Archie Andrews

"I was born alone. I'll die alone. I'll sing alone. I'll be okay."

- Archie to Valerie

Archibald "Archie" Andrews is a main character on Riverdale. He is portrayed by KJ Apa.

Archie is a student at Riverdale High School, a budding musician, and a football player for the Riverdale Bulldogs. His team number was number nine, given to him by Coach Clayton. This number was originally Jason Blossom's jersey, and so Archie took it upon himself to retire the jersey in Jason's honor and took the number seventeen in its place.

He also occasionally helps out his father at the construction site at Andrews Construction. He's currently in a relationship with Veronica Lodge, while also being an eyewitness to his father's shooting that recently happened at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe by an unknown man, known as the Black Hood. Since then, he has founded and currently leads the "The Red Circle", a group formed to hunt down the Black Hood, as he feels that the Sheriff has not been successful in finding his father's shooter.

Character description
''An intense, conflicted teen, a high school sophomore who got in shape over summer and now has to handle newfound attention from his female classmates. He struggles balancing his social life with his passion for writing and performing music — against the wishes of his father and his football coach.''

Early Life
Archie grew up in Riverdale, the only child of Fred and Mary Andrews. At the age of thirteen, two years prior to the beginning of the series, his parents separated and his mother moved to Chicago, leaving him to be raised by his father. Archie, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones are childhood friends. Archie has known Betty since they were four and have been best friends ever since. They have always gone to the same schools and been in the same classes. When he was in second grade, he was having trouble reading, so his teacher suggested that he be kept back a year. However, Betty was so against the thought of her and Archie not being in the same grade that she took it upon herself to tutor him every day. When he passed, Archie kissed Betty and asked her to marry him. She told him they were too young, but to ask again when they are eighteen, and she'd say yes.

Like his friendship with Betty, things were fine between Archie and Jughead until they had a recent falling out, which temporarily disrupted their friendship. As he entered his adolescence, Archie started attending Riverdale High School, where he joined the football team. He spent the summer before his sophomore year working at his father's company, Andrews Construction. This proved to be a defining summer for Archie as he embarked on an illicit affair with his music teacher Geraldine Grundy. During one of their trysts, they were startled by the sound of a gunshot ringing through the morning air. He later discovered that his fellow student Jason Blossom had died under mysterious circumstances. Fearful that their relationship would be discovered, he and Miss Grundy kept what they knew secret.

Throughout the Series

 * -|Season 1=

Season 1
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Secret Love Affair with Ms. Grundy
The night before returning to school, Archie reunited with Betty at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe after a summer apart, where he revealed to her that he wanted to pursue his newly-found passion for music. As Betty was on the brink of confessing her romantic feelings for him, he was distracted by the appearance of a new girl; Veronica Lodge. Archie immediately appeared interested, and so Betty stayed silent. At school the next day, Archie approached Josie and the Pussycats with the intention of offering them some songs he had written but was rebuffed. He also asked Ms. Grundy to listen to his songs, but she was wary and wanted to distance herself from him after the events of the past summer.

Archie expressed his uneasiness about what happened to Jason, but they agreed they had to remain silent. At football tryouts, Archie was offered Jason's spot on the varsity team despite only being a sophomore. Archie was reluctant to accept, citing his father's desire for him to help with the construction company as an excuse. He then ran into Betty and Veronica and agreed to go with them to the back to school dance. When he got home, his dad confronted him after receiving a phone call from Coach Clayton, claiming that Archie would be working for construction company, despite the fact that he had earlier told his father he would be playing football.

Archie revealed that he wanted to study music and had no desire to take over the family business. At the dance later that evening, Archie managed to persuade Ms. Grundy to agree to an independent study so he could work on his music. Betty finally revealed her feelings for him, to Archie's dismay, to make matters worse, at the after-party, Cheryl Blossom coerced Archie into playing Seven Minutes in Heaven with Veronica. They ended up kissing against their better judgment, and returned to the party to find that Betty had left in distress. Archie set off in search of her, going first to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, where he found Jughead instead.

Jughead told him to talk to her, as it would have worked with him. When Archie eventually returned to Betty's house, he told her that he loved her, but he couldn't give her the answer she wanted as he wasn't good enough for her. Although this wasn't his intention, Betty was deeply hurt by this. The following morning, after the discovery of Jason Blossom's body at Sweetwater River, Archie and Fred stood alongside the shore as he was brought in and taken away.

Unable to sleep as his guilty conscious kept him awake, Archie texted Betty, hoping they could talk, unfortunately, she was not yet ready to talk to him after he turned her down the night of the Semi-formal. Despite it being the late hours of the night, Archie made his way to Geraldine's house, where he reminded her of the gunshot that they both heard on July 4th. This could've been the shot that killed Jason Blossom, and since they knew something that the police didn't, which is when it was fired, Archie thought it best to inform the authorities of this detail. However, Geraldine refused to go to the police because that could result in her arrest and Archie's suspension, she figured they'd be better off leaving it to be discovered by the coroner during Jason's autopsy. The next morning, his dad revealed that he heard Archie sneak out last night, to which Archie explained he was going on a jog, as Jason's death had been weighing on him.

Before leaving, Archie received a surprise visit from Betty, who asked him to walk with her to school. She explained her emotional state, and where she'd like to go from that point on in their friendship, Archie was relieved to learn that she wanted to remain friends. On his way to class, Archie stopped by the display case, which featured Jason in his Riverdale Bulldogs uniform, he then nervously looked away from Mr. Weatherbee as they announced to the school that Jason's death would be treated as a homicide. He was then confronted by Jughead, who explained that they were supposed to go on a road trip over the 4th of July weekend. which Archie bailed on at the last minute, Jughead wondered if Archie had possibly been hiding something.

Archie asked to be partnered with Cheryl during class in order to talk to her alone, notably, they hadn't talked since the summer, but Archie wanted to give his condolences on the loss of her brother. He asked if the police had any leads in the case, unfortunately, they didn't, but Cheryl's twin tuition was telling her that it was someone they all knew. Archie was joined at lunch by Betty, Veronica and Kevin as he wrote one of his songs, which both Veronica and Betty insisted that he played for them. At their request, Archie performed his song for everyone in attendance, sadly, it struck an unforeseen nerve in Betty, in which she left the lunch table crying. The current rift in their relationship overwhelmed Betty, she could no longer pretend that the previous weekend never happened, before he could get a word in, Mr. Weather be called him over, hoping to talk about the look they had earlier exchanged.

Archie claimed that he was distracted and wasn't feeling well, but Weatherbee wasn't buying it, he told Archie if there was something he wanted to get off his chest, perhaps about Jason, he'd be there to listen. Archie immediately ran to Geraldine and informed her of his latest encounter, but he wanted to know from her if what they had was real, because if it wasn't, he didn't know what he was protecting. Geraldine sensually grabbed his hand, claiming that what they had was indeed real, even if it wasn't right, she then told him that if he ever told Weatherbee the truth, they could never see each other again. That evening, he ran into Veronica as he picked up an order from Pop's shoppe, he then met Hermione Lodge, Veronica's mother and an old friend of his father. Before leaving, Hermione volunteered Archie to walk Veronica home, they talked about their mutually disintegrating friendships with Betty.

He told Veronica about his past with Betty, how they first met, and how she'd always been there for him in his time of need, so he hated that he hurt her. After dropping Veronica off, Archie discovered Jughead waiting for him on his front porch, who revealed to Archie that he knew about his affair with Ms. Grundy. Archie explained that he liked her, and that their relationship had been going on since the summer, he then went on to tell Jughead that they were at Sweetwater River on July 4th, and they heard the gunshot that potentially killed Jason Blossom. Informing the police would get Geraldine in trouble, which Archie could not do, as they cared for each other, but Jughead surmised that she only cared about herself. Archie shut Jughead down as he tried to offer some friendly advice, the Archie he knew wasn't perfect, but he at least always tried to do the right thing.

In the student lounge, Archie and Reggie got into a fist fight after Reggie threatened Jughead, unfortunately for Archie, he was on the losing side of the fight, left with nothing but a black eye. Once home, he told his father that the black eye was from Reggie and that the argument Fred had stumbled upon the previous night between him and Jughead was over a girl. Archie thought they should do something, and it's the right thing, but if Archie does it, the girl says it would ruin what they have. Fred explained that he has to do the right thing at whatever the cost, even if it'll potentially ruin his relationship. During the Pep Rally, Archie approached Geraldine to tell her that he would be coming clean to Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller about the gunshot, although he respected her choice to stay out of it, he couldn't sit back and do nothing.

After talking to Geraldine. Archie went over to Jughead, and informed him that he'd be telling Weatherbee about the gunshot on July 4th. He then apologized for the crap he said to him the other night. This was the beginning of a long road to mending their friendship. Following the pep-rally, Archie and Jughead joined Betty and Veronica in a booth at Pop's shoppe. The next morning, Archie prepared to come forward about the gunshot at Sweetwater, however, Sheriff Keller and Weatherbee were more concerned with Cheryl, as she admitted being guilty.

The following morning, after Cheryl had explained what she meant by being guilty, Archie finally decided to tell the police that he'd also heard the gunshot that morning by the lakeside, which backed up Cheryl's claim of hearing gunfire as well. However, as promised, he didn't include Ms. Grundy in the confession, his cover story was that he was there with his dog, working on some songs that early morning. When he returned home that evening, his father had learned about his confession and confronted him on it. Fred assumed that he had been lied to as Archie claimed that he and Jughead would be on a road trip that July 4th, but Archie explained that he didn't want to drag his father into it. Which was an error in judgment as their argument resulted in Archie being grounded for two weeks.

They were going to crucify Cheryl if Archie didn't assist by corroborating her story about the gunshot, which is what he tried to explain to Geraldine the next day. He left her name out, so he didn't see the big deal, but to Geraldine, it was a very big deal, because of his do-gooder tendency, he was currently wrapped up in a murder case, meaning if Sheriff Keller decided to dig, he could find out about them. With that in mind, Geraldine suspended their lessons. Cheryl thanked Archie in class for coming forward about the gunshot, in return, she granted him one wish, which Archie took her up on, he wanted Josie's assistance in helping him with his music. Cheryl came through on her end, as Josie met up with Archie in the student lounge, she explained that the Pussycats would be rehearsing every night that week in preparation for the Taste of Riverdale, Archie was welcome to quietly sit in.

Despite being grounded, Archie crept out the house that night to attend the Pussycats' rehearsal. Upon Josie's arrival, he explained that he wanted them to record and play his songs, make them better, which Josie found to be quite amusing as she didn't believe that he was qualified the write for the Pussycats, who are “divas of color”. He was reminded by Josie that while Riverdale was opening up, there were still a lot of close-minded people. He learned that they were called the Pussycats because they had to claw their way into the same rooms that someone like Archie could just walk into, so he couldn't possibly write her experience. But Archie may have managed to win her over with his suggestions on tweaking their song.

Fred caught Archie sneaking back into the house after a night at rehearsal with the Pussycats. Archie was scolded for breaking curfew, which led to a heated argument as Fred wouldn't allow him to attend the Taste of Riverdale event. Archie wasn't happy that his father didn't understand his interest in music, as Fred would have pardoned him if he had a football game that night, but he wouldn't do the same for his music. Despite his father being perfectly clear on Archie not attending the Taste of Riverdale, he sneaked in anyway and watched from the second floor with Jughead, as Josie and the Pussycats performed a song that he helped work on. In the distance, he saw Fred engaging in a conversation with his music teacher, Ms. Grundy.

