-[Betty] Previously on Riverdale: -Hiram Lodge, you're under arrest.
My own daughter, working with the feds.
Is there someone else here?
I came to tell her that I wanted to be with her.
[Betty] Gryphons and Gargoyles is literally killing people.
-There was something lodged in his throat. -A matchbook from the Maple Club.
According to Ethel, Jason Blossom is the Gargoyle King.
[Jughead] The return of the Black Hood, now we have
-two serial killers running around. -[Betty] Possibly working together.
Let the Farm protect you. Both of you.
The Farm gave me back my brother.
Yes, I see my son Charles. It's like I never lost him.
There's a refrigerator filled to the brim with human organs.
Prepare Betty for her procedure.
Get your hands off my girlfriend!
Toni, this is your only chance at freedom.
Go! Run! Go!
[Penelope] There, there, Antoinette.
Now that you've settled down with a cup of calming tea,
why don't you explain this to me one more time.
Mrs. Blossom, Cheryl is in danger.
She's at the Farm with Betty, Kevin and Fangs,
and Edgar Evernever.
And he's harvesting organs from his followers.
Oh, dear.
Is that what he's doing there?
Well, it's fortunate I was here
collecting my mail at Thistlehouse when you arrived.
And Betty's with them, you say?
Yeah, and, um, we need to go save them
because we...
Good night, my dear.
Thank you for the information.
Very timely, indeed.
[Jughead] I refuse to accept what Ethel said,
that Jason Blossom is the Gargoyle King.
Even though his coffin was empty. It defies logic.
Well, say Ethel is off her rocker, okay, but where's Jason's body?
And someone's still wearing the Gargoyle King's antlers, so...
it's up to you and me to figure out who, Blossom or no Blossom.
I keep thinking about that matchbook Dr. Curdle found in Baby Teeth's throat.
Kurtz must have got that at the Maple Club, right?
What are you getting at, boy?
Do you have a copy of Kurtz's mug shot I can borrow?
Dad.
Sorry to interrupt,
but you have a visitor, she says it can't wait.
[Edgar] Mrs. Blossom, what can I do for you?
Let's not mince words, Mr. Evernever.
I am fully aware of the foul activities you're conducting here.
The Topaz girl told me.
I have no interest in exposing your shenanigans.
Then why have you come?
You have something that I want.
-Ms. Blossom-- -You sell organs, don't you?
I'm looking to buy in bulk.
Did you ever see a client in here by the name of Kurtz at the Maple Club?
He looked like this.
Yes.
-I never worked with him directly. -Who did he work with?
All of his interactions were with...
The Red Dahlia? Penelope Blossom?
Yeah.
Out of curiosity,
you never saw Penelope with a young man, a young redhead, did you?
You mean her kid, Jason?
Yeah, sure, he came around.
We've been compromised, Evelyn. We've had too many breaches.
-It's time-- -[Alice] Edgar.
What's happening? Why is everyone acting so skittish?
The outside world is encroaching upon us, Sister Alice.
We've had both defectors and unwelcomed visitors.
The Ascension is upon us. Tonight.
The Ascension?
-Tonight? -[Edgar] Yes.
Preparations are being made.
-I need to find Betty. Have you seen her? -She escaped. With Toni Topaz.
-Escaped? -She was never a believer like you, Alice.
So, we will ascend without her.
In the wake of Mr. Lodge's arrest,
you now have full ownership of the Pembrooke
and all other Lodge investment properties.
And, Veronica, you and your mother are now the co-owners of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe
and the speakeasy beneath it.
Now, there's one more property I'm curious about...
Mom, that was Veronica on the phone with some amazing news.
She says she's giving me the El Royale.
That I legit own the gym now, free and clear.
That's a very generous gift, Archie.
But still, I'm interested in where you two stand romantically.
[knocking on door]
We expecting anyone?
[Archie] Someone left mine at the door.
Mine, too. My dad or Jellybean could've found it.
Mine was waiting for me downstairs, at the speakeasy.
Are we sure they're not fakes?
I don't think so.
And I've been trying Betty at the Farm, but she's not answering.
The invitations say not to tell anyone and not to bring our phones.
So, it's a trap.
