05x12 - Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge

[bunniefuu]

Michael Corleone,
Tony Soprano, Scarface.

Small, ruthless gangsters,
all heroes of their own story.

And every hero...

...has an origin story,

including Hiram Lodge.

Even though he's been
Riverdale's chief tormentor

for some years now,

shockingly little is known about him,

how we came to be.

And why he's obsessed with
destroying our poor town.

What is his "rosebud," as it were?

And why does he collect
lost soul like Reggie Mantle?

And why are the Reggie
Mantles of the world...

drawn to Hiram Lodges
like moths to flame?

- That was a short day
- I have a quick errand to run, Dad.

- I'll be back.
- Well, you better be back by .

We've got McPharlin's coming in. I know.

I said I'll be back.

And you are certain it's him?

There is no room for error here.

Wow.

Great work.

No, this is personal.

I'll handle it myself.

Tonight.

Reggie, you are not on my calendar.

That's my father's
debt to you, all of it.

Uh-huh.

Mr. Lodge, I appreciate
you bailing my old man out

when his business was in trouble.

But this makes him square, right?

That it does.

The only question I have

is what does this mean
for our arrangement?

Well, the truth is, I'd
like to keep working for you,

But I want real advancement.

You know, I'm good with numbers.

I have Ideas. Some big, big ideas

Okay. I tell you what, Reggie.

I will find a privileged place for you

if you do me one last favor.

I need you to get me a g*n.

A ghost g*n. One that can't be traced.

- Is that a problem for you?
- No, sir.

No problem.

I'll bring it to you after I
finished my last shift at the lot.

I promise you you will not find
a better deal in all of Riverdale.

Come on, Sam.

You're not gonna cheap
out on your son, are you?

Excuse me?

Let's go, Sean.

Let me ask you, Mr. McPharlin.

Do you remember your first car?

Mine was a Chevelle.

I named her Bella.

And boy, oh, boy, great memories
Bella and I made together.

Cruising, going on dates,
late nights at the drive in...

Mine was named Red Ruby.

She was an ' Challenger.

Mr. McPharlin, this is the car your
son will pick up his prom date in.

The car he'll take with him to college.

The car he'll get laid in.

We'll take it right. Right. Dad?

I was gonna close that deal.

You didn't need to step in
there with that crash talk.

Yeah, well, you're getting rusty, Dad.

- I got a half a mind to...
- To what? Hmm?

b*at me like you used to?

Go ahead and try, old man.

I'm not in high school anymore.

It's the sale that matters.

Better set some of that money

aside for this month's payment to Hiram.

I took care of Hiram. It's over.

We're paid off.

What?

Reggie, is that true?

You don't have to work
for that gangster anymore.

That "gangster" pulled
your ass out of the fire.

- And I was still gonna work for him.
- Why?

Reggie, what about our
dream about being partners.

Full partners.

That's your dream, Dad.

From where I'm standing,
my future is with Hiram.

I gotta go.

Hiram. I'm asking you
just leave my son alone.

The debt's paid. Just let him go.

Reggie is a grown man who
makes his own decisions.

Reggie is a fool.

He's blinded by your money.
Doesn't care how you get it.

Well, maybe, Marty, you're failing
to see your own son's potential.

If he were my son, I'd be proud of him.

Hiram, I swear, if
you don't let him go...

Choose your next words wisely.

Or better yet, get the
hell out of my office.

Untraceable like you asked.

Excellent.

Reggie, your father came to see me.

He, uh, stormed in, made wild demands.

If you're gonna work for me,

you need to get your
house in order first.

Mr. Lodge, I'm so sorry.

Don't apologize. Just fix it.

Then meet me back here tonight.

You went to see Hiram
Lodge behind my back.

Dad, you don't get to speak for me.

Not anymore.

I can't even look at you.

- I'm so ashamed.
- Me?

Nothing I ever do is good
enough for you, is it?

But just because your life is crap

doesn't give you the
right to take it out on me.

You b*at me...

punched down at me my whole damn life.

But I stayed.

After all you did...

I stayed.

Not anymore.

You know,

Hiram has done more with
his life than you ever will.

And as far as I know, he never
laid a finger on his wife...

or daughter.

How'd it go with your father?

I don't have a father anymore.

That's a rather bold statement.