They talked about Archie's music skills, in which Ms. Grundy assured Fred of his son's talents and how he's was a "special kid". Upon hearing this, the next day, Fred made the garage soundproof for Archie to continue practicing his music. Thrilled that his father finally believed in his passion, Archie went to thank Ms. Grundy for talking his dad into respecting his choice to pursue music and he asked if they could restart their music lessons, which then resulted in sex.

Archie and Fred attended Ms. Grundy's cello performance, thereafter, they congratulated her on the on the beautiful playing and invited her out to dinner, to which Archie wasn't too keen on. Upon their arrival at Pop's shoppe, Archie was approached by Betty, who asked to speak with him alone as she confronted Archie on his love affair with Grundy. At that moment, Veronica walked into the conversation, just as shocked by the scandal as anyone else. Archie looked to Ronnie for back-up, however, she was on Betty's side, agreeing that ethically, what he and Ms. Grundy were doing was wrong. He lied to Sheriff Keller and all of his friends in order to protect Geraldine, as she believed in him when no one else did.

The next day at school, Archie asked Jughead how hard it would have been for a heads-up, and if Betty would be writing about him and Grundy in the paper like she did with Chuck Clayton. Archie wasn't sure what would happen in the long run with him and Grundy, but he wanted to hold onto what they had for as long as he could. He sat down at Pop's shoppe with Betty and Veronica, both of whom had done online research on Geraldine. They discovered that one year ago, she apparently appeared out of thin air, all her social media accounts only date back one year. Before that, there was no record of her existence, the only Geraldine Grundy they could find was an elderly woman that died seven years prior.

Archie wondered if they "cyber-stalked" Ms. Grundy before or after Betty had her fake interview with her. He wasn't in any danger, so he questioned why Betty was so concerned when he wasn't, saying that if she was really his friend, she would let it go. Archie spent his night with Geraldine, watching old movies at her place, after his conversation with Betty and Veronica, he wanted to know more about her, such as if she'd always wanted to be a teacher. She told him that she had a dream of playing at major symphonies, but sometimes that's all they ever are; dreams. Archie then asked if what they had was a dream, to which Geraldine asked would it be so bad if it was because she thought of it as a nice dream, but Archie couldn't help but wonder where it would all end.

Archie approached his home to find Betty and Veronica waiting for him, they found a gun in Grundy's car and an ID with the name Jennifer Gibson. This, along with the fact that she taught Jason Blossom and asked Archie to lie for her was more than enough for Betty to suspect her as the possible killer. Even in spite of all the evidence, Archie still defended Geraldine, but he wasn't quite why. The next day, with so many questions weighing on him, Archie finally decided to ask Geraldine about her past, starting with her real name, and why she even moved to Riverdale. Geraldine told him that she had a drunk abusive husband; one night he beat her to the point where she was in the ER with broken ribs and a shattered collarbone, he promised it wouldn't happen again, but when it did, she divorced him, changed her name and moved to Riverdale.

After leaving her house, Archie informed Betty of all he had learned from Geraldine, all of which explained why she had a fake identity and a gun. Archie claimed that he was going to deal with the situation involving Geraldine, but on his terms, not Betty's. That night, Archie paid Geraldine a surprise visit at school, he gave her an expensive cello bow as a thank you, for all her help. While he didn't want to end their lessons, that's exactly what he thought they should do, the bow was a "don't forget me" gift. Moments later, Alice Cooper came bursting into the classroom, with Fred and Betty, all three fully aware of what had actually been going on between Archie and Geraldine.

Alice wanted to turn the situation over to Sheriff Keller, which Archie refused to allow, everything that happened, he wanted to happen. Betty asked why her mother was putting Geraldine on trial, in which Alice explained it was more about Archie, and her wanting to expose him for the person that he was. Archie admitted that he was selfish and stupid, but he pleaded with Alice to leave Grundy alone, however, there was no getting through to her, Alice even threatened to inform the neighbors. Had she done that, Betty would have told the town how she robbed Geraldine and made up the story of her affair with Archie, which would lead everyone to think what many already believe, which is that crazy runs in the Cooper family. Alice agreed to keep quiet so long as Geraldine quit her job and left town, unfortunately, Archie wasn't too satisfied with.

Archie sat in his father's truck crying as they pulled up to the house, Fred told him that he was none of those things he said, and that it wasn't his fault, he then hugged him. A little later, he received a text from Betty, saying I'm sorry, he texted back, telling her it was okay.

Music or Football?
Archie pounded on a punching bag all night long in an effort to get back in fighting shape for football. With Coach Clayton preparing to set a starting line up, and name a new team captain, Archie needed to be at the top of his game, as football would get him a scholarship to college, where he could then study music. The next morning during practice, Archie took a hard hit on the field due to his lack in focus, which Coach wasn't too pleased with. He called over Reggie, who also had his eye on team captain, and pitted the two players against each other, whoever impressed him the most within a week would be named the next team captain. Archie attempted to smooth things over with Reggie, but he wasn't interested, claiming that he was the only one deserving of wearing Jason Blossom's jersey.

Archie was joined by Betty, Jughead, Veronica, and Kevin as he sat in the bleachers studying his index cards that were labeled with football plays. Veronica asked how his life was in the PG (post-Grundy) world, but with his eye on the spot as Varsity captain, Archie wasn't concerning himself with much else. Betty wondered if he was throwing himself into football in order to avoid his feelings. Archie claimed that he wasn't avoiding anything, that he was only trying to get his life back on track, which Valerie offered to help with since she knew of amazing songwriter from New York, Oscar Castillo, who at that time was assisting at Carson College. She told Oscar about Archie, as he did some coaching on the side, and was willing to mentor Archie if possible, but with football season coming up it would be difficult, Archie thanked Val nonetheless.

Cheryl then showed up, and invited each of them to Jason Blossom's Memorial. In the locker room, after some reflecting, Archie decided to take Valerie up on her offer, and contact Oscar Castillo. Archie informed him that he began writing songs that summer, after a kid at his school died, the first song he wrote was about him. Archie only writes a couple hours a day, but he planned to do more once football season ended. Archie then handed Oscar a USB drive with his music, however, he was expecting sheet music. Oscar didn't teach performance, for them to even proceed in a constructive way, they needed to be on the same page.

Archie spent that night in his room writing down his music with Valerie, she was surprised with how quickly he caught on. Fred entered the room, surprised by Valerie's presence, as he wasn't aware she was there, which led to a lot of rambling on from Fred, until Archie stopped him, saying that they were busy working on his music. Back on the field, Archie struggled to remember the plays, having to write them on his arm, which wasn't much help as he was still clueless during practice, meaning he didn't stand a chance against Reggie, who unintentionally injured Archie's hand. Fortunately, Archie managed to pull off one successful play, but as Reggie helped him up, he realized that Archie's hand was busted yet Archie refused to sit out. Veronica found him sitting on a bench, wrapping his playing hand, she assisted him, while at the same time wondering if he was punishing himself.

Archie explained he hurt his hand because he didn't know the play, and he didn't know the play because he was up writing music all night, instead of studying. She finished wrapping his hand and told him to take better care of it since it would be worth millions one day. Archie met with Oscar as planned, who described Archie's songs as juvenile and repetitive, which is why he didn't think he had anything to offer Archie. That weekend, Archie attended Jason's memorial, along with Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, and Valerie. Unexpectedly, he approached Penelope Blossom, giving his condolences then handing over Jason's jersey, but Penelope couldn't see past how much he looked like Jason, she stroked his hair before apologizing and thanking Archie for the kind gesture.

Following the memorial, Archie and Valerie grabbed a booth at Pop's shoppe, Archie wondered if Ms. Grundy had possibly lied to him about his talent, but Val didn't understand why he was questioning himself. She explained that doing what they're doing is hard, almost impossible, but Valerie wondered if it wasn't his coach, his father, or Oscar holding him back, maybe it was himself. One week had passed, and as promised, Coach was ready to pick a new captain, he chose Archie after that stunt he pulled with giving the Blossom family Jason's jersey, which Coach believed to be the showing of a good leader. However, Archie turned down the role as team captain because he needed to focus on pursuing his music career, but he still wanted to be on the team.

Archie started the day off with looking through an old toy chest for his guitar strap, however, he would first find a werewolf mask, which left him uneasy. At school, he auditioned for the 75th annual Variety Show. but he choked, the players in the stands, Reggie and Moose included, were suddenly wearing werewolf masks as the pressure weighed on him. As the host of the event, Kevin allowed Archie to take his time, but he didn't need it as he stormed off stage. He told Valerie that when he was up on stage looking out, he froze, yet when he's on the football field, the stands can be packed, and it wouldn't affect his game. Archie believed his stage freight was based on his need for a team, or at least a partner, so he asked Valerie if she'd sing with him.

Sadly, Valerie had to decline his offer because she was a Pussycat, meaning Josie would never allow it. Thanks to Veronica, who spoke to Kevin, Archie had a slot in the Variety Show if he still wanted it. Playing his songs in front of his friends is completely different from playing it on stage by himself, to which Veronica explained that she was both a willing and able singing partner. Fred informed Archie that he had bought tickets for all the guys at Andrews Construction to see him perform. He'd also be attending with Hermione, which he wondered if it was something that Archie was okay with, which he was, saying that both he and his mother are good.

Archie and Valerie performed one of his songs in the student lounge, the next day. To Veronica's surprise, she had been replaced, which she was not too pleased with, calling him a "Ginger Judas". Archie sensed from her tone that her attitude towards him was more than just about the Variety Show; he was right. Veronica's true anger stemmed from the fact that his father kissed her mother, which Archie didn't see the problem in since they were both into each other, and his parents were separated. He asked if Veronica wanted to talk about it or if she wanted her spot back, but she abruptly exited. It wasn't long before he and Valerie saw her again, but this time strutting down the hallway with Josie and Melody, as the latest member of the Pussycats.

Archie and Valerie practiced their performance in his garage, but he could sense that she was in a mood, that was because she was taking a huge risk by quitting the Pussycats, she found her voice with them, years ago. Archie attended the dinner proposal that night at The Pembrooke, which was hosted by his father and Hermione, hoping that it would win Fred the construction contract for the new land. After the dinner, Archie asked his father if he would be mad if he screwed up at the Variety Show, to which Fred responded that he'd be proud of Archie whether he killed it or not, simply because he had the courage to do it. The day of the Variety Show, Archie had to let Valerie go, he didn't want to be the guy that broke up. He revealed that Josie's father was in town, which Valerie realized was the reasoning for Josie's recent attitude, and with that in mind, she could renegotiate.

Following the Pussycats' performance, it was Archie's turn to get on stage, but before doing so, he had a brief discussion with Veronica, where they both apologized to each other for their earlier actions. Archie nervously took the stage alone that night, however, he performed his song amazingly, the entire crowd was impressed. He left the stage and entered the hall to be pleasantly greeted by the other performers and players on the football team, as well as Valerie, they hugged and shared a kiss.

Archie appeared in Jughead's dream, where he claimed Jughead stabbed him in his back, as he literally had a kitchen knife sticking out of his back. That morning, he ran into Jughead after showering in the boys' locker room at the High School. Archie wondered what Jughead was doing there so early, he came to find out that Jughead had been living of a forgotten closet under a staircase, and that he had been living at the Twilight Drive-In before that, his home situation wasn't too good. Jughead's dad fell off the wagon after being fired by Archie's dad. Archie then did what any best friend would do, he offered Jughead to stay at his house, which Jughead declined, as his situation was only temporary.

In the student lounge, Archie noticed a moment shared between Jughead and Betty, where he put his arm around her as she told them about the current situation with Polly. Despite her parents not wanting to go the police, Archie suggested that Betty does it anyways, but Betty decided against it. Afterwards, Archie caught up with Jughead and confronted him about a comment he had earlier made about not telling Betty about his living situation. Archie surmised that this was due to the fact that Jughead and Betty were a couple, which Jughead admitted was true. He then went on to say that his father was willing to give Jughead's father another chance, but only if FP wanted it. Archie thought it would be a good idea if Jughead went to talk to his father as well.

