Veronica Lodge

"Because, Mom I'm out there every day, facing what you and Daddy have done, what we've done. And maybe, if I'm their President, people at school like Ethel Muggs or Jughead or even Betty will stop looking at me like I'm just the daughter of criminals, like I'm a criminal too. We're out there fighting a holy war, Mom. I need something I can use as a shield against everything that's coming our way. Protection from everybody out there who hates us, who's out for our blood."

- Veronica to Hermione

Veronica Cecilia Lodge is a main character on The CW's Riverdale. She is portrayed by Camila Mendes.

Veronica is a student at Riverdale High School. In addition, she is the leader of the band Veronica and the Pussycats and a member of the River Vixens. She moved from New York to her mother's hometown of Riverdale due to her father's arrest and subsequent incarceration. She struggles to find the truth behind her father's loyalties and intentions, as she fears what will happen once he is released from prison and back home with them. Meanwhile, she's also trying to reform herself into a better person. She is currently in a relationship with Archie Andrews.

Ever since Mr. Andrews was shot, Veronica has looked at her parents as prime suspects. As she looks upon both her mother and father as criminals based on her past experiences with them both. Accusing them of hiring a hit man on Fred, due to his refusal of selling his shares of the company upon Hermione's request. With the discovery of her parents' secret purchase of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Veronica was able persuade them into granting her a more involved role in Lodge Industries.

Not long after being accepted into her father's inner circle, Veronica would soon realize the truth behind his true intentions for Riverdale and how he handled his business deals. His actions later went on to effect how people viewed Veronica as she had lied to many of them. Determined to make up for her father's wrongdoings, Veronica attempted to stop his monopolizing of the Southside. She did this by purchasing the Whyte Wyrm and later using it to cut a deal with her father for the Chock'lit Shoppe in exchange. Hiram agreed to make the exchange, but as a result of this, he also stripped Veronica of all her duties in regards to Lodge Industries, as well as cutting her off completely from using his money.

Character Description
''An intelligent, confident, silver-tongued high school sophomore. Veronica moves to Riverdale from New York, eager to reinvent herself after a scandal involving her father.''

Early Life
Veronica was born in the New York Presbyterian Hospital. She grew up in New York with her wealthy parents, Hiram and Hermione Lodge. She lived a life of luxury and privilege, and she attended The Spence School where she was a cheerleader and a bully. She also was a heavy partier and partied with Nick St. Clair, and often did drugs with him. However, this all changed when her father was convicted of fraud and embezzlement. He was sent to jail, and Veronica and her mother were depleted of their fortune and subjected to malicious gossip. Veronica was accused of being nothing more than a spoiled, icy socialite, which affected her greatly as she realized it was true. She and her mother left New York for Riverdale to start a new life, with Veronica determined to change her ways.

It's a secret to no one that Veronica was a mean girl back in New York. While she may have changed her ways, that does not negate all the harm she has done in the past, which she uses as a constant reminder to help her stay on that narrow path of good and right. One year ago, while Veronica was attending Spence, she and her best friend at the time, Katy, tormented a classmate named Paige. The only motive for their bullying was the fact that Paige was a misfit and they were "class A brutal bitches". By December, Paige could no longer take the bullying, so she transferred schools and went into therapy. Veronica's guilt over this incident and other similar occurrences are what inspires her to be a kinder person who is loyal and protective of her friends.

Throughout Riverdale

 * -|Season 1=

Season 1
{{Scroll-1|

The New Girl
Veronica arrived in Riverdale, with her mother and they moved into the Pembrooke apartments since it was the only piece of property in her mother's name, and not her father's. They were greeted by the bellman, Smithers, who took their bags to their room. Shortly after settling in, Veronica went to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe to pick up some burgers and onion rings for her and her mother, who had been craving them all day. While waiting for the food to be prepared, Veronica introduced herself to Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper, who she quickly befriended.

The next day, Veronica started her first day of the sophomore year at Riverdale High School, with Betty as her tour guide. The two made chit-chat before Kevin Keller interrupted them and asked Veronica if it was true about her dad and what happened to their family. Veronica was dismayed to learn everyone knew about the scandal. They bumped into Archie again, and Veronica expressed her attraction for him but put it to the side when Kevin informed her that Betty was in love with Archie. Keen to make friends with Betty, they tried out for cheerleading together, but the River Vixens captain, Cheryl Blossom only allowed Veronica on the team. Veronica stood up for her new friend and refused to join without her, forcing Cheryl to relent.

She and Betty bonded over the sadder aspects of their respective family histories; Veronica revealed that she used to be a mean girl like Cheryl and was trying to turn over a new leaf. She then encouraged Betty to ask Archie to the back to school Semi-formal, but Betty's courage failed her and invited him to go with both her and Veronica as friends instead. At the dance that evening, Veronica left Betty and Archie to their own devices, encouraging Betty to make a move from a distance. She eventually did so, but Archie did not reciprocate her feelings. At the after-party, hosted by Cheryl, they played a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. With Cheryl being the mean girl, troublemaker that she is, she was keen to stir up drama by forcing Archie and Veronica to go in the closet together.

Though determined not to hurt Betty's feelings, Veronica eventually gave in to the sexual tension and kissed Archie. They returned to the party to which Cheryl gleefully informed them Betty had fled in distress, so Veronica implored Archie to go after her. A dejected Veronica then returned to her apartment to be comforted by her mother. The next morning, she and her mother stood at the edge of Sweetwater River, among the crowd, as Jason Blossom's body was brought to shore with a gunshot wound to his head.

At school the next day, Veronica attempted to make amends with Betty, presenting her with flowers, cupcakes flown in from New York, and a gift certificate to the spa. She pleaded with Betty for forgiveness after kissing Archie, it was such a basic bitch move, and she wasn't sure why she did it, it was like she was the "old Veronica". After smoothing things over, Veronica joined Betty and Kevin at lunch, where she addressed the secret relationship between Kevin and Moose, saying that she shipped it. The three of them sat down with Archie, and insisted that he play them a song to lighten the mood, which he did beautifully, but, it was too much for Betty to bare, so she ran off in tears. Though Betty initially accepted Veronica's apology, she seemed to have changed her mind following the incident at lunch, as she struggled to forgive Veronica for what she had done.

Veronica questioned Cheryl's method of mourning her brother's death, claiming that Cheryl was either brilliant or psychotic or both. Still bitter of the kiss at the after-party, Betty defended Cheryl since she wasn't putting on an act, pretending to be a butterfly when she's really a wasp. Veronica sensed the tension between her and Betty; for the record, she only went into the closet with Archie to prevent Cheryl from going in, however, while she may have gone in with the best intentions, it did not end that way. Veronica explained that it wasn't anyone's fault that Archie didn't like her though, that's just the way it was, the people they like often don't like them back, but at least now Betty wasn't pining after Archie in secret. She's okay if Betty never wanted to talk to her again, but Veronica was curious as to why Betty was so frustrated with Archie, and just then they were interrupted by Cheryl, who Betty offered Veronica's other hers-and-hers mani-pedis.

With a terrible start to the week unfolding before her, Veronica joined her mother as she waited tables at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Archie then entered the diner with a pickup order for him and his father. Hermione recognized him as Fred's son and volunteered Archie to walk Veronica home, during which, the two of them talked about their mutually strained friendships with Betty. Veronica was back to being the shallow and toxic rich-bitch that ruined everything in her path, which was unfortunate because even though she had just met Betty, she felt they were destined to be best friends, she felt like she just missed the train that was headed to the rest of her life. Veronica advised Archie to give Betty time, and not to despair, as she didn't believe their story was over yet.

The next day, Betty admitted to Veronica that she was right on what she said about Archie, and how him not liking her is no one's fault. Though, Veronica reminded Betty that while Archie may not like her, he does love her, and sometimes a friend is better than a boyfriend, so her mom would tell her. The night of the Pep Rally had come, and River Vixens performed on the field alongside Josie and the Pussycats. Thereafter, Veronica comforted a distraught Cheryl after she broke down in tears over her brother's death, and ran off stage, unaware that Betty was behind them watching it all occur. Upon witnessing Veronica's true intentions, Betty invited her to get milkshakes at Pop's shoppe, where they reconciled their differences and vowed to never let a boy get between them again. They were then joined by Archie and Jughead shortly after.

B & V
Following Archie's confession that he was at Sweetwater River on July 4th, and that he heard a gunshot, Veronica wondered if he was currently a suspect, to which Kevin replied that they all were. However, Veronica was the least likely suspect as she lacked motive considering that she was new to Riverdale. Veronica had to pass up binge watching "" on "" as she had a date with Chuck Clayton, the Varsity football coach's son, which was the equivalent of dating a Kennedy, but Chuck was also a player according to Betty.

Chuck picked her up from the Pembrooke and took Veronica out to Pop's shoppe. At Pop's, Veronica and Chuck were taking selfies, as Chuck commented that she was different than what he thought she would be. He assumed she would be high-maintenance. He asked what she missed most about home, to which she replied almost everything. They continued talking about the hurdles that come with being the new kid. When Veronica admitted that before going on their date, she conducted a fair share of research on Chuck, everything from the dean's list to ivy league aspirations. Chuck then realized that he'd have his hands full with Veronica, which she thought he was more than capable of handling. The two of them got closer and had a passionate make-out session in his car.

The next day, Kevin wasted little time on hounding Veronica over her date with Chuck; while she was psychically attracted to him, Chuck was not the best conversationalist. In passing, Ginger Lopez and Tina Patel asked how was the "Sticky Maple" she received from Chuck on their date, but Veronica was clueless as to what they meant, so Kevin informed her that it was an act of visual slut-shaming in Riverdale. Veronica is neither a slut nor is she going to be shamed by Chuck, so she decided to take matters into her own hands, with Betty's assistance the two ladies would go "".

Veronica and Betty headed into the boys' locker room, where they confronted Chuck about the photo he posted and demanded that he take it down, but to no avail. Her high-tone and bitch attitude may have worked on the Betas she dated in New York, but it had no power in Bulldog territory.

At home, the mean-spirited comments from several students on Chuck's post brought Veronica to tears. Her mother entered the room to ask about her date with Chuck, which Veronica was less than forthcoming about, simply stating that Chuck was rotten and not her type. Just then, she received a call from Betty, telling her to come back to the school, where Veronica discovered that she wasn't Chuck's only victim, and Chuck wasn't the only one, there were four other guys on the team who engaged in the same activity.

Veronica listened as Ethel Muggs, a student who had also been lied on by Chuck told her story of how last year in the library, she talked to Chuck for ten minutes and helped him with a math problem. But the next day, he began spreading rumors that they had engaged in sexual acts; enter Cheryl, who rudely interrupted Ethel, and then called them sluts. Veronica then learned that they keep score, each conquest earned them points, they kept track in a secret playbook, unfortunately, they needed proof before they could go to Mr. Weatherbee with this information. Veronica insisted that neither she nor any of the girls were lying and that even without proof, she promised that Chuck and his posses would face justice. If Cheryl wanted to get caught in that back-draft, all she had to do was refer to any of them as sluts one more time.

That night, after a tip from Trev Brown on the location of the playbook, Veronica, Betty, Kevin, Ethel, and Cheryl broke into the school to retrieve it. Inside, Veronica was labeled as being worth nine points; "(New Girl Bonus +1) equals 9". At that moment, they all noticed Betty's sister's name in the playbook, Polly Cooper, it was next to Jason Blossom's name. Veronica felt bad for Betty, she wanted to show the taken picture to Weatherbee as proof, but Betty wanted justice, and she had a plan to achieve it. The plan consisted of Betty and Veronica fooling Chuck into coming over to Ethel's house, and through means that were exactly ethical, getting him to reveal the truth about what happened between him and Veronica on their date.

Though Betty may have taken it too far as she entered the room in a black wig, red lipstick, and lingerie, she called herself Polly after slipping Chuck a muscle relaxer and hand-cuffing him up to the rail in the hot tub, forcing him to confess on video. At school the next day, Veronica was pleased with the latest issue of the Blue and Gold, she then confronted Betty on how she became a completely different person last night. Although they took down Chuck and his possess, and got them kicked from the team, how they went about it was wrong. But their punishment wasn't too serve as Hermione negotiated for a lesser sentence. Ethel thanked them for helping, but in actuality, her going on the record made all the difference, making her the bravest of them all, Betty and Veronica said. This is the moment that B & V had forever been forged.

Veronica, Betty, Kevin, and Jughead sat in a booth at Pop's shoppe talking about the closing of the Twilight Drive-In. Veronica thought it was overdue as she didn't believe that anyone still went to drive-ins, when there are more efficient ways of seeing movies in this day and age. Jughead invited them all to closing night, Veronica choices for the final screening was any film involving or. Moments later, Archie, Fred, and Ms. Grundy entered the shoppe, Betty mysterious got up, and walked outside the diner to talk to Archie alone, which led Veronica to wonder what they were talking about.

Curiosity got the better of her, as Veronica exited the shoppe just in time to overhear that Archie was in a secret love affair with Ms. Grundy, which was scandalous. Veronica backed Betty up on her stance of Archie and Geraldine's relationship being wrong and illegal, Veronica didn't even know what to call them, asking if Ms. Grundy was his "booty tutor". After Archie explained that Ms. Grundy believed in him when no one else did, she backed off the subject, but not before reminding him that he was in it deep.

The next day in the student lounge, even though she couldn't promise him any action, Veronica offered to go to the drive-in with Kevin since he didn't have a date, maybe she'd bring him good luck. Cheryl entered the room with a smile on her face, ready to remind Veronica of her place in the town's social hierarchy, she revealed that Hermione was in a heated discussion with a Southside Serpent outside of Pop's last night. Veronica confronted her mother with the evidence founded by Cheryl, but Hermione assured Ronnie she had nothing to worry about, Serpents may be from the wrong side of the tracks, but Hermione grew up with some of them.

Later that day, Veronica and Betty Googled Ms. Grundy, and presented the information they found to Archie, according to them, she didn't exist until a year ago. In spite of Betty promising Archie to let it go, she and Veronica broke into Ms. Grundy's car to find anything that would prove that Grundy wasn't as clean as she appeared. Inside the car, they found a driver's license with the name Jennifer Gibson on it and a revolver handgun. Once again, they had approached Archie with the information they had gathered, Veronica suggested that he open his eyes to all the evidence but he blew them off, just like before. As planned, Veronica attended the drive-in that night with Kevin, they snuggled up in the back of his father's pickup truck.

As they attempted to enjoy the film, the Southside Serpents became loud and unruly, after Kevin's failed attempt, Veronica threatened to stomp on each one of them with a Louboutin heel if they didn't shut the hell up. Veronica noticed from across the way that her mother was sneaking into an ally with a Southside Serpent, she witnessed an exchange go down between her mother and the gang member. Upon arriving home, Veronica confronted her mother, who claimed she was handling business for Veronica's father. He hired the Serpents to decrease the land's value in order for Lodge Industries to buy it at a cheaper price. What Veronica saw was a final payment for a job well done. Veronica knew this was wrong, but it was the only way for them to regain their former luxurious lifestyle.

As Veronica, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, and Archie sat in the bleacher, she insisted that Betty tell her everything about her upcoming date with Trev Brown. She then inquired about Archie's dating life in the PG (post Grundy) world, but he wasn't concerned with anything other than football. All of them received an invitation from Cheryl to Jason Blossom's Memorial, surprisingly, Veronica was invited as well, despite the current rivalry between her mother and Cheryl's. However, her invitation didn't come without Cheryl's usual level of disdain, and so with Jason's recent passing in mind, Veronica took it upon herself to disregard Cheryl's attitude and extend an olive branch in hopes of avoiding mutual annihilation. Cheryl accepted her hand in friendship as she invited Veronica to sleepover at her place, the night before the memorial.

During River Vixens practice, Veronica spotted Archie in the hallway wrapping his playing hand, she told him that it was his instrument and that punishing himself was no way to solve his problems. He injured his hand because he didn't know the play, and he didn't know the play because he was working on songs all night with Valerie. Veronica appeared to be jealous of the time he had been spending with Valerie, but she swore that she wasn't, having already been given her Seven Minutes in Heaven with Archie. Alluding to their time spent in the closest at Cheryl's after-party. She finished wrapping his hand, kissed it, told him to take better care of it since it would be worth millions one day, and walked away.

As promised, Veronica slept over at Cheryl's house the night before the memorial, unfortunately, she was forced to endure an awkward dinner with the entire Blossom family; Penelope, Cliff and Nana Rose. She thanked the Blossoms for having her yet she wasn't sure why she was the only girl there since it was supposed to be a sleepover. The topic of discussion switched a few times, starting with the introduction of maple into Riverdale, and ending with her father. It was difficult for Veronica to witness Hiram being taken from her, the worst part is about the ordeal was how quickly it took place, she never even got the chance to tell her father goodbye.

Later that night, Veronica and Cheryl spent the night looking through an old photo album of Jason, Veronica described him as "crazy handsome", Cheryl agreed, then saying that Jason would've liked Veronica. She asked why Cheryl invited her instead of Ginger and Tina since they were her best friends, Cheryl explained that Veronica was the only person who came to her aid during the freak out at the Pep Rally. After learning at dinner that Cheryl's parents weren't going to allow her to say goodbye to Jason during the memorial, Veronica urged her to do it anyways, she even offered to help write it and permitted Penelope and Cliff to do their worst.

The next morning, Veronica joined her friends downstairs as the memorial was about to begin, days like those would often put things in perspective, at least they were all alive. Though Veronica and Cheryl had earlier planned how the evening would play out, she never expected for Cheryl to enter the room in her all-white outfit from the day she and Jason fake his death. Veronica joined Cheryl up on the podium to offer comfort after an emotional eulogy.

Veronica watched from outside Cheryl's bedroom as she was scolded by Penelope for her stunt during the memorial. After a first-hand look at the life Cheryl had to endure on a daily basis, Veronica felt bad for her. The incident also reminded her how lucky she was to have a mother like Hermione.

Joining the Pussycats
Veronica sat in the crowd as Archie choked during his audition for the 75th annual Variety Show. Looking to help out a friend, Veronica first had a chat with Kevin, the host of the event, who she reminded that he had heard Archie sing on numerous occasions, so if Archie had a spot in the show, she'd even sing along with him, if it would help with his stage fright.

After school, Veronica visited the Andrews Construction work site only to discover that her mother was kissing Fred Andrews, so immediately following Hermione's arrival home, Veronica questioned if she'd be getting a divorce from Hiram, Veronica's father. She wanted to know what would happen to all of them once he's released from prison, but Hermione didn't have an answer, there was nothing she could do to help Veronica through the situation.

The next day, she arrived at school, prepared to rehearse with Archie, unfortunately, he had given her spot to Valerie, which Veronica didn't appreciate, referring to Archie as a "Ginger Judas", and on top of that, she told him about her mother and his dad. He then offered to give Veronica her part back, which she no longer wanted, instead, Veronica became the latest member of Josie and the Pussycats.

At rehearsal, Veronica was more concerned with her phone than she was with the song, she was overwhelmed with stress, that involved both her mother and her father, who she hadn't see in three months. Veronica and Josie would later meet up at Pop's shoppe, and exchanged sob stories. Veronica told her about the intimate moment between her mother and Fred Andrews, the only thing that keeps her going is the thought of her family being whole again, but that all goes away if she tells her father.

Sometime later, she was approached by her mother with a motion to award the construction contract to Fred Andrews, when Hiram was arrested, he made Veronica a legal officer of Lodge Industries, meaning her signature is needed to pass the motion. However, Veronica refused to sign as Hermione refused to stop seeing Fred Andrews. Abruptly, she ended the discussion as she had to leave for the Variety Show.

After performing at the Variety show with the Pussycats, apologizing to Archie, and then recording his amazing performance on stage, Veronica would come to learn that her mother forged her signature on the motion for the new development despite their prior disagreement.

The Cold War
Veronica initially appeared during a dream sequence of Jughead's, best described as some kind of idealized, make-believe version of the American dream, where she sat across the table from Jughead, the Coopers and Jason Blossom.

Outside of the dream, Veronica retaliated against her mother after learning that she forged her signature. Veronica bought a number of expensive items online and requested that Smithers take them up to her room. At school, Veronica suggested the possibility of moving away from Riverdale as the town didn't seem to be getting any better, she then noticed a moment shared between Betty and Jughead, which Veronica would later come to approve. She then joined in on the search party throughout Eversgreen Forest to find Polly, the party headed East, towards Sweetwater River, as that's the direction Polly most likely would've traveled.

Veronica split off with Kevin, and the two of them discussed the "Cold War" between Veronica and her mother. She hated having to fight with her mother, but that's exactly what she'll do until Hermione admits that she forged Veronica's signature in order to further her relationship with Fred Andrews. It's Hermione's turn to make the next move, however, if she didn't, Veronica would have to force her hand, which she would usually do by going out on a party bender; dancing with her favorite celebrity gal pal (Josie), her best gay friend (Kevin), and dimwitted arm candy (Reggie).

The next day in the student lounge, she offered to help Betty and Polly, as the pregnant mother was hiding out in the attic of the Cooper house, with no place to stay. As planned, Veronica went out partying that night, after a brief argument with her mother over the forging of her signature, and the fact that her father would think that she betrayed him.

Veronica, Kevin, Josie, and Reggie danced the night away at a club called the Roving Eye. Afterwards, they found a booth and discussed Veronica's current troubles at home. When her father was arrested, the police, lawyers, and courts took everything from them, including the clothes off their backs, but her mother set her down and told her not to cry because there as one thing that no one could ever take from her, which was her name. However, after being told that no one could ever take her name, that's exactly what Hermione did, like it meant nothing like it was nothing like Veronica was nothing. To no surprise, Hermione finally struck back, she canceled Veronica's credit card and reported that it was stolen, which was surprisingly a good thing because it meant that she was ready to negotiate. Veronica returned home to a negotiation as she expected after Hermione laid out her terms, Veronica stated hers.

Fred Andrews and her mother's relationship could not take place at their home, and her mother would have to tell her father about the forging of her signature. Veronica sat by her Hermione's side and held her hand as they told Hiram over the phone that Lodge Industries was partnering with Andrews Construction.

Veronica, Archie, and Jughead joined Betty and Polly as they awaited the arrival of the Blossoms. However, they learned from Cheryl that her parents had no intention of helping Polly. With no place else to go, Veronica and Hermione offered Polly to stay with them.

Veronica, Betty and, Hermione sat in with Polly as she gave her statement to Sheriff Keller of the days leading up to Jason Blossom's death.

The next day in the student lounge, Veronica, Betty, Archie, Jughead, Kevin, Cheryl, and Valerie discussed Polly's dilemma, in which the Coopers wanted her but not the baby, while the Blossoms wanted the baby but not her, an impossible situation, Betty remarked. Veronica then recalled an impossible situation of her own, when she was invited to the 's Oscar party and 's Oscar party on the same night, which led her to her next point, that their current situation wasn't impossible, merely an annoyance. She suggested they host Polly a baby shower, Veronica thought baby steps would be the best way to approach the situation, starting with getting Polly and her parents in the same room, and in a public setting where they couldn't fight.

Just then, Alice Cooper entered the lounge, demanding to talk to her and Betty. Turned out that Sheriff Keller had informed Alice of Polly's whereabouts, which Veronica took the blame for since she offered Polly to stay with her and her mother at the Pembrooke.

