Jughead Jones

"Archie almost lost his dad. He may still. And facing facts, my dad is going away for a long-ass time. Wearing that jacket and riding his bike, living in the trailer does mean something. Just kinda hoping that it means I'll always be close to him no matter what."

- Jughead to Betty

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is a main character on Riverdale. He is portrayed by Cole Sprouse.

Jughead was a sophomore at Riverdale High School, but following the arrest of his father FP Jones, the leader of the Southside Serpents, he was placed into foster care and, as a result, had to transfer to Southside High. While attending the gang and drug-infested high school, he re-opened the school newspaper, the Red and Black, where he is an editor, alongside new recruit, Toni Topaz, the newspaper's photographer, with Robert Phillips, their adviser until his arrest.. Jughead is a close friend of Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper, with whom he’s in a relationship with. He is also a member of the Southside Serpents, which he recently joined following his father's arrest, despite being advised against it, which he has yet to be reprimanded for.

With his father sentenced to do a hard time, Jughead had to look after his mother and little sister, as his father stated to him during one of their man-to-man talks. After accepting the Serpents' offer of joining the gang, it has allowed him to ask for favors, when needed to find out information. He currently lives in his father's trailer, rather than having to live with his foster parents. As he stated to Betty, living in his dad's trailer home, riding his bike, made him feel that his father would always be with him no matter what.

After Jughead transferred to Southside High, even though he wasn't officially a Southside Serpent yet, they still considered Jughead as family, due to his relation to the leader. As Toni pointed out to him, he was a "Serpent by blood", stating that it was his birthright. Even though he refused at first to be apart of the gang, the Serpents still respected him and would protect him by having his back whenever they're needed.

It wasn't long after joining the Serpents that Jughead came back in contact with Penny Peabody, otherwise known as the Snake Charmer, who trapped him into becoming her personal drug-runner, thus fulfilling the debt that his father failed to pay. Due to the surveillance video that Penny acquired of Jughead (and Archie) making a drug drop off, he is now forced to regularly traffic her drugs from the Southside of Riverdale to a warehouse in Greendale. Should he misbehave or fail to comply, Penny threatened to send the surveillance video to the police.

Jughead is the narrator of the series and the writer of an ongoing novel about Jason Blossom's mysterious death, and the riveting events occurring in Riverdale, a town that while innocent on its surface, had many dark and hidden secrets.

Character description
''A heartthrob with a philosophical bent and former best friend of Archie Andrews. He is still smarting from the rift that took place between the two.''

Early Life
Jughead grew up in Riverdale alongside Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper. He is the son of FP Jones, the leader of the Southside Serpents, and the elder brother of Jellybean Jones.

A few years before the series, Fred Andrews fired FP from his business and soon afterward, FP began drinking heavily interspersed with empty promises to quit drinking. His downward spiral along with their lack of income led Jughead's mother to take off with his ten-year-old sister, Jellybean, while Jughead took up residence in the projection booth at his workplace, the Twilight Drive-In. His mother and Jellybean currently live with Jughead and Jellybean's grandparents in Toledo.

Six years prior to the series, Jughead was playing with matches outside Riverdale Elementary School and was sent to the Riverdale Juvenile Delinquent Center for "arson" as listed on his permanent record. He was also routinely bullied throughout high school, predominantly by the football team, which included Jason Blossom and Reggie Mantle.

Jughead hates his birthday, because throughout his childhood, despite the constant chaos at home with his alcoholic father, there was an arbitrary day where he was supposed to pretend that everything was okay, which just made him feel really lonely. From that point forward he decided to barely acknowledge his birthday. Instead, he would attend a double-feature at the Bijou theater with Archie (aside from his 16th birthday, when he went with Betty instead).

Prior to the summer of 2017, Jughead and Archie were best friends. They had planned a road trip set to occur over fourth of July weekend, however, Archie canceled at the last minute for unknown reasons. It was later revealed that Archie instead spent the weekend with his music teacher, Geraldine Grundy, with whom he was having an affair. As a result of Archie canceling their trip, he and Jughead had a serious falling out and broke off their friendship. However, their friendship has since been mended "over many hamburgers and milkshakes".

Throughout Riverdale

 * -|Season 1=

Season 1
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Noveling Jason Blossom's Death
In Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Jughead sat in a booth as he began writing a novel about the events surrounding Jason Blossom's apparent death. In it, he described how the town of Riverdale was often presented as safe, decent and innocent, as many other small towns around the world are, but if you look close enough, you can see the shadows underneath. On the first day of school, he attended the memorial for Jason in the gymnasium.

The following Saturday night, instead of going to the back-to-school Semi-formal like most of the students, Jughead spent another night at the Chock'lit Shoppe again. He was surprised when Archie came in looking for Betty, however, she was not the only topic of discussion as they briefly talked about Jason's death. Before Archie left, Jughead gave him a piece of advice, he advised Archie to talk to Betty, because it could go a long way; it would have gone a long way with him as well. The next morning, he was present at Sweetwater River as Jason Blossom's body was brought to shore, surprisingly, he had a bullet hole in his head.

As usual, Jughead sat in a booth at Pop's shoppe working on his novel, he transcribed the entire town had likely been hoping against hope that Jason Blossom hadn't drowned on July 4th. They'd come to school Monday morning, and there he'd be, or that they'd see him and Cheryl sharing a smoothie at Pop's. However, this was before the undeniable discovery of his body at Sweetwater River. Now, all that remained were the terrible secrets that could only be revealed through the cold, steel blade of a coroner's autopsy scalpel.

Jughead had a brief conversation with Archie in the hallway, where his sardonic humor over Jason Blossom's death fell short with Archie. Before heading off to class, Jughead recalled that he and Archie were supposed to go on a road trip during the July 4th weekend, which Archie just so happened to bail on at the last minute. This lead led Jughead to believe that Archie was hiding something.

Jughead was shocked to learn that Archie and Ms. Grundy were in a secret love affair; he stumbled upon them as they were in a close embrace, leading Jughead to confront Archie later that day. Archie revealed that he and Grundy had been in a relationship since the summer, and that they both were Sweetwater River on July 4th, when Jason was ostensibly killed. They heard a gunshot that day, which Jughead urged Archie to report to the police, but he resisted, having been manipulated by Ms. Grundy to keep this information to himself for fear their relationship would be discovered. Jughead claimed that she cared more about herself than she did Archie. The fact that she's the one who told him to keep quiet only supported Jughead's claim. He was disappointed in Archie's resistance. Although the Archie he knew wasn't perfect, he at least tried to do the right thing.

The next day in the student lounge, Jughead was singled out by Reggie as a typical outsider with a grudge that could've possibly killed Jason. Reggie asked if Jughead "did stuff" to Jason's corpse, to which Jughead reminded him that the technical term was Necrophilia, then jabbed at Reggie's "dumb jock" personality by doubting that he could actually spell the word. This led to a heated confrontation between Reggie and Archie, who came to Jughead's defense, and ended with Archie getting knocked out with a black eye.

Eventually, Archie came to his senses and approached Jughead at the Pep Rally to inform him that he would be bringing his knowledge of the gunshot to the police. Archie then apologized to Jughead for their fight the previous night. Despite Jughead's unwillingness to hug Archie in front of the whole town, it was clear that some of the tension had passed and they were on their way to discuss being friends again over "many burgers and many days" To celebrate, they headed to Pop's shoppe for milkshakes, where they ran into Betty and Veronica, who welcomed the boys to join them.

Joining the Blue & Gold
His presence was requested by Betty at The Blue and Gold office. where she wanted his assistance reawakening the high school newspaper. However, Jughead wasn't sure that the Blue and Gold was the right fit for his voice, but Betty reminded her that Jason Blossom's death changed Riverdale, nothing that bad was every suppose to happen, but it did, and she wanted to know why. Jughead agreed so long as he had complete freedom. Upon their agreement, Betty gave him his first assignment; Dilton Doiley, he was the one person at Sweetwater River on July 4th that no one seemed to be questioning.

The next day, he interrupted Dilton's boy scouts meeting to ask him about the incident surrounding Jason Blossom's death, Jughead reminded him that both Archie and Cheryl said they heard a gunshot that evening, however, Dilton claimed that he didn't hear or see anything weird. Just at that moment, Jughead noticed that he and Dilton were being watched by one of his boy scouts, the same boy scout that Jughead would later go on to confront at Pop's Shoppe. As Jughead consumed the young boy scout's ice cream, he revealed that Dilton was lying about not hearing the gunshot, when in fact he was the one who fired it, Jughead was in disbelief. Apparently, Dilton was a hardcore survivalist, who had been teaching them how to shoot.

That night, he managed to sneak his way into the Taste of Riverdale, an event that was being held by Mayor McCoy, in an effort to further question Dilton Doiley. Although he was not the only creeper in attendance, Archie had made his way in as well in order to listen to the song that he helped Josie and the Pussycats write, a song which Jughead admitted wasn't too bad.

He found Dilton standing in the stairway, and confronted him with the knowledge that Dilton fired that gun on July 4th, which made him both a liar and a public menace. Dilton claimed that he was doing the scouts a favor, but Jughead wasn't up to hearing it, telling Dilton to save his explanation for his statement, which he could make to Sheriff Keller or Jughead, whom suggested the latter.

Dilton showed up at the Blue and Gold offices the next day, if they published the story of him firing the gun, his life would be ruined, so he offered them a better story instead. He revealed that he saw something at Sweetwater River that no one else saw, which was Ms. Grundy's car.

Twilight Drive-In
With the Twilight Drive-In closing, Jughead was sure that it was just another nail in the coffin that is the American dream. Furthermore, he was furious, the drive-in was very special to him, the residents should be trying to save it, which he tried to explain to Betty, Veronica, and Kevin. Jughead struggled over which film he should play for closing night, he asked the group, who he had already invited to attend, he went with Betty's suggestion "Rebel Without a Cause." As Archie, Fred, and Ms. Grundy entered the diner, Jughead pleaded with Betty and Veronica to not get involved, but neither listened.

The next day at school, Jughead explained to Archie that not getting involved in the situation with him, Betty and Grundy was the most moral, apathetic choice he could've made, he also mentioned that Archie had nothing to worry about as Jughead assured him that Betty would never do anything that could possibly hurt him.

After school, Jughead went down to Town Hall, hoping that he could persuade Mayor McCoy to save the drive-in, a futile attempt it turned out to be as the deal was done, and Andrews Construction already had the contract for demolition. Jughead told her of the special connection he shared with the drive-in, how he practically grew up there with his family, yet there was still nothing the Mayor could do.

In another attempt to save the drive-in, Jughead approached Fred Andrews, in an effort to convince him to at least hold off on the demolition until he can track down the anonymous buyer, sadly, Fred could not afford to give him that time. Jughead grew increasingly angry, he reminded Fred how he already put his father out of work, so he might as well do the same to another Jones. That night, Jughead sat in the booth the entire night as Rebel Without a Cause played on the big screen, one last time.

The next morning, it was revealed that Jughead was living out of the drive-in, and with its demolition in motion, he would soon be homeless. Before leaving the drive-in, for the final time, he spray-painted his name and signature crown hat on the side of the booth, then have a brief run-in with his father, who told him that they'd tear the booth down, and them with it. Jughead hoped that maybe they'd save the booth, store it in the town hall attic, and rebuild it in a hundred years, so people could wonder who the hell they were.

At school, Jughead, Betty, and Kevin reconstructed Sheriff Keller's murder board that had been previously destroyed. Unfortunately, the police had no suspects in the break-in, there weren't any fingerprints, and the files, background checks, and video and audio tapes of police interviews were stolen.

That evening, after learning from Betty, that Polly attempted suicide, and that Jason Blossom began selling drugs shortly before his murder, Jughead began to not only question why a rich kid would do such a thing, but what would make him want to run away from his parents, since they couldn't ask Jason or his parents, Jughead decided they would raid his room during Jason's memorial, which they had earlier been invited to by Cheryl.

Following an emotional eulogy from Cheryl, Jughead and Betty snuck away during the commotion, and made their way to Jason's room, Jughead suggested that they check in such places as under the mattress, in the drawers, under the headboard, and in the closet, all locations where teenage boys would hide things. Unbeknownst to either of them, Rose Blossom, Jason's grandmother was also in the room, she startled them both, however, she mistakenly took Betty for Polly, her older sister, Jughead remained quiet, and listened as the two of them conversed. Rose Blossom unknowingly revealed to them that Polly and Jason were engaged.

As more secrets from Betty's family came to light, Jughead believed that her parents knew more than they're letting on, if Betty's father would be willing to do anything to protect Polly, the next logical question would be, how far would he go. Whoever broke into Sheriff Keller's house wasn't at the Twilight Drive-In, and coincidentally, Betty's father wasn't at the drive-in, with that being said, they added the Cooper family's name to the board.

Finding Polly
In an attempt to find Polly, Jughead was invited over to the Cooper house for breakfast with Betty and her mother. He distracted Alice by asking to use the bathroom, which she then proceeded to lead him to, and while those two were off, Betty went through her mother's purse, and took several photos of her checkbook.

Upon further investigation at The Blue and Gold, they discovered that one of the checks were made out to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, a home for troubled youths. Over lunch, Betty and Jughead quietly discussed finding Polly, which led the two of them to catch a bus over to the group home, where Jughead was forced to wait in the entrance hall while Betty was taken to her sister, who turned out to be pregnant with Jason Blossom's child.

