06x08 - Chapter One Hundred and Three: The Town

[bunniefuu]

Wait. So someone just
submitted this to you?

Yeah, to my Riverdale Choice email.

In case you're wondering if
I can suddenly hear again,

I can't. What I can do

post-expl*si*n is read minds.

I can hear the words forming in a

person's brain just
before they speak them.

It's, uh, slightly disorienting.

[Tabitha] Ugh.

[Tabitha's voice] I mean,
everyone is entitled...

I mean, everyone is entitled
to their own opinion, but yikes.

I know.

That's why I published it
anonymously, to protect our identity,

which they asked me to.

Tabitha and my friends
think my hearing's returned.

It's not impossible to believe,
the doctor said it might.

Am I a bad person for
lying to her, to everyone?

[Tabitha] I don't know, Jughead.

What will the town think?

What will they do?

[sighing]

That is a great question.

[Jughead] Already I could feel
shock waves rippling across the town.

The article was a blistering
critique of Riverdale.

What the town presented as
versus what it truly was.

It excoriated Veronica
and Reggie's Casino,

calling it illegal,

claiming it would be a gateway
to crime, drug use and v*olence.

It condemned Riverdale's
culture of street gangs.

The Serpents and Ghoulies forever
teetering on the brink of w*r.

It called out the town's long
history of intolerance, ignorance,

persecution and backwards thinking.

It highlighted our overtaxed,
ineffectual law enforcement,

our utter lack of culture
and the performing arts.

But its most scathing critique took

aim at Riverdale's struggling economy,

soaring unemployment and quote,

"Homeless encampments on every corner."

Still happy you moved here, stranger?

Oh, yes.

Happy as a clam.

[Jughead] Every word was a razor blade

that cut to the very
heart of Riverdale itself.

With no author named,

who would take the
brunt of blowback? But...

[Archie] I can't believe
Jug would do this.

Here we go.

- [Archie] Backstabber.
- Dude, what is this?

"Worst town in America."

Seriously?

After we busted our asses
saving Riverdale from Hiram,

why would you publish
something like this?

The Riverdale Choice is
a free press that believes

in critical points of view.

Who?

Who wrote this?

Why would I tell you that?

So you can b*at them up?

[Archie] Yeah, you're freaking right.

Of course not.

Okay, Look, you have a
different point of view.

That's great.

Let me interview you.
I'll publish it next week.

No, screw that.

I've already talked to Alice and Frank.

They're calling a town hall
meeting so everyone

can respond to this garbage in person.

And you better be there covering it.

[sighs]

Grand Mistress Rose.

I shouldn't be here,

but Mistress Abigail is
getting ready to go out and

we have to figure out a way
to get Mistress Cheryl back.

Cheryl is gone.

Vanished into the void.

No,

I saw her in a mirror that
Abigail was looking into.

[inaudible]

I think she's still in her body,

somewhere.

Well, if that were
the case, it would mean

Abigail's keeping her locked away,

imprisoned in a kind of

mental jail.

Oh, my God.

Is there some way that
we can reach Cheryl?

Make contact with her.

Well, the only way to do that would be

when Abigail

is in a deep sleep,

and you would need to be in
a deep slumber near to her.

I mean, Abigail once
inhabited your body.

You could use that tether

to enter and walk her dreamscape.

And perhaps

find Cheryl.

If she exists.

I could drug her tea.

Be warned.

If you try this,

you must awaken before Abigail does.

Or risk her wrath.

[Penelope] Jason.

Cheryl.

My little darlings.

I have decided to throw
you a birthday party.

Isn't that grand?

I've even invited all
your little friends

from school and church
and the community.

Including Heather?

No, not that two-bit trollop.

But everybody else.

Now,

what do you say?

Thank you, dearest Mumsy.

You're very, very welcome,
my precious little angels.

[all clamoring]

[woman ] Who wrote the
article? Probably Alice.

[man] This town is going
to hell in a handbasket.

- [woman voice] Maybe, I should move.
- All right.

All right, I'm sure everyone has read

the article written by our
mysterious author.