The next morning at breakfast, Veronica and Betty approached Polly and Hermione with the baby shower proposal, which Polly was initially hesitant towards, but eventually warmed up to. In a surprise turn of events, Polly announced that she wanted the Blossoms to attend the shower as well. This subsequently led to a sidebar conversation between Veronica and Hermione, in which she was scolded by her mother for the inevitable bloodbath that would ensue between the Blossoms and the Coopers. Hermione found it hard to believe that Alice would even want to come after hearing what they'd told her, which was precisely why Veronica wanted Hermione to have a mother-to-mother talk with Alice.

While Alice had not accepted their invitation, Veronica did inform Polly that she had been invited, and then right before her very eyes, Polly announced Betty as the child's godmother, and so Veronica was thrilled for her.

Down at Pop's shoppe, Veronica and Betty learned from Jughead that Moose had been attacked at the SoDale work site, he was fine, but the two thugs responsible got away.

That night, as Archie, Kevin, and Moose went looking for their attackers on the south side, the girls (and Jughead) hosted the baby shower, where Veronica and her mother greeted guests at the door. During the gift opening portion of the shower, Archie stormed into the room and announced to both her and Betty that Jughead's father was a Southside Serpents. And while this news was scandalous, it was Polly's night, so in respect for her, Veronica suggested that the boys check themselves and settle their differences elsewhere.

Lawyers would be visiting that week to take Veronica and Hermione's statements for Hiram's hearing since both of them were set to testify on his behalf. Veronica asked what she was supposed to say if the lawyers asked about her father's embezzlement charges, which Hermione replied to by saying that she would have to stretch the truth. From her mother, Veronica learned that her father knew about the secret affair with Fred Andrews and that the Blossoms were still looking to gain control of the new land development. To top it off, Fred still had no idea they Hermione and Hiram were the anonymous buyers. Veronica suggested that it was time to tell him the truth, otherwise, he would eventually find out on his own considering that Riverdale was such a small and gossipy town.

Veronica was personally disturbed by Ethel's reading of an exceptionally dark poem, which led her to take a personal interest in the situation. She approached Ethel in the student lounge to inform her that while she was moved by the poem, it was fairly dark and real, leading her to question if everything was alright with Ethel, who explained her parents had been constantly fighting. They would not tell her why, so it was as if something really bad was going to happen but there was nothing she could do to stop it, like watching a slow-motion car crash, Veronica said. After hearing Ethel's tragic dilemma, Veronica took it upon herself to cheer Ethel up by inviting her to lunch and pampering at the Pembrooke. Following her chat with Ethel, Veronica explained to Kevin, who she had volunteered to also attend the lunch, that Ethel's poem was a cry for help, the likes of which she vowed she would never ignore.

This was brought on after an incident that happened last year at her old high school, where Veronica and her best friend Katy, terrorized another girl named Paige, which subsequently led to Paige transferring schools and going into therapy. Veronica felt that if she could make Ethel's life even a little bit better, then that's what she was going to do.

The group was celebrating Archie's potential invitation to an exclusive summer music program with the help of the Blossoms, which Veronica noted as being terrifying since those type of favors always have a price tag.

As planned, Veronica, Ethel, Kevin, Betty, and Hermione had lunch the next day, however, Ethel was in no mood to eat as her family was losing their savings and their house. At that moment, Veronica realized that she and Ethel had more in common than she initially thought. They lost their place at the Dakota, and having your life ruined was a terrible experience, but Veronica reminded her that she had her family and friends to support her. Hermione privately informed Veronica that Ethel's father invested with Hiram, meaning it's possible that he was responsible for the Muggs' misfortune. Veronica exclaimed that they were being kicked out of their home and that they had every right to testify against her father since this was the risk of investing with him. She asked her mother if Fred could lose everything for doing business with them, but Hermione was not sure, which resulted in Veronica exiting.

The next day, Veronica gifted Ethel with expensive clothing and jewelry, the items she was giving to Ethel were first given to her by her father, he would bring home gifts in an effort to make up for misdeeds, she even still wore the pearls he gave her. However, Ethel did not want any gifts, she only desired to be Veronica's friend.

At school the following day, Veronica ran into the restroom crying after learning that Ethel's dad attempted to commit suicide; she snatched the pearls that her father had given her from around her neck, and fell to the floor, as Betty came to comfort her. She and Betty brought flowers that evening and took them to the hospital for Ethel's father, where they ran into Ethel and her mother, Mrs. Muggs. Veronica introduced herself as the daughter of Hiram Lodge, the man responsible for their troubles. Veronica apologized, wishing she could do something, which led Mrs. Muggs to suggest that Veronica tells the truth about her father's actions, how he was ruining lives.

Once home, Veronica informed her mother of Ethel's father's attempted suicide, and that she was done lying for him. In class the next day, Veronica apologized once again for her family's action, which Ethel did not hold her accountable for, hoping they could still be friends.

Varchie
Before leaving for school that morning, Veronica had a brief encounter with her mother and her father's lawyer, Paul Sowerberry. He was there to prep them for their statements and help with Hiram's upcoming court hearing. However, Veronica reminded her mother that she still had no plans on helping her father. Mr. Sowerberry explained that she would not be asked any questions pertaining to her father's business arrangements, she only needed to speak to Hiram's character, in an effort to humanize him, which could possibly mean a lesser sentence. Unfortunately, Veronica still refused to testify on the account that her father had ruined many lives, he made his bed, so now he had to sleep in it.

In the student lounge, Veronica learned that when Archie was at the tree tapping ceremony with the Blossoms, he overheard Cliff Blossom say that he was responsible for Veronica's father being sent to jail, though they had yet to learn of a motive.

At lunch, Veronica discovered via Betty that Jughead had never had a birthday party, so when Betty suggested that they throw him a low-key surprise party, she was completely on board. Ignoring Archie's negativity, Veronica loved the idea, any excuse to wear a cute party dress, she said, adding on that it should be a small party, solely consisting of the inner-circle. Just then, Chuck Clayton entered the cafeteria, fresh off his suspension, even though Veronica believed he should have been drawn and quartered for what he did, or at least expelled. He headed over to Ethel's table, with Betty not far behind, and when she returned, according to Betty, Chuck was apologizing, which Veronica refused to believe considering he did not have a contrite bone in his body.

Upon the discovery that the Blossoms were accountable for her father's arrest, Veronica thought it best to do some digging. Within a few of her father's files, she learned that over a course of 75 years, substantial monthly payments had been made from Blossom Maple Farms to Lodge Industries, until five months ago when Hiram was arrested. She believed that Cliff could have implicated Hiram in order to get out of paying the monthly fee, and she wanted to go public with this. However, Hermione refused to let this information out as it would lead many to speculate that Hiram was responsible for Jason Blossom's Death, and she didn't need Veronica bringing up questions that no one else was asking.

Having missed the review for the new choreography for Homecoming, Veronica was put to the back of the squad by Cheryl, in an effort to reduce any potential damage. Though she would not go down without a fight, Veronica challenged Cheryl to a dance-off, the winner would lead the River Vixens during Homecoming. Following their routines, it was left in the hands of the Vixens to decide who won. most of which voted for Veronica.

Sometime later, Veronica paid her father's attorney a surprise visit at his firm, where she revealed that the Blossoms agreed to pay her family a perpetuity fee. However, Cliff Blossom attempted to end the payments, but when that failed, he got her father arrested, and the reason this has not come out yet was that it could possibly make Hiram the latest suspect in the Jason Blossom murder case. In the light of all this, Veronica was even less inclined to testify on her father's behalf, which is why Hiram sent her message from jail through Mr. Sowerberry, in which he essentially threatened Veronica and her mother.

That night, Veronica arrived at Archie's house in a foul mood, she informed Kevin about the meeting with her father's attorney, which did not go well, leaving her with a less than partying mood. She greeted Jughead in Spanish as he and Betty returned to the house for the party, then heading off to the kitchen in tears before Jughead could even blow out his candle. Archie noticed this change in Veronica's behavior and asked her about it, though she was not willing to talk about it. Archie offered her a drink and then told her that his father and mother were gearing up to finalize the divorce, but this was through no fault of Veronica's mother, Archie assured her. Veronica then informed Archie that her father threatened to destroy her mother if she did not testify, saying Hermione was just as guilty as he was, but Veronica was unsure if he was telling the truth, and so the two of them hugged.

Not long after, the doorbell rang, followed by the entry of Cheryl and Chuck, along with several dozen of their classmates, all of whom were ready to party. As she headed towards the kitchen, Veronica recognized one of the party-goers, it was the same middle-aged serpent from the Twilight Drive-In with her mother, who Kevin informed her was Jughead's father. Chuck and Cheryl blocked the front door off as Jughead attempted to leave, announcing that they were all about to play a game called "Secrets & Sins", in which they spill all their secrets. The game started with Veronica, Cheryl questioned how getting a fresh started ended with Veronica defiling Archie in a closet, which was actually Cheryl's doing. Moving on from that, Cheryl asked about Veronica's father, and whether or not it was true that he illegally purchased the Drive-In.

While Veronica could not speak on her father, she could think of a dirty little secret, specifically Cheryl killing Jason. Veronica claimed that Cheryl loved him in a way that a sister should not love a brother, and as Jason got older, he saw it as strange, eventually choosing Polly over Cheryl, and in retaliation, Cheryl shot him in the head. Fed up with the disgusting turn the game had taken, Dilton Doiley volunteered to go next, revealing that he saw Ms. Grundy's car at Sweetwater River on July 4th and that Archie was there too. Veronica advised Archie to stay quiet, there was no need for him to join them in the gutter. As the night got later, this devious game quickly escalated into something more as Jughead and Chuck traded blows, resulting in Jughead's father ending the party.

Veronica sat on the couch with Archie and gave him a pep talk, reminding him that no one would remember anything come Monday, except for the fact that she accused Cheryl of Twincest. Archie wondered why he was the way he was, he kept wrecking things, which she could genuinely relate to, every day, Veronica felt like there was a new secret or lie about her parents. Archie began to wonder what could have happened had he made different choices, like leaving with his mother to Chicago, which Veronica could not answer, but had Archie left, they would not have met, and that would have been a tragedy of epic proportions. They're all messed up, but out of everyone, Archie was the least messed up, Veronica said, and at that moment, the two of them began kissing.

The next morning, Veronica woke in Archie's bed, while he laid passed out on the floor, so she kissed his head before leaving. As she made her way downstairs, she had an awkward encounter with Jughead, who promised to keep quiet about her time spent with Archie.

She then had a brief discussion with Smithers, in which he informed her that while her father may be a terrible man, her mother is an unequivocally good person. Despite her current feelings towards him, Veronica finally decided to testify on her father's behalf, but she was doing it for her mother, who she believed in.

Later that evening at The Blue and Gold, Veronica informed Betty that she just testified on her father's behalf, while knowing that he hired the Serpents to trash the drive-in, so given recent events, it's possible the Serpents were hired to go after Jason as well. With that being said, Veronica wanted to help with Betty's investigation to learn the truth, no matter what it was.

At The Pembrooke, she received a new diamond necklace from her father, thanking her for her testimony.

Daddy Issues
Before heading off to school, Veronica and her mother received a call from Mr. Sowerberry, her father's attorney. who informed them that their statements on Hiram's behalf made a big difference. The judge was even inclined to give him a break, amounting in time served or just a few more months, if that. Veronica wondered what would happen upon his release, and what would come of the crimes he committed, up to and possibly including the murder of Jason Blossom. He was in jail because of the Blossoms, so this gave him a motive, even though Veronica had no proof to support this claim. Her mother reminded her that she needed to be supporting her father instead of demonizing him.

At school, she was approached but Archie, who explained his reason for not calling Veronica was due to the surprise arrival of his mother, but Veronica told him that he didn't owe her an explanation. From this, Archie surmised that she was pretending as if nothing happened between them at Jughead's party the other night. She pulled him to the side and explained that while they had a beautiful moment, and it was something that she had no regrets of, she didn't have the bandwidth to be with anyone at the moment. With that being the case, Archie hoped that they could at least do the duet they had previously talked about as he had told his mother he was performing at Homecoming. At that moment, she received a text from Betty, so she had to leave, but not before denying his offer to sing together, and telling him that they would have to pretend their kiss never happened.

Betty and Mrs. Cooper awaited her arrival at The Blue and Gold offices, and as she entered, Mrs. Cooper informed them both that everyone outside the room was a suspect in Jason Blossom's death. The first topic of discussion being her father, who had an epic grudge against the Blossoms. It was completely within the realm of possibility that he hired someone from within jail to kill Jason, possibly even Jughead's father, FP Jones, who Hiram had hired before to trash the Twilight Drive-In. Alice wanted the girls to further investigate Jason's death by finding out what FP and Joaquin were conspiring about a few nights prior, but Betty declined the task on both of their behalves. It wasn't long before Veronica returned to Mrs. Cooper, offering her assistance in finding out the truth about her dad, and Jughead's.

From there. Mrs. Cooper conspired a plan in which she would invite FP and Jughead over for dinner to buy Veronica enough time to go looking through his trailer for any potential evidence. After Cheryl's announcement that she and Polly would be campaigning for Homecoming co-Queens, Veronica announced that she and Archie would be covering a couple upbeat songs for the dance, despite earlier telling him no. The two of them then headed to an empty classroom, where they could talk privately, in which Veronica explained that her reasoning for agreeing to sing with him was so that he would agree to help her search FP's trailer. Her father was very close to being released, Veronica wanted to know exactly who they were welcoming back into their lives. Unfortunately, Archie denied her request, he didn't want to go behind Jughead's back.

After thinking it over, Archie finally came to his senses and agreed to help find out the truth about Hiram and FP, but they couldn't allow Betty or Jughead to find out. The following night, just before Homecoming, she and Archie made their way into FP's trailer, though they failed to find anything that would indicate FP had any involvement in Jason's murder. Veronica quickly became increasingly agitated and uneasy, it seemed almost as if she wanted to find something, but she really just wanted to know the truth, one way or the other, she needed to be sure. She became worried of what would follow once he returned home, but Archie assured Veronica that he would be there for her, not finding anything at the trailer felt like a major win for the home team to him. Veronica smiled, though she had walked through the Valley of Darkness, Archie Andrews was there with a smile and a sports metaphor, she said, just before they kissed.

The two of them then hastily exited the trailer after getting a text from Mrs. Cooper that the dinner was over. Regrettably, they were caught by Betty as they were talking to Mrs. Cooper at the dance, however, with their performance coming up, they didn't have time to explain. Following an amazing performance on stage, in which she and Archie sang "Kids in America", they were confronted by Betty yet again, but this time in the hallway. Veronica apologized for working with Betty's mom behind her back but she had to be sure since her father and FP had business. Just then, Jughead came around the corner, and they filled him on everything they'd done, which was a complete betrayal of him and his trust.

After learning that FP had been arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom, Veronica and her mother returned home, where they discussed their next course of action. If Hiram was involved in the killing, and her mother couldn't pretend otherwise, they'd cut all ties to him, he would be dead to them. Veronica learned from Kevin that his father found the gun that killed Jason in a lockbox in FP's closet, but the thing is, Veronica and Archie searched that closet, and the gun wasn't there. Someone put the gun there after they left, meaning FP was being framed.

Picking up exactly where the previous episode left off, Veronica and Archie assured Betty that the gun wasn't there when they check the trailer, meaning FP was being framed. Veronica wanted to go to Sheriff Keller about what they knew, but Archie suggested that they tell their parents first, which didn't go too well.

Veronica and Archie explained that they had to check the trailer in order to be sure that FP and Hiram had no involvement in the death of Jason Blossom. The gun was planted by whoever killed Jason, but Veronica's mother and Mrs. Cooper both suggested that it was possible that she and Archie might have just missed the gun. At that moment, Betty outed her mother in putting Veronica and Archie up to the breaking and entering of the trailer, something that Hermione, Fred, and Mary were completely unaware of. Veronica admitted that she approached Mrs. Cooper because she had to know if FP and her father were involved.

Upon returning home, Veronica's mother began looking for their passports as there was not telling what FP was revealing to the authorities, leading Veronica to question if her mother finally believed that her father hired FP. Hermione wasn't entirely sure if Hiram was involved or not, but regardless of that, they were known associates of the man currently being accused of killing Jason, so either way, they need to be ready to run away, which Veronica opposed as it made them look guilty. Hermione exclaimed that they were guilty, she bribed Mayor McCoy for the Twilight Drive-In land, forged Veronica's signature. and paid off the Southside Serpents. They needed to be prepared to run if any of that became public knowledge.

A little while later, she called Archie looking to talk, but he couldn't as he and Betty were looking for Jughead, which upset Veronica because they were on a manhunt without her. Archie and Betty were at the Riverdale Bus Station but Jughead was nowhere in sight, but Veronica quickly realized that the only place Jughead could go at that time of night was Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe since it was open 24/7. Just as she said, they found Jughead sitting alone at the dinner, each of them felt bad about betraying him but something good came from it, they told Jughead that the gun wasn't there when they searched it. The four of them made their way to the Sheriff Station in search for Sheriff Keller to inform him that FP was being framed. However, by the time they arrived, FP had already confessed to killing Jason.

At school the next day, Veronica was thrilled that her father wasn't mentioned in the police report, but she couldn't help but feel that maybe he hired another Serpent to plant the gun. Under the table, Archie held her hand to comfort her, then Kevin joined them at the table, and soon thereafter, Jughead entered the cafeteria despite his initial decision to stay home, resulting in a violent altercation with Cheryl.

The next day, Veronica learned from Archie, who learned from his mother that FP used his one phone call to contact Joaquin, leaving her to wonder why he didn't call Jughead, Mr. Andrews, or even an attorney. Joaquin could possibly know if her father hired FP to kill Jason, so they called him over to interrogate him. Veronica asked what he and FP discussed over the phone, and he claimed that FP simply told him to lay low, but she wasn't buying it as no one would waste their only call so foolishly.

Kevin then asked if FP killed Jason, which Joaquin assumed he had because FP called him down to the Whyte Wyrm for a cleanup job on July 11th. In the basement of the bar is where Joaquin saw Jason's lifeless body, he and FP put the body in the freezer and cleaned up the mess. FP had done jobs for her father in the past, so Veronica asked if killing Jason was one of them. There was one time Joaquin overheard a conversation about a rich guy between FP and another Serpent named Mustang, who was the only other person aware of the cleanup. Veronica and Kevin then demanded that he take them to see Mustang or else they'd alert the Sheriff of his clean up job.

They entered Mustang's room at the City Centre Motor Hotel, only to find him dead in the bathtub, it appeared that he had overdosed. Veronica and Archie called the reported the incident, as Kevin and Joaquin left the scene, so it wasn't long before their parents and the authorities arrived. Sheriff Keller questioned them on what they were doing at the hotel in the first place, in which Archie explained that they knew Mustang was a Serpent, so they just wanted to see if he knew anything about FP. Then came a deputy with a bag filled with money, labeled "H. L.", that was found under Mustang's bed which Sheriff Keller mistook this to be Hermione's bag, but Veronica came to her defense, saying that it belongs to her father and that he was doing business with the Serpents.

Once she and her mother returned home, Hermione broke down and began hysterically crying as Veronica held her close.

From Joaquin, they learned of a contingency plan involving FP, himself, and Jason's varsity jacket, which FP had deemed as being too dangerous. They began wondering what could be so dangerous about a jacket, Veronica suggested they ask her father because he would know considering that they have concrete evidence that he hired the Serpents to kill Jason, which likely meant FP pulled the trigger, she was sorry for Jughead. Betty refused to give up, checking the pockets of the jacket to see if they had missed anything, and inside the lining, they found a USB flash drive containing the video surveillance of the night Jason was murdered. They watched the video from beginning to end, everything from Jason being taunted by Mustang to Jason's death, in which it was revealed that he was killed by his own father, Cliff Blossom.

Veronica returned home to her mother that night, sorry that she had ever questioned her father, but Hermione forgave her, and then told her that her father would be home really soon.

With Hiram's release from prison quickly approaching, Hermione and Smithers prepared for his arrival as Veronica snidely remarked that they wouldn't want to make her father angry.

At school later that morning, she and Archie contemplated over whether or not they should inform Betty of their relationship, now that they were no longer investigating an active murder case. However, Archie wanted to take precaution considering the last time he had a similar conversation with Betty, it didn't go well, thus burdening Veronica with the task of telling Betty that they were semi-dating. Before they could finish their conversation, Archie and Betty were called down to Mr. Weatherbee's office, where Mayor McCoy announced that she wanted to honor them for their contribution in the Jason Blossom murder case.

Following the meeting with Mayor McCoy, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Kevin discussed FP's case, and the false allegations of drug trafficking being pinned to the Southside Serpents. Betty was irate over the news that FP and the Serpents were being singled out as the town's villains. Betty was so frustrated that she decided to write an article on the topic but she couldn't figure out why people were so afraid of the truth. Using this as the opportunity to reveal her own truth, Veronica informed Betty that she and Archie had kissed a couple times. Surprisingly, Betty was genuinely happy for the two of them, telling them it was okay with her for them to be together.

Later that evening, she met up with Cheryl in the girl's locker room, who was uncharacteristically nice and pleasant. Cheryl had announced that she resigned as head cheerleader of the River Vixens, and had left them under Veronica's command, just before handing off her H.B.I.C (Head Bitch In Charge) shirt. Cheryl explained that the last few days had put things in perspective, but Veronica at least wanted Cheryl to know that if she ever needed anything, she shouldn't hesitate to ask.

Veronica described Cheryl's drastic change in behavior to Betty as chilling, "there are some dark goings on a Thornhill", she said. Betty believed the darkness to be town-wide, which reminded Veronica of Betty's article she had written on FP and the Serpents as promised. She professed her love for the article as Betty announced that it was already up on The Blue and Gold website, and that hard copies would be in circulation the following morning. Now that it was just the two of them, Veronica thought it best to check with Betty one last time on her feelings towards her romance with Archie.

The next day at lunch, as Betty babysat Polly, Veronica joined Jughead at the 'social pariah table' for lunch. She recently realized that she and Jughead had a lot in common. He assumed that it was the trivial fact of his father going to prison as Veronica's was getting out, but she was going to say that it's the fact that they were dating each other's best friend. Cheryl soon joined them at the table to apologize for her previous assault on Jughead, gifting him with her iconic spider broach. Just as before, Cheryl was behaving in a manner that none of them were used to, leading Veronica to ask if everything was okay with her just before Kevin interrupted them to show that Betty's locker had been vandalized in retaliation to the article she wrote.

Upon her return home that evening, Veronica found her mother's sudden interest in her relationship with Archie to be strange. Hermione explained that she and Hiram had made Fred an offer to buy him out of the SoDale contract, but he's yet to respond. She was hoping that Veronica could talk to Archie, who would subsequently convince his father to sell. Veronica sarcastically remarked that she would sexually manipulate Archie into doing her bidding, which Hermione was fine with so long as Veronica remained in control. Shocked that her mother would allow her to commit such a treacherous act, Veronica questioned why Hermione was so eager to chase Fred off when he's the only person in town that's been good and loyal to her. Hermione told her that Fred and Hiram would never get along, so her need to push Fred away was in direct response to this.