Was that ever a doubt? We don't really have a choice.
Guys.
Elizabeth. Pretty.
Good evening. Come and join us, why don't you?
Penelope.
What-- What is this place?
This is the Blossom hunting lodge, on the grounds of Thornhill.
How did I get here?
I bought you from Mr. Evernever.
Just as he was about to cut you into butcher's parts.
Now, Agatha here will show you to your place.
Sister Woodhouse?
You naughty, naughty girl.
Agatha was one of my mentors.
She cared for me when I was an orphan at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
Taught me everything I know about poisons.
The murdered nuns...
You did that?
Oh. Loose ends, such a bother, aren't they?
Loose ends? Is that what we are?
Oh, gosh, no, not you. You are featured players.
The sons and daughters of the original Midnight Club.
Jug, what's happening?
-I've almost figured it out... -Oh, have you?
Because if anybody could, it would be you, Mr. Jones.
But first, two more guests.
[bell ringing]
I believe you know them already.
[chuckles]
What have I told you? No masks at the dinner table.
Take them off.
Oh, my God.
Wait, King, before you do...
Hellcaster, care to take a stab?
Sure.
Arthur Conan Doyle famously said,
"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains,
however improbable, must be the truth."
In which case...
whoever is underneath that mask must have had a connection to Hal,
and to you, Penelope.
But it's not Jason, because he's dead,
even though his corpse is missing.
The one corpse that hasn't been accounted for,
and who was last seen by the Black Hood...
-Chic. -Chic.
What the hell?
Since when does Chic have red hair?
I'm guessing since he started working with Penelope,
doing her bidding.
But this was after he got the Gargoyle symbols tattooed on his back.
That's why Ethel said the Gargoyle King was Jason.
Because you called him Jason. Because you dressed him up like Jason.
You didn't murder Chic.
After you chased him through the woods, you...
I recognized a kinship in him and I spared him.
He begged for mercy
and pledged his life to me in service of my mission.
But it wasn't just your mission, was it, Mr. Cooper?
Maybe not at first, but eventually, you started working with someone else
who also had a grudge against Riverdale.
In the middle of all that stuff with the Black Hood last year, my dad...
was having an affair with Penelope.
Yes, I did cultivate your father's... murderous impulses.
It's true.
To take my revenge on a town
that allowed me to be sold as a child bride to the Blossoms.
Your parents knew. I told them.
And they did nothing but mock me.
And years later, when my Jason was murdered in cold blood,
do you think one of them reached out to me?
No, they were too busy ignoring the rotting, fetid truth.
That Riverdale is a hideous and cruel place, twisted and cursed.
And the Black Hood and I, we were doing quite well.
Exterminating its sinners.
Until my dad got arrested.
Yes. But that was fine because Hal's disciple came to me.
Lost, and I gave him purpose. To continue our great work.
[Jughead] But not as the Black Hood.
So, instead, you made him dress up like the boogeyman...
the Gargoyle King.
You introduced G&G to our parents 25 years ago.
And then re-introduced it this year to Chic...
His name is Jason.
Who gave it to...
Ben Button.
Who started playing with Dilton Doiley...
[Betty] And Ethel Muggs.
And then G&G spread like a virus
or a poison...
And the true mastermind behind it all, the true King,
is you, Penelope.
Oh.
Well done.
But now, it's time to play one final round,
with you, the Midnight Children.
To what end?
Say it's to reveal your true nature.
To prove that you are as dark-hearted as the town that birthed you.
And what?
-If we win, we escape? -You won't win.
So, what happens if we lose?
Well, then your parents will feel the pain that I felt.
The death of a child, could there be anything more dreadful?
You're nuts.
[bell tolling]
Ah.
It is time.
Come to the lawn for the Gathering.
The task before you is simple.
Make it through the woods. Survive the night.
You will be tested, each of you. Refuse my tests, or try to escape,
and my Gargoyle minion will kill you.
May the final quest begin.
I'd start running if I were you.
The good news is, if Penelope wanted us dead, we would be.
She wants us alive.
Yeah, well, at least long enough to complete her bizarre social experiment.
Yeah, or die trying.
We don't even know where to go.
Actually, Enchantress, we might.