And, yes, there is a lot to dispute.

But not the fact that we
do have an illegal casino

operating covertly and
corruptly within our town limits.

If I may.

Babylonium's employees are
all citizens of Riverdale

who are paid a generous living wage.

Also, we have the potential
to bring in out-of-towners.

Guests who would spend

fresh cash across all of our businesses.

Nice try, Veronica, but we all know
who truly profits from a casino.

It's its owners.

And I mean, when is
the last time a Lodge

has done anything good for this town?

What the hell does that mean?

I think you know
exactly what that means.

Can we cut to the damn chase here?

Who wrote that article?

Oh, come on.

Whoever it is, if you're
going to att*ck our town,

at least have the guts to own it.

[man] It was me.

I wrote it. I wrote the article.

I... I know I should have had
the courage to put my name on it.

I guess I was just concerned that if you

saw the name Pickens
on the byline, then,

you'd dismiss my words out of hand

because of what my
great-great grandfather did.

You mean a genocide
against my ancestors?

Yeah, that's a strike against you.

I'm sorry, you've been
living here, what, four days?

And we're supposed to
care what you think?

Well, sometimes it
takes a recent arrival

to see what's really
wrong with the town.

Yeah, well, all I see,

is a Johnny-come-lately
talking trash about our town

without offering any real solutions.

But I do have solutions.

If you're open to hearing them.

Buddy, I'm open

to resolving this outside,
You and me, right now.

Okay, Archie.

We do need to let Mr. Pickens speak.

Oh, with a town that's

in such dire straits as
Riverdale, where do you even begin?

I know.

The homeless encampment
you call "Sketch Alley."

Poverty

begets more poverty,
begets dr*gs, begets crime,

begets more crime until no one is safe.

- [indistinct chatter]
- [woman] Yeah.

I'm sorry, but the homeless
have got to be bussed out

as quickly and humanely as possible.

- [woman ] He's right.
- [man ] I agree.

[woman ] The homeless are a problem.

[man ] About time someone said it.

We can't just bus them out of town.

And I'm sorry, but that's... not
who we are, and it's not what we do.

Riverdale takes care of their own.

And the people that
live in Sketch Alley,

are citizens of this town
just as much as all of us.

We need to show them that we care.

In that case, you've
heard my recommendation.

But we're all ears, Mr. Andrews.

What's yours?

[Jughead] And thus began the
battle for Riverdale's soul.

[door opens]

Mistress Abigail, you're home.

- How was the town hall?
- Delightsome.

Also, a bit of gossip.

T'was Percival Pickens, who wrote that

screed against the town of Riverdale.

He may prove an ally to me.

But first, me thinks I must acquaint

myself with the history of Riverdale

and the role the Pickens
family played in its shaping.

I think I saw a book in
the Thornhill library.

I'll fetch it for you, Mistress Abigail.

I've just brewed you some tea.

Why don't you retire to your room
and I'll bring both up to you?

[Jughead] Don't punch me.

I should, you know.

Look, Archie, I'm a journalist. I'm
supposed to remain impartial. But,

I heard what you said at the town hall.

And for what it's
worth, I agree with you.

I think bussing the unhoused out
of Riverdale is not a solution.

I know those people.

At times I was one of them

and they've always helped
me when I was in trouble.

They're good people.
They need our resources.

Could've said that at the meeting.

I will, at the next one, once
you present your big idea.

Well...

I...

I don't have one yet.

That's okay.

I did some research of my
own after the last meeting.

A lot of cities, they're...
they're building these micro homes.

They're basically cabins, right?

They have a shower
and a toilet and a bed.

Imagine if we did that.

We build one of these homes
for every unhoused person

living in a cardboard box
or a tent on the alley.

We?

You're the only person I know
that has a construction business.

All right.

Let's do this.

Let's try.

[door knob clicks]

Oh, perfect.

Sweet dreams, Abigail.

And hopefully for me, too.

[timer beeps]

[children laughing]

[indistinct laughter]

[Penelope] How are you liking that cake?

Vanilla, your favorite.
Just as requested.

Excuse me.