From Betty, Jughead learned that Polly and Jason had planned to run away together on July 4th, but the Coopers had found out and sent her away. Before the day's end, the duo was caught by Alice, who was then confronted by Polly over Jason's death, which caused a big scene. This led to Polly being pulled away by two orderlies as Betty told her she loves her and promises to get Polly out. Jughead stood there helpless as another orderly prevented him from interfering.

Back at the Cooper house, he climbed a ladder and knocked on Betty's window, happily surprising her, Jughead commented "Hey there Juliet, nurse off duty?". After discussing her worries over her parents and Polly as well as herself, Jughead calmed Betty down and reassured her that they are not their families. Visibly nervous, Jughead kissed Betty, after which he exhaled and sighed and she smiled just before remembering that earlier Polly had mentioned a car Jason had stashed for them out by an old maple farm sign on Route 40. Jughead made a comment about her changing the subject and 'ruining their moment' but she explained that it wasn't her intention.

They skipped the Variety Show that night and went out to find the supposed car, which was hidden under a tarp away from the road. Inside the vehicle, they found a number of Jason's belongings, including his varsity jacket, as well as copious amounts of drugs. Jughead took photos for evidence while, unbeknownst to either of them, someone watched from the woods.

After gathering proof of their find, Jughead and Betty found Sheriff Keller at the school, and told him about what the car, along with what they found inside. Unfortunately, the vehicle was up in flames by the time the authorities had arrived. Having left the vehicle unprotected, whoever was watching Betty and Jughead set the car on fire, presumably to destroy evidence. Jughead and Betty then raced to rescue Polly from the group home but by the time they arrived, her room was empty, the window was broken and blood coated the glass.

Ever since the closing of the Twilight Drive-In, Jughead had been living out of a forgotten closet under a staircase at the High School. It wasn't long before Archie made this discovery, to which Jughead explained that things weren't good at home. His dad had fallen off the wagon after Fred Andrews fired him, and his mother had left with Jellybean to live with their grandparents a while back. Archie invited him to stay at his place, but he declined, saying that his situation was only temporary, then insisting that Archie not tell anyone, especially Betty.

In the student lounge, Jughead comforted Betty as she stressed over the situation with Polly and her unborn child, then telling Kevin that it wouldn't be the best idea to get his father involved because Sheriff Keller answers to the Blossoms.

After the earlier discussion with Jughead, Archie spoke with his father about the situation, who then decided to offer FP his job back. Jughead then visited his father to talk about the job offer, but he came home to a trailer riddled with trash and beer bottles. Jughead insisted on FP getting rehired at Andrews Construction, so they could then proceed to rebuild their family, which FP seemingly agreed with.

Jughead and Betty led a search party throughout Eversgreen Forest, hoping to find Polly, after her escape from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy group home. Following the press conference held by Alice Cooper, where she revealed to the entire town that Polly was pregnant with Jason Blossom's child, Jughead offered to walk Betty home. During which, Jughead attempted to find the suitable name for the nature of their relationship, although nothing was clarified. They then discussed Polly before something Jughead said made Betty realize where her sister was hiding. Grateful, Betty kissed Jughead, who smiled as she ran home.

The next day, after a successful first day back for FP, Archie and Jughead wanted to celebrate with their fathers', so the four of them went to Pop's for dinner, where the two fathers told stories about their younger years.

Later that night, Jughead sat back and watched as FP and Archie practiced music in the garage, which led Archie to ask FP about something he had mentioned earlier that night about Fred owing him. FP revealed the truth about why he was forced to resign from Andrews Construction, he got into trouble after working some odd jobs to support his family, Fred bailed him out, but he then wanted to part ways with FP afterward. This left FP very upset and he began drinking, before taking his father home, Jughead hid his flask in Archie's couch.

Once home, Jughead put his father on the couch, where he mentioned to that he spoke with his mom on the phone, who now worked at a call center and is taking online classes in the hopes of finally getting her GED, for which Jellybean was helping her study. Speaking of Jellybean, Jughead also mentioned that she wanted to be addressed as 'JB' from now on because she thought it sounded cooler. He remarked that she's a "ten-year-old who listens to Pink Floyd on vinyl, how much cooler could she get?". However, Jughead then noticed that his father had passed out while taking off his boots and that he hadn't heard a word he'd said.

The next morning, Jughead was taken into custody and brought down to the Sheriff Station by Sheriff Keller, as a suspect in Jason's murder. His and Betty’s fingerprints were found on Jason’s torched car as expected, but Jughead had a surprising juvie record from six years ago as he almost burned down Riverdale Elementary School. According to Jughead, the fire was an accident as he was playing with matches.

Sheriff Keller unfairly suspected him as the killer due to his background and being from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’. Fred unexpectedly came to his aid and told Sheriff Keller that Jughead was tearing down drywall for his construction company on July 11th, which Fred and Archie later falsified a time card to prove.

Jughead’s father showed up to the station just as everyone was leaving and caused a scene in front of Fred, Archie, and Betty. FP was furious and angrily demanded to see Sheriff Keller for making accusations against his son and even lashed out at Fred, who tried in vain to calm him down. Jughead convinced him to let it go before he left, FP tearfully promised he would get his act together and that they would have their family back, it would just take some time. Jughead looked angry and resigned as he told his father he believed him. In the end, Jughead went to live at the Andrews’s house, but he had yet to give up on his father.

Jughead's Slithering Secret
After a late night of gaming, Fred entered Archie's room to inform the boys that it was time to call it a night, but not before he noticed the foul odor circulating within the room. Jughead felt very at-home with the Andrews, almost as if he, Archie and Fred were roommates in a college dorm. Tomorrow, Andrews Construction would be breaking ground for the SoDale project, which was a sore subject for Jughead as the land formerly housed the Twilight Drive-In.

The next day, in the student lounge, Jughead, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, Cheryl, and Valerie analyzed Polly's dilemma, in which the Coopers wanted her but not the baby, and the Blossoms wanted the baby, but not her. A true Gordian Knot, Jughead said, however, Veronica disagreed, it was a fairly solvable problem, she suggested that they throw Polly a baby shower, which would force the Coopers to finally start communicating.

Having learned that Andrews Construction was facing turmoil, Jughead, Archie, Kevin, and Moose volunteered to assist Fred Andrews 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 Archie could fall back on manual labor if his music career were to never take off. However, he was very much aware that his dad's path was not for him.

After a long day of work, the boys returned to the trailer, but Moose forgot his phone back on the project site. As he returned to retrieve it, he was attacked by two thugs, who warned them to stop construction or else they'd return. While Fred thought that Cliff Blossom was at the center of the attack, Archie speculated that it could've been the Southside Serpents, angry due to being kicked off their territory, but Jughead reminded everyone that the Serpents never bothered him when the drive-in was still up and running.

The next day at Pop's Shoppe, Jughead filled Betty and Veronica in on the attack at Andrews construction, in which he assured them Moose was fine. Archie then entered the diner seeking Jughead's help as he, Moose and Kevin planned on finding the Serpents they alleged to have attacked Moose. Kevin's boyfriend, Joaquin, who was also a Serpent, could get them into the Whyte Wyrm, a known hang out for the gang, where they could find Moose's attackers and notify Sheriff Keller. Betty wasn't too sure that it was the best idea since the Serpents were dangerous drug dealers; the drug dealer portion of that comment being confirmed a day earlier as Polly informed them that Jason was dealing for the Serpents. Jughead insisted that going into the bar was a terrible idea, but all Archie wanted to know is if Jughead would join him, which he didn't.

Jughead and Betty shared a kiss as the baby shower began, she thanked him for being there since that event wasn't his usual kind of scenery. Jughead sarcastically replied that "organizing a baby shower was totally on his bucket list". Archie unexpectedly showed up at the shower not much later and confronted Jughead on his father being a Serpent, which is why he tried to prevent them from going to the bar. As the baby shower came to a close, Jughead explained that he was ashamed of his father's affiliations, which is why he hadn't told anyone, which Betty immediately forgave him for, and then suggested that they pay FP a visit.

At the trailer park with his father, Jughead announced that they knew about the drug deal between the Serpents and Jason, the cops knew too, so if they hadn't been there already, they would be soon enough. FP claimed they gave Jason some product to deliver upstate, but when it never showed, they assumed he ran off with it, that was until his body showed up at Sweetwater River. Jughead then asked his father if he had any involvement in Jason's death, despite FP being his father, it was the dark ages, he didn't know what to think. FP admitted that he was a lousy parent, but he insisted that he wasn't a killer.

Outside the trailer, Jughead told Betty that he believed his father, and she believed Jughead, the two of them then shared another kiss. Jughead returned to the Andrews house where he admitted that he should've trusted Archie, but he was afraid that his father was at the center of the attack. Archie understood where Jughead was coming from, saying that they were brothers and that they would always be there for each other.

In Betty's room, Jughead assured Betty that she did nothing wrong upon learning that Polly had been ignoring her calls and emails. He said they'll figure it out, and then went in for a kiss, before being interrupted by her mother.

Later that day in student lounge, after discovering that Archie could be attending an exclusive summer music program with the help of the Blossoms, Jughead questioned their motive for doing so. Archie explained that all he had to do was escort Cheryl to the maple tree tapping. Although Valerie was cool with it, Jughead was not, asking if Val was cool with him being a Gigolo.

A couple days later, Jughead and Betty confronted Cheryl in the hall and demanded that they are allowed to talk to Polly. It was then that Cheryl revealed to the two of them that Polly was having twins, just as Rose Blossom had previously claimed. Betty began to wonder why Polly would not tell her something of such importance, to which Jughead explained that hostages weren't usually allowed to make phone calls. In the end, after calling Jughead a hobo, Cheryl agreed to pass on Betty's message to Polly. As Jughead, Archie, and Fred at dinner that night, they were momentarily joined by Cheryl, who thanked Archie for agreeing to escort her to a banquet, which Jughead referred to as Archie pimping himself out.

The following day, Betty ranted and raved about her parents' ill behavior during a time of crisis, where Polly was living with the Blossoms. She mentioned how her mother threw a brick through the window of The Register, an incident that Jughead wished he could've been present for, this statement was subsequently followed by an apology for his typical sense of sardonic humor. Betty felt like her family was falling apart, and she felt like there was nothing she could do to stop it, but Jughead persuaded Betty to keep fighting. He agreed that the Cooper family was splintering, but that it wouldn't fall apart because of her effort in holding it all together. Jughead went on to tell Betty "You're so much stronger than all of the white noise. You're stronger than your mother, you're stronger than your father. You're holding this family together. So don't. Don't let go."

Later that night, Jughead and Betty informed Alice that they learned from Archie that Polly was fine, she didn't choose the Blossoms over them, she went there to spy on them as she suspecting them of being involved in Jason Blossom's Death. Polly was their woman on the inside, they were going to use this connection to finally expose the Blossom family. Jughead invited Alice to write with them at the The Blue and Gold.

Birthday Bash
As Jughead sat in the chair playing video games and Archie lay on the bed, Fred entered the boys' room before taking off to Chicago to apologize for having to miss Jughead's upcoming birthday. Though, Fred would not be missing much considering that Jughead barely acknowledged his own birthday.

That night, after taking the pizza out of the oven, Jughead informed Archie that this year's double-feature at the Bijou consisted of "An American Werewolf in London" and "Animal House", two films directed by John Landis. Unfortunately, Archie had no intent on attending the films with him, instead Betty would be going for which Jughead wasn't too happy about considering he did not want her to know it was his birthday as it was a primal betrayal on Archie's fault. Jughead's hatred for his birthday began when he was a kid because his life at home was never good, usually because of his father, and then there was this arbitrary day, that they would get together and pretend as if they were normal. Consequently, it just made me feel really lonely.

The following night at the Bijou, after talking to Kevin, Jughead asked Betty about the confrontation she had with Chuck Clayton in the cafeteria. He wanted to know what exactly happened between her and Chuck the night leading to his suspension, but it wasn't a big deal, and Veronica wanted her to keep the details under wraps, or so Betty claimed. He only asked because Kevin made it seems as if she was upset, but if Betty was upset about anything, it was the fact that she found out about his birthday through Archie. He claimed that he didn't think of Betty as an American Werewolf in London kind of girl, but she corrected him, saying she's all about the beast within.

After the double-feature, he and Betty returned to Archie's house only to find that a surprise party was awaiting him, which he was not too thrilled about. After greeting everyone, Betty came out the kitchen singing with his birthday cake in hand, which he noted as being oddly creepy. Before blowing out the candles, he quietly remarked that he wished it was only him and Betty at the house.

Then they entered the kitchen to find Archie and Veronica hugging, to which Veronica revealed she wasn't in a partying mood, and neither was Jughead. He appreciated the sentiment behind Betty throwing the party, but he would rather the four of them sitting in a booth at Pop's Shoppe, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions.", Jughead told Betty. She questioned why he couldn't be normal just for once, but he replied that he wasn't normal nor was he wired to be, and just when he thought the night could not get any worse, the doorbell rang and Cheryl and Chuck were at the door, along with several dozen classmates eager to party.

Despite knowing Jughead opposed the idea of a party, Archie invited everyone in anyway, which led Jughead to retreat to the garage, where he sat with Vegas until Archie came in raving at Valerie. As his blood brother, it was Archie's responsibility to make sure that nothing like a wild house party ever came to be for his birthday, but Archie insisted that it was Betty's idea, he simply went along with it. Not to mention, he was Betty's boyfriend, meaning that he's getting a party whether he wants one or not. His father then unexpectedly entered the garage with a gift in hand, and wishing him a happy birthday. He warned FP that he was the only adult at the party, which came as no surprise. Jughead then asked if Betty called him, which she did, and she came to see him, FP said that she knows what she wants.

