Archie Andrews

"When Kevin came to me about Carrie, The Musical, he said I was the literal embodiment of Tommy Ross. Loyal, selfless, a hero, a force for good. But I'm none of those things. I'm not the hero of any story. Lately, I've been going down this dark path, ignoring how much it hurt my dad."

- Archie to Jughead

Archibald "Archie" Andrews is the main character on The CW's Riverdale. He is portrayed by KJ Apa.

Archie is a student at Riverdale High School, a budding musician, and a football player for the Riverdale Bulldogs. His team number was number nine, given to him by Coach Clayton. This number was originally Jason Blossom's jersey, and so Archie took it upon himself to retire the jersey in Jason's honor and took the number seventeen in its place. Archie used to be the Captain of the football team but decided to defer his status as captain to Reggie Mantle after he felt more of an affinity with his music.

Archie has been best friends with Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper since childhood. Betty develops feelings for Archie, in she ends up revealing to him. However, he doesn't reciprocate her feelings and decides to stay just friends with Betty, which causes minor temporary strain in their relationship. He instead is drawn to the new rich girl named Veronica who had just moved to Riverdale from New York following the arrest of her wealthy billionaire father Hiram Lodge after he committed fraud and embezzlement.

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

Since the Black Hood has been terrorizing Riverdale and the Southside Serpents have been causing trouble for him due to his best friend Jughead joining them, Archie has made it his number one mission to make peace and stop any more chaos from happening. He's also determined to protect his loved ones as well as innocents of Riverdale from the tumultuous events that repeatedly keep happening in Riverdale. After he and Betty joined forces to successfully stop the Black Hood, Archie resumed his life as an average teenager, as he hoped to one day start a band of his own.

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

Early Life
Archie grew up in Riverdale, the only child of Fred and Mary Andrews. At the age of thirteen, two years prior to the beginning of the series, his parents separated and his mother moved to Chicago, leaving him to be raised by his father. Archie, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones are childhood friends. Archie has known Betty since they were four and have been best friends ever since. They have always gone to the same schools and been in the same classes.

When he was in the second grade, he was having trouble reading, so his teacher suggested that he should be held back a year. However, Betty was so against the thought of her and Archie not being in the same grade that she took it upon herself to tutor him every day. When he passed, Archie kissed Betty and asked her to marry him. She told him they were too young, but to ask again when they are eighteen, and she'd say yes.

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

Throughout Riverdale

 * -|Season 1=

Season 1
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Secret Love Affair with Ms. Grundy
The night before returning to school, Archie reunited with Betty at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe after a summer apart, where he revealed to her that he wanted to pursue his newly-found passion for music. As Betty was on the brink of confessing her romantic feelings for him, he was distracted by the appearance of a new girl; Veronica Lodge. Archie immediately appeared interested, and so Betty stayed silent.

At school the next day, Archie approached Josie and the Pussycats with the intention of offering them some songs he had written but was rebuffed. He also asked Ms. Grundy to listen to his songs, but she was wary and wanted to distance herself from him after the events of the past summer. Archie expressed his uneasiness about what happened to Jason, but they agreed they had to remain silent.

At football tryouts, Archie was offered Jason's spot on the varsity team despite only being a sophomore. Archie was reluctant to accept, citing his father's desire for him to help with the construction company as an excuse. He then ran into Betty and Veronica and agreed to go with them to the back to school dance.

When he got home, his dad confronted him after receiving a phone call from Coach Clayton, claiming that Archie would be working for construction company, despite the fact that he had earlier told his father he would be playing football. Archie revealed that he wanted to study music and had no desire to take over the family business.

At the dance later that evening, Archie managed to persuade Ms. Grundy to agree to an independent study so he could work on his music. Betty finally revealed her feelings for him, to Archie's dismay, to make matters worse, at the after-party, Cheryl Blossom coerced Archie into playing Seven Minutes in Heaven with Veronica. They ended up kissing against their better judgment, and returned to the party to find that Betty had left in distress. Archie set off in search of her, going first to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, where he found Jughead instead. Jughead told him to talk to her, as it would have worked with him. When Archie eventually returned to Betty's house, he told her that he loved her, but he couldn't give her the answer she wanted as he wasn't good enough for her. Although this wasn't his intention, Betty was deeply hurt by this.

The following morning, after the discovery of Jason Blossom's body at Sweetwater River, Archie and Fred stood alongside the shore as he was brought in and taken away.

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

The next morning, his dad revealed that he heard Archie sneak out last night, to which Archie explained he was going on a jog, as Jason's death had been weighing on him. Before leaving, Archie received a surprise visit from Betty, who asked him to walk with her to school. She explained her emotional state, and where she'd like to go from that point on in their friendship, Archie was relieved to learn that she wanted to remain friends.

On his way to class, Archie stopped by the display case, which featured Jason in his Riverdale Bulldogs uniform, he then nervously looked away from Mr. Weatherbee as they announced to the school that Jason's death would be treated as a homicide. He was then confronted by Jughead, who explained that they were supposed to go on a road trip over the 4th of July weekend, which Archie bailed on at the last minute. Jughead wondered if Archie had possibly been hiding something.

In class, Archie asked to be partnered with Cheryl during class in order to talk to her alone, notably, they hadn't talked since the summer, but Archie wanted to give his condolences on the loss of her brother. He asked if the police had any leads in the case, unfortunately, they didn't, but Cheryl's twin tuition was telling her that it was someone they all knew.

Archie was joined at lunch by Betty, Veronica and Kevin as he wrote one of his songs, which both Veronica and Betty insisted that he played for them. At their request, Archie performed his song for everyone in attendance, sadly, it struck an unforeseen nerve in Betty, in which she left the lunch table crying. The current rift in their relationship overwhelmed Betty, she could no longer pretend that the previous weekend never happened, before he could get a word in, Mr. Weatherbee called him over, hoping to talk about the look they had earlier exchanged. Archie claimed that he was distracted and wasn't feeling well, but Weatherbee wasn't buying it, he told Archie if there was something he wanted to get off his chest, perhaps about Jason, he'd be there to listen.

Archie immediately ran to Geraldine and informed her of his latest encounter, but he wanted to know from her if what they had was real, because if it wasn't, he didn't know what he was protecting. Geraldine sensually grabbed his hand, claiming that what they had was indeed real, even if it wasn't right, she then told him that if he ever told Weatherbee the truth, they could never see each other again.

That evening, he ran into Veronica as he picked up an order from Pop's shoppe, he then met Hermione Lodge, Veronica's mother and an old friend of his father. Before leaving, Hermione volunteered Archie to walk Veronica home, they talked about their mutually disintegrating friendships with Betty. He told Veronica about his past with Betty, how they first met, and how she'd always been there for him in his time of need, so he hated that he hurt her.

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

In the student lounge, Archie and Reggie got into a fist fight after Reggie threatened Jughead, unfortunately for Archie, he was on the losing side of the fight, left with nothing but a black eye.

Once home, he told his father that the black eye was from Reggie and that the argument Fred had stumbled upon the previous night between him and Jughead was over a girl. Archie thought they should do something, and it's the right thing, but if Archie does it, the girl says it would ruin what they have. Fred explained that he has to do the right thing at whatever the cost, even if it'll potentially ruin his relationship.

