Previously on Riverdale...
This is the Black Hood.
I wanted to cleanse the Riverdale of sinners.
No.
Mr. Svenson... you scared me.
I mean, really? Mom?
You talked trash about the Serpents
when you yourself were one?
FP had a little accident.
What can we do?
Just pick up a crate on the Southside,
deliver it to an address in Greendale.
You do not want to be in bed with a snake charmer.
And if Penny Peabody reaches out,
don't respond.
No. You said that this was going to be a one and done.
And I am just getting started with you.
You think the Riverdale Reaper is the Black Hood?
I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same man.
There was a family living out near Fox Forest.
Someone broke in and shot 'em all dead.
Some say he never left Riverdale.
Like the Red Death showing up in an Edgar Allan Poe story,
the Black Hood had come to Riverdale.
With that grimmest of reapers looming over us,
how did we cope?
In the case of Archie and Veronica,
it was through carnal defiance.
Ugh! Get a room, Xenomorphs!
With every kiss and embrace,
they seemed to be saying:
"You have no power over me, Death."
In fact, "Varchie" became the opposite of death.
In Archie's bedroom...
In his garage...
Even in the Pembrooke.
After all, if our young lovers dared to defy the Black Hood,
why not risk Hiram Lodge's wrath as well?
- Hey. - Hmm.
Are you sure your parents aren't gonna come back any time soon?
What if they catch us like this?
The tasting menu at Pourquoi is 13 courses, Archie.
We have hours yet.
What?
You've always wanted to make it in front of a roaring fire?
No, just... I love you, Ronnie.
- You, uh, wanna watch Netflix? - I wonder what's on HBO.
Maybe I should go on the off chance your parents come back.
Yeah, or at a minimum, we should get dressed.
I'm gonna go... I have to do this thing.
I'll text you.
Archie...
this was as always, amazing.
Sorry, there's no service in the bowels of City Hall.
What'd you find?
Any truth to what that creepy truck
driver said about that murdered family?
Yes, shockingly, Freddy Krueger didn't lie to me.
A family of four was murdered
by someone that the press called "the Riverdale Reaper."
The victims were Jim and Mary Ellen Conway and their kids.
Tommy was ten, and Sue was nine.
Reaper was never caught or identified,
so he could be our Black Hood,
but I'm dubious. He would be in his 60's by now.
Why did he do it... Kill them?
The reporter of the article talked to a sheriff at the time
who thought... Killer chose them at random
- or because their house was isolated. - Where was it?
Edge of Fox Forest, down some service road.
There's a picture of it.
Oh, my God.
Jughead, I've been to this house.
The Black Hood sent me to it, as part of his game.
Well, then there's definitely a link between the Hood and the Reaper.
We should talk to Keller.
Pull the files from the murders.
At least get a list of all the players.
No, Jughead, I can't go to Sheriff Keller.
Not after I accused him of being the Black Hood.
Right, yeah, that would be awkward.
You could go to the house.
I can't go back there, Jug.
He made me look in a mirror,
you know, what I saw staring back at me...
I don't want to do that again.
Then you don't have to, okay?
Hello?
Yeah, I'll accept the charges.
So the reason we called you guys in here...
My dad's getting out of jail.
Jug, that's... That's great.
Yeah, what heralded this miracle?
Uh, overcrowding at the jail,
I guess the judge reviewed my dad's case
and after Cheryl's testimony it was...
A perfect storm.
What do you need from us, Jug?
Both of us. We have a new lead on the Black Hood case.
And Jughead and I, we were wondering
if you guys would follow up on it for us.
We can give you all of the details, the articles.
It's just that I have to be there for my dad
to help with his re-entry, so.
Uh, yeah and I'm just...
I'm taking a break from the Black Hood.
Wait, so,
you want us to be
you guys?
Essentially, yes.
Why, is there a problem with that?
Oh, my God, Josie, your back,
it's like a sailor's rope!
- What? - All these tension knots.
Luckily, I just picked up
a new bottle of lavender essential oil.
Turn around.
Uh, okay.