Archie assisted in the search party throughout Eversgreen Forest for Polly, they initially headed East, towards Sweetwater River. He apologized to Betty for not being there to help with her sister, which Betty said was okay, as he was there helping at that moment. In celebration of FP's first successful day back at Andrews Construction, Archie, Fred, Jughead, and FP went out to eat at Pop's shoppe, where the two fathers told stories about their younger years. After dinner, Archie, Jughead, and FP rocked out in the garage, FP complimented him on his skills, claiming Archie was far better than his father. Before he could leave, Archie asked FP what he meant when he had earlier said that Fred owed him, to which FP explained that he got into trouble after working some odd jobs to support his family, Fred bailed him out, however, he wanted nothing to do with FP afterward.

Following his jam session with FP, Archie confronted Fred with the story he previously heard that night. Fred explained that FP was stealing from the company and selling things on the side, Fred gave him many chances, but FP insisted on screwing up every time. Fred told Archie that you can't save someone from drowning if they're going to drag you down with them, but Archie didn't believe it was fair for Jughead to drown with FP. The next day, Archie, Betty, and Fred headed down to the Sheriff Station as Jughead was taken into custody and interrogated. To Archie's surprise, his father lied to Sheriff Keller, claiming that Jughead was tearing down drywall for Andrews construction on July 11th, which Fred later falsified a timecard to prove, Archie was shocked at how good his father was at falsifying work documents as if he had done it before.

After a tearful moment between FP and Jughead, after leaving the station, Archie once again extended an invitation for Jughead to live with him, as FP got himself together. Jughead initially said no, but later ended up staying there anyway. Archie then apologized about how things went with his father and Jughead's.

Saving the Family Business
A late night of gaming ensued for Archie and Jughead, like two roommates in a college dorm; that is until Fred entered the room to inform the boys that it was time to call it a night, but not before noticing the awful smell coursing throughout Archie's room. Fred then informed them that he'd be breaking ground on the SoDale project the next morning, before telling them goodnight. The following night, Archie returned home from his date with Valerie to discover that his father hadn't been as plain-spoken about the severity of danger that Andrews Construction facing. The company had been in trouble for a long time, so many problems, with so little that he could actually do. Fred worked his butt off to build that company but in one false step, he could lose everything, yet Archie assured him that they wouldn't be losing anything.

The next day, Archie, Jughead, Kevin, and Moose volunteered to aid Fred in keeping the SoDale project on schedule until he could find a real crew. Jughead commented how handy Archie was with the wheel barrel, joking that if his music career never paid off, he could always have manual labor as a fallback, although his father's path was not for him. Archie acknowledged how hard his father worked his ass off for him, never asking for anything, and always having his back, even when Archie messed up. If having his father's back, meant that he had to haul some rocks, he'd be more than willing to accommodate. As the day came to an end, the boys returned to the trailer, but Moose had forgotten his phone back on the project site, and as he got there, he was ambushed by two thugs, who warned them to stop construction or else they'd be back.

Upon Sheriff Keller's arrival, Archie confessed that he believed the Southside Serpents to be Moose's attackers, as they would have been furious after having to leave their own territory due to the construction. However, the Sheriff wasn't convinced that there was anything he could do without an ID on the attackers, to which Archie called him out for not doing more; had it been Cliff Blossom that needed the Sheriff's help, he would have agreed. In his room the next day, Archie paced back and forth, wondering what his next move should be after the attack at Andrews construction, whatever it was, Valerie only hoped that he'd talk to her and not do something that he'd eventually end up regretting. After several unanswered texts from Jughead, Archie found him at Pop's shoppe with Betty and Veronica. Archie and Moose were going to the south side in order to find the Serpents that potentially attacked Moose, it was worth a shot, and Kevin's boyfriend, who was also a Serpent, could get them into a bar called the Whyte Wyrm.

It was a known hang out for the Serpents, so the plan consisted of them going in, and if Moose spotted either of his attackers, they'd call Sheriff Keller. With Cliff Blossom trying to stop the construction, and Keller blowing Fred off right in front of them, someone had to take action, so Archie asked if Jughead would be joining him, which he didn't. At the bar, Moose pointed out Mustang, a Serpent and possibly one of his attackers. Despite their initial plan to call the cops, Archie confronted Mustang head-on, asking if he liked beating up teenagers, but the Serpent had no time for games as Archie wasn't the first bulldog to come into the bar, and start up trouble (Jason Blossom reference). He shoved Archie, and Archie shoved back which would have escalated had FP not been there to break up the fight.

Archie, Kevin, and Moose were escorted out of the bar by FP, but he demanded that Archie stay behind. Archie then explained that his reasoning for being at the Wyrm and how he came to the conclusion that the Serpents were at the center of it, the fact that FP was a Serpent only confirmed his suspicion, he figured it was personal, payback at Fred for firing him. FP denied all allegations, he informed Archie that life was too short, just then Fred pulled up, and told him to get in the truck. However, as his father was distracted with FP, Archie sneaked out the truck and confronted Jughead at Polly's baby shower, but Veronica checked them both and led Archie out the door, telling them to settle it at a later time. Archie returned home after leaving the baby shower, where he had a heart-to-heart with his father; Archie only wanted to help Fred the same way he had always helped him.

Fred went on about how bad things had gotten, everything from their family falling apart, to Archie's future. He's spent his entire life building things, but now he can't seem to get them to work out for him, and it that moment, it became apparent that Fred was losing his will, but Archie refused to accept that. He'd been thinking, what if he had a kid someday that hated music, and instead wanted to build houses and buildings like Fred, Archie expressed how cool he thought that was. Building things were Fred's legacy, which made it Archie's too. He toyed with his guitar later that night until Jughead returned home, in which the two of them discussed how they should always trust each other as brothers.

As Archie tuned his guitar that morning in the music room, Cheryl entered with an invitation for him to escort her to her family's annual event, the tree tapping ceremony. That week was the official start of the maple season, and she needed a date, as for obvious reasons, Jason would not be able to attend. Admittedly, Archie would love to help her, however, he could not accept her invitation because he had a girlfriend, though he suggested that she ask Kevin or Reggie. Unfortunately, Cheryl did not want Kevin or Reggie, she desired Archie, he was the only person to defend her against Sheriff Keller, even when her parents did not. Soon after his talk with Cheryl, he was confronted by her mother, Penelope, who was aware of Archie's passion for music, and capable of getting him into the Brandenburg Music Academy, which was a school for the musically gifted, though hard to get into.

Penelope recalled how Archie brought her Jason's football jersey during his memorial, that was a gesture of kindness during a moment of despair for her family, making Archie a good person in her eyes. Penelope insisted that Archie escort Cheryl, it would only be an afternoon and it would mean the world to Cheryl, which Archie finally came around to agree to. In the lounge, Archie celebrated with his friends over the possibility that he would be accepted into the exclusive summer music program. Jughead and Veronica questioned the validity of Archie's agreement with the Blossoms, but Betty thought it was a great idea, then asking if Archie could check on Polly while he was there. The next day, as the tree tapping ceremony was ready to commence, all Archie had to do was hold the bucket steady, Cheryl would do the rest.

He wondered who all the unfamiliar guests were, to which Cheryl explained that they were her father's board of trustees. They were worried that Cliff was losing his grip on the company, and if this was to be proven true, they would join together to steal it from him. Jason's death was a PR debacle, Polly being pregnant and unwed definitely did not help the situation. He joined Cheryl as she was called up to stake the tree, Archie gave Cheryl a pep talk, telling her she could do it in her sleep, and just like he said, she did it without a hitch. Following the group photo, just as Betty asked, Archie checked in on Polly, he asked why she was not returning Betty's calls since she fought for her, and now Polly was treating Betty as if she was the enemy, to which Polly replied that she was fine.

Hearing how aunt Cricket and uncle Bedford were insulting Cheryl, Archie came to her defense, informing them that Cheryl loved Jason, she did as much to help the Bulldogs win as he did, she also had a 4.0 GPA, so if there was one thing that he learned from Cheryl, it was that she should not be underestimated or betted against. Cliff admitted that he was taken back when Cheryl revealed that she wanted Archie to escort her to the tapping, considering how Cliff and Archie's father were not seeing eye-to-eye at the moment. Archie explained that he was there for Cheryl, and because he was grateful for them getting him into music academy. The Blossoms could be quite generous, Cliff said, and he wanted Archie to escort Cheryl to the Blossom Banquet being held later that week at the Belmont Lodge. Archie commented that he was an Andrews. a fancy dinner was not exactly their kind of scene, but this was precisely why Cliff wanted him in attendance, people like him and his father were the bedrock of Riverdale, so Archie accepted.

After the tree tapping, Archie informed Betty and Alice of all he had learned that day, starting with Polly, who was not coming back and was being treated great by the Blossoms. He then informed Alice that the Blossoms' business was in jeopardy after the scandal with Jason and Polly, the board of trustees might seek to steal the company from Mr. Blossom. The following night, he received a surprise visit from Cheryl, who wished to thank him with a brand new guitar for agreeing to escort her to the banquet, Cheryl kissed him on the cheek and then left. Fred advised him to give it back, but Archie reminded him the Blossoms were going to get him into the best music program in the country, they believed in his potential. Fred informed Archie that the Blossoms were no friend to them, they were only using Archie, as he and his father were nothing more to them than dirt under their shoe.

Archie was taken to the local tailor to get sized for the suit he would come to wear for the banquet, but before they moved on to measurements for the pants, Archie wanted to talk to Cliff. His father's company was having troubles, so he was wondering if the Blossoms could help his father and Andrews Construction instead of helping him with the music program. Cliff was impressed at the lengths Archie was willing to go for his father, he tried to imagine if Jason would have done the same for him, but he was not too sure he would, it spoke to Archie's character. Cliff informed him that they had already given the academy a call, however, after the banquet, he would be willing to discuss what the Blossoms could do for Fred.

The next day, Valerie informed Archie that she had just had a chat with Cheryl, who believed that she was going to steal Archie away, which Archie insisted was not true. Valerie did not blame Cheryl, between the new guitar and new suit, it was obvious that they were buying Archie, which he did not mind so long as it helped his father and gained him access to the music program. Archie wondered what Val would do in his situation, to which she explained that if he had to ask, then he did not know her at all. As promised, Archie escorted Cheryl to the banquet that week, she told him that her parents kind ways were not genuine as they wanted her to fail the tapping. Just then, Cliff requested to speak with him privately, he had decided to help Fred since Archie had helped them, the Andrews had a bright future with the Blossoms. Archie reminded him that they did not have to keep doing him favors, he liked Cheryl and was happy to be there for her as a friend.

Though Cheryl was a bright girl, the trustees were skeptical of having her play an active role in the company, but if someone with Archie's character were at her side to temper her erratic behavior, they would be more inclined. Basically, having Archie with Cheryl created an appealing picture. Polly interrupted the two of them, asking to have the first dance with Archie, she explained that the Blossoms had something to do with Jason's death, and she was there to figure out how, but she needed Archie to get Betty to back off. Upon that discovery, he noticed Cheryl storm off after a fight with her father, in which Archie followed her out to the pool in order to check on her. Cheryl felt as if everyone hated her, but Archie did not want her to worry about them because he thought she was awesome, which is why Cheryl often thought that Archie was the only decent person left in Riverdale. Cheryl then kissed Archie, taken by surprise, all Archie could do was walk off, however, while doing so, he stumbled upon Cliff and Penelope, who were boasting about how Cliff got Veronica's father arrested.

