our Town.
Though I can't confirm that the lead role of innocent ingénue Emily Webb
has already been cast with a certain raven-haired starlet-- Namely, moi.
--I did feel it was an opportune time to take a sabbatical from Hollywood
and get a feel for small town life.
But I beg of you, treat me as one of your own,
not as a scion of Tinseltown royalty.
Thank you.
Mind if I join you?
-Actually-- -Yeah, sure.
I believe I caught all your names in Mrs. Thornton's class.
Archie, Betty, Kevin, Julian...
Hmm.
Remind me, what's yours again?
-Cheryl. -That's right. Cheryl.
So, what are we dishing about? Clue me in.
James Dean's untimely passing.
I'm the president of his fan club here at Riverdale High.
Your parents' show is "high-larious." We tune in every week.
You and everyone else, if Mr. Nielsen is to be believed.
-Where in Los Angeles did you live? -Bel Air.
In a ghastly old mansion Vincent Price used to own.
Is that close where James Dean lived?
-You didn't know James Dean, did you? -[Cheryl] Kevin, don't be so provincial.
James Dean was a movie star,
he was friends with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
Jimmy and I were quite friendly.
We went skinny dipping in the pool at the Chateau Marmaduke.
[coughs]
-Skinny dipping? -With James Dean?
Once? Or was it a regular thing?
I suppose next you'll be saying you and "Jimmy" dated.
No. But he did enjoy playing both sides of the net.
Girls and boys.
Wait. Hang on. Are you suggesting James Dean was--?
But he seemed like such a regular guy. Like a cowboy, almost.
How dare you besmirch his memory like that?
Don't you be so provincial.
I don't know why I'm so surprised to hear such filthy lies
coming out of the mouth of some wild child who grew up surrounded by perverts,
going to sex parties and orgies.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have lost my appetite.
What about Sal Mineo?
[school bell rings]
Remember, the Astronomy Club is meeting after school today.
We'll brainstorm ideas to fundraise
to purchase a new telescope before Bailey's Comet arrives.
Bailey's Comet is coming again?
Guys!
-When? -Not for two years, Mr. Jones.
But it's an extremely expensive telescope.
It will be the only opportunity we'll have to see the comet.
We mustn't miss it.
[Archie] Hey, Veronica.
Can I walk you home?
Walk? Do I look like the kind of girl who walks home?
Ready, Ronnie?
Thanks for the offer, Archie, but I've secured an escort home.
Um, excuse me?
How do you expect me to get home?
You got two feet, don't you?
Use them or lose them.
I'm sorry, Miss Topaz.
Miss Cooper.
But I gave your article to Dr. Werthers for review, and we both agree.
It's not suitable for publication.
Toni's reporting is thorough, insightful.
Balanced.
[Werthers] Be that as it may,
as a child psychologist, it's my expert opinion
that the details of the Emmett Till case are far too violent
and disturbing for young, impressionable minds.
People, your students, need to understand the gravity
of what happened so it doesn't happen again... here.
These sorts of things don't happen in Riverdale.
May I remind you we were one of the first high schools in the country to integrate.
Isn't that enough?
Hardly.
We don't have any Black teachers.
We don't study or learn about Black authors.
Change doesn't happen overnight.
Your article is very well-written.
Surely you can find some satisfaction in that.
Mom, Dad. You haven't said anything.
Did you read the article my friend Toni wrote?
Yes, we did, honey.
And?
And it was very well-written.
Extremely well-written.
-Mm. -So you'll read it on the air, Dad?
Geez, hon, we only get 15 minutes of airtime a night.
Do we really need to spend one minute on a story that...
well, has nothing to do with us?
Dad, everyone watches your nightly broadcast.
Imagine the impact it would have if you,
the face of RIVW, talked about Emmett Till.
Elizabeth. It's not that simple, honey.
You know that we have to run every single one of our stories
past our sponsors for approval,
and, I'm sorry, this is just not in their bailiwick.
Your sponsors? You're talking about the Blossoms.
-Blossom Maple Syrup. -If we lose their support,
RIVW won't be able to expand its programming.
You won't be able to give yourself a raise, you mean.
Betty, darling.
Why is this so important to you?
Because what happened to Emmett Till was a complete injustice.
A crime emblematic of everything that's wrong with this country,
and nobody except my friend Toni and her friends seem to care about it.
You know, this might sound crazy, Jug. The first time that I saw her,
it felt like I was hit by a thunderbolt or something.
Shazam!