Girls, I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone was still in here
No, It's okay, Mr. Svenson,
Oh, my God, Josie. It's so not okay.
Take your male gaze and your male privilege
and get out of the women's locker room!
Of course, my apologies. I should've knocked.
Can you believe that?
He should be fired and investigated,
the peeping Tom.
- Sheriff Keller. - Veronica.
What was he doing here?
The shadow of the Black Hood has finally landed on our home.
We received a letter.
What? What did it say?
The usual.
That we'll be targeted and punished for our sinful ways.
Well, don't let it ruin your day.
According to Keller, apparently dozens of households
received the exact same letter.
Well, I don't know about those other people,
but we're actually sinners.
The Pembrooke is a fortress
and Andre is trained in the martial arts.
What about when I go to school?
- Or shopping? - He'll drive you,
and if he's not available, we'll hire a car service.
Also, your father and I have talked
and we wouldn't mind seeing more of Archie.
He's brawny and devoted to you.
Wait, uh, Mom,
before you leave, I wanted to ask
if I could borrow the station wagon tomorrow?
Why?
FP's getting released from jail.
So, Jughead and I,
we're gonna pick him up and treat him to Pop's.
They're letting FP out?
And you're gonna hear it eventually,
so, it might as well be from me.
Don't freak out,
Jughead is a Serpent now, officially.
Betty...
I wish I could say I was surprised.
Jughead is important to me.
FP is important to Jughead.
So I'm asking, Mom,
will you try to give him the benefit of the doubt,
for me?
I have an announcement to make.
My dad's getting out.
And when he does,
I'll bring him up to speed
about our plans with Mayor McCoy.
That's brilliant.
Do you have a problem with that, Tall Boy?
Your old man? No.
I got no problem with him.
But you want us to sit down with the Mayor.
I do. He's right.
I think we can bring the Southside back.
But it's going to take work and it's going to take compromise.
Bring the Southside back.
You've been here all of five minutes.
Tall Boy, I am sick of you acting like a little bitch.
Whispering behind my back that I'm half a Serpent
or that I don't belong here.
Why don't we put it to a vote?
If you guys think what I'm doing is wrong,
I'll step aside.
All those who stand with Jughead
and think that Tall Boy should shut the hell up...
- My parents are in their room. - Good.
That thing Betty and Jughead asked us to do,
investigate the murder house,
- I wanna do it. - Yeah, me too.
My parents got a threatening letter.
- What? From the Black Hood? - Maybe,
or maybe it's was somebody pretending to be the Black Hood.
- Ronnie... - Mmm.
Are we good?
Don't stop, Archie.
I don't want to.
Can we talk about what I said?
Archie,
I wanna be with you,
and you want to be with me.
Can't that be enough for right now?
While we focus on the case?
- Synced and corrected by VitoSilans - -- www.Addic7ed.com --
What's wrong, Archie? Something you wanna get off your chest?
Yeah, actually.
Me and Ronnie are in kind of a weird place.
Things have been pretty intense lately
Something weird happened with Archie.
Well, to be honest,
I'm not sure if it even really happened, but...
He may or may not have
said the "L" word to me.
I said "I love you" to her, Dad.
And she didn't say it back.
And yes, she heard me.
Which, if he did, I think it's...
Too soon, don't you guys agree?
I wouldn't get too in your head about that, son.
I mean, those three words,
people are often on different schedules.
It doesn't matter what Archie said.
Or didn't say, that's my preference.
It's about whether or not you're ready to hear it.
Ah!
- Hey, Betty. - Hi, Mr. Jones.
Alice!
Is it true what they say about men
who have just been released from prison, FP?
What do they say?
That they're incredibly sexually frustrated.
- Mom! What? - Wow.
Seat belts, Betty.
The Black Hood is targeting sinners,
so, I'd watch my back if I were you, FP,
especially once you re-join that gang of hoodlums.
The Serpents aren't...
I'm not going back to the Serpents, Alice.
I thought a lot about this while I was in Shankshaw,
and I'm done with Serpent life.