On the other side of the lodge, after Cheryl had finally caught up, Archie revealed that he could no longer be apart of the arrangement with the Blossoms, but Cheryl reminded him that all the good they had done would go away too. Archie claimed that he was there as a favor to her mom, but Cheryl corrected him, saying that he was there because he wanted something from them, making him no better than the others. The next day, Archie caught up with Valerie to tell her that he was done with the Blossoms, and to admit that she was right about him being bought and taking shortcuts. Unfortunately, Valerie was done with him as she was sick of being ignored, and unlike him, she would not be bought. Archie came to Jughead and Betty at The Blue and Gold offices with one last piece of information, he informed them that he overheard the Blossoms talking about sending Veronica's father to jail.

Varchie
Before his father left for Chicago to finalize the divorce with his mother, Archie and Fred had a quick chat on the front porch, in which Fred explained that with the divorce papers and legal documents settling up, they would be able to put the entire unfortunate situation behind them. Archie questioned if his father's sudden urgency to finalize the divorce was a result of his relationship with Hermione Lodge, but according to Fred, that was not the reason, he had already ended that romance. Knowing this, Archie wondered if it was possible for his mother and father to fix what was broken after two years of separation. He had spoken to her the previous week, and she failed to mention anything about a divorce, but this was due to Mary not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. Archie asked if he could join his father, however, Fred denied his request, saying it was something to only be handled by him and Mary.

At school later that day, Archie and a hesitant Betty informed Veronica that while at the Blossom family tree tapping, he overheard Cliff Blossom say that he was responsible for Hiram Lodge's incarceration. Immediately after this, Archie told Betty that Jughead's birthday was coming up but to not make a big deal out of it because he hated his birthday. For the last few years, he and Jughead went to a double-feature at the Bijou, it became a tradition, but since Jughead had a girlfriend this time around, Archie thought it best if Betty took him alone as he did not want to be a third wheel. During lunch, Archie exchanged tension filled looks from across the cafeteria with Valerie and Melody. Having learned from Jughead's father that he never had a birthday party, a claim that Archie corroborated, Betty suggested that they throw him a low-key surprise party, which Veronica and Kevin were all for.

However, Archie informed them that it was a terrible idea considering that Jughead hated his birthday, Just then, Chuck Clayton entered the cafeteria, headed towards Ethel's table, which was quite the surprise to Archie since he was under the impression that Chuck had been expelled. After thinking it over, he decided to hop on board with the plan to throw a surprise party, even volunteering his house as the location. After revealing to Jughead that night that he told Betty about his birthday and that she would be accompanying him to the Bijou, Archie wondered why Jughead despised his birthday so passionately. When Jughead was a kid, his home life was always messed up, and then his birthday would come, and they would pretend as if everything was normal, which consequently made him feel lonely.

Archie receiving a call from his dad, who was checking in, he asked if Fred had seen his mother yet, to which he hadn't, Fred thought it would be better if they talked when the lawyers were present. This only further disappointed Archie as his parents could not communicate to one another without a mediator. That night, Archie had some pre-game drinking before the party even started, denying any claims of being drunk despite the aroma of alcohol protruding from him as Jughead and Betty returned from the Bijou. After greeting one another, Betty brought out the cake and sung to Jughead, but Veronica took off before he could even blow out the candles, with Archie right behind to check on her. Veronica was not willing to talk about it, so Archie offered her a drink, then informing her that his parents were about to finalize their divorce, his mom wanted to leave Riverdale, his dad wanted to stay, and so did Archie.

Veronica then told Archie how her own father threatened to destroy her mother if she did not testify on his behalf, which left Veronica in an uneasy state, leading Archie to offer her a hug that Jughead and Betty walked in on. The doorbell rang just as the couple began to fight, outside was Cheryl and Chuck, along with a few dozen classmates, all ready to party. Despite being completely aware of Jughead's stance on the party, Archie invited everyone in, telling Moose that one keg could go in the kitchen, and the other in the back, then proceeding to take the dance floor. As Valerie arrived, he went searching for Jughead for advice, and upon finding him in the garage, Jughead expressed his disappointment in Archie because it was his job to make sure his birthday never turned out in the way it just did. Archie insisted it was Betty's idea, and that he simply went along with, furthermore, she's his girlfriend, meaning Jughead gets a birthday party whether he wants one or not.

Outside the house, he approached Valerie hoping to talk about their break up, but she was not trying to hear it. Val broke up with Archie because she thought he was a hot mess, and his demeanor at the party only supported that conclusion, which then led to Archie getting embarrassed as she spilled her entire drink all over him. Facing a time of difficulty, Archie went up to his room and called his father. Chuck and Cheryl blocked off the front door as Jughead attempted to leave, announcing that they all would be playing a game called "Secrets & Sins", in which they would reveal their secrets to everyone. Unfortunately, during this game, Dilton Doiley revealed that Ms. Grundy's car was at Sweetwater River on July 4th, and that Archie was there as well, essentially making Archie's relationship with Grundy public information amongst the students.

The game shifted to Betty as Chuck retold the story that led to his suspension, Archie attempted to defend her but Chuck shut him down, saying he may get a sneak peek every night, but he did not know Betty. Where Archie failed in Betty's defense, Jughead did not, punching Chuck right in the face, however, chuck struck back, resulting in FP dragging him out the house and ending the party altogether. As the house finally settled down, Archie and Veronica chatted on the couch about the failings within their respective lives. Archie admitted to drunk dialing his dad, he told him not to sign the divorce papers, but he's not sure why, he doesn't want his parents to get back together. He then wondered what life would be like had he made different choices, such as moving to Chicago with his mother, and while this was not a question Veronica could answer, had he moved, they would have never met, which would have been a tragedy of epic proportions.

He acknowledged how messed up he was, they all are, But Archie was less messed up than most, Veronica said, and then the two of them began to kiss. The next morning, Archie woke up and immediately began cleaning, while was ignoring his father's calls at the same time. Jughead then asked about him and Veronica as he caught her sneaking out earlier that morning. Archie managed to get the house clean just as his father returned, much to his surprise, he was not alone, Archie's mother had returned with him.

Archie sat at the dining room table eating breakfast alongside his mother, he knew the reason she returned to Riverdale was because of the divorce, and the drunk phone call he made. He explained to his mother that he was fine, his friends were amazing, him and his father were closer than ever before, and he even had been singing and song writing. His mother had hoped that he would play her some songs before she left, which he was more than happy to, then mentioning that he would be performing at Homecoming, the perfect opportunity for her to see him play live. Upon arriving at school, he apologized to Veronica for not calling her back, he was preoccupied with his mother's surprise return, but Veronica claimed he didn't owe her an explanation. From this, Archie concluded that she was going to pretend as if their moment at Jughead's party never occurred.

Veronica pulled him over to the side, and while neither of them regretted the beautiful but fleeting moment they had, Veronica didn't have the bandwidth to be with anyone at the moment. In that case, Archie asked if they could at least do the duet together at Homecoming, but Veronica declined his offer as there were a million reasons why they had to pretend their kiss never happened. After learning that Cheryl and Polly would be campaigning as co-Queens of the Homecoming dance, Archie asked Betty if he could play a couple songs during the event as he had already told his mother that he would. Initially hesitant, as Archie's style of song writing was dark, Betty agreed to let him play once Veronica announced that she would be performing up beat songs with him. In an empty classroom, where they could talk privately, Archie asked Veronica what led to her sudden change of heart.

It was brought on by her need in Archie's assistance in breaking into FP's trailer in search of any evidence that might indicate he had some kind of involvement in the murder of Jason Blossom, because if FP was involved, then more than likely, so was her dad. Even though FP and Hiram had business in the past. going from vandalism to murder was a big leap. Archie was shocked to learn Veronica was working with Mrs. Cooper, but she was going to keep FP busy while they broke into the trailer, however, Archie refused to go behind Jughead's back. Archie then came home to find his parents in the kitchen, together and happy, it was nice but strange after them being apart for so long. Jughead then entered the kitchen, leading Mary to ask who else would be attending the dance other than her and Fred, which was a pleasant surprise for Archie because his parents wanted to be together just to see him play.

Later that night, as he and Jughead prepared for bed, Jughead questioned if there was a scenario where Archie's mom and dad might rekindle their romance. Archie saw it as nothing more than a pipe dream, but Jughead had more faith, especially since stranger things had happened, like his father getting clean and going to work every day. Jughead thought it was time for him to move back home but Archie said to hold off on that just to make sure it sticks, though Jughead was sure it would, FP even read and engaged in his work. Archie found this to be strangely suspicious as FP had shown no interest in Jughead's writing in the past. He quickly came up with a poorly formed excuse to leave the house, which Jughead saw right through, but didn't bother to do much questioning, as he assumed Archie was off for a late-night rendezvous with Veronica.

Jughead was right, Archie did leave to visit Veronica at The Pembrooke, but he did so to finally agree to help her search FP's trailer, hoping that he could prevent Jughead from being hurt any further. The following night, just before Homecoming, Archie and Veronica made their way over to the trailer, under an old and rusty lawn gnome, was a spare key, Archie commented it's in the same place from when he and Jughead were kids. They entered the trailer, though they failed to find anything that indicated FP had any involvement in Jason's murder. Veronica became increasingly aggravated, leading Archie to wonder what it was that she was looking for or if she just wanted her father to be guilty. Archie wasn't sure would happen once her father came home, but he would be right there next to her when the time came, and maybe he was wrong, but not finding anything felt like a major win for the home team to him.

Veronica smirked, through her darkest time, Archie was there with a smile on his face and a sports metaphor, she said, just as they kissed, and subsequently left the trailer. As they arrived at the dance, they informed Mrs. Cooper of how they failed to find anything, then they were spotted by Betty, who confronted them both on it, but they couldn't talk as it was time to perform. After Archie and Veronica took the stage and performed "Kids in America", they were confronted once more by Betty, in which they decided to tell her the truth about their alliance with her mother. Jughead then came around the corner and immediately noticed something was wrong, so Archie and Veronica told him the truth as well. Archie went behind his back but he did it to protect Jughead, and he was sorry for it.

After news got out that FP was arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom, Archie returned home with his parents. In the kitchen, his mother told him that FP had always had his demons, even in spite of how much he had changed, or so it had seemed. His mother wanted him to move back to Chicago with her, Riverdale wasn't safe anymore, she felt like it was about to slide off a mountain side, and she didn't want him around when it happened, so Archie promised her he would consider it. Archie and Veronica hit up Pop's shoppe in search of Jughead, but they found Betty, and informed her that the police found the gun that killed Jason in FP's closet. The problem with that is Archie searched the closet, and he never saw it, meaning after they left, someone planted it there to frame FP.

Starting up from where the last episode ended, Archie and Veronica reiterated to Betty that someone planted the gun in FP's trailer. Archie stated that they needed to tell Jughead that his father was innocent, but no one could seem to find him, and he wasn't answering their calls. In the meantime, Archie suggested they got to their parents with this discovery, his father would know what to do, however, the interaction didn't go as well as planned. Their parents were furious at what they had done, but Archie explained that they had to make sure FP wasn't involved in the murder of Jason Blossom. Archie insisted that there wasn't a gun when they broke in, and if their parents didn't believe in them, they'd go to Sheriff Keller without them.

Unfortunately, Archie's mother informed him that he and Veronica entered FP's residence illegally, so anything to they did or did not find would be inadmissible in the court of law. He didn't care about the consequences of his actions, but his father did, SP wasn't going to ruin Archie's life. A little while later, he received a text from Betty, who was worried about Jughead, as was he, so the two of them went out looking for him together, starting with the bus station, but he wasn't there. Archie thought the station had to have been where he was headed because their talk in the hall made it seem as if he wanted to get to mom in Ohio. He then got a call from Veronica, who was just looking to talk, but he and Betty were too busy looking for Jughead, and just then Veronica explained to him that the only place Jughead could be at that time of night was Pop's shoppe because it was open 24/7.