I'm looking for Cheryl Blossom.

Who the hell are you?

I'm...

a friend of hers.

Is Cheryl not here?

Well, she's right over there.

Facing the wall as punishment for being

such a selfish, ungrateful brat.

But...

it's her birthday, too, isn't it?

Not this year.

Not the way she's been behaving.

Will she get her presents, at least?

Absolutely not.

Now, who did you say you were?

[alarm beeping]

[beeping stops]

Reggie.

We haven't talked about it too much but,

I've always assumed we'd be sort of

gaming the system with the casino.

You know, doing our usual
side hustles and scams.

I made the same assumptions.

What if we didn't?

Does that mean no scams?

No scams,

no side deals, no loopholes,

no tax evasion.

What if we proved Alice

and the haters wrong and
operated completely above board?

I just buried my father, Reggie.
Let's start a new chapter and

rehabilitate the Lodge name.

Instead of the council fighting us

at every turn, we lock arms with them,

help fix the town my dad broke.

I like it in theory, Ronnie.

But the first thing is

we'd have to get our
licenses and permits in order.

Okay.

Is that a problem?

No, it's just very expensive.

Let's pull the trigger, Reggie.

And let's hang my father's
portrait right up here.

As a constant reminder of who
we're not going to be like.

I don't disagree with what
you're saying, Mr. Pickens.

Oh, please, call me Percival.

Percival,

I just don't want to come down
on either side of the issue

until Archie has had a chance
to present his solutions.

Of course, not. Alice...

Sorry, may I call you Alice?

Yes.

Thank you.

It's just I

assumed that you would have

a personal stake in
making Riverdale safer

given what happened to your daughter.

Polly.

All right, people, let's
call this meeting to order.

Our proposal for the
town's future is simple.

Reginald?

Riverdale, the new Atlantic city.

Instead of the town and the casino
being at odds with each other,

why not work together

and rebrand as a family-friendly,
destination hotspot?

Let Babylonium

be the solution to lifting Riverdale up.

So, what,

children can gamble now, is that it?

We would open an
arcade, provide daycare.

Here's my problem with the casino.

Riverdale has a lot of broken people.

Including veterans
like myself and Archie.

And a casino just isn't a healthy
environment for people like that.

You raise a valid point,
Frank. Let's have that dialogue.

But not today.

We have your proposal, Veronica.

We will look it over
and get back to you.

In the meantime, if we catch one whiff

of any trouble coming from your casino,

then any partnership would
be immediately untenable.

Great.

Thank you, Team Babylonium.

So, the spaces are eight feet wide.

They house one to two people,
and they can be locked which

helps give the occupants a
sense of ownership and security.

And not to mention,

all of the labor, will be provided

free of charge by Andrews Construction.

This is a strong, simple
and smart idea, Archie.

Yeah, they have these mini-houses in

Chicago, and they are game changing.

- [Frank] Awesome.
- Yeah. So to start, I was thinking around .

Thirty houses?

Uh, how much do these things cost?

Well, like I said, Alice, the labor
will be free, but with materials,

I'm thinking around , .

Thousand for each house?

Oh, no. Uh, Riverdale can't afford
this. We'd have to raise taxes.

[woman ] More taxes? No way.

[man] We can barely pay our mortgage.

[woman ] Just make the problem go away.

[woman ] I agree with that British dude.

Well, I feel it's my civic duty at
this point to point out that, uh,

my straightforward proposal would cost

the people of Riverdale
virtually nothing,

and could be carried out immediately.

We like the vision, Archie.
At least, most of us do.

We just need to figure
out a way to fund it.

And if you could show us proof of
concept, that would be super helpful.

Yeah, for sure. I'll
figure something out.

I appreciate your time.

Thanks for staying behind to chat.

Not at all.

I welcome any opportunity to
get to know my neighbors better.

Yeah, me, too.

- So, you're English?
- Indeed.

Some of the Pickens family came to
the States to settle in the colonies,

others stayed behind in the old country.

Is that where you were
before you came to Riverdale?

Oh, no.

I was traveling here and there.

Nowhere with the potential
of this place, though.