It's gonna be one last ride for my boy and I.
But it's too much of a slippery slope for me.
- The Serpents need you, Dad. - Jughead needs you, Mr. Jones.
And what, pray tell, will you be doing
with all of your extra time, FP?
Working, Warden Cooper.
Saw a "Help Wanted" sign in the window.
Thought I'd talk to Pop about picking up some shifts.
Let's hope your plans don't come crashing down
once you start drinking again.
Actually, I'm in AA.
Started in jail and I don't plan on stopping.
Mmm.
- Sheriff. - We wanted to talk to you about a cold case.
About a family that was murdered in Fox Forest
40 years ago.
Your receptionist said that the files on the case were missing.
Is it possible they were stolen?
As part of a cover-up?
Now, now, hold on. Sometimes with cold cases,
the lead officer will take the files home,
so he can keep working on them.
Who would have been the lead officer on this case?
Back then? Multiple homicide?
My guess would be Sheriff Howard.
Do you know where he is?
Sheriff Howard died two years ago, now.
But his daughter, still lives in town here, Margaret.
Get her contact information.
Maybe she can help.
My name is Veronica Lodge.
I'm calling about one of your father's cases,
the Conway murders?
Here we go again. What about 'em?
My colleague and I are writing a retrospective on the murders,
and we were wondering if...
My dad was obsessed with the killings.
He called the house where they happened the Devil's house.
He'd go to that place day and night for hours,
trying to put the pieces together.
If you ask me, my father lost his mind in that house.
Now, I am done talking about this, okay?
Don't call me again.
- Ronnie... - Don't say it, Archie.
We have to go to that house.
The Devil's house.
What if he's home?
Things got ugly when you were away.
I asked myself every day what you would do,
if you were here.
Has Penny bothered you?
Figured she's the one who greased my wheels.
I did a job for her.
What kind of job?
It's a one-time thing.
Figured it best not to ask too many questions.
We're squared away. For good.
You know, when I was 16,
my old man kicked me out and told me to go to hell.
Instead, I joined the Serpents.
And then the army, and then back again.
I don't want that life for you, Jug.
I want you to go to college,
get out of this godforsaken town.
I ran the gauntlet.
I fought with the Serpents.
And fod them, I have to stay.
I wanna stay.
And I need your blessing.
Just promise me you'll keep writing.
I will.
I do every day.
Y'all finished?
Yeah, thanks, Dad.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- Josie. - Yeah.
Playing a car dealership opening
is barely a step above amateur porn.
Reggie's texting me that his dad
is gonna pay me $5,000
for five songs.
As long as he gets to escort me.
Clean that up, Plebe.
The way you did my brother's blood.
Jug, don't.
We'll get you another milkshake right away.
On the house.
My dad used to be a king.
A leader of men.
Now he's being demeaned by the likes of Cheryl Blossom.
He deserves to be honored, not humiliated.
So, why don't we do just that?
Seriously, why not throw your dad
a retirement party fit for a king?
Don't worry, I'll take care of everything.
You have a stage.
Would you be open to me bringing in a karaoke machine?
For FP's retirement?
Sure, why not.
Also, Toni, one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you,
beyond the party-planning, is...
I've been walking the razor's edge
since Jughead joined the Serpents
and all I've been thinking is...
You know, as soon as FP gets home,
everything will get better
because he'll be there to protect Jughead
and make sure he doesn't get hurt.
Yeah, I'm following you.
I mean, with FP out of the picture...
But that's my whole point.
I do worry.
So, I wanna keep an eye on Jughead,
myself.
Make sure that as deep into these snake-infested waters as he goes,
he doesn't do something that... you know, puts him in danger.
So, what?
You wanna be a Serpent?
Let's say Serpent-adjacent.
But, yeah, part of his world, this world.
Shut it, Byrdie.
Sorry, Sweet Valley High,
if you wanna join the club, you gotta do the dance...
Serpent dance.
Excuse me, Serpent dance?
It's an outdated, sexist Serpent tradition.
Tried to get it outlawed, but misogyny dies hard.
