[creature growling on-screen]
[woman screams on-screen]
[Jughead] One distinct advantage of dating an owner of a movie theater
is getting to see flicks with my pals for free,
which is why every Tuesday night
we would gather to watch whatever latest Atomic Age fright-fest was playing,
little imagining that we would soon be walking
into our very own real-life science-fiction-tinged B-movie.
[ominous music playing]
There, suddenly, was a melting man coming towards us,
looking like a wax statue that had been left out in the sun too long.
At which point the cavalry suddenly arrived.
[gunfire]
Sheriff Keller would soon be claiming the man was a vagrant,
suffering from a rare case of... Wait for it. ...leprosy.
But that didn't jibe with what I overheard Ethel say to Ben Button.
He's wearing the same uniform my dad did when he worked at the maple factory.
[Jughead] Once again, there was something rotten in the town of Riverdale.
And if I was going to get real answers this time,
I'd have to hunt them down myself.
Luckily, I knew for a fact that the town coroner, Dr. Curdle,
was a fan of Pep's horror comics, which were hard to come by now
unless you had an inside connection like me.
Oh, yes. These are quite marvelous, Mr. Jones.
Worthy of a quid pro quo.
Keen-o. So clue me in on what you know about that mysterious melting man.
How did he end up looking that way?
He was suffering from acute radiation poisoning.
[whistles]
Jeepers. Nuclear or atomic?
And where would he get radiation poisoning?
I couldn't say. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time with the body
before Mayor Blossom claimed it and whisked it away.
The melting man, as you call him,
was an employee of the mayor's maple factory,
is my understanding.
That stinks like a rotten fish.
Ethel, are you ready to walk to school?
Betty, are you sure you don't want your mom to drive you and Ethel to school?
Under no circumstances. Ethel, come on. We're gonna be late.
[Alice] Don't worry, Hal.
One day, it'll be raining cats and dogs,
and she'll finally let me give her a ride.
Mm, no, I won't.
Ethel, Veronica, and I signed up for driver's education at school,
so pretty soon I'll be driving myself wherever I want.
[intriguing music playing]
Great news from Coach Parsley over at Camp Evans.
You are in, Reggie.
-No fooling, coach? -In where?
Only the best summer basketball camp for high schoolers in the country.
That's wonderful news. Congratulations, Reggie.
What about you, Bill Shakespeare? What are your plans?
No summer camp for poetry, is there?
[tense music playing]
There will be plenty for Archie to do in town, Frank.
He can pick up his old job at Pop's or help me down at the dress shop.
Ah.
You hear that? You can work at your mom's dress shop.
[Frank chuckles]
I'll bet you wish you didn't quit the team now.
Let's motor, sis. Train's leaving with or without you.
[military beat playing]
And who, pray tell, was that?
-You enlisting, Dad? -Don't be asinine, the both of you.
That was General Taylor from Washington.
He was delivering unto me, uh--
Well, a gift.
Come into my study.
I want you to see it.
[mysterious music playing]
What godforsaken creature is that?
This is Moloch, Cheryl.
An ancient pagan deity
who can only be appeased through child sacrifice.
You should keep Moloch in mind,
should you be inclined to give me any more grief.
[school bell rings]
[Jughead] Ethel.
I don't mean to open old wounds,
but that melting man outside the Babylonium...
What about him?
You told Ben that he was wearing the same uniform that your father did
at the Blossom maple factory.
I was just wondering what your father did there.
He was a janitor. Why?
Did he ever get sick?
My mom sometimes said that he started drinking
to help deal with the chronic pain he felt in his stomach and his joints.
And also because he was losing his hair.
Golly.
But why are you asking me about this?
I can't say for certain, but the fact that your father
and the melting man,
and Mr. Rayberry, now that I think about it,
all worked at the Blossom maple factory
and all bit the linoleum in, shall we say, bizarre circumstances...
I don't think that's a coincidence.
The Blossoms are hiding something,
and I'm going to find out what, so I can get us, you, me, Mrs. Rayberry...
some closure.
What?
What is it?
Jughead, I appreciate what you're doing, but I'm trying to move on with my life.