During the Pep Rally, Archie approached Geraldine to tell her that he would be coming clean to Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller about the gunshot, although he respected her choice to stay out of it, he couldn't sit back and do nothing. After talking to Geraldine. Archie went over to Jughead, and informed him that he'd be telling Weatherbee about the gunshot on July 4th. He then apologized for the crap he said to him the other night. This was the beginning of a long road to mending their friendship. Following the pep-rally, Archie and Jughead joined Betty and Veronica in a booth at Pop's shoppe.

The next morning, Archie prepared to come forward about the gunshot at Sweetwater, however, Sheriff Keller and Weatherbee were more concerned with Cheryl, as she admitted being guilty.

The following morning, after Cheryl had explained what she meant by being guilty, Archie finally decided to tell the police that he'd also heard the gunshot that morning by the lakeside, which backed up Cheryl's claim of hearing gunfire as well. However, as promised, he didn't include Ms. Grundy in the confession, his cover story was that he was there with his dog, working on some songs that early morning.

When he returned home that evening, his father had learned about his confession and confronted him on it. Fred assumed that he had been lied to as Archie claimed that he and Jughead would be on a road trip that July 4th, but Archie explained that he didn't want to drag his father into it. Which was an error in judgment as their argument resulted in Archie being grounded for two weeks.

They were going to crucify Cheryl if Archie didn't assist by corroborating her story about the gunshot, which is what he tried to explain to Geraldine the next day. He left her name out, so he didn't see the big deal, but to Geraldine, it was a very big deal, because of his do-gooder tendency, he was currently wrapped up in a murder case, meaning if Sheriff Keller decided to dig, he could find out about them. With that in mind, Geraldine suspended their lessons.

Cheryl thanked Archie in class for coming forward about the gunshot, in return, she granted him one wish, which Archie took her up on, he wanted Josie's assistance in helping him with his music. Cheryl came through on her end, as Josie met up with Archie in the student lounge, she explained that the Pussycats would be rehearsing every night that week in preparation for the Taste of Riverdale, Archie was welcome to quietly sit in.

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

Fred caught Archie sneaking back into the house after a night at rehearsal with the Pussycats. Archie was scolded for breaking curfew, which led to a heated argument as Fred wouldn't allow him to attend the Taste of Riverdale event. Archie wasn't happy that his father didn't understand his interest in music, as Fred would have pardoned him if he had a football game that night, but he wouldn't do the same for his music.

Despite his father being perfectly clear on Archie not attending the Taste of Riverdale, he sneaked in anyway and watched from the second floor with Jughead, as Josie and the Pussycats performed a song that he helped work on. In the distance, he saw Fred engaging in a conversation with his music teacher, Ms. Grundy. They talked about Archie's music skills, in which Ms. Grundy assured Fred of his son's talents and how he's was a "special kid". Upon hearing this, the next day, Fred made the garage soundproof for Archie to continue practicing his music. Thrilled that his father finally believed in his passion, Archie went to thank Ms. Grundy for talking his dad into respecting his choice to pursue music and he asked if they could restart their music lessons, which then resulted in sex.

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

The next day at school, Archie asked Jughead how hard it would have been for a heads-up, and if Betty would be writing about him and Grundy in the paper like she did with Chuck Clayton. Archie wasn't sure what would happen in the long run with him and Grundy, but he wanted to hold onto what they had for as long as he could.

He sat down at Pop's shoppe with Betty and Veronica, both of whom had done online research on Geraldine. They discovered that one year ago, she apparently appeared out of thin air, all her social media accounts only date back one year. Before that, there was no record of her existence, the only Geraldine Grundy they could find was an elderly woman that died seven years prior. Archie wondered if they "cyber-stalked" Ms. Grundy before or after Betty had her fake interview with her. He wasn't in any danger, so he questioned why Betty was so concerned when he wasn't, saying that if she was really his friend, she would let it go. With that in mind, Betty assured him that she would stop digging into Ms. Grundy's past.

Archie spent his night with Geraldine, watching old movies at her place, after his conversation with Betty and Veronica, he wanted to know more about her, such as if she'd always wanted to be a teacher. She told him that she had a dream of playing at major symphonies, but sometimes that's all they ever are; dreams. Archie then asked if what they had was a dream, to which Geraldine asked would it be so bad if it was because she thought of it as a nice dream, but Archie couldn't help but wonder where it would all end.

Archie approached his home to find Betty and Veronica waiting for him, they found a gun in Grundy's car and an ID with the name Jennifer Gibson. This, along with the fact that she taught Jason Blossom and asked Archie to lie for her was more than enough for Betty to suspect her as the possible killer. Even in spite of all the evidence, Archie still defended Geraldine, but he wasn't quite why.

The next day, with so many questions weighing on him, Archie finally decided to ask Geraldine about her past, starting with her real name, and why she even moved to Riverdale. Geraldine told him that she had a drunk abusive husband; one night he beat her to the point where she was in the ER with broken ribs and a shattered collarbone, he promised it wouldn't happen again, but when it did, she divorced him, changed her name and moved to Riverdale.

After leaving her house, Archie informed Betty of all he had learned from Geraldine, all of which explained why she had a fake identity and a gun. Archie claimed that he was going to deal with the situation involving Geraldine, but on his terms, not Betty's.

That night, Archie paid Geraldine a surprise visit at school. He gave her an expensive cello bow as a thank you, for all her help. While he didn't want to end their lessons, that's exactly what he thought they should do, the bow was a "don't forget me" gift. Moments later, Mrs. Cooper came bursting into the classroom, with Fred and Betty, all three fully aware of what had actually been going on between Archie and Geraldine. Mrs. Cooper wanted to turn the situation over to Sheriff Keller, which Archie refused to allow, stating that everything that happened, he wanted to happen. Betty asked why her mother was putting Geraldine on trial, in which she replied that it was more about Archie, and her wanting to expose him for the person that he was. Archie admitted that he was selfish and stupid, but he pleaded with Alice to leave Grundy alone, however, there was no getting through to her as Mrs. Cooper even threatened to inform the neighbors. Had she done that, Betty would have told the town how she robbed Geraldine and made up the story of her affair with Archie, which would lead everyone to think what many already believe, which is that crazy runs in the Cooper family. Hearing this, Mrs. Cooper agreed to keep quiet so long as Geraldine quit her job and left town. Unfortunately, Archie wasn't too satisfied with this arrangement.

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

Music or Football?
Archie pounded on a punching bag all night long in an effort to get back in fighting shape for football. With Coach Clayton preparing to set a starting line up, and name a new team captain, Archie needed to be at the top of his game, as football would get him a scholarship to college, where he could then study music.

The next morning during practice, Archie took a hard hit on the field due to his lack in focus, which Coach wasn't too pleased with. In the locker room, Coach called over Reggie, who also had his eye on team captain, and pitted the two players against each other. Whoever impressed him the most within a week would be named the next team captain. Archie attempted to smooth things over with Reggie, but he wasn't interested, claiming that he was the only one deserving of wearing Jason Blossom's jersey.

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

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

Archie spent that night in his room writing down his music with Valerie. She was surprised with how quickly he caught on. His father entered the room, surprised by Valerie's presence, as he wasn't aware she was there, which led to a lot of rambling on from Fred, until Archie stopped him, saying that they were busy working on his music.

Back on the field, Archie struggled to remember the plays, having to write them on his arm, which wasn't much help as he was still clueless during practice, leaving him pen to attack from Reggie, who unintentionally injured Archie's hand during one of the plays. Fortunately, Archie managed to pull off one successful play, but as Reggie helped him up, he realized that Archie's hand was busted yet Archie refused to sit out.