But how's a guy like me gonna get anywhere with a girl like Veronica
if I'm riding a bicycle?
That's why I'm sneaking this baby out.
[Jughead] I admit, while Archie poured his heart out to me,
I was racking my brains.
If Bailey's Comet was what sent us all to the past,
it might be able to send us back to the future.
But I needed help.
With my friends unaware of their former lives,
how could I make them remember?
It would take some tangible proof to jolt them awake. But what?
Jug, have you seen my dad's hammer? I need to smack this dent out.
Your dad's hammer?
Did everyone bring an item?
Putting in a guitar pick and a hammer from my dad's toolbox.
[Jughead] It was a long shot,
but could that time capsule we buried graduation weekend
possibly have survived whatever cosmic event sent us to 1955?
The items might trigger their memories.
Do you have a shovel I could borrow?
[grunts]
[metal clangs]
Thank God.
Well, well, well.
Color me curious.
The All-American Boy is secretly a hot-rodder.
I was hoping I could maybe give you a ride home today.
Consider it a date.
Archie, Veronica. Emergency meeting in the music room. Hurry!
Who is that person again?
What is all this junk, Jughead? These headlines are like Dr. Seuss.
Just take a moment. Look at what you're holding.
Do you remember anything? Do you feel anything?
I mean, I like the jacket, but I've never seen this before.
I've been to a lot of movie sets,
so I know a good prop when I see one, and these are... okay.
They're not props.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch? I don't get it. Inch of what?
When did you even get a chance to bury my dad's hammer in a cooler?
I didn't, you did.
We all buried something of emotional significance in that time capsule
67 years ago.
But in the future.
-The future? -Yeah.
Yes. This is gonna sound nuts, okay? Just hear me out.
Thanks to a cataclysmic event, all of us, we were all sent back in time.
To maybe an alternate, parallel universe.
And we need to get back to our future.
Our present.
I was hoping that by showing you these objects,
it would help jog your memory.
What's your object? What did you bury?
It was a yarn beanie.
-But for whatever reason, it wasn't there. -Oh.
-All right, I'll play along. -Yeah, okay.
In the future, who's more famous, me or Elizabeth Taylor?
Never mind her, she just got here. Bird's-eye view, what's the future like?
Um...
Where do I start? Uh...
Okay. We don't use regular phones anymore.
We use smart phones, which we can carry everywhere.
And ironically, we don't even call people on them.
We just send texts, which are like messages,
and listen to music on Spotify and, uh--
Oh, the Internet.
It's like having an entire encyclopedia at your fingertips.
Tell us about us. What were we like?
Okay, Archie joined the Army and fought in a war.
Betty, you were in the FBI, and you were hunting down serial killers,
which I guess is a term that doesn't exist yet.
Veronica, you owned a casino, but before that, a speakeasy,
which Toni bought and turned it into a biker bar.
Uh, Kevin...
you directed, uh, some musicals and...
were in an organ-harvesting cult.
Huh. Oh.
-[Veronica chuckles] -Okay. What about me?
Uh, you were possessed by your ancestor and became a witch.
Oh.
If that's what we were doing, why would we wanna go back?
-We sound miserable. -And how would that even happen?
Okay, I have an idea. It's a crazy one, but it might work.
So short of waiting for Bailey's Comet,
the other way that we could break through the space-time barrier
is by getting Archie and Betty to make out on top of Archie's bed,
and then we blow up a bomb underneath them.
[all chuckle]
-Jug, that's enough. Let's go for a walk. -You're not gonna beat me up, are you?
-You're really violent in the future. -What? No. We're gonna talk. Come on.
[Jughead] Just look at that.
You don't understand.
No, Jug, you don't understand.
We are not from the future. Jughead, it's 1955.
Things are hard enough to figure out without your crazy stories
about time traveling and other universes.
And setting off bombs?
I mean, for Pete's sake, Jughead.
If you're not careful,
people might think you belong in a loony bin with the other nut jobs.
-You think I'm crazy? -No, I--
I think you have an overactive imagination is all.
You should keep writing your comic books and your stories,
instead of trying to convince us that we're trapped
in some science-fiction­ picture-show.
Jug, life is good.
It's not perfect, but what is?
Trust me on this one, will you? Please.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, I know.
Yeah?
Attaboy.
I feel like all I'm doing lately is apologizing to you, Toni,
but my parents say they wouldn't be able to get your story past the Blossoms.
And they sponsor the nightly news, so...
Well, I'm not surprised.
When Emmett was murdered, nobody wanted to talk about it.