You don't wanna know.
Uh, yeah, I do.
I wanna know everything.
A party? No, no, no, no.
The problem is, I'm trying to keep the Serpents
in my rear view mirror, remember?
It's one night. Not even, it's like three hours.
You've done right by the Serpents,
more than right. Why can't they do right by you?
Come on, it's the end of an era.
Okay.
- Okay, let's do it. - Great.
It's Archie.
Don't bogart the egg rolls.
What the hell do you want, Penny?
We have business.
How fast can you get to Pop's?
No. No, I told you that I'm out.
That I'm done.
Don't keep me waiting long, little doggie,
or I'll have your father back behind bars
before I finish my cup of burnt coffee.
I won't be held hostage by you.
I did my one favor, I'm out.
No, no, you have debts to pay.
And ours is an ongoing arrangement.
You know what, Penny?
I'm about to have a sit-down with Mayor McCoy.
She's not really so big on the whole drug dealing thing
and I'm sure that she would love to know
who took over Clifford Blossom's operation.
You'd need proof to make an accusation like that stick.
Like the video I have of you and your pal
making that delivery for me.
What do you think of that?
I think that an attack against me, or my father,
is an attack against all of the Serpents.
And not even some fuzzy surveillance footage
of me delivering a crate
is going to stop us from coming for you.
Your girlfriend...
Betty Cooper, I believe?
She's quite fetching.
What did you say?
All snakes have a soft underbelly.
She's yours, am I right?
Now I'm regretting throwing your gun in Sweetwater River.
Sheriff Howard kept coming back here year after year,
there must be a reason why.
Something that didn't, or doesn't add up.
So, what does the article say happened?
The Reaper came at night,
when the rest of the town was getting ready for bed.
He killed the mother, Mary Ellen Conway, first.
Maybe over there.
He killed the father, Jim Conway, in the kitchen.
He was rushing to save his wife.
He was shot point-blank in the chest.
The kids were still in their bedrooms.
Hiding.
My God, Archie.
They were hiding under the bed.
Archie? It was a family of four that was killed, right?
Yeah, why?
There's something weird here...
Three sets of initials.
These are Sheriff Howard's files, his notes.
He kept them here so he could keep working on the case.
Does it say anything about a third child?
With the letters "J" and "C"?
Wait, wait, turn it back.
Oh, my God, Archie, there.
The Conways were a family of five.
Why so sad?
It's great news about your dad.
I guess that means the Snake Charmer came through.
What? She hasn't called you for any more favors again, has she?
That deal was a favor.
A one favor. Technically, I don't owe her anything.
Oh, Jones. Let's hope you're right.
It's no problem, we can pick the trays up.
Thanks, Pop. Sorry for the short notice.
Bye.
Trays for what?
Juggie is throwing a retirement party
for FP at the Whyte Wyrm.
And I'm helping him organize.
Before you object, Mom,
need I remind you, you were a Serpent?
Betty won't listen to reason, so I'm telling you, FP,
if she even thinks about putting on a Serpent jacket,
- I'll have your head. - I'm working.
I won't have our kids make the same mistakes we did.
They weren't all mistakes.
If you're that worried, come to the party. Chaperone her.
Are you high on fumes? I can't.
Yes, you can. Stop by.
Say hi to some old friends.
- Hal would never come. - Well, then leave him.
At home.
So, the real story was in the Sheriff's notebook.
There was a third child,
Joseph Conway, who survived the massacre.
They hid his identity, changed his name,
so he could lead a normal life.
- Yeah. - According to Sheriff Howard's notes,
he was adopted by another family in Riverdale
and presumably, enrolled at a local high school.
We got a picture of the kid.
If we match that boy
to one of the students at Riverdale High
during the years he would've attended...
Then he might be able to tell us
how the Conway murders are connected to the Black Hood.
Or he is the Black Hood.
Just go with me here.
Let's say that our mystery kid
did end up surviving the slaughter,
maybe even saw it.
That would've messed him up for life.
Yeah, and somehow, for some reason,
he could be blaming the town for what happened.