Veronica later found him sitting on a bench, wrapping his playing hand, she assisted him, while at the same time wondering if he was punishing himself. Archie explained he hurt his hand because he didn't know the play, and he didn't know the play because he was up writing music all night, instead of studying. She finished wrapping his hand and told him to take better care of it since it would be worth millions one day.

Archie met with Oscar as planned, who described Archie's songs as juvenile and repetitive, which is why he didn't think he had anything to offer Archie.

That weekend, Archie attended Jason's memorial, along with Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, and Valerie. Unexpectedly, he approached Penelope Blossom, giving his condolences then handing over Jason's jersey, but Penelope couldn't see past how much he looked like Jason, she stroked his hair before apologizing and thanking Archie for the kind gesture.

Following the memorial, Archie and Valerie grabbed a booth at Pop's shoppe, Archie wondered if Ms. Grundy had possibly lied to him about his talent, but Val didn't understand why he was questioning himself. She explained that doing what they're doing is hard, almost impossible, but Valerie wondered if it wasn't his coach, his father, or Oscar holding him back, maybe it was himself.

One week had passed, and as promised, Coach was ready to pick a new captain, he chose Archie after that stunt he pulled with giving the Blossom family Jason's jersey, which Coach believed to be the showing of a good leader. However, Archie turned down the role as team captain because he needed to focus on pursuing his music career, but he still wanted to be on the team.

Archie started the day off with looking through an old toy chest for his guitar strap, however, he would first find a werewolf mask, which left him uneasy.

At school, he auditioned for the 75th annual Variety Show. but he choked, the players in the stands, Reggie and Moose included, were suddenly wearing werewolf masks as the pressure weighed on him. As the host of the event, Kevin allowed Archie to take his time. However, he didn't seem to need it as he stormed off stage. He told Valerie that when he was up on stage looking out, he froze, which is unlike him. When he's on the football field, the stands can be packed, and it wouldn't affect his game. Archie believed his stage freight was based on his need for a team, or at least a partner, so he asked Valerie if she'd sing with him. Sadly, Valerie had to decline his offer because she was a Pussycat, meaning Josie would never allow it.

Thanks to Veronica, who spoke to Kevin, Archie had a slot in the Variety Show if he still wanted it. Playing his songs in front of his friends is completely different from playing it on stage by himself, to which Veronica explained that she was both a willing and able singing partner. Archie was then informed by his father that he had bought tickets for all the guys at Andrews Construction to see him perform. His father would also be attending with Hermione, which was need for him to wonder if it was something that Archie was okay with, which he was, saying that both he and his mother were good.

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

It wasn't long before he and Valerie saw her again, but this time strutting down the hallway with Josie and Melody, as the latest member of the Pussycats.

Archie and Valerie practiced their performance in his garage, but he could sense that she was in a mood. Valerie explained that the tension he was feeling came from the fact that she was taking a huge risk by quitting the Pussycats. She found her voice with them, years ago.

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

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

Archie appeared in Jughead's dream, where he claimed Jughead stabbed him in his back, as he literally had a kitchen knife sticking out of his back.

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

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

Archie assisted in the search party throughout Eversgreen Forest for Polly. They initially headed East, towards Sweetwater River. He apologized to Betty for not being there to help with her sister, which Betty said was okay, as he was there helping at that moment.

In celebration of FP's first successful day back at Andrews Construction, Archie, Fred, Jughead, and FP went out to eat at Pop's shoppe, where the two fathers told stories about their younger years. After dinner, Archie, Jughead, and FP rocked out in the garage, FP complimented him on his skills, claiming Archie was far better than his father. Before he could leave, Archie asked FP what he meant when he had earlier said that Fred owed him, to which FP explained that he got into trouble after working some odd jobs to support his family, Fred bailed him out, however, he wanted nothing to do with FP afterward.

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

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

Saving the Family Business
A late night of gaming ensued for Archie and Jughead, like two roommates in a college dorm; that is until Fred entered the room to inform the boys that it was time to call it a night, but not before noticing the awful smell coursing throughout Archie's room. Fred then informed them that he'd be breaking ground on the SoDale project the next morning, before telling them goodnight.

The following night, Archie returned home from his date with Valerie to discover that his father hadn't been as plain-spoken about the severity of danger that Andrews Construction facing. The company had been in trouble for a long time, so many problems, with so little that he could actually do. Fred worked his butt off to build that company but in one false step, he could lose everything, yet Archie assured him that they wouldn't be losing anything.

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

Upon Sheriff Keller's arrival, Archie confessed that he believed the Southside Serpents to be Moose's attackers, as they would have been furious after having to leave their own territory due to the construction. However, the Sheriff wasn't convinced that there was anything he could do without an ID on the attackers, to which Archie called him out for not doing more; had it been Cliff Blossom that needed the Sheriff's help, he would have agreed.

In his room the next day, Archie paced back and forth, wondering what his next move should be after the attack at Andrews construction, whatever it was, Valerie only hoped that he'd talk to her and not do something that he'd eventually end up regretting.

After several unanswered texts from Jughead, Archie found him at Pop's shoppe with Betty and Veronica. Archie and Moose were going to the Southside in order to find the Serpents that potentially attacked Moose. Kevin's boyfriend, who was also a Serpent, could get them into a bar called the Whyte Wyrm. It was a known hang out for the Serpents. The plan consisted of them going in, and if Moose spotted either of his attackers, they'd call Sheriff Keller. With Cliff Blossom trying to stop the construction and Keller blowing his father off the night before, someone had to take action. Archie asked if Jughead would be joining him, which he didn't.

At the bar, Moose pointed out Mustang, a Serpent and possibly one of his attackers. Despite their initial plan to call the cops, Archie confronted Mustang head-on, asking if he liked beating up teenagers, but the Serpent had no time for games as Archie wasn't the first bulldog to come into the bar, and start up trouble (Jason Blossom reference). He shoved Archie, and Archie shoved back which would have escalated had FP not been there to break up the fight.

Archie, Kevin, and Moose were escorted out of the bar by FP, but he demanded that Archie stay behind. Archie then explained that his reasoning for being at the Wyrm and how he came to the conclusion that the Serpents were at the center of it, the fact that FP was a Serpent only confirmed his suspicion, he figured it was personal, payback at Fred for firing him. FP denied all allegations, he informed Archie that life was too short, just then Fred pulled up, and told him to get in the truck.

However, as his father was distracted with FP, Archie sneaked out the truck and confronted Jughead at Polly's baby shower, but Veronica checked them both and led Archie out the door, telling them to settle it at a later time.

Archie returned home after leaving the baby shower, where he had a heart-to-heart with his father; Archie only wanted to help Fred the same way he had always helped him. Fred went on about how bad things had gotten, everything from their family falling apart, to Archie's future. He's spent his entire life building things, but now he can't seem to get them to work out for him, and it that moment, it became apparent that his father was losing his will, but Archie refused to accept that. He'd been thinking, what if he had a kid someday that hated music, and instead wanted to build houses and buildings like Fred. Archie expressed how cool he thought that was. Building things was Fred's legacy, making it Archie's too.

He toyed with his guitar later that night until Jughead returned home, during which time the two of them discussed how they should always trust each other as brothers.

As Archie tuned his guitar that morning in the music room, Cheryl entered with an invitation for him to escort her to her family's annual event, the tree tapping ceremony. That week was the official start of the maple season, and she needed a date, as for obvious reasons, Jason would not be able to attend. Admittedly, Archie would love to help her, however, he could not accept her invitation because he had a girlfriend, though he suggested that she ask Kevin or Reggie. Unfortunately, Cheryl did not want Kevin or Reggie, she desired Archie, he was the only person to defend her against Sheriff Keller, even when her parents did not.