Nobody wanted to hear about it.
It took Mrs. Till publishing her son's funeral pictures
for people to finally wake up.
I don't think I know about that.
Before Emmett was buried, his mother asked for an open casket
so people could see what was done to her son.
How he'd been beaten.
Tortured and disfigured.
Toni...
do you have copies of those pictures?
At home.
From when they were in a newsletter.
Are you sure you wanna see them?
["Bye Bye Blackbird" playing]
♪ Pack up all my cares... ♪
[sighs]
Why on God's Earth are you two in such sullen, sulking moods?
It's not like you're poor.
Julian's mad because Veronica Lodge ditched him for a date with Archie.
And Cheryl's mad because suddenly she's not the most beautiful,
most interesting girl at Riverdale High anymore.
-As if she ever was. -[scoffs]
Anyway, these inane movie magazines came in the mail for you.
Perhaps they'll cheer you up.
♪ Bye-bye... ♪
["See You Later, Alligator" playing]
-They're good, right? -Delicious.
These onion rings might be better than the ones at the Brown Derby.
Uh, what's the Brown Derby?
It's a chain of restaurants
that Gloria Swanson's husband started in Los Angeles.
Who's Gloria Swanson?
You know what? Let's skip it.
Enough Hollywood talk. I want to hear about you.
Tell me everything about Archie Andrews,
the hot-rodder next door.
What do you do for fun?
Well, I work on my car. I like sports.
Um, I come here to Pop's.
And I hang out at Sweetwater River. Yeah.
To skinny-dip, I hope?
Uh, mostly to fish.
My dad and I used to go together.
"Used to"?
Yeah, he's around anymore.
He served in the Korean War and he didn't make it back.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--
It's okay. It's okay. You didn't know.
It's just me and my mom now.
She works part-time at the dress shop downtown.
Oh. Well, I will have to pay her a visit.
I'll make sure she gives you a discount.
What about girls?
I mean, as handsome as you are,
I assume you're beating them off with a stick.
Uh...
Well, I'm probably digging myself into a hole here, but, uh...
you know, I've never had a serious girlfriend before.
Really? Why is that?
I don't know. Maybe I just haven't met the right girl yet.
Until now.
[door opens, then bells jingle]
[speaking French]
Excuse me?
Cheryl, what is your problem?
She is my problem.
Veronica Lodge is nothing but a liar and a fraud,
and I'm going to make sure the entire world knows it.
You're not starring in Our Town, Natalie Wood is.
It says so right there.
You've been lying ever since you got here,
which makes me wonder, why are you actually in Riverdale?
Was it your choice?
Or did your parents banish you
because they were fed up with their liar of a spoiled brat daughter?
[onlookers gasping, then chattering]
-Hey, it's okay. -[sobbing]
That's just sort of what Cheryl's like.
But don't worry, no one takes her seriously.
In this case, she's right, though.
I haven't been entirely honest with you guys.
The truth is, my parents did banish me.
Why would they do that?
Because I'm a problem.
And when problems interfere with their lives,
they make them go away.
In a way, it feels like they've been making me go away
since I was born.
Ignoring me and sidelining me since they...
started that damn show of theirs.
So I began acting out...
like some spoiled little rich girl, to get their attention.
And the straw that finally broke the camel's back
and made my parents ship me across the country was...
-the accident. -With James Dean?
You were in the car?
No, I was part of a convoy of some other good-time girls.
We were gonna cheer Jimmy on at a race in Salinas.
Anyway, to keep my name out of the papers,
my parents spirited me away
and put me on a private plane to Riverdale.
To live with your aunt and uncle.
They don't exist, Archie.
This is my parents' place.
I can't...
believe they would do that.
I mean, exile you to live alone.
Like a fairy tale princess, I guess.
The show's their real baby, Archie. Not me.
[Mary] Archie.
Mom.
-What are you doing up? -Waiting for you.
I went into the garage to get a screwdriver
and I saw that you'd taken your car out.
-Mom, I can explain. -You're grounded, Archie.
Because I took my car out without your permission?
[scoffs] Why is that a criminal offense?
The pictures of James Dean's car crash.
[Mary sighs]
I can't lose you...
like I lost your father.
And I can't get a call in the middle of the night
telling me that you wrapped your car around some telephone pole.
Come on, Mom. You won't.
You won't.
And I promise I won't speed.
I won't go drag-racing.
In fact, I'll ask Betty to un-soup my car so that it doesn't go faster than...
Than... 25 miles an hour.
-Fifteen. -Twenty.