I'm applying for my driver's license.
I got my car that I won as Miss Riverdale Teen Queen.
I'm going steady with Ben. Hi.
You're going steady with our Ben? Ben Button?
In any case, I'm trying to put the past where it belongs. Behind me.
Class, finish taking your seats.
Mayor Blossom and Principal Featherhead
asked me to show you this informational film
about what to do in the event of an atomic bomb detonating in Riverdale.
[narrator on-screen] Now we must be ready for a new danger,
the atomic bomb.
You will know when it comes. There is a bright flash.
Brighter than the sun.
If you are not ready, it could hurt you in different ways.
It could knock you down hard or throw you against a tree or a wall.
It is such a big explosion
it can smash in buildings and knock signboards over
and break windows all over town.
[Archie] Jeepers, that atomic-bomb movie really gave me the zorros.
It should have. That dumb movie was telling us to duck and cover,
as if flying glass is going to be the biggest of our worries.
In truth, most of us wouldn't likely survive an atomic explosion.
What are you playing at, Jug?
Have any of you seen the newsreels from Japan?
If a bomb drops on or near Riverdale,
all of us are vaporized in less than a nanosecond.
Not to mention the radiation we'd all be exposed to
even if we manage to survive the initial detonation.
Well, I know what I'd do if a bomb were heading our way.
I'd sequester myself in The Pembrooke's sub-sub-basement.
It's like a little underground city down there.
You'd be invited, Juggykins.
[groans]
I would seek shelter in the abandoned Blossom mines.
They've stood strong since before the Revolutionary War.
Isn't it dark and cold down in those mines?
Hmm. Why, yes, Tony, it is.
I would have to find some way to stay cozy and warm.
[Reggie] I'd head to Duck Creek.
We've got a well so deep no bomb or radiation could reach it.
Well, why stop at Duck Creek?
If we hear these sirens, I'm hopping in my hot rod,
I'm grabbing my mom, and I'm heading out West.
There's no way these radiation clouds are going to cross the Rockies.
Out West sounds nice.
Sure does.
You can't outrun an atomic bomb, Archie.
No matter how fast your hot rod is.
Guys, I read somewhere that if you are inside of a refrigerator
when the big one hits, you're safe.
But then you're inside a refrigerator.
Yeah. What would you do about food and water?
I'd be in a refrigerator.
[all chuckle]
I'm not holing up anywhere.
Come on, guys, we can't let this bomb get us down.
In Nevada, where the U.S. does most of its atomic testing,
people have bomb shelters in case something goes wrong.
That's what it'd take to be truly safe.
A lead-lined underground bunker.
[Betty] If Russia wanted to bomb us,
wouldn't they target larger cities like Los Angeles or New York?
People who live in the sticks, like us,
we don't actually have to worry about nuclear attacks, do we?
Mm. I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
An atomic bomb could drop anywhere, even here in Riverdale.
[dramatic music playing]
It says, "Make rope and wrap around the rope."
Whatever that means.
[Archie] Say, what are you fellas up to?
Trying to tie a sailor's knot and failing miserably.
A sailor's knot? I can show you how.
Don't you remember your Adventure Scouts training?
The rabbit goes out the hole, around the tree,
back through the hole again. You should get a nice loop.
What are you practicing this for?
You do realize, if the bomb hits,
there's not much a sailor's knot can do for you.
Kevin and I are considering joining the Merchant Marines.
Merchant Marines?
Wow, what is that, part of the Navy or something?
No, it's a civilian job.
They pay you to work on a cargo ship and travel around the world.
Archie, you might be keen on this. A lot of great writers were Merchant Marines.
A lot of beats served too.
Ginsberg and Kerouac both did time on the Seven Seas.
"Adventure awaits you on the open water."
I wouldn't hate getting away from my uncle.
And seeing the world, having adventures? That would enrich my writing.
That sounds super swell to me.
-And I do love tying knots. -There's a recruiter coming tomorrow.
You can ask him questions and hear what he has to say.
Ladies, you are the drivers of tomorrow.
As such, it is important to learn
to be alert, confident, conscientious motor-vehicle operators.