Soon after his talk with Cheryl, he was confronted by her mother, Mrs. Blossom, who was aware of Archie's passion for music, and capable of getting him into the Brandenburg Music Academy, which was a school for the musically gifted, though hard to get into. Mrs. Blossom recalled how Archie brought her Jason's football jersey during his memorial, that was a gesture of kindness during a moment of despair for her family, making Archie a good person in her eyes. Mrs. Blossom insisted that Archie escort Cheryl, it would only be an afternoon and it would mean the world to Cheryl, which Archie finally came around to agree to.

In the lounge, Archie celebrated with his friends over the possibility that he would be accepted into the exclusive summer music program. Jughead and Veronica questioned the validity of Archie's agreement with the Blossoms, but Betty thought it was a great idea, then asking if Archie could check on Polly while he was there.

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

Hearing how aunt Cricket and uncle Bedford were insulting Cheryl, Archie came to her defense, informing them that Cheryl loved Jason, she did as much to help the Bulldogs win as he did, she also had a 4.0 GPA, so if there was one thing that he learned from Cheryl, it was that she should not be underestimated or betted against.

A little while later, Mr. Blossom admitted that he was taken back when Cheryl revealed that she wanted Archie to escort her to the tapping, considering how he and Archie's father were not seeing eye-to-eye at the moment. Archie explained that he was there for Cheryl, and because he was grateful for them getting him into music academy. The Blossoms could be quite generous, Cliff said, and he wanted Archie to escort Cheryl to the Blossom Banquet being held later that week at the Belmont Lodge. Archie commented that he was an Andrews. a fancy dinner was not exactly their kind of scene, but this was precisely why Cliff wanted him in attendance, people like him and his father were the bedrock of Riverdale, so Archie accepted.

After the tree tapping, Archie informed Betty and her mother of all he had learned that day, starting with Polly, who was not coming back and was being treated great by the Blossoms. He then informed Mrs. Cooper that the Blossoms' business was in jeopardy after the scandal with Jason and Polly, the board of trustees might seek to steal the company from Mr. Blossom.

The following night, he received a surprise visit from Cheryl, who wished to thank him with a brand new guitar for agreeing to escort her to the banquet, Cheryl kissed him on the cheek and then left. Fred advised him to give it back, but Archie reminded him the Blossoms were going to get him into the best music program in the country, they believed in his potential. Fred informed Archie that the Blossoms were no friend to them, they were only using Archie, as he and his father were nothing more to them than dirt under their shoe.

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

The next day, Valerie informed Archie that she had just had a chat with Cheryl, who believed that she was going to steal Archie away, which Archie insisted was not true. Valerie did not blame Cheryl, between the new guitar and new suit, it was obvious that they were buying Archie, which he did not mind so long as it helped his father and gained him access to the music program. Archie wondered what Val would do in his situation, to which she explained that if he had to ask, then he did not know her at all.

As promised, Archie escorted Cheryl to the banquet that week, she told him that her parents kind ways were not genuine as they wanted her to fail the tapping. Just then, Mr. Blossom requested to speak with him privately. He had decided to help his father since Archie had helped them. The Andrews had a bright future with the Blossoms. Archie reminded him that they did not have to keep doing him favors, he liked Cheryl and was happy to be there for her as a friend. Though Cheryl was a bright girl, the trustees were skeptical of having her play an active role in the company, but if someone with Archie's character were at her side to temper her erratic behavior, they would be more inclined. Basically, having Archie with Cheryl created an appealing picture. Polly interrupted the two of them, asking to have the first dance with Archie, she explained that the Blossoms had something to do with Jason's death, and she was there to figure out how, but she needed Archie to get Betty to back off.

Upon that discovery, he noticed Cheryl storm off after a fight with her father, in which Archie followed her out to the pool in order to check on her. Cheryl felt as if everyone hated her, but Archie did not want her to worry about them because he thought she was awesome, which is why Cheryl often thought that Archie was the only decent person left in Riverdale. Cheryl then kissed Archie, taken by surprise, all Archie could do was walk off, however, while doing so, he stumbled upon Cliff and Penelope, who were boasting about how Cliff got Veronica's father arrested.

On the other side of the lodge, after Cheryl had finally caught up, Archie revealed that he could no longer be apart of the arrangement with the Blossoms. Cheryl reminded him that all the good they had done would go away too. Archie claimed that he was there as a favor to her mom, but Cheryl corrected him, saying that he was there because he wanted something from them, making him no better than the others.

The next day, Archie caught up with Valerie to tell her that he was done with the Blossoms, and to admit that she was right about him being bought and taking shortcuts. Unfortunately, Valerie was done with him as she was sick of being ignored, and unlike him, she would not be bought.

Archie went to Jughead and Betty at the Blue and Gold offices with one last piece of information. He informed them that he overheard the Blossoms talking about sending Veronica's father to jail.

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

At school later that day, Archie and a hesitant Betty informed Veronica that while at the Blossom family tree tapping, he overheard Cliff Blossom say that he was responsible for Hiram Lodge's incarceration. Immediately after this, Archie told Betty that Jughead's birthday was coming up but to not make a big deal out of it because he hated his birthday. For the last few years, he and Jughead went to a double-feature at the Bijou, it became a tradition. But since Jughead had a girlfriend this time around, Archie thought it best if Betty took him alone as he did not want to be a third wheel.

During lunch, Archie exchanged tension filled looks from across the cafeteria with Valerie and Melody. Having learned from Jughead's father that he never had a birthday party, a claim that Archie corroborated, Betty suggested that they throw him a low-key surprise party, which Veronica and Kevin were all for. However, Archie informed them that it was a terrible idea considering that Jughead hated his birthday. Just then, Chuck Clayton entered the cafeteria, headed towards Ethel's table, which was quite the surprise to Archie since he was under the impression that Chuck had been expelled. After thinking it over, he decided to hop on board with the plan to throw a surprise party, even volunteering his house as the location.

After revealing to Jughead that night that he told Betty about his birthday and that she would be accompanying him to the Bijou, Archie wondered why Jughead despised his birthday so passionately. When Jughead was a kid, his home life was always messed up, and then his birthday would come, and they would pretend as if everything was normal, which consequently made him feel lonely.

Archie received a call from his dad, who was checking in. He asked if his father had seen his mother yet, which he hadn't. His father thought it would be better if they talked when the lawyers was present. This only further disappointed Archie as his parents could not communicate to one another without a mediator.

That night, Archie had some pre-game drinking before the party even started, denying any claims of being drunk despite the aroma of alcohol protruding from him as Jughead and Betty returned from the Bijou. After greeting one another, Betty brought out the cake and sung to Jughead, but Veronica took off before he could even blow out the candles, with Archie right behind to check on her. Veronica was not willing to talk about it, so Archie offered her a drink, then informing her that his parents were about to finalize their divorce, his mom wanted to leave Riverdale, his dad wanted to stay, and so did Archie. Veronica then told Archie how her own father threatened to destroy her mother if she did not testify on his behalf, which left Veronica in an uneasy state, leading Archie to offer her a hug that Jughead and Betty walked in on.

The doorbell rang just as the couple began to fight, outside was Cheryl and Chuck, along with a few dozen classmates, all ready to party. Despite being completely aware of Jughead's stance on the party, Archie invited everyone in, telling Moose that one keg could go in the kitchen, and the other in the back, then proceeding to take the dance floor.

