Riverdale

It was the ultimate cliffhanger.

Clifford Blossom had killed himself. But why?

Life's not an Agatha Christie novel. It's a lot messier.

What the hell is Cliff Blossom doing with drugs?

Turns out, maple syrup was a front for his true business.

Transporting heroin from Montreal on his trucks.

A narrative quickly emerged.

That Jason Blossom learned about dear old Dad's drug running,

and threatened to expose the truth.

Which led to Jason's abduction

at the hands of a Southside Serpent named Mustang.

And then to Jason's murder at the hands of his father.

Clifford killed Mustang to cover his tracks,

making it look like he'd overdosed,

and tried to implicate a rival businessman,

Hiram Lodge, as having masterminded the whole thing.

And, oh, yeah, I almost forgot.

Mr. Blossom threatened my life,

so that my dad would confess to pulling the trigger,

even though all he did was clean up the mess.

Here you go, Juggy.

And he would have gotten away with it, too,

if it wasn't for a group of pesky kids who uncovered the truth.

Even as Clifford Blossom, consumed by guilt and shame,

took the coward's way out...

Jason's murder had revealed some dark truths

none of us were too eager to face.

Especially not Mayor McCoy,

who wanted every last vestige of corruption crushed

like a snake under a boot heel.

So, Blossom was the kingpin,

he funneled drugs through Riverdale and then shipped them out.

What the Mayor and I care about is the local component of Blossom's business.

Someone is selling his drugs here in Riverdale.

- Mostly in the Southside... - Hmm.

But it's started to cross the tracks, recently, too.

- And you think it's the Serpents? - Who else?

So here's the deal.

You feed us names, tell me who's pushing the dope,

and the Mayor, the DA have a chat,

and maybe he'd be inclined to offer you a lesser sentence.

Serpents don't get into the hard stuff.

It's dime bags of weed.

And I'm no snitch.

FP, if you don't help us and your case goes to trial,

there will be no leniency.

You'll be looking at 20 years in a federal penitentiary

for your part in the cover-up of Jason Blossom's murder.

Dad?

You okay?

I thought I knew this town.

I bet everything on it.

If I could cut bait...

How are you holding up?

I mean, I'm... I'm dealing.

But for Jughead and for Betty and Veronica, Dad, it's not over.

They're still in it. Big time.

We're all still in it. Up to our necks.

And when should I be expecting Mr. Lodge?

Not until the end of the month, but everything has to be perfect.

Yes, we would not want to make Daddy angry.

That'll be all, Smithers. Thank you.

He's your father, Veronica, not the Godfather.

They're acting like the last week and the last few months didn't even happen.

Polly's back home, my dad's back home,

my mom's back at The Register.

They all just keep smiling and talking about the Jubilee.

That's good, right? No.

No, it's horrible.

It's exactly the way things were before, pretending to be normal and perfect

when really, we're like... Like a Greek suburban tragedy.

My family imploded, Arch,

and we barely survived.

If we don't start dealing with our crap, it's all gonna happen again.

Okay, Archie.

Now that we're not actively investigating a murder case,

we need to come clean to Betty about our pas de deux.

- What? - Our romance.

Aw, definitely. But, Ronnie, we have to be careful.

The last time I had this kind of conversation with Betty, it didn't go well.

Forget it, I'll tell her.

On top of everything else I'm dealing with right now,

I'll tell Betty that we're semi-dating.

Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper,

report to the Principal's office.

Archie. Betty.

I'd like to feature you both at the Jubilee.

As you know, it's our 75th anniversary of our town's founding,

and also a kickoff for the next 75 years.

And who better represents the future of Riverdale

than the young people who, working with Sheriff Keller and my office,

helped bring peace and justice to our streets once more?

But, that's not exactly what happened...

Let the Mayor finish, Ms. Cooper.

Archie, the Pussycats will be performing at the Jubilee,

and I would love for you to join them.

Betty, I think it's important that we hear from Riverdale's best and brightest.

- What do you say, both of you? - Uh...

What about Jughead?

I, uh... I like Jughead.

And he's welcome to attend the Jubilee, of course.

But his father is in jail,

and think it might be confusing

to have him up on the Jubilee stage.

That's so unfair, Mayor McCoy.

Betty, Archie, you're heroes.

The kind of heroes that Riverdale desperately

needs right about now.

I told her I wouldn't do it.

Not unless you're up there with us, Jug.

I appreciate the righteous indignation, Betty, I do,

but Jubilees aren't my thing.

Jug, how's your dad? Did you get in to see him?

Here's the latest.

Mayor McCoy wants my dad to name names

in exchange for a lesser sentence.

What? Whose names?

The Serpents. Sheriff Keller thinks they're the ones

dealing the drugs that Clifford Blossom brought into the town.

My dad says more and more drugs are hitting the streets.

Kevin, relax, this isn't The Wire.

My dad says they're not the ones dealing.

And meanwhile, Mayor McCoy hasn't even said the words

"Clifford" or "Blossom" in public.

It's all about how the Serpents are the problem, the villains.

This is outrageous.

I'm writing an article about this,

and not just for The Blue and Gold, for The Register.

This is a town story.

Okay, as long as the article doesn't include my dad.

No, it is going to be about your dad, Jug.

It doesn't matter how many Jubilees Mayor McCoy throws.

This town's changed. That needs to be acknowledged.

Why are people so afraid of the truth?

Speaking of the truth...

Archie and I wanted to tell you...

We've kissed a couple of times.

It's okay, Vee.

I appreciate you being honest with me,

but I'm with Jughead now.

If you guys want to be together, I'm happy for you.

Thanks, Bee.

Thanks, Betty.

It was to have been the grandest funeral in Riverdale history.

Instead, he was buried like a pauper.

Why are you crying? You hated him.

Don't... Don't say that, Mommy...

We've always been cursed

ever since the original murder when brother killed brother.

Who will the Grim Reaper take next? You? Me?

Maybe your father had the right idea. Just end it.

Better the sweet hereafter than this awful limbo.

Betty, I know, you said, you're okay about me and Veronica,

but I just wanted to make sure, because...

Because last time I said I was okay, I wasn't.

But this time, I promise I am.

Great.

You and Veronica, you're...

I like her, a lot. She's amazing.

But a little part of me always thought...

We're both so lucky.

I mean, don't you think?

To have found the people that we were meant to be with.

And that we're all friends.

I mean, who would have thought,

at the beginning of the school year?

Yeah.

Who would have thought?

You wanna tell me who those guys are out there?

Our new crew. I let the Serpents go.

You fired them? Why would you do that?

The Mayor and Sheriff Keller are cracking down.

Especially on the Serpents.

Those guys stood by us, okay? When we had no one else.

Hiram is coming home.

I can't let him, or this project,

be associated with criminals.

You don't get to make unilateral decisions.

'Cause we're partners, remember?

Actually, Hiram and I have talked,

and we'd like to buy you out.

Fred.

I've dragged you into a situation that you never wanted to be a part of.

Make me an offer in writing.

I'll consider it.

It's really good, Archie.

Each song, you're getting better and better.

- That's great, Josie. - Yeah.

'Cause I was hoping we could...

Oh, we can't sing it at the Jubilee.

No, my mom already approved Astronaut.

- But my song is about... - Your friends.

Who've been through hell and back, I get it.

- Yeah. Exactly. - Yeah. So...

The Jubilee, that's for the entire town.

Not just your friends.

It's the best thing you've ever written.

It's passionate, it's compelling, but...

But you won't publish it.

- Why not? - You're too involved.