-Stop sign. -[student gasps]
Driving is not a right, as many young men believe.
It is a privilege and a responsibility.
Upcoming left turn.
That's wonderful. Let's bring our cars into "park."
And shake it out.
Very good. Excellent.
Now, your homework for tonight is to rest.
Because tomorrow your true test of skills begins.
We will be getting into a real working automobile...
to practice parallel parking.
[students murmuring]
[girl] That's too bad.
How was school today? Anything interesting happen?
We watched a movie
that taught us what to do if the Russians drop a bomb on us.
I'm thinking of joining the Merchant Marines.
Well, as long as you finish high school first.
When that day comes, I hope you'll still consider college.
Wait a minute, Mary.
Merchant Marines sounds like a solid, sensible idea.
Much better than going to some college to pursue poetry.
The Merchant Marines would be a way for me to pursue my poetry.
A lot of beats would join to learn more about themselves or the world,
then to write about it.
You'd know that if you ever cracked open a book.
-What was that? -No one is joining anything tonight.
So can we please just finish our supper in peace?
[Jughead] Well, Dilton, what's the occasion?
[Dilton] I...
I just came by because...
after the melting man and that movie my dad showed in class,
I know you're unsettled.
Sue me. I don't want to die in an atomic attack.
Yeah.
Except you don't have to worry, Jughead.
You're one of my best pals, my comic-book buddy.
If anything bad were to actually happen, I'd take care of you. You'd be safe.
Well, that's swell of you to say, Dilton. But how would I be safe?
It's-- It would probably be easier if I just showed you.
[metal groaning]
Holy crap-ola, Dilton.
How does your family have a bunker?
My dad built it.
He says we're deep enough to survive an atomic blast.
And any radiation after the blast.
Am I missing something?
Does your dad think that Riverdale could be a target?
Dilton?
[dramatic music playing]
What does your dad know that we don't?
Nothing for certain.
But about a year before Ethel's folks were killed,
her dad showed up to our house.
With this.
Mr. Muggs wanted to see if it was worth anything.
He figured since my dad was a science teacher, he'd know.
-What is it? -Palladium.
Mr. Muggs said he swiped it from work.
-The maple factory? -I guess so.
He said Clifford Blossom was sitting on a pile of it,
and doing something with it.
That's when my dad started building this bunker.
Because Clifford Blossom was or is doing something with palladium?
A secret something?
Worth killing for?
In its inert state, palladium is basically harmless.
But in its purest state, concentrated and compressed,
some scientists speculate it could be more volatile than plutonium
and, if detonated, more destructive than a hydrogen bomb.
This is starting to ring a bell for me.
[Jughead] Not just a bell, in fact, a four-alarm siren.
I'd recently had my nose in a story
about a palladium bomb destroying a small town
by my former deceased mentor, Brad Rayberry,
who, at one point, worked at the Blossom factory.
Had he seen or heard something there about palladium
that had inspired his story?
[siren wailing]
That's the emergency siren! As we were warned!
This is it! This is the big one!
[students screaming]
Jughead, duck and cover! Jughead! Jughead, what are you doing?
Get under your desk! No! Jughead! Get away from the--
[screaming]
[gasps]
Damn you and your fearmongering, Jughead Jones.
[Clifford in Russian] Everything is in readiness.
Project Moloch is almost complete.
[Penelope in Russian] It's unfortunate what happened to that man
who escaped from the infirmary.
[Clifford] Yes, but we knew there might be casualties. Sacrifices.
And his family will be taken care of...
[Penelope] Think of how it will be when we return to the Motherland.
Triumphant. As heroes.
Our leaders will be pleased.
They promised me an appointment in your government, don't forget...
[floor creaks]
[gasps]
[suspenseful music playing]
As a Merchant Marine, you'll travel the globe
on the world's most technologically advanced ships.
You'll work and train alongside this country's best and brightest young men,
all eager to experience life to the fullest.
Yes, son?
Would we have time to explore places we'd be visiting?
Really get to soak them up?
This isn't a pleasure cruise.
Something you should all know, no one is guaranteed a spot.
