07x18 - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five: For a Better Tomorrow

[bunniefuu]

[WOMAN SCREAMING ON SCREEN]

[JUGHEAD] One distinct advantage of
dating the 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.

There, suddenly, was a melting man,

coming towards us
looking like a wax statue

that had been left out
in the sun for too long.

At which point the
cavalry suddenly arrived.

[g*nshots]

Sheriff Keller would soon be
claiming that 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.

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 these days.

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'd he end up looking that way?

I believe 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.

[BIRDS TWITTERING]

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 will finally
let me give her a ride.

- You'll see.
- 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.

Great news from Coach
Parsley over at Camp Evans.

You are in, Reggie.

- No foolin', Coach?
- In where?

Only the best summer basketball camp

for high-schoolers in the country.

[MARY] That's wonderful news.

Congratulations, Reggie.

And what about you, Bill Shakespeare?

What are your plans?

Guess there's no summer
camp for poetry, is there?

Well, there'll be plenty for
Archie to do in town, Frank.

He can pick up his old job at Pop's,

or he can help me
down at the dress shop.

Oh, you hear that?

You can work in your mom's dress shop.

[SCOFFS] I bet you wish you
didn't quit the team now.

Let's motor, sis. Train's
leaving with or without you.

And who, pray tell, was that?

You enlisting, Dad?

Oh, 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.

What godforsaken creature is that?

This is Moloch, Cheryl.

Ancient pagan deity.

It can only be appeased
through child sacrifice.

You should both keep Moloch in mind,

should you ever be inclined
to give me any more grief.

[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]

[JUGHEAD] Ethel?

Look, 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... I was just wondering what
your father actually 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, Jughead, why are
you asking me about this?

Look, I can't say for certain yet,

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...

Well, I just don't think
that's a coincidence.

I think 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 just got my car that I won
as Miss Riverdale Teen Queen,

I'm going steady with Ben.

[SOFTLY] 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.

All right, class, please
finish taking your seats.

Mayor Blossom and Principal
Featherhead have asked me to show you

this informational film
about what to do in the event

of an atomic b*mb
detonating in Riverdale.

[PROJECTOR WHIRRING]

[NARRATOR] Now, we must be
ready for a new danger...

the atomic b*mb.

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 expl*si*n,
it can smash in buildings,

and knock signboards over,

and break windows all over town.

[ARCHIE] Jeepers, that atomic b*mb 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 even
likely survive an atomic expl*si*n.

What... What are you playing at, Jug?

Have any of you seen
the newsreels from Japan?

If a b*mb drops on or near Riverdale,

all of us are vaporized
in less than a nanosecond.

Not to mention the radiation
we would all be exposed to,

even if we managed to survive
the initial detonation.

Well, I know what I'd do if
a b*mb were heading our way,

I'd sequester myself in the
Pembrooke sub-sub-basement.

It's like a little
underground city down there.

You'd be invited, of course, Juggiekins.

Ugh.

I would seek shelter in
the abandoned Blossom mines.

They have stood strong since
before the Revolutionary w*r.

Isn't it dark and cold
down in those mines?

Hmm, why, yes, Toni, it is.

I would have to find some
way to stay cozy and warm.

I'd head back to Duck Creek.
We've got a well so deep

no b*mb or radiation could reach it.

Well, why stop at Duck Creek?

I mean, if we hear these sirens,

I'm hopping in my hot rod,

I'm grabbin' my mom and
I'm heading out West.

There is no way these radiation
clouds are gonna cross the Rockies.

[SIGHS] Out West sounds nice.

Sure does.

You can't outrun an atomic b*mb, Archie.

No matter how screamin'
fast your hot rod is.

Guys, I read somewhere that if
you are inside a refrigerator,

when the big one hits, you're safe.

But then you're inside a refrigerator.

Yeah, Kev, what would you
do about food and water?

I mean, I'd be inside of a refrigerator.

[ALL LAUGH]

I'm not holing up anywhere.

Come on, guys. We can't
let this b*mb get us down.

In places like Nevada, where the US

does most of its atomic testing,

people have b*mb shelters
in case something goes wrong.

That's what it would
take to be truly safe,

a lead-lined underground bunker.

[BETTY] If Russia wanted to b*mb 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 att*cks, do we?

Mm. I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

An atomic b*mb could drop anywhere.

Even here, in Riverdale.

It says, "Make rope end
wrap around the rope."

Whatever that means.

[ARCHIE] Hey, what are you fellas up to?

We're 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 guys
practicing this for anyways?

You do realize if the b*mb hits,

there's not much a sailor's
knot can do for you. [CHUCKLES]

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.

[CLAY] You know, Archie, you
might be keen on this too.

A lot of great writers
were Merchant Marines.

A lot of the Beats have served too.

Ginsberg and Kerouac both did
their time on the seven seas.

"Adventure awaits you
on the open water."

I'll say this much, I wouldn't
hate getting away from my uncle.

Seeing the world, having adventures,
it would enrich my writing.

I mean, that sounds super swell to me.