I mean it.

Of that, I have no doubt.

It actually reminds me my own
relationship with my father.

He didn't approve of
your business either.

To put it mildly.

Where is he now?

Therein lies a tale.

All done.

I don't believe it. I must have
left my wallet in my other jacket.

It's okay. Just pay me double next time.

No, no, no.

Tell you what.

I got something better than cash.

That, my friend, is palladium.

It's precious metal
worth more than gold.

That tiny piece alone would
fetch you a hundred dollars.

Where'd you get it?

An old buddy of mine told
me that there are whole,

unmined veins of palladium

upstate in a small Rockland
County town called Riverdale.

Riverdale, on the Sweetwater River?

Yes, sir.

You head north to Riverdale,
might just change your life.

Huh?

The promise of buried palladium

had captured my father's imagination.

So we moved.

Me, my father, my mother,
to an apartment in Riverdale.

And was there Palladium?

There were mines.

My father got a job at one, but
after six months there was a collapse.

He survived.

But the mines were shut down.

And no Palladium?

Rumors of it. But no.

But my father decided we
would stay in Riverdale,

make our American dreams come true.

My mom got a job
waiting tables at Pop's.

While my father and I returned
to our old line of work.

All done. Five dollars, sir.

You've gotta be joking.

There's still all scuffed up in front.

- I've done my best, sir.
- Not good enough, pal.

Hey, you need to pay us.

Hey, hey, Jaime. Just let it go.

It's just one shine, that's all.

After the mine collapsed, my father

seemed somehow diminished.

The light in his eyes had dimmed.

In time, we became
fixtures outside of Pop's.

Our customer base grew.

I was polishing just as
many shoes as my father.

That's good enough, kid,

I don't know if I can
make change for this, sir.

Consider it a tip for a job well done.

- Thank you, sir.
- Yeah, no problem.

Listen...

if you're ever looking
for a little extra work,

you come see me at Cucina Sacasa.

I might have something for you.

Have a good evening, gentlemen.

Uh, don't be fooled, Jaime.

That man is a gangster.

His money is blood money, all right?

Hey, Hermione.

You can ask me out every day, Jaime.

But my answer will always be the same.

- No.
- C'mon. Why not?

My mother sort of forbids it.

She said she doesn't want me

to date the son of a man who
shines shoes for a living.

With all due respect,
your mom cleans toilets,

and changes bed sheets
at the Five Seasons.

What's the difference?

I'm really sorry.

She just wants what's best for me.

But for what it's worth,
I do think you're cute

Hermione's words cut me to the bone.

As long as I shined shoes for a living,

I was a second-class citizen.

But I refused to accept that.

I'd like to work for you, sir.

Why is that?

Because you have two things
I don't, money and respect.

Huh.

It's not respect, kid.

It's fear. There's big difference

Then I want to be feared, too.

- What's your name?
- Jaime Luna, sir.

I'm Vittorio Alto. My
friends call me Vito.

Your pop know you came to see me?

No, sir.

You got guts, kid.

All right.

I got a delivery for you to make.

Think you can handle it?

Yes, sir.

Absolutely certain.

- What do you want?
- I have a delivery from Vito Alto.

Good.

Now you don't look like one
of Vito's typical employees.

- What's your name?
- Jaime Luna.

You people. You work twice
as fast for half the pay.

This is for Vito.

Thanks, kid. Any problems?

The guy I made the delivery
to made some comments

that didn't sit well with
me, about my background.

You know, where I come from.

Join me.

This guy, that's Louis.

Everybody knows Louie's a clown.

You don't take that personally.

I try not to, but sometimes
it makes me really angry.

Still, you kept your cool.

And on this business
that means everything.

- You understand me?
- Yes, sir.

Cheer up, kid.

This is the easiest
money you ever gonna make.

And there's plenty more...

if you wanna keep making deliveries.

- You can count on me, boss.
- Good boy.

Vito was right.

The money I earned delivering
packages in one week

eclipsed what I would have made
shining shoes for two months.

Whoever said money couldn't
buy happiness was a sucker.

- Hey, Pop.
- Hey.

Haven't seen much of you
these days. Where you been?

I got a job at that fancy
Italian place across town.

I make deliveries.

Very nice shoes for a delivery boy.

You know, pays well.