Later, Jughead confronted Betty over inviting his father to a party with alcohol, while knowing he had a drinking problem, but Betty claimed that Chuck and Cheryl's invasion was not apart of the plan, it was only supposed to be a party with his friends. Betty and Archie are his friends, everyone else, including Kevin and Veronica, are people that he would have actively shunned two months ago because he's weird that way. Jughead doesn't fit in, and he doesn't want to, he became increasingly upset over Betty not knowing or caring that a party is the last thing he wanted. He wondered if it had ever occurred to her how different they were, Betty's a straight A student, she was a cheerleader and the perfect girl next door. While he, on the other hand, was the damaged loner outsider from the wrong side of the tracks, Jughead believed they were on borrowed time, but he wasn't one of her projects, like Jason Blossom's Death, suspecting that she was only fine with being his girlfriend until she grew tired of slumming it with him or until Archie changed his mind to say he wanted to be with her.

Before leaving the party, he ran into Ethel, who offered him a slice of cake as it was bad luck to not have some on his own birthday, but Jughead declined, commenting that the entire night was bad luck. As he headed for the door, he was cut off by Chuck and Cheryl, who insisted that the night was far from over as they had a game they wanted to play first, called "Secrets & Sins", a game in which they reveal all their dirty little secrets.

They started with Archie and Veronica, in which Jughead learned that the Twilight Drive-In was brought by Veronica's father, and ended with Betty, as Chuck retold the story of what happened the night that he confessed. Betty dressed up like a hooker in a terrible black wig, drugged and handcuffed chuck to the Jacuzzi until he said what she wanted to here, and it only got stranger from there as she actually believed that she was Polly. This set off Jughead as he punched Chuck directly in the face, however, his hit did little damage in comparison to the bruise Chuck left on him when he struck back.

FP broke up the fight and escorted Chuck out the house, as well as ending the party altogether, but he stopped Jughead as he attempted to leave. His father wanted him to go back inside and talk to Betty, but Jughead was not too sure it would work out, which FP would not allow, he told Jughead that he had something good going with his friends, something his parents could not give him. He was then told to man up, after what FP saw go on, Betty needed him, which Jughead apparently agreed with as he went back in.

He and Betty had milkshakes at Pop's, where he admitted that Betty was doing something nice for him, but he short-circuited and that frightened him, he was scared of being rejected for being himself. Betty then admitted that she should have told him the truth about Chuck instead of throwing a party he did not want, there's an overwhelming darkness within her, she then showed Jughead the scars she unintentionally left on her inner hand, and then the two of them kissed.

The next morning, he caught Veronica creeping downstairs from Archie's room, the two awkwardly smiled, and he promised not to tell anyone. A little later, as he finished off his cake, Jughead asked Archie about him and Veronica, then making the same promise of saying nothing just as he did to Veronica.

FP Framed; Whodunnit?
Alone in the bleachers of the gymnasium, Jughead continued to write his story surrounding Jason Blossom's Death. He then headed over to Sunnyside, where he was surprisingly welcomed by a clean trailer and a clean father, it would appear that FP was finally getting himself together, much to Jughead's satisfaction, he even joked that maybe his father had been body snatched. Surprisingly, FP had actually read Jughead's manuscript, and he thoroughly enjoyed it but he had a few questions, such as why Jason Blossom. Jughead explained that he didn't pick Jason, it was as if Jason picked him to tell the story that no one else was going to tell, from the outside looking in. Jughead didn't have much of an opinion on who killed Jason, for him, the question wasn't "Whodunnit", the real question was whether Riverdale was a place of good or a place of darkness and evil.

A little later that day, Archie asked Betty if he could play a couple songs at the Homecoming dance, which she was hesitant as Archie's style of songwriting was very dark which Jughead remarked that it makes you want to slit your wrist, but in a good way.

Shortly after, he approached Betty wondering why she didn't tell him about the dinner being thrown at her house by her mother, who nearly tackled Jughead in the hallway to invite him and his father over before the dance. He was a little terrified by the social experiment, but he was thrilled too as it was important for their families to get to know each other better.

That night, after learning that Archie's mother and father would be attending the dance together, Jughead questioned if there could be a possible rekindling in the near future. Archie thought it was a pipe dream, but Jughead assured him that stranger things had happened, like his father getting cleaned up and being at work every day, leaving him to question if maybe it was time for him to return home. FP had even stopped drinking, however, Archie still thought that he should hold off on moving back, but Jughead was sure that his father was going straight, but something had shifted. He mentioned to Archie how engaged his father was in his manuscript. Archie then hopped out of bed, claiming that he was going to get his mother some almond milk from the store, but Jughead saw right through this. He rightfully assumed Archie was sneaking off for a late night rendezvous with a certain raven-haired princess.

Just as planned, Jughead and his father had dinner with Betty and Mrs. Cooper the following night, during which time Alice practically interrogated his father on his involvement with the Southside Serpents and his spotty work history. The doorbell rang, it was Betty's father, Hal Cooper, which only made the situation worse, leaving Betty with the only option of ending the dinner, and leaving for the dance with Jughead and FP.

Before going to the dance, Jughead asked Betty to wait as he had a private conversation with his father inside the truck. He told his father how he was contemplating coming back home. Pleased, FP thought it would be even better if they got the entire family back together and that he wanted to move to Toledo to be with Jeallybean and their mom, which Jughead wasn't too thrilled about. People like them get chewed up in Riverdale, but he couldn't help but think about Betty, so after the dance, he wanted to talk to her about it.

After an amazing performance by Archie and Veronica, Jughead joined them and Betty in the hallway, where they revealed their treacherous actions of breaking into his father's trailer in search of any evidence that would prove him to be Jason Blossom's Killer. Alice put them up to it, and they knew when to go because he would be at the dinner, which led Jughead to believe that Betty was also in on this treachery, leaving him to question why he would ever pass on moving with his family to Toledo for her. Betty insisted that she had no prior knowledge of the plan, but Jughead began to wonder if his word was not enough to vindicate his father, but it was enough, Betty said. He was so excited about the dinner, she didn't want to disappoint him.

The betrayal of his friends was only the beginning of Jughead's terrible night, because he soon learned that his father had been arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom. Jughead stormed out the school, and headed over to the trailer park, where he found the door covered in yellow caution tape, though this did not stop him from breaking through the door. In a fit of rage, he destroyed the trailer, and then started to cry, before pulling himself together and exiting the trailer.

Shortly after learning his father had been arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom, Jughead called his mother from a pay phone at the Riverdale bus station. He told her that he planned on catching a bus out to Toledo to see her and Jellybean. Unfortunately, she turned him down, thus making his terrible night even worse as he briefly sobbed in the phone booth.

With Toledo no longer an option, he went back into the lobby to buy a ticket to the next bus out of town, and he didn't care where it was headed. However, the next bus wasn't coming until the next morning at 6:00 AM. With nowhere else to go, Jughead hung out at Pop's Shoppe, where Archie, Betty, and Veronica found him, and informed him that his father was being framed.

The four of them rushed over to the Sheriff Station to speak with Sheriff Keller, and tell him about their discovery. Unfortunately, by then, FP had already confessed to the murder, Jughead then shared a long and confused look with his father as he was escorted elsewhere.

Initially, Jughead decided to stay home from school the following day, but he made an unexpected appearance in the cafeteria to apologize to Cheryl for his father's action. Cheryl slowly stood up, and in a fit of rage, she attacked Jughead up until Archie pulled her off. Mr. Weatherbee then entered the cafeteria, demanding that Jughead come with him, and in the office, Jughead had to undergo his second interrogation of the day, he wasn't sure who was the bigger dick, Weatherbe or Sheriff Keller. Betty told him to ignore them, his father was innocent, they just needed to prove it. Jughead grew tired of the entire ordeal, he questioned who killed Jason if not FP, he even confessed to doing it. Jughead had been waiting his whole life for his father to do the right thing, but he was done waiting, and Betty should be too.

Sadly, his day would only seem to get worse as Weatherbee later went on to call Mr. Andrews, and suggest that Jughead finish out the school year from home, in order to prevent any further altercations like the one that took place with Cheryl. Jughead sat on the steps and listened as Archie and his father argued about what to do with him and the trouble that seemed to constantly follow his family around. Jughead came off the steps, and as Archie approached, he told him that he would sleep in the garage that night, hoping to avoid any further problems.

The next day, he was awakened by Archie, and the two of them headed down to Pop's to talk with Archie's mother, who happened to be a lawyer. Mrs. Andrews passed herself off as FP's attorney to get as much information on the case as possible, and it wasn't looking good due to his list of priors, the anonymous tip, and the possession of the murder weapon, but Jughead reminded her not to forget about his father's pesky confession. Known for his dark and sardonic sense of humor, Jughead even joked about his father being an honest murderer. Mrs. Andrews then informed him and Archie that FP's one call was to Joaquin DeSantos, Kevin's boyfriend, a fellow Southside Serpent. He was then advised to go and see his father, tell him everything he wanted to say because he wouldn't get another chance once FP was arraigned.

Jughead took Mrs. Andrews advice. He visited his father at the police station, and told him that when he and Archie first devised the plan to get FP back on his feet, he knew deep down that it was a mistake. FP really had him fooled, cleaning the trailer, convincing him that he had quit drinking, because of this he was so happy for the first time in so long, FP even paid attention to him. Although the only reason FP even read his manuscript was to make sure that Jughead wasn't on to him, and FP didn't want to move to Toledo to get the family back together, he wanted to run away. FP exclaimed that he did what he had to do, but Jughead question if he had any remorse for killing Jason, but his father claimed he was only sorry he got caught. Just as Jughead prepared to leave, his father told him to never come back, and in that moment, something changed, he could tell his father was hiding something.

His dad had been lying to him his entire life, but he'd never been good at it, so after his conversation with FP, Jughead called Betty, admitted she was right about FP, and the two of them met up at The Blue and Gold offices. They began to question why he would lie, and who he was protecting, so they began ruling out suspects, like Betty's father and Veronica's mother. On the murder board, the only suspects left were Hiram Lodge, and Clifford and Penelope Blossom. Mrs. Cooper then entered the office to inform them that the body of a Serpent had been discovered. Sheriff Keller was convinced that he was working with FP, not to mention he allegedly committed suicide by overdose, and there was a bag of money in his room that tied him to Hiram Lodge, so everything was tied into a nice little bow, but too tidy for Alice.

Betty then received a call from Kevin, and the three of them met up on the highway off Route 40 where Jason's car was torched. Whatever it was they were looking for, Joaquin wasn't sure if it would help FP or hurt him, but it was apart of their contingency plan that FP called off from jail because it was too dangerous. Under the Blossom Maple Farms sign was a duffel bag containing Jason's varsity jacket. Inside the lining of the jacket, Betty found a USB flash drive, which housed surveillance video from the night that Jason was murdered, which revealed that Jason was killed by his own father, Cliff Blossom. That night, Jughead, Archie, Betty, Kevin, and Veronica sat in Archie's garage and watched the entire video, from Jason being tied up by Mustang to the fatal shot fired by his father.

From there, they learned the truth behind why Jughead's father falsely confessed, it was to protect Jughead, who Clifford threatened would suffer the same fate as Jason if FP spoke a word about how Jason really died. After learning the truth, Jughead demanded that his father be released, though Sheriff Keller could not accommodate as FP was still being brought up on several other charges, like mishandling a body, perjury, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence and more.

Southside Serpents
Jughead sat at Pop's shoppe that evening, as he continued with his novel. In the wake of Clifford Blossom's death, a narrative quickly emerged following the discovery that his family's maple syrup farm was a front for his true business of transporting heroin from Montreal on his trucks. Jason Blossom must have discovered his father's drug dealings, and threatened to expose the truth, resulting in his kidnapping and murder. Clifford then killed Mustang, the Serpent responsible for Jason's abduction, and framed Hiram Lodge in order to cover his own tracks.

Later that morning, he learned from Archie and Betty that Mayor McCoy sought to honor them for their contribution in solving Jason's murder. However, they refused to go up so long as Mayor McCoy continued to ignore Jughead's involvement the case. The |Jubilee was the least of Jughead's concern since Sheriff Keller had offered his father a lesser sentence for his cooperation with the recent increase in drug dealings, but FP refused to turn on the Serpents. FP claimed they're innocence, leaving Betty even more frustrated at Mayor McCoy's reluctance to address the real problem, Clifford Blossom. So, she decided it would be best to address the subject head-on by writing an article about FP and the Serpents.

That night, Jughead and Archie returned home to find Fred, and his caseworker awaiting his arrival. With his father facing serious jail time, and his mother out of state, they needed to make sure Jughead was taken care of. Unfortunately, his time with the Andrews had come to an end due to the fact that Fred had a prior DUI, and that he wasn't financially stable. There was a family on the south side of town that was willing to take him in but this would mean that he'd also have to transfer to Southside High.

The next day at school, as he ate alone, he questioned Veronica's willingness to join him at the 'social pariah' table. Veronica had been thinking, and she realized that the two of them had a lot in common. Other than the fact that his dad was going to prison, and her dad was getting out, Jughead sarcastically remarked, they were dating each other's best friend. They're briefly joined at the table by Cheryl, who only sought to apologize for her attack on Jughead the previous day. She gifted him with her iconic spider broach, which would catch a pretty penny at the pawn shop, enough to keep him in burgers and S t-shirts for years. Kevin abruptly interrupted them, demanding that they follow him, revealing that Betty's locker had been vandalized with a hanging Betty doll and pig's blood.

