07x19 - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six: The Golden Age of Television

[bunniefuu]

[JUGHEAD] For years,
Riverdale had prided itself

as being the Town with Pep.
Safe, innocent, utopian.

- But after recent events...
- [TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING]

[JUGHEAD] ... there was no denying

the darkness that
churned beneath Riverdale.

The inequality, the
prejudice, the fearmongering.

It had been bubbling to the surface,

and very nearly exploded.

Now, a re-shuffling was happening.

Now, some new way of thinking, of being

was required.

Principal Featherhead was stepping
down from his cherished post.

The official story was
"for personal reasons".

But word from the bird was
that he'd been identified

by an anonymous accuser

as an accessory to Mayor
Blossom's Soviet shenanigans.

With a sudden vacancy in
the Principal's office,

the PTA is initiating a county-wide
search for a replacement.

- Mmm.
- Here's hoping this one makes the grade.

[SOFTLY] Yes.

[JUGHEAD] In light of recent
revelations, and after much discussion,

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper had decided

to continue living on Elm
Street as husband and wife,

though Mr. Cooper would be
moving into the basement bedroom,

a decision that frankly flummoxed Betty.

[ALICE] You know the truth now, Betty.

Why didn't you leave Dad back then?

When you first learned about
his affair with Mrs. Muggs?

I didn't want to break up our
family over his indiscretions.

I didn't want you and Polly
to grow up without a father.

Well, why don't you divorce Dad now?

[ALICE] What am I gonna do?

My life is so intertwined
with your father's.

This is his house.

I don't own this station. I can't
even open a bank account on my own.

And what, uh...

What about when you go off to college?

I'm gonna be alone.

[INHALES DEEPLY]

You know that I have never
been alone a day in my life?

I lived in my parents' house

until the day that I
married your father.

[NANA ROSE] It's just the
three of us now, children.

May your idiot father and viper mother

both rot in a Russian gulag

for the rest of their miserable lives.

From your lips to Moloch's ears, Nana.

I always knew there was something
squirrelly about Mom and Dad.

In the meanwhile,

it's up to us to ensure that
the Blossoms rise from the ashes,

like phoenixes.

I wholeheartedly concur.

And rest assured,

I know exactly what my first
order of business will be.

[BELL RINGING]

[VERONICA] So, with Featherhead
gone, who's gonna run the asylum now?

[JUGHEAD] Well, not to
sound like Chicken Little,

but what if it's Dr. Werthers?

There's got to be better
candidates out there.

Like Captain Hook or Godzilla?

Just so long as they don't
ask my uncle to step up.

Well, I actually know
the perfect candidate,

but we would need support from
the PTA to push it through.

My mom's president
of the PTA, of course.

Well, that's a brick wall.

The last time we appealed to your
mom's better angels, she let us down.

She did, but I think that we
should give her another chance.

A lot has changed for her since then.

Well, in the meantime, I'm
going to pay a house call

on good old Dr. Moldy.

Oh, I knew it.

Featherhead is barely out the door,

and you're already trying to take
his office? So what's the plan?

Are you going to study us like lab rats

or experiment on us like
some two-bit Dr. Moreau?

Alas, Mr. Jones,

I have no interest in being
principal of this school.

No, I'm off to do real
work, in Washington.

I'll be serving on the
President's subcommittee,

looking into the causes
of juvenile delinquency.

Specifically, its links to comic books

and other subversive
forms of popular culture.

Well, golly!

Don't let the door
hit you on the way out.

Oh, fear not, though.

My tribunal will still be
doing the important work

of regulating comic books.

Censoring them, you mean.

As a matter of fact,

here is our response
to your latest issue,

which we rejected for the
reasons outlined herein.

Good luck to you and your
colleagues at Pep Comics,

while it still exists.

Damn, Red, you still got it.

I'm just buzzing, Reg. Buzzing.

Earlier this week, Ms. Grundy
told us to read On the Road

by king of the Beats, Jack Kerouac.

Brought everything into focus for me.

[SIGHS]

"I was surprised, as always,

by how easy the act of leaving
was, and how good it felt.

The world was suddenly
rich with possibility."

[EXHALES]

You really got the bug, huh?

Yeah, I guess I do, Reg.

So much so, that this summer,
I'm gonna ride the rails,

hit the trails,

I'm gonna be a vagabond writer.