As Valerie arrived, he went searching for Jughead for advice, and upon finding him in the garage, Jughead expressed his disappointment in Archie because it was his job to make sure his birthday never turned out in the way it just did. Archie insisted it was Betty's idea, and that he simply went along with, furthermore, she's his girlfriend, meaning Jughead gets a birthday party whether he wants one or not, resulting in conflict.

Outside the house, he approached Valerie hoping to talk about their break up, but she was not trying to hear it. Val broke up with Archie because she thought he was a hot mess, and his demeanor at the party only supported that conclusion, which then led to Archie getting embarrassed as she spilled her entire drink all over him. Facing a time of difficulty, Archie went up to his room and called his father.

Meanwhile, Chuck and Cheryl blocked off the front door as Jughead attempted to leave, announcing that they all would be playing a game called "Secrets & Sins", which called for them to reveal their secrets to everyone. Unfortunately, during this game, Dilton Doiley revealed that Ms. Grundy's car was at Sweetwater River on July 4th, and that Archie was there as well, essentially making Archie's relationship with Grundy public information amongst the students. The game shifted to Betty as Chuck retold the story that led to his suspension, Archie attempted to defend her but Chuck shut him down, saying he may get a sneak peek every night, but he did not know Betty. Where Archie failed in Betty's defense, Jughead did not, punching Chuck right in the face, however, chuck struck back, resulting in FP dragging him out the house and ending the party altogether.

As the house finally settled down, Archie and Veronica chatted on the couch about the failings within their respective lives. Archie admitted to drunk dialing his dad, he told him not to sign the divorce papers, but he's not sure why, he doesn't want his parents to get back together. He then wondered what life would be like had he made different choices, such as moving to Chicago with his mother, and while this was not a question Veronica could answer, had he moved, they would have never met, which would have been a tragedy of epic proportions. He acknowledged how messed up he was, they all are, But Archie was less messed up than most, Veronica said. The two of them began to kiss.

The next morning, Archie woke up and immediately began cleaning, while was ignoring his father's calls at the same time. Jughead then asked about him and Veronica as he caught her sneaking out earlier that morning.

Archie managed to get the house clean just as his father returned, much to his surprise, he was not alone, Archie's mother had returned with him.

Archie sat at the dining room table eating breakfast alongside his mother. He knew the reason she returned to Riverdale was because of the divorce and the drunk phone call he made. He explained to his mother that he was fine. His friends were amazing, him and his father were closer than ever before, and he even had been singing and song writing. His mother had hoped that he would play her some songs before she left, which he was more than happy to, then mentioning that he would be performing at Homecoming, the perfect opportunity for her to see him play live.

Upon arriving at school, he apologized to Veronica for not calling her back, he was preoccupied with his mother's surprise return, but Veronica claimed he didn't owe her an explanation. From this, Archie concluded that she was going to pretend as if their moment at Jughead's party never occurred. Veronica pulled him over to the side, and while neither of them regretted the beautiful but fleeting moment they had, Veronica didn't have the bandwidth to be with anyone at the moment. In that case, Archie asked if they could at least do the duet together at Homecoming. Veronica declined his offer as there were a million reasons why they had to pretend their kiss never happened.

After learning that Cheryl and Polly would be campaigning as co-Queens of the Homecoming dance, Archie asked Betty if he could play a couple songs during the event as he had already told his mother that he would. Initially hesitant, as Archie's style of song writing was dark, Betty agreed to let him play once Veronica announced that she would be performing up beat songs with him. In an empty classroom, where they could talk privately, Archie asked Veronica what led to her sudden change of heart. It was brought on by her need in Archie's assistance in breaking into FP's trailer in search of any evidence that might indicate he had some kind of involvement in the murder of Jason Blossom, because if FP was involved, then more than likely, so was her dad. Even though FP and Hiram had business in the past, going from vandalism to murder was a big leap. Archie was shocked to learn Veronica was working with Mrs. Cooper, but she was going to keep FP busy while they broke into the trailer, however, Archie refused to go behind Jughead's back.

Archie then came home to find his parents in the kitchen, together and happy, it was nice but strange after them being apart for so long. Jughead then entered the kitchen, leading Mary to ask who else would be attending the dance other than her and Fred, which was a pleasant surprise for Archie because his parents wanted to be together just to see him play.

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

Jughead was right, Archie did leave to visit Veronica at the Pembrooke, but he did so to finally agree to help her search FP's trailer, hoping that he could prevent Jughead from being hurt any further.

The following night, just before Homecoming, Archie and Veronica made their way over to the trailer, under an old and rusty lawn gnome, was a spare key, Archie commented it's in the same place from when he and Jughead were kids. They entered the trailer, though they failed to find anything that indicated FP had any involvement in Jason's murder. Veronica became increasingly aggravated, leading Archie to wonder what it was that she was looking for or if she just wanted her father to be guilty. Archie wasn't sure would happen once her father came home, but he would be right there next to her when the time came, and maybe he was wrong, but not finding anything felt like a major win for the home team to him. Veronica smirked, through her darkest time, Archie was there with a smile on his face and a sports metaphor, she said, just as they kissed, and subsequently left the trailer.

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

After news got out that FP was arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom, Archie returned home with his parents. In the kitchen, his mother told him that FP had always had his demons, even in spite of how much he had changed, or so it had seemed. His mother wanted him to move back to Chicago with her. Riverdale wasn't safe anymore. She felt like it was about to slide off a mountain side, and she didn't want him around when it happened, so Archie promised her he would consider it.

Archie and Veronica hit up Pop's shoppe in search of Jughead, but they found Betty, and informed her that the police found the gun that killed Jason in FP's closet. The problem with that is Archie searched the closet, and he never saw it, meaning after they left, someone planted it there to frame FP.

Archie and Veronica reiterated to Betty that someone planted the gun in FP's trailer. Archie stated that they needed to tell Jughead that his father was innocent, but no one could seem to find him and he wasn't answering their calls. In the meantime, Archie suggested they go to their parents with this discovery because his father would know what to do. However, it didn't go as well as planned. Their parents were furious at what they had done, but Archie explained that they had to make sure FP wasn't involved in the murder of Jason Blossom. Archie insisted that there wasn't a gun when they broke in, and if their parents didn't believe in them, they'd go to Sheriff Keller without them. Unfortunately, Archie's mother informed him that he and Veronica entered FP's residence illegally, so anything they did or did not find would be inadmissible in the court of law. He didn't care about the consequences of his actions, but his father did, FP wasn't going to ruin Archie's life.

A little while later, he received a text from Betty, who was worried about Jughead, as was he. The two of them went out looking for him together, starting with the bus station. But he wasn't there. Archie thought the station had to have been where he was headed because their talk in the hall made it seem as if he wanted to get to mom in Ohio. He then got a call from Veronica, who was just looking to talk, but he and Betty were too busy looking for Jughead. Veronica explained to him that the only place Jughead could be at that time of night was Pop's shoppe because it was open 24/7.

They found him sitting alone in a booth just as Veronica said, each of them apologizing for their betrayal, but something good came from them breaking in because the gun wasn't in the trailer initially. The four of them made their way to the station to inform Sheriff Keller of their discovery, but they were too late as FP had already confessed to killing Jason.