Cheryl. Hi-ho.
Has anything strange been happening at your house?
Mayhaps. Why do you care?
I heard you mention those abandoned mines.
I wonder if they're close to your family's maple factory.
The factory is practically right on top of them, yes.
Okay. Look, Cheryl, this is going to sound like gobbledygook,
but I believe your father is up to no good.
I think he is involved in the Milkman murders,
not to mention the melting man.
And I think that those mines are actually palladium mines
and they're not abandoned.
There's no love lost between my father and I.
I'm certain if he had the chance,
he would sacrifice me to a pagan god named Moloch.
But to your point, he has been meeting
with an Army general in his study recently,
and I did overhear him and my mother last night
speaking what I believe was Russian.
Holy moly. Do you think you can get in there and play gumshoe?
Just poke around, snoop, see if you find anything incriminating?
[engine starts]
[suspenseful music playing]
[tires screech]
[students cheering]
[girl] Great job!
I'm very pleased to announce that since all of you passed both the written
and practical portions of your driver's education exam,
we'll all be taking a field trip to the Riverdale Department of Motor Vehicles
at the end of the week.
But, girls, this is very important.
To obtain your legal license, you must bring a copy of your birth certificate.
The DMV needs to make sure none of you are Russian spies.
[students chuckle]
I was wondering why the light was on.
Let me guess. This is for the Merchant Marines.
The recruiter said everyone rows at least an hour a day
when they're out at sea to stay in shape.
So I'm just getting a head start.
Listen, about that.
Can we talk man to man for a minute?
I know I'm not your father,
but just so you know,
I want what's best for you, just as he would.
What is that?
Your old man's dog tags. He'd want you to have them.
Like he'd want you to quit this Merchant Marines business.
Join the Army. Enlist. Just like he did.
You didn't know?
Your father wasn't drafted. He volunteered for the Army.
He knew what being a real man and a good American meant.
He believed there was no greater duty than serving this country
and fighting for democracy and freedom.
You wanna be like your father, don't you?
[emotional music playing]
Yeah. I try to be like him every day.
Well, then drop this poetry nonsense and join the Army.
Become the kind of man he'd be proud of.
The man I know is inside you, fighting to get out.
And the best part about joining the Army? You don't have to wait until graduation.
[foreboding music playing]
Let's see what you're hiding, Daddy.
A draft?
[pensive music playing]
Good morning, honey. One waffle or two?
Uh...
Are those your dad's...?
Dog tags? Yeah.
-Uncle Frank gave them to me. -Why would he have done that?
Well, I think I know, but maybe you should sit down so we can talk about it.
Betty, can we talk for a second?
Sure.
Are things not hunky dory?
No, there's a problem.
Um, I don't have my birth certificate.
It's at my house.
-Where my parents... -Don't worry. I'll grab it for you.
-Really, Betty? -Sure. Yeah.
I'll book it there before we go to the DMV.
You have any idea where your birth certificate would be?
My mom had a crafting desk where she kept important papers.
I bet you it's in there.
[school bell rings]
-Did you find something? -Did I ever.
-You were right. -About what part?
Everything. Snooping through Daddy's study,
I stumbled upon a secret panel and found a bunch of these.
[intriguing music playing]
-And matching uniforms to boot. -Holy Toledo.
The Milkman must have been working for your father,
doing his bidding.
-Are you in danger? -No more than usual.
I also went to the mines. You were right about those too.
They are palladium mines.
Very much not abandoned.
Meet me on the Thornhill grounds tonight and bring your camera,
and pray an atomic disaster doesn't befall us all before then.
What--? What--?
What was my dad paying the Muggses for?
So, Frank, Archie told me about your little talk in the garage last night.
[Frank] Did he, now?
What did he say?
A few things, but it sounded to me like you used his father,
your brother, to try to manipulate my son into joining the Army.
How dare you? Especially when you yourself never served.
The Army is the best place for him, Mary. It'll set him straight.
Let's not mince words. We all know what this is really about.
It's you not wanting Archie to write poetry.
He's on the road to ruin. He's--
-Well, he's lost. -[Mary] He's not lost.