Jughead explained that as long as Betty was his girlfriend, and continued to write articles about his father, trouble would keep coming at her from all sides. He felt as if the multiverse itself was working against him, telling him that he didn't belong, so maybe it was time he started to consider leaving. Betty refused to allow Jughead to leave as Riverdale was just as much his home as anyone else.

The very next day, he called Betty from a payphone at south side high to inform her that he would not be returning to Riverdale because he was finally where he belonged. As Jughead sat alone at lunch that evening, he was joined by several students, who he became fast friends with. Much to his surprise, Archie, Betty, and Veronica showed up as they had incorrectly assumed that he was in need of their help.

Just outside the school, he and Betty discussed his decision of leaving Riverdale High ahead of schedule. The south side is where the power to be wanted him, and maybe it's where he wanted to be as well seeing as his chances of blending in were significantly increased. However, Betty was unwilling to allow "Riverdale Civil War" to split the two of them up. At that moment, Veronica received a message from Cheryl, thus leading the four of them to Sweetwater River, where Cheryl had planned to take her own life and reunite with Jason. Jughead, Archie, Betty, and Veronica arrived at the river as Cheryl pounded on the thick layer of ice covering the river's surface. They pleaded with her to stop but the ice cracked right beneath Cheryl's feet, dragging her under the current.

The race was on as the four of them attempted to find Cheryl before the current could drag her further out. Archie spotted her just beneath the ice, however, the only way to get to her was by breaking past it, thus leaving Archie with no other choice but to punch through the thick layer of ice with all his force, resulting in a bloody and battered hand. As Jughead, Betty, and Veronica watched from the sideline, Archie managed to pull Cheryl to safety and get her to shore. Later that night, instead of attending the Jubilee, Jughead visited his father once more at the sheriff station, and while Sheriff Keller had hoped that he could convince his father to give up the Serpents, FP yet again refused. Knowing the chances of his father going to jail are at a higher rate than ever, Jughead made it a point to tell FP that he would be fine without him. The family that had taken him in was nice, and he could learn to adapt to the social ranking of south side high.

While he was more innocent than he was guilty, FP would have to take responsibility for his actions, meaning it was up to Jughead to look after Jellybean and his mother. After leaving the station, Jughead made his way over to the Jubilee just in time for Betty's speech, where she addressed the murder of Jason Blossom and the crossroads their town was facing. As her speech came to an end, he smiled, and started a standing ovation which made its way throughout the entire crowd. After a milkshake at Pop's shoppe with Archie, Betty, and Veronica, he and Betty stopped at the trailer, where Jughead professed his love for Betty. The two of them then began kissing and undressing, however, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. On the other side were the Southside Serpents, who were grateful for FP's loyalty. Because of this, they would always have Jughead's back, offering him membership into their gang, which he accepted as he tried on the custom Serpent jacket. }}
 * -|Season 2=

Season 2
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A Random Act of Violence?
Alongside Archie, Betty, and Veronica, Jughead appeared in a hallucinatory vision of Fred Andrews' following the shooting at Pop's. He and his friends were in their caps and gowns, prepared for graduation. In the student lounge, they stood collectively, waiting for Fred to take a photo of them. Next to Fred, was Archie's mother, Mary Andrews. Fred commented that he didn't think he would live to see the day, to which Jughead replied that he didn't, meaning he didn't survive the attack at Pop's. Before Fred could respond, the shooter appeared at the scene. As he entered the lounge with his weapon drawn, Fred yelled for everyone to go down, before a gunshot was heard.

Jughead continued to work on his novel from his father's trailer when he received a call from Betty, informing him that Fred was shot at Pop's by an unknown assailant in a black hood. Hearing this, Jughead took FP's motorcycle and rushed over to Riverdale General Hospital, where he is met by Betty and Veronica. They find Archie in the lobby, pacing back and forth and covered in his father's blood. The four of them hugged each other closely. Afterward, Archie walked them through the entire ordeal, however, just as it seemed he was about t say something of importance, he stopped himself, though this did not go unnoticed by Jughead. When the ambulance that Pop Tate called never showed, Archie put Fred in the truck and drove him to the hospital. Jughead assured Archie he did the right thing in driving his father to the hospital. In 24 hours, he had saved Cheryl and his father. Jughead joked that soon enough they would have to come up with a superhero name for him;. Once Archie exited the lobby to call his mother, Alice sought to address the possibility of the Southside Serpents being involved in Fred's shooting, looking to Jughead for answers. At least she couldn't accuse his father of being the killer considering he was in jail, Jughead remarked.

Jughead joined Archie and Sheriff Keller as they recounted the moments leading up to Fred's shooting. According to Archie, the shooter was wearing a dark jacket, which Sheriff Keller hoped that he would elaborate on by asking if the jacket had any symbols or patches, leading Jughead to conclude that he too suspected the Serpents' involvement, though Archie assured them that it wasn't a member of the Southside Serpent. After Archie described the hood that the individual was wearing, Sheriff Keller asked of him to fill the gaps in Pop Tate's story. However, just like before, Archie is hesitant in the telling of the incident, which Jughead surely noticed. Sheriff Keller suspected the shooter be a thug from the south side that was high on drugs and looking to make some fast money, but how much money did he get away with, Jughead asked. A question that Sheriff Keller did not have the answer to just yet. Since it was Riverdale they were talking about, a town with a dark and violent history, Jughead felt compelled to ask what if robbery wasn't the motive, what else could it be. Sheriff Keller speculated that maybe the shooter was someone who held a grudge against Fred, but wanted to make it seems like a robbery. However, it was too early in the cast to know with certainty.

As he and Archie returned to the lobby, Jughead confronted him on withholding information from Sheriff Keller, which Archie admitted was true. Apparently, Fred and Hermione fired the Serpents they had working on their crew. Archie is aware that FP vouched for them, but he couldn't help but consider the possibility that maybe one of them was angry enough to retaliate. Realizing that this could very well be true, Jughead volunteered to look around the southside for answers as he shared one last hug with Archie and exited the hospital.

Outside the hospital, Jughead met with two Serpents to see if their claim to have his back extended to Archie and Fred, a guy who is like his brother to him, and a man that is like his second father, respectively. He explained to them that Fred was shot by a guy wearing a black hood at Pop's, and while Serpents don't wear masks, some of them were working for Fred Andrews when for reasons of his own, he suddenly let them go, leaving Jughead to wonder if maybe someone took it personally. With the Serpents knowing every hidey-hole in town, someone had to have heard about the shooting at Pop's. Per their extended courtesy to Jughead, the Serpents agreed to ask around.

At Veronica's request, Jughead and Betty prepared to head down to Pop's in search of Fred's missing wallet, though Betty had her doubts that the wallet would be at the diner considering the shooter likely stole it. However, Jughead theorized that the random shooting wasn't so random. People are known to have enemies and hold grudges, especially in a town where fathers are killing their sons. It's entirely conceivable that this was a contract hit. Nevertheless, they agreed to check out Pop's shoppe just in case. Just outside the hospital, Jughead persuaded Betty into getting on his motorcycle as the two of them sped off.

Jughead and Betty entered the diner to the sight of a pool of blood all over the floor. They told Pop Tate that they had just come from the hospital with Fred, who was out of surgery, and that their reason for being at the shoppe was to look for his missing wallet. While Betty double checked the booth for Fred's wallet, Jughead look to Pop for answers, however, he didn't have many. As soon as the gun turned off him, he dove for cover, and waited until after the shooter left to call the police. Remembering his prior conversation with Sheriff Keller, Jughead asked Pop how much money did the shooter get away with. Pop's answer on the shooter leaving the register untouched confirmed Jughead's suspicion that Fred's shooting was far from a random act of violence. Pop's agreed, having encountered many thieves and thugs in the past, having looked all of them in the eyes. But this man was different. He had darker intentions. It was like the Angel of Death had come to Riverdale.

Before leaving, Jughead and Betty sat down for a meal, and while Betty didn't have much of an appetite, Jughead certainly did. During this time, Betty aimed to address Jughead's affiliation to the Southside Serpents. He claimed that he only accepted their offer because he didn't believe it was something to be turned down. However, for Betty at least, last night meant something when he put on the Serpent jacket, which fit him both like a glove and a second skin. She also noticed the look of joy on his face while wearing it. Then there's also the fact that he's since acquired a motorcycle. With all this in mind, Jughead assured Betty that he wasn't a Serpent, and that his father's path wasn't his own, though Betty was still concerned with his living situation with the foster family, to which Jughead explained that they had an arrangement. They'll cover for him with his social worker, but he'll actually be staying in his father's trailer. Fred's near death had forced Jughead to face facts; FP was going to jail for a long time. Wearing a Serpent jacket, riding his bike, and living in the trailer reminded Jughead that no matter what, his father would always be close to him.

After returning to the hospital with food from Pop's for everyone, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica learned from Archie that he wasn't the hero that they believed him to be. After the masked attacker shot Fred, Archie revealed that he stood there doing nothing, paralyzed with fear. He didn't move an inch, not even when the shooter held a gun to his head. He shut his eyes and kept then shut until hearing the bell on Pop's door ring. Archie perceived his actions as cowardice, but Jughead, Betty, and Veronica would beg to differ as there was nothing else he could've done.

Jughead appeared during another dream of Fred's as he lied in the hospital bed unconscious. But this time he was the best man at Archie and Veronica's Scottish themed wedding. He stood alongside Archie as Veronica approached the altar. However, the dream came to an abrupt end as the black hooded assailant appeared and fired his gun. Meanwhile, back in reality, Jughead offered to drive Betty home, but she declined his offer at the risk that Alice may come out with a shotgun if she saw Betty on his motorcycle. Betty then addressed what he previously said at Pop's. She understood his need to feel the connection between him and his father at all cost, so whatever he needed to do in order to maintain that connection, she supported him. Happy to hear that he has Betty's support, they kissed.

After his kiss with Betty, Jughead returned to the trailer to find his two Serpent comrades awaiting his return. However, they were not alone. Beaten, bruised and tied to a chair was a man that they had taken from the Whyte Wyrm. He was holding court in reference to how Fred allowed Hermione to take over the SoDale project and fire the crew full of Serpents. This resulted in a fairly bitter individual who found joy in Fred's shooting. So, the two Serpents kidnapped him in order to determine whether or not he shot Fred. After a lengthy examination, during which time brass knuckles were used, they concluded that he was just another loud mouth. Now that Jughead has seen that they did what was asked of them, they hoped that he would relay that over to FP because it was important to them that he knew they were looking after Jughead. With or without the jacket, Jughead's a Serpent.

For decades, Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe was the heart of Riverdale. However, recent events have resulted in the diner becoming the latest casualty in the town's ongoing battle against darkness. On the side of the establishment were the words "Death Diner" painted in black spray. Jughead then proceeded into the shoppe to find Pop Tate distraught over the vandalism.

At school later that morning, Jughead told Archie, Betty, and Veronica about the vandalism and how the shooting caused all of Pop's staff to quit on him. Pop Tate wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep the doors open. Maybe not even a week. While it had seemed that they were willing to accept the closing of Pop's shoppe once and for all, Betty was much less willing to surrender. She reminded Jughead about his passion in trying to save the Twilight Drive-In, but as Jughead explained, his hands were full with his father's upcoming hearing, which Betty full understood, and because of this, was willing to take point in saving the diner. Veronica volunteered to assist her. "Another B and V team-up. They should really make a video game about you guys", Jughead remarked. Jughead then announced that he had to leave as he had to meet with his father's court-appointed lawyer, who was far from qualified for the task. Archie decided to join him as he too had business at the Sheriff Station; he needed to drop some flyers off of the black hooded assailant.

Jughead paced back and forth throughout the interrogation room as his father's lawyer reviewed the charges that FP was facing; arson, destruction of evidence, making a false confession, obstructing justice, and dumping Jason Blossom's body in the river. Fortunately, he was being offered a deal. How many years, Jughead wondered, to which the lawyer explained that he would be facing twenty.

That night, Jughead stopped by Archie's house, where he was nearly savagely attacked by Archie with a baseball bat as he entered through the back door. He had been walking around town all night, trying to wrap his head around how bad the situation he is facing was. With FP facing twenty years, the lawyer thought that he should take the deal because if he doesn't and the case goes to trial, he could be facing forty. Jughead confessed that he was really scared of what would come next. Archie replied that he was scared as well. But of what, Jughead asked.

The next day, Jughead and Betty headed down to the Mayor's office, where they asked Mayor McCoy for her assistance in saving Pop's shoppe. Jughead was hoping that she could make the diner a landmark or declare a day for Pop Tate in support. However, the Mayor didn't want to run the risk of endorsing Pop's only for another shooting to occur. Her priority was keeping the town safe. If they had to close Pop's in order for that to happen, then she was all for it. Jughead asked if she was also all for sending his father off to state prison for a murder he didn't commit. He was hoping that the Mayor could call the state attorney, and arrange to get his father a more qualified lawyer, but she dismissed his plea. He then told Mayor McCoy to remember the moment because this is the moment that she turned her back on both Pop Tate and his father.

Jughead met with Tall Boy later that evening to explain the crisis he was facing. He tried going the legit route by asking Mayor McCoy for help, but it felt like the entire system was rigged against them. Tall Boy wondered what FP had to say about this and if he had taken the deal that was being offered. Jughead replied that FP hadn't taken the deal yet, and he wouldn't so long as he had any say in the matter. In a desperate attempt to save his father from life in prison, Jughead suggested that they bust him out of jail before he gets transferred to the state. The plan was doable according to Jughead. The Sheriff Station had worse security than Riverdale High. Once his father was out, it was a straight shot up Sweetwater River to the Canadian border. Rather than breaking FP out, Tall Boy suggested getting FP a better lawyer, he needed a snake-handler. Someone whose livelihood depended on snakes. Who's used to dealing with them, and Tall Boy knew just who to send Jughead to.