And I do love tying knots.

If you're serious, 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.

[ALL GASP]

Driving is not a right,
as many young men believe.

It is a privilege...

and a responsibility.

Upcoming left turn.

That's wonderful, girls.

Now, 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.

[GIRLS CHATTERING]

How was school today, boys?

Anything interesting happen?

We watched a movie that
taught us what to do

if the Russians drop a b*mb on us.

I'm thinking of joining
the Merchant Marines.

Well, as long as you
finish high school first,

and when that day comes, I hope
you'll still consider going to college.

Well, now, wait a minute, Mary.

Merchant Marines sounds
like a solid, sensible idea.

Much better than going to
some college to pursue poetry.

Actually, the Merchant
Marines would be a way

for me to pursue my poetry, Uncle Frank.

A lot of Beats would
join the Merchant Marines

to learn more about themselves

and the world and
then to write about it.

You'd know that if you
ever cracked open a book.

What was that?

Well, no one is joining
anything tonight.

So can we please just
finish our supper in peace?

[JUGHEAD] Well, Dilton,
what's the occasion?

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 wanna
die in an atomic att*ck.

Yeah, except, you don't
have to worry, Jughead.

You, you're one of my best pals.

You're 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 DOOR OPENING]

Ho-ho-holy crapola, 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?

What does your dad know that we don't?

Nothing for certain.

But about a year before
Ethel's folks were k*lled,

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 k*lling 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 b*mb.

This is starting to ring a bell for me.

Not just a bell, in
fact, a four-alarm siren.

Sure enough, I'd recently
had my nose in a story

about a palladium b*mb
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!

[ALL SCREAMING]

Jughead! Duck and cover!

Jughead? Jughead? What are you doing?

Get under your desk!

No! Jughead!

Get away from the... [SCREAMS]

[GASPS, HEAVY BREATHING]

Damn you and your
fearmongering, Jughead Jones.

[CLIFFORD SPEAKING RUSSIAN] _

[PENELOPE SPEAKING RUSSIAN] _

_

_

_

_

_

_

_

[FLOOR CREAKING]

[GASPS]

[IN ENGLISH] As a Merchant Marine,
you'll be traveling the globe

on the world's most
technologically advanced ships.

You will 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, you
know, really get to soak them up?

This isn't a pleasure cruise.

It's something you
should all know right now,

no one here is guaranteed a spot.

Cheryl, hi-ho.

Has anything strange been
happening at your house lately?

Mayhaps. Why do you care?

Well, I heard you mention
those abandoned mines yesterday.

And I was just wondering
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 gonna
sound like gobbledygook.

But I have reason to believe
that 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 that they're not as
abandoned as you think.

Jughead, there's no love
lost between my father and I.

In fact, I'm fairly certain
if he had the chance,

he would sacrifice me to a pagan
god he worships 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 a little,

see if you find anything incriminating?

[TIRES SCREECH]

[ALL GASP]

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

I am very pleased to announce
that since all of you passed

both the written and practical portions

of your driver's education exam,

we will all be taking a field trip

to the Riverdale
Department of Motor Vehicles

at the end of the week.

[ALL APPLAUDING]

But girls, this is very important.

In order to obtain your legal license,

you must bring a copy of your
birth certificate with you.

The DMV needs to make sure

that none of you are Russian spies.

[INDISTINCT LAUGHTER AND CHATTER]

[ROWING MACHINE CLICKING]

[FRANK] I was wondering why
the light was on out here.

Let me guess,

this is for the Merchant Marines.

Well, 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, Archie,

just the same as he would want.

What is that?

[FRANK] Your old man's dog tags.

I know he'd want you to have them,

just like I'll bet he'd want you to quit

this Merchant Marines business,

join the Army, enlist, just like he did.

Oh, you didn't know?

Your father wasn't drafted, Archie.

He volunteered for the Army

because 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.

And you wanna be like
your father, don't you?

Well, 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.

Let's see what you're hiding, Daddy.

[WIND BLOWING]

A draft?

[CREAKS]

Good morning, honey.

One waffle or two?

Uh...

Are those your dad's...

Dog tags. Yeah.

Uncle Frank gave 'em to me.

Well, why would he have done that?

Oh, I think I know.

But maybe you should sit
down so we can talk about it.

[SIGHS]

Betty, can we talk for a second?

Sure.

Are things not hunky-dory?

No, there is a problem, um...

I don't have my birth certificate.

It's at my house.

Where my parents...

Don't worry about it.
I'll grab it for you.

Really, Betty?

Sure. Yeah. I'll book
it there after school

before we go to the DMV.

Do you have any idea

where your birth certificate would be?

My mom had a crafting desk

where she kept important
papers and things.

I bet you it's in there.

[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]

Did you find something?

Did I ever? You were
right on the beam, Jughead.

- About what part?
- Everything.

Last night whilst snooping
through Daddy's study,

I stumbled upon a secret panel

and found a bunch of these...

and matching uniforms to boot!

Holy Toledo!