The next day in the student lounge, Veronica and Archie learned that Betty had a long-lost brother, who would be in his mid-twenties, a blond Adonis Veronica claimed. After learning that Jughead had already transferred to Southside High due to the belief that no one wanted him at Riverdale, Veronica, Archie, and Betty raced over to retrieve him, but upon their arrival, they discovered that he was fitting right in. Just outside the school, as Betty and Jughead exchange a loving hug, Veronica couldn't help but notice the passion between the two of them, believing that they were soulmates. She then received a message from Cheryl, who thanked her for trying but she was going to be reunited with Jason. Realizing that she was trying to end her life, the four of them headed to where Cheryl saw Jason last, at Sweetwater River, where Cheryl pounded on the thick layer of ice, hoping to break it. Veronica pleaded with Cheryl to stop but the ice broke beneath her feet, and Cheryl was dragged under.

They rushed over to help before the current could drag her down any further. However, she was just beneath the ice, leaving them with only one option, to break through it, which Archie does, but not without severely wounding his hand. After Archie performed CPR on Cheryl, and brought her back to shore, Veronica sat her in front of the fireplace at the Pembrooke with a towel and hot chocolate with a little splash of peppermint liqueur. Veronica explained to her mother that Cheryl had gotten into an accident, and she needed help, so she brought Cheryl home. She went on to deny her mother's offer to drive her to the Jubilee, referring to Hermione as Lady Macbeth.

Veronica joined Archie backstage at the Jubilee as he attempted to play his guitar with an injured hand, "that's what you get for punching a river of ice", she said. Veronica wasn't too sure that he should be playing with the condition his hand was in but he insisted he was fine as he played his entire freshman football season with a taped up hand. Veronica recalled that Archie was looking at Betty and Jughead longingly, back when they were at South Side High. Archie explained that in that moment, he was seeing how good Betty and Jughead were together, and he wanted that for their relationship. Veronica told him that she'd love that as they kissed, before being interrupted by Josie and the Pussycats, who announced that as a show of gratitude for Archie saving Cheryl's life, they'd perform one of his songs.

As expected, Veronica joined the Pussycats on stage as they performed alongside Archie. Afterward, Betty gave a speech pertaining to FP Jones, the Southside Serpents, and the turmoil in which Riverdale was facing if they continued with the same toxic patterns. Veronica, Archie, Betty, and Jughead celebrated with milkshakes at Pop's over Betty's speech and Archie saving Cheryl. That night, Veronica returned home with Archie once her mother had fallen sound asleep. They crept into Veronica's bedroom and had sex. The very next morning, Veronica jokes that she didn't know Archie was such a scoundrel as he attempted to leave without saying goodbye. Archie had actually received a message from his father, who wanted to meet up at Pop's for breakfast, so she kissed Archie, and sent him on his way. }}
 * -|Season 2=

Season 2
{{Scroll-1|

Trouble in Paradise
The following morning, Veronica grabbed breakfast at the Pembrooke, consisting of cake and a bottle of champagne. When Hermione passed her and noticed what's on her plate and glass, her mother informed her that it was a bottle of Cristal that was supposed to be for her father for when he finally got home. As Hermione was reprimanding her for being disrespectful, Veronica's cell phone rang, interrupting their conversations. Betty was the caller, and she had bad news to deliver; Archie's father had been in an accident and was in the hospital with Archie after a shooting at Pop's. She later rushed over to the hospital, where she met up with Betty and Jughead to see how Archie was doing.

They all sat with Archie as he recounted the events at Pops; Archie came out the bathroom to find a hooded man with green eyes pointing a gun at Pop Tate, then at his dad, Fred. He fired the gun, then bolted, leaving a bloody Fred on the floor. Pop Tate called the ambulance, but Archie took it upon himself to drive him all the way to the hospital, but he's questioning this decision as he thinks he may have made it worse. Jughead refused to agree with that, saying that first, he saved Cheryl, now Fred, if he kept it up, he might need a superhero name, as Jughead proposed, 'Pureheart the Powerful'. With his dad still in surgery, Hermione urged Archie to speak to his mother. When Archie left the group, Alice scrutinized Jughead, who questioned her accusing look. Despite Betty's warning, Alice spoke up anyway, as she "can't help but wonder" if Jughead's Southside associates were involved in the robbery/shooting. Although Jughead couldn't speak for all of the Serpents, he knew she couldn't accuse his father, considering he's in jail. Veronica then announced that she couldn't handle the drama between Alice and Jughead, as she leaned on Betty for support.

Veronica and Betty waited in the hospital lobby. She told Betty a list of things that she's good at, such as makeovers, party planning, dance-offs, dropping vintage bon bots as if they were bonbons, and this made Betty chuckle. However, there was also a list of things which she wasn't good at, which included grief, bedside vigils, and comforting boyfriends. She was enveloped in a look of discomfort and shame, explaining that she didn't know what to do in situations like Archie's. Betty informed her that was the old Veronica she was referring to. Veronica commented that old Veronica would've bolted by now, but new Veronica didn't want to let Archie down, but she feared that she might. Betty assured her that she wouldn't because she had confidence in Veronica that she would know what to do to help Archie out in a time of need. They then saw Archie and Jughead entering the lobby again, after their discussion with Sheriff Keller.

Veronica joined Archie, when Dr. Steven Masters approached him, informing him of his fathers medical status; Fred was out of surgery, they managed to get the bullet out and stop the internal bleeding, but Fred still couldn't breathe on his own. Insisting on seeing his father, the doctor told him that it'd take at least an hour before he could see him. With nothing to do during that time, Veronica recommended that while in the meantime he waits to see his father once they get him in a room, he could go back home to take a shower and change his clothes, as he was still covered in his father's blood. Archie was still reluctant to leave his father unattended to, but as a nurse later handed Archie a bag containing his father's belongings, Betty gave him another reason to go; he could go get his father a fresh change of new clothes, adding that Veronica would accompany him. Alice reassured Archie that Fred is strong stock, and not the man to leave things unfinished.

Veronica and Archie arrived at the Andrews house, where Archie was excitedly greeted by Vegas. After he embraced him, he headed for the door. Seeing this, Veronica asked where he was going, to which he said that he was going to take Vegas for a walk. Veronica disagreed with this telling him that he should take a shower and she would handle Vegas. Archie was not convinced that she could even take a dog for a walk, and Veronica retorted that she had dogs walked for her, asking if that counted. After Archie changed his clothes, they took Vegas for a walk down the park. Archie began telling Veronica the story of when his father got Vegas. When he was a little boy, his father told him that Vegas was going to be his dog and his responsibility. He would have to nurture him, especially when he's sick, and ensure that he had food and water. Excited to have a dog, Archie enthusiastically accepted this responsibility. Veronica commented that this was the cutest origin story ever. However, Archie told her that since then, it would seem that Vegas has become more of a responsibility for Fred rather than Archie. When he got home from football practice his father would've already walked him, on Saturday mornings, his father would take him out so that he could sleep in. Every time Vegas got sick, his father always went with them to the vet. These were prime examples that showed how no else loved Vegas more than his father did. When Veronica got emotional upon hearing this and stopped walking, Archie went over and comforted her.

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

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

Veronica returned back to the hospital to speak to Betty and Jughead, where she informed them both that Archie was at the police station, attempting to identify the shooter. Betty suggested that they go there, as it'd be traumatizing for Archie to be there alone. However, Veronica had something else in mind; Fred's wallet was missing, Veronica and Archie thought it might still be back at Pop's, so she tasked them with the job of finding the wallet. His wallet was either there, or maybe in possession of the shooter. Betty suggested that the gunman probably took his wallet for the cash. However, Jughead offered a more distressing theory; what if it wasn't just a robbery and was a hit instead. This coming from the fact that Riverdale was also the place where fathers kill their own sons, in reference to Cliff and Jason Blossom. Adding that people had grudges, he believed it was possible that it was a hit. Betty reassured Veronica that the wallet could still be at Pop's and told her that they'd go check it out. In the search for Freds' Wallet, Jughead and Betty left the hospital in Jughead's motorcycle.

Later, Veronica joined Hermione for prayers at the Chapel. As she took a seat beside her mother, she then asked her as to what they were praying for; was it for Fred's speedy recovery or a quick death? Baffled, her mother questioned her accusatory statement. Veronica told her Jughead's theory as to what happened to Fred could've been actually a hit on him. Veronica sarcastically questioned who would be evil enough to do that. Veronica then remembered how Hermione wanted Fred to sell his share of the company back because he and Hiram wouldn't get along. In which Fred refused to do so upon her mother's request. Assuming her daughter was talking about her father, Hermione reprimanded Veronica of how determined she was of painting her father as to a villain. Hermione initially assumed that the target of Veronica's accusations was Hiram, but in actuality, Veronica directed them towards her. Veronica no longer saw her as an innocent pawn. She believed Hermione to be Hiram's eyes and ears on the ground, calling the shots while he's in prison. Hermione rose to her feet as she informed Veronica that her disrespect would no longer be tolerated. She offered her daughter a word of advice; to get back in line with the family because she's a Lodge above all else. She should slap Veronica for what she's insinuating, but Hermione claimed that she wasn't a violent person.

Veronica returned to the hospital lobby baring gifts for Archie to give to Fred. Archie opened the gift to find a brand new leather wallet, which Veronica explained that it was for Fred to use in the meantime until his wallet was found. Asking when she found the time to go to Barnaby's Veronica stated that she sent Smithers to get it for her, but questioned if that counted as cheating. Appreciative, he told her she was the best girlfriend ever, while also adding that he didn't deserve her. Confused about this statement, she asked him to elaborate. Hesitant, he told her that he withheld information about something that happened at Pop's. As Archie was on the brim of confession, they were interrupted, as Jughead and Betty arrived with Pop Tate, carrying food for everyone.

The gang sat together to eat lunch. Everyone commented how well Archie was tackling the situation, however, he didn't look convinced. Noticing this, Veronica asked Archie that he could talk to them. Sighing, he commenced telling them part of the story that he left out because he felt so ashamed. They 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. As Betty tried to reassure him that there was nothing he could've done, Archie admitted in shame that he was a coward, because he had a chance to comfort his father or tackle the shooter. Now, him and his father, are now witnesses, as well as Pop Tate, too. Telling them fearfully, what if he came back?

Veronica returned home after a long day at the hospital to be greeted by the appearance of Hiram who was sitting in the dining room with her mother standing beside him. He told her that he came early to surprise her, imagining she'd be home, waiting to greet him upon his return. However, he was the one who was surprised when he later found out she wasn't at home. Hermione chimed in, telling Hiram about how she also drank his Cristal. Hiram reprimanded her for her disrespectful act and remarked how this was not like Veronica at all, to which she admitted to changing since the last time they saw one another...but the question is, had he? He may have changed, but not so much as he didn't want a kiss hello from his daughter. Veronica then walked over to give her father a kiss on his cheek. She then informed them, of Fred's recovery from the gunshot wound, as he had finally woken up.

Before leaving for school that morning, Veronica was stopped at the door by Smithers, who recommended that she take the side exit in order to avoid her father, who was on an early morning run. Veronica was actively avoiding her her father; leaving before breakfast and coming home after her mother and father have had dinner. Hiram couldn't remember the last time they had a meal together as a family, though Veronica could. She reminded him that their last family meal was at the Dakota. The day he got arrested. Perhaps her father's arrest is something they should all talk about over dinner. However, Veronica claimed to have plans, then going on to quote a New Yorker cartoon, "how about never, Dad, is never good for you?".

Veronica met up with her friends at school, where they learned from Jughead that Pop Tate's entire staff quit on him, and he wasn't sure how much longer her he would be able to keep the diner's doors open. Betty refused to accept the closing of Pop's. With Archie and Jughead both preoccupied with their fathers' respective problems, Betty decided to take point on saving the diner, and Veronica volunteered to help. Another B and V team up Jughead commented. Though Veronica was simply willing to do anything just to stay away from her parents.

The next day, Veronica received a call from Betty, telling her that Archie hadn't slept in his room since he and his father returned from the hospital. Hearing this for the first time, Veronica rushed over to Archie's house to address the situation. Archie explained that the reason for his room being unusually empty and quiet is due to the fact that he hasn't been sleeping. Instead, he's been watching the doors to make sure that no one comes in. While it may have sounded crazy, the shooter was still on the loose, and Archie feared that he would come back to finish the job. Veronica reminded Archie that he went through something deeply traumatic, then asking if she could make a suggestion. When she lived in New York, she saw a therapist once a week to help her get through all sorts of Park Avenue drama. While she wasn't saying he should go to see a therapist, he might benefit from seeking professional help, like from the school counselor.

At the Blue and Gold offices, Betty came up with a plan to host an event at Pop's that reminded the town of a simpler time. Veronica enjoyed a good milkshake as much as anyone, and Pop's puts Serendipity 3's to shame, but, why this hill to die on, she asked Betty. Betty replied that the diner was special to her, as it should be to everyone else. Its where she met some of her closest friends, Veronica included. She wanted to save it for all of them. It was then that Hiram entered the room with a bouquet of yellow roses, asking to speak to Veronica.

Just outside the school, Hiram explained that every day he was in prison, he thought about getting back to Veronica and her mother. And while he knew it wouldn't be easy, and knew it would take time, he was at least hoping that Veronica would meet him halfway. It's not that she didn't want to meet him halfway, or that she didn't want everything to go back to the way it was, but as Veronica put it, the blindfold's off, and she couldn't just put it back on and ignoring all his wrongdoings. She apologized for not being able to give him the answer he desired, but she needed to get back to her friends. In one last chance to show that he cares, Hiram offered to help Veronica with her crusade to save Pop's from closing in any way he could.

Veronica and Betty entered the gymnasium for River Vixens practice, where they were greeted by Cheryl and the newest recruit, Josie. This left Veronica wondering if Cheryl was taking the squad back from her. Cheryl replied that they were never hers, to begin with. They then asked Cheryl if she was open to the possibility of the Vixens being used in support of an event to help Pop Tate. Unfortunately, she declined their request before rudely dismissing them.

Upon returning home that evening, Veronica got a call from Betty, telling her that the diner was being bought by an anonymous buyer, which was the same description given for Hiram when he was secretly buying the Twilight Drive-In. Veronica entered the dining room, and accused her father of buying the diner in an attempt to buy her. Hiram claimed that he wasn't buying Pop's, and then requested that Veronica sit so that they can talk civilly. Since her father wanted to talk so badly, Veronica suggested that they talk about Mr. Andrews, since he was shot one day after he rejected the offer to sell his portion of the SoDale project, which had Veronica wondering if it's her father's doing. Hiram denied shooting Fred. Nor did he hire anyone to shoot him. Unconvinced with her father's claims of innocence, Veronica explained that she was his fiercest protector. Whenever someone called him the devil incarnate, she always came to his defense, telling herself that he wasn't that bad and that he can be forgiven. However, this changed when she received the letter from him, threatening her mother. Veronica then handed Hermione the letter, telling her to think about the kind of man that they're letting back into their lives. After reading the letter, Hermione told Veronica that she wrote the letter threatening herself in order to get Veronica to testify on Hiram's behalf so that they could be reunited as a family once more.

The next day, as Veronica sat in the Blue and Gold offices, looking at old pictures of herself and her father, Jughead entered the room, offering a to lend a friendly ear. Jughead was ready to walk away from his dad, but now he's crusading for FP's freedom, Veronica asked what changed. He did, Jughead explained. He made an effort by taking another swing at being a good dad. But don't you think some people can't change, like its just in their DNA to be bad, Veronica asked. While Jughead wasn't going to presume to know what lies in her father's heart, he did know that Archie's dad almost died and his dad was going away for twenty years. So, if there was even the slightest chance that her father is trying to do better, Jughead urged her to give him a chance. Veronica then thanked him for the advice.

After cleaning off the vandalism that had been spray painted on the diner with Kevin and the Vixens, Veronica attended Retro Night, working as part of the staff alongside Betty, Jughead, and Kevin. As Archie entered the shoppe, she greeted him with a hug and a kiss after asking if he was okay with being in the diner as it was his first time being back since the shooting. After escorting Archie to his booth, Veronica ran into her parents, who attended the event only to show their support. With the night being a new beginning for Pop's, Veronica suggested that maybe the night can be a new beginning for them as well. However, she asked for total transparency in return. In the spirit of that, Hiram proposed that Lodge Industries make a "charitable contribution" to the diner. As the night progressed, Veronica joined Archie, Jughead, and Betty in the booth, and the four of them relished in their victory; rare win for the good guys.

Afterward, she returned to the Pembrooke with her parents only to find out that Smithers was no longer with them. She was greeted by Andre, their new doorman. Her father claimed that Smithers' mother fell ill, and he went home overseas to care for her.

Seeing her mother near her father's study with his morning coffee, Veronica offered to take it to him as she had something that she would like to discuss with him. But as Veronica was reminded by her mother, she wasn't allowed in her father's study. Those were the old rules, Veronica retorted. Which still applied, Hermione explained. Hearing their voices just outside the door, Hiram joined them in the main room, where Veronica asked if she could have her inner circle of friends over to watch the season premiere of the Matchlerette. She even invited her father to join them as her friends were supposedly dying to meet him.

After learning that Moose and Midge had been attacked the night before at Lover's Lane, Veronica sat alongside Betty in the student lounge as Kevin retold the moments leading up to his discovery of Moose and Midge in the woods. While Archie and Betty argued over whether or not the recent shooting was connected to Ms. Grundy's murder in Greendale, Veronica asked if they could focus on what truly mattered, the fact that Midge, Moose, and Mr. Andrews were all still alive, and the Matchlerette season premiere, which Veronica was hoping that everyone would come over to watch. However, the Matchlerette was merely an excuse for them to officially meet her father. Back in New York, he was always in his study, doing very bad things as it turned out. She wanted to know her father's life and he needed to know her's. No more secrets.

With the exception of Kevin, everyone made it over to the Pembrooke that night to watch the Matchlerette and meet her father. She offered Archie a seat next to her, but he appeared distracted. Archie expressed his frustration with the lack of effort being made to apprehend the killer. With tension rising, Veronica urged him to lower his voice. In a quieter tone, Archie explained how he was starting to suspect that they were being specifically targeted. Veronica told him that when they had a getaway on the Cape, all of them got together and hired private security to keep out the riffraff as an added layer of protection. Her parents then entered the room on their way out for dinner. Veronica introduced each of her friends to her father, starting with Betty and ending with Archie. Her father couldn't help but overhear their discussion, to which he understood their frustration with Sheriff Keller. He could say with confidence that the police aren't always the solution. He then invited Archie over for dinner sometime that week.

As she packed her things for school that morning, Veronica heard a knock at her room door, it was her mother. Veronica was advised not to push forward regarding the dinner with Archie, though she explained that it wasn't her doing. Archie was invited over by her father, who Hermione explained was merely trying to please her. While Veronica on the other hand simply desired her father's approval. Her mother explained that while one day her friends will be in a great place with her father, it was a working process, not something to be done overnight.

The next day, Veronica met up with Archie at Pop's to discuss their upcoming dinner with her parents, though the timing was less than ideal considering the shooter was still on the loose. However, Veronica wished to put that to the side just for one night as the dinner was nonnegotiable. The drive-by her father did during the Matchlerette was a kind gesture, but the dinner was more like a test. Archie asked what he was being tested for. Veronica corrected him, explaining that the test was for her father, to see if he's capable of being a normal father without an agenda, other than getting to know someone that was important to her, that being Archie. With that being the case, Archie agreed to attend the dinner. Sadly, she didn't have time to teach him Spanish, but she selected a few common phrases for him to practice with. Most importantly, during dinner, Veronica asked that he refrain from any talk of the Red Circle or as she referred to it, a "private army".

During River Vixens practice, Veronica, Midge and Cheryl were given one of the Red Circle's flyers that were going around town, involving Archie and his group watch that offered protection for the community.

While cleaning the silverware in preparation for her big dinner with Archie, Veronica was warned by her mother. She was playing with fire, and she should be more cautious when doing so. Her parents getting to know Archie over a civilized dinner may have been Veronica's agenda, but it wasn't necessarily her father's. But from Veronica's perspective, the only person not making an effort to better their family was her mother. Veronica asked what it was that had her mother so concerned about her father and Archie being in the same room. Enough of the veiled threats. Tell me you think he's dangerous, Veronica said. If her mother saw fit to speak up, now would be the time, as she had no intentions on having the conversation again.

The following night, Archie came over for diner, though he was visibly nervous, causing his leg to uncontrollably shake. Veronica placed her hand on Archie's lap, hoping to calm his nerves. It would seem that Veronica had informed her father about Archie saving Ethel the prior night. Her father then asked Archie if he's ever had rum, to which Archie replied that he hadn't. There was a signature Lodge family label that he had in his study, asking if Archie would like to try some. Of course, he would, Veronica replied. However, she was under the impression that she would be joining them, which she quickly learned was not the case as her father asked her to stay behind, so that they could talk privately. "Poor little princess," her mother remarked. "The king will always keep her at arm's length. She'll never be allowed in his throne room."

After ease dropping in on her father's discussion with Archie about the Red Circle in his study the prior night, Veronica approached her father with a proposition the following morning. After doing some thinking, Veronica determined that she wanted a more active role in Lodge Industries, especially considering that she was a shareholder, though that was merely an honorary title, which is why Veronica suggested that they make it a legitimate title. She wanted to get her hands dirty and be in the room where it all happened. Hiram agreed that as a Lodge, it was her right to be more involved in the family business. After finally taking a step forward in worming her way into her father's study, Veronica arrived at school, arm and arm with Betty.

Supporting the Red Circle
Veronica was interrogated by her parents following the release of the Red Circle's public message to the Black Hood, which was spearheaded by Archie. Like everyone else, Veronica had no idea what was going through Archie's mind and she had no prior knowledge of the video. She also didn't appear to take the video as seriously as her parents, who were so concerned with Archie's threats of violence that they forbade Veronica from seeing him any further. To this, Veronica replied that they weren't living in Amish country. She had the freedom to date whoever she pleased. And she wasn't going to jump to any conclusions before hearing Archie's side of the story.

Veronica later arrived at school, where she confronted Archie over the video that he and the Red Circle had released. She started the discussion off with telling him that her parents wanted her to break up with him. Since when do you care about what your parents think, Archie asked. Veronica doesn't. Except for when she happened to agree with them. However, all Archie was asking of her is that she support him, though Veronica was confused as to what Archie expected her to support. Archie didn't understand why her father was upset with his actions considering that it was him that gave Archie the idea while they were in the study to fight fire with fire. Terror with terror.

Veronica returned home to see if the details given to her by Archie about him and her father's prior chat were true. She entered her father's study, asking what he and Archie talked about during the night they invited him over for dinner. However, her father claimed to have no recollection of the specifics of his and Archie's conversation. Veronica was asking because one of the things she loves about Archie is how earnest he is, in more of an innocent sort of way, making him both trusting and kind. However, that simplicity also made him impressionable, as well as vulnerable to certain forms of attack, such as manipulation. If someone were to pour poison into one of his ears, a dark notion might take shape in his mind, like the Red Circle for instance. From there, Veronica explained to her father that she wasn't insinuating anything, merely asking what he and Archie talked about. Unfortunately, her father reiterated that he didn't remember.