Hop trains,

explore the country,

sleep under the stars,

and then write about my experiences,

wherever they may take me.

And what's your mom
gonna say about that?

Mom can't say diddly-squat,

because I'm doing this
during summer vacation.

Well,

jumping trains doesn't b*at

going to the best
basketball camp in the world,

but if it floats your boat,

good on you, Arch.

So as a parting gift, Dr. Werthers
rejected Zip Comics number ?

And what was his rationale, may I ask?

Well, it's got to be because
of the last story in that issue.

- The Comet.
- What?

But that one's the cat's pajamas.

I know. It's based off
a W.E.B. Du Bois story

that Tabitha clued me into
last time she was in town.

It's so romantic and philosophical.

"After a comet hits and
destroys New York City,

a man and a woman come
together and fall in love."

Their problem is that

it's a Black man and a white
woman who find each other.

I haven't even told Mr. Fieldstone yet.

I think it's gonna crush him.

I'm sure. That Cometstory
is a masterpiece.

Honestly, my first
thought when I read it was,

"This would make for
a fantabulous movie."

Well, if anyone wants to get in
touch with Du Bois' representatives,

I have all their information.

Just saying.

Mom, this is your chance
to do the right thing,

to make up for sitting on your hands

when I asked you to
report on Emmett Till.

I know you regret that.

Mrs. Cooper.

When Riverdale High integrated,

three of the Black
schools in town shut down.

And suddenly, dozens of great
teachers were kicked to the curb.

There's this incredible educator

who spent the last year driving a cab.

Girls, I would love to help.

- But the rest of the PTA...
- Mom.

Make them understand.

Riverdale is at a turning point.

Now is the time for a fresh start.

[CROWD APPLAUDING]

[CROWD WHISTLING]

Good morning, students.

I know you've all had a difficult year.

I know your previous principal

wasn't exactly open to change.

To new ideas.

To addressing the needs
of all his students.

Well,

let me make one thing clear.

I'm here for every student.

That said,

the challenges that face us
are enormous and systemic,

and if you're not part of the solution,

then you're part of the problem.

So I challenge you all.

Be kind.

Be decent.

Be better.

Now let's get to work.

[ALL APPLAUDING]

[CROWD CHEERING]

Whoo!

[BELL CHIMES]

Principal Weatherbee?

- Yes.
- Hi.

I'm Archie, Archie Andrews.

Please, sit.

What can I do for you, Mr. Andrews?

Well, there used to be a
teacher who worked here,

a real top-notch teach.

She was falsely accused
of being a communist,

and she was fired for it.

Her name's Mrs. Thornton.

I know Edith Thornton very well.

She is a wonderful educator.

I know. Well, that's
why I was hoping that...

Let me see if I can't right this wrong.

Get Edith back here.

Well, that would be swell,
Principal Weatherbee. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Hold on to your pom-poms, my
beloved paper-shakers because...

♪ I'm back ♪

Cheryl, this is a private
practice for Vixens,

not has-been daughters of Russian spies.

Now that Principal
Weatherbee is ushering in

a new golden age at Riverdale High,

I am launching a coup to take
back control of my Vixens.

Therefore, Evelyn, I am
challenging you to a dance-off.

Winner takes all.

- I refuse your challenge.
- [CHERYL SCOFFS]

- [BUTTON CLICKS]
- ["ROCKIN' ROBIN" PLAYING]

[SIGHS]

That's not an option.

♪ They started going
steady and bless my soul ♪

♪ He out-bopped the
buzzard and the oriole ♪

♪ He rocks in the treetop all day long ♪

♪ Hoppin' and a-boppin'
and singing his song ♪

♪ All the little birds
on Jaybird Street ♪

♪ Love to hear the robin
go tweet-tweet-tweet ♪

- ♪ Rockin' robin ♪
- ♪ Tweet-tweet-tweet ♪

- ♪ Rock-rock-rockin' robin ♪
- ♪ Tweet-tweedilly-tweet ♪

♪ Blow, rockin' robin 'cause
we're really Gonna rock tonight ♪

♪
Tweet-tweedilly-tweet ♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪
♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪
♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪

♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪
♪ Tweedilly-tweedilly-deet ♪

♪ Tweet-tweet ♪

[APPLAUDING]

Your turn.

[SCREAMS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

Today marks the beginning
of a new era for the Vixens.

To that end,

I have decided to live in the light.

I'm going steady with Toni Topaz.