The next day at school, they learned from the police report that FP worked alone. Archie stated there was no mention of Veronica's father. Although Veronica couldn't help but think that maybe he hired another Serpent to plant the gun. Archie secretly held her hand under the table to provide comfort and ease her mind. They were then joined by Kevin, who was concerned with Jughead. He wasn't doing good, Archie said. He also wouldn't be in school that day and he was being interrogated down at the station. Despite his initial decision to stay home, Jughead made a surprising appearance in the cafeteria that morning to apologize to Cheryl. However, it went terribly, as she attacked him in a fit of rage, forcing Archie to break it up by pulling her off. Unfortunately, Mr. Weatherbee wasn't too pleased, yelling at Jughead to come with him even as Archie tried to explain the situation.

Upon returning home that night, he learned from his father that Weatherbee called, and suggested that Jughead finish the semester from home, as he wanted to avoid another altercation like the one that took place with Cheryl. Essentially, Jughead was being kicked out because he was attacked, which Archie remarked wasn't fair. He wanted to call the school board but Fred reminded him that they had to think of a long-term solution, but Archie believed they were that solution. Sadly, that's not how it worked as Fred wasn't Jughead's legal guardian, which is why it was a good thing his mom was in town, Archie said. His father informed him that his job was to keep Archie safe, though Archie found it absurd that he needed to be kept safe from Jughead, but in actuality, Fred was referring to the trouble that always seemed to follow the Jones family around. Fred then exclaimed that maybe Archie should move with his mother to Chicago. However, this was an offer that Archie hadn't even been considering, but maybe he should. Just then, Jughead came down, having heard the entire conversation, he volunteered to sleep in the garage that night.

The following morning, he woke Jughead up, and the two of them met up with Archie's mother at Pop's to discuss FP's case. His mother passed herself off as FP's attorney to get as much information on the case as possible. Between his list of priors, the anonymous tip, the possession of the murder weapon, and his confession, it wasn't looking good. She did, however, mention that he used his one call to contact Joaquin.

Archie relayed this information to Veronica, and the two of them, along with Kevin, called Joaquin over to ask him about FP and his possible involvement with Veronica's father. Joaquin admitted that he had always assumed that FP killed Jason because, on July 11th, he received a late-night call from FP to help with a clean job at the Whyte Wyrm. When Joaquin got there, he saw Jason's body lying on the ground, so they stuffed him in the freezer and cleaned up the mess. FP had done jobs for Hiram in the past, so Veronica asked if killing Jason was one of them. Joaquin wasn't entirely sure, but he recalled one discussion about a rich guy that he overheard between FP and Mustang, the same Serpent that Archie got into a fight with. Joaquin then took them to the City Centre Motor Hotel, Mustang's home, but once inside, Archie discovered his body inside the bathtub.

Upon the arrival of the authorities and their parents, Sheriff Keller question what he and Veronica were even doing at the hotel, to which Archie explained that they knew Mustang was a Serpent, so they wanted to talk to him about FP. As they headed back to the truck, Archie's father pleaded with him to stop his investigation of Jason's murder, that path would leave him dead. Fred was simply trying to protect him, it was his job, the only one that counted. As Fred asked him if he understood, Archie's voice cracked as he said yes.

From Jughead, Betty, and Kevin, Archie learned of a contingency plan put together by Joaquin and FP, that had been deemed as too dangerous by the latter. Apparently, the plan consisted of Jason's varsity jacket, leading Archie to question how it would help FP. Just as it seemed that all hope was lost, Betty refused to give up, so he was made to put the varsity jacket on by Betty, as she searched the pockets, and as she suspected, there was something they had missed, it was a USB flashdrive inside the lining of the jacket. The flashdrive housed surveillance video of night Jason died. so they watched the video from start to finish, everything from Jason being taunted by Mustang, to the gunshot that ended his life, which was fired by his own father, Clifford Blossom.

After watching the video and handing the USB off to Mrs. Cooper, Archie said goodbye to his mother that night as she was returning to Chicago. Archie decided to stay because his friends needed him, but he'd visit her for the summer, then giving his mother a hug and saying that he loved her as she left.

Archie entered the kitchen that morning to find his father quietly staring out the window. Archie called out to him, just to check on how he was doing. His father thought that he knew Riverdale. But in light of recent events, he wasn't so sure anymore. Archie was fine but he was concerned with his friends, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica, all of whom were still in the midst of the mess.

Shortly after this conversation, Archie and Betty walked to school together. They talked about her household, in which her family was back together but they had resorted back to their typical way of pretending that all was fine with their perfect family.

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

After being dismissed, he and Betty met up with Jughead, Veronica and Kevin in the cafeteria to talk about FP's case, in which the Southside Serpents were being villainized and falsely accused of drug trafficking. The knowledge of this injustice infuriated Betty to the point that she decided to address it head-on by writing an article on it since the town had changed and that needed to be acknowledged instead of avoided. In response to the topic on hand of deceitfulness and being afraid of the truth, though initially hesitant, Archie and Veronica took that opportunity to tell Betty that they had kissed a couple times, which she was accepting of.

Despite Betty's earlier admission to being okay with Archie and Veronica's relationship, he deiced to check with her again because the last time she said that she was fine, it turned out she wasn't. Betty insisted that she was genuinely happy for them. He said that he liked Veronica a lot but a little part of him always thought.... and just before he could finish, Betty cut him off to acknowledge how lucky they were to find the people that they were meant to be with and that they were all friends.

With Archie set to play alongside the Pussycats at the Jubilee, he had hoped that Josie would allow them to play one of his new songs, which was admittedly amazing. However, Mayor McCoy had already pre-selected a song. Not to mention that Archie's song was solely about his friends, who had notably been through hell and back but the Jubilee was an event for the entire town.

Archie and Jughead returned home that night to find his dad and Jughead's caseworker awaiting their arrival. With FP facing serious jail time and his mom out of state, they needed to make sure he was taken care of. Even though Fred had offered for Jughead to stay with them, the state couldn't allow it due to a prior DUI and Fred's lack of funds. Jughead's caseworker informed him that there was a family on the south side that offered to take him in but that this would require him to transfer to Southside High by the end of the week.

The very next day, Archie visited FP at the Sheriff Station to inform him of the recent developments surrounding Jughead's transfer. If there was a deal on the table, Archie insisted that FP take it. However, the Serpents were FP's tribe, and they were also innocent, meaning he'd never turn them in. Archie attempted to reason with FP as no one wanted to see him in jail for twenty years but FP believed that Jughead would make it, and that when the time came, he'd step up. FP warned Archie that Jughead would try to pull away from him, and should that time come, Archie and Betty needed to be there for Jughead to make sure it doesn't happen.

Later that day, Archie was irate after witnessing the aftermath of someone vandalizing Betty's locker with pig's blood and hanging a Betty doll in response to her article pertaining to FP and the Serpents. He wanted to throw whoever was responsible into a wall. Betty was getting threats, Jughead was being thrown into a snake pit, and he couldn't do anything to help, despite being there all year to support his friends.

In the student lounge, the following day, Archie and Veronica learned from Betty that she had a long-lost brother, who would be in his mid-twenties at the time. Betty then received a call from Jughead, who had already transferred to Southside High due to the belief that no one wanted him at Riverdale, which is precisely what FP warned Archie of. So, the three of them raced over to retrieve Jughead, but upon their arrival, they discovered that he was fitting in just fine. Right outside the school, as Betty and Jughead shared a passionate hug, Veronica noted the sincerity between the two of them, believing that they were soulmates. Veronica then got a message from Cheryl, thanking her for trying to help but she was planning to be reunited with Jason.