Realizing that Archie was right and that her father was back to his manipulative ways, Veronica stopped by to see Archie at his house as he was on his way out. She greeted him with an apology kiss for "raining on his Red Circle parade". Veronica wished to support him and his comely crew, even at the risk of enraging her parents, especially her father, which was just what he deserved after he manipulated Archie. Unfortunately, Veronica had not yet been made aware that the Red Circle fell apart earlier in that morning. For the others guy, it was over, but for Archie, he was only just getting started. This was his battle that he believed was for only him to fight. If it's his battle, then its Veronica's battle as well, she explained. It couldn't just be him against an armed madman. Riverdale needed the Red Circle to expand, not contract. And while the guys may have been spineless cowards, luckily for Archie, she expressed that she wasn't, just before the two of them kissed.

The next day at school, Veronica surprised Archie with her Red Circle support t-shirt, though doing so meant burning the midnight oil and calling in a few favors. Archie closed her jacket to conceal the shirt that he advised her against wearing, as it could land her in a lot of trouble. Though, Archie made the mistake of underestimating Veronica. Just around the corner was a hallway filled with students wearing supportive Red Circle t-shirts. Veronica even managed to get Cheryl on board. Let Mr. Weatherbee do his worse, she said. The Red Circle was no longer a fringe band of radicals, rather a movement with style and panache.

Mr. Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller interrupted Dr. Phylum's class the following day, calling Archie into the hallway so that they could speak with him privately. Under the impression that Archie was being punished for the supportive Red Circle t-shirts, Veronica informed them that they were her doing. However, as Mr. Weatherbee informed her, they were there to talk with Archie about an unrelated incident.

After school, Veronica returned home, where she laid in bed, reading a book, until she was interrupted by her mother, who commented on her shirt that was in support of the Red Circle, asking if Veronica would still be wearing it when Archie's arrested for reckless endangerment or something worse, though Veronica didn't believe that it would ever come to this. He was being railroaded. And she could confidentially say that even after watching the video. Her mother then offered her a word of advice in regards to loyalty. There was nothing more honorable and noble than it. But blind loyalty was both stupid and dangerous. Her mother prayed that this wasn't the case with her and Archie.

That night, as Veronica slept, she was awakened by the sound of Archie calling her. He asked that Veronica retrieve his gun from the school as he couldn't due to being barred from school property. In the late hours of the night, in the middle of a storm, Veronica made her way into the school to find Archie's gun, which he had hidden in the tank of one of the toilets. Veronica entered the bathroom stall, removed the back from the toilet, and stuck her hand into the tank filled with filthy water. She then pulled out Archie's gun, which was protected in plastic.

After finding the gun, which she later claimed to have thrown into Sweetwater River, Veronica raced over to Archie's house to question why he would need a gun in the first place. He replied to protect himself against the Black Hood. Between the video and the gun, Veronica needed to know the truth if she was going to continue to follow Archie. He exclaimed that he wanted to kill the Black Hood. He wanted to be the last thing that the Black Hood saw. Spoken like a true vigilante, Veronica stated. Archie's reason for making the video was so that the killer would make him his next target. Archie even went to the south side, hoping that the Black Hood would reveal himself. Should Archie kill the Black Hood, Veronica wondered if he had considered what would follow. He would go to jail. Or even worse, he misses his only shot, and the Black Hood kills him instead. Then what of all the people he would leave behind. Meanwhile, like an idiot, she was designing t-shirts in support of him. They then heard a knock at the door. On the other side was Reggie, Dilton, and the rest of the team, carrying pizzas.

To what do we owe the unexpected honor, Veronica asked. Reggie explained that Archie showed a tremendous amount of loyalty by not telling Weatherbee that the black hood found in Archie's locker actually belonged to him. As Reggie continued, Veronica, who had heard engines revving just outside, looked beyond the front door to see a small group of Southside Serpents, led by Sweet Pea, coming to Archie's doorstep. Archie opened the front door as they approached, with Reggie joining him moments later. Sweet Pea stated that they were there for payback following his last encounter on the south side with Archie, during which time Archie stuck a gun in his face. Sweet Pea was clearly there for a fight, which Archie was more than willing to oblige, but he asked that Veronica stay behind. Veronica agreed to not leave the house, but if they insisted on fighting, they would do so under certain rules, no weapons for instance. Should they fail to adhere to these rules, Veronica threatened to call Sheriff Keller.

As promised, Veronica stayed back at the house, pacing back and forth as her concern for Archie grew while he and the Red Circle were out waging war against the Southside Serpents.

Having grown tired of waiting for Archie's return, Veronica rushed over to the site of the big rumble, where chaos had ensued as both sides were brawling in a vacant lot. Archie spotted Dilton pulling out a pocket knife in the midst of the fight, causing him to get distracted, which in turn allowed Sweet Pea to capitalize. He blindsided Archie, knocking him to the ground. Sweet Pea then delivered a massive kick as Archie laid on the concrete surface. Fortunately, before Sweet Pea could follow through on one final blow, Veronica arrived just in time, firing a single shot into the air, bringing the rumble to an abrupt end as both sides scattered into the night.

Veronica returned with Archie to his house, where she applied care to his wounds. Archie admitted that the entire night escalated much further than it ever should've. Looking to lift his spirits, Veronica commented that at least Dilton was going to be alright, after he sustained a minor knife wound. But only because of her, Archie replied. She saved Archie and Dilton that night. They were living in fraught times. No one was thinking straight, so they have to hold on to each other, Veronica realized. She then apologized for lying about getting rid of the gun. However, Archie on the other hand, was grateful that she lied. He doesn't know what he would've done if he had it. But Veronica didn't believe that he would've used it, even if he had it, as he wasn't a killer, which was Veronica's final remark before she and Archie started kissing on the bed. However, that didn't last long as Veronica remembered that they had one last thing to do that night. The two of them headed down to Sweetwater bridge, where Archie through his gun into the river, hoping to end a vicious cycle of violence.

Reuniting with an Old Friend
Veronica was thrilled to learn from her parents that Nick St. Clair, an old friend from New York, was coming to Riverdale, with his family, for the open house, as potential investors in the SoDale project. A lot had changed since Veronica saw him last. Nick was a budding music producer and his father was King Midas rich. If they could get the St. Clair's to invest, then others would surely follow. Since Veronica wanted a seat at the table, and Nick had his father's ear, her parents requested that she hope to close the deal by showing Nick the best that Riverdale had to offer.

In the student lounge, Veronica explained the dynamics of her and Nick's relationship to Kevin. Veronica and Nick were the "will they or won't they?" of their jet set. While he was an outrageous flirt, they never dated. They'd used to hop from club to club, where they would go on these madcap adventures, and stay up all night. Archie and Betty entered the lounge, wondering who Veronica was referring to. Veronica insisted that Archie had no reason to worry, as Nick was just a ghost from her bad girl past.

The Next day, she welcomed the St. Clair's to Riverdale as they entered the Five Seasons hotel. She told them that while they're in town, to think of her as their "corporate concierge". If they needed anything, they should feel free to ask. For starters, Nick asked for a better hotel. Admittedly, it wasn't the Waldorf, nor the Plaza, but, the Five Seasons, like all of Riverdale, has its charms. It had one charm, he countered, that being Veronica.

After dinner, which both Archie and Nick had been invited over for, the three of them headed back into Veronica's room, where she commented on Nick's brown-nosing and how over the top it was. He joked that he loved her mother's flan. Although, he said that he still had room for more desert, as he pulled a hit of drugs out his pocket, offering Veronica a bump. Much to his surprise, she declined the offer, as did Archie. After asking what it was that they did for fun in Riverdale, Nick discovered Veronica's Pussycat ears, which she confiscated from him, though he was surprised to learn that she was in a band called the Pussycats, thus making her even more appealing than she was before.

The next day, at school, presumably after hearing them rehearse, Nick invited the Pussycats to a party in his hotel room, at the Five Seasons, in their honor. She and Nick then followed Archie into the hallway, who was conversing with Betty. Veronica asked Betty if she would be attending Nick's party. I wouldn't miss it. Betty replied.

Later that night, Veronica, Archie, Betty, Cheryl, Kevin, Josie, Reggie, Valerie, and Melody attended the party in Nick's hotel room, where after having drinks, Nick suggested they turn the party up with some Jingle Jangle that he scored from Reggie. Nick looked at Veronica, hoping she would partake. Per her father's orders, she was supposed to be showing him a good time. With that in mind, Veronica agreed to join Nick. Every other night was burgers and milkshakes. For one night, she wanted to cut loose and pretend they were normal for once. Veronica asked if Betty would be partaking as well, though she showed no interest. Neither did Archie initially. But he had a sudden change of heart, and agreed to participate. High off the Jingle Jangle, Veronica sensually danced with Archie in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, the party ended there for most of them after a fight between Betty and Veronica ensued, during which time, Betty said a number of awful things about Veronica, claiming that they were merely friends of circumstance and that she was a bad person. This confrontation ended with Veronica telling Betty to leave since she perceived her to be such a monster.

After the party, Veronica sat with Nick, and the two of them talked about the fight between her and Betty. Veronica wasn't even sure what caused Betty to come after her in such a manner. They were supposed to be best friends. Nick assured Veronica that she wasn't a bad person, despite what Betty said. He gave her a number of compliments, before placing his hand on her leg. That's as far as he would get, as Veronica was with Archie. She apologized if she gave him the wrong impression. Though, Nick was convinced that she wanted him, so he went in for a kiss, but Veronica pushed him away, then calling him a pig. However, Nick made a point to remind Veronica that he had the power to implode her father's deal. Using this as leverage, Nick went in for another kiss, thinking that this time Veronica would cooperate. However, she slapped him, before abruptly leaving.

After a night of partying, Veronica attended the open house, where her father asked how everything's been going with Nick. All reports of veronica's charm offensive was paying off. Veronica turned around to see that Nick was arriving at the event just as they spoke of him. Hoping to avoid another confrontation, she made up an excuse to her parents about the canapes running low, and how she was going to silently yell at the caterer.

Despite her efforts to avoid him, Nick approached Veronica, looking to apologize for his behavior from the night before. As Veronica put it, he obliterated the line, rather than just crossing it. She then learned that he'd been in and out of rehab for the last three months. Hoping to see her father's deal through, Veronica, accepted Nick's apology. Last night was messy, but they had all been there. She recommended that they start over with two glasses of ginger-ale.

Following her father's speech, Veronica took the stage with the Pussycats, as they performed Out Tonight in front of all those in attendance. During their fun-filled performance, Veronica and Josie noticed Nick escorting Cheryl, who could barely stand on her own two feet, towards the back. Concerned for their friend, the Pussycats left the stage soon thereafter, following Nick and Cheryl into the house, where they found Nick, in one of the bedrooms, about to rape a barely conscious Cheryl. Fortunately, the Pussycats intervened; Veronica pulled him away, and delivered the first punch, with the Pussycats waiting to follow him up. As Josie checked on Cheryl, Veronica, Valerie, and Melody savagely attacked Nick, punching and kicking him as he laid on the ground in pain.

Veronica returned to the Pembrooke with Cheryl, Josie, Archie, and Betty after the open house. Archie asked where Nick was in that moment, but Cheryl instructed him to put his cape away because the Pussycats had already saved her. Veronica felt sick about the entire ordeal. Nick was a monster, and she suspected that this wasn't his first time. He'd probably done it before, right under her nose, though Betty assured Veronica that she was not responsible for Nick's actions. Cheryl announced that she wanted Nick to be held accountable for his actions, so she would be pressing charges. Veronica and Josie then comforted her.

From her bedroom, Veronica and Cheryl eavesdropped on their parents' discussion on how best to handle the incident between Cheryl and Nick, where he attempted to rape her. Cheryl's mother accused her of provoking Nick, though according to Veronica, Cheryl did no such thing. Regardless, Ms. Blossom wanted the incident handled discreetly, and by that she meant not at all, as she would be telling Sheriff Keller that they were no longer seeking to press charges. Veronica sympathized with Cheryl's pain, though Cheryl attempted to play it off, claiming that everything was fine, but Veronica saw right past it all. Cheryl claimed that she had a momentary lapse in sanity, but she was better, and no longer wanted to pursue a case against Nick. Veronica tried to reason with Cheryl as she prepared to leave, explaining that Nick had done it to many girls before her. Veronica added that Nick made sexual advances towards her as well. But she put a stop to it. Upon learning that she had kept this from her parents, Cheryl accused Veronica of trying to use her as her very own "puppet for vengeance". If Veronica wanted justice, Cheryl told her to go after Nick in court.

Veronica, Archie, Betty, Kevin, Josie, and Reggie were called to Betty's house with their parents by Mrs. Cooper after she learned of the Jingle Jangle use that took place at Nick's party, during which time Archie instructed Veronica to ease up on Betty because she had broken up with Jughead. After Reggie admitted that he supplied the party with Jingle Jangle, he revealed that he acquired it from a Southside teen that he believed to be a Southside Serpent as well as a student at Southside High. While they admittedly shouldn't have taken the Jingle Jangle, Veronica pointed out that Nick asked Reggie to get it, and later pressured everyone to partake in the night's drug-fueled festivities. As far as Veronica was concerned, he deserved to be under interrogation. Furthermore, he roofied Cheryl and tried to assault her. However, as Sheriff Keller would come to explain, prosecuting Nick would be difficult given that they were all high due to the fact that Jingle Jangle stays in the user's system for up to three days. After Josie's mother learned that she took the Jingle Jangle as well, she announced as Mayor, that her number one priority was to take control of the Southside.

At school, Veronica told Kevin about Nick's sexual advances after the Penthouse party. Kevin wanted Veronica to tell someone, either his father or hers, but she was reluctant in doing so, as her father would put Nick's head in Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair's bed for coming at her in such a vile manner. Betty rounded the corner just as Veronica expressed that she didn't want Nick's blood on her or her father's hands. While Kevin was quick to resort to name calling, Veronica would rather avoid all confrontation, as she told Kevin that Betty wasn't worth it.

That night, Veronica sat in a booth at Pop's, reading alone, when Betty entered to question Sheriff Keller on his knowledge of a drug dealer named the Sugarman. "Drafting your next savage takedown", Veronica uttered. While Betty didn't expect Veronica to believe her, she insisted that she didn't mean anything she said during Nick's party. There was no sane excuse. Veronica agreed, which is why she asked to hear the insane excuse. From Betty, Veronica learned that she had been talking to the Black Hood daily, and that he had been instructing her to do all sorts of things, such as breaking off her relationships with Jughead and Veronica, publishing that article of her mother as a Southside teen, and even giving up Nick's name to the Black Hood to be his next victim. Betty would never forgive herself for all the things she did, even feeling guilty about giving up Nick. However, Veronica, on the other hand, expressed that she would've given Nick's name and happily treated herself to a facial. Although, this did not change the fact that Betty was in the toxic relationship with the killer, and needed to break it off. However, Betty suggested that she turn the tables. The Black Hood said he would go away if she found out the identity of the Sugarman. But in doing so, Betty would be sentencing him to death. Betty stated that she was close to bringing it all to an end, she just needed Veronica's help.

The next day, in consequence to their actions at Nick's party, Veronica, Betty, Archie, Kevin, Josie and Reggie were sentenced to pick up trash at Pickens park, as part of their community service. It was more like needle park, Veronica surmised. Kevin admitted that even he wouldn't go cruising through the park, as it was filled with filth. As Reggie and Josie bickered over her lack of contribution to the cleaning effort, Veronica asked Josie if she could borrow Reggie for a moment, during which time she asked for the name of his Jingle Jangle contact. Afterward, she called Reggie's contact, meeting up with him on the Southside of town. Veronica approached Verne with a story that she and her friend wanted to party after a break up with her boyfriend. Verne charged her $150 for the Jingle Jangle, which Veronica knew she was being overcharged for, but didn't care. "My compliments to the Sugarman", Veronica said, which startled the dealer, causing him to take off. Unbeknownst to him, he was being tracked by Veronica and Betty.

Despite their best effort, the dealer discovered that he was being followed, and so Veronica and Betty were apprehended while trying to sneak in through the garage of the dealers' lair, otherwise known as the House of the Dead, a drug den to a Southside gang called the Ghoulies. Much to their surprise, Archie and Jughead were at the drug den, talking to Ghoulies leader, Malachai. "These are your bitches?" Malachai asked, to which Veronica replied: "I beg your misogynistic pardon". It turned out that Archie and Jughead were looking to arrange a street race between the Serpents and the Ghoulies, where the winner gains more control of the Southside. Unfortunately, Jughead was forced to put up his home, Sunnyside Trailer Park, as a bargaining chip.

With the race not far off, Veronica laid in bed with Archie, wondering what she could say or do to convince him to stay in the bed with her instead of going to the dangerous, dumb, and possibly dangerous street race. Archie told Veronica not to worry because he had a plan, similar to the plan she and Betty had of breaking into Ghoulies headquarters, he joked. After sharing a kiss, Veronica received a call from Cheryl, telling her that her parents were still taking money from the St. Clairs despite Nick's actions.

Veronica returned to the Pembrooke, where she confronted her parents with this information. She told them that Cheryl's accusations were the truth. She knew them to be true because Nick tried to do the same thing to her, which enraged her father. Her mother asked why she didn't say something sooner. Veronica explained that she didn't have the evidence to support her claim. With that being said, her mother told her that under no circumstances would they be accepting money of any amount from the St. Clairs.

Veronica stood alongside Betty, Reggie, Kevin, and Cheryl as the drag race was about to commence. She gave Archie a kiss, telling him to make it back to her in one piece. The race started soon thereafter, with Archie and Jughead in one car, and Malachai and Verne in another. Unfortunately, the race was interrupted by Sheriff Keller and the police department, which resulted in the arrest of the Ghoulies. Fortunately, Archie and Jughead just narrowly escaped. They returned to the starting point, where Veronica greeted him with a hug, though with the police just down the road, they had to leave.

Veronica reconvened at Pop's with Betty. As they sat in the booth, Betty's phone rang. Veronica suspected it of being the Black Hood, however, it was actually Cheryl, calling to inform them of the identity of the Sugarman, which she had learned from her mother. Unfortunately, Betty didn't know what to do with this information. If she gave the Black Hood his name, then may God have mercy on the Sugarman, but if she didn't, may God have mercy on all of Riverdale.

The next day, Veronica read a book as her parents played chess. Her mother stopped to answer the phone as it rang. They learned that the St. Clairs had a car accident. They were run off the road. While Nick would recover, it would take several months. "Oh well, karma's a bitch", Veronica said.

At the Andrews house, Veronica stood beside Archie as he read aloud the Black Hood's letter that was delivered to the front door of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Black Hood warned the people of Riverdale to consider the next 48 hours a test; If they were to sin, he’d kill again.

Veronica and Betty walked beside Kevin who expressed his concern for his father, the Sheriff. Per Kevin, Sheriff Keller had been affected by the Black Hood case; he wouldn't eat or sleep. Kevin would hear him rummaging around the house at late hours, talking to himself. He would also leave the house late at night, only to return at dawn. His late night rendezvous raised an alarm for Betty and Veronica; whilst Betty suspected him of being the Black Hood, Veronica's instincts told her he was having an affair. As they had conflicting theories about Sheriff Keller, they decided to investigate further to prove which of the theories were correct.

In the hallway, Veronica walked with Kevin as she invited herself over to the Keller house for an information-hunting sleepover with Kevin for means of gaining proof of Sheriff's affair. At the sleepover, when Veronica received a call from Betty, she excused herself from a game she was playing with Kevin to snoop around the house. Finding the basement door unlocked, Veronica descended the stairs, as she heard man grunts coming from the bottom of the stairs. To her surprise, she only caught Keller in the middle of his work out session. Keller was also shocked by her appearance. Intrigued by the Sheriff's physique, Veronica teased that Archie'd better watch out, but he claimed that he only worked out for discipline and to exert his limits but not for vanity. Veronica's plan then came to action as she tried to gain information by appealing to his emotions, showing empathy towards how he must be coping with the mystery of the Black Hood consuming his thoughts, along with his wife's absence. The Sheriff revealed that his wife was stationed at a naval base in Bahrain. Unfortunately, before he could confide in Veronica, Kevin descended the stairs and was aghast to find Veronica in the basement with Tom. Later in the night, when Sheriff left the house and came back at 4 am, Veronica observed.

At Pop's, Veronica and Betty sat as Veronica filled Betty in on what she'd found out. Betty found evidence to support her suspicion that Sheriff is, in fact, Riverdale's serial killer. A drug addict from the Southside was found dead on the railroad tracks, which Betty automatically assumed must've been the Sheriff's doing, reasoning that he did leave the house at midnight according to Veronica. Veronica dismissed this as a weak evidence because it was stated that the Jingle Jangle addict was hit and killed by the train, but Betty insisted that the Sheriff could have pushed him in front of the tracks. Unconvinced by Betty's conspiracy theories, she told Betty that they shouldn't confuse wanting a solution to this mystery to actually having one.

After Betty had been taken to the station after breaking into the Sheriff's home, she was still not convinced that Sheriff was innocent. Veronica received a call from Betty who insisted that they follow the Sheriff when he leaves his house at night. Veronica was seemingly reluctant to do it, but gave into the plan knowing that this would be the only way to keep an eye on Betty and for Kevin's sake. In the night, they waited in the car as Sheriff Keller got inside his truck. They tailed him on one of his late-night mystery drives to a local motel called Shady Palm Motel. As he walked toward the motel with a black duffel bag in hand, that they assumed was his "kill kit", Betty got out of the car in fear that what if his next victim was in the motel? After a failed attempt at stopping her, Veronica then followed behind her. Keller knocked on the motel door to be greeted by Mayor McCoy and made out passionately, to both Betty and Veronica's surprise. As they discussed this new development at Pop's, Veronica and Betty decided it best to keep this a secret from Kevin. After getting off the phone with the Black Hood, Pop Tate announced that they were all sinners who had failed the killer's test, and that the reckoning was upon them.

With the Black Hood looming over the town, the residents of Riverdale copped in varying ways, in Veronica and Archie's case, it was through carnal defiance. With every kiss and embrace, they seemed to be saying "you have no power over me, Death". One could argue that "Varchie" became the opposite of death, engaging in sexual in a number of locations, ranging from Archie's bedroom to his garage, to Veronica's living room at the Pembrooke. As they laid without clothing on the center carpet near the fireplace, Archie wondered if they should get dress given that Veronica's parents could return at any moment. Veronica informed him that they had no reason to worry or rush as the tasting menu at Pourquoi was 13 courses. They had hours yet before her parents would return. As Veronica gently rubbed his back, she asked if he always wanted to have sex in front of a roaring fire. However, it wasn't that which caused Archie to chuckle. Archie then uttered four words that would not only change the course of their relationship, but that Veronica was not yet prepared to here. He said, "I love you, Ronnie". Veronica was startled by his profession of love for her. As was Archie, so it seemed. The two of them jumped up as awkward tension filled the room. Archie decided then that it was best for him to leave. While Veronica didn't say that she loved him back, she made sure to tell him that she had an amazing evening.