Tall Boy pointed Jughead in the direction of a lawyer named Penny Peabody, who could be found in the back of a Southside Serpents' tattoo shop. Upon his arrival, Penny explained that she not only worked for Serpents, but that she is a Serpent, and that they put her through law school. The Serpents are often on the other side of the law, so having one of their own on retainer, helping out, was clever, Jughead acknowledged. Penny then commented on how FP always bragged that Jughead was smart. She knew his father and she also knew of the deal he was being offered, which was garbage by her account. While there were no loopholes, Penny suggested that Jughead get the Blossoms to forgive his father in front of a judge as that could shift things in FP's favor. Instead of twenty years, he could get time served with parole. Jughead asked if he was now supposed to pay her for her consultation, but Penny told him that they were friends. She did him a favor, and maybe one day, he would repay that favor.

That night, Jughead and Betty visited Cheryl and Ms. Blossom at Thistlehouse, their place of residence since the burning down of Thornhill. They explained that they were instructed by FP's lawyer to seek mercy from the victim's family. It was an appeal for leniency in order to reduce FP's sentence, leaving Cheryl to question where FP's mercy was when she was walking the halls of Thornhill in agony, obsessing over what was happening to Jason, imagining the worst. She then asked where was FP's mercy when she slept under the same roof of Jason's cold blood killer, night after night. Unfortunately, if it were up to Ms. blossom, she would watch FP fry in the electric chair. With it being apparent that neither Ms. Blossom nor Cheryl were going to forgive FP of their own free will, Jughead and Betty left Thistlehouse. While doing so, they discussed their next course of action. Jughead would've suggested blackmail and extortion if they weren't an orphan and a widow.

The next day, Jughead and Betty stopped by the diner to ask why Pop was selling the shoppe and to who. As much as it shamed Pop Tate to admit, he was selling it to ChugMo, the liquor store chain. Considering that the diner would soon be closing for good, Jughead made a last supper request for his father, who was facing twenty years of having to eat the weird meatloaf that they serve prisoners. So, barring an eleventh-hour miracle, Jughead was hoping for FP's last meal in Riverdale, that Pop could make his favorite, which was fried chicken, cornbread, onion rings and an orange freeze. With Pop Tate accurately recalling FP's favorites, down to the drink, Jughead joked that it was very "Rain Man" of him. However, despite their willingness to accept what they perceive to be the inevitable, Betty refused to give up, telling them both that she can fix everything before exiting the shoppe.

That evening, Jughead joined Veronica in the Blue and Gold offices, and while he didn't have red hair, nor broad shoulders, or even a blonde ponytail for that matter, he was willing to listen and help Veronica to the best of his ability. Not too long ago, Jughead was ready to walk away from his father, and now he's crusading for his freedom, which had Veronica wondering what changed. FP changed, Jughead said. He made an effort by taking another swing at being a good dad. But what if some people can't change because they're bad by DNA, Veronica wondered. Jughead explained that he's not going to presume to know what lies in her father's heart. But Archie's father almost died, and his father was going away for twenty years. If there's even a .0001% chance that her dad is trying, Jughead believed that she should at least give him a chance.

The following day, Jughead and Betty attended court, where after some convincing from Betty, who bribed her with footage of Jason's murder, Cheryl forgave FP in front of the judge for his role in covering her brother's death and humbly asked the court for leniency. As much as the judge sympathized, he couldn't ignore the quality of FP's crimes. There were no extenuating circumstances. This forced Cheryl to lie under oath; she claimed to have overheard her father threaten to hurt Jughead if FP didn't comply. In light of these revelations, the judge decided to delay sentencing. Jughead and FP happily embraced one another after gaining their first win in a series of loses.

Retro Night finally commenced at the diner, but the place was empty. Betty was sure that she had failed, but Jughead insisted that people would come. As the night progress, more and more customers began to arrive, just as he had earlier said. However, they were quite surprised by the arrival of Tall Boy and two of his Southside serpent affiliates. Jughead urged Betty to relax, he was sure that they were there to enjoy Pop's world-class burgers and service. He and Betty then began to kiss before being interrupted by Cheryl, who compared them to chimps in captivity, grooming and picking lice off each other. Mark this day, Cheryl said. She lied under oath for them, a misdeed that Jughead thanked her for, before handing over the USB flash drive containing video surveillance of her brother's murder. After a fun-filled night and succeeding in saving the diner from closing, Jughead, Betty, Archie, and Veronica shared a booth, during which time they relished in their victory; a rare win for the good guys.

While preparing a late night snack back at the trailer, Jughead received a call from his father, who was upset that he had gone to see Penny Peabody. Jughead explained that they didn't have a choice. FP then asked if he paid her, which he hadn't because she said it was a favor. FP warned Jughead against contacting Penny ever again as he did not want to be in bed with the Snake Charmer.

Entering the Snake's Pit
Jughead joined his friends in the student lounge after learning that Moose and Midge had been shot in the woods, and that Kevin was the one that found them. Archie then entered the lounge, asking if they could at least all agree that there was a killer on the loose in Riverdale. A killer with terrible aim, Jughead remarked. Three out of four of his victims had survived their attacks. Midge was luckier than most considering she escaped the attack unscathed due to Moose's heroic actions in using his own body to shield her from the gunfire. On that note, Veronica wished to address what really mattered, that the new season of the Matchlerette started that night, and that they were all coming over to watch. Jughead was in disbelief that with all that was going on with a killer terrorizing the town, Veronica was more focused on a gross reality dating show. But she confessed that what she really wanted was for them all to officially meet her father. It was then that he realized that he was thirty minutes late for meeting his peer mentor at Southside High. Betty told him to wait, as he was exiting the door, hoping that he could just continue to attend Riverdale High. He told Betty that he would be fine, before giving her a goodbye kiss.

Jughead finally made his way over to Southside High, only to be stopped at the door by the metal detector. After successfully passing back through the detector without his hat, he was approached by his peer mentor, Toni Topaz, who called out to him by his birth name, Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. As he was guided through the school by Toni, she explained to him that the classrooms don't have Wi-Fi. The bathroom stalls don't have doors. And the school paper, The Red and Black, had closed down long ago due to budget cuts. To their right was a rare glimpse of Jingle Jangle being consumed in its natural habitat, though Jughead had no knowledge of the term. Toni told him that it was a highly addictive gutter drug that's better off avoided. In the cafeteria, Jughead learned of the Ghoulies, a rival gang of drug dealers, street racers, and rumored cannibals. As for the two of them, they sat on the other side of the cafeteria with the Serpents. Despite her kindness and welcoming manner, Jughead would rather sit alone, which left Toni confused considering that he was a Serpent by blood; the son of FP Jones. While this was true, Jughead wasn't a pack animal. He identified as a loner. Toni advised him to hang with the Serpents. Should the Ghoulies discover that he's vulnerable, they'll seize the opportunity to attack.

As planned, Jughead, Betty, and Archie gathered at the Pembrooke that evening to watch the "Matchlerette" and officially meet Veronica's father. However, Archie was distracted by the recent shooting. He began to feel like they were being specifically targeted by the killer. It was then that Mr and Mrs. Lodge entered the room before leaving for dinner. As he and Mr. Lodge shook hands, he was told that his father is a good man that valued family. Mr. Lodge hoped that FP's release would come sooner rather than later. Back onto the subject of the shooter, which Mr. Lodge couldn't help but overhear. He expressed his understanding of their frustration with Sheriff Station. He could say with great confidence that the police weren't always the solution.

The next day in class, Jughead was warned by Toni against answering Mr. Phillips' question in relation to the dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, though Jughead failed to heed her warning, correctly answering the teacher's question. Explaining that Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns. Having learned from Toni that Mr. Phillips used to advise the school paper, Jughead approached his desk after class to find out why it was shut down. Drugs and gangs came to Southside High, Mr. Phillips stated. Trying to get students interested in the school paper was an exercise in futility. However, he hadn't yet met Jughead, who was actively seeking to revive the Red and Black. His experience writing for The Blue and Gold at Riverdale High made him the perfect candidate. With his past articles up for viewing online, Mr. Phillips could use them as references.

He was later approached in the hallway by Mr. Phillips, who after reading his online articles was considering re-opening the Red and the Black, but under two conditions; those conditions being that he isn't allowed to traffic in gangs or drugs. Should he fail to comply, Mr. Phillips will shut everything down.

The next day, he and Toni headed down to the Red and Black offices to clean up and unpack. He remarked that while it wasn't anything compared to New York Times for instance, it was the safe space that he had been searching for. Looking to Toni, hoping that she would agree to join him, Jughead stated that all he needed now was a photographer with an amazing eye and a hunger for social justice. Before Toni could respond, they were interrupted by Sweet Pea and two fellow Serpent members, who were hoping that Toni and Jughead would join them at the quarry. Jughead declined Sweet Pea's offer, sarcastically remarking that he didn't have his beach body yet. Sweet Pea took great offense to Jughead's refusal to join them, surmising that they were good enough for him to ask for help, but not good enough to hang out with. He told Jughead not to come crawling to them when some random Ghoulie decided to earn his stripes by taking out FP Jones' kid. This was duly noted, and while Jughead appreciated what the Serpents had done for him and his father, he had no desires in being one of them, which angered Sweet Pea, enough to make him attack. Fortunately, Toni was there to keep the two separate.

That night, he received a surprise visit from Betty, who came bearing gifts to make his new office a bit more comfortable. While he was happy to see her, Betty shouldn't be walking around the Southside at night unless she was armed with a weapon. He then informed her that he discovered that the local component of Clifford Blossom's drug pipeline (Jingle Jangle) was coming from the school. He recalled his father previously stating that the Serpents never dealt with hard drugs, but the Ghoulies do. Betty couldn't help but consider the health risk Jughead was facing if he chose to write about gangs and drugs while attending the school. Are you worried about me? I thought you liked me reckless, Jughead replied. He and Betty then started to kiss before being interrupted by Toni.

With Betty and Toni already gone for the night, Jughead exited the office on his own. He headed down the hallway where he heard a startling noise, which caused him to stop momentarily, though he then resumed walking, that is until the lights shut off and an unfamiliar voice began calling his name. Visibly concerned, Jughead turned the corner and rushed down the steps only to discover that the back door had been looked with a chain. He proceeds down the hallway, hoping to find another exit, but he was ambushed and repeatedly hit and kicked.

At his father's trailer, following the attack, Betty applied alcohol to Jughead's wound, which he claimed that he sustained during a motorcycle incident, though Toni knew the truth. For a moment, Betty suspected that he had been attacked by the Ghoulies, which he supposedly had, but he would rather not worry Betty with the truth. Toni then interjected, telling Betty that the Serpents had Jughead's back. Even though he wasn't an actual member, there was still a connection of family loyalty. Once Betty left, they were able to talk freely about the attack, which she had previously warned Jughead about. She was hoping that this would force him to take them more seriously.

Jughead returned to school the next day, and walked over to Toni and Sweet Pea in the cafeteria, asking if he could join them. As he sat, Jughead and Sweet Pea exchanged looks, nodding to one another after coming to an understanding.

Jughead entered the library to check out a handful of books on several well known serial killer, ranging from the Zodiac Killer to the Axeman of New Orleans to Phantom Killer of Texarkana, Texas, in hope of furthering his understanding of the Black Hood. He reached the check out counter, where the librarian, Ms. Paroo, expressed her concerns over the recent attacks and the video put online by the Red Circle; the community watch group that was being led by Archie.

As Jughead continued to work on his novel from the trailer that night, he heard a strange noise coming from just outside the door. He peaked his head outside only to find that nothing was there.

The next morning, Jughead spoke to Betty over the phone as he arrived at school. She asked if he could come over for lunch. Unfortunately, Jughead was forced to turn down Betty's offer as he had to at least try to maintain a semblance of him being a student at Southside High. After hanging up with Betty, he joined Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs Fogarty at their table in the cafeteria to find that they too had seen the video of Archie threatening violence towards the Black Hood. With Fogarty looking to ear his Serpent stripes, Sweet Pea could think of no better way for him to do so than to bring them the head of the Northsider in the video, that being Archie. Jughead advised them against such action as Archie was someone he knew, who he described as being milquetoast and a lame target. If the Serpents felt as if they had something to prove, Jughead suggested that they go after the Black Hood themselves, though this wouldn't be in their best interest. With the Black Hood targeting Northsiders, he was doing their work for them, essentially making him a hero.

The Red and Black office is where Jughead sat when his study session of some of America's most infamous serial killers was interrupted By Toni. He was reading Beware of the Zodiac, which Toni noted as being a decent read, however, she preferred Robert Graysmith's definitive books on the subject. Jughead then received a call from Betty, which he chose to ignore. Toni was disappointed with his selection in study. If serial killers were an interest of his, she suggested that he check out Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, and Aileen Wuornos. However, none of them fit the profile. Their killer was most likely someone consumed with self-loathing. Conversely, he also sent letters and cryptos to the press, Toni stated, as she dropped the latest print from the Register in front Jughead. Do you think he's narcissistic or a Batman villain, Jughead playfully asked. Both he and Toni were "true crime junkies", which is why she was seeking Jughead out. The print from the Register that she gave him, contained the Black Hood's cipher, which she hoped Jughead would help her crack.