They found him sitting alone in a booth just as Veronica said, each of them apologizing for their betrayal, but something good came from them breaking in because the gun wasn't in the trailer initially. The four of them made their way to the station to inform Sheriff Keller of their discovery, but they were too late as FP had already confessed to killing Jason. The next day at school, they learned from the police report that FP worked alone, so Archie stated there was no mention of Veronica's father, this being good news. Although she couldn't help but think that maybe he hired another Serpent to plant the gun, so Archie secretly held her hand under the table. They were then joined by Kevin, who was concerned with Jughead, though he wasn't doing good Archie said, as he wouldn't be in school that day, and he was being interrogated down at the station.

Despite his initial decision to stay home, Jughead made a surprising appearance in the cafeteria that morning to apologize to Cheryl. However, it went terribly, as she attacked him in a fit of rage, and so Archie broke it up by pulling her off, but Mr. Weatherbee wasn't too pleased, yelling at Jughead to come with him even as Archie tried to explain the situation. Upon returning home that night, he learned from his father that Weatherbee called, and suggested that Jughead finish the semester from home, as he wanted to avoid another altercation like the one that took place with Cheryl. Essentially, Jughead was being kicked out because he was attacked, which Archie remarked wasn't fair. He wanted to call the school board but Fred reminded him that they had to think of a long-term solution, but Archie believed they were that solution.

Sadly, that's not how it worked as Fred wasn't Jughead's legal guardian, which is why it was a good thing his mom was in town, Archie said. Fred informed him that his job was to keep Archie safe, though Archie found it absurd that he needed to be kept safe from Jughead, but in actuality, Fred was referring to the trouble that always seemed to follow the Jones family around. Fred then exclaimed that maybe Archie should move with his mother to Chicago. However, this was an offer that Archie hadn't even been considering, but maybe he should. Just then, Jughead came down, having heard the entire conversation, he volunteered to sleep in the garage that night.

The following morning, he woke Jughead up, and the two of them met up with Archie's mother at Pop's to discuss FP's case. Mary passed herself off as FP's attorney to get as much information on the case as possible, between his list of priors, the anonymous tip, the possession of the murder weapon, and his confession, it wasn't looking good. She did, however, mention that he used his one call to contact Joaquin. Archie then relayed this information to Veronica, so the two of them, along with Kevin, called Joaquin over to ask him about FP and his possible involvement with Veronica's father. Joaquin admitted that he had always assumed that FP killed Jason because, on July 11th, he received a late-night call from FP to help with a clean job at the Whyte Wyrm.

When Joaquin got there, he saw Jason's body lying on the ground, so they stuffed him in the freezer, and cleaned up the mess. FP had done jobs for Hiram in the past, so Veronica asked if killing Jason was one of them. He wasn't entirely sure, but Joaquin recalled one discussion about a rich guy that he overheard between FP and Mustang, the same Serpent that Archie got into a fight with. Joaquin then took them to the City Centre Motor Hotel, Mustang's home, but once inside, Archie discovered his body inside the bathtub. Upon the arrival of the authorities and their parents, Sheriff Keller question what he and Veronica were even doing at the hotel, to which Archie explained that they knew Mustang was a Serpent, so they wanted to talk to him about FP.

As they headed back to the truck, Archie's father pleaded with him to stop his investigation of Jason's murder, that path would leave him dead. Fred was simply trying to protect him, it was his job, and the only one that counted, and as Fred asked him if he understood, Archie's voice cracked as he said yes. From Jughead, Betty, and Kevin, Archie learned of a contingency plan put together by Joaquin and FP, that had been deemed as too dangerous by the latter. Apparently, the plan consisted of Jason's varsity jacket, leading Archie to question how it would help FP. Just as it seemed that all hope was lost, Betty refused to give up, so he was made to put the varsity jacket on by Betty, as she searched the pockets, and as she suspected, there was something they had missed, it was a USB flashdrive inside the lining of the jacket.

The flashdrive housed surveillance video of night Jason died. so they watched the video from start to finish, everything from Jason being taunted by Mustang, to the gunshot that ended his life, which was fired by his own father, Cliff Blossom. After watching the video, and handing the USB off to Mrs. Cooper, Archie said goodbye to his mother that night as she was returning to Chicago. Archie decided to stay because his friends needed him, but he'd visit her for the summer, then giving his mother a hug and saying that he loved her as she left.

Archie entered the kitchen that morning to find his father quietly staring out the window. Archie called out to him, just to check on how he was doing. Fred thought that he knew Riverdale, but in light of recent events, he wasn't so sure anymore. Archie was fine but he was concerned with his friends, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica, all of whom were still in the midst of the mess. Shortly after this conversation, Archie was accompanied by Betty as he left for school. They talked about her household, in which her family was back together but they had resorted back to their typical way of pretending that all was fine with their perfect family. He then met up with Veronica, and the two of them discussed telling Betty about their romance, which Archie agreed to, but insisted that they proceed with caution.

Following Archie and Veronica's agreed upon decision to tell Betty the truth, he and Betty were coincidentally called to Mr. Weatherbee's office. Mayor McCoy sought to feature them both at the Jubilee. Archie and Betty were the most fitting to represent Riverdale because of their influence in the solving of Jason Blossom's murder case. Mayor McCoy had hoped that Archie would join Josie and the Pussycats on stage during the event, which was a nice sentiment but he couldn't help but wonder about Jughead, who perhaps played the largest role in solving of Jason's case. While Jughead was welcome to attend, Mayor McCoy was against featuring him for his honorable actions due to FP's imprisonment.

After being dismissed, he and Betty met up with Jughead, Veronica, and Kevin in the cafeteria to talk about FP's case, in which the Southside Serpents were being villainized and falsely accused of drug trafficking. The knowledge of this injustice infuriated Betty to the point that she decided to address it head-on by writing an article on it since the town had changed and that needed to be acknowledged instead of avoided. In response to the topic on hand of deceitfulness and being afraid of the truth, though initially hesitant, Archie and Veronica took that opportunity to tell Betty that they had kissed a couple times, which she was accepting of. Despite Betty's earlier admission to being okay with Archie and Veronica's relationship, he deiced to check with her again because the last time she said that she was fine, it turned out she wasn't. Betty insisted that she was genuinely happy for them. He said that he liked Veronica a lot but a little part of him always thought, and just before he could finish, Betty cut him off to acknowledge how lucky they were to find the people that they were meant to be with, and that they were all friends.

With Archie set to play alongside the Pussycats at the Jubilee, he had hoped that Josie would allow them to play one of his new songs, which was admittedly amazing. However, Mayor McCoy had already pre-selected a song. Not to mention that Archie's song was solely about his friends, who had notably been through hell and back but the Jubilee was an event for the entire town. Archie and Jughead returned home that night to find his dad and Jughead's caseworker awaiting their arrival. With FP facing serious jail time and his mom out of state, they needed to make sure he was taken care of. Even though Fred had offered for Jughead to stay with them, the state couldn't allow it due to a prior DUI and Fred's lack of funds. Jughead's caseworker informed him that there was a family on the south side that offered to take him in but that this would require him to transfer to Southside High by the end of the week.

The very next day, Archie visited FP at the Sheriff Station to inform him of the recent developments surrounding Jughead's transfer. If there was a deal on the table, Archie insisted that FP take it. However, the Serpents were FP's tribe, and they were also innocent, meaning he'd never turn them in. Archie attempted to reason with FP as no one wanted to see him in jail for twenty years but FP believed that Jughead would make it, and that when the time came, he'd step up. FP warned Archie that Jughead would try to pull away from him, and should that time come, Archie and Betty needed to be there for Jughead to make sure it doesn't happen. Later that day, Archie was irate after witnessing the aftermath of someone vandalizing Betty's locker with pig's blood and hanging a Betty doll in response to her article pertaining to FP and the Serpents. He wanted to throw whoever was responsible into a wall. Betty was getting threats, Jughead was being thrown into a snake pit, and he couldn't do anything to help, despite being there all year to support his friends.

In the student lounge, the following day, Archie and Veronica learned from Betty that she had a long-lost brother, who would be in his mid-twenties at the time. Betty then received a call from Jughead, who had already transferred to Southside High due to the belief that no one wanted him at Riverdale, which is precisely what FP warned Archie of. So, the three of them raced over to retrieve Jughead, but upon their arrival, they discovered that he was fitting in just fine. Right outside the school, as Betty and Jughead shared a passionate hug, Veronica noted the sincerity between the two of them, believing that they were soulmates. Veronica then got a message from Cheryl, thanking her for trying to help but she was planning to be reunited with Jason. They quickly realized that she was trying to end her life, so the four of them made their way to Sweetwater River, where Cheryl saw Jason last. They pleaded with her to stop pounding on the thick layer of ice but it didn't matter as the damage was done and the ice broke beneath her feet, thus Cheryl was dragged under.

Archie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty ran onto the ice, hoping to find Cheryl but she had been dragged down by the current. Fortunately, Archie managed to find her a little further down, just beneath the iced-over surface. However, the only way to reach her was to break through the ice, so Archie did just that. He eventually broke through but not without severely injuring his hand in the process. After pulling Cheryl out, he performed CPR and brought her to shore. Backstage of the Jubilee that night, Archie struggled to play the guitar due to the injury he sustained while saving Cheryl, leaving Veronica question if he should be playing with the condition that his hand was in. Archie assured her he could play, especially considering that his Freshman year he played with a taped up hand.

Veronica then recalled how Archie longingly looked at Betty and Jughead at Southside High during their hug, making her question his motives. Archie explained that the moment Veronica was talking about is when he noticed how good Betty and Jughead were together, and it confirmed that he wanted to be that for Veronica. As Archie and Veronica kiss, they were interrupted by Josie, who had learned of Archie's heroic actions and deiced to play his song as a show of gratitude. As promised that night, they performed Archie's song in front of the town, which they very much liked. After Betty's speech regarding Riverdale and the crossroads, it was facing, Archie, Veronica, Jughead, and Betty celebrated over milkshakes at Pop's shoppe.

Afterward, Archie returned to the Pembrooke with Veronica, and the two of them had sex. Before taking off to have breakfast the next morning with his dad, which is what they did whenever Fred had something important he wanted to talk about, Archie gave Veronica a kiss goodbye. Upon his arrival, Archie went to the restroom to wash his hand, but when he came out, he discovered that the shoppe was being robbed by a masked gunman. Archie looked to his father, who nodded at him not to interfere. Fred then got out of his seat, resulting in the gunman turning the gun on Fred and shooting him as Archie ran over to stop the incident. Fred lied on the floor bleeding out in Archie's hands as the gunman swiftly exited the shoppe. }}
 * -|Season 2=

A Tragedy for the Andrews
After his fathers shooting at Pop's, Archie drove his fathers truck as he rushed him over to the hospital. Upon hearing of the incident, Betty, Jughead and Veronica rushed to the hospital and embraced him in a group hug. When they all sit down, surrounding Archie, he explained what happened. Archie recounted the events at Pop's — Archie came out the bathroom to find a hooded man with green eyes pointing a gun at Pop Tate, then at his dad, Fred. He fired the gun, then bolted, leaving a bloody Fred on the floor. Pop Tate called the ambulance, but Archie took it upon himself to drive him all the way to the hospital, but he was now questioning this decision as he thought he may have made it worse. Jughead refused to agree with that, saying that first, he saved Cheryl, now Fred, if he kept it up, he might need a superhero name, as Jughead proposed, 'Pureheart the Powerful'.