Do you know I think with a spot of

investment and a
little bit of hard work,

this place could be the
next Marsha's Vineyard.

Look, maybe we got
off on the wrong foot.

We both want the same thing.

A better, safer Riverdale.

And can't we

align on this idea about the houses?

Don't see that happening, Mr. Andrews.

Because, if you don't mind my saying,

you're thinking is fundamentally flawed.

And I'll tell you why.

One.

People of Sketch Alley
don't want your help.

All they want are handouts.

And if you try and lift
them up, all they'll do is

bring you and your property values down.

And number two, at the risk
of disillusioning you further,

your neighbors don't want them here.

Oh, they'll say they're
good, liberal people but,

in their heart of hearts,

what they really want

is for the poor, the destitute,

and the smelly to go away

without compromising their own comfort.

You're wrong.

And so is your warped,
cynical idea of who we are.

I'll prove it to you.

Well, I don't think so but...

let's see.

You called this meeting.

What can we do for you, Archie?

[Archie] You're both on the council.

But I'm here appealing to you

as two of the most prominent
business owners in Riverdale.

I need your personal help.

Okay.

We're listening.

Would you each be willing to
underwrite one of the houses?

I was thinking after I finished
building them, we could paint them.

One like Pop's and one
like the Whyte Wyrm.

In a way, they'd be like billboards.

And you're sure you don't mind that

I'm a quote unquote, g*ng member?

Oh, come on. No. Not at all.

Where would you set
them up and build them?

I was hoping we could set
them up in the parking lot.

That way, the folks living
in them could feel more

a part of the town's daily life.

Yeah, of course, Archie, we're in.

Great.

And as for where we build them,

I was thinking we could
do that in Sketch Alley.

[Jughead] Doc.

- [Doc] Hey!
- How have you been?

Ah, I'm surviving.

Well, you look a lot better
than the last time I saw you.

And that's thanks to you.

That's the reason we're here too.

Wanted to repay the favor.

I mean, if you're cool with it.

This is my pal Archie.

And the rest of us were hoping
to build some houses for you guys.

One for each of you.

- Houses?
- They're small, but they're swanky.

If you guys want to
help out, that's great.

If not, we just wanted to let
you know what we are up to.

All good either way.

When do we start?

- How about right now?
- [Doc] All right.

[Reggie] We've got a problem.

I've been crunching numbers,

and given all of our start
up costs, our expenses,

not to mention permit costs...

Cut to the chase, Reggie.

We're overleveraged, Ronnie.

Majorly.

If we're strictly legit,

it's going to be impossible
for us to turn a profit.

Maybe ever.

Unless.

Don't say it.

We start running scams,
which we could do.

[knock on door]

[man] Uh, Miss Lodge, Mr. Mantle.

I apologize, but you've got to come
to the private gambling room now.

What is it? Something bad?

Yeah.

[both exclaiming]

Oh, my God.

[Reggie] What should we do?

Cut him down? Call the ambulance?

That's what a legit place
would do, right? Right?

Yes, yes. But we don't
have that luxury, Reggie.

This would be a horrible
news story if it broke.

It would confirm Alice and the
council's worst fear about this place

and Babylonium would be
over before it even began.

Wait.

I know who could help.

Abuelita's iceman.

Mistress Cheryl, it's me.

Britta.

You have to wake up.

Please.

What is it, Brittania?

[Penelope] Wake up.
Time to rise and shine.

Time to get out of bed, you lazy bones.

It's dearest Mumsy. You have to hide.

If she finds you, I
don't know what she'll do.

Now!

[footsteps approaching]

Wake up, devil children!

Mumsy? What's going on?
It's the middle of the night.

Doesn't matter. This place,
this whole house is a sty.

Now, you grab that bucket and a
brush and you get to work, piggies.

[Cheryl and Jason] Yes, dearest Mumsy.

Get on your hand and knees and you
scrub that floor till it's clean!

I want to be able to eat off of it.

[scrubbing]

What are you doing?
Why aren't you working?

You get back to work.

Or I will get the hanger to
you. Don't make me hurt you!