After realizing that Cheryl was trying to end her life, so the four of them made their way to Sweetwater River, where Cheryl saw Jason last. They pleaded with her to stop pounding on the thick layer of ice but it didn't matter as the damage was done and the ice broke beneath her feet, thus Cheryl was dragged under. Archie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty ran onto the ice, hoping to find Cheryl but she had been dragged down by the current. Fortunately, Archie managed to find her a little further down, just beneath the iced-over surface. However, the only way to reach her was to break through the ice, so Archie did just that. He eventually broke through but not without severely injuring his hand in the process. After pulling Cheryl out, he performed CPR and brought her to shore.

Backstage of the Jubilee that night, Archie struggled to play the guitar due to the injury he sustained while saving Cheryl, leaving Veronica question if he should be playing with the condition that his hand was in. Archie assured her he could play, especially considering that his Freshman year he played with a taped up hand. Veronica recalled how Archie longingly looked at Betty and Jughead at Southside High during their hug, making her question his motives. Archie explained that the moment Veronica was talking about is when he noticed how good Betty and Jughead were together and it confirmed that he wanted to be that for Veronica. As Archie and Veronica kiss, they were interrupted by Josie, who had learned of Archie's heroic actions and deiced to play his song as a show of gratitude. As promised that night, they performed Archie's song in front of the town, which they very much liked.

After Betty's speech regarding Riverdale and the crossroads, it was facing, Archie, Veronica, Jughead, and Betty celebrated over milkshakes at Pop's shoppe.

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

Season 2
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A Tragedy for the Andrews
After his fathers shooting at Pop's, Archie drove his fathers truck as he rushed him over to the hospital. Upon hearing of the incident, Betty, Jughead and Veronica rushed to the hospital and embraced him in a group hug. When they all sit down, surrounding Archie, he explained what happened. Archie recounted the events at Pop's — Archie came out the bathroom to find a hooded man with green eyes pointing a gun at Pop Tate, then at his dad, Fred. He fired the gun, then bolted, leaving a bloody Fred on the floor. Pop Tate called the ambulance, but Archie took it upon himself to drive him all the way to the hospital, but he was now questioning this decision as he thought he may have made it worse. Jughead refused to agree with that, saying that first, he saved Cheryl, now Fred, if he kept it up, he might need a superhero name, as Jughead proposed, 'Pureheart the Powerful'.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friends Divided
Archie did as Mr. Weatherbee asked by writing an apology letter to the Riverdale High School community. He even posted a new video, to elaborate on his apology. The Red Circle had officially been disbanded, and his father was happy to hear it. Archie then received a message from Betty, asking if he could walk her to school because she needed to tell him something. But, doing so would mean that he couldn't repeat this information to anyone else, Veronica and Jughead included. After Archie promised to keep her secret, Betty revealed that the Black Hood called her. She was taking a major risk by even telling Archie, but they were best friends that lived next door to each other, so the two of them walking to school together would look perfectly normal to the Black Hood, assuming he was watching. Archie insisted that she report this to the police, but should Betty follow his advice, the Black Hood would kill Polly. If he called Betty again, she would have to answer, and Archie would be right there at her side.

Archie and Betty arrived at school to learn that an old friend from Veronica's past, Nick St. Clair, was coming to town for the SoDale Gala Opening.

Archie went over to Betty's house that night, and the two of them waited for the Black Hood to call. Betty's phone rang. It was the killer. She answered the phone, putting him on speaker for Archie to hear. The Black Hood told Betty that he could see her parents at the Register, through a big picture window. With Mrs. Cooper being a thorn in both Betty's and the killer's side, he devised a plan that would keep her from looming over them. Betty was told to check her email, and publish what was sent to her, as proof of her loyalty. Before doing so, she wanted something from the killer to prove his loyalty. If Betty did as she was told, he would answer any question she asked. She had until tomorrow night to post follow through on her end. In Betty's email, was an archived mugshot of her mother, who was revealed to be a member of the Southside Serpents, many years ago.

Archie convened with Betty at school the following day, where he attempted to convince her to publish the mugshot of her mother's arrest, given to her by the Black Hood. All Mrs. Cooper has ever done was go after them and their friends, though Betty refused to change her stance on the matter.

It would appear that Betty later had a change of heart because while working out in his bedroom, after school, Archie got a message from her, saying that she would be publishing the mugshot.

After having dinner with Veronica's family, during which time Archie became acquitted with her old friend, Nick, the three of them retreated back into her room, where Nick offered them drugs, though both Archie and Veronica declined. After a couple inappropriate comments from Nick, Archie quickly grew weary of the visitor.

The next day, in the student lounge, after Nick invited everyone to a party in his hotel room at the Five Seasons, Archie ran out into the hallway after seeing Betty breeze past the door. He went by her house that morning to walk her to school, but her mother said that she had already left, which had Archie wondering if she got another call from the killer, which Betty claimed she didn't. They were then joined by Veronica and Nick, who also invited Betty to his party at the Five Seasons.

That night, Archie, Veronica, Betty, Cheryl, Kevin, Josie, Reggie, Valerie, and Melody attended the party in Nick's hotel room, where after having drinks, Nick suggested they kick up the party with some Jingle Jangle that he scored from Reggie. Archie had already told him that they weren't interested, though Nick didn't seem too concerned with Archie's refusal, calling him a buzz kill. Although, he initially declined Nick's offer, Archie had a change in heart after hearing Veronica agree to indulge in the highly addictive drug. High off the Jingle Jangle, Archie and Veronica sensually dance in the middle of the room, though their fun was cut short after Betty initiated a fight with Veronica, claiming that they were merely friends of circumstance and that Veronica was a bad person. This resulted in Betty leaving the party early.

With a night of hard partying behind him, Archie confronted Betty at the Blue and Gold, over her fight with Veronica, which she instigated. Betty revealed that she lied to Archie when he asked if the Black Hood had called again. He did call. But she didn't want to tell Archie because she knew he would try to talk her out of it. During her conversation with the killer, he told Betty to cut Veronica out of her life. Now, he's demanding that she do the same with Jughead. Archie pulled out his phone, presumably to tell someone of Betty's secret calls with the Black Hood, but she convinced him out of it. No one has been attacked or killed since she started talking to the killer. Betty speculated that maybe this was the route to stopping it all, but Archie couldn't allow her to do that, as she was hurting the people around her. Archie asked Betty how she was going to put Jughead and herself through a break up. Betty had already considered this, and came to the conclusion that Archie would have take point. She wanted him to tell Jughead that they had to stay away from each other for a while. But she didn't want it to be too cruel as she planned on walking everything back once the killer was stopped. As tears filled her eyes, Betty pleaded with Archie to do this one favor for her, as she couldn't bare to break up with Jughead herself.

After agreeing to break up with Jughead for her, Archie headed over to FP's trailer, where he planned to fulfill his obligation to Betty, though before he could even get a word out, Jughead tried to force him to leave. Archie would come to learn the reason for this was because Jughead was not only friends with the same Southside Serpents that Archie, Veronica, Reggie, and Dilton were attacked by, but that Jughead was also being initiated into the gang. Back onto the subject as to why Archie came to the trailer, he told Jughead that Betty didn't want to see him anymore. She's been agonizing over breaking up with him for weeks, ever since he crossed over to the dark side, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Betty saw the path that Jughead was headed, as did they all. He couldn't be with them and with her.

Afterward, Archie sat at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe all alone, presumably feeling guilty about the pain he had just brought onto his best friend, despite it being in his best interest.