And if anyone here has
a problem with that,

you are more than welcome to
follow Evelyn out that door

and into a dumpster.

We're in full support of you, Cheryl.

And

- we also...
- Want to live in the light.

[ALL APPLAUDING]

Mr. Fieldstone, I'm sorry
I didn't tell you sooner.

Hey, I get it, kid. I get it.

"Rejected for not promoting
traditional American values."

[SCOFFS] You know what that's code for?

They didn't want to see a Black man
and a white woman end up together.

- So what do we do now?
- What do you mean?

[CHUCKLES]

We publish without the damn
seal. That's what we do.

Send it out in the world
and hope for the best.

I was hoping you'd say that.

And depending on the sales,

I was thinking, next time, we could...

There's not gonna be a next time, kid.

No, that's it for me. I'm done.

I mean, this is the best
comic I ever put together.

[SIGHS]

It's a work of art.

I mean, it actually says something.

That tribunal couldn't care less.

So let The Comet be Pep's swan song.

I can't imagine a better one.

In the meantime,

would you do me a favor, kid?

Would you write the last editorial?

Think of it as our eulogy.

For the final issue of Pep Comics.

It's been an honor, kid.

[CLICKS TONGUE]

It really has.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

Well... [CHUCKLES]

It was a beautiful
dream while it lasted.

Oh, my gosh, I've been waiting for this.

What did you get, hun?

[BETTY EXHALES DEEPLY]

It's the first copy of my book.

You wrote a book? Your mom and
dad must be very proud of you.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Oh, hey, Kev. What are you doing here?

Hey, Dad. Audrey said
you weren't feeling great,

so I thought I'd bring you
some of Pop's chicken noodle.

Oh, boy, I... I
appreciate that, that's...

That's great.

[KEVIN] Coach Andrews?

[HESITANTLY] What's going on?

Uh, I'm staying in the motel as well,

and, uh,

the shower in my room is on the fritz.

So your... Your dad let me use his.

Ah.

Right.

You... You want to
come in and grab a flop?

Um...

No, no, um,

I should... I should probably cut out.

Mom,

I have something that
I want to show you.

Oh.

What is it, Betty?

I wrote a book.

Goodness, yes.

You... You did. I see
that you're on the cover

in undergarments.

[INHALING DEEPLY]

I really, really want you to read it.

Hmm.

It says right there in the
title that it's for teenagers.

I mean, why would I read it?

Well, in an ideal world,

I'd love for you to be proud
of me for writing a book.

But I'll settle for you reading it,

just to get to know me better.

[EXHALES] And maybe by
getting to know me better,

you might get to know yourself better.

[CLEARS THROAT]

[ARCHIE] Oh, it is so great to
have you back, Mrs. Thornton.

Geraldine shared some of
your recent poems with me.

I do hope you plan to
stick with your writing.

Oh, I do.

In fact, this summer,
I'm gonna hit the rails.

Like all the b*at writers
do. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

I'm gonna see if I can get

at least one great, big, juicy
Allen Ginsberg-like poem out of it.

[CHUCKLING] Oh, that's wonderful.

You'll see what the world
beyond Riverdale is like.

It's exactly what you
should be doing at this point

in your development as a poet.

Clay.

Tell me, have you ever
read the story, The Comet?

Of course. Multiple times, in fact.

I figured you would've.

In that case,

how would you feel about
writing and directing

an adaptation of The Comet
as a major motion picture?

[LAUGHS SOFTLY] Is this a gag?

I've actually been fiddling with

a screenplay version
of The Cometfor years.

Well, thanks to Jughead,

I connected with Du Bois' agents.

And it turns out the movie rights
had been languishing for years.

So I snapped them up,

and I suspected you'd
be passionate about this.

Veronica, I can't
believe what I'm hearing.

It's going to be an uphill battle,

but there are things we can do,

like get the right star attached.

Someone like, say...

[BOTH] Sidney Poitier.

Precisely.

Can you get to him?

I might not be able to get to him.

But we both know someone who can.

- Josie McCoy.
- But, Clay,

if we're going to attach
a big star like Sidney,

your adaptation needs to be undeniable.

Don't worry, it will be.

And who needs to wait for
summer? I'll get going right away.

Wonderful.

In that case,

I'm thinking a premiere at Cannes
in the next four to five years.

How does that sound?

[LAUGHS]

[VERONICA] Yay!