[gasping]

[hammering]

[suspenseful music playing]

Hey, it's Doc, right?

Do you need something?

[groans]

And what did our young Kevin Keller get

in exchange for wanting
to provide shelter

to the people of Sketch Alley?

A hammer to the skull is what he got.

This vicious att*ck
is a clear indication

that these people don't want our help.

You offer them a helping hand
and they respond with v*olence.

Well, this journalist
and town council member

says, no more...

[Archie sighs]

How is Kevin doing?

I just came from the hospital.

He's gonna be okay.

This is a mess, Archie.

Believe me, I know, Toni.

These houses are going to be
painted with our businesses on them.

If they're associated
with v*olence and crime...

I know.

And I know that article didn't
exactly do the Serpents any favors.

It did not.

But you still have
our financial support.

So, maybe just hold off a b*at

before you paint it to
match the Whyte Wyrm.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Thanks for the support, Toni.

Yeah, no problem.

I'll send you my payment
on Chime right now.

- [phone chimes]
- Cool.

[clicks tongue] How about you, Tabitha?

I am...

[inhales]

still in, Archie. [exhales]

Paint job and all. So...

When do you want to
set up the first house?

Well, I'll bring it by
in my truck later today.

Thank you, guys.

[Veronica] Talk to me, Reggie.

So I figured, that
dead guy must have been

on a major losing streak,
and that's why he...

k*lled himself.

Sadly, that makes sense.

But, no. He was winning big-time.

So, I called the blackjack dealer
and pulled the security footage.

He was on top of the
world, up almost grand.

Why would a guy who's winning
every hand suddenly just...

off himself?

Wait, wait, wait. Stop the tape.

Look.

Who the hell is that?

That's the British creep from Town Hall,

Percival Pickens. What
the hell is he saying?

[man] Miss Lodge, I'm here.

Heraldo, thank you so much
for coming so speedily.

Where's the body?

Jeez. Cut to the chase much?

Downstairs. I'll take you.

[Reggie exhales]

[Britta] Grand Mistress Rose,
it's gotten so much worse.

Mistress Cheryl's mother is
torturing her in every way imaginable.

Penelope has always
been Cheryl's tormentor.

So, of course, Abigail
would have conjured her

as my granddaughter's
adversary in the dreamscape.

She's terrifying.

You must tell Cheryl that
Penelope is but a fiction.

A bogeyman pulled from
her own subconscious.

That perhaps will shake
her free of her stupor

and spur her into action.

Else, Abigail may take

permanent possession of
my granddaughter's body.

But I never even get the chance to
talk to her before the nightmare...

Penelope descends on us.

Then perhaps, child, you must divine

a better way to communicate with her.

Gentlemen, I am so sorry to intrude.

May I come in?

Yeah.

I heard all about what
happened in Sketch Alley. And...

I wanted to talk to you.

In hopes it never happens again.

Well, what do you think, Tabitha?

I think it is beautiful, Archie.

[Archie] Well, it was a group effort.

And bonus, Benjamin Moore donated
the paint for future houses, too.

I think it's a great start, Arch.

[closes zipper]

You're good. [exhales]
I can take it from here.

What are you gonna do?

[Heraldo] After dark, I'll put
him in his car, drive into Jersey,

hang him up in the bathroom
of a rest stop with no cameras,

call it in.

How are things going otherwise?

How's business?

Slow.

We're not quite the sensation
we were hoping we'd be.

You know, if you want,

I could put the word out
to some wise guys I know.

They got money,

and they like spending it.

I appreciate the offer, and no
offense to your wise guys, but...

we're trying to avoid
that, if at all possible.

No worries, just...

trying to help.

Actually, you know what you could do?

Could you look into someone for me?

His name's Percival
Pickens. He's British.

Just got into town and...

there's something off about him.

And I want to know what.

Yeah, I can do that.

[clattering]

[cell phone buzzing]

Hey, Tabitha. What's up?

I'm on my way.

What the hell!

Oh, Doc.

Why did you do that to Kevin?

I have no idea.

I have absolutely no memory
of attacking your friend.