And I get good tips.

With money also came confidence.

And I needed every ounce of
it to win over Hermione Gomez.

So how about that date, gorgeous?

You know, I'm nothing if not persistent.

Mm-hmm. Perhaps to a fault, Jamie.

You know what?

You twisted my arm.

I'll allow you to buy me
dinner at Pop's tonight.

- How does that sound?
- Sounds great.

- Seven?
- Mm-hmm.

Order anything on the menu.

Hell, order it all if you want.

I didn't realize there was so much
money in the shoeshine business.

Well, there isn't.

But that doesn't stop my dad
from working like a dog...

day in and day out to
provide for my mom and me.

I can relate.

My mother sacrificed so much
working at the Five Seasons...

all to make my life a little easier.

I wish there was a way to repay her.

Exactly.

It's part of the reason
I got this other job.

Oh, yeah?

Where? Doing what?

Making deliveries for Vittorio Alto.

You mean Vito. The gangster?

Mr. Alto is a businessman.

And working for him is gonna
be my ticket out of Riverdale.

What can I get you two?

Ah, hamburger with a side
of onion rings, please.

Same for me, Pop. And a chocolate shake.

Two straws.

And if you did make it out of Riverdale,

where would you go?

I'd be living in a
penthouse in New York City,

running my own business.

What, did I say something funny?

No. In fact, as it so happens,

I want to live in Manhattan, too.

Are you Jaime Luna?

Yeah, well, what's the problem?

You're under arrest for the
trafficking of class two narcotic.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

This is no joke, kid.

We know what sort of operation's
being ran out of that Italian place.

Look, just give us the
name of your supplier,

you can walk out of here and get
back to your date at the diner.

How does that sound?

I've got nothing to say to you.

How does that sound?

Mister Alto?

How can we help you?

I'm here about Jaime Luna.

He's in trouble.

Your bail's been posted,
you're free to go.

Did you talk?

Not a word.

Who'd you call?

No one.

Not even your family?

Especially not my family.

They'd be so ashamed of me.

Sit down.

You're a good boy,
Jaime. You protected me,

and in turn, you protected my business.

I'm proud of you.

Here.

- Thank you, sir.
- You've proven yourself, kid.

I'm gonna give you a bump up.

No more deliveries.

From now on, you're gonna be collecting.

That makes you part of the inner circle.

Thank you, Vito. Really.

Can I impart a little
friendly advice, kid?

Always.

You afraid to call your folks at home?

The way I see that you're still worrying

about other people's expectations

when you should be
worrying about yourself.

You've got to be your own man, Jamie,

especially if you wanna
make it in this business.

- You understand what I'm saying?
- Yes, sir.

Good.

By the way, you better marry

that pretty little girl
who came by earlier.

Hermione? She came here?

She's got her head
screwed on right, that one.

And she had your back when you needed.

You don't let her get away.

I think I might have
blown my one sh*t with her.

I wouldn't be so sure of that, kid.

Especially since I got
you a little something,

um, a bonus to go with
your new promotion.

Hey, about tonight? We
could finish our date.

Don't even try, Jaime.

Fine. Well, if not that, then...

please, let me give you a ride home.

You know, I'm thinking
about changing my name.

- Oh, really!
- Yeah.

I'm tired of living in
someone else's shadow.

I want to be my own man.

What are you planning to call yourself?

Well, I was thinking, Hiram Lott.

As in, "I'm gonna have a lot" in life.

Hmm.

Hiram sounds nice.

Strong, unique.

But Lott?

I think you can do better.

How about something
statelier, like Lodge?

Hiram Lodge.

It's not half bad.

- Fred Andrews?
- Here.

Jaime Luna?

I actually go by a different name now.

You can call me Hiram Lodge.

- What?
- Uh-huh.

And have you filled out
the necessary paperwork?

It's being processed at
the courthouse as we speak.

Luna or Lodge,

you'll still be shining my old
man's shoes for burgers, Jaime.

What's my name, Mantle?

Say it!

I want to hear you say it.

- Hiram Lodge.
- That's right.

And don't you ever forget it.

I got a call from your school today.

Apparently, you b*at up two students

because they wouldn't
call you Hiram Lodge?

Calmate, Javier!

Que te pasa? Are you crazy?