Hey.

Why the long face?

[SNIFFLES]

I just got the information
packet for Camp Evans.

My basketball camp.

Well...

Well, that's great, isn't it?

Turns out they flip-flopped
the dates on me,

and now it's smack-dab in the middle

of our annual sweet corn
harvest back on the farm.

Well, can't you skip the
harvest this one time?

The corn we harvest that single month

supports our farm for
the rest of the year.

There's no way I can miss it.

My parents need me.

So I just... I gotta

forget about basketball camp.

[SNIFFLES]

Well... [SCOFFS]

Well, heck with that.

No.

Reg, don't sweat it. I mean,
I'll take your place on the farm.

Stop goofing, Andrews.

You got other plans.

Well, whatever I had planned

is not as important as
getting you set up for college

and going pro.

Besides, working the land with my hands,

giving back to the earth,

and then writing about it while
leaned up against a haystack...

[CHUCKLES] I mean, that's...

exactly what a b*at
writer should be doing.

My parents won't be
able to pay you, Archie.

- And it's not easy work.
- Reg.

I got it.

It's all part of the experience.

You're going to Camp Evans.

Let me take up the slack at Duck Creek.

Sleep in your barn,

learn the ukulele, break
bread with your mom, your dad.

Yeah. Okay.

Sounds good.

Thanks, Archie.

I love you, Reg.

[SOFTLY] I love you, too, Archie.

[REGGIE SNIFFLES]

[ALICE SNIFFLING]

Mom?

What is it? What's wrong?

I, uh...

I just finished your book.

And I'm speechless.

Well, I'm really glad that you read it.

Betty, you wrote a book,

a whole book.

[SIGHS]

[SNIFFLES] And you're right.

I did get to know you better.

And all those... [INHALES DEEPLY]

wonderful, intelligent,

promising young women.

So full of thoughts
and fears and struggles

and dreams.

They have aspirations.

Yeah, that's true.

And then I think of myself and [SIGHS]

my biggest dream was
being Miss Riverdale.

[SIGHS]

Mom, you once told me that you
dreamed about being a stewardess.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

You wanted to see the world
and meet fascinating people

and be a fascinating person.

Yeah, well, that was a, uh,

silly dream from a young
girl a long time ago.

No, Mom.

No dream is silly.

I know you think that it's
too late for you, but it's not.

You can be happy. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Please, please, please, believe that.

[ALICE CRYING]

[TYPEWRITER CLACKING]

[JUGHEAD] Chances are you won't
ever see this issue on a newsstand.

Despite that, Pep Comics
has decided to release it.

We are publishing this, our final issue,

without the Comic Book
Code's seal of approval.

Most likely, that means

this issue will end up in
either a landfill or a bonfire.

But we here at Pep Comics refuse to
kneel to the un-American censorship

that was specifically drafted
to silence stories likeThe Comet.

We hope that this comic book
will find its way into your hands.

And hopefully, the stories
in it will make you think,

and make you feel a little less alone.

So, we at Pep Comics leave
you with this final message.

It is easier to tear
down than to build up.

Try to be a builder, not a destroyer.

With that in mind, enjoy this
humble adaptation ofThe Comet

by the great author, W.E.B. Du Bois,

a man who faced unthinkable
adversity and still chose to believe

that the end of the world
was not a foregone conclusion.

There is always a chance for a
brighter, better, stronger future.

From all of us at Pep Comics,
this isadieu, but not farewell.

We'll meet again.

Tabitha.

- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Hi.

What are you doing here?

- Hi, stranger. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- Ah.

Gee whiz.

- You're a sight for sore eyes.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

What happened to your glasses?

[CHUCKLING] And what's
that television doing here?

Jughead,

I am not the Tabitha who's
traveling across the country

with the NAACP. [INHALES DEEPLY]

I am the Tabitha that you've forgotten.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Uh,

what are you talking about?

Sit down.

- Let me show you something.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

[SIGHS SOFTLY] Oh.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

[GRIPPING MUSIC PLAYING]

- [MALE VOICE] Our story is about a town...
- Wow!

Wait! Is this a color television?

[MALE VOICE] ... and the
people who live in the town.

From a distance,

- it presents itself like so many other small towns...
- Is that my voice?

- ... all over the world. Safe, decent.
- Just absorb.

Innocent.

- And then I will explain everything.
- Get closer, though,

and you start seeing
the shadows underneath.