And now is punishing us for it.
So, basically, we just have to go through all these yearbooks,
page by page, and see if we find a match.
So, not quite a needle in a haystack.
What?
Uh, we just have to get ready for a party that we're hosting.
It's my dad's retirement party, so...
- Oh. - Oh.
No, you guys should come.
Yeah, no, I'm renting a karaoke machine.
It's not a big deal.
- You should come. You guys should come. - If you want.
Ronnie, can we take a break and talk about...
Oh, my God.
Is that him?
Could be, yeah.
Mr. Svenson!
Yes.
We know who you are... Joseph Conway.
Hey!
Why did you run, Mr. Svenson?
I got scared.
No one's called me Joe Conway in decades.
We read about your family.
We know you're the only one that survived.
If you've been tempted to find justice...
I found justice.
What do you mean?
The night it happened,
I heard gunshots
and I escaped out of my bedroom window.
I could've run into the woods, but I didn't.
I wanted to see him leave my house.
I saw him covered in my family's blood.
I saw his face.
You know who killed your family?
A con man,
a preacher passing through town.
Next day, a group of men took me to the motel where he was staying.
I pointed him out,
they took him away,
and they killed him.
I'm not sure how.
What happened to the men who did that?
Nothing.
Justice had been served.
It was never reported, never investigated.
The town demanded blood for blood.
You're sounding an awful lot like the Black Hood right now.
Where were you the morning Fred Andrews was shot?
Ronnie...
And the night Ms. Grundy was killed?
- And Moose and Midge, - Ronnie. Ronnie!
- And the Sugarman. - That's enough!
I've looked into the Black Hood's eyes.
We were wrong.
It's not him.
Andre's got the car waiting for you,
but I wanted to ask, how things are with you and Archie?
We've been working on this side project,
and I'm realizing that
one of the reasons I threw myself into it
was to avoid talking about the love
that dares not speak its name.
Why can't I say it, Mom?
And why does it have to be such a big deal?
I mean, you and Daddy never say it.
I mean, I don't think I've ever heard you say it...
Once.
Oh.
Hey, bud, picking up Veronica?
No, I think I'm just gonna meet her there.
Oh.
So I take it things didn't go so well
on the other side of the four-letter-word, huh?
When I'm with Veronica,
as dark as things get
and they've been getting pretty dark,
she makes me feel like everything is gonna be fine.
She makes things fun.
I don't wanna lose that.
You won't.
You just gotta give her a little time
and space.
You're a great kid, Arch.
Really, get out there, have a good time.
Take the pressure off.
- Archie, hey. - Hey.
I just did a sweep of the perimeter.
You good?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ronnie's almost here.
We're gonna clear the air, it's gonna be a good night.
Here's hoping.
- I'll catch you later, okay? - Yeah.
Jones, you look nervous.
Want a drink?
No, I'm good. I'm just getting a lay of the land.
Wow, Betty.
Mrs. Cooper. You look incredible.
Tell me about it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't convince this one to dress appropriately,
Hog Eye, get me...
Tequila, straight up,
- hold the worm. - Hold the worm.
I was talkin' to you.
I have a surprise for you. Later.
Mmm. Hit me, Hog Eye.
Honey, what do you want? A Shirley Temple?
- Just give me two. - Two.
- Hey. - Hey.
Can we talk?
Not about Svenson,
not about the Black Hood,
not about some murder house. About us, Ronnie.
Archie, this is a party.
Must we discuss serious things tonight?
I just want you to know.
What I said?
That was about me and what I was feeling in that specific moment
and you shouldn't feel any pressure to say it back to me.
Oh, Archie.
Thank you for understanding.
Yeah, you're welcome.
Uh, yeah.
I, uh, I signed us up for a duet
that Donnie Darko song you love
or hopefully, strongly like at least.
- Archie... - Or can you not do that, either?
No, I can sing with you.