With his dad still in surgery, Hermione urged Archie to speak to his mother. In the hallway, Archie is on the phone with Mary Andrews, while initially hesitant to tell her about Fred, he does so anyway telling her about the incident, and that she should come immediately.

Not long after, Sheriff Keller arrived to get Archie's statement. As Jughead came with them to accompany him. Archie described the shooter as a man that's maybe 5'10, 160 pounds or so. He was wearing dark pants and jacket. When Sheriff asked if there was a symbol or insignia on the jacket, Jughead immediately caught on to what he's insinuating; if the shooter was a Serpent. Archie stated that it was just a normal, dark jacket, with no snakes. According to Archie, the shooter wasn’t wearing a ski mask; it was a homemade hood with the eyes cut out by themselves. Sheriff Keller says that Pop Tate did provide them with information of what happened, up until the point Fred got shot. Archie was then asked to fill in the gaps. When asked about what the shooter did after shooting Fred, he hesitated, refusing to get into details, making it pretty clear that he was keeping something from them. He simply stated that he shot his dad, and ran out. Sheriff Keller's professional opinion was that it was probably someone out of his head on meth or the jingle jangle, or perhaps a Southside lowlife looking for a cash grab. Jughead asked how much cash he got, suspicious that robbery wasn't the motive. Sheriff Keller suggests it may be someone who has a grudge against Fred that wanted to make it look like a robbery, although it was too early to even speculate.

After his statement, Jughead, who noticed Archie holding something back to the Sheriff, confronted Archie, who told him Fred just fired a bunch of Serpents from his construction crew. He was worried one of them came back looking for revenge, and Jughead promised to use his Serpent connections to investigate further.

Dr. Steven Masters later approached Archie, explaining that Fred is out of surgery and Archie won’t be able to see him for at least an hour. They managed to get the bullet out and stop the internal bleeding, but Fred still couldn't breathe on his own. Insisting on seeing his father, the doctor told him that it'd take time to move him. With nothing to do during that time, Veronica then suggested that he should go home and get changed, as his clothes were still covered in blood. Reluctant to leave his father at the hospital, Betty convinced him to go home with Veronica. After a nurse handed him a bag containing his father's belongings, Betty stressed that was another reason to go home, to get his father a fresh set of new clothes. Alice reassured Archie that Fred is strong stock, and not the man to leave things unfinished.

When he and Veronica headed back home, he was greeted by Vegas as he entered the front door. Archie rushed to get out without changing his clothes, but Veronica stopped him telling him that he needed to get out of those bloody clothes first. The couple go out later with Vegas walking down a park. Archie told Veronica the story of when his father got Vegas. When Archie was a little boy, Fred reminded him that it would be his responsibility to take care of the dog, especially when he's sick, and ensuring that he had food and water. Since then, it would seem that Vegas has become more of a responsibility for Fred rather than Archie. When he got home from football practice his father would've already walked him, on Saturday mornings, his father would take him out so that he could sleep in. Every time Vegas got sick, his father always went with them to the vet. These were prime examples that showed how no else loved Vegas more than his father did. When Veronica got emotional upon hearing this, and stopped walking, Archie went over and comforted her.

Later, back at the Andrews house, Archie was taking a warm shower, washing the blood from his body. Veronica knocked on the washroom door to check on him. He replied that he was fine. Unbeknownst to him, Veronica entered the bathroom, opening the door handle quietly and took off all her clothes, except her pearls. She opened the shower curtains and looked at Archie, telling him that she thought he might want the company, thus initiating a steamy session.

After their shower together, Archie walked inside the dining room, to find Veronica taking his g father's belongings out of the bag. Archie started searching for his father's wallet, but was unable to find it. He claimed that everything that is important to his dad is in that wallet, and started to get angry. He lashed out at Veronica, and told her to leave, to Veronica's disbelief. She started to walk away, but paused. Realizing what it meant to be a good girlfriend, she refused because he needed some form of moral support. He may be angry, hurting and terrified, and he could push her and scream at her, but she was not going anywhere. When he broke out in tears, she drew him closer, comfort him as he cried away his pain in her arms. Later, Archie and Veronica were in the kitchen when Archie received a call from Sheriff Keller.

Archie was called down to the police station by Sheriff Keller to go through a lineup of men in a room who had a history of criminal records of armed robberies or some other violent crime. He instructed them to put on a ski mask, as he asked if Archie was ready. As he went through the lineup, he got flashbacks of the shooter and noticed that none of them looked like the shooter.

By the time Archie returned to the hospital, he was told that he could now see Fred. Even though his father hadn't woken up yet, he should still talk to him, to try and coax him back. Archie sat beside his unconscious father, as he spoke to him.

The time flashed forward again to another of Fred's hallucinatory visions, this time Archie was sitting with Fred at Pop's. Archie informed Fred that he was going to propose to Veronica. Fred reached over and looked at the ring, saying that Veronica's going to love it. Archie said that she better love it as she picked it out, to which Fred said sounded just right. When Pop served them, Fred told him the news. Pop was surprised and commented that time dies. Upon hearing this, Fred became confused, so Pop pointed to his shirt that had blood spreading fast.

While back at the hospital lobby, Archie went to grab a cup of water from the water tank. As he filled up his cup and finishes his drink, Veronica arrived with a gift in hand explaining it was for Fred. Archie opened it to find a brand new leather wallet. Veronica told him that it was for him to use in the meantime until they found his wallet. Appreciative of this, he told her she was the best girlfriend ever. While he also told her that he didn't deserve her. Confused by this remark, she asked him to elaborate. Hesitant, Archie told her that he withheld information about something that happened at Pop's. As Archie was on the brim of confession, they interrupted, as Jughead and Betty arrived with Pop Tate carrying food from the diner for everyone.

The gang sat together at the hospital cantine. His friends commented how well he was tackling the situation, however, he didn't look convinced. Noticing this, Veronica asked Archie that he could talk to them. Sighing, he commenced telling them part of the story that he left out because he felt so ashamed; after the guy fired at his father, he should've retaliated or rushed to his father immediately, but instead stood there paralyzed. Even when the shooter walked up to him and pointed the gun at his head, he didn't move and chose instead to close his eyes, long enough for the shooter to possibly steal Fred's wallet. He didn't open his eyes until he heard the bell of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe ring. As Betty tried to reassure him that there was nothing he could've done, Archie admitted in shame that he was a coward, because he had a chance to comfort his father or tackle the shooter. Now, him and his father, are now witnesses, as well as Pop Tate, too. Telling them fearfully, what if he came back?

After, Archie went back to his father's room, to find Cheryl over his father's bedside, giving him a kiss on his forehead. Confused by this, Cheryl explained that she was paying him back for saving her life at Sweetwater River, he gave her the kiss of life, as she's now giving to his father. Cheryl then assured him that his father was going to be just fine, before she leaves the room. As he then returns to his father's bedside, he continued to his unconscious father, telling him that he was thinking a lot about what he could say to him. He told his father that he's been imagining what he would've said to him at Pop's that morning if he didn't get shot and things turned out differently; his father would ask him about Veronica and he would've told him how crazy he was about her. He would've replied that that was great, but that they should take it slow, no one was getting married yet.

The time flashed forward again to another of Fred's hallucinatory visions, this time Archie waited at the altar, Fred standing beside him, as Veronica, in a wedding dress, walked down towards him. Fred spotted the shooter who shot him aiming towards Archie, so he ran in front of the bullet to save Archie. His father then woke up from his vision, to find his son sitting beside his him. Archie was relieved to see his father finally awake. Archie apologized to his father as he tells him he should have done more for him at Pop's. He then tells his father that whether or not the Sheriff found the man who did this to him, he wouldn't have to worry, because he would protect him. Fred commented that the reason why he came back was to protect him.

Later, at the Andrews house, Mary had returned. Fred was finally back home. She carried soup up the stairs to bring to Fred to help him recover again. Once Archie heard the door close, he grabbed a seat and a wooden baseball bat, placing his seat in the corner where he could see both the front door and back door in plain sight. He kept guard of both doors through the night, just in case the shooter ever did come back to finish the job, as Archie swore that day, he would protect his father for as long as he could, while the criminal was still out in the wind free.

Archie got up that morning to make breakfast. He had planned to take it up to his father as he rested in bed. However, as the food burned, Fred came down into the kitchen, sarcastically asking if they needed a fire extinguisher. While he appreciated Archie's effort, Fred wanted to start moving around on his own. After finishing off the last of his energy drink, which he was in constant need of due to lack of sleep, Archie received a call from the Sheriff's office. Hoping that it was Sheriff Keller on the other end to update him on his father's case, Archie was disappointed to learn that it was merely a deputy following up on his prior calls.

From Jughead, Archie learned that Pop Tate's entire staff quit on him, and he wasn't sure how much long her he would be able to keep the diner's doors open. Possibly not even a week. Archie pointed out that the closing of Pop's shoppe was because of his father's shooting. People were scared, not that Archie blamed them as he had no intentions on returning to Pop's anytime soon. With Archie and Jughead both preoccupied with their fathers' respective dilemmas, Betty volunteered to take the lead on saving the diner, with Veronica agreeing to assist. Archie then joined Jughead as the two of them headed down to the Sheriff Station; Archie to drop off flyers with the Sheriff, and Jughead to meet with FP's court appointed lawyer.

At the Sheriff Station, Archie sat by the Sheriff's office, holding a group of flyers with the shooters picture on them. As the Sheriff exited his office, he told Archie that they were doing everything in their power to catch the shooter, as was Archie, who had been handing out flyers and talking to neighbors. He'd also been tracking his father's credit card because his wallet was still missing, meaning the shooter had all of their personal information, including their address. Archie sought to join the patrolling deputies as they searched the town for suspects, but the Sheriff denied his request as it was too dangerous. Before Archie could continue to plead his case, the Sheriff received a call from dispatch, a "53 in Greendale".

That night, as Archie kept guard of both the front and back door, he began to doze off until hearing footstep approach from the back. With his baseball bat in hand, Archie slowly entered the kitchen, nearing the back door as the intruder proceeded to enter the house. However, it was a false alarm as the intruder was actually Jughead, who had been walking around all night, trying to wrap his head around how much time his father was facing. Twenty years, Jughead said. And that's if FP takes the deal. If he doesn't and the case goes to trial, he'd be facing forty. Jughead expressed how frightened he was, though he wasn't the only one. Archie was dealing with fears of his own in relation to his father's shooter.

The following morning, Archie and Veronica went on a walk after she learned from Betty that he hadn't slept in his room ever since he and his father returned from the hospital. Why was this, Veronica asked. Archie explained that he had been watching the doors every night, so that he can make sure no one comes in. While it may have sounded crazy, the guy that shot his father was still on the loose, and Archie feared that he would come back to finish the job. Having gone through something deeply traumatic herself, Veronica suggested that Archie go see the school counselor to talk about what happened.

At school, Archie stood outside the counselor's office, considering what Veronica had suggested to him about seeking guidance, until being approached by Reggie, who also believed that it may do him so good to talk to a professional. Archie asked Reggie if he had anything that could help him stay awake at night, which he did, many things in fact; Amphetamines, Baclofen, Modafinil, and even jingle-jangle, a new drug making its way through Riverdale which Reggie noted as being capable of keeping Archie up for days in more ways than one. But Reggie couldn't help but wonder why Archie was seeking "uppers". With his father's shooter still roaming around town freely, Archie explained that he needed to be on high alert.