The name of our town is Riverdale.

[FEMALE SINGER] ♪ Tell me ♪

[TABITHA] Well?

I remember.

I remember everything.

That I sent you and
everyone back to

to save Riverdale from Bailey's Comet.

And that while you
and all of your friends

worked to make this timeline less
dark and nihilistic and hopeless,

I was trying to untangle the various
timelines that had gotten jumbled,

shore up the multiverse,

in other words.

We were successful?

You were. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

You all did great.

All of your collective, innate decency,

all of your struggles have
started to reshape this town,

this world.

And it will just keep
getting better and better.

- [CHUCKLING SOFTLY] Neat.
- Hmm.

Awesome.

I assume that you were successful, too.

After much trial and error, I
realized it would be impossible for me

to untangle and... and... and pull
apart all of the various timelines.

So, instead, I wove them
all into a single timeline.

This one.

And I used all the energy
from all of the other timelines

to stabilize it and fortify it.

Great. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

It is. [SIGHS]

But, um,

now that it's stable,

I can't move anyone through time.

I can't send you all back to .

So, the others won't remember anything

about everything that happened before?

Well, I can't move them through time,
as I've said, but I can show them.

I can show them what I showed you,

and then they can decide

whether or not they want
to remember their other

adventures, let's call them.

It's the least I can do.

[JUGHEAD] So, I gathered
my friends again.

And I told them about the future.

And how we couldn't go
back to our previous lives.

But they could remember
them if they chose to do so,

and then decide if they wanted to
keep those memories or forget them.

Look, I know it's a lot to process.

So, I'll just leave the decision to you.

If you're interested,
you know where to find me.

I wondered if any of them would
take me up on Tabitha's offer.

- [ARCHIE] Jughead?
- [KNOCKING ON DOOR]

I drew the short straw.

If this is real, I figure I
might get a good poem out of it.

My own version of
Howl. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Come on.

In the future,

this is called binge-watching.

[MALE VOICE] Our story is about a town,

a small town, and the
people who live in the town.

From a distance, it presents itself

like so many other small
towns all over the world.

I was a boxer,

prisoner, football player.

I was a soldier,

like my dad.

[SIGHS]

I was with my dad.

[SNIFFLES]

And then he...

Then he d*ed again.

[SCOFFS]

Well,

I promised the others I'd report back.

What are you gonna tell them?

[SCOFFS] I'm not sure.

I didn't think I'd
ever see my dad again.

So, I'm... [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

I'm glad about that.

[SIGHS]

But I don't know if they'll
wanna see what I saw.

That said, if anyone does,
they know where to find me.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

[DINER BELL CHIMES]

[VERONICA] Hey, Jughead.

Archie told us what you showed him.

We'd like to see what Archie saw.

- Together.
- Classic Bee and Vee style.

[MALE VOICE] Our story is about a
town, a small town, decent, innocent.

Get closer, though, and you start
seeing the shadows underneath.

The name of our town is Riverdale.

[FEMALE SINGER] ♪ Tell me ♪

You could have prepared us a
little more for that, Jughead Jones.

[BETTY SNIFFLES]

There was...

so much darkness

in that world. [SNIFFLES]

And my family...

My father was a k*ller.

My sister was m*rder*d

and then came back to life. [CRYING]

[SIGHS] You and I,

we were together.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Yeah.

Until we weren't.

I was with Archie.

And I k*lled my husband, Chad,

and my father.

[DINER BELL CHIMES]

What you're about to see is your past,

but it's also your future.

And some of it will be disturbing.

We can handle it.

At times, you might not
even recognize yourselves.

Where are Kevin and Julian?

[CHERYL] Uh...

Kevin asked if Clay was in
any of the stories on TV.

When Betty told him he
wasn't, he didn't want to come.

When Julian found out he was
just a doll in the TV stories,

he didn't want to come either.

But the rest of us wanna
see what our past was like.

Sounds good.

[MALE VOICE] Our story is about a
town, a small town, decent, innocent.

Get closer, though,

and you start seeing
the shadows underneath.

[TABITHA] Now you know.

Now you know what your lives
were like before the comet.

The adventures you had,
the people you loved,

the people you lost.

The good, the bad.

The bear.

The question is, do you want
to carry this knowledge with you

for the rest of your lives,

or would you rather forget?

Because I can make that happen.

Because she's an angel.