Come on, let's go.
Kevin. Fangs. Save those eyes for the bedroom, boys.
We're getting out of this House of the Devil.
Cheryl? Aren't you confined to your room for helping Toni escape?
Yeah, and suddenly you're sounding a lot like Betty.
Betty knew the score. Edgar Evernever is harvesting organs.
Come with me.
Betty told me exactly where Edgar keeps his innards collection.
Are you still seeing organs, Cheryl?
What? Edgar must have moved them, or Evelyn did.
Cheryl, we are getting ready to ascend. And you should, too.
What if I get my hands on irrefutable proof
that Edgar Evernever is a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein?
You know what? Sure.
Then proof, Kevin, is what you shall have.
Where the hell are they?
Who's there?
Reveal thyself.
I'm in no mood. I said, who are...?
Oh, my...
[screaming]
[Jughead] It's a Red Paladin card.
Archie, this quest is for you.
"The Red Paladin must conquer the Grizzled Beast.
He must battle alone in the pit to save his home."
What is a grizzled beast?
[growling nearby]
Oh, crap.
Not again.
Archie, don't do this.
That guy is eight-feet-tall and jacked.
It's just a fight, I've been fighting all year.
Don't forget, I survived a real bear attack, remember?
If I don't make it, tell my mom and dad I love them, and you guys.
[grunting and shouting]
Hey.
Come here.
Archie, are you sure you're okay?
Apart from every inch of my body...
-What do we do now? -We gotta keep moving.
Penelope has already left us more clues.
Come on.
[Edgar] What troubles you, Sister Alice?
I can't get in touch with Betty, and...
I'm hearing rumors.
Whisperings.
About harvesting?
I see.
May I address your concerns?
Unfortunately,
there's not much I can say
about Betty or where she is.
About the rumors,
I admit,
I have not been entirely truthful
about all the activities of the Farm.
What kind of sick monster are you?
Cheryl, I'm in a meeting, please respect Sister Alice.
Why? Why would you do such a thing? To my own brother?
You had a void.
It is my job to diagnose how to fill it.
-By grave-robbing? -Wait, what?
Grab her.
No! Get your hands off me!
Confine Miss Blossom to her room.
You won't get away with this! Toni will come for me!
Kevin's father is a law man!
He won't abide his son living in the tenth circle of hell!
Evelyn. Sister Alice. Will you help me gather our flock in the Chamber?
So that we may ascend with all haste.
"The Fate and Fortune Challenge.
Before you are six chalices, each filled with Gargoyle Blood.
The Enchantress must choose her closest companion.
They will each take turns spinning the bottle
and drinking from the chosen chalice.
But beware, for one of the chalices contains a lethal, rapid-acting venom."
Seriously?
-Spin the Bottle? -More like Russian Roulette.
[sighs] That's suicide. I refuse.
"Refusal to participate in the challenge
results in the immediate execution of all remaining party members.
Remember, we're watching."
Vee, the scroll says you have to choose your closest companion.
I volunteer.
-Betty, no. -[Betty] It's okay.
I have faith.
What's the alternative? We get shot in the woods by snipers?
I'm having a diabolical sense of dÃ©jÃ vu.
-How do you feel? -I think I'm fine.
I'm okay, Vee.
[sighs]
Fifty-fifty odds.
-Okay. -No.
-Vee! -Veronica!
Why did you do that?
Because I love you, Bee.
You're my best friend and...
I love you too, Vee.
Remarkable, Enchantress.
You have completed your challenge and proven your loyalty.
-What? -[Betty] What?
Of course. It was a character challenge.
The Game was testing if you had honor and loyalty.
-None of the chalices were poisoned. -On the contrary,
all of the chalices were poisoned.
It's slow-acting,
but the only way to obtain the antidote is to finish the game.
And even then, you might not make it.
Tick-tock.
[Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over" playing]
Hey.
I need to say something.
I don't know what's going on with you and Reggie, he's my friend,
but I love you.
Ronnie, I don't think I've ever stopped loving you.
Archie...
[sighs]
The night of the fight,
nothing happened with Reggie after you showed up at the Pembrooke.
My heart ached for you.
Because I felt the same way.