Well, you did.

[stammering] One minute,
I'm hammering and...

[panting] and the next
minute, I'm just...

standing over your friend.

Getting ready to take
another swipe at him.

You gotta believe me, Jughead.

It was...

...like someone put the idea in my head.

Who?

Who could have done that?

[Doc] He, uh...

had an accent.

He might have had a British accent.

[Jughead] Thank you again,
for agreeing to meet with me.

Like I mentioned, I would
love to do a follow up article

to the one that you wrote.

[stammers] Something like a rebuttal.

[scoffs] Well, to each his own.

I've been thinking about
this quote that I read.

"The true measure of any society

can be found in how it treats
its most vulnerable members."

Well, whoever said that obviously
didn't grow up in Riverdale.

It's Gandhi.

So tell me, Percival,

do you really think that bussing
the unhoused out of Riverdale

is the best that we
can muster as a society?

Well, as I mentioned before,

I am coming at this from
a place of compassion.

My main concern is for the

[echoing] the law-abiding citizens
of Riverdale, those who pay

their taxes and contribute to
the betterment of our society.

[echoing] Now, I've been to
several Sketch Alleys in my time.

The truth is, charity is
doing them a disservice.

As is giving them a handout when
what they really should be doing

is fending for themselves.

Tell me, are you having fun rooting
around inside my brain, Mr. Jones?

What?

[Percival] Get out of my
head, you piece of garbage!

Are you all right, Mr. Jones?

Did I not answer the
question to your satisfaction?

[suspenseful music playing]

[woman sobbing]

Mistress Cheryl?

Is that you?

[Cheryl sobbing] It's me. I'm here.

Mistress Cheryl, what happened
to your beautiful hair?

Mumsy, of course.

She cut it off when she
saw me with my friend...

Heather.

Please, Mistress Cheryl,
you have to listen to me.

This isn't happening.
You're in a dreamscape.

Your mother isn't actually here.

What? [scoffs] Of course, she is.

No.

It's hard to explain.

I have written down
everything you need to know.

[Penelope shouting]
What is going on here?

Unbelievable.

I catch you with one sapphic slut,

and not an hour later,
you're back with another one.

Whomever you are, you should be ashamed.

Screw you.

You're not even real, Mrs. Blossom.

[gasps] How dare you?

Get out of Thornhill.
You don't belong here.

Please, Mrs. Blossom...

Don't you show your
face in this house again.

[door slams]

[breathing heavily]

[Britta] Mistress Cheryl, the world you

are currently inhabiting is not reality,

but rather a hellish dreamscape
from which we must free you.

Your physical body
is currently possessed

by the spirit of Abigail Blossom.

And she has trapped you in
a prison in your own mind...

with Penelope as your cruel warden.

But she is not real, Mistress Cheryl.

And you must not let her dominate you.

Do not let her break your spirit.

For if she does, your soul
may wither and dissipate

within the confines
of your corporeal body.

She is but a ghost.

A creation of the imagination.

You can defeat her.

[footsteps approaching]

I am gonna b*at you to
within an inch of your life,

you deviant, wretched creature!

Why are you looking at me like that,

you shameless, little wretch?

Because I know the truth now, Mumsy.

You're not real.

Is that a fact?

Yes.

You're in my mind, you psychotic bitch.

And you shouldn't be here.

[tires screech]

What are you guys doing?

I'm here to break that
house down and haul it away.

No, you're not.

Tabitha called us, Archie.

We started a project, and we're
doubling down to finish it.

And a few hours later, someone
will have vandalized them again.

Then, we will repaint them.

And again, and again. As
many times as we have to.

Why don't you grab a brush?

It's cold out.

I do need to talk to you
about something, though.

I don't think Doc was the
one that att*cked Kevin.

Who else would it have been?

[Percival] Hello, there.

Now what are you folks doing?

My goodness, aren't
those charming houses?

No need for them anymore, though.

Sketch Alley is no longer an issue.

Meaning what?

I took it upon myself
to visit Sketch Alley.

I spoke to the people
living there, and...

got them to move on.