First thing the next morning, Betty unexpectedly stopped by the trailer before Jughead headed off for school. Betty told him that she was on her way to the library after asking Ms. Paroo to set aside all the books she had in relation to cryptograms and ciphers, as she thought it would help in cracking the Black Hood's code, which she hoped that Jughead would join her in doing. However, Jughead and Toni had already started on the code, the day before. Hearing this for the first time, Betty suggested that they all work on the code together. A code breaking party, she called it. Jughead would even come to host the event.

That night, Jughead, Betty, Toni and Kevin gathered at the trailer, where they joined forces in trying to decode the cipher. Per Ms. Paroo's books, Jughead had been looking for common letter associations like T-H, A-N, I-N-G. The problem with this being that they didn't even know if the code was in English. It could be an anagram. Betty commented that the codes looked familiar, though she couldn't quite place them, and struggled with this throughout the night. Jughead suggested that they go back to the basic, asking the group what they knew of the thus far, and why he chose to begin his killing spree now. From what little they knew of the Black Hood, he was obsessed with cleansing the town of sinners and hypocrites, seemingly attacking anyone with ties to the north side, which Toni referred to as fake news. An argument then ensued between Betty and Toni, during which time, Toni revealed that Jughead had been secretly eating with the Serpents at lunch. A fact that Jughead had failed to mention to Betty. With tension rising, both Toni and Kevin decided to leave. Once they were alone, Jughead explained that he sat with the Serpents purely for reasons of survival, though Betty didn't seem too concerned. She'd rather they focus their time on solving the code.

Jughead and Betty woke up the next morning on the couch. Realizing that they had accidentally fallen asleep, Betty began to panic, even more so as she realized that her mother had been repeatedly calling her phone. She grabbed her belongings and quickly exited the trailer.

Jughead headed over to Betty's house that night after discovering that she had left some of her notebooks at the trailer. While he wasn't snooping through her belongings, as he was gathering them, he found a letter from the Black Hood addressed to Betty, leaving him to wonder why she hadn't told him. Betty initially claimed that she withheld the letter from Jughead because he was too busy at Southside High with the Serpents. But as Jughead explained, he was only at the school for all of two days. And while it was saddening that they no longer went to the same school, Jughead knew that this wasn't the reason she was holding out on him. Betty confessed that she hid the letter because the Black Hood wrote that she inspired him. She feared that Archie would blame her for his father's shooting. Jughead assured Betty that Archie was on their side and that he would never blame her for the shooting. He compared Betty to a combination of Nancy Drew and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was this reference that led Betty to conclude that in writing the cipher, the Black Hood used one of her touchstones.

Jughead and Betty arrived at the library, where Betty explained that when she was a kid she used to excessively check out a Nancy Drew book entitled "Secret-Code". Betty then used the book to crack the cipher, which read that the Black Hood would strike next where it all began, that being at the Town Hall, where he heard Betty's speech that encouraged him to go on his cleanse of sinners and hypocrites.

After learning of the Black Hood's plan to attack at the Town Hall meeting, Jughead and Betty rushed over to alert all those in attendance. Soaked and wet from the storm, the two of them came in through the back door, warning everyone that they needed to leave immediately as the Black Hood was on his way. Mrs. Cooper stopped them in the aisle, asking what it was they were referring to. Betty explained that they cracked the cipher, which in turn informed them of the killer's next move. The lights then shut off. Whether or not this was due to the storm remains unknown. But in fear that the Black Hood was preparing to strike, Betty pulled the fire alarm, which resulted in an immediate evacuation.

With the Town Hall meeting brought to an abrupt end, Jughead and Betty reconvened at her house, where they revealed to Betty's parents, Sheriff Keller and Mayor McCoy that there was also a letter that Betty had kept secret from them all.

Serpents Initiation
Jughead confronted Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fogarty in the courtyard after learning that Dilton Doiley had supposedly been jumped and stabbed by Southside Serpents. However, according to Fogarty, Dilton stabbed himself, with his own knife. Furthermore, they didn't jump anyone. There was a fight; Riverdale Bulldogs vs Southside Serpents, during which time, Sweet Pea acquired the black eyes he was currently sporting. Archie gave it to him, just before Veronica shot a gun into the air. And to no surprise, the Northsiders went unpunished as they were hauled in by the police. Tired of being the source of blame for everything wrong with Riverdale, Sweet Pea and Fogarty devised a plan to blow up the Register with a pipe bomb, after hours, as payback. Jughead objected to the bombing due to the fact that blowing up a building would only worsen the matter. So, he asked that they hold off from exacting revenge until he could talk to Archie. But that was his answer to everything, Sweet Pea stated. Moreover, they didn't even know which side Jughead stood with. He couldn't be half a Serpent. Jughead then took a seat next to Toni, as Sweet Pea and Fogarty left the courtyard. He blamed Archie for starting World War III. While Northsiders had been dumping on them for years, Toni informed Jughead that his father always put forth the effort to maintain peace and avoid bloodshed. But with him in prison, reckless individuals like Sweet Pea, only believed there to be one solution; violence.

Jughead sat at the trailer, contemplating his next move in the war between North and Southside. He decided to put on his Serpents jacket, and head down to the Whyte Wyrm. However, upon entering the bar, he didn't receive the warm welcome he was hoping for. In reference to him playing both sides, Sweet Pea remarked that Jughead was a lost Northsider. Jughead countered that he was over being half a Serpent. Unfortunately, Sweet Pea mistook this as a ploy to save his friends on the Northside. Jughead assured the Serpents that he was willing to stand with them, just as his father led them. Tall Boy gave him the jacket, it was finally time that he started wearing it. However, he would first have to survive the initiation, if he truly wished to join them.

In the late hour of the night, Jughead woke to the sight of Sweet Pea, along with a few other Serpents, wearing Serpent masks. His initiation began with him assuming guardianship of the Beast, otherwise known as Hot Dog.

The next day, while leaving school with Toni, she asked what did he think of the Beast. Jughead replied that he stinks and had no boundaries. Every new recruit had to take care of Hot Dog, as is it was a tradition, and Jughead was no exception. Toni then told him that this was the Serpents' third Hot Dog, making him a third generation, much like Jughead (i.e. Forsythe Pendleton Jones III).

Back at the trailer, Toni tested Jughead's memory of the laws of being a Serpent, which were the following; "a Serpent never shows cowardice", and "if a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, then their family will be taken care of". However, he failed to cite the remaining laws. Toni instructed him to focus and to take the initiation seriously, which he swore he was, but he was struggling, though this still left the question as to why Jughead suddenly wanted to go from conscientious objector to full-fledged member. Much to Toni's surprise, Jughead's sudden change of heart was because of her earlier statement in regards to his father being responsible for keeping Serpents like Sweet Pea inline. Somone had to step up in order to prevent an all-out war from erupting. Hearing these words from Jughead convinced Toni to continue helping him with his review of the laws.

After what was presumably a successful review of the six serpent laws, Jughead and Toni returned to the Whyte Wyrm, where Jughead was then instructed to cite all six laws to Tall Boy. Upon completion of this, Jughead moved on to the third trial, which required him to retrieve a knife from inside the cage of a venomous rattlesnake. He grabbed the knife with little to no hesitation, though he was bitten. Unbeknownst to Jughead at the time of retrieval, the snake's venom glands had previously been removed. Toni explained it was a trial to test his courageousness, and he passed, thus making him one step closer to becoming a Serpent. It was during this chat with Toni that she called him "Juggie", for the first time, which they both simultaneously realized, resulting in an awkward exchange of looks.

Jughead met up with Betty at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, the following day, where he was greeted with a kiss. Betty was a sight for sore eyes, he commented. He'd been feeling unmoored recently, so he wanted to check in with her, especially after the exposé she published from many years ago, of her mother's arrest as a young member of the Southside Serpents. Betty asked about his hand, which he had wrapped in gauze after being bitten by a snake, during the third trial. Jughead lied to Betty, telling her that he sustained the wound while watching Hot Dog. Sitting on opposite ends of the table, holding each other's hands, Jughead wished that they could leave Riverdale for someplace where there wasn't a brewing war between two sides or rival gangs attacking one another. Betty shared the same sentiment, adding a place with no crazy moms or Black Hoods. They'd be like Romeo and Juliet, but with a happily ever after instead.

Later that night, Toni stopped by the trailer to warn Jughead. If he was having any second thoughts, that moment would've been the time to back out because of the final trial, the gauntlet, was on a whole other level. Jughead joked that if it was anything like the beast, he'd be fine. Though this was no laughing matter, Toni explained. If he joined the Serpents, he had to be willing to die for them, because they were willing to die for him. As for his Northside friends (Archie, Betty, Veronica, etc), he'd look up one day, and they'd be gone. That's what happens when you join a gang, the Serpents included. Jughead thanked Toni for stopping by, telling her that she can consider him warned.

The next morning, as Jughead prepared to proceed with the initiation, Archie unexpectedly dropped by the trailer to deliver some news, but before he could get a word out, Jughead attempted to get him to leave, as Sweet Pea and the others were on their way. Unfortunately, the Serpents rounded the corner just as he was pleading with Archie to go. That moment, Archie learned that not only was Jughead friends with the guys that attacked him, he was also joining the Serpents. Jughead asked if Archie was there to warn him, but he soon learned that Archie was there under much more saddening circumstances. He came to inform Jughead that Betty was breaking up with him, though Jughead had a hard time believing this considering he had just seen Betty the day before. Archie claimed that she's been wanting to end it ever since he crossed over to the dark side, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she sent Archie. She saw where Jughead was headed, as did they all. He couldn't be a Northsider and a Southsider. Realizing that it's over between him and Betty, he told Archie that the message has been received. He then turned around to see the Serpents watching as it all unfolded, asking if they enjoyed the show.

Later that night, it was time for Jughead to face the final trial; the gauntlet, which consisted of the Serpents standing on both sides of him, forming a straight path, which would eventually lead down to Sweet Pea. Prohibited from fighting back, Jughead walked down the path, as the Serpents landed many powerful punches, one after another. He continued down this pathway until reaching Sweet Pea. Beaten and bruised, Jughead asked if that was all they had to offer. Sweet Pea, who was wearing brass knuckles, delivered a massive punch, knocking Jughead to the ground, instantly. After regaining consciousness, Jughead stood to his feet and shook Sweet Pea's hand. He was then handed his Serpents jacket by Toni.

Jughead was congratulated by Toni back at the trailer for officially becoming a Serpent. As he held an ice pack against his face, Toni pointed out that he was going to have a difficult time hiding his brand new double-headed Serpent tattoo from Betty, though as Toni would come to learn, he and Betty broke up, thus making his tattoo a non-issue. The two of them then momentarily gazed into one another's eyes, before sharing a kiss.

Street Racers: Serpents vs Ghoulies
In Riverdale, everyone wore a mask, not just the Black Hood. But every so often, the mask slips, and their true self is laid bare for all the world to see. As Jughead continued working on this, the latest entry to his novel, Toni came from the back of the trailer, half dressed. She asked if he was hungry, to which he replied that she never had to ask him that, as his appetite was unmatched.

At Pop's, whiling enjoying their meal, Toni thanked Jughead for allowing her to sleep over, as her uncle would repeatedly lock her out the house, forcing her to find places to crash, from night to night. My trailer, is your trailer, Jughead remarked. They discussed their kiss, that Toni referred to as a PG-13 grope session, which she saw no reason to further pursue. Jughead wasn't over Betty, and Toni wasn't interested in being his rebound girl, not to mention the fact that she was more into girls, which took Jughead by surprise.

Jughead reported to Mr. Phillips upon completion of his article for the Red and Black, in which he addressed how residents of Riverdale would negatively associate Southside High with the plagues of the Southside, that being drugs, gangs, and violence. But like the Southside, there was a community within the school. While the decay was real, it was not irreversible, Jughead believed. Mr. Phillips was impressed with Jugead's ability to write such a well crafted article, especially while simultaneously pledging his allegiance to the Southside Serpents. Jughead had broken their deal about not trafficking in gangs. However, as he would go on to explain, the Serpents were a community, just as the article depicted. They weren't the dangerous drug dealers that the town was making them out to be. Dealing with hard drugs was the Ghoulies territory. Jughead then excused himself from the conversation after getting a message from Archie, telling him to meet him outside. In the hallway, Jughead discovered that Mayor McCoy and Sheriff Keller were about to raid the school in search of the Jingle Jangle dealers. As they came barging through the doors in full force, Jughead and Archie ran out the fire exit, as Sweet Pea and Toni are handcuffed and taken into custody.

After narrowly escaping the raid, Jughead and Archie reconvene at Pop's. With Mayor McCoy convinced that the Serpents are responsible for dealing Jingle Jangle, Riverdale had become a police state. Jughead insisted that the Ghoulies were dealing the heavy drugs, though few were willing to listen. He couldn't go to Mayor McCoy with this information, as she held a personal vendetta against the Serpents, which became clear after she began arresting his friends on sight. Jughead wondered why Archie even cared about what happened with him, after he made it perfectly clear at the trailer park that he and Betty wanted nothing to do with him. Archie apologized about the sequences of events that transpired, and instructed Jughead to talk with Betty, though would have to make time at a later date, having just received a message from Tall Boy, who wanted to parley.

Jughead met with Tall Boy on the Southside, in a buidling known as the House of the Dead, which he would come to learn is a drug den ran by the Ghoulies, and that Tall Boy was looking to unite the two gangs after the recent heat being brought down on them started to deplete their ranks. They met with Malachai, leader of the Ghoulies, who shared the same sentiment as Tall Boy, believeing that a union would be in the best interest of both gangs, and successfully doing so would be easier to do if Jughead endorsed the partnership because he was FP's son, which carried weight with the younger members of the Serpents. Jughead was adamantly against the partnership, as the Ghoulies were responsible for Southside High being raided. Malachai replied that chaos is how they thrived, and that Jughead best get use to it. Tall Boy was supposed to be his father's right hand, so Jughead questioned how he could betray him so easily. But with the Northsider declaring war, and his father in prion, that left Tall Boy in charge to call the shots. The dynamics of the Southside were changing. Tall Boy advised Jughead to either change with it or suffer the consequences.