In class later that day, Mr. Weatherbee announced that Ms. Grundy was found murdered in her Greendale the night before. Barely able to hold back his pain, Archie grabbed his belongings and abruptly left the classroom only to return home and inform his father of this recent revelation. All within a matter of days, his father had been shot and his former music teacher/lover had been murdered. Archie began to wonder if he was being targeted by some crazed individual, though Fred had his doubts considering that they had no idea what happened to Ms. Grundy other than the fact that she was murdered.

Still under the impression that the person who shot his father and killed Ms. Grundy were one and the same, Archie went to Mrs. Cooper for help. He and Betty were hoping that since she was the first to know anything about Jason Blossom's autopsy, that maybe she can access details of Grundy's autopsy to see if her death lines up with the attack in Archie's father. Mrs. Cooper agreed to look into it in hopes that it would ease Archie's mind.

As Archie prepared himself a snack later that night, he noticed the Black Hooded assailant standing outside his kitchen window. Archie immediately ran out the back door, tackling the supposed shooter to the ground. However, upon unmasking the intruder, he discovered that it was merely Reggie, pulling a cruel prank while bringing him his "uppers", which was the last thing Archie needed if his recent actions were any indication. He was losing his mind, Reggie surmised. What if I had been the shooter, Reggie then asked. What would have Archie done with a baseball bat against a guy with a gun.

The next morning, Ms. Cooper returned with details from Ms. Grundy's autopsy. She informed Archie and his father that there wasn't any forced entry, meaning Ms. Grundy probably knew her killer, but the police didn't know if any of her personal belongings were missing. Archie then asked about the method in which she was killed. According to the autopsy, she was strangled with something the killer grabbed on hand; a cell bow. There was a struggle and Grundy fought back, but it was a crime of passion, in another town, with a completely different murder weapon. The likelihood of the two crimes being connected were slim. Archie started to consider that maybe they were right about his father's shooting and Grundy murder being isolated incidents, though he held back on what he was really thinking out of fear that they would think he's crazy.

Despite telling his father and Mrs. Cooper that they were probably right about the incidents being unconnected, Archie went down the the Sheriff station to inform Sheriff Keller that he had a suspect in the shooting and the murder. He believed that it was Ms. Grundy's abusive ex-husband. She moved to Riverdale to get away from him. She kept a gun in her car in case he ever come back for her. How do you know all this, Sheriff Keller questioned. Archie replied that he and Ms. Grundy were close, and that he was thinking that her ex-husband found out about him. Not mention that Ms. Grundy was killed with a cello bow. And he so happened to give her one before she left Riverdale. Archie was positive that it's the murder weapon, and that he was being sent a message. However, his theory was wrong as Sheriff Keller went on to explain. His counterparts in Greendale had already brought in her ex-husband. And he had an airtight alibi, which left Archie wondering if maybe he was going crazy and everyone else was right.

The following night, Archie arrived outside of the diner for Retro Night to the sight of Josie and the Pussycats performing Milkshake on the rooftop. He entered the diner, where he was greeted by Veronica with a kiss after having a brief flashback to the moment his father was shot and his blood spilled all over the floor. Veronica then escorted him to a booth while she got him a milkshake.

As Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead shared a booth and enjoyed the evening, Archie looked across the diner to Veronica's father, who had just been released from prison, asking if he should introduce himself. However, with him having already returned to the shoppe, Veronica concluded that he had faced enough dragons for one night, and that his introduction with Hiram is a moment best reserved for their next outing. However, Veronica didn't seem to have Archie's full attention as he repeatedly glanced out the window to Dilton Doiley. With Retro night coming to an end and the diner finally settling down, Archie met with Dilton on Sweetwater bridge, where a transaction took place, during which time, Archie acquired a gun from Dilton, assuring him that he wasn't crazy and that it was just for protection.

The Red Circle
As football practice was set to begin, Archie learned from Reggie that Coach Clayton was at Riverdale General Hospital with Moose and Midge, who had been attacked the previous night at Lovers Lane. Moose was shot multiple times while using his own body to shield Midge from the gun fire. Because of Moose's heroic actions, Midge walked away unharmed.

With news of the shooting making its way around school, Archie joined his friends in the student lounge as Kevin recounted the moments leading up to him finding Moose and Midge in the woods. Concerned that Kevin could've been shot too, Archie asked what he was even doing in the woods to begin with, to which Kevin replied that he was night jogging. Archie looks to the gang, asking if they can all come to a general agreement that there is a killer on the loose in Riverdale. A killer with terrible aim, Jughead remarked. Though this was no joking matter as Archie reminded Jughead that the killer also murdered Ms. Grundy. However, Betty has yet to be convinced that the killer in Greendale and their shooter in Riverdale are one and the same. On a just as serious note, Veronica invited them all over to officially meet her father. Reggie then entered the lounge, asking if Archie would be joining him in visiting Moose and Midge at the hospital, which he does.

Archie and Reggie arrive at the hospital as planned, assuring Moose that he was the single greatest reason for Midge's survival. Archie then began to question him over what he remembered of the attack, specifically the killer's black hood and green eyes. And while Moose did confirm that the shooter was wearing a black hood, he was interrupted by Midge before he could answer the question in relation to the shooter's eyes. Midge explained that his eyes were blank, as if there wasn't even a person behind them, comparable to Michael Myers or even the devil.

Archie returned home to inform his father of the shooter and the matching description given between his shooter at Pop's shoppe and Moose's shooter at Lover's Lane. Unfortunately, much like Betty, Archie's father had yet to be convinced that the shootings were related, though Archie had his mind made up that these weren't isolated incidents, and if Sheriff Keller wasn't willing to take that seriously, Archie suggested that they should by a gun for protection. However, Fred would not stand for a gun in his house. He'd much rather allow the police to do their job.

Later that evening at Veronica's, Archie expressed his frustration with the lack of effort being made to apprehend the shooter. He reiterated what his father had previously told him about allowing Sheriff Keller to do his job, but if memory serves, they succeeded in catching Jason's killer, when the Sheriff couldn't. Archie started to suspect that they were being specifically targeted. Mr. and Mrs. Lodge then entered the room on their way out for dinner. Mr. Lodge couldn't help but overhear their discussion, and so he understood their frustration with Sheriff Keller. He could say with confidence that the police aren't always the solution. Sometimes they had to take matters into their own hands. He then invited Archie over for dinner, looking forward to hearing what he could come up with to save Riverdale.

Inspired by Mr. Lodges words of motivation, Archie headed home, and went into his garage. Inside a dusty tool box and under a stack of comics was the gun that he had previously received from Dilton Doiley. After giving the gun a quick look, Archie picked up one of the comics, The Red Circle comic, to be exact, giving it a long look.

The next day, in an empty classroom, Archie arranged a meeting with many of his fellow students, including Reggie and Dilton. They were all under attack, as were their friends and family. Running and hiding was no longer an option. Archie proposed that they start a watch group to focus on the students, staff, and parents of Riverdale High. While his first thought was take to the streets, he came to a more civilized solution, that wouldn't require violence and weapons. A patrol for instance, would provide an extra set of eyes and ears for the police. What if we run into the killer, Dilton asked. Archie instructed him to call Sheriff Keller as they weren't vigilantes. They were watch dogs, though their official name would be The Red Circle. They hold the line, meaning they would no longer wait around for the follow up attack. From that point forward, it was their duty to protect their own.

Archie met up with Veronica at Pop's, where she informed him that he would be attending dinner with her parents later in the week, though the timing was less than ideal considering the shooter was still at large. However, According to Veronica, the dinner was nonnegotiable. The brief walk through her father did during the Matchlerette was a kind gesture, but the dinner was more like a test. Archie wondered what he was being tested for. Veronica corrected him, saying that the test was for her father, so that she can see if he's capable of being a normal father without an agenda other than getting to know someone that was important to her, that being Archie. In that case, Archie agreed to attend the dinner, though Veronica made it a point to advise him against any talk of the Red Circle or as she referred to it, a "private army".

After leaving Veronica, Archie and his fellow Circle members went around town posting and passing out flyers, instructing residents to call them should they need protection or feared for their life.

The next day, Archie was confronted at his locker by Sheriff Keller, over his influence in the creation of the Red Circle, though he referred to them as a militia. Archie informed the Sheriff that people were scared, and that they were merely trying to help. But a lynch mob would be counter productive, Sheriff Keller remarked. The two of them were then joined by Mr. Weatherbee, who Sheriff Keller informed of Archie's private army. Much to the Sheriff's surprise, Mr. Weatherbee had already been made aware of the Red Circle. In fact, he endorsed them as they were a school club, claiming that Archie had shown tremendous initiative. He refused to fault them for wanting to protect each other.

That night, with a baseball bat in hand, Archie ran outside and hopped in Reggie's car. Reggie immediately noticed the bat, reminding Archie of his previous statement of no weapons because they weren't vigilantes. Archie explained that he's had the bat since he was ten. Reggie then told him to look behind him. In the back seat, was a pipe and a lug wrench on standby in case patrol turned violent.

As Archie and Reggie patrolled the neighborhood, he received a call from Ethel, who claimed she was being followed by a man in a van. Archie instructed her to get some place safe as he and Reggie turned back around towards Hastings street. Upon their arrival, Archie and Reggie got out the car, calling out to Ethel along the corn field. As they inched closer down the dirt road, a van, watching them from the nearby street, quickly sped off. It was then that Ethel responded to Archie's calls. Running out from within the field, and explaining that a man pulled up and circled around approximately three times while she was walking home. Unfortunately, she didn't recognize the driver.

The following morning, as Archie marked a map of Riverdale, his father asked how the war on terrorism was going. Archie replied "its going". With that being said, Fred wanted to discuss Archie's upcoming dinner with the Lodges. Hiram Lodge was more than just his girlfriend's father, he was also Fred's business partner, which Archie and Veronica had already discussed. Archie promised his father that he would be a complete gentlemen. He wouldn't do anything to offend Veronica or her parents. The problem with that is that Mr. Lodge is the kind of person to find a way to be offended if that's what he wanted, so Archie was advised by his father to proceed with caution.

Visibly nervous at dinner that night, Veronica placed her hand on Archie's lap to calm his nerves. After commenting on the delicious dinner prepared by Mrs. Lodge, Mr. Lodge asked him about Ethel, and his heroic actions in saving her the prior night. Sadly, the creeper got away. Admittedly, they needed to be a lot faster with their response time. Mr. Lodge understood Archie's urge to be ahead of the threat, then asking Archie if he's ever had rum, to which Archie replied that he hadn't. There was a signature Lodge family label that Hiram had in his study. He asked Archie to join him, but insisting that Veronica stay behind.

As he and Mr. Lodge looked up to the portrait of Veronica in the study, he told Archie that having Veronica over his shoulders kept him honest. On a more serious note, Mr. Lodge inquired about the Red Circle, and Fred's stance on the matter. Archie explained that his father was still trying to wrap his head around it. Moving forward, Hiram was hoping that they could grow to respect each other. This meant no more of Archie sneaking into Veronica's room, which Archie didn't know that Mr. Lodge was aware of. Back on the subject of the Red Circle, Mr. Lodge did offer a thought. While it was a noble idea, evil had no regards for nobility or good intentions. Sometimes, defending one's self just isn't enough. Mr. Lodge suggested that striking back is often in order. The shooter, now calling himself the Black Hood, was waging a war based on terror and fear. Those are his weapons. They should be Archie's too.

The next day, taking inspiration from Mr. Lodges words once more, Archie and his fellow Red Circle members, all of whom were wearing red masks but him, recorded a video from his garage as a public message to the Black Hood. "This is a message for the coward calling himself the Black Hood. You think you can attack us from the shadows. But Riverdale is a lot stronger than you. And we're not afraid. See, there's only one of you. But we are legion. We're called the Red Circle. And we're coming for you... We will find you. We will hunt you. And we will end you."