That milkman must've been
working for your father.

Doing his bidding?

Cheryl, are you in danger?

No more than usual.

I also went to the mines last night

and you were right about those too.

They are palladium mines...

Very much not abandoned.

Meet me on the Thornhill
grounds tonight after dark

and bring your camera,
and pray an atomic disaster

doesn't befall us all before then.

What? Wha...

What was my dad paying the Muggs' for?

So Frank, Archie told me

about your little talk
in the garage last night.

Did he now?

- And what did he say?
- [MARY] 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, Frank?

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, Frank.

We all know what this is really about.

It's about 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 .

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, Frank.

It's time for you to move out.

Mary, you called me here to help.

And now she's telling
you to hit the road.

And who's gonna be the man
of the house when I'm gone?

- I am.
- [SCOFFS] Not that I need one.

I am the woman of this house, after all.

I'm the one who pays
the mortgage around here.

Well, I suppose I could shack
up with my old pal Tom Keller.

I hear he's been handed a similar
set of marching orders recently.

[MARY] Wonderful.

That works out for everyone then.

Betty. How you doing, kiddo?

Why were you two writing
checks once a month,

year after year, to the Muggs'?

Because, Betty, Mrs.
Muggs was our housekeeper.

Those must have been
payments for those services.

That doesn't make any sense.

Some of these 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... 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 Muggs' have a photo
of you holding Ethel as a baby?

Because the Muggs' asked

if I would be Ethel's godfather.

And I agreed.

So why haven't I heard about this?

Why hasn't anyone?

[SPUTTERS] I don't know...

[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 finally 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...
for us, for our family...

So you stayed with him?

I had no other choice.

Yes, I stayed.

But I... I handled it.

I made a deal with the Muggs'

that if they agreed to
raise the baby as their own

and keep our secret that

we would financially support
the child until she turned .

Support... Ethel, my sister?

Your half-sister.

This is why you "adopted" Ethel.

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.

[VOICE BREAKING] 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.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

[JUGHEAD] What you say
is here is really here?

It is. You will see for yourself.

[JUGHEAD] Well, wouldn't
there be more guards?

I imagine my father is trying
to avoid undue attention.

That's a good point.

And as Cheryl and I were on the cusp

of uncovering one expl*sive truth,

Ethel was experiencing
emotional shock waves

after learning the truth about her life.

It explains things.

Why my parents were so sad,

why they fought all the time.

Why I always felt...

I don't know, 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... a true family.

I appreciate that.

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper,
it's kind of you to offer.

But 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.

Well, you enjoy my room.

Don't get into too much trouble.

I won't.

And, uh, I'll see you
at practice, Coach.

Mary, I don't know how
I'm going to survive

without your chicken pot pie.

Oh, come on, Frank.

You know you'll always be
welcome at Sunday dinner.

In that case, I will see you Sunday.

You...

So you're the man of the house now.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] 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 I've ever read

were written by soldiers in trenches,

covered in mud and the
blood of their brothers.

Well, maybe that's my path.

Well, maybe not.

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

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.

Well, still, now that we have hard
proof, it's better to be careful.

Veronica has some contacts in the FBI

from when they investigated her father.

I'll reach out to her
and see if she can get me

the names of some of those agents.

Good thinking, Sherlock Jones.

By the way, are you and
Veronica officially an item now?

Shucks, I don't know.
[EMBARRASSED CHUCKLE]

Talk about being in over your crown.

- Oh, I'm holding my own.
- Mm-hmm.

- [KNOCK AT DOOR]
- I'll get it.

Gentlemen, you're right on time.

They're having breakfast
in the grand hall.

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 so-called 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-b*mb to the
H-b*mb to the P-b*mb,

the palladium b*mb.

The US believed Clifford Blossom
was developing it for them,

when, in fact, his plan had been

to develop the P-b*mb in Riverdale

and deliver it to Mother Russia.

The FBI and the US Army were credited

with foiling the plot against America,

which is fine by me, because 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 hit man,

aka the milkman, k*ll 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 thr*at.

One that, for whatever reason,
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, love bug, you ready to peel out?

[POP MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ The clock is smiling
like a long-lost prayer ♪

♪ Another minute and
the class will end... ♪

[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 on the lot.

And I've already 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 'em hell, Ethel.

Don't forget to send us your
address once you're settled,

so I can come visit you this summer.

I won't forget.

Thank you for everything, Betty.

Of course.

[SIGHS SOFTLY]

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.

Well, hopefully. We'll see.

You're going to be just fine.

I truly feel that.

I hope so, Mrs. Cooper.

[CHUCKLES]

[CAR DOOR CLOSING]

[CAR ENGINE STARTS]

[JUGHEAD] Ethel was
the first of us to go,

to leave Riverdale behind.

There would be others soon.

All the pieces were falling into place.

Project Moloch had failed,

and it was just about time to find out

if our little town would be avoiding

an even greater cataclysm.

[EPIC MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ Nothing can stop me ♪

♪ Now ♪

[BELL CHIMES]