♪ All around me Are familiar faces ♪
♪ Worn out places Worn out faces ♪
♪ Bright and early For the daily races ♪
♪ Going nowhere Going nowhere ♪
♪ Their tears are filling Up their glasses ♪
♪ No expression No expression ♪
♪ Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow ♪
♪ No tomorrow No tomorrow ♪
♪ And I find it kind of funny ♪
♪ I find it kind of sad ♪
♪ The dreams In which I'm dying ♪
♪ Are the best I've ever had ♪
♪ I find it hard to tell you ♪
♪ I find it hard to take ♪
♪ When people run in circles ♪
♪ It's a very, very ♪
♪ Mad world ♪
Veronica...
♪ Children waiting for The day they feel good ♪
♪ Happy birthday ♪
♪ And I feel the way That every child should ♪
♪ Sit and listen ♪
♪ And I find it kind of funny ♪
♪ I find it kind of sad ♪
♪ The dreams In which I'm dying ♪
♪ Are the best I've ever had ♪
♪ I find it hard to tell you ♪
♪ I find it hard to take ♪
♪ When people run in circles ♪
♪ It's a very, very ♪
♪ Mad world ♪
- ♪ Mad world ♪ - Oh, my God.
♪ Mad world ♪
There he is!
Quite the show.
Thanks, Betty.
Here you go.
Let's give her a round of applause!
And show her some of that
Serpent hospitality we're known for.
You know what? I've been in and out of the Serpents
since I was younger than my son.
And it's been a... A wild ride.
Good times, bad times,
but through it all, the Serpents stuck by my side,
while most other people turned their backs on me.
My own family included.
Now, the letter of the law
says that I can't be here
in the Serpent den.
That I can't associate with my friends.
- My real family. - Yeah!
My blood.
You're the man!
But I've been thinking about that.
And it'll be a cold day in hell
before a snake lets a pig tell him what to do.
All right, Coyote Ugly, let's go.
No, I'm staying.
Elizabeth, you're coming with me now.
No, I'm staying.
Well, I can't.
Northside wants me outta this gang?
Well, they better bring a coffin
because FP Jones isn't retiring!
I am not going gently into the night!
I'm here to stay!
So, bring the fire!
Yeah!
What happened to retiring?
I know about the Snake Charmer.
And the delivery you did and the debt you owe her.
It was the one thing, son.
The one thing I asked you not to do.
I can fix this. Let me just talk to her.
No. No. I'm in, you're out.
Penny's my problem now.
You broke my heart, Jughead.
Shots, let's line 'em up!
Hail to the king!
- To the king! - To the king!
Ronnie, what I said, it doesn't matter
if you don't' wanna say it back to me.
But it does. And it should.
And...
for whatever messed-up reason,
Archie, whatever deep-seated issues I have,
I can't let myself go there with you.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Home, Andre.
Yes, Miss Veronica.
Hey.
What's wrong?
Was it the dance?
It's everything.
And, yeah... Why would you do that?
I wanted to be a part of this.
The Serpents, your world.
Why?
Archie knew to cut bait.
Now I'm dragging you down.
I'm dragging my dad down.
Jug, he's still figuring it out.
And It's going to be okay.
We'll figure out what we have to do, together.
No. Betty... Mmm-mmm.
Not together.
Betty, if you stay,
I don't know if I can protect you anymore.
You might get...
You probably will get hurt.
I can't let that happen to you.
It's not your decision to make.
Actually...
yeah, it is.
How many times, Jug?
How many time are we going to push each other away?
Until it sticks.
I was my dad's one chance
at going straight and I wrecked it.
I'm not going to destroy you, too.
Just tell me what happened, Jug.
Jug!
Tell me.
Please,
go home.
That night, I realized
it was like we'd been playing a game of Snakes and Ladders.
Me, Betty, Archie, Veronica.
And in one fell swoop,
we all slid off the board and into free fall
and not just us, other people.
Maybe innocent, maybe not,
had been dragged into our game,
as old wounds reopened.
And as feelings that had long been buried
shook loose.
And a boy looked out his window at the girl next door
as if for the very first time.
- Synced and corrected by VitoSilans - -- www.Addic7ed.com --