You forsake our family name, for what?

For... for vanity?

And you think I'm a fool?

Huh?

I know exactly where you're
getting all this money.

It's from that damned gangster.

- So what?
- So what?

It's dishonest.

More than that, it's criminal.

That man will ruin you, Jaime.

It's Hiram.

And I'm doing what I'm
doing for you and Mom.

To give you the things you deserve.

Things you can't afford.

You sad, stupid boy.

Working for the likes
of Vito, are you...

It's going to cost you everything.

Everything you love, Jaime.

You brought shame to this family.

Then it's a good thing I'm
not a Luna anymore, Dad,

because I don't want to be like you.

Spending my days shining the
shoes of men who look down on me.

You can lecture me all
you want about shame,

but you can't buy Mom a dishwasher.

Or new shoes for yourself.

It's embarrassing.

Being your son is embarrassing.

Mr. Vito, with all due respect,

I want you to leave
my son alone. He's...

He's a good boy,

but impressionable.

Tell me, Javier,

do you not want your
son to be successful?

He's got nice things, pretty girlfriend.

Seems to me your son's old
enough to make his own decisions.

I think you misunderstand me.

I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.

Whatever arrangement exists
between you and my son, it's over.

Or what?

What are you gonna do?

I'm gonna call the police.

And tell them everything about
you and your dirty business.

I see.

Well, in that case, maybe you can, uh,

let me think it over, compadre.

I'll be in touch.

My... My father was a smart man.

He believed,

human nature was good.

But...

he was wrong.

- How you doing today, Javier?
- Hey. Morning, Pop.

It's gonna be a good day.

I can feel it.

Hit it!

Hiram.

Lourdes. I'm Apollonia,
Hermione's mother.

- I'm very sorry for your loss.
- Thank you.

Javier seemed like a
warm and caring man.

Thank you for coming, Mrs. Gomez.

He was a good man, even
for a lowly shoeshiner.

I, uh...

I misjudged him.

I'm not proud of that.

My deepest apologies, Hiram.

Thank you.

He seems so calm.

It's shock I think.

He hasn't said much since it happened.

Hmm, such a tragedy.

I suppose.

But you know what they say
about playing with fire.

What are you getting at, Penelope?

I'm just pointing out.

One day, he can't rub
two nickels together

and the next he's
driving a fancy sports car

and taking you out on town.

We all know the truth.

Your boyfriend is a gangster.

I mean, what did Jaime
think would happen

when he started working with criminals?

His name is Hiram.

And as for what he thought would happen,

he thought he'd be able to make
a better life for his family.

Because family is more
important to him than anything.

Can either of you two
skanks say the same?

- Hey.
- Hey.

Are you hanging in there?

I'm trying.

I just want you to know,

whatever you need,
I'm here for you, okay?

Thank you.

Mrs. Luna,

I wanted to come in
person to pay my respects.

Your husband, he was a
good man, an honest man.

His kindness will be missed.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Listen, take a much
time as you need, kid.

When you're ready to come
back to work, you come see me.

We'll pick up where we left off.

No disrespect for the dead, but...

now at least you can become the man

that you were always destined to be.

You'll forget about that.

Right now, I want you to
focus on your mother, okay?

Whatever she needs,

whatever you need, you come see me.

Capisce.

Thanks, Vito.

I am so lucky that I
still have you, Jaime.

Eres un buen hijo.

But I beg you, please be
done with this nasty business.

Te lo prometo, mama.

I promise you I will.

Gracias, mijo. Gracias.

Hey, kid. Heard about your old man.

Sorry for your loss.

I'm looking for Vito.

He came by my house earlier.

Uh, he ain't here.

But pull up a chair, we'll deal you in.

Sonny's on a losing streak...

Did Vito have my father k*lled?

I never found out why Vito wasn't
there at the Cucino that night.

Probably dumb luck,

but I made my point.

Jaime...

I'm gonna go put the
shakes in the fridge.

Vito skipped town and never came back.

He knew if he did, he'd meet
the same fate as his underlings.

So, what happened to Vito?

Word is, he went abroad to visit family.

But from now on, you should
consider me the new Vito,

Hiram Lodge. Understood?

Yeah, works for me.

From that day forward, I
was Riverdale's new boss.