Deal.
-Twenty. Sounds great. -Okay.
["Oh, Mija!" theme music playing on TV]
[announcer on TV] Oh, Mija!
Starring Hiram Lodge, Hermione Lodge, and Tillie Temple as "Little Ronnie."
Bitch.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
[Hermione over phone] Veronica? Veronica, can you hear me?
Mom? Yes. Yes, I can.
How are you? Where are you?
Listen, darling, I only have a minute.
But what's this I'm hearing about a boy at the apartment?
We didn't send you to Riverdale to get into more trouble.
Mom, please. It was nothing.
He's just a friend from school.
Good. Good. That's music to my ears.
Mom, have you decided on Thanksgiving yet?
I can fly back--
Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I have to go. Your Uncle Orson just arrived.
But, please, mija, fly right, no boys, and we'll see about the holidays.
Talk soon. Kisses. Mwah.
[studio audience laughing on TV]
["Strange Fruit" playing]
♪ Southern trees... ♪
[Betty] Thank you for letting me borrow the newsletter, Toni.
I had no idea.
[Toni] The pictures make it so much more real, don't they?
Can you imagine the strength and courage
it took Mrs. Till to let them be published?
I truly can't.
But it did help me decide that I'm going to publish your article
in the next edition of The Blue and Gold.
Consequences be damned.
I may have a different idea.
Nobody wanted to see these pictures,
and Featherhead and the Blossoms don't want anybody to read my article.
Fine.
But what about a poem about Emmett Till, read during the morning announcements?
But Cheryl does the morning announcements.
Exactly.
I don't know her well,
but she's gonna make up for her parents' cowardice.
You wanna help with an ambush?
[Tabitha] Hey.
Jughead?
Tabitha. Hi.
Remember that offer you made me before?
To help out in any way that you can?
Oh, yeah. Yes.
-Uh, of course. -Well, um,
the NAACP asked Emmett Till's mother to travel around the country
to speak about what happened to her son,
and my folks are joining the tour to pitch-in.
I've decided that... I wanna go with them.
After I help Toni with a little something.
That's incredible.
-They're letting you drop out of school? -No.
But I got special permission from Featherhead.
I'll have my books with me,
but I'd love to have a friend help me stay on top of everything.
Okay. Yeah. I'll do it.
Thank you. I so appreciate it.
-I'll be in touch, okay? -Awesome.
I mean, um...
Swell.
Hey, Cheryl.
Can we talk to you for a second?
What can I do for you... Toni, is it?
And Betty.
Your family controls RIVW,
which means they control what Riverdale watches.
Principal Featherhead decides
what I can and cannot publish in the Blue and Gold.
The powers that be have silenced my article on Emmett Till's murder trial,
but you can fix this.
During the morning announcements.
As Junior Class President,
I can't read an article Principal Featherhead has rejected.
Not an article. Something else.
He'd pull the plug. He's done it before.
We'll take care of Featherhead.
All you have to do is let us borrow your soapbox for a few minutes.
What would I be reading?
Good morning, Ms. Bell. Are you ready for morning announcements?
Apparently, one of your classmates, Tabitha Tate,
has passed out on the football field.
Principal Featherhead is tending to her.
I'm to bring both him and her some smelling salts.
You don't say.
You know how to use the microphone?
-Indeed, I do. -[sighs]
Don't worry, Ms. Bell, all will be well. Toodles.
[microphone feedback whines]
[Cheryl] Good morning, Riverdalians.
In lieu of our usual morning announcements,
I, Cheryl Blossom,
will be turning over my microphone to one of our classmates, Toni Topaz.
Please give her your undivided attention.
Some of you may have heard what's happening in Mississippi right now.
How a 14-year-old boy, Emmett Till,
was murdered for maybe whistling at a white woman.
And how his killers were just acquitted.
I wrote an article about the trial,
and nobody wants you to read it because it is too upsetting.
So instead,
I'll read a poem that the great American writer Langston Hughes
wrote about Emmett Till.
It's titled "Mississippi-1955,"
and I hope you hear his words and reflect on them,
and talk to each other about them.
Oh, what sorrow!
Oh, what pity!
Oh, what pain!
That tears and blood
Should mix like rain
And terror come again To Mississippi
Come again? Where has terror been?
On vacation? Up North?
In some other section Of the nation
Lying low, unpublicized?
Masked
With only jaundiced eyes Showing through the mask?
Oh, what sorrow
Pity, pain
That tears and blood
Should mix like rain
In Mississippi!