Along those lines, Angel Tabitha...

Can I call you Angel Tabitha?

This is something we've
all been discussing,

and we were wondering,

could we perhaps just
remember the good things?

Forget all the serial K*llers
and superpowers and gargoyle kings

and just remember the
happy times we had?

It doesn't exactly work that way.

Actually, I... I can make that happen.

Yes. I... I can hit a reset button

and only re-share the good memories.

I think after everything
you all have been through,

you deserve that much at least.

♪ Heavenly shades of night are falling ♪

♪ It's twilight time ♪

♪ Out of the mist ♪
♪ Your voice is calling ♪

♪ 'Tis twilight time ♪

♪ When purple-colored curtains ♪
♪ Mark the end of day ♪

♪ I'll hear you ♪
♪ My dear, at twilight time ♪

♪ Deepening shadows gather splendor ♪

♪ As day is done ♪

♪ Fingers of night will soon surrender ♪

♪ The setting sun ♪

♪ I count the moments, darling ♪
♪ Till you're here with me ♪

♪ Together at last At twilight time ♪

♪ Here in the afterglow of day ♪

♪ We keep our rendezvous ♪
♪ Beneath the blue ♪

♪ Here in the sweet and same old way ♪

♪ I fall in love again as I did then ♪

♪ Deep in the dark ♪
♪ Your kiss will thrill me ♪

♪ Like days of old ♪

♪ Lighting the spark
of love that fills me ♪

♪ With dreams untold ♪

♪ Each day, I pray for evening ♪
♪ Just to be with you ♪

♪ Together at last at twilight time ♪

♪ Here in the afterglow of day ♪

♪ We keep our rendezvous ♪
♪ Beneath the blue ♪

♪ Here in the sweet and same old way ♪

♪ I fall in love again ♪
♪ As I did then ♪

♪ Deep in the dark ♪
♪ Your kiss will thrill me ♪

♪ Like days of old ♪

♪ Lighting the spark
of love that fills me ♪

♪ With dreams untold ♪

- [DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
- Hey, hey.

Is this the part where you ghost me?

Don't you wanna see how the movie ends?

I know how it ends.

And so do you.

Stay.

I can't.

Why not?

Well... [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

there's already another
Tabitha here, for one thing,

in this universe.

And what happens to her?

She settles in Chicago.

She goes to business
school and then law school.

She's a civil rights advocate
in every aspect of her life

- for the rest of her life.
- But we don't...

Well, then that's all the more
reason that you should stay.

We lived together.

We had a life together.

- Was any of that real?
- Of course, it was real.

Just like this is real.

It was all real. It all happened.

[SIGHS]

Hey.

[SIGHS]

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

Do you remember our epic date

before the end of the world,
when we watched Titanic,

and then we ate at Pop's?

And we had a family.

We grew old together.

That time bubble still exists.

It's still protecting us.

What we had, what we will always have.

[SIGHS]

But from this point here,

there is only one path forward now.

And that is a good
thing, Jughead. Trust me.

Well, it really sucks that you
had to die to make all this happen.

Except I didn't.

Not anymore. The comet,

the end times, that doesn't...

That won't happen anymore.

We all took care of that.

[CLICKS TONGUE] Ah.

Classic time paradox.

Can I at least kiss you goodbye?

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

[INHALES DEEPLY]

Jughead Jones, you read my mind.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

[JUGHEAD] And in the blink of
an eye, Angel Tabitha was gone.

But she had given us
the greatest gift of all,

our memories.

Edited for maximum joy.

The good ones.

The ones we would cherish forever.

Though I chose to remember
not only the happy times,

but the dark times, too.

I figured, as the unofficial
chronicler of our town,

that was my responsibility.

But as it happens,

I wasn't the only one who
decided to remember everything.

Betty did, too.

More than most, Betty understood

that we are made up of
moments of both joy and pain,

happiness and suffering,

darkness and light,

and all the scars we
collect along the way.

[SOBBING]

[JUGHEAD] Another cosmic
reshuffling had happened,

or was happening again.

But the stage was set
for the final chapter

of our epic saga about
the Town with Pep,

one that could only be called...

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ Tell me I'm your baby... ♪

[JUGHEAD] "Goodbye, Riverdale."

♪ And you'll never leave me ♪

♪ Tell me that you'll kiss me ♪

- [BELL CHIMES]
- ♪ Forever ♪