Leave town, start over somewhere else.

And how did you do that?

Call it the power of persuasion.

I also bought them bus tickets, and...

gave them each $ to
build new lives elsewhere.

I don't believe you.

Well, see for yourselves.

Then afterwards, hopefully,
see you at the town hall.

Keep up the good work.

[suspenseful music playing]

Mistress Cheryl?

You're alive?

I am. And visiting you
in your dreams, Brittania.

You've done well.

And proven yourself a
dutiful and loyal factotum.

For that, you will be rewarded.

But only after we have driven that

she-demon Abigail
out of my beautiful body.

How will we do that?

I haven't the faintest idea.

Please, please, please. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you,
thank you, thank you.

Uh, the town of Riverdale
can breathe a little easier,

now that the denizens of Sketch Alley

are on their way to a better place.

The idea to pay their location
costs may have been mine,

but I, um, couldn't have
pulled it off without the help

of your sheriff, Tom Keller, a man who

represents the very best of Riverdale.

Keeping with the good news,

I'm also pleased to announce that

Percival will be joining my department.

And he'll be working as a deputy

along with me and my
son to keep the peace

and fulfill the promise of Riverdale

that has eluded us for so long.

[Archie] Dude's like a super villain.

That's exactly what he is.

We seriously need to talk tonight. Okay?

[Veronica] Alice.

In all the excitement, the
casino didn't even come up.

Yeah, have you looked
over our proposal, or what?

I have.

And after careful review and
some solid advice from Percival,

the council believes that there's a lot

of risk in partnering with Babylonium.

Which could be mitigated, possibly.

But quite frankly, Veronica,
the biggest liability is you.

Me?

The Lodge name is synonymous with

crime and corruption because of Hiram.

You're its figurehead, the public face.

So, the council feels that we
could really only support the casino

and this idea of it becoming
the new Atlantic City,

is if you take a back
seat. Out of the limelight.

[scoffs]

Alice, I am not my father.

- [scoffs]
- In fact, I've worked

really, really hard to
not be like my father...

Take offense or not, Veronica,

but I'd like to see you do
this without our support.

The picketing, the bad publicity,

the complaints to the gaming board,

the raids, the sanctions,
we won't lose this fight.

Okay. Time for a new plan.

We already tried taking the high road.

If Riverdale doesn't want to bet on us,

we'll have to lean in to who
we are and what we do best.

As my mother likes to say,

I am my father's daughter.

Does that mean running scams?
Side hustles and loopholes?

All of the above, Reggie.

All systems go. And,
Heraldo, that offer you made

about putting out the word
to your wise guys, do it.

We need to start making
money. Real money, fast.

No problem.

Oh, and by the way, I
looked into that guy for you.

Percival? And, what did you find?

Nothing.

There's no paper trail
behind him. The guy's a ghost.

It's like he didn't even exist

before he showed up here in Riverdale.

[thunder rumbling]

[door opens]

[man speaking on TV]

[Betty] Archie.

Betty?

Can you do me a favor? Can you shut

off the TV and the rest of the lights?

[Archie] Yeah, sure.

Is everything okay?

Oh, my God. What's going
on? Did TBK hurt you?

[Betty] No. No, I lost him in Maine.

This is something else.

What?

You know how I've been getting
those really bad headaches?

They've only gotten worse.

And I figured out that
they are triggered by light.

So, the brighter the light,
the more excruciating the pain.

Oh, my God.

I think it's a side effect
of being able to see auras.

Which I can still do, by the way.

Hi. [sighs]

[Archie] I'm so sorry.

[Betty whispering] That's okay.

God, it feels good to be home.

It hasn't been the same without you.

Yeah? What did I miss? Anything?

A lot.

It turns out Jug can [scoffs] read minds

since the expl*si*n.

- What?
- Yeah.

And Percival Pickens, that weird
guy who showed up out of nowhere

and tried to buy my house?

[Betty] Mmm-hmm.

We think he can control people's minds.

Make people do things. Bad things.

We're in trouble,
Betty. The whole town is.

[scribbling]

[Percival exhales]