And terror, fetid hot
Yet clammy cold
Remain
[Jughead] I don't think any of the students at Riverdale High
had ever heard a poem like that.
Hopefully it was worth whatever blowback the girls were certain to get.
The lies.
The insubordination. The trickery.
I did feel sick.
Then I felt better.
Surely you aren't saying we can't read poems during announcements.
A poem written by one of our greatest authors.
All poems read during announcements must be approved by me.
This is the first I've heard of any such rule,
but I assure you, moving forward,
all poems will be submitted for your approval.
Cross my heart and hope to die.
I'm not sure what you ladies think you've accomplished...
[Jughead] But something had been accomplished.
Given recent events, it might be fruitful for us
to discuss the poem Langston Hughes wrote about Emmett Till.
How did it make you feel?
Angry.
Upset.
Hopeless.
Was he really just 14 years old?
He was.
He was younger than all of us in this room.
Taken out of his home in the middle of the night.
Beaten.
Tortured.
His body thrown into the river.
Ms. Topaz, Ms. Tate, Mr. Walker,
I understand that you were in Mississippi for the trial.
If you're comfortable sharing your experience,
I believe it would be valuable for the rest of us
to hear about what you saw.
Ms. Topaz,
would you like to start?
[Jughead] Fitfully, but also necessarily,
a conversation that might not have happened for decades
began at Riverdale High that afternoon.
["Baby, Please" playing]
Hey, Dollface. What do you say?
Want a ride to Pop's, Ronnie?
Hmm. I see two paths before me.
Light and dark.
Fast and slow.
Shallow and earnest.
But today...
I believe I'll walk home, fellas.
♪ 'Cause you know, know... ♪
[Jughead] Had it finally happened?
Had I lost my mind?
Maybe 1955 wasn't the dream.
Maybe the future, that was the dream,
and I finally woke up.
[Tabitha] Hi, stranger.
Mind if I join you?
Yeah. I thought you were leaving.
I'm not the Tabitha from 1955.
She's with her parents, heading to Memphis.
-I'm... -Riverdale's guardian angel.
...the Tabitha who remembers and loves you.
Oh, my God.
You need to use your chronokinesis and get us the hell out of 1955.
Archie is trying to get me committed to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
God, it's so-- I'm so happy to see you.
I'm happy to see you too...
but I can't take us home.
Not yet.
Why not?
Our last-minute gambit
to stop Bailey's Comet from destroying Riverdale...
didn't work.
So the comet hit?
And it triggered an extinction-level event.
Are we all dead?
[stammers] Is that what this is? The Sweet Hereafter?
No, we are alive...
in the past. I had a Plan B.
At the moment of impact,
I used what was left of my life-force to send everyone back to the past.
Far enough that it might give us the necessary runway
to make it back to the present,
a present in which Riverdale isn't destroyed by Bailey's Comet.
Is that even possible?
Hopefully.
But if it is, I have to do it alone.
By exploring and untangling the various timelines
that became knotted and entwined when the comet struck.
Well, what about the rest of us?
You all have to make a go of it here in the '50s
by doing what you can to ensure, to paraphrase one of my heroes,
that the moral arc of this universe bends towards justice.
That way, when I finally do untangle the various timelines,
we can make it back to a Riverdale
that isn't on the verge of moral and societal collapse.
But fair warning,
given the near-infinite number of timelines and universes,
it could take a while.
So you better get comfortable.
Oh.
I mean, how can I? I remember everything about our old lives.
You asking questions, creating ripples...
[grunts]
That's what drew me here.
Jughead, you remembering is an anomaly,
a dangerous one that I'm here to fix.
By making you forget.
Otherwise, your knowledge could drive you insane.
Or it could drive you to do something that further corrupts this timeline.
Will I--? I'll forget everything?
Yes.
You'd be just like everyone else.
Able to live in the present, in the moment.
Well, I don't want to forget about you,
or about us.
I know.
But you have to.
It's for the best.
[jukebox clanking]
["A Real Hero" playing over jukebox]
[Jughead] In those first few seconds after Angel Tabitha disappeared,
I could feel the effects of her kiss taking hold.
But for the moment, I still remembered.
I needed to write down everything, our stories, our lives,
before it was too late.
But then, like mist evaporating in the sun,
it was all gone.
I'd only managed to get down three words:
"Bend," "towards," "justice."
Meaning what, exactly?
And that wasn't even the weirdest thing.
That would be the sudden,
inexplicable appearance of something I've never seen before.
[dramatic music playing]
[theme music playing] g]