Jughead returned to the trailer to inform Archie of the recent developments. Despite what he was being led to believe, the alliance with the Ghoulies wasn't an alliance at all, rather a hostile take over. Jughead proposed that he stall until Sweet Pea and Toni were released from police custody. He hoped that once they were out, they would rather go to war with the Ghoulies than start dealing Jingle Jangle. Though, Archie reminded him that his entire purpose for joining the Serpents was to prevent war, rather than participate in it. However, his father would never allow such an unholy union to take place, so neither would Jughead. While Archie didn't have any better ideas, he figured FP would, so the two of them headed down to the prison to pay him a visit.

At the prison, Jughead and Archie talked to FP from behind the glass. Jughead was accepting of whatever future punishment his father saw fit for him joining the Serpents, but right then, they needed his help in saving the them, otherwise, the Ghoulies would have full control of the Southside. His father explained that while Ghoulies dressed like fops, they were a nasty crew. However, the Serpents have survived much worse. Unfortunately for Jughead, the Ghoulies had him out numbered, meaning he had to avoid bloodshed at all cost by out thinking them. The one thing Ghoulles loved above all else was there souped-up retro cars and hearses. With that being said, FP informed the boys to challenge the Ghoulies to a one-on-one street race, but to keep it quiet. Should the cops learn of the race, they'd all be arrested. As for the terms of the race; if Malachai won, the Serpents would surrender, but if they won, the Ghoulies stand down and they'd gain control of Southside High, thus bringing an end to the Ghoulies and the Jingle Jangle problem, while simultaneously getting Mayor McCoy off their back.

Off his father's advise, Jughead and Archie returned to the House of the Dead to challenge Malachai to a race. He explained that If they win, Serpents remain autonomous and Ghoulies quit dealing at Southside High. However, if the Ghoulies win, the Serpents will fold, and he and his kind can continue polluting the Southside with his "little straws of death", though, with the Ghoulies having nothing to actually gain from this arrangement, Malachai wasn't interested in Jughead's offer, who he referred to as the "Serpent Prince". Betty and Veronica were then brought in after they were caught by the Ghoulies, trying to sneak in through the garage. On that note, Malachai wanted them all out. In a last ditch effort, Jughead offered up the Whyte Wyrm should Malachai agree to the race, which he does, only after adding on the Sunnyside Trailer Park.

At the local mechanic shop, Jughead and Betty worked on Reggie's muscle car, which he allowed them to drive for the race. Betty attempted to make small talk, but the awkward tension was unavoidable. She asked if street racing rival gangs was something the Serpents did for fun. Betty was disappointed that he had joined the Serpents despite telling her he wouldn't, though she was in no position to talk, claiming that she loved Jughead, only to break up with him via Archie, which he remarked was far worse than via text. Betty apologized, telling him that everything around them was imploding, and that she broke up with him for his own protection. But Jughead saw their break up differently, as she did the one thing that could actually hurt him. Betty promised to explain everything to him, but that would have to wait until after the race.

As the drag race was about the commence, Betty informed him that she never stopped loving him, and that he shouldn't ride the clutch or allow it to slip between gear shifts.

Jughead shook hands with Malachai, and told him that the race was to take place over Herk Harvey bridge to dead man's curve. First one back to the starting point won. Cheryl took to the center of the road as the flag girl, asking both drivers if they were ready before waving her flag, signaling the start of the race. Jughead took a momentary lead as the rival gangs sped down the road. However, it didn't last long as Malachai began repeatedly ramming their vehicle. As they approached the bridge, Archie advised Jughead to fall back because it was too narrow for both vehicles to cross, though Jughead refused to back down, "the serpents are joining the Ghoulies over my dead body, Archie". With Herk Harvey bridge approaching fast, Archie pulled the emergency break against Jughead's wishes, forcing the car to a stop as the Ghouiles crossed over. Furious over Archie's interference, Jughead grabbed him, and demanded to know why he would do such a thing. Archie explained that Jughead would thank him for it, just before hearing police sirens at the end of the road. They followed the sirens over the bridge to find that Malachai had been stopped by Sheriff Keller and the police department.

Jughead and Archie returned to the starting pointing, alerting everyone of the police's presence, and telling them that it was time to leave. Tall Boy accused him of calling the cops, questioning how any honor could be found in his actions, but Jughead insisted that it wasn't his doing. Archie revealed that he called Keller. It was his idea. This way, the Ghoulies would get arrested for street racing. However, as Jughead informed Archie, they wouldn't be locked up for long. And when they got released, they'd wanted everyone's heads on a stake.

The next day, Jughead returned to school, where he walked the hall with Toni, who revealed that while some Serpents were giving him props for challenging the Ghoulies to a street race and beating them, others hate that he cut a deal with Sheriff Keller, because it put them in bed with the police. And while Jughead and Toni knew that it was Archie who called the police, others didn't. Jughead was startled by the sight of two officers rounding the corner, as he suspected another raid was in order, however, as Toni informed him, they were there to arrested the Sugarman, who had been identified as Mr. Phillips, the adviser for the Red and Black.

That night, after Betty came clean about her mysterious calls with the Black Hood, which is why she broke up with Jughead, the two of them cuddled up in the trailer; Jughead - working on his novel, and Betty - reading a book.

Charmed by the Snake Charmer
At the trailer, Jughead laid in bed with Betty who felt guilty about Mr. Phillips' death, as he had been murdered by the Black Hood, in his cell at the Sheriff Station. Betty thought that she had finally outsmarted the Black Hood by having Phillips arrested, thus saving his life. Though, despite having the best of intentions, this plan backfired. While Mr. Phillips didn't deserve what had happened to him, Jughead surmised that he was a high school teacher that dealt drugs. Betty then began to wonder how the Black Hood managed to gain access to Phillips, who was in police custody at the time of his death. Jughead then received a call from Penny Peabody, otherwise known as the "Snake Charmer", who his father had warned him against, though the time had come for Jughead to repay the favor that he owed her after she provided consultation in regards to his father's case.

Jughead convened with Penny at Pop's, where the two of them discussed his father and him fulfilling his end of their bargain. He learned from Penny that his father required further assistance after he had supposedly gotten jumped in the showers by the Ghoulies in retaliation to Archie making the deal with Sheriff Keller, which resulted in their higher ups being arrested. His father was in the infirmary, Penny stated. Jughead asked what it would take to see his father free. Penny replied that they needed money in order to negotiate for FP's release. Rich people don't sit in jail because money greases the wheels of justice, Penny explained. Unfortunately, Jughead only had $18 to his name. Taking that into consideration, Penny suggested that Jughead pay her back in the form of a one time delivery job, where he would be required to pick up a crate on the Southside, and deliver it to an address in Greendale. As for the contents of the crate, Penny preferred to call it "pancake mix" but in other words, it was drugs. However, Jughead was reluctant to be her drug-runner. But should he do as he's told, Penny would use his cut of the money for his father's case and early release. Willing to do anything to save his father, Jughead agreed to be Penny's "transportation advisor". Penny handed him address before explaining that he needed to make the drop before midnight because Greendale is not a town you want to be in after a certain time. As for the crate, it wouldn't fit on his bike, so Penny advised him to find a ride.

Given that Archie owed him for the deal he made involving Sheriff Keller and the Ghoulies, Jughead stopped by Riverdale High School to ask for his help and his father's truck, no questions asked.

That night, the two of them drove out to retrieve Penny's crate of drugs that were to be delivered in Greendale. Upon arriving at the shipping yard, they found the large crate in a shipping container, locked with chains. Jughead and Archie then loaded it into the truck and drove off. While Archie was willing to see it through, he had to ask where does Jughead being a Serpent end. However, this was a question that not even Jughead could answer, as he was living minute to minute. Archie told Jughead of the idea he had about them moving to New York after graduation, where he'd be a musician and Jughead a writer, both living somewhere like the east village, which doesn't exist anymore, Jughead commented. Where are Betty and Veronica in this scenario, Jughead asked. Archie replied that they were roommates in park avenue. Unfortunately, as they were driving, the truck caught a flat tire, forcing them to call Kevin, who had a truck of his own. As they were doing so, a man named Farmer McGinty pulled up alongside the road to offer assistance. While the farmer didn't have a spare tire to offer, he was willing to give them a ride to Greendale, but not without pay, and he only had room for one. What's in the crate, he asked. "Pancake mix", Jughead stated, before agreeing to pay the farmer his last $18 for the ride. As for Archie, Jughead told him that he had fulfilled the favor, and that they were all good. After loading the crate into Farmer Mcginty's truck, Jughead and Archie parted ways. As Jughead drove off with Farmer McGinty, he commented that when he first pulled up, he mistook Archie for Jason Blossom, just for a moment, reasoning that "you never know on the road to Greendale".

While in truck with Farmer McGinty, a station on the radio played a man preaching about the Black Hood, and his attempt to cleanse Riverdale of sinners; "this is truly judgment day, and he is the reaper, for Riverdale is soulless and corrupt. But in the Black of the Hood is the light of God, and when you see it, you will die. Unless you are of heavenly things and pure of heart". There were a lot of people who believed that the Black Hood was doing God's work. The recent attacks reminded Farmer McGinty of the Riverdale Reaper, which was news to Jughead.

On their way to Greendale, Jughead and Farmer McGinty stopped at a gas station, where he was instructed to fill up the tank. As he did so, Jughead noticed blood seeping from under the tarp, in the back of the truck. He lifted the tarp to find a dead deer. Farmer McGinty, who then exited the gas station, told Jughead that they were first going to make another stop by the cafe next door before hitting the road. In the cafe, Farmer McGinty confronted Jughead for looking under his tarp, though he assured him that he had his permits, as he wasn't a thrill seeking psychopath like the Black Hood and the Riverdale Reaper. Who exactly was the Reaper, Jughead wondered. Farmer McGinty told him the story of a family of four that lived out near Fox Forsest, who were murdered in their sleep by an unknown assailant with a shotgun. And while the Reaper was never apprehended, some people say that the lynch mob hung him from the tree near Pickens Park. Others think he hopped a train and went out to California, where he started praying to the Devil. However, there was also a theory that he never left Riverdale, which left Jughead to question if the Reaper and the Hood were one and the same. Farmer McGinty merely believed that it was killing season. The waitress then put the check on the table, though the Farmer tried to pass it on to Jughead, who didn't have any money. Farmer McGinty then got up from his seat, and prepared to leave with intentions on taking the crate with him. Fortunately, Archie arrived to pay the bill, during which time, the farmer accused both him and Jughead of being sinners.

Just outside the cafe, after paying the bill, Jughead and Archie retrieved the crate from Farmer McGinty's truck, and moved it back into Archie's dad's truck, which had been repaired. Jughead then thanked Archie for coming back for him. Despite his efforts to adhere to Penny's warning of staying out of Gereendale past Midnight, Jughead had no choice, as he and Archie got back on the road at 11:52 to deliver the crate. They arrived at the Greendale warehouse soon thereafter, where they delivered the crate as promised. Moments later, they were joined by an older woman in a wheelchair, and the man that was pushing her. They were late, the woman remarked, as her male companion flashed a gun to frighten the boys. She told him not to be late next time, but Jughead told her that his delivery was a one time job, though the woman had by informed by Penny that the Serpents were taking over for the Ghoulies, and that they were set for regular deliveries, with a regular delivery boy (i.e. Jughead).

After making the delivery, Jughead and Archie returned to Riverdale. At Pop's, Jughead thanked Archie once more his assistance even though doing what they did violated every strand of Archie's DNA, Jughead acknowledged. Although, they'd all done bad things ever since the arrival of the Black Hood. It was almost as if he was making them do it. Maybe it was just a tale from the dark side, but Jughead had been thinking about the story he heard regarding the Riverdale Reaper, and the possibility of it being an actual lead. He hoped that Archie would join him at the library to research the topic. However, Archie would be busy the following day as he and Reggie were taking Moose to physical therapy, and after that, he would be having dinner with Veronica and her parents. Maybe the day after that, Archie offered. He then further expressed his concern for Jughead, and the predicament he was in with the Penny and Serpents. Jughead replied that he would try to get himself out, before leaving to visit his father in prison.

Much to Jughead's surprise, as he visited his father that day, he discovered that FP was completely unharmed, and that Penny had lied to him about the jumping in the shower at the hands of the Ghoulies.

Jughead called Penny over to the trailer, where he confronted her with knowledge of her deceitful ways, though she claimed that she merely incentivized him. Jughead refused to make another delivery for her given that she initially told him that it would be a "one and done" job. However, Jughead would then learn that he didn't have much say in the matter as Penny had video surveillance of him and Archie dropping off the crate in Greendale. It was insurance that he would do as she said. And if he failed to comply with her demands or even raised his voice towards her ever again, Penny threatened to send the video to the Sheriff Station, which she imagined would break his father's heart. Why me, Jughead asked. Penny explained that FP made her a promise that he failed to keep, so as far as she was concerned, his debt was Jughead's debt as well. Unfortunately, she was only just getting started with him.