The next day, Archie and Veronica arrived at the Blue and Gold offices after being called down by Betty and Jughead, where they learned of FP's upcoming release from jail. What heralded this miracle, Veronica asked. Jughead replied that it was the perfect storm of overcrowding at the prison and Cheryl's testimony that the Judge must've reviewed. Unbeknownst to both Veronica and Betty, this story was false. Archie and Jughead knew the actual reason for FP's release was because of the one time drug-run deal they made with Penny Peabody, to deliver a crate of drugs for her, to a warehouse Greendale. During which time, Penny had set Jughead up to be her permanent drug-runner. Archie and Veronica then learned that Betty and Jughead had a new lead on the connection between the Black Hood and the Riverdale Reaper, which they were hoping that Archie and Veronica would follow up on because Jughead needed to be there to help his father readjust to society and Betty was taking a break from the case. Essentially, Betty and Jughead were asking that Archie and Veronica be them, in the sense that they work together as an investigative team.

Veronica returned home from school to find Sheriff Keller exiting her apartment. She asked her parents what his business was with them, to which they revealed to having received a threatening letter from the Black Hood, though they were surprisingly calm. According to her father, the letter read that they were being targeted and punished for their sins. Oddly enough, dozens of households across town received the exact same letter. While Veronica couldn't speak on the other families that received letters, her family was comprised of actual sinners. However, with the Pembrooke being a fortress and Andre being trained in martial arts, her parents weren't too concerned. Regarding Veronica's every day activities, such as going to school and shopping, Andre would drive her, and when he wasn't available, they'd hire a car service. After talking it over, her parents had decided that they also wouldn't mind seeing more of Archie considering that he was brawny and devoted to Veronica.

Immediately following her discussion with her parents, Veronica asked Archie to come over. As her parents were in the room, Archie arrived. She greeted him with a kiss before telling Archie that she wanted to investigate the murder house that Betty and Jughead asked them to look into. As did Archie. Though, Veronica's reasons for doing so were far more pressing. She told Archie about the letter that her parents had gotten from someone claiming to be the Black Hood. As they went back to kissing, Archie, who sought to talk about the previous night, when he told Veronica that he loved her, kept stopping. "I want to be with you, and you want to be with me, can't that be enough for right now, while we focus on the case", Veronica asked. Archie nodded his head in agreement. With that, the two of them resumed kissing.

At the breakfast table the very next morning, Veronica told her parents that Archie said that he loved her, and she didn't say it back because she thought it was too soon. Her parents told her that it didn't matter what Archie said or didn't say, it was about whether or not she was ready to hear it.

Veronica and Archie headed down to the Sheriff Station to ask Sheriff Keller about the family of four that was murdered in their home, forty years ago, near Fox Forest. After being told by the receptionist that the files on the case were missing, Veronica and Archie began to suspect that they could've been stolen by the culprit as part of a cover up. However, Sheriff Keller explained that with cold cases, it wasn't out of the ordinary for the lead officer to take the files home so that they could continue working on them from there. During that time, Sheriff Keller determined that the leading officer would've been Sheriff Howard, who died two years prior. Although, his daughter, Margaret, still lived in town.

With Margaret's contact information that they had gotten from Sheriff Keller, Veronica and Archie called her from the Blue and Gold offices to ask about the Conway murders. They claimed that they were writing a retrospective about the massacre, though Margaret seemed to become irritable at the mere mention of the case. She explained that her father was obsessed with the killing. He even started to refer to the scene of the crime as "The Devil's House". Before Sheriff Howard's death, he'd go there day and night, and for hours, he'd try to put the pieces together, though he never succeeded, which caused him to lose his mind, Margaret stated. She told them that she was done talking about the house and to never call her again, before hanging up. Unfortunately, without much of a lead, Veronica and Archie realized that they were going to have to investigate the house in person.

That night, Veronica and Archie arrived at the Devil's House, where Veronica remarked that she regretted throwing Archie's gun in Sweetwater River. If Sheriff Howard kept returning to the house year after year, they concluded that something wasn't adding up to him. According to the article, the Riverdale Reaper came at night with a shotgun, while the rest of the town was getting ready for bed. He entered through the front door, killing the mother, Mary-Ellen Conway first. He then headed into the kitchen, killing the father, Jim Conway. Afterward, he went into the back room, where he killed the kids, Tommy and Sue Conway, as they hid under their bed. Veronica then noticed three sets of initials carved into one of the bedroom doors, usually done to measure a child's height. However, the Conways only had two children, at least according to reports. Inside a lock box that Archie found in the house, was Sheriff Howard's case files. Veronica hoped that within the files they would find anything to indicate a third child, one with the initials of "J" and "C". Mixed in with the files, they found a photo of the Conways, which revealed that they were in fact a family of five, and that they did have a third child.

The next day, in a reversal of roles, Veronica and Archie called Betty and Jughead down to the Blue and Gold offices to inform them of the third child who survived the massacre. His name was Joseph Conway. His identity was hidden and name was changed 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 track him down via yearbooks, by matching the photo to one of the students that would've attended Riverdale High School during those years. If they found him, he could possibly explain to them how the Conway massacre was related to the recent killings involving the Black Hood. However, Jughead suggested that they proceed with caution as finding Joseph Conway may also mean finding the the Black Hood. Considering that Joseph possibly saw the slaughter of his family, something as traumatizing as that could've effected him for life, which he might even blame Riverdale for, and is now punishing the town because of it. Betty and Jughead then invited Archie and Veronica to FP's retirement party at the Whyte Wyrm.

As they scanned over various yearbooks, Veronica matched the photo of the third Conway kid to a photo in a yearbook. The name under the photo read "Joseph Svenson", otherwise known as the school's janitor. Veronica and Archie found Mr. Svenson moping the hallway floor. But he took off once Archie revealed that they knew who Mr. Svenson really was. Fortunately, he didn't get far. Archie managed to catch up to him. Mr. Svenson explained that he got scared because no one had called him by his birth name in decades. They told him that they had read about his family and suspected him of being the Black Hood. Reasoning that the recent attacks was his attempt at finding justice. However, Mr. Svenson revealed that he had already found justice. The night of the massacre, he escaped out of his bedroom window during the shooting. He watched from afar as the Reaper left his house, covered in his family's blood. The killer was a con-man and preacher that was passing through town. The next day, a group of men took Mr. Svenson to the motel where Joseph pointed the Reaper out. The group of men took the Reaper away and killed him, though Joseph wasn't sure how. As for the group of men, nothing came of their vigilante justice. The killing was never reported, therefore it was never investigated. The town demanded blood for blood. This alone made him sound an awful lot like the Black Hood, Veronica pointed out. So, she asked where he was at when Mr. Andrews, Moose, and Midge were attacked. However, having previously looked into the Black Hood's eyes, Archie looked into Mr. Svenson eyes, and from that, he was sure that he wasn't the Black Hood.

As Veronica was preparing to leave for FP's retirement party, her mother entered her room to ask how things had gone with Archie ever since he professed his love of her. Veronica told her mother that they had been working on a side project (the connection between the Riverdale Reaper and the Black Hood), and she was realizing that one of the reasons she threw herself into it was to avoid talking about "the love that dares not speak its name". Veronica wondered why couldn't she say it and why it had to be such a great deal to be said. She addressed the fact that her parents never said it. It was in that moment that she realized that not once in her entire life had she ever heard her mother and father say that they loved one another.

As soon as she arrived at the bar, Archie requested that they talk about their relationship. He just wanted her to know that when he said that he loved her, that was about him and what he felt in that specific moment. He didn't want her to feel pressured into saying it back unless she truly meant it. This was welcomed news to Veronica. She gave Archie a hug and thanked him for understanding. Though Archie still appeared bothered by the fact that she wouldn't say that she loved him. He then informed her that he signed them up for a duet, to sing Gary Jules' "Mad World", from the soundtrack of the film Donnie Darko, which Veronica loved. Or hopefully strongly liked, Archie remarked, which was a reference to her feelings towards him. The two of them got on stage together, where they performed in front of the entire Wyrm. Unfortunately, their performance was cut short as Veronica abruptly ran off stage, with Archie not far behind.

Veronica and Archie continued their discussion in the parking lot, where Archie told her that it didn't matter that she didn't want to say it back to him, but it clearly did and it should. For whatever deep-seated issues that Veronica had, she couldn't allow herself to love Archie as he loved her. Before driving off, she apologized for hurting him, though there was nothing more she felt that she could do. She then got in her car, requesting that Andre take her home. It was on the ride home that Veronica began to cry from her break up with Archie as it wasn't something that she wanted to do, rather something that she felt she had to do given that it wasn't fair to him.

The Family Business
Veronica was joined at the Pembrooke by Betty as she prepared for Kevin's Secret Santa gift exchange, which had a strict $20 gift purchasing limit. Noticeably, Veronica's purchased items that far exceeded Kevin's pre-established limit. However, all the gifts on the table weren't for Secret Santa. She got a Hermes scarf for her mother, a leather passport case for her father and even a gift for Betty. Most surprisingly, she had also purchased a gift for Archie, even though they had broken up, which led Betty to assume that the gift was a kind gesture, meant to further along Veronica's plan to get back with Archie. However, as Veronica revealed, this was not the case. Her gift for Archie was purchased before their break up. Furthermore, they were still friends.

In the student lounge at school, Veronica attended the Secret Santa gift exchange with Archie, Betty, Reggie, Cheryl, Kevin, Jughead and Josie. She opened her gift from Josie, which awkwardly enough was a gift certificate for a couples massage. Hoping to lessen the awkward tension, Josie suggested that Veronica use the certificate to take someone other than Archie, given that they were no longer together, such as Betty or her mother. "Or I could go with your mom", Reggie joked. Thankfully, Betty was the last exchange for the evening, as the sudden awkwardness was too much to withstand. Based on the wrapping of her present, Betty instantly knew that it was Archie that picked her name. Veronica watched with a look of concern as Betty unwrapped the gift to find and old read-a-long record that she and Archie used to listen to when they were younger, entitled "The Swiss Family Robinson". Archie informed her that he and his father found it while they were cleaning out the garage. Moose and Midge then entered the lounge to join them for the Holiday event.

Before leaving class, Veronica stopped Archie to present him with the gift she had purchased, which was a bit unfortunate and uncomfortable for Archie as he hadn't gotten her a gift. Though, this was fine with Veronica. Inside the box was an expensive watch, that she had gotten engraved. She told Archie that she got it before their break up. Veronica explained that she didn't want things to be forced between the two of them. Archie sighed, which worried Veronica, who began to get the impression that giving Archie a gift only further complicated their relationship or lack thereof. Archie explained that it wasn't the gift, rather his home life, which wasn't going too well. Veronica asked if there was anything she could do to help. Archie was hesitant in revealing that his father owed $86,000 in hospital bills, but he did so regardless. They were already selling Christmas trees for extra money, just to scrape by. Veronica was saddened to hear this. She wanted to hug Archie, as well as help him, but she didn't know how. Archie told her that it was alright as his problems weren't something he should've dumped on her to begin with.

At the dinner table that night, with the Andrews' struggle still fresh on her mind, Veronica grew aggravated with her parents as they discussed expensive Christmas presents, such as Glamerge eggs from Spiffany's. Her father advised her not to worry because her Christmas list had been secured as well. Although, he asked that Veronica not go snooping around in search of the gifts like she does every year. For all Veronica cared, they could rip up her list. She wanted her parents to take a look at themselves and realize how fortunate and wasteful they were, spending money on bejeweled eggs like they were a family of Russian oligarchs when there were people in Riverdale who couldn't even afford to pay their own medical bills, such as Mr. Andrews, who was drowning in medical bills to the tune of $86,000. Which is why she was hoping that her parents could pay the bill. Absolutely not, they stated. The Lodge Charitable Trust had made its donations for the fiscal year. Fred would have to tighten his belt, so to speak. Mr. Andrews was already selling Christmas trees for extra money. That's the kind of father he was, Veronica surmised. However, her father wished to hear no more on the matter, storming off to his study.

The next day, Veronica crept into her father's study while he was away. She went looking through the drawers of his desk until finding documented files which revealed that Lodge Industries had purchased Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Along with the documents, Veronica had also found her mother's Glamerge egg.

After making this discovery, she called Riverdale General to settle an account in Fred Andrews' name. She claimed that she was his business partner, Hermione Apollonia Lodge. Veronica wished to pay the bill in full and to keep the payment anonymous. An angel donation, she noted. She'd be paying with a Black American Excess card. Number 2-9-5-7-2-3-0.

That night, she greeted her parents as they returned from last minute shopping. They were upset to learn from the bank that a charge had been confirmed from Hermione's card, in the amount of $86,000. Veronica was pleased to here that the charge went through. She deiced that her parents would cover Fred's medical expenses considering that they had the money to buy Pop's and then lie to her face about it. How is it that we can now afford a diner, Veronica asked. She wanted a more active role in Lodge Industries, and her parents granted her that. In response, she broke into her father's office and tried to use whatever she could find as leverage against them. While her father admitted that it was a lot Veronica didn't know, he informed her that this was on purpose. Veronica questioned how she could be part of the family if they continued to hide things from her. With her name being on all of the documents on her father's desk, Veronica believed that this gave her the right to know the truth about everything. Her mother agreed that this did give her the right to the truth. However, this would also mean no longer being "Daddy's little girl". It was time for all of them to work in lockstep. Hiram agreed, telling Veronica to follow him to the study.

In her father's study, Veronica learned the truth about everything. She agreed to fully join her parents in running the family business, though she had one condition; she refused to do anything illegal. Which was fine considering that her family denounced any illegal activity on their behalf as well. Her mother shared with her two words to live by; plausible deniability. In regards to the charge that Veronica made towards Fred's medical bills, she wanted that to stick. While her father was initially against such action as it would only complicate things, her mother agreed to Veronica's demand, stating that they could smooth it over. Furthermore, they needed him for what would come next. Assuming that they could finesses the situation over with Mr. Andrews, Veronica agreed to the deal with her parents.

After learning that Sheriff Keller had killed the Black Hood and that he was none other than Mr. Svenson, Veronica met up with Archie, Betty, and Jughead at Pop's, where Archie admitted that her instincts about Svenson was right. Veronica thought he was the Black Hood, and had Archie listened to her when they confronted him at school, they could've end everything right there. But Archie didn't see the resemblance in Svenson's and the Black Hood's eyes. Taking a moment to forget about his eyes, Veronica couldn't believe that he would cut off his own finger. The finger of accusation, Betty pointed out. Now that they knew who did the killings, Jughead wondered why. Betty explained that Mr. Svenson accused an innocent man of murdering his family, and thus got the man killed. So she suspected that maybe in Mr. Svenson's own backwards way, he thought that targeting sinners would somehow balance the scale. Svenson having the knowledge that he did on their lives made perfect sense given that he was always around, lurking in the hallways. He could have seen Archie and Ms. Grundy in the music room, as well as Moose and Midge buying Jingle Jangle. While they continued to go over the killer's motives and mindset, Jughead was just grateful that Svenson was in a body bag and they weren't.

On Christmas morning, Veronica woke up to find a gift for her under the Christmas tree from Archie, who had dropped it off the day before. The gift was a heart shaped necklace with her picture on one side and Archie's picture on the other. Veronica smiled at the site of it. Afterward, she headed over to Archie's house and messaged him to meet her outside. On his front porch, they stood under a mistletoe that was hung by her. "Now we have no choice but to kiss", she remarked. After sharing a kiss, Veronica addressed Archie's good nature, stating that he was so good, as if he was filled with it. Having said that, she knew that she needed Archie in her life. In others words, she loved him too. Hearing this for the first time pleased Archie, so much so that they shared another kiss on the porch, unbeknownst to the two young lovers that they were being secretly photographed.

With Christmas and the Black Hood behind them, the town of Riverdale began to return to its typical small town intrigues, such as clandestine meetings that were being held between Veronica's parents and the Mayor. She winked at her mother as they escorted Mayor McCoy into her father's study.

Before heading off for school the following morning, her mother and father stopped by her room to check in on her and to ensure that she was still on board with their "plan". They reminded her that she would be at ground zero, the eye of the potential hurricane, though they said something similar when she wanted to go shopping in SoHo during Occupy Wall Street, and as she reminded them, she was fine. Veronica urged her parents to trust that she'll prevent her classmates from revolting when the news breaks.

At school, Archie asked if she had told anyone about his father's hospital bills, which she had. Veronica admitted to telling her parents in passing. They wanted to help and had the means to do it. She wondered if Archie or his father was upset. But as it turned out, Archie was grateful. They shared a kiss as they headed into the student lounge to join Betty and Kevin. On the intercom, Mr. Weatherbee announced that effective immediately, Southside High was shut down and that the students who attend would be transferring to other school's in the district, including Riverdale. It became apparent that this was part of the "plan" that Veronica was previously discussing with her parents. Looking to fulfill her promise, Veronica attempted to calm her classmates during the announcement. When Archie began to wonder what caused the sudden shut down, Veronica surmised that it was some kind of bizarre, Byzantine town ordinance that they couldn't possibly understand. In the meantime, she sought to receive the transfers as if they were their very own flesh and blood.

That night, Veronica and her parents invited Archie over for dinner. He wanted to personally thank them for assisting with his father's medical bills, to which they assured Archie that they were happy to do it. In return though, Veronica was putting together a welcoming committee for new arrivals and she was hoping that Archie would stand by her side. He agreed, then going on to ask her parents about Southside High closing down. Her father explained that it was good for business given that it would take care of the drugs, guns and violence problem. Archie then went on to ask about the St. Clairs as he was under the impression that they were still investors in the SoDale project. Veronica informed him that they severed all ties to the St. Clairs after Nick tried to rape Cheryl. They didn't even call them after the accident that Nick had. However, from all reports, he was recovered enough to return to school.

The next day, she welcomed Jughead back to Riverdale High. She greeted his friends (Toni Topaz, Sweet Pea and Fangs Fogarty) as well. Hoping to ease their transition to the Northside, she had set up a registration desk in the hallway where they could get their locker assignments, class schedules, and a list of sports and extracurriculars. As she encouraged each of them to drink deeply from the cup that is "fair Riverdale", Cheryl and Reggie interrupted. Though no one had invited "fascist barbie", with the River Vixens and Riverdale Bulldogs in tow, Cheryl approached the registration desk to hurl insults at the Serpents, referring to them as "Southside scum" and "raggamuffins". Cheryl announced that she would not allow Riverdale High's above average GPA to suffer because of overcrowded classrooms with underachievers such as the Southsiders. Archie stepped in the middle of the rivaling sides to propose that they put their differences aside so that they could start over. When Reggie declined Archie's offer, Sweet Pea stepped forward to finish what they had started during the rumble. "I'm so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now", Veronica remarked. Fortunately, Weatherbee arrived to send everyone off to class before the incident could escalate.

In the student lounge, Veronica exchanged pleasantries with Toni. She was fascinated with the discovery of Toni's last name, Topaz, like the purple colored gemstone, she commented. Just after Josie and Kevin introduced themselves to the newcomers, Mr. Weatherbee called them out into the hallway to find out who had  defaced the school's seal with a spray painted on Serpent. Next to Weatherbee stood Reggie, who Veronica knew to be the actual vandal. Could Reggie be anymore transparent, Veronica asked. The Serpents were innocent, though Weatherbee believed otherwise, especially with Reggie in his ear, claiming that the Serpent were known for tagging their turf. Having fallen victim to Reggie's lies, effective immediately, Weatherbee outlawed gang behavior of any kind. As of that moment, Serpent jackets would no longer be tolerated and tattoos were expected to be hidden. Possession of any gang paraphernalia would lead to immediate suspension.

The next day, while passing the student lounge, Veronica stumbled onto a brawl between the Serpents and the Bulldogs. Realizing that something had to be done to bring the fighting to an end, she called out to Weatherbee, hoping that he could assist in breaking up the brawl. In the office, after the fight had been brought to an end, Mr. Weatherbee gave the involved parties a week of detention. Though he was far from finished. He looked to Jughead and told him to remove his jacket or else he would be suspended. Veronica urged him to remove the jacket, but he refused. So in that case, Jughead took the suspension.

At the Pembrooke, in her father's study, Veronica discussed with her parents the failed integration between Riverdale and Southside High. Weatherbee told McCoy who told them about the fight and the difficulties the Serpents were facing as they tried to find their place at Riverdale. Veronica explained that Reggie was merely being Reggie, but he had made gang-wear a flashpoint. The Southsiders needed to start looking the part. So Veronica proposed a charitable donation to help out the fashionably misguided newcomers.

The following day, Veronica confronted Archie after learning that he had assaulted Nick in his dorm room. Supposedly, Archie broke his nose and was foaming at the mouth. Veronica demanded to know why Archie went to New York, behind her back and attacked Nick. Archie explained that he wanted to beat the hell out of Nick upon learning that he had made sexual advances towards her after the party at the Five Seasons. Who told Archie about that, Veronica wondered. Cheryl interrupted their private discussion to admit that she told Archie about Nick trying to have his way with Veronica. Cheryl also admitted that she convinced Archie to pay Nick a visit. She wanted money from him and she figured that Archie could convince him to pay it over. Cheryl's only regret was that she betrayed Veronica's confidence. She issued an apology before walking off. As Cheryl exited, Archie told Veronica that he too was sorry.

At Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Veronica's girlfriend intuition was telling her that Archie was hiding something from her. While Archie did want revenge for what Nick did to Veronica, it wasn't the only reason. He had left out one crucial detail. He admitted that the reason he visited Nick in the first place was because Cheryl was blackmailing him. Archie revealed that on the night that they stopped the Black Hood, Cheryl saw him and Betty kiss. It was after she had dumped him and Jughead had dumped Betty. Nana Rose had just told them a crazy story about Betty's grandfather and the kiss just happened. Archie insisted that the kiss only took place because of the crazy night. Literally, forty minutes later, he was being buried alive. Archie and Betty hadn't talked about the kiss and he didn't think they'd ever talk about it again. After allowing it to sink in, Veronica grabbed Archie's hands, telling him that everything was okay because she believed him. He was being honest with her and that was more important than a single "my life is in danger" kiss. After exchanging "I love yous", they shared a kiss across the table.

Later that evening, in Archie's bedroom, as they laid in the bed, when Archie asked how come she didn't tell him the truth about Nick, Veronica told him that she felt foolish for not seeing him for what he really was. Archie asked did she tell anyone else besides Cheryl. Even though she had told both of her parents of Nick's misconduct, Veronica lied to Archie, telling him that only Kevin knew.

Veronica attended a meeting with her parents at the Andrews house. In attendance along with Veronica and her parents were Sheriff Keller, Mayor McCoy and Mr. Andrews. One week had passed since the closing down of Southside High and the students who had been transferred to Riverdale High were fine but their parents were in Mayor McCoy's office everyday to demanded that she reopen Southside High, which is why Veronica's mother and father had been discussing how their new neighborhood could use something positive to focus on. With Mayor McCoy's blessing, they'd like to make Pickens Day a celebratory event. Sponsored by Lodge Industries with Andrews Construction co-sponsoring. From this, Mayor McCoy surmised that they wanted to make Pickens Day a commercial event, similar to their open house. "Au contraire, madam Mayor", Veronica uttered. The open house was for investors, but this event would be for North and Southsiders alike. Two halves of a whole coming together. Mayor McCoy worried that trying to distract people with a party would backfire, resulting in violence. While the Southside Serpents had been laying low, they were wild cards and reasons for concern. Having prepared for just that scenario, they had offered to hire the Serpents to secure the event. As the Mayor looked to Mr. Andrews for reassurance, the meeting abruptly came to an end as Archie returned home. On her way out, Veronica greeted Archie, but not with a kiss as he would've liked because he was sweaty.