People paid me their dues, and soon,

I was moving up in the world.

I was the biggest fish
in a somewhat small pond.

Then what happened?

I got married, Reggie.

I became a father,

and I knew true happiness.

Remember our first
date, when you told me

that we we would move
to New York together.

It's time, Harim.

To leave all this behind
and keep your promise.

Not only for us, but
for your little girl.

Whatever you want, mi amor.

So we moved to New York
and the rest is history.

That's one hell of a saga, Mr. Lodge.

But, what brought you back to Riverdale?

Turns out that my father was
correct about the palladium.

He was simply looking
in the wrong place.

Eventually, I did discover
a vein of palladium.

It was thin, but it was a sign that...

I would succeed where
my father had failed.

I built a prison over that vein.

So that behind the walls I could

do whatever I wanted
and nobody could see.

As a smokescreen.

And you had your prisoners
doing the digging.

Yes.

But now that vein is tapped with
a disappointingly small yield.

So I need to get to the one that I found

under the Blossom maple groves.

If I fail,

all my efforts in Riverdale,

all my gains, all my
losses will be for nothing.

I will not let that happen.

I will finish what my father began.

You're unstoppable, Mr. Lodge.

You started with nothing.

- You got everything you wanted.
- Did I?

Is that what you take
away from my story?

You have money.

Respect, a business.

- What more can a man want?
- Hmm.

Well, right now, I want
you to drive me somewhere.

I'd like to visit an old
friend at a nursing home.

Mind if I ask who?

Not at all,

Vittorio Alto.

The man who m*rder*d my father.

Hello, Vito.

It's me, Hiram Lodge.

Son of Javier Luna.

It's taken me years to find you,

but my luck finally turned.

Do you remember when we first met?

I said I wanted to be feared like you.

You tell me, Vito, at this very moment,

you afraid of me?

Sin amigos en la vida,

sin amigos en la muerte.

Adios, Vito.

Reggie, I want to
thank you for your help,

and your discretion tonight.

But I won't be needing you any longer.

You mean for the rest of the night?

No.

You're done, Reggie. I no
longer require your services.

Mr. Lodge, hold on. I want this.

I want what you have.

Yeah, you don't see it, Reggie.

But from where I'm at...

If I could go back,

spend a few more years
shining shoes with my dad...

man, I'd do that in a heartbeat.

But I can't go back to that car lot.

I left so I could prove
to my father what I can do.

Who I can be.

Just give him one more chance,

or not.

But your debt is paid.

I'm giving you an out, Reggie.

Do not insult me, and accept it.

What are you still doing here, Dad?

Why aren't you home?

I'm sorry, Reg.

I'm ashamed.

I've never done right by you.

Not ever.

But I want to start, son.

Your timing's good, Dad.

I'm done with Mr. Lodge.

Thank God.

- But if you're serious about your offer...
- I am.

...then you gotta let me run
with the ball a little bit, Dad.

Trust that I can take care of things.

Listen to my ideas.

I have good ideas sometimes.

If you can do that, then we could try,

one more time.

How does that sound?

Mantle and Son?

It's okay, Dad.

It's okay.

I cannot believe Dorinda.

When I told her I was coming
back to Riverdale to visit you,

and she referred to it as "my
ex-husband's crime infested hellhole."

Which is accurate, but it still
makes me want to strangle her.

Mom, can we just have a nice lunch?

I invited you here
to see the renovation,

not trash talk the people on your show.

Come on, Veronica.
It's reality television.

What do you think we do?

Bring each other cups of sugar?

How's your father?

Haven't you seen him?

Oh, you know, only what
he wants to cause trouble.

Which is always. You
know what his problem is?

- What?
- He's never satisfied by what he has.

Never.

He will never be happy.

Sadly, that tracks.

He should have retired
when he had the chance...

seven years ago, remember?

Mm-mmm. Please, he would sooner die.

Was he ever even really sick?

Hermosita,

it's done.

I don't know how you found Vito

but your grandfather has been avenged.

A b*llet to the head.

I saw it when I went to do clean-up.

Did you find any security cameras?

Yes, but they've all been wiped clean.

Good. Very good.

I've sacrificed so much to get this far,

I can't stumble now.

And when I've mined all the
palladium that alluded, my father...

I'll get back everything
else I've lost, too