Riverdale

Previously on Riverdale...

You know that SoDale contract?

It was awarded to Andrews Construction.

Mr. Andrews still doesn't know that Daddy is the buyer?

I asked around about those bruisers going after your crew.

Pretty sure we both know who has business in Montreal.

Hiram, why would he even...

Maybe he got a whiff of your little romance with Freddy Andrews?

When my father got arrested,

I made a pact to become a better person.

You're the bravest of them all, Ethel Muggs.

You hate the Blossoms

and now Polly is pregnant with his baby.

Polly is moving home.

I will not be party to raising a child that has Blossom blood.

Thicker than blood.

More precious than oil.

Riverdale's big business is maple syrup.

Since the town's founding,

one family has controlled its lucrative syrup trade,

the Blossoms.

They were a part of the fabric of our daily lives...

Rich or poor, old or young,

we consumed Blossom syrup by the bucket.

That sickly, sweet smell was inescapable.

The death of Jason Blossom precipitated a crisis.

With the heir apparent gone,

who would inherit the family business one day?

Certainly not Cheryl.

It was a question that brought the wolves to Riverdale.

And now, the Blossoms were circling the wagons

against possible attack,

from within their own ranks.

Polly won't answer my calls or e-mails.

I mean, I get that she doesn't want to talk to my dad,

but what did I do wrong?

Nothing.

We'll figure it out.

Come here.

Up and at 'em, breakfast is ready.

I'm not hungry.

Oh, enough is enough, Elizabeth,

we have a big week ahead of us.

The Blossoms have always been a thorn in our side,

ever since, according to your milquetoast father,

Great-Grandpappy Blossom

killed Great-Grandpappy Cooper.

Well, it's about time someone brings them to heel.

I'm writing a searing, no-holds-barred takedown of their clan.

And you think that's going to bring Polly home?

Maybe, maybe not,

but it'll make me feel better.

Word has it that the Blossom board of trustees

has descended upon Riverdale like a cabal of vampires.

Why? Now, that's a story.

I just need to find a way in.

The lawyers are coming over this week

to take our statements for your dad's hearing.

We're both gonna have to testify on your father's behalf.

What if they ask about what he did?

Embezzling all that money?

Am I going to have to lie?

Well... We might have to

shade the truth a bit, Ronnie.

Mom?

Baby, I have just made a mess of things.

Your father found out about Fred and me.

Someone went to him

before I got a chance to say anything...

Oh, my God, Dad knows?

Yes, and on top of that,

the Blossoms are still after the drive-in land,

and Fred still doesn't know that we own it.

Maybe it's time you tell Mr. Andrews the truth.

And risk having him walk off the project?

We've bet everything we have on the SoDale construction.

Mom,

this is a small, gossipy town.

You need to tell Fred about the land

before someone else does.

Archie.

If music be the food of love,

play on, play on.

Did you know this week's the official start

of maple syrup season?

I... No, I didn't.

Well, it is.

And every year, we host a tree-tapping ceremony,

a tradition that honors the Blossom bloodline.

Our heritage.

Sounds cool.

It is. Beyond.

It's also incredibly exclusive.

Family and inner circle only.

Wanna be my date?

The maple-tapping's something Jason and I have done together since we could walk.

It was our extra-special thing.

But I...

I can't face it alone.

If you came,

as my escort,

I think I could get through it.

Cheryl, I would love to help, but I have a girlfriend.

Maybe invite Kevin? Or Reggie?

You don't get it, do you?

I don't want Kevin or Reggie.

I want you.

You defended me to Sheriff Keller

when not even my parents would.

Never mind, I'm sorry I asked.

Cheryl, hold on.

"They put me in a wooden box as I desperately opposed.

But all my screaming was for naught.

My mouth had been sewn closed.

Curled up in bed was just a girl.

Needing Daddy's arms to hold her."

Hey, Ethel.

I just wanted to tell you how moved I was by your poem.

It felt like you were tapping into something pretty dark,

but also pretty real.

And I don't want to overstep...

But is everything all right, Ethel?

Things at home aren't great.

My mom and dad are fighting,

but they won't tell me about what.

It's like this really bad thing is happening,

and there's nothing that I can do to stop it.

Like you're trapped in a slow-motion car crash.

Yeah, I know the feeling.

Listen, Ethel.

It sounds like you need some cheering up.

Which happens to be a Veronica Lodge specialty.

So...

If you're free tomorrow,

come over for lunch and pampering.

Kevin will be there.

Yeah, come on, it'll be fun.

Just please say yes.

All right, sure.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Great, I'll see you tomorrow.

So... What was that about?

Ethel's poem was a cry for help

if I ever heard one,

the likes of which I vowed never to ignore,

not after...

Uh-oh. Do we need to sit down?

Okay, so, last year at Spence,

my best friend Katy and I kind of terrorized this girl, Paige.

One time, we made her drink gutter water.

Ew! Why?

Because she was there.

Because she was a misfit

and we were class-A brutal bitches.

Anyway, by December,

Paige couldn't take it anymore...

Oh, my God, did you drive her to suicide?

What? No.

But she did transfer schools.

And went into therapy.

So now?

If I can make Ethel Muggs' life a little better,

even for one afternoon,

I'm going to do it.

Archibald.

I was going to get Principal Weatherbee to summon you.

Hey, Mrs. Blossom.

Have a moment to chat?

About Cheryl.

I believe she invited you to our tree-tapping ceremony?

Yeah.

She did, and like I told her,

I don't feel comfortable going.

Cheryl tells me

you have a keen interest in music.

Is that true?

Did she tell you her Great-Uncle Harrison

sits on the board of the Brandenburg Music Academy?

They have an excellent summer program, I hear.

It's amazing, crazy hard to get into.

Surely not for a talent like you.

And especially not if I put in a word on your behalf.

Mrs. Blossom...

At Jason's memorial,

you brought me his football jersey.

So sorry for your loss, Mrs. Blossom.

I thought you might want to have this.

That was an act of kindness

on a day of despair.

You're good and decent, Archibald,

unlike most people in this town.

Mrs. Blossom, I don't know what to say.

Say you'll reconsider escorting my daughter to the tapping.

It's just an afternoon.

And it would mean the world to my Cheryl.

I mean, yeah. I guess I could talk to Valerie.

I swear, Archibald,

when the light hits you just right...

I'll tell Cheryl the good news.

And I'll call Great-Uncle Harrison.