â™ª But nothing... â™ª
I love you, Archiekins.
-For whatever good that does us now. -Hey.
I'm not letting you die tonight, okay?
None of us dies tonight. I swear.
â™ª I could lie, say I like it like that â™ª
Do you believe me?
â™ª I could lie, say I like it like that Like it like that â™ª
â™ª Don't you know too much already? â™ª
â™ª I'll only hurt you if you let me â™ª
[door lock buzzes]
[Cheryl] I'm warning you.
Shh.
-What are you going to do to me? -Nothing.
I'm here to help you escape. Hurry, come with me.
Why would I trust you? You're as brainwashed as Patty Hearst was.
What choice do you have?
There's a tunnel down here that leads to Fox Forest.
I remember. But Betty said it was bricked-up.
Edgar reopened it when he bought the compound.
Here. Take Juniper. Reunite her with Dagwood.
Wait, what? Aren't you coming?
I have to stay. For Polly.
But please, Cheryl, swear to me you'll find Betty.
Make sure she's safe from the Farm, from her father.
-Please. -I promise.
Okay. Now go.
Don't stop running until you get to town.
[Rose] Wake up, child.
Nana?
What the hell is going on?
There's no time, Antoinette. The Hunt is afoot.
What? What hunt?
At the Thornhill Nature Preserve.
Your school chums are the prey.
You must save them.
Look, I don't know what the hell you're talking about,
but first, I need to save Cheryl.
[Betty] You're up, Jug.
"The Battle of Kings.
Only one shall lead the kingdom of Eldervair."
[grunting and shouting]
Why are you doing this?
Why be the Gargoyle King?
Who doesn't wanna be king?
Who doesn't want blood sacrifices made in their name?
Wow.
Okay.
[Betty] Jug.
[gasping]
Are you okay?
[Archie] Jug.
It's Penelope's poison.
We gotta keep moving. Come on.
[Archie] Wait, I still don't get it.
Chic had red hair because Penelope is pretending that he's Jason Blossom?
Can we explore the craziness that is Oedipus Riverdale
after we get the antidote?
And out of these damn woods.
Maybe figuring out how all this is connected
is exactly what we should be doing.
Hal, Penelope, Chic.
They created this unholy trinity
with direct links to everything bad that has happened
in the last three years.
It's like Jason Blossom's death begat the Black Hood
which begat the Gargoyle King.
But the Gargoyle King existed before Jason was killed.
Well, then it's a case of the serpent eating its own tail.
It's a vicious cycle of never-ending madness
that turns back on itself, over and over again,
until someone breaks the chain.
-Toni. -Baby?
We were just coming to save you from the Farm.
-How'd you get out? -An angel in disguise.
Where's Betty?
She's being hunted at Thornhill, with all the others.
What are you talking about, Nana?
Your mother has been preparing for this for weeks, if not months.
It's the Grand Hunt.
We have to go there. We have to save them.
Poisons! Serpents! Let's ride!
[all shouting]
[Betty] Looks like it's my turn.
Hey.
I love you.
I love you, too.
You know how this has to end.
You have to kill me, Betty.
That's your heart. That's your truth.
You can't deny your destiny.
Don't make me do this, please.
Either kill me and get the antidote,
or I will kill you and your friends.
You have until the count of three.
Shoot me or I'll shoot you.
One.
Two.
[groaning]
I will never be like you, Dad.
[Penelope] Enough!
Good God, Hal.
You can't be trusted to do anything.
You were a terrible serial killer then, and you still are today.
Useless.
[muted audio]
-And what do you think you're doing? -Claiming our prize.
We won, didn't we?
We survived the night. We proved we're better than this town.
That may or may not be true.
Kill them.
Kill them all!
Come on. Archie!
[henchmen shouting]
[Veronica] Archie!
Take cover!
Ronnie, here.
Poisons, charge!
[all shouting]
All clear.
[Betty laughs]
Cheryl. Cheryl?
Why aren't you at the Farm? Where's my mom?
She sprung me from that Jonestown-like nightmare and told me to find you.
-Edgar was planning to ascend tonight. -My God. We have to save her.
Climb aboard, cousin. Get in.
Kevin.
They left me.
