Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter

"Jason's murder had revealed some dark truths none of us were too eager to face, especially not Mayor McCoy, who wanted every last vestige of corruption crushed, like a snake under a boot heel."

- Jughead Jones

"Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter" is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of Riverdale. It premiered on May 11, 2017.

Synopsis
SEASON FINALE – Archie and Veronica continue to grow closer. Betty is tired of her family acting as if nothing has happened and confronts her mother. Jughead finds himself in an unexpected situation, leaving Archie and the gang scrambling. Hermione makes Fred an offer that seems too good to be true. Meanwhile, the truth about Blossoms’ family business is revealed leaving Cheryl to take matters into her own hands.

Starring

 * KJ Apa as Archie Andrews
 * Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper
 * Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge
 * Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones
 * Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge
 * Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom
 * Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy
 * Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper
 * Luke Perry as Fred Andrews

Guest Starring

 * Casey Cott as Kevin Keller
 * Martin Cummins as Sheriff Keller
 * Robin Givens as Sierra McCoy
 * Skeet Ulrich as FP Jones
 * Nathalie Boltt as Penelope Blossom
 * Asha Bromfield as Melody Valentine
 * Peter Bryant as Mr. Weatherbee
 * Hayley Law as Valerie Brown
 * Lochlyn Munro as Hal Cooper
 * Tiera Skovbye as Polly Cooper

Co-Starring

 * Alison Araya as Ms. Weiss
 * Jay Clift as Gunman
 * Helen Dixon as Old Waitress
 * Arthur MacKinnon as Other Serpent
 * Tom McBeath as Smithers
 * Scott McNeill as Older Serpent
 * Alvin Sanders as Pop Tate
 * Trevor Stines as Jason Blossom

Soundtrack

 * "These Are the Moments I Remember"
 * "Astronaut"
 * "Believer by Imagine Dragons"

Quotes
"Who will the Grim Reaper take next? You? Me? Maybe your father had the right idea. Just end it. Better the sweet hereafter than this awful limbo."

- Penelope to Cheryl after Clifford's funeral

"I'm sick of all the secrets and the lies in this town and in this family. I would much rather take some heat for being honest than do what you're doing. Living in fear of the truth."

- Betty to Alice

"There are some secrets that are so painful, you not only hide them from the world, but you hide them from yourself."

- Alice to Betty

"People will look back at this as the exact moment that last bit of Riverdale's innocence finally died, and darkness won. Marked by an act of violence, that was anything but random."

- Jughead in narration

Trivia

 * This episode is the season one finale of Riverdale.
 * The title for this chapter is named after the 1997 film "The Sweet Hereafter", adapted from the Russell Banks novel of the same name.
 * Alice Cooper joined Jughead in the opening narration.
 * According to showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, KJ Apa broke his hand while filming the scene in which Archie repeatedly punches the ice, resulting in the cast that Archie is seen wearing throughout the rest of the episode.
 * The CW released a deleted scene online that featured Ross Butler's final appearance.
 * In a pop culture reference, Veronica possibly alludes to the slogan of the first season of Heroes when she says: "To Archie Andrews, who saved the cheerleader and saved the town".
 * It is shown at the end that the Southside Serpents have a pet dog named Hot Dog. In the comics, Hotdog is Jughead's dog.