Much to Veronica's surprise, Betty's long-lost brother, Chic, who was staying with her after she had found him in a Centerville Hostel, was fetching. While Kevin agreed that Chic was a "hottie", he couldn't help but feel that he had seen Chic before. Jughead asked if he could have possibly ran into him while cruising Fox Forest, though Kevin was unsure. With Chic still acclimating and Betty trying to gain his trust, it was unlikely that they would be meeting him anytime soon. Refusing to accept no for an answer, Veronica suggested that Betty bring Chic to Pickens Day so that they could all meet him. Veronica then asked around to ensure they were all still coming. Unfortunately, Jughead would not be attending considering the Serpents weren't invited. Veronica retorted that they were specifically asked to come, but as security, Jughead added, which was no better than not being invited not all. With the damage being done, not even Veronica's kind gesture to absolve Jughead of having to work was enough to fix what had been done.

In the hallway with Archie, Veronica asked him what was wrong. Archie told her that he was getting the feeling that her father didn't like him. While Veronica initially tried to deny the validity of this claim, she eventually came to admit that this was true. It wasn't necessarily anything that Archie was doing that caused her father not to like him. It was more along the lines of him not speaking Spanish, amongst other things. Archie offered to drop French and take Spanish if that would help. Veronica laughed, amused with the lengths Archie was willing to go in order to please her father. Veronica told him that her father liked wrestling. Back in the day, he was captain of Riverdale High's wrestling team. It changed his life. Now that the season's starting back up, it was as if Veronica and her mother were background extras in the movie Foxcatcher. Lodge Industries essentially bankrolls the team. Her father was just talking to his old coach asking if he could sit in on tryouts. In that case, Archie decided to take a break from basketball that year to tryout for wrestling.

At the Five Seasons hotel, Veronica convinced Josie that rather than singing a duet at Pickens Day, it would be best if they revived the Pussycats, but with new members, rather than Valerie and Melody, who had disbanded from the group upon learning that Josie was pursing a solo career. Veronica reminded Josie that the Pussycats were a brand and that they shouldn't sit fallow. When Mayor McCoy returned, Veronica informed her that they were bringing the Pussycats back and that it was her idea to do so despite Josie previously agreeing to focus on her solo career. Veronica suggested that they bill it as a special event, one-night only. Mayor McCoy rudely replied that she was talking to Josie. In fact, she'd rather they continue the conversation at a later time, when Veronica was gone.

The next morning, before leaving for school, Veronica told her mother about Mayor McCoy's sudden attitude towards her the night before, when she was over at the Five Seasons planning the Pussycats' revival performance. The Mayor acted as if Veronica was a bad seed who was out to corrupt Josie. In hearing this, her mother surmised that Mayor McCoy wasn't comfortable with how involved in the family business Veronica had recently become. She likely feared that Veronica would tell Josie something that she shouldn't know. Veronica insisted that she would never do such a thing, which her mother knew to be true. In fact, should the Mayor's coldness towards Veronica persist, her mother would have a conversation with her.

Veronica met with Archie in the music room after learning from Kevin that Archie's tryouts for the wrestling team went terribly. She asked him if he was alright. Archie replied that other than a bruised ego, he was fine. Luckily, Kevin had agreed to work with him on improving his wrestling skills. Archie had still not given up on impressing her father. But in the case that he isn't a natural-born wrestler, Veronica thought of a way that Archie might curry her father's favor. Though Pickens Day was taking a back seat to his wrestling obsession, he would definitely be there. And Veronica suspected that he'd be tickled to see Archie singing with Josie and herself. They then shared a kiss.

That night, at the Pembrooke, Veronica and Archie were rehearsing for their Pickens Day performance in her bedroom when they were interrupted by her father. Archie offered to take it to the living room in the case that he was uncomfortable with them being in her bedroom together. But he assured them that they were fine just as they were. Admittedly, the thought of Archie and Veronica being in her room alone used to upset him deeply. But after seeing Archie's wrestling performance earlier that day, he was less worried. Veronica told her father to be nice. While not everyone could wrestle because it took a certain kind of man, her father told Archie that there was no shame in admitting defeat and accepting the fact that he was more suited to performing with the Pussycats. While Archie may not have been a star wrestler yet, he was an incredible musician, who according to Veronica, was even sexier when he sung. Archie thanked Veronica for her support with a kiss, but after thinking it over, he had decided against performing with the Pussycats. He would rather use that time practicing for wrestling.

The following day, while Veronica rehearsed in the music room, Josie stopped by to tell her that she could no longer sing alongside her on Pickens Day. Josie remarked that she didn't like being manipulated by a Lodge, leaving Veronica to conclude that her mother had put her up to it. As far as Josie was concerned, whatever their parents had going on, that was between them, and her mother, the Mayor, didn't want Josie to be a part of it. While the Mayor may have to do what Veronica's parents wants, Josie doesn't have to do what Veronica wants.

That night, Veronica entered the study to the sight of Archie and her father in the middle of a juvenile chest-thumping contest. Her father assured her that this wasn't the case. He claimed that he had actually invited Archie over to plan some one-on-one training. But Veronica wasn't buying it since she could see the urge to kill the other in both of their eyes.

On Pickens Day, at the breakfast table, Veronica told her mother about her fight with Josie and how she had dropped out of their performance. This was the Mayor's doing, they both assumed. Just as her mother prepared to address the matter, Veronica told her to hold off. She recalled her mother previously telling her that their family worked differently from others. So if Josie and Mayor McCoy didn't like the way they did business, that was on them. But the show must go on.

Veronica surprised Archie in the gym for his last day of tryouts. She greeted him with a kiss after telling him that her father had invited her to watch along. He and Archie supposedly had a good talk, which she was pleased to hear following their tension filled stand-off from the night before. Not that he needed it, Veronica wished Archie good luck on his match before joining her father in the stands. Archie's opponent was Chuck Clayton, who was of a higher weight class and had more experience. Veronica and her father watched from the stands as Archie and Chuck went back and forth on the mat. Ultimately, Archie managed to gain the upper hand, pulling a victory over Chuck. Veronica jumped to her feet with excitement. Applauding Archie for his win.

As a new twist on an old favorite, Veronica and the Pussycats i.e. Valerie and Melody, took to the center stage in Pickens Park to perform for the crowd. Unfortunately, the Southside Serpents, with duct-tape on their mouths and signs in their hands that read 'honor this land' and 'sacred land', interrupted their performance half way through. Toni, who seemingly lead the charge, stood in front of the stage with Sweet Pea and Fogarty to announce that they represented the dead and the silenced. Pickens Day was a lie. General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe, Toni's grandfather's family. And the land in which they were standing on, would soon give way to a new Southside, which was stolen from them. While the Serpents couldn't bring them back, they could at the very least honor them. Hoping to calm the crowd, Veronica's father got on stage to applaud the Serpents for standing up for justice, as well as the honor and legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale, that is the Southside and that will be SoDale.

Confirmation Ceremony
As Veronica was getting sized for her dress in preparation for her confirmation ceremony, Archie entered the Pembrooke while running an errand for her father. She told Archie that confirmation ceremonies typically happen around the age of twelve or thirteen, but her parents wanted the same monsignor who baptized her, Monsignor Murphy, to confirm her, as well. Luckily, he was a friend of the Lodges. Veronica explained that the ceremony was a big deal to her entire family. A lot of them were coming in for it. During the ceremony, Monsignor will ask her to renounce Satan, which, of course she will. But otherwise, most of what was required of her was done in advance. Like picking a sponsor and performing charitable works. She had asked her Abuelita to sponsor her while also agreeing to volunteer at a soup kitchen, which she hoped Archie would join her for. Her father then entered the room, amazed with her beauty. He was just as excited as her for the confirmation.

In the student lounge with Archie, Veronica invited Betty, Jughead and Kevin to her confirmation ceremony. Usually those kinds of events were strictly for the family, but since the event was all about Veronica and they were her chosen family, she managed to pull a few strings and reserve them a pew. They were expected to adhere to a specific dress code, Catholic chic. Dresses for the girls, veils optional. And coats and ties for the boys.

Veronica returned home to find a present awaiting her. She learned from her mother that it was a confirmation present from the St. Clairs. Veronica questioned what would make them think that they had the right to send her a gift after everything that went down between them when they were in town. Her mother explained that it's what families that are in their line of business do. Even when they're at war. They give gifts to show respect Or, in this case, to try and make amends for the events that had transpired. Whatever the gift is, Veronica wanted no parts of it, instructing her mother to burn or regift it. As she was leaving, her mother told her that Simone St. Clair called to follow up on this gift and that during that call, she said that Archie paid Nick an unfriendly visit.

The next day, Veronica was greeted by her mother at the front door as she returned home. In their apartment was Josie and Mayor McCoy, who stopped by to offer an apology after Pickens Day. Admittedly, the Mayor had misgivings about some of the decisions her parents were making which was wrong and inappropriate. Given the stressful times, neither Veronica nor her mother held any grudges. In fact, Veronica invited them both to her confirmation. This made giving them their gift that much easier. By gift, the Mayor was referring to Josie's offer to sing at Veronica's confirmation. While Veronica already had plans to sing herself, her mother accepted Josie's offer for her so that they could perform together. When Veronica asked Josie if she knew the "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from the Cruel Intentions soundtrack, Josie told her that she could learn.

While volunteering at a soup kitchen with Archie the following day, Veronica learned that her father had invited him to his poker game to serve drinks, bus tables and cut cigars despite those games being private, consisting only of her father's inner-inner-circle. When Archie asked if there was a reason that he shouldn't go, Veronica pulled him to the side to explain that this floating poker game is a long-standing tradition. It's been happening for decades. It's incredibly high stakes, in every sense of the word. Archie's going to have to be extremely careful around the other players. Veronica just wanted to make sure that he didn't get hurt because while the other players were old friends and relatives, they're old school, much like Veronica's father. Industry Titans that Archie didn't want to cross.

Veronica confronted her father in his office over inviting Archie to work his Casino Royal. She was worried that he might find out all their family's secrets though business wasn't discussed when the family gather for such sacred celebrations as Veronica's confirmation. However, knowing her father, he had an agenda. So she demanded to know what it was. After hearing about how Archie took initiative with Nick St. Clair, her father wanted to see how he'd handle himself in a room of his peers. If their relationship persisted, at some point, they may need to bring Archie in. And while outsiders aren't traditionally brought into the family, Archie might be an exception due to him being more like them than he was initially was given credit for. However, Veronica disagreed. Stating that he was nothing like them. And she didn't want him to be compromised. With that, Veronica was given a choice, either they bring him in, or he stays on the outside, forever.

After sleeping on the ultimatum presented by her father, Veronica gave her confession to Monsignor. It had been some time since her last confession. Veronica started it with asking for forgiveness for she had sinned. The Bible says gossiping's a sin. If that's true, then she's guilty. Also, she admitted to being, on occasion, disrespectful to her parents. But what she was most worried about was that she's doing something terrible to a person she loved i.e. Archie. Not only was she constantly withholding the truth, she feared she's leading him down an unrighteous path. As someone who's known her family for longer than she's been alive, Veronica hoped Monsignor could understand her concern. And she prayed that he could offer some advice. "Ten Hail Marys, five Our Fathers." He said, before ending the confession.

Once home, Veronica told her family that her confession with Monsignor didn't offer much piece in mind. Hoping to help, they shared their "things" which helped them get through the day and they advised Veronica to find her own. Tia then asked about Archie after seeing him a couple days before. Veronica told them that he was her boyfriend and that he would be attending the ceremony.

The day of Veronica's confirmation ceremony had finally arrived. At the Church, with all her friends and family in attendance, she walked down the aisle in her white dress, singing Bitter Sweet Symphony alongside Josie. Upon reaching the altar, Veronica was given a cracker to eat and anointed by Monsignor. "Do you, Veronica Cecilia Lodge, renounce Satan and all evil works? And do you walk in the light of the Lord?" Before replying that she does, Veronica glanced over to her parents with a look of uncertainty. Behind them was Archie, and in seeing him smiling at her, Veronica gained all the reassurance she needed to go through with the ceremony.

Afterward, at the post celebration party, Veronica grabbed Archie so that he could meet her Abuelita. Given his handsomeness, Abuelita couldn't help but pinch Archie's cheeks out of joy and excitement.

As they slow danced on the dance floor, Veronica thanked Archie for being there for her. She needed to see his face, even calling him her beacon in the night. Had he not been there, she didn't know what would've happen. Unfortunately, their dance was interrupted by her father who wished to cut in and have the next dance with Veronica. After thinking it over, Veronica told her father that she had decided that she didn't want Archie brought into their life.

Following the dance, Veronica noticed Archie headed upstairs with her father. She tried to follow them in the elevator though she was preoccupied with family photos, thus her mother wouldn't allow her to leave.

Once Archie returned to the main room, Veronica pulled him to the side to ask what he and her father were talking about. Archie claimed that they were simply going over a few details for his internship. Veronica was surprised to hear that it was still happening given what she had told her father about not wanting Archie involved. While she loved him, they couldn't continue dating unless he knew the truth about her family. She wanted to protect him from this but everyday he was getting deeper and deeper. The truth is that her father was as Archie put it a mobster. While she wouldn't have put it so baldly, it wasn't just what he is, it's what he's planning to do in Riverdale. SoDale was just the beginning. Veronica attempted to tell him the full scope of her father's plan, but Archie refused to listen, telling her that he didn't need to know. He loved Veronica and there's nothing she could ever say that would change that. Or make him regret being with her. Through all of it, he was with her. Surprised, but pleased with his response, Veronica gave Archie a kiss.

That night, after the party, Veronica received one last gift. She opened it to discover the head of General Pickens' statue. Realizing that it was actually for her parents, she called them over to deal with the head.

With General Pickens' head sitting on their table, her father interpreted the delivery of the head as a deceleration of war. Her mother added that they always knew that they would have to go to war eventually. But of course, there was another option. Veronica reminded them that at Spence, she was Secretary General of the Model UN, and before declaring war, they'd always try to negotiate a settlement. So if she could broker a detente between the Contras and the Sandinistas, then her father could surely de-escalate relations with the Southside Serpents. Veronica offered to get them to the table while all her father would have to do is play nice, which shouldn't be too much to ask of him given that he's such an accomplished businessman.

The next day, on her way to school, Veronica asked Archie if he regretted anything they talked about at her confirmation, regarding the revelation that her father was more Al Capone than Eliot Ness. Which Archie didn't. In that case, just to put it on his radar, Veronica alerted Archie that a low-key turf-war may be brewing between Jughead's family and hers.

At school, friction between Veronica and Jughead was as evident as it was concerning. Jughead was frustrated with her father's pursuit to take over the Southside. So he questioned if Veronica was trying to manage him. When she asked him to define manage, he moved on to the Southsiders who were in danger of losing their homes. Looking to hold up her end of the deal with her parents, Veronica suggested to Jughead that both their fathers meet face-to-face to settle their differences. Jughead would only agree on one condition, that Veronica's father come to Sunnyside Trailer Park so that he can see the people that he was going to be displacing. Veronica agreed. Though, she assured Jughead that no one was being displaced. Kevin then entered the lounge to tell them about a dead body that the police had found that morning. While the investigation was ongoing, it was supposedly a gruesome, gangland style execution at the motel.

In the wake of this revelation, Veronica and Archie entered an empty classroom where they could discuss the murder in private. A bullet to the head was by all accounts a mafioso's doing. No sooner does she begin to feel like she's in a good place, something terrible happens. Somebody has died and now she's immediately back in the place of, "What if my father's behind this?" Making matters infinitely worse, she's since dragged Archie into what she described as being a Martin Scorsese nightmare. Though Archie placed no fault on her given that he chose to be with her. Since Veronica couldn't handle the not knowing, Archie instructed her to choose to believe her father. His business dealings may be shady, but at heart, he was still a good person.

While preparing for the negotiation with the Jones, Veronica was approached by her father who had learned from Archie that she was concerned. He understood that certain aspects of his business were troubling, so if she wanted to know something, he was more than willing to answer her. Veronica asked if he had anything to do with Poppa Poutine's death. However, Hiram claimed that he didn't.

At the trailer park, Veronica sat quietly as her father negotiated with Jughead and FP. He thanked them for agreeing to sit down to discuss the misunderstanding, but they were already aware that he had paid Tall Boy to decapitate the Pickens Statue as an excuse to turn up the heat on the Serpents. This had a lot of nervous people scared that they were going to lose their homes. They had heard about that and though it supposedly had nothing to do with them, her father had spoken to Mayor McCoy. And as a gesture of good will to the Southside community, he offered to settle any back rent that they or their neighbors may owe the town. In return, her father claimed that he only wanted peace. However, his true intentions were to bribe Jughead from mentioning him in the upcoming exposé that Jughead was writing. Unfortunately for them, Jughead refused to be compromised, so he and FP turned down their deal.

Later that night, Veronica returned to the Pembrooke to a shouting match between her parents and Mayor McCoy. She eavesdropped outside her father's study as the arguing continued. Before long, Mayor McCoy exited the study, but not before telling them that she was fairly close to informing Jughead about everything and that it would be a lot worse for them than it would be for her. With the Mayor gone, Veronica looked to her parents for answers. They explained that given the hatchet-job that Jughead was writing about them, they decided it was best to accelerate the timetable. So they told Sierra they might have to announce their plans for Southside High, but the Mayor refused and demanded that they wait until after she's reelected. Should they proceed without her, she threatened to expose them. If this wasn't handled properly, the whole town would be out for their blood. However, if they get her out of the Mayor's office, under a cloud of scandal, the damage she could do to them would be minimized. They would go about doing that by revealing her affair with Sheriff Keller.

Veronica rushed over to the Mayor's office to warn Sierra about her parents' plan. She knew that whatever questionable arrangement the Mayor had with her parents was imploding, and that she was trying to go after them in some way. But Veronica revealed that they were planning to discredit her, to get her out of the office and neutralize her by exposing her affair. Veronica told the Mayor that she could still get out of it by taking control of the narrative and inoculating herself.

Veronica joined her parents in the living room the following evening as they watched Mayor McCoy resign from office over a live broadcast. She claimed that she was stepping down as Mayor to spend more time with her family and return to her own legal career. Veronica's parents were surprised by Sierra sudden decision to resign since they hadn't even made their play yet. Veronica surmised that this was good news since now they don't have to. If they did, it would be cruel. Shortly after the Mayor's resignation, Veronica was approached by her father who suspected that she was responsible for warning the Mayor of their plan to expose her. Despite this being exactly what Veronica did, she lied and told her father that she didn't.

While leaving for school that morning, Veronica and Archie were approached by her father who suggested that they go out to the family lakehouse for the weekend as a romantic getaway. While Veronica was fine with Andre driving them down and later picking them up Sunday night, she demanded that there be no chaperones and that Andre left immediately after dropping them off. Her father agreed to her demands. He even suggested that they invite Betty and Jughead.

At school, while inviting Betty and Jughead to the cabin, Veronica warned them that it was rustic, but that it also had breath-taking views of the mountains. Betty and Jughead agreed, with the latter reasoning that it would offer a chance for him to work on his novel. Though, Veronica made sure to remind him that the point of the weekend was to relax and unplug. Cheryl then entered the student lounge after overhearing their conversation. When she attempted to invite herself, Veronica explained that it was a couples getaway.

After school, Andre drove them out to the cabin. When she was younger, her family would go out there every summer, whenever her dad could sneak away for a weekend. Veronica then told Andre that he was to return Sunday night at 7:00 pm. Veronica then showed Betty the inside of the lakehouse. Shortly after entering the cabin, Jughead got a call from Cheryl who told him about Betty and Archie's kiss outside of Thistlehouse just before Christmas. After hanging up with Cheryl, Jughead confronted Betty and Archie.

As Betty and Jughead discussed the kiss in the other room, Veronica and Archie wondered whether or not they were going to break up because of it. The only thing Veronica was certain of was that they didn't break up over it. She then kissed Archie as a show of appreciation for him telling her about the kiss when he did and trusting her. To her, that's all she needed to know to prove that they were meant to be together. Veronica and Archie then proceeded to have sex.

A little while later, Veronica and Archie were joined downstairs by Betty and Jughead who assured them that everything was fine and that they had worked everything out. Hearing this, Veronica decided to make margaritas. After doing so, they sat around the table as Jughead proposed a toast to Veronica's hospitality and to putting the past behind them. Jughead then began questioning Veronica about her parents and the SoDale project which was getting intense. Luckily, Archie's dad was doing a superb on of keeping everything on schedule. When Betty asked about her lakehouse neighbors, Jughead pointed out that as they were driving up to the cabin, he noticed that none of the houses had mailboxes or numbers. So Veronica explained that Shadow Lake was a private community. Which led Jughead to wonder if they were hiding something. However, before Veronica could respond, Betty confronted him on his intrusive line of questioning, leading Veronica to conclude that they were actually still fighting over the kiss between Betty and Archie. Understanding the reason for the tension in the room, Veronica told them to change into their swimsuits.

During a moment of full disclosure in the hot tub, Veronica revealed that when Archie told her about the kiss, she absorbed and processed it. In the end, she bore no ill will towards Betty or Archie. But the thought of it has haunted her a bit for the past few weeks. Now, as it seemed to Veronica, Jughead and Betty were caught in the aftermath. To clear the air amongst them all, Veronica suggested that they kiss. While Betty and Archie were in disagreement, Jughead agreed to Veronica's sentiment to ease the tension as it would level the playing field. He reasoned that a "Vughead" kiss might be precisely what it takes to save future "Bughead" from imploding. With Archie and Betty in agreement, Veronica and Jughead shared a kiss in the hot tub as Betty and Archie watched.

Later that night, after getting his daily workout in, Archie got in bed. During which time, Veronica suggested that they have sex. However, Archie claimed he was tired as he was clearly still upset about Veronica and Jughead's kiss. The two of them then became distracted at the sound of Betty and Jughead having sex in the next bedroom.

The next morning, Veronica watched from the balcony as Archie chopped wood in the nearby forest. However, she grew suspicious as he took off after receiving a call. So she followed him only to find that he was in communication with Andre despite making it perfectly clearly that she didn't want him hovering over them. Veronica proceeded to confront the two of them. Archie and Andre revealed that her father was doing business in Riverdale with some of the other families so he wanted to make sure that Veronica was safe. As the means to resolve their current predicament, Veronica ordered Andre to leave, but not before telling him to call her father, and tell him that his cover was blown. From Archie, all Veronica wanted was space. So she would be heading into town with Betty.

As planned, Veronica and Betty went into town for supplies at the local convenience store where Veronica asked Betty about her and Jughead having sex the night before. Betty told Veronica that it first happened on the night of her Confirmation Ceremony. As Veronica's abuelita liked to say, "praise Jesus". After picking up a few items, Veronica began to flirt with the store clerk, but Betty quickly ended it by reminding Veronica that she was still with Archie. As they exited the store, Veronica asked about Betty's relationship with Jughead. Betty replied that everything had been nice though Veronica replied that "nice" isn't what she heard through the walls. Betty then admitted to wearing the very same outfit with Jughead that she wore when they drowned Chuck in Ethel's hot tub.