FP's Release from Prison
After spending some time at the Whyte Wyrm, where he worked on his novel, Jughead met with Betty at Pop's, where they discussed the murder victims of the Riverdale Reaper. Shockingly, Farmer McGinty had told the truth about the family of four being murdered in a house near Fox Forest. The victims were Jim and Mary-Ellen Conway, and their kids, Tommy and Sue, who were ten and nine. The Reaper was never apprehended or identified, meaning he could possibly be the Black Hood, though it was doubtful considering that he would be in his sixties. The reporter of the article talked to the Sheriff at the time who thought the killer chose them at random due to the isolated area where their house was located. From an archived article of the Register, Jughead showed Betty a picture of the house where the murders took place, not knowing that Betty had been there once before. The Black Hood had sent her there as part of his twisted game, which meant there was undeniably a link between the two killers. Jughead wanted to go to Sheriff Keller to see if he could pull the files from the murders. However, after Betty accused him of being the Black Hood, they couldn't exactly go to him for assistance. With that being said, Jughead suggested that they go to the house in question. But Betty was frightened the last time she went, and didn't wish to endure that fear again. Jughead then got a call from his father, who informed him that he would be getting out of jail soon.

In the Blue and Gold offices, Jughead and Betty informed Archie and Veronica of the recent development in his father's case. What heralded this miracle, Veronica wondered. Jugead claimed it was due to a combination of overcrowding at the jail and Cheryl's testimony, which the Judge must've reviewed. However, both he and Archie knew the true reason for his father's release was because of the drug-run they made into Greendale for Penny Peabody, during which time they discovered that Penny had set Jughead up to be her permanent drug-runner. With a new lead on the Black Hood case, Jughead and Betty were hoping that Archie and Veronica could follow up on it, as Jughead would be busy helping his father readjust. Essentially, they wanted Archie and Veronica to be them, in the sense that they would be investigating the case as a investigative team.

After arranging for Archie and Veronica to investigate the connection between the Black Hood and the Riverdale Reaper, Jughead headed down to the Wyrm, where he announced his father's upcoming release. The Serpents rejoiced. Upon his father's release, Jughead would bring him up to speed on his plan to have a sit down with the Mayor McCoy, which would supposedly "bring the Southside back". Unfortunately, Tall Boy expressed his frustration with Jughead's plan to compromise with the Mayor and the Northsiders, to which Jughead explained that he was sick of Tall Boy acting like "a little bitch". Furthermore, Tall Boy's whispers of Jughead being half a Serpent were becoming a great concern of his. Looking to resolve the conflict, Jughead decided to put their next move to a vote. If the Serpents disagreed with his mission to find peaceful resolution with the Northside, then he would step aside, however, if they stood alongside him, he would follow through with the plan as scheduled. Many of the Serpents within the bar raised their hands in agreement with Jughead's plan to negotiate with the Mayor on their behalf, Toni and Sweet Pea included.

The next day, Jughead and Betty, who were driven to the prison by Mrs. Cooper, greeted FP as he exited the prison. Mrs. Cooper then asked if it was true what they said about men who were just released from prison; that they were extremely sexually frustrated. On that note, everyone got into the station wagon, as they headed to Pop's, where his father enjoyed his first meal as a free man. Once there, Mrs. Cooper advised his father to watch his back given that the Black Hood was targeting sinners. Jughead then learned that his father, who had done a lot of thinking while incarcerated, had decided that he wouldn't be returning to the Serpents. However, they needed him, Jughead remarked. As for the extra time that his father would have on his hands due to no longer running the Serpents, he would spend that time working at the diner, which was hiring. Fortunately, a backslide into his old of routine of drinking and partying was not of concern considering that his father was in AA.

Later that day, Jughead and his father road their motorcycles along the coastline of Sweetwater River. They parked off road, where they looked off into the nearby forest and discussed past grievances and future plans. Things got out of control while his father was away, leaving Jughead to often question what he would do in certain predicaments. Concluding that Penny was responsible for his releases, FP asked if she had bothered Jughead. He claimed that he made a simple delivery for Penny, and considering that it was a one time job, he didn't ask too many question, and while Jughead knew this to be untrue, he assured his father that they were squared away. Jughead then learned that FP was kicked out the house by his father when was sixteen, and told to got tell hell. Instead, he joined the Serpents, and then the Army, but only to return to the Serpents. He didn't want Jughead to follow in his footsteps given that he was destined for better things. However, Jughead didn't wish to leave, though he wanted his father's blessing in staying, reasoning that he ran the gauntlet, and fought with and for the Serpents. FP was only willing to grant Jughead his blessing so long as he promised to keep writing, which Jughead agreed to considering that he had been doing so every day.

While at the diner that evening, Jughead was forced to stand idly by as Cheryl belittled his father by intentionally knocking over her milkshake, and demanding that he clean it up considering that he had been hired as the diner's newest busboy. Jughead sought to intervene but his father advised him to stand down. Jughead grew angry, as his father used to be a king. A leader of men, but now he's fallen to the point of being demeaned by the likes of Cheryl. He deserved to be honored, not humiliated. From that, Betty devised a plan to throw FP a retirement party fit for a king.

That night, Jughead returned to the trailer with his father, where they discussed the retirement party, which FP was initially against, explaining that the Serpents were a thing of his past. However, Jughead managed to persuade him into attending the event. Jughead then headed into the back after receiving a call from who he claimed to be Archie. But, it was actually Penny, calling to arrange another business meeting between Jughead and herself at Pop's. When Jughead refused to play along, she threatened to have his father sent back to prison. With no other choice, Jughead joined Penny at Pop's, where he told her that he wouldn't be held hostage by her. He did his previously agreed upon favor, meaning that he no longer owed her. Unfortunately, Penny would beg to differ. Jughead had debts to pay, and their's was an on-going arrangement. To combat Penny's threats, Jughead revealed that he was about to have a sit-down with Mayor McCoy, who was actively working towards bringing an end to the trafficking of drugs throughout Riverdale. However, with Penny's vast knowledge of the law system, she stated that he would need proof to make an accusation like that stick, such as the surveillance video she has of him and Archie making a delivery in Greendale. Jughead's concern in regards to Penny's surveillance video began to dim, as an attack against him or his father, was an attack against all Serpents, which wouldn't bode over well for Penny. As Jughead prepared to leave the diner, Penny mentioned Betty, and how every snake had a soft underbelly, meaning that Betty was his weakness.

Jughead returned to the Whyte Wyrm the following day, where he and Toni talked about his father's release. Though, this discussion led to Penny and the drug delivery that Jughead had made for her in Greendale, which he had informed Toni of. Toni asked if Penny had called him for any more favors since, to which Jughead replied that the delivery was the favor, meaning that he technically no longer owed Penny.

He and Betty met up with Archie and Veronica in the Blue and Gold offices, where they learned that Archie and Veronica had gone to the house of the Reaper's murder, and discovered from the Sheriff's case files that there was a third child of the Conway family, Joseph Conway, who survived the massacre. His name was changed and his identity was hidden so that he could lead a normal life. According to Sheriff Howard's notes, he was adopted by another family in Riverdale, and presumably enrolled at a local high school. Fortunately, they had a photo of Joseph, meaning that all they had to do was match the photo to one of the students at Riverdale High School during the years he would've attended. If they found him, then he could possibly tell them how the Conway massacre was related to the recent killings. Jughead speculated that finding Joseph Conway wasn't the best idea since he could be the Black Hood. Considering that Joseph possibly saw the slaughter of his family, that type of brutality and viciousness could've traumatized him, which he might even blame Riverdale for, and is punishing the town because of it. Jughead and Betty then invited Archie and Veronica to his father's retirement party.

That night, after sweeping the perimeter, Jughead entered the Wyrm for his father's party, where he found Archie sitting near the bar. Archie told Jughead that he was waiting for Veronica's arrival as he was looking to clear the air between them. Tonight's going to be a good night, Archie said. Here's hoping, Jughead replied, before walking off. As he passed the bar, Toni asked if he would like a drink given that he looked nervous. Jughead declined the offer, claiming that he was just getting a lay of the land. It was then that Betty and Mrs. Cooper entered the bar, thought Mrs. Cooper was dressed in a fashion that Jughead was not accustomed to. She resembled a Southsider more so than anything else. As Mrs. Cooper ordered shots at the bar, Jughead learned from Betty that she had a surprise for him later on in the night.

Jughead watched from the crowd as Archie and Veronica performed Michael Andrews' and Gary Jules' Mad World. However, after Veronica abruptly ran off the stage, with Archie not far behind, the crowd began to boo. That is until Betty got up on stage to perform the "Serpent dance" in front of the entire bar, which was a tradition of acceptance amongst the female members of the Southside Serpents. Essentially, it was a strip show that Jughead watched in shocked and anger. His father then got up on stage, covering Betty with his jacket before sending her off. FP gave a speech in regards to his time as a Serpent. Jughead listened as his father described the good times and the bad times. Despite the letter of the law telling him that he wasn't allowed in the Wyrm to associate with the Serpents, FP announced that he had decided against retiring. As his father stepped off the stage, Jughead asked him what happened to his retirement plans. His father held him close, and whispered into his ear that he was aware of Jughead's deal with Penny; how he made a drug delivery for her and the debt he owed. This broke his father's heart considering that it was the one thing he had asked him not to do. Jughead offered to fix the situation, but he was already out, as his father put it. Penny was no longer Jughead's problem. They were then joined by Tall Boy, Sweet Pea, and the other Serpents, who insisted that FP have a celebratory drink. "Hail to the king", they said.

Jughead joined Betty in the bar's parking lot. She noticed that he was upset, asking if the dance was the reason for his sudden change in attitude, which it was, though it wasn't the only reason. Jughead wondered why Betty would do such a thing. Betty explained that she wanted to be apart of his world, and the Serpent dance was the only way for that to happen. Unfortunately, unlike Archie, Betty didn't know when to cut bait. Jughead was upset that he was dragging his father down, as well as Betty, who wanted to figure everything out together, though jughead could be with her no longer, out of fear that she would get hurt, which he couldn't allow to happen. This wasn't his decision to make, Betty stated. However, given his status among the Serpents, it was in fact Jughead's decision. How many times will they have to break up, Betty then asked. Until it sticks, Jughead replied. Due to his involvement with Penny, he wrecked his father's one chance of going straight. He refused to subject Betty to the same fate. She insisted that he to tell her what happened, but Jughead simply begged her to go home. }}

Physical Appearance
Jughead is a pale young man, about 6 feet tall with short black hair and blue-green eyes. His clothing style tends toward dark colors; flannel tops layered over t-shirts, often with an "S" on the front, jeans with hanging suspenders, denim jackets, a messenger bag, and his trademark grey knitted crown beanie. He sometimes wears a light-colored denim sherpa jacket.

After going through the right of passage and passing all of the tests given to him in order to become a Southside Serpent, Jughead later got a tattoo of the gang's symbol of a double-headed serpent, tattooed on his shoulder, shown on the right-hand side of his arm.

Personality
Jughead is a darkly humorous, apathetic, cynical "conscientious objector" with a quick temper and a lot of secrets. He's crafty, intelligent, and well-known for his writing skill and sardonic humor. His so-called "outsider" status allows him to write about Riverdale--more specifically, Jason's murder--from an objective point of view. His detachment from others in Riverdale lends itself to conflict with those who dislike him. Jughead displays a quick and impatient temper underneath his apathetic affect in punching Chuck in the face, snapping at Betty, and attempting to sever ties with Betty after the birthday party fiasco.

He's passionate about few things (including films, family, and writing), but will protect them with everything he has. One of these passions reveals his soft spot for Betty Cooper, as he agrees to join the school newspaper, The Blue and Gold, with her despite not receiving complete creative freedom, and accompanies her on her quest to find Polly and learn more about Jason's death.

After Jughead joined the Serpent gang, he made the choice to be better then they were and to stay true to himself. This is evident as he wishes to not do any harm to anyone. Ever since he joined, he hasn't considered them as gang members, but his family.

Jughead can also be a very forgiving person. Ever since his father, FP, took the fall for Cliff Blossom's crime to protect his son, Jughead has looked at FP as a someone deserving a second chance for trying to make an effort to change, as Jughead explained to Veronica.

Jughead is determined and not easily deterred, willing and able to overcome any obstacle in front of him. After learning that his father was the peacekeeper within the Southside Serpents, Jughead sought to pick up from where FP left off, deciding then and there, that upon joining the gang, that he would make changes for the better, while also preventing war from erupting between the Northside and the Southside. He is also tough, and is able to take a hit, both literally and figuratively, as he was willing to endure the final trial of being jumped into the Serpents by several members.

Relationships

 * Jughead and Archie
 * Jughead and Reggie
 * Jughead and Veronica
 * Jughead and Betty
 * Jughead and FP
 * Jughead and Jellybean
 * Jughead and Cheryl
 * Jughead and Alice
 * Jughead and Toni

Trivia

 * He was living at the Twilight Drive-In until its closing, then moved into a forgotten cupboard under a staircase at Riverdale High School. Afterward, he moved in with the Andrews family before ultimately being transferred to foster care after his father's arrest.
 * Six years prior to the series, he lived at 3021 Norlin Cresent, Riverdale, USA 68247, as listed on his juvenile records.
 * In Jughead's dream sequence in "Chapter Seven: In a Lonely Place", Jughead, Archie, Veronica, and the Cooper family appear in their original Archie comics outfits.
 * Jughead practically ignores his birthday and hates celebrating it.
 * Jughead's dog in the Archie Comics was named Hot Dog. In "Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter", when the South Side Serpents visit Jughead at FP's trailer, they are accompanied by a dog with the same name.

Gallery

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Promotional Images

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Season 1 Screencaps

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