He's 17. He's got his whole life ahead of him.
Whether that's joining the Merchant Marines or the Army
or going to college to study literature and poetry after he finishes high school.
But he'll be the one who decides his path, not his bullying uncle.
[Mary sighs]
I can't have you here anymore. It's time for you to move out.
-You called me here to help. -Now she's telling you to hit the road.
Who's gonna be the man of the house?
-I am. -Not that I need one.
I am the woman of this house, after all.
I'm the one who pays the mortgage.
I suppose I could shack up with Tom Keller.
I hear he's been handed marching orders recently.
Wonderful. That works out for everyone.
Betty. How you doing, kiddo?
Why were you two writing checks once a month,
year after year, to the Muggses?
[tense music playing]
Because, Betty, Mrs. Muggs was our housekeeper.
Those must have been payments for, you know, services.
That doesn't make any sense.
Some checks are from two years ago.
If Mrs. Muggs were ever our housekeeper,
she hadn't been for as long as I can remember.
Oh, and what's the story behind this photo?
Who's that baby?
Because it's not me. And it's not Polly.
That's Ethel.
Why did the Muggses have a photo of you holding Ethel as a baby?
Because the Muggses asked if I would be Ethel's godfather,
and I agreed.
So why I haven't heard about this? Why hasn't anyone?
[splutters]
-I don't know. I-- -[Alice] Stop, Hal.
Just stop.
It's over. Can't you see that?
You're Ethel's father, aren't you?
Why don't you go for a walk, dear? Hmm?
So that Betty and I can have a little chat.
Mildred Muggs did clean our house before you were born. That part is true.
And at some point, she and your father started having an affair.
And I suspected it for a long time,
but it was confirmed when--
Mrs. Muggs got pregnant.
Your father admitted everything.
He was crying, apologizing. He didn't know what to do.
I mean, if any whiff of the scandal got out,
the consequences for the station,
for us, for our family...
So you stayed with him.
I had no other choice.
Yes, I stayed, but I handled it.
I made a deal with the Muggses
that if they raise the baby as their own and keep our secret,
that we would financially support the child until she turned 16.
Support...
Ethel, my sister.
Your half sister.
This is why you adopted Ethel.
[emotional music playing]
This is why you've been the way that you've been with me...
wanting Kevin to pin me over Archie.
Why you were scared of me reading Dr. Kingsley's book.
You were afraid of something like what happened to you happening to me.
I just wanted to give you a good, happy life.
Unburdened.
Safe, free of shame.
You've been obsessed with presenting as the perfect family,
when all along...
this is what's been wrong, this...
secret, this shame.
Not what I've been doing.
Or what Polly did.
It was Dad's affair...
and your decision to stay with him and pretend that everything was fine.
And for all my efforts...
I failed you.
[Alice weeping]
As a mother, I failed you, and I'm sorry.
You didn't.
You did the best that you could.
You did what you thought was right.
But now...
we need to get Dad back here...
and we need to tell Ethel everything.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Oh, Mija! Starring Hiram Lodge...
If what you say is here is really here--
It is. You will see for yourself.
Wouldn't there be more guards?
I imagine my father is trying to avoid undue attention.
That's a good point.
[Jughead] And as Cheryl and I were on the cusp
of uncovering one explosive truth,
Ethel was experiencing emotional shock waves
after learning the truth about her life.
It explains things.
[emotional music playing]
Why my parents were so sad, why they fought all the time...
why I always felt...
like it was somehow my fault.
Oh. It was never your fault, Ethel.
Ethel...
Mrs. Cooper and I were discussing, and...
well, we'd like to--
We'd like to make things right and formally adopt you,
show you that we could be a true family.
I appreciate that, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.
It's kind of you to offer.
I don't think that's what I want.
What do you want?
To be happy.
To move on with my life.
To start over.
You enjoy my room and don't get into too much trouble.
I won't. And I'll see you at practice, coach.
Mary. I don't know how I'm gonna survive without your chicken pot pie.
Oh, come on, Frank.
You know you'll always be welcome at Sunday dinner.
[emotional music playing]
Well, in that case, I will see you Sunday.