Back at the cabin, while Veronica was still angry at Archie, she told him that he could make it up to her by remembering one thing that was simple and non-negotiable, that from that moment forward, it was only about her and Archie, not Archie and her dad. Jughead then got a call from his dad, telling him that Veronica's father had bought Sunnyside Trailer Park and revoked the eviction notices. After the call with his father, Jughead confronted Veronica as his suspicions had been confirmed, that her father was taking over the Southside, piece by piece, starting with the Twilight Drive-In, and now the trailer park. With the Southsiders' debt cleared and eviction notices revoked, Veronica, Betty and Archie wondered why he was outraged. Jughead explained that Hiram's move with buying the trailer park was tactic. But Veronica, Betty and Archie insisted that he was simply being paranoid and that Veronica's dad was trying to make amends.

Betty brought their game of Monopoly to a stop that night as she headed off to take a call from her mother. While she was gone, Veronica and Archie learned that Jughead met Chic, who he described as being kind of creepy. Betty returned to announce that Veronica's dad had just bought the Register. Veronica insisted that she had no idea her father was buying the Register though this only confirmed Jughead's suspicions that her father was making big plays to take over. In wake of recent events, Betty began to question if Veronica's reasons for bringing them up to the cabin weren't as sincere as they initially believed. Their suspicions were warranted given that Lodge Industries was buying property all over the Southside and now the one newspaper in town so that people couldn't report on what he was doing. The means to silence the free press and keep Mrs. Cooper from coming after him. As the two couples went back and forth, glass breaking could be heard from inside the house. Four men wearing black ski-masks then entered the lakehouse with weapons in hand, demanding their valuables. Veronica went with one of the intruders upstairs to give him her wallet. While doing so, she pressed the silent alarm behind the nightstand. She also recognized one of the intruders as the store clerk from the convenience store. After taking Veronica's wallet, the intruders demanded that they get down on their knees. As he grabbed a baseball bat, the phone rang as the security company was calling. With guards on their way, the intruders exited the house. However, Archie chased after them as they snatched her necklace, though he returned empty handed, but otherwise unharmed.

Later that night, in a booth a Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Veronica, Archie, Betty and Jughead joined hands and came together as no one was hurt and they had each other. And Veronica was grateful that Andre didn't leave the lakehouse like she told him to.

The Lodges invited the Andrews over to the Pembrooke for dinner. During which time, Veronica and Archie's parents shared a wild story from their youth when they seemingly broke into Thornhill for a swim and stole the school van. With their parents the study, Veronica and Archie then headed back into her room where Veronica revealed that the deputy mayor who took over for Josie's mom was on the verge of stepping down and that there was going to be a special election that her parents thought Archie's dad was the ideal candidate for. Business and politics went hand and hand, Veronica explained.

The next morning at the breakfast table, the odds of Fred saying yes were about 50-50. But as always, Veronica's parents wanted her to influence Archie into convincing his father to run for Mayor. While reluctant, Veronica agreed to her parents' request.

Veronica called Archie the next day after doing some research. Apparently, his dad needed 12,000 signatures before he could even run for Mayor. And so Veronica was thinking that the two of them could collect the signatures together. However, Archie blew her off, claiming that he had homework to do before hanging up.

Later that day, Veronica entered the Andrews house with design ideas for Mr. Andrews' campaign logos. After Veronica agreed to get buttons and t-shirts printed, she and Archie got into a minor argument in his room over her pushing the idea of his father being Mayor. Archie's resistance was due to his father not being cut out for what her parents wanted. Which was to Archie's knowledge, a dog on a leash who does what it's told. And if he didn't, they'd push him out like they did Mayor McCoy. Veronica told Archie that Mayor McCoy had an affair with Sheriff Keller and that's why she stepped down. She stated that it had nothing to do with her parents though this wasn't entirely true. Nonetheless, Archie felt as if he was being steered and would appreciated it if Veronica stopped.

The following day, Veronica told her mother that while she was willing to do the family's bidding at school, Archie was off the table as she was afraid of losing him. He had become a pawn on their chessboard and it was hurting their relationship. However, the women always walked the razor's edge. The men were the gangsters, but the molls, they used their wiles and cunning, such as a hand on an elbow or a whisper in an ear to manage things from behind the scenes. While this was the case for most, Veronica refused to take part.

That evening, Veronica learned from her father that Jughead was asking questions about the ownership of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, meaning that there was someone in their inner circle feeding him information. However, the only people that knew about the secret purchasing of Pop's was Veronica, her parents and Archie, leaving them to believe that Archie was the culprit. Realizing that it was indeed Archie, Veronica took the fall for him as she didn't want to see Archie hurt. She told her parents that she told Jughead about them buying Pop's in order to get him off their trail. She fabricated a story about Jughead grilling her about SoDale, Southside High and Sunnyside Trailer Park while they were at Shadow Lake. While her father was enraged, her mother agreed with her decision to feed Jughead a little bit of information in order to keep him from learning a lot more was a smart move.

After taking the blame, Veronica confronted Archie in his garage over his betrayal. If her dad ever found out that he snitched, Archie would be in great trouble. Regardless, Archie refused to apologize for protecting his father. However, Veronica explained that his father was an untouchable, meaning he would never be hurt or corrupted. Veronica then questioned what happened to Archie's loyalty as he had sworn his allegiance. Archie reminded Veronica that it was her that wanted his eyes wide open before he committed to her family, and if his dad was going to run for mayor for her family, he deserved the entire truth, Archie added. He wanted to know the master plan for the Southside which Veronica was going to tell Archie at her confirmation until he stopped her. Now, he was ready to know the truth. However, Veronica could no longer tell him. Instead, she instructed him to speak with her father. She insisted that he do so after Fred announced that he would be officially throwing his hat in the race for Mayor.

The next day, the Lodges learned from warden Jeffries at Shankshaw prison that Jughead and FP paid a visit to an inmate, one of FP's well informed cronies. They suspected that the Jones had learned everything, meaning that it was only a matter of time before it made the paper. With their hands being forced, the Lodges called Fred and Archie over to inform them of the master plan before Jughead could break the story. They revealed that their plans for Riverdale entailed turning Southside High into a private, for profit prison. As for SoDale, it is housing for the employees of the prison. Unfortunately, Fred refused to support their plan. He called Archie over as they were preparing to leave. However, much to Veronica's surprise, Archie decided to stay as he wanted to hear her father's proposal out.

Later that day, outside Town Hall, the Lodges held a press conference where Veronica announced that her mother would be running for Mayor.

Veronica and Kevin sat in on her mother's interview with Hal Cooper for the Register. Her mother wished to run for mayor in order to strengthen Riverdale from its deficit. Which is why Lodge Industries had secured a bid for a maximum security prison on the Southside. That meant jobs, economic growth and stability. It'll give Riverdale its future back. Now onto Veronica, who was asked if she would be following in her mother's footsteps by running for student body president. Maybe, Veronica replied. Assuming she didn't have her hands fulls from helping with her mother's campaign. She was excited to show Riverdale that her mother was more than just a housewife. They were then joined by Andy Cohen, who came to give his endorsement of Hermione. Moving onto official business, the campaign wouldn't be easy, especially since they had to lead with her father's plans for the prison. Certain people would see them as the enemy. So after the endorsement, they needed to keep their heads down.

At school the next day, Veronica was confronted by Jughead over her role to play in Southside High being turned into a prison. Veronica, Archie and Betty claimed that she had no knowledge of her parents' plan. Nonetheless, Jughead planned to go on a hunger strike to protest Southside High closing and Betty requested that they all be in support of him. Ethel then approached the table with a milkshake from Pop's and poured it onto Veronica in retaliation for her parents' misdeeds.

Veronica headed into the restroom to wash out the milkshake. Betty joined her to ensure that she was alright. Veronica's dad was responsible for the Muggs family losing everything they had and he still hadn't made amends. So as far as Veronica was concerned, Ethel had every right to be upset. Betty was impressed with Veronica's restraint as she would want to rip Ethel's head off. But as Veronica's mom kept saying, this is not the time for drama and flying off the handle. Veronica just needed to take deep breaths, keep smiling and turn the other cheek. On their way back from the restroom, Veronica and Betty ran into Reggie, who began harassing Veronica. He asked what were the odds that her father was the first inmate in the prison he was building. Veronica grew so angry that she punched Reggie and dropped him.

The following morning, before heading off to school, Veronica was scolded for her attack on Reggie. While she apologized for stepping out of line, she was still determined to get Ethel's father a job at the prison to make amends. Unfortunately, her father refused to oblige her request.

In the student lounge, Veronica announced to Archie, Betty and Jughead that she was running for student council president against Reggie. If yesterday's dramatic events taught her anything it was that Veronica Lodge was not a victim. Nor would she ever allow herself to be one. Jughead surmised that she was simply doing her parents' bidding in trying to take over the school. However, Veronica claimed that her parents would rather she avoid the spotlight though she had other plans in mind. So she asked that Betty be her running mate.

At River Vixens practice, Toni performed before the squad. Afterward, in honor of Toni becoming a Vixen, Cheryl invited Veronica, Betty, Josie and Toni over to Thistlehouse for a mandatory slumber party.

During the slumber party at Thistlhouse, Cheryl revealed her true intentions behind inviting them over. It wasn't to celebrate. The truth was that Cheryl was terrified of being alone at the house with her uncle Claudius, who was crazy and a complete stranger to her. Cheryl had overheard her mother and uncle plotting against her and her Nana. Josie questioned if she was merely imagining things. But if Cheryl was, then so was Betty, who was dealing with a similar circumstance. There was a stranger in her life as well, Chic. With him lurking in every corner, her house felt dangerous and deadly. After hearing a loud thump, the girls ran into the hallway to find Nana Rose unconscious at the bottom of the steps. It would seem she had fell or even been pushed.

The next day, Veronica was supported by Betty and Archie in her run for student body president as as she gave out kisses and cupcakes at her booth. The cupcakes had been flown in from Magnolia Bakery in New York but the kisses, however, were locally sourced. Veronica was then accused by Ethel of sexualizing the election. While it was long over due, Veronica wanted to make reparations. So she told Ethel to tell her father to expect a job offer very soon from her dad.

At practice, Veronica asked Josie for her celebrity endorsement for her campaign. Before Josie could say no, Veronica informed her that Andy Cohen was a very close friend of the family and should Josie offer her endorsement, she could perform on Watch What Happens Live as a special guest. And so Josie agreed.

The next day, as promised, Veronica got her endorsement from Josie before the student body. The two of them, along with Archie, performed on stage in front of the crowd. Unfortunately, Ethel entered the lounge halfway through their performance with flyers that revealed, amongst other things, that Veronica knew all about her parents turning Southside High into a prison. Upset over Veronica's deceitful ways, Betty stormed out the lounge with Veronica not far behind hoping to explain herself. Betty recalled the day when Mr. Weatherbee announced the closing of Southside High and how Veronica pretended to have no knowledge of it. When explained that when her parents asked for her help, she didn't feel like she could say no. And so she lied to everyone and went along with her parents' plan. Because of this, Betty could no longer be Veronica's running mate as she could no longer trust her.

Veronica returned home, where she was confronted by her mother over running for student body president despite being told to keep her head low. Her mother had also learned from Weatherbee about the flyer that was going around school. This was precisely why they asked that she keep a low profile. Veronica explained that she was out there every day, facing what they all had done. And maybe, if she was their President, her friends would stop looking at her like she's just the daughter of criminals. Essentially, she needed something she could use as a shield against everything that was coming their way. Protection from everybody out there who hated them and was out for their blood.

Veronica and Archie squared off against Jughead, Betty, Reggie and Josie at the school hall meeting. The first question of the night came from Sweet Pea and Fogarty as they were concerned about the Southsiders and their treatment since being transferred to Riverdale High. Midge's question followed, in regards to Veronica and Archie's parents being on opposite sides of the Mayoral election. She questioned if this would cause problems for their campaign. However, Veronica and Archie adhered to the old maxim that politics are never discussed at the dinner table. They were apparently on the same page about everything, even her parents building a prison. In the meantime, they were committed to improving the quality of life at Riverdale High.

After the school hall meeting, Veronica and Archie watched as their parents exchanged words in the hallway following his father's announcement to run for Mayor. While Archie's dad was waiting to be released from his contract to Lodge Industries, Veronica's parents were waiting for them to sign the NDA they had sent over. Meanwhile, Veronica and Archie tried to play peacemakers.

As Veronica returned to the Pembrooke with Archie and her parents, they were greeted by Andre and Adams. In the lobby was Lenny Kowalski and Carl Martin. Two mob bosses who requested to speak with her father privately. Veronica and her mother were sent upstairs as her father spoke with their surprise guests.

At River Vixens practice, Veronica and Josie learned from Toni that Cheryl was missing and she was certain that Cheryl's mother had something to do with it as she recalled Cheryl mentioning to them how she was worried that her mother and uncle Claudius were out to get her. Cheryl's mother claimed that they sent her off to an all-girls boarding school in Switzerland, but Toni wasn't convince considering that Cheryl would be posting social media selfies every hour if this was true. But she hadn't, which Veronica was convinced was a sure sign of foul-play. So she and Josie agreed to help Toni find her even if it meant storming Thistlehouse.

The next day, Veronica, Josie and Toni barged into Thistlehouse to demand answers on Cheryl's whereabouts. When Penelope refused to answer, Josie threatened to have her mom tell the Sheriff. Hoping to avoid any unwanted attention, Penelope complied. She revealed that the truth was that Cheryl had begun to exhibit strange, deviant behavior. So, she was sent abroad to a private wellness institute where they were trying to help her. In case they didn't believe her, Penelope gave them a drawing of Cheryl's that depicted Josie and Cheryl together, which strongly resembled the drawing that Chuck had supposedly drawn of Josie. This meant that it wasn't Chuck who threatened Josie and sent her a pig's heart, rather it was Cheryl, who had grown obsessed with her. Penelope supposedly feared that Cheryl would either hurt Josie, herself or both of them. The girls then exited Thistlehouse to regroup though in light of recent events, Josie wanted no involvement in Cheryl's search.

Later, Veronica was escorted home by Archie as he told her that he was beginning to feel distant from his father though she assured him they'd work it out. Veronica and Archie entered the Pembrooke to find Andre under attack by a hooded assailant. Veronica checked on Andre as he laid bleeding on the floor, while Archie chased after his attacker. The assailant was Adams. He had apparently double-crossed the Lodges. Adams then punched Archie and told him to tell Hiram to take the deal. Archie relaid this message to the Lodges who weren't pleased. They surmised that Lenny and Carl either offered Adams money or he sensed that they were weak and vulnerable. The message being sent was clear, either cut Lenny and Carl in or suffer the consequences. With the Lodges being essentially unprotected, Archie offered to keep watch on the lobby. However, that was only a short-term solution to a long-term problem which her father had no answer for. As for the time being, they'd circle the wagon. Veronica was only ever to be at home or school, and Archie was to drive her to and fro

The next day, Veronica and Toni continued to investigate Cheryl's disappearance. Toni had learned from Nana Rose that Cheryl was nearby, at the "Sisters", she claimed. However, that's all Toni could get out of her before the line disconnected. The only Sisters Veronica knew of was the "Sisters of Quiet Mercy". But that was more so an orphanage than a gay conversion center. However, Veronica checked with Kevin just to be sure. From Kevin, Veronica and Toni learned that the Sisters of Quiet Mercy was one of the few places in the country that still did conversion therapy off the books. During prohibition, the Sisters ran a distillery in the basement. They used to smuggle alcohol out to Sweetwater River via a tunnel that still exists today. Gay boys in the program used to use the tunnels to hookup in Fox Forest. A tunnel that they could potentially use to get to Cheryl. Kevin agreed to lead them to the tunnel but recommended that they go after dark.

After school, Archie continued to fulfill his duty in escorting Veronica home to ensure her safety. She told him that she was in for the night and that he was off duty. Once her parents did a bed-check, Veronica met up with Toni in the lobby, and the two of them then met up with Kevin. They soon arrived at Fox Forest. According to Kevin's intel, the tunnel that led from the main residence came out right where they were standing. Veronica told Kevin to wait for them on the outside while they went to save Cheryl and that if they weren't back in 15 minutes that he should call his dad. Veronica and Toni made their way through the tunnels and into the main building. They searched every room, and while Veronica had no such luck in finding Cheryl, Toni did however manage to find her. The three of them then regrouped only to find themselves surrounded by the Sisters. The girls went back down through the tunnels where they reconvened with Kevin on the other side.

The next day, Veronica and her parents arranged a surprise for Archie. They met with him outside of Pop's with a brand new car that they had bought for him. Archie was in total shock and couldn't except such an amazing gift but they insisted that he take it, especially since he would have to continue his duty of escorting Veronica to and from school. While Veronica started up the car, her father pulled Archie to the side to talk. Afterward, she told him to get in just before they drove off for school.

Veronica lays in bed, studying her script for Carrie: The Musical. She started singing "In" as she gets out of bed, got dressed and left for school. She arrived at school some time after and ran into the auditorium with Betty, Archie, Cheryl, Toni, Josie, Ethel, Kevin Midge and Moose. They got on stage, where they continued to sing and dance before being joined by Fangs, the assistant director. The cast then began introductions, starting with Archie who portrayed "Tommy Ross", the boy next door. Betty played "Sue Snell", the good girl. Veronica portrayed "Chris Hargensen", the mean girl. And Cheryl would be playing the iconic role of "Carrie White". As for who would be portraying, "Margaret White", Carrie's mom, that role went to Alice Cooper, which came as a surprise to almost everyone. Kevin explained that while her casting was untraditional, to him, there's nothing more amateur than age-inappropriate casting. Alice was both looking forward to playing Margaret and spending more time with Betty. Chuck Clayton joined them late after mistaking that rehearsal was in the music room.

Cheryl interrupted rehearsal after hearing whisperings that some of them, mainly Ethel and Josie, didn't think she's fit to play the role of Carrie White. So to settle the matter, she began to sing "Carrie" to prove them wrong. Her singing removed all doubt as Veronica, Betty, Archie, Ethel, Josie, Alice, Toni, Midge, Moose, Jughead, Kevin, Fangs, Chuck give Cheryl a round of applauded. As Cheryl headed back to her seat, a heavy sand bag fell from above and nearly crushed her.

In the auditorium, Betty and Veronica sang "Do Me A Favor" and danced with Archie and Chuck.

While making out with Archie in the hallway after rehearsal, he stopped to ask her if he can keep "Firebird", the car that her dad bought him, at the Pembrooke for a few days, at least until he told his father about it. Given that their father's are at odds, Archie worried that his father finding out about the car would lead to a missive fallout.

At the Pembrooke, when Veronica's dad asked what was Firebird doing in the garage rather than at the Andrews' with Archie, Veronica revealed that Archie's only parking it there until he tells his dad that Hiram gave it to him as he didn't want to upset Fred.

Veronica, Betty, Toni, Ethel and Chuck continue rehearsal in the auditorium, where they sang and performed "The World According to Chris". Though Betty seemed almost disgusted with Veronica's performance, Archie, Fangs, Kevin, Moose, Midge and Jughead were highly impressed as they applauded the routine from the crowd. Betty credited Veronica's performance to her being the literal embodiment of Chris, the character she's portraying. Never had a role been so perfectly type-cast, Betty remarked. Archie tried to stop it, but she continues. Betty went onto point out the similarities between Veronica and Chris. Spoiled rich girl. Major daddy issues. Bad to the bone, trying to control everyone around her, including her boyfriend and best friend.

Veronica was approached by Betty in the music room as she wanted to apologize for what she had said on stage. Veronica assumed that Betty was there to continue her assault because if there was anything that playing Chris has illuminated it's that she has been a terrible friend to Betty. Betty replied that she couldn't disagree more as she and Veronica proceeded to sing "You Shine".

The next day, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Kevin informed Veronica, Betty, Archie, Jughead, Fangs, Toni, Ethel, Alice, Moose, Midge, Chuck and Josie that Cheryl will no longer be playing Carrie. When they asked why, Kevin simply replied that Penelope Blossom wasn't much of a stage mom. In the meantime, Cheryl's understudy would assume the role, that being Midge, who Kevin appointed after the sand bag incident.

In the dressing room, Veronica, Betty, Archie, Kevin, Midge, Moose, Kevin, Alice, Chuck, Toni and Ethel sang "A Night We'll Never Forget". After Veronica did a bit of singing in the dressing room with Betty, Archie and Chuck, Veronica spoke for the entire gang when she told Chuck that his behavior throughout rehearsals has been nothing short of that of a proper Victorian gentleman, meaning his pariahship was over. Chic entered the dressing room, much to Betty's surprise. He claimed that he wouldn't miss the play for the world. Betty then told him that he should get back to his seat as the play is about to begin and he wasn't supposed to be backstage.

The crowd was packed when the play began, and Alice started to sing "Evening Prayers". Veronica, Archie, Betty, Moose, and Toni watched from backstage. When Alice cued Midge, the curtains raised only to reveal that Midge had been murdered by the Black Hood. She had been stabbed with knives and scissors and pinned to the wall. On the wall, written in blood was a message. "I Am Back From The Dead. All Those Who Escaped Me Before Will Die... B.H" When Alice screamed in fear, the crowd realized that this was not part of the play and the auditorium erupted in panic and chaos.

The town gathers for Midge's funeral to pay respect. Cheryl sings a song in Midge's honor. She and the rest of the River Vixens are dressed in all-black cheerleader uniform. Midge's death has seemingly taken a great toll on Riverdale, Mrs. Klump and Moose especially. As the service ends, Veronica, Betty, Jughead and Archie watch as Cheryl consoles Mrs. Klump. When Sheriff Keller approached to offer his condolences, Mrs. Klump slaps him as he was supposed to be protecting them all from danger.

At Pop's, Jughead theorizes that the latest killing is the work of a copycat. And Chic coincidentally showed up in Riverdale just after Svenson was killed. That along with the fact that he's creepy with a temper places suspicion on him in Jughead's mind. However, Betty corrects Jughead. Chic is only in Riverdale because she went searching for him. Admittedly, he is weird. But he didn't know Midge. So Betty wants to move on to a different suspect. Archie explains why he doesn't think Svenson was the Black Hood. While they were there when he died and he was wearing a hood that night, it doesn't mean he's the same guy who shot Fred and killed Midge. Betty reminds Archie that Svenson forced her to bury him alive. Not to mention that he cut off his own finger. Archie argues that maybe the real Black Hood cut Svenson's finger off because he was working with him. All Archie knows for sure is that when he looked into the Black Hood's eyes, they weren't Svenson's eyes. Veronica, however, doesn't have much to add on the matter.

At the Pembrooke, Veronica asks Archie if he's alright. Whether or not the Black Hood is back, she doesn't want "Death Wish Archie" to return. Archie reminds Veronica of the message written in Midge's blood. If the Black Hood's going after victims who escaped him, that means any number of people could be next, like the two of them or Archie's dad or Moose or Betty. Which is precisely why Veronica needs Archie sane and steady. She wants him to promise her that he won't do anything crazy like patrol the streets or break into Svenson's house as she can't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him.

The next day, with crisis comes opportunity, her father remarks. On that note, her mother will be going door-to-door to ensure the residents of Riverdale that Lodges are for safety first, unlike Sheriff Keller. They then look to Veronica for assistance in one particular objective involving Cheryl given that she and Veronica are friends and that Cheryl seemed particularly devastated over Midge's death. However, Veronica wants no part of whatever schemes they're cooking up.