I wanted to go,
but they said that someone had to stay behind to explain what happened.
What did happen?
The worthy ascended, of course.
Who did? Where's my mom? And Polly?
Gone.
Everyone is.
And we'll never see them again.
[Jughead] The Gargoyle King...
The Red Dahlia...
The Black Hood...
Chic was in jail.
Hal Cooper was dead.
Finally.
Only Penelope Blossom managed to slip away, into the night.
Riverdale belonged to us again.
The future was ours to write.
But what would our stories be?
Welcome home, Jay-Jay.
You're sure? How could he have hid this from me?
Hid what?
I gotta go.
-Veronica... -What?
That was our attorney.
What was Daddy hiding?
FBI!
Hands up now.
Agent Ardelia? What the hell is going on?
Hermione Lodge, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder.
Your own husband's.
Veronica, listen to me, it's going to be fine.
Call Sowerberry. Talk to him.
-I love you, mija. -I love you too, Mom.
Mr. Lodge, it's done.
As requested, your wife's been arrested.
And the necessary evidence has been planted.
Perfect.
Thank you.
Oh, Veronica,
you don't even know what's coming, mija.
[chuckles]
Can we take five?
Yeah. Sure, man.
What's up?
I've been thinking about making some changes to this place, Mad Dog.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
Maybe make it more than just a gym.
Like a halfway house or a community center.
A place where the kids in the neighborhood can come so they stay off the streets.
-I want you to help me run it. -For real?
We might have a shot at turning this town around.
-Give people hope again. -Oh, yeah.
[knocking on door]
-Can I help you? -Mr. Jones?
I'm Agent Smith with the FBI. Is Betty Cooper here by any chance?
-[Betty] Is this about the Lodges? -No.
It's about your mother.
My team has been investigating Edgar Evernever for quite some time now.
We almost had him two towns ago.
What were you waiting for?
He and his kooks took over the Sisters of Quiet Mercy months ago.
We had someone on the inside.
Someone tasked with getting close to Edgar.
Gathering intel. We were waiting on her word.
Her? You mean...
Your mother. She's working with us.
My mother-- My mother is an FBI informant?
She's been helping us build a case against Edgar Evernever and his Farmies,
their organ harvesting, all of it.
You knew about the organ harvesting?
It's vital that we find your mom, ASAP.
Which is why my team and I will be setting up shop here in Riverdale
until we can safely locate and extract her.
I mean, what--? Is there anything we can do to help?
I thought you might ask.
You two are quite the detectives around these parts.
I'm sorry, this is gonna seem weird, but do I know you?
As a matter of fact, yes.
It's no coincidence that your mother and I found each other.
You see, I'm...
I'm Charles.
Your brother.
[chuckles]
You...
You can't be.
Wait.
If you're Charles...
You and I are also brothers, Jughead, that's right.
[Archie] Back up, your brother's alive? And he's an FBI agent?
It's our half-brother. It's pretty crazy, right?
Oh, and my mom is also working for the FBI,
undercover at the Farm.
What?
Actually, that kind of tracks.
What about you, Vee? Any word about your mom?
She's trying to cut a deal with the DA,
but in the meantime, Smithers is my legal guardian.
Guys, let's make a vow.
Another one.
We've got senior year ahead of us. Let's enjoy it.
Let's vow to be done with death cults,
and murder mysteries,
and gremlins...
[chuckles]
It's gargoyles.
Our senior year could be the last time we're all together in the same place.
I don't wanna let anything ruin that.
Agreed.
I'm in.
I'm so in.
Me, too.
Well, it sounds a little dull, but sure. Let's toast.
[Archie] To the future.
[Betty] Archie?
Archie?
Archie!
-Are you listening to me? -Yeah.
We have to burn all of our clothes.
Including Jughead's beanie.
We'll wash off the blood in the swimming hole.
After tonight, we never speak of this. Ever.
Not to each other, not to our parents.
No one.
We finish our senior year, we graduate, and we'll go our separate ways.
That is the only way that we won't get caught.
Do it.
Friends forever.
[all] Friends forever.
[pop music playing on speakers]
â™ª ...my world â™ª
â™ª Life would lose its meaning â™ª
â™ª If I lost you, my love â™ª