On his quest to avenge his father and stop the Black Hood, Archie headed out into the woods for target practice. Afterward, he returned home to find his father watching the Red Circle's video, which they sent out as a public message to the Black Hood. Archie explained that he was attempting to send a message by scaring the killer, though Fred was pretty certain that the only thing Archie's video accomplished was antagonizing the Black Hood, which in turn could make him a target. While Archie had already taken down the original video, it had already been shared across the internet.

Archie walked through the school hallways that morning to the frightened and confused stares of his fellow classmates. At the end of the hall, stood Veronica, who was less than pleased with the video of him circulating around town. Her parents wanted her to break up with Archie. Since when do you care about what your parents think, Archie asked. Veronica doesn't. Except for when she happened to agree with them, though in such a terrifying time, all Archie asked of her is that she support him. However, Veronica couldn't do so without first knowing what she was supporting. Archie didn't understand why Mr. Lodge was upset with his actions considering that it was him that gave Archie the idea to fight fire with fire. Terror with terror. Archie left on that note as he was then called to the principal's office.

In the principal's office, Mr. Weatherbee read off a quote from Archie's video, then expressing his disappointment in Archie's sentiment. Archie gave his word that the only person that should be scared by his message was the Black Hood. As a consequence to his reckless actions, Mr. Weatherbee suspended the entire football team, effective immediately. If Archie hasn't written a signed letter apologizing to the entire Riverdale High community and disbanded the Red Circle by week's end, his suspension will begin, and will continue until he's complied. Hearing this, Archie did not care to rethink his position as Mr. Weatherbee hoped he would. Instead, Archie told him that they were living in a crazy time, they all had to do what they though was right.

Archie met up his fellow Red Circle members, which primarily consisted of bulldogs, in the boys locker room, to discuss their suspension. Reggie was irate as he warned Archie against making the video. The reason in which they were wore red hoods was to conceal their identity, so that all the heat fell on Archie. However, it was falling on all of them. Reggie pleaded with Archie to sign the letter of apology, Archie refused. Disbanding the Circle would only show the Black Hood that they're weak and helpless. Archie figured that the best way to force the killer's hand was by bringing the fight to his home turf, the south side. Mrs. Cooper was convinced that the Black Hood is a Southsider with an axe to grind, which made sense after they realized that all his victims were Northsiders. If there was even a chance of him being a Southsider, going into his territory could draw him out. Unfortunately, Reggie and the rest of the team didn't share this sentiment. As the team exited the locker room, Dilton remained. He concluded that Archie's plan was always to get the Black Hood one-on-one, a fight to the death. The Circle was merely a means to an end. If Archie insisted on going into the South side alone, Dilton recommended that he first go to a place on the edge of town after dark for supplies.

On his way out the house that evening, Archie was greeted by Veronica with an apology kiss for not supporting him as he had asked of her. With that being said, Veronica wished to support him and the Circle, even at the risk of angering her parents, especially her father, who deserved it after he manipulated Archie. Unfortunately, Veronica had not yet been made aware of the Circle falling apart earlier in the day. For the others guy, it was over, but for Archie, he was only just getting started. This was his battle to fight. However, if its his battle, then its Veronica's battle as well. Riverdale needed the Red Circle to expand, not contract. And while the guys may have quit on him, Veronica wouldn't. The two of them then shared a kiss.

After parting ways with Veronica, Archie took Dilton's recommendation, and headed over to U.S. Army & Navy, where with a fake driver's license that listed him as twenty-two year old, Wilbur Wilkins, Archie purchased ammunition, a holster, and a Kevlar vest. He informed the clerk that he would be paying in cash and that he was going hunting.

Archie arrived at school the following morning to the sight of Veronica wearing a Red Circle shirt. Archie advised Veronica against wearing the t-shirt as it could land her in a lot of trouble. But Archie made the mistake of underestimating Veronica and her will to accomplish anything she wishes to. After burning the midnight oil and calling in a few favors, Veronica managed to get Cheryl on board with promoting the t-shirts. Archie and Veronica turned to corner to fight a hallway filled with students, all wearing the Red Circle's shirts. The Red Circle was no longer a fringe band of radicals, rather a movement with style and panache.

That night, Archie crossed over the tracks to the south side, where he tagged several locations with a red circle. Regrettably, it was during the tagging that he had a run-in with Sweet Pea and Fangs Fogarty, a couple Southside Serpents. They quickly realized that he was leaving a message for the Black Hood, finding amusement in the notion that Southsiders are typically generalized as being the trouble makers, yet there's a Northsider on their side of town looking for trouble. Archie attempted to proceed down the sidewalk, but his path was blocked off. Sweet Pea advised Archie to return to the north side, otherwise, he would find himself on the wrong end of a beating, though Archie failed to heed the warning, instructing them to get out of his way. Sweet Pea then pulled out a pocket knife, though this would serve him poorly against Archie, who in response pulled out his gun, and sent the serpents running.

The next day in class, Archie was pulled into the hallway by Mr. Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller, after the Sheriff got a tip from a bodega owner on the south side that a Riverdale High School student with red hair was waving a gun around outside his shop. Archie claimed that he was in his garage working on some songs. Nevertheless, given hid behavior over the last several days, they believed that a look in hid locker for any weapons or contraband was warranted. Archie incorrectly assumed that a warrant was required for the searching of his locker, though it wasn't. And with his father having already been informed of the search, Mr. Weatherbee instructed him to open the locker or else he would. Inside the locker, they found a black hood, which greatly resembled the one that Archie previously described from his father's shooting.

Upon returning home, Archie explained to his father that the hood belonged to Reggie, who came by the house one day trying to scare him, during which time Archie confiscated the hood. To that, his father didn't know what to say as he was at a lost with Archie. Keller and Weatherbee thought that he was a threat, so they barred him from school property, and his father couldn't tell them any different. The Black Hood is still out there somewhere, playing a game of a cat-and-mouse with Riverdale. And while the killer admittedly scared Fred, he was more scared of Archie, because there was no telling what was going on in his mind. Archie sought to talk to his father about his recently odd behavior and reckless actions, which they would do after he returned from the Town Hall meeting.

Later that night, Archie called Veronica, asking her to retrieve his gun, which he hid in the tank of one of the toilets at the school. Veronica unfortunately arrived without the gun, which she claimed to have thrown into Sweetwater River. She questioned why Archie would even need a gun, to which he replied for protection from the Black Hood. Between the video and the gun, Veronica demanded to know the truth if she was going to follow Archie. He confessed that he wanted to kill the Black Hood. He wanted to be the last thing that the Black Hood saw. His reason for making the video was so that the killer would make him his next target. Archie even went to the south side, hoping that the Black Hood would reveal himself. Should he kill the Black Hood, Veronica wondered what would follow. What about all the people he would leave behind. He then heard a knock at the door. On the other side was Reggie, Dilton, and the rest of the team, carrying pizzas.

To what do they owe the unexpected honor, Veronica asked. Reggie explained that he was willing to reciprocate the same level of loyalty that Archie showed to him by not telling Weatherbee and Keller that the hood they found in Archie's locker was his. Reggie and the guys had been talking earlier, and came to the decision that if Archie wanted to keep the Red Circle going, they were in. However, the celebration was cut short after Veronica, who had heard engines revving, looked outside the door to find a small group of Serpents, led by Sweet Pea, coming to the door step. Archie opened the front door as they approached. Sweet Pea stated that they were there for payback following their last encounter. Reggie then joined Archie at the front door, commenting that Bulldogs eat Serpents for lunch. While Archie was willing to fight Sweet Pea, he wanted Veronica to stay behind. Veronica agreed to Archie's request, but if they insisted on fighting, they would do so under certain rules, no weapons for instance.

Archie and the Red Circle met with Sweet Pea and the Southside Serpents in a vacant lot, standing on their respective sides as the rain came pouring down hard. Both Archie and Sweet Pea slowly made their way to the center of the lot, where Archie, initiated the fight by throwing the first punch. That war declaring punch erupted into chaos as both sides ran forward, attacking each other. As the two sides waged war, Archie spotted Dilton pulling out a pocket knife in the midst of the fight, causing him to scream out Dilton's name, though before Archie could intervene, he was blindsided by Sweet Pea, who then delivered a massive kick as Archie laid on the ground. Fortunately for Archie, before Sweet Pea could follow through on one final blow, Veronica fired his gun in the air, bringing the rumble to an abrupt end as both sides scattered into the night.

With Reggie taking Dilton to the hospital, Archie returned home with Veronica, who applied care to his wounds. Archie admitted that the entire situation escalated much further than it was ever supposed to. Hoping to lift his mood, Veronica commented that at least Dilton was going to be alright. But only because of her, Archie replied. She saved him and Dilton. Archie was grateful that she lied about not having the gun as he didn't know what he would've done if he had it. But Veronica didn't believe that he would've used it. He and Veronica then started to kiss on the bed, but that was halted after she remembered that they had one last thing to do that night. The two of them headed down to Sweetwater bridge, where Archie through his gun into the river, hoping to end a vicious cycle of violence.

Physical Appearance
Archie is a tall, muscular teenage boy with pale skin, messy red hair, and brown eyes. While we haven't seen Archie's build before the start of the series, he got hot according to Kevin during the summer, as he was working at his father's construction company. He was working out and getting in shape in order to maintain his position in the Riverdale Bulldogs.

Personality
Archie is a very kind, honest and caring person, especially when pertaining to his friends and family. His suffering derives from merely having to stand by and watch his friends suffer while knowing that there is nothing he can do to ease their pain. Archie is a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve, and this can often be felt through his music, which Geraldine Grundy described as being very real and personal. However, this in no way diminishes his masculinity as Archie has been known to turn violent and aggressive at times. Not only is he a member of Riverdale High School's football team, the Riverdale Bulldogs, but he also picked a fight with a Southside Serpent at the Whyte Wyrm despite knowing he was vastly outnumbered.

Though he is indeed a loyal individual, Archie is shown to have very low self-esteem, as he feels unworthy of Betty's feelings and then later unconfident in his music aspirations and has shown a certain naivety, leading him to make bad, self-destructive decisions or him being easily manipulated and tempted. He acceded to Grundy's pleas that he not report details pertaining to Jason Blossom's murder as it would expose their affair, and was lead on to believe that the Blossom's would be able to aid him in his music ventures when in truth they were only using him leading to his relationship with Valerie falling apart.

After his fathers shooting at Pop's, he admitted that he was a coward. As he didn't know what to do after his father got shot. Allowing the shooter to escape. Ever since that day, Archie vowed to protect his father in case if the killer ever did come back to finish the job. After his father was discharged from the hospital, Archie was downstairs seated with a baseball bat guarding the front and backdoor through the night, as the killer was still out there in the wind.

Relationships

 * Archie and Jughead
 * Archie and Betty
 * Archie and Veronica
 * Archie and Josie
 * Archie and Valerie
 * Archie and Reggie
 * Archie and Geraldine
 * Archie and Cheryl
 * Archie and Fred
 * Archie and Mary
 * Archie and Kevin

Trivia

 * Archie appears to be a big fan of the American comic book publisher, . He had two posters plastered in his room, one of and another of.
 * Due to their red hair and varsity jacket, Archie is often compared to Jason Blossom.
 * KJ Apa broke his hand filming a scene involving him punching through a shelf of ice to rescue Cheryl Blossom. The cast worn by him throughout the rest of season 1 finale is real.
 * Archie knows how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a skill that came in handy when saving the life of Cheryl Blossom.

Gallery

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Promotional Images

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Season 1 Screencaps

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Season 2 Screencaps

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