Later, her mother and father celebrate a small victory after they managed to recruit Cheryl. Veronica then gets a call from Archie after having texted him all day without response. However, it is not Archie on the other end. It is Nick St. Clair, who has attacked Archie and tied him up in some kind of warehouse. Nick's two friends hold Archie down in a chair while Nick tells Veronica that it'll cost her to get Archie back. He wants $1 million. Veronica reminds Nick what happened to him the last time he misbehaved. Nick needs no reminder as he will have a limp for the rest of his life following the car accident. So either Veronica gets Nick what he asks for or he will take his anger out on Archie.

Veronica turns to her parents with this information. Unfortunately, they refuse to pay Archie's ransom because her father won't be cowing down to who he describes as being a teen terrorist. With that, Veronica decides to call the police, but they warn her against it. The St. Clairs are a mob family with ties to the underworld. This entire time, Veronica was under the impression that they were only music producers. Now that she knows the truth, involving the police puts themselves at risk. Which is likely why Nick was so brazen and not even bothering to hide his identity, her mother surmises. They ask Veronica to be patient but she can't. Not with all the terrible things Nick could be doing to Archie, like cutting his ear off.

Veronica sneaks into her father's study. She opens his safe hoping to find $1 million in cash to pay Archie's ransom. Unfortunately, it's not nearly enough. Still, Veronica calls Nick to inform him that she has his money. Nick arranges a meeting a Pop's in one hour for them to do the transaction.

Veronica and Nick meet at Pop's as planned. Before they do anything, Veronica wants proof that Archie's okay. Nick shows Veronica a photo he took of Archie, bruised and bleeding. Seeing that he's at least still alive, Veronica hands him over the money though he instantly realizes that it isn't the $1 million he asked for. Veronica swears that she'll get him the rest, but if not from her parents, how else would she get that kind of money, Nick asks. Unless Veronica gives Nick something else. What they started back in New York and even at the Five Seasons. Nick wants a night with Veronica. Even if Veronica does agree, what guarantee does she have that Nick will let Archie go? Nick gives her his word as a gentleman.

Veronica applies her makeup before heading out for her date with Nick. She sees the necklace that Archie gave her for Christmas and seemingly comes up with an idea.

Veronica arrives at the Five Seasons for her date. Nick questions why she's still in Riverdale when all of Manhattan should be kissing her feet. Nick writes it off as a phase, as well as her relationship with Archie. Unbeknownst to Veronica, Archie is watching their date via live stream. She tells Nick to have a seat as she fixes them both some drinks. Nick believes that he and Veronica could've been so much more as her relationship with Archie is beneath her. Veronica asks that he stop talking about Archie. He agrees and then takes a drink.

Nick recalls that he and Veronica used to joke about ending up together one day. That stopped when Nick started roofy-ing girls, including Cheryl. Nick claims that this is all in the past, simple school boy mischief. He then asks Veronica for a dance.

Archie manages to escape capture and make his way to the Five Seasons. He busts the door open only to find Nick on the floor unconscious. Veronica reveals that she roofied him, smuggled in via the necklace that Archie got her for Christmas. Now that Archie is free and Nick is tied to a chair, Veronica arranges an exchange of her own. She calls the St. Clairs and asks for ransom money.

Veronica standing over a large sum of money when her parents return. Veronica explains it's ransom money from when she turned the tables on Nick and held him for ransom instead. His parents gave Veronica $1 million for her troubles. Her father tells her that he was dealing with it, but the thing is that the St. Clairs hadn't heard a thing about Archie's kidnapping. But Veronica leaves that up to her father to explain to Archie.

With make-up, Veronica covers the bruises Archie sustained while being held for ransom by Nick. Speaking of which, Veronica reveals to Archie that word of her exploits serving Nick his comeuppance has seeped into the demimonde of the mobsters and molls that her father used associate with. So the five families are sending their youngest and brightest, their "princes," as it were, to court Veronica, the rare Mafia Princess. Thanks to Veronica's hand in turning the tables on Nick and holding him for ransom, the families are looking to make business and/or political alliances with her mother and father. Her father then interrupts to speak with Archie.

As Veronica prepares to leave for school, she finds her mother with the suitors from the mob families. Her mother informs her that they've come to pay their respect. While she is eager to hear their proposals, Veronica has to get to school. Her mother isn't pleased with Veronica putting off such an important matter, but Veronica has her own way of doing things.

The time has come for Veronica to hear the families' proposals. She meets with her suitors at Pop's. One family wants to open a meat cannery, which Veronica declines. Another family wants to open a five-thousand seat arena in Riverdale, much like the one they have in Pacific City, which Veronica also declines. She also turns down the offer of a horse track. However, she finally settles on one family, who operates the largest chain of casinos in the region.

In a booth at Pop's, Veronica explains that out of all the offers, Elio's inspired her the most. So she suggests that their families partner up for a casino that they could name the "Sweetwater Casino". She then excuses herself to the bathroom.

Later, she accompanies her parents to Archie's house after learning that his father was sent a message from the Black Hood.

Veronica speaks with her father about her casino proposal in which they would partner with Elio's family. However, Hiram explains that no business run by Elio's family is legal. Their casinos serve as fronts for numerous criminal activities. Unfortunately for Veronica, this partnership doesn't make sense for them to do considering they're on the verge of coming out the shadows and into the light.

Veronica stops by the Five Seasons for Attorney McCoy's help. She compensates her for an hour of legal advice. Hypothetically speaking, Veronica asks about building a casino in Riverdale. For starters, they'd need a gaming license, which are difficult to obtain without connections.

Veronica approaches her father at the Mayoral debate to talk about the casino. She's done her research, and has figured out how they can make the casino happen without involving Elio's family. However, Hiram doesn't seem interested. He brushes Veronica off and asks that they save the discussion for later. On stage, Veronica and Hiram stand just a few feet away from Hermione. They discuss plans to restore safety to the town. As they go back and forth regarding Midge's death and whether or not Fangs is the killer, Veronica spots the Black Hood on the balcony with a rifle. He shoots at Fred, but Archie tackles him dad to the ground, saving him from being shot. As the Black Hood continues to shoot from the balcony, she hides behind the podium with her mother and father.

The Lodges return to the Pembrooke. Her mother is shaken up. She can hardly hold her glass still. Veronica notices this. She understands that hr mother wants to be strong for the campaign, but if tonight was any indication of what's to come, then maybe she should drop put of the race. Her father refuses to allow that to happen. They've worked too hard on their plans. They can't quit when they're so close. Veronica reminds him that they were shot at, but Hermione agrees with Hiram that the plan must move forward. The campaign is bigger than her. She assures Veronica that she'll be fine. Veronica explains that her father is willing to put her mother's life at risk all for his plan. Hiram demands respect from Veronica, but she questions where was her respect when he asked her to entertain the sons of his enemies or the respect that he showed her when she explained that she worked everything out with the casinos, only for him to brush her off. Regardless, Veronica's done the work and plans to go along with the casino plans on her own. Little does she know that her father has already put her the money that she got from Nick's ransom in a trust that she won't be able to touch until she's 21.

Veronica stops by the Andrews house to see Fred. When Archie and Fred answer the door, Veronica reveals that she will be supporting his run for Mayor. She can't in good conscious, stand with her father anymore. She believes in Fred. Archie and Veronica head upstairs into his bedroom. Veronica gets undressed, and she and Archie proceed to have sex.

Shortly after Archie left for the sheriff station to meet up with Jughead, Veronica prepares to leave the Andrews house as well. She runs into Fred before leaving. He tells her that he heard over the news about the riot that broke out down at the Sheriff Station and now he's concerned about Archie. Veronica and Fred's concern for Archie grows as they know that Archie was at the station when Fangs got shot. Just as Veronica volunteers to join Fred in his search for Archie, Andre knocks at the door to retrieve her per her parents' request.

Veronica is in route to being taken to the Pembrooke by Andre, during which time the streets of Riverdale are in chaos. Within all the chaos, Veronica notices Mrs. Klump. So she gets out the car to check on her. Then and there, Mrs. Klump confess to shooting Fangs.

Veronica calls Archie from the sheriff station. She informs Archie that she delivered Fangs' shooter, Mrs. Klump, to the Sheriff. With this in formation, Archie hopes to stop the Serpents from vandalizing the school. After hanging up with Archie, Veronica finds her mother with Sheriff Minetta. She discovers that Hermione is offering a $1,000,000 reward for anyone who can deliver them the Black Hood. Veronica is appalled by the bounty, questioning her mother's motives.

Veronica and Hermione return to the Pembrooke, where Veronica questions where her father got the $1,000,000 to pay for the bounty. Her mother claims that her father has secret funds, but Veronica isn't buying it. She's convinced that her father intends to use her ransom money from the St. Clairs to pay the bounty. Hermione assures Veronica that this isn't the case as Hiram has put the money in a trust fund. Still, Veronica doesn't believe a word from her mother's mouth. So, she goes into her father's study and locks the door behind her. She then goes looking through her father's drawers for evidence of his misleading. After breaking open his locked desk drawer, Veronica discovers a Lodge Industries folder entitled "October Surprise". Inside the folder are photos of Hermione's affair with Fred, along with a typed letter, exposing their affair.

Veronica shows her mother the "October Surprise" file. She's in disbelief that her father is so vile. He has already written a story about her mother and Fred's affair. Veronica surmises that her father's plan was to publish the article in the Register, dragging both her mother and Fred. However, as Hermione points out, Fred's running his camping on family values while she's the law and order candidate. Her father believes that the October Surprise will hurt her mother's campaing, but it will destroy Fred's chances of winning far more. Veronica realizes that her mother was in on the plan. Hermione tells her that it's all part of the game plan. What kind of man would do this to his own wife, Veronica questions. She accuses her father of being the kind of man who always has someone else to take the risk, to stand in the line of fire, to run for Mayor, for example. Her mother is nothing more than a means to an end to her father, Veronica states. Hermione disagrees, claiming that Hiram would never put them in harm's way.

Veronica and Hermione continue to argue. Hermione claims that Veronica has lost her nerve. Veronica counters that her mother and father have lost their minds. October Surprise wouldn't just destroy Fred's campaign, it would ruin his life. Small Fry knocks at the door repeatedly before kicking it down completely and proceeding further into the apartment. He introduces himself as the son of Poppa Poutine. His father told him that if he was to ever be murdered, not to take the life of the man who killed him i.e. Hiram, but to take the lives of the people that man loved the most. Realizing that Small Fry has come to kill them, Veronica and Hermione run into the study, where Hermione grabs a gun and shoots Small Fry multiple times and kills him. When her father returns to the Pembrooke, Veronica tells him that he has to clean up the body.

She later learns from her father that Sheriff Minetta delivered Andre and Small Fry's bodies to the coroner's office and tagged them as riot victims, so no one's going to be asking any questions. He is sorry for the ordeal they had to withstand. Veronica takes this opportunity to reveal that she found her father's "October Surprise" file. Hiram tries to cover for himself, claiming that her mother understands the cost of winning better than anyone. Veronica explains that she realized something. There will always be an October Surprise with her father. While her mother may volunteer to be his collateral damage, she won't. Hiram reminds Veronica to never lose sight of the bigger picture, but Veronica insists that she isn't the one who lost sight.

A dream sequence takes place in the opening scene. Betty, Archie and Veronica stand over Jughead's grave. Betty falls to her knees and tears fill her eyes as she begs Jughead to come back to her as their journey has only just begun. Jughead wakes up in a hospital bed. He calls out to his father, who sleeps in the chair next to his bedside. FP jumps to his seat at the sound of Jughead's voice. It would seem that some days have passed since Jughead was attacked and left for dead by Penny, Malachai and the Ghoulies. What Jughead did brought every Serpent FP had ever known out of the woodwork and Jughead would've been proud of them. It looked like they were going to win the war with the Ghoulies, but in the end, there were just too many of them.

At the Andrews house, Veronica, Archie, and Fred go over his schedule for the next three days. Veronica explains that her mother is doing an Eva Peron-like tour. Essentially shaking the trees one last time before election night. Veronica took the liberty of booking Fred right behind her, so that people know they have a choice. While his father appreciates this for all it's worth, he doesn't believe it will serve him much good considering that everyone in town is under the impression that Hiram and Hermione saved Riverdale during the riots, that it was Sheriff Minetta who brought the chaos to an end. However, Archie and Veronica know the truth, that Hiram doesn't want to save the town, but take it over. Luckily, Veronica won't stop until Fred is elected mayor. Even if it means putting her own political missions aside, meaning she will no longer be running for student council alongside Archie, who then gets a call from Betty, telling him that Jughead is awake.

Veronica and Archie rush over to the hospital to join Betty at Jughead's bedside. He informs them that he'll be released from the hospital tomorrow. Until then, there's still another mystery to be solved. Archie reveals to Jughead that Betty's dad was at town hall when another Black Hood opened fire on the candidates. He was also at home with Betty and Alice when this second Black Hood attacked Archie and Fred. Jughead believes that the attacks perpetrated by the second Black Hood have a political motive, which suggests that Hiram is actually behind the attacks, which Veronica is in agreement with. They have to stop Hiram now because once he has control of the mayor's office, the Lodges will be untouchable. While they're positive that Hiram is the mastermind, none of them believe he is the man behind the hood. They're thinking that the second Black Hood could be a Serpent or Ghoulie. But Jughead suspects that Sheriff Minetta could be the second Black Hood.

In the student lounge, Veronica and Archie learn from Reggie and Josie that they are withdrawing from the race for student body president. Reggie explains that he is clearly not ready to be a leader of men, following his near shooting of Fangs outside the station. As for Josie, she and her mother had a talk after riot night. It was then that they were reminded that Josie is an artist, not a politician. Josie wants to return to what she's best at, that being music. This only leaves Archie and Veronica to run for student council president. Along with Ethel Muggs, who is running as a third-party candidate.

After learning from Cheryl that her father was holding a summit with Cheryl's mother and uncle Claudius in one of Thornhill's barns, Veronica approaches her father with this information after school. He claims that he's looking to diversify Lodge Industries' holdings by possibly getting into the maple trade. However, Veronica suspects that her father enlisted in Claudius to impersonate the Black Hood and have him shoot up the town hall debate. Her mother interjects, telling Veronica that she's out of line. While Hiram suspects that Veronica's imagination may be getting the better of her, Veronica counters that none of them can deny the possibility that Hiram would put Hermione in harm's way in order to accomplish his own personal/political agenda.

Veronica and Archie head over to Betty's to convince her to come back to school, but she's hesitant. How can she? Her father killed Midge and shot Moose. Betty doesn't think she can ever show her face at school again. She asks if Archie hates her father for shooting his father. Because she does. Seeing that Betty is in need, Veronica and Archie comfort her.

Veronica's mother admits to her that it is entirely conceivable that her father orchestrated the attack at town hall, and it made her mother think that Veronica should at least have a contingency in place. There is a bit of leverage that, should Veronica acquire it, would give her power over her father. His plans for the Southside go far beyond the prison. He wants to consolidate the entire area into something. But there's one critical piece of the Southside that he doesn't own yet, that's keeping his takeover from being complete, the Whyte Wyrm. Though, he's in the middle of negotiations with the proprietor. However, Veronica will need money to block him.

Veronica hires attorney McCoy to represent her in regards to the $1,000,000 her father plundered from her. Attorney McCoy tells Hiram that Veronica would like it back, but Hiram states that it's in a trust as he's looking out for her future. Given his resistance, Veronica threatens her father. If he doesn't release her funds, she'll start telling his secrets, like the fake Black Hood attacks, Poppa Poutine's murder, the crippling of Nick St. Clair, amongst other things. Veronica vows to expose all his dirty laundry if he doesn't hand her money back over to her. In fear that Veronica will follow through with her threats, Hiram concedes. Meanwhile, Hermione watches from the doorway as this unfolds.

The next day, after Archie, Jughead and Cheryl saved the Serpents from a raid at the Whyte Wrym, Veronica joins them and the rest of their classmates. The school comes together in a show support of the Southside students who are being wrongly transferred. Archie, Jughead, Josie, Veronica, Reggie, Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, Moose, Kevin and many other students put on Serpent jackets and confront principal Weatherbee. Archie explains that everyone is ready to walk out. Mr. Weatherbee threatens to expel any student that does, though Archie calls his bluff. He knows that Weatherbee is a good man who doesn't discriminate, and if he isn't, Archie tells Weatherbee to expel him as he doesn't wish to be apart of that. With that being said, Weatherbee tells everyone to get to class.

As they head to class, Veronica approaches Jughead to inform him of insider information, which is that her father is making a play to buy the Whyte Wyrm. Veronica then learns from Jughead that FP was fired from Pop's. This saddens her as they won't be eating there anymore. Veronica explains to Jughead that she was going make a play to buy the Wyrm in order to torpedo her father's monopolizing of the Southside, but now she's thinking there's a better, smarter play here if Jughead trust her, and they move fast.

Her father arrives at the Whyte Wyrm to buy the bar from Hog Eye, however, she intercepts him. She has already bought the bar as of two hours ago. She had the deed looked over by her attorney, Sierra McCoy. It's all legal. She's willing to trade the Whyte Wyrm for Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Her father questions how Veronica knew about his purchasing of the Whyrm. Veronica lies and tells him that she learned this from the Serpents at the Andrews house the night of the raid. Hiram questions why she's risking war with him over Pop's. Veronica realized that Pop's is one of the only places left in Riverdale that she and her friends can call their own after learning how her father so callously fired FP. Hiram explains to Veronica that making this deal means that it'll be the last thing she ever gets from him, including allowances, trust funds and credit cards. As well as her third of Lodge Industries, thus relinquishes her vote, seat on the board, and legacy. Veronica agrees to these terms.

Both the mayoral election and student body election are held in the gymnasium of Riverdale High. Among the voters are Veronica, Pop Tate, Weatherbee, Sweet Pea, Josie, Moose, Reggie and many others.

Veronica, Archie, Jughead, Sweet Pea, Toni, Cheryl, Reggie, Kevin and Moose are in the student lounge when Mr. Weatherbee announces that the student council election votes are in. The new student body president of Riverdale High is Archie Andrews. The entire student body applauds his election. In unrelated news, Weatherbee also announces that for the foreseeable future, all former Southside High students will remain at Riverdale High. The entire student body applauds once more in celebration.

The Andrews host a party as they wait for the votes to come in for the mayoral election. Archie, Veronica, Sierra, Kevin, Moose, Reggie, and Josie all attend. Unfortunately, Fred loses the mayoral race to Veronica's mother. Not long after this news breaks, her mother stops by to tell Fred that he ran a great campaign. It was close. It came down to less than 200 votes. As a show of good sportsmanship, Hermione and Fred shake hands.

Veronica, Archie, Betty and Jughead meet at Pop's, Veronica's newest acquisition. According to Pop Tate, the basement of the diner used to be a secret speakeasy, back in the days of flapper dresses and cigarette girls. So, Veronica wants to reopen that speakeasy. A cabaret space for world-class entertainment and the most decadent cocktails. A place for North and Southsiders alike. In fact, she is hoping that FP might want to manage it to make sure the Serpents feel welcome and at home. As for Veronica's father, he's probably plotting some sort of revenge.

The following day, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead watch proudly from the stands as Archie prepares to be inaugurated in the school gymnasium. However, the event goes awry when Sheriff Minetta and two deputies enter the gym to arrest Archie for the murder of Shadow Lake resident, Cassidy Bullick. }}
 * -|Season 3=

Physical Appearance
Veronica is a beautiful, young Latina woman with a slender yet voluptuous physique. She has olive skin with straight, medium length, glossy jet-black hair, large expressive brown eyes, and long legs. Despite her family's recent misfortune, in which her father was arrested and everything they owned was taken from them, Veronica has managed to maintain her fancy and luxurious wardrobe, consisting of everything from stylish and expensive dresses to Louboutin heels. Her outfits often include her signature black cape with an authentic pearl necklace that was given to her by her father. She has a sophisticated and elegant look about her, that often draws people in.

Personality
Much like her nemesis Cheryl Blossom, Veronica is a charismatic and confident young girl. Before her father's arrest, Veronica was very much like her comic book counterpart and was a nasty, cruel bully (describing herself as "worse than Cheryl"), even driving one girl to transfer schools and go into therapy. After the downfall of her father, however, Veronica was humbled by the barrage of accusations made against her and resolved to change.

Veronica has also been shown to be an outspoken, and unapologetic feminist. This is evidenced when she and Betty help all of the other girls who were victims of the football teams playbook and stood up against the slut shaming that had happened because of it. Veronica is often quite elegant and charming, from her fashion sense to her demeanor. She is also rather intelligent and sophisticated, as she loves to read and often quotes or references works of literature or plays.

Since moving to Riverdale, Veronica is much more empathetic and caring of others, going out of her way to give her friends a taste of her life, from imported cupcakes to high-end designer clothing. She is fiercely loyal towards her friends, particularly Betty Cooper, and will do whatever it takes to protect them. During confrontations, Veronica is not afraid to fight back and shows her ruthless side, especially if it involves her friends and family. Veronica is also very calm, mature and forgiving, even when others have wronged her. On multiple occasions, she has made amends with Betty despite her breaking off their friendship, and she also didn't choose to get revenge on Ethel after she humiliated her in front of the whole school, by throwing a milkshake on her head.

After Archie's father was shot, Veronica wanted to be there for him, but feared that she would disappoint him. She confided in Betty, her best friend, that the old Veronica would've run away from a situation like Archie's, but has grown as a person and gone to great lengths when it comes to her friends. Veronica can be skeptical at times ever since her father went to jail for crimes he committed. This has led her to be a bit distant at first in fear that her father somehow ruined the lives of the people she wants to get close to. She also doesn't like being lied to, especially by the people who are the close to her, such as her parents, resulting in her lashing out by spending their money.

Relationships

 * Veronica and Betty
 * Veronica and Archie
 * Veronica and Jughead
 * Veronica and Cheryl
 * Veronica and Hermione
 * Veronica and Kevin
 * Veronica and Hiram
 * Veronica and Ethel

Josie McCoy
The friendship between Josie McCoy and Veronica Lodge kicked off after Veronica joined Josie and the Pussycats as a temporary replacement to Valerie Brown. They both talk to each other about personal family drama which is something they both happen to have in common with each other and can relate to. Josie and Veronica both have issues with their fathers, which is something they talk about with each other. After Veronica became an official part of the family business, Josie became distant with Veronica. After Veronica noticed how cruelly Josie's mother treated her, Veronica informed her mother, knowing Sierra had told Josie to stay away from her. Later, Sierra and Josie came to the Pembrooke and apologized. Veronica and Hermione accepted their apologies, holding no grudges, and invited them to Veronica's confirmation ceremony, where Veronica and Josie performed together.

Trivia

 * Veronica has shown to be excellent at singing and dancing.
 * Executive producer Sarah Schechter refers to Veronica as "the Ivanka "I don't want to use the word 'screwed', but I screwed him" "A lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive" Donald "That baby was driving me crazy" Trump of Riverdale".
 * She can speak Spanish.
 * She is a member of the Veronica and the Pussycats band.
 * She is a practicing Catholic.
 * She is about 5'1" in height.
 * She is often seen wearing a pearl necklace.
 * She often uses literary and/or cinematographic references to describe events or characters.