You. So you're the man of the house now. I hope you're up for the task.
And, uh... I hope you don't hold anything against me.
Of course not, Uncle Frank.
But just to be clear, writing poetry doesn't make you any less of a man.
Some of the most beautiful poems were written by soldiers in trenches
covered in mud and the blood of their brothers.
Well, maybe that's my path.
Well, maybe not. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Mm-hm.
We have to show these photos to Sheriff Keller.
Maybe.
Maybe not. For all we know, Sheriff Keller is in on it.
Kevin's father? No.
He's just a dimwitted small-town sheriff that's in over his head.
Still, now that we have proof, it's better to be careful.
Veronica has FBI contacts from when they investigated her father.
I'll see if she can give me the names of those agents.
Good thinking, Sherlock Jones.
By the way, are you and Veronica officially an item now?
-Shucks, I don't know. -Talk about being in over your crown.
I'm holding my own.
Mm-hm.
[intriguing music playing]
[banging on door]
I'll get it.
Gentlemen. You're right on time.
They're having breakfast in Grand Hall.
[dramatic music playing]
Clifford Marion Blossom, Penelope Pavlina Novikov Blossom,
you're under arrest for treason, conspiracy,
and advocating for the violent overthrow of the American government.
The FBI is shutting down your Project Moloch.
[handcuffs click]
You did a bad thing, Daddy.
[Jughead] Over the coming days, the world would learn about the American capitalist
seduced by the Soviet sleeper agent.
Operation: Project Moloch
was to have been the next leg of the arms race.
From the A-bomb to the H-bomb to the P-bomb,
the palladium bomb.
The U.S. believed Clifford Blossom was developing it for them,
when, in fact, his plan had been to develop the P-bomb in Riverdale,
then deliver it to Mother Russia.
The FBI and the U.S. Army were credited with foiling the plot against America,
which was fine by me, as I was busy putting the rest of the pieces together.
Mr. Rayberry must have glimpsed just enough
during his job at the Blossom factory to grow concerned.
He warned us, as he always did, with his brilliant, terrifying stories.
He might have continued flying under the radar,
but then he started agitating at Riverdale High,
invoking the Supreme Court, spooking the powers that be,
prompting Mayor Blossom to have his hitman,
aka the Milkman, kill him.
Ethel's folks also paid the ultimate price.
Mr. Muggs had discovered that the Blossoms were sitting on a stockpile of palladium.
That made him a threat,
one that needed to be eliminated.
Ethel didn't care so much about the details,
but now that she knew the complete truth of her life, she was ready, she said,
to finally start to hope again for a better tomorrow.
Hey, Lovebug, you ready to peel out?
["Walkin' You Home" playing on jukebox]
♪ The clock is smilin' Like a long-lost friend ♪
♪ Another minute and... ♪
[door opens, bell jingles]
[engine idling]
[Alice] Are you sure about this, Ethel?
Moving to Hollywood?
Don't you worry, Mrs. Cooper.
I called ahead to my friend Peter Roth.
He saw some of Ethel's artwork and got her a job as a storyboard artist.
And I've arranged for Ethel to live with one of my girlfriends
at the most glamorous of buildings, the El Royale.
Thanks again, Veronica.
My pleasure.
Give them hell, Ethel.
[sentimental music playing]
Don't forget to send us your address so I can come visit you.
[Ethel] I won't forget.
Thank you for everything, Betty.
Of course.
I'll miss you. You always were the best partner in crime.
Thanks, Jughead.
Don't be too sad.
-We'll always have Pep Comics. -Hopefully. We'll see.
You are going to be just fine.
I truly feel that.
I hope so, Mrs. Cooper.
[car door closes]
[engine starts]
[Jughead] Ethel was the first of us to go.
To leave Riverdale behind.
There would be others soon.
All of the pieces were falling into place.
Project Moloch had failed,
but it was just about time to find out if our town would be avoiding
an even greater cataclysm.
["Nothing Can Stop Me Now!" playing on stereo]
[volume increases]
♪ Nothing can stop me ♪
♪ Now! ♪
[chalk scratching]
[bell jingles] ng]