Later that night, Archie rushed over to Veronica's after learning that Nick drugged and then subsequently tried to rape Cheryl at the SoDale Gala Opening. He asked where Nick was in that moment, though Cheryl told Archie that he could put his cape away because the Pussycats had already saved her.

Archie learned from Betty that she had no intentions of further entertaining the Black Hood's twisted games. Betty explained that she would no longer be answering his calls. But what of Polly, Archie asked, as the Black Hood had threatened violence against her. Fortunately, Betty had talked to Polly, and the people at the farm were going to help her disappear for a while, just until the Black Hood is handled. With Polly taken care of, Archie wondered when Betty was going to fix things with Jughead and Veronica, both of whom she had broken up with in an effort to appease the Black Hood. Betty insisted that she'd come clean, but she first wanted the dust to settle. As they approached the parking lot of Pop's, they noticed Jughead eating in the diner with Toni, thus bringing both Archie and Betty to a dead stop. Before either could make their next move, Archie received a call from his dad while Betty simultaneously got a call from her mom.

Archie had been called over to Betty's house, where Mrs. Cooper had arranged a gathering of all those who attended Nick St. Clair's party and their parents, with the exception of Valerie and Melody. Mrs. Cooper had learned of their drug fueled party, and thought it best if they came together to collectively deal with the "motley crew of liars, dope-fiends, and fornicators", as she put it. It was there that Archie informed Veronica (and Kevin) that Betty had broken up with Jughead. After Reggie confessed that he was responsible for bringing the Jingle Jangle to the party, he revealed that he had a dealer on the Southside, who was supposedly a member of the Southside Serpents that attended Southside High. Archie asked what was the importance behind asking if Reggie's dealer was a Serpent, as all Serpents weren't drug dealers. While they admittedly shouldn't have taken the Jingle Jangle, Nick should be the only one under interrogation given that he asked Reggie for the drugs and pressured everyone into taking it. Not to mentioned he roofied and tried to rape Cheryl. However, given that all the witness were high, Sheriff Keller explained that prosecuting him would be difficult. After Mayor McCoy learned that Josie participated in the drug taking, she declared that her number one priority from that moment forward was taking over the Southside, even if it meant arresting every Serpent in sight.

With Mayor McCoy out for blood, Archie rushed over to Southside High to warn Jughead that she and Sheriff Keller were on their way to raid the school, though Jughead wasn't exactly pleased to see him due to their last interaction ending with Betty breaking up with him. However, before they could even make it pass the hallway, Mayor McCoy and Sheriff Keller arrived at the school with deputies and police canines, checking lockers and arresting every Serpent in sight, as promised, including Toni and Sweet Pea. Jughead yelled out for Toni who was being taken into police custody, but Archie pulled him back, explaining to Jughead that he would be of no use to her from behind bars.

At Pop's, Archie urged Jughead to calm down, but Jughead was irate with Riverdale becoming a police state. Archie explained that Mayor McCoy was convinced that the Serpents were responsible for the influx in Jingle Jangle. But Jughead insisted that the dealing was the working of a rival gang, the Ghoulies. Archie suggested that he relay this news to Mayor McCoy, though Jughead wasn't convinced that she would listen considering that she just arrested his friends for no reason. Jughead was confused by why Archie even cared to begin with since he made it perfectly clear that he and Betty wanted nothing to do with him ever since he'd crossed over to the "dark side". Archie apologized for their fall out. As for Betty, he suggested Jughead have a talk with her. However, Jughead had to leave after receiving a message from Tall Boy.

Archie returned home to learn that he and the others at Nick's party were given community; force to pick up trash at Pickens park. His father knew that Jughead wasn't at the party, but he did attend Southside High, which was ground zero for Jingle Jangle. Archie explained that he had been trying to check in on Jughead to make sure that he was okay, but it hadn't been going so well. His father then compared his and Jughead's relationship to his own with FP, many years ago.

Later that night, at FP's trailer, Archie learned from Jughead that Tall Boy had betrayed the Serpents, and had planned to join the Ghoulies in a hostile take over. Jughead's only plan was to stall until Sweet Pea and Toni were released, in hopes that they would rather go to war with the Ghoulies than deal Jingle Jangle, though Archie reminded him that he joined the Serpents to prevent a war from erupting. But Jughead explained that his father would never sit back, and allow the unholy union of the Serpents and the Ghoulies to take place, so neither would he. While Archie didn't have any better ideas of his own, he suggested they visit FP, who may have a solution to their dilemma.

the next day, at the prison, Archie and Jughead talked to FP from behind the glass. FP explained that while Ghoulies dressed like fops, they were a nasty crew. However, the Serpents had survived much worse. Unfortunately for Archie and Jughead, the Ghoulies had them out numbered, meaning they had to avoid bloodshed at all cost by out thinking them, which Archie 100% agreed with. The battle was over territory. The one thing Ghoulies loved above all else was their souped-up retro cars and hearses. With that being said, FP informed the boys to challenge the Ghoulies to a one-on-one street race, but to keep it quiet. Should the police learn of the race, they'd all be locked up. As for the terms of the race; if the Ghoulies won, the Serpents would surrender, but if the Serpents won, the Ghoulies would have to back off, and they'd gain control of Southside High, thus bringing an end to the Ghoulies hold and the Jingle Jangle, as well as getting Mayor McCoy off their backs.

Later that day, while picking up trash with Betty as part of his community service, Archie urged Betty to speak with Jughead. She promised to do so soon, but she first wanted to take care of a few things.

On FP's advice, Archie accompanied Jughead to the Ghoulies lair, otherwise known as the House of the Dead, to challenge the Ghoulies leader, Malachai, to a race. Jughead explained that If they won, Serpents remain autonomous and Ghoulies quit dealing at Southside High. However, if the Ghoulies won, the Serpents fold, and they can continue to pollute the Southside with their "little straws of death", though, with the Ghoulies having nothing to actually gain from the arrangement Jughead presented, Malachai wasn't interested in his offer, unless he was willing to put up some of the Serpents' territory. It was then that Betty and Veronica were then brought into the room after they were caught by the Ghoulies, trying to sneak in through the garage. After learning that Betty and Veronica were with them, Malachai wanted all four of them out. In a last ditch effort, Jughead offered up the Whyte Wyrm if Malachai agreed to the race. Malachai agreed, but only after adding on the Sunnyside Trailer Park.

Leading up to the race, Archie laid in bed with Veronica, who wondered what she could say or do to get Archie to stay in bed with her. He told her not worry because he had a plan. He joked that it was similar to the plan she and Betty had of sneaking into Ghoulie headquarters. After sharing a kiss, Veronica received a call from Cheryl, who informed her that her parents were still doing business with the St. Clairs, despite Nick's actions.

At the street race, Archie told Veronica not to worry. She merely wanted him to make it back to her in one piece. They then shared a kiss before Archie took off to join Jughead by the car that Reggie had allowed them to borrow for the race, which Jughead and Betty had fixed up.

First one back to the starting point would win the race. With Archie and Jughead in their car, and the Ghoulies in their car, Cheryl took to the center of the road as the flag girl, asking both drivers if they were ready before waving her flag, and signaling the start of the race. Jughead and Archie took a the lead. However, it wasn't long lasting, as Malachai repeatedly rammed their vehicle in order to gain the advantage. As they approached Herk Harvey bridge, Archie grew concerned. He advised Jughead to abort because it was too narrow for both vehicles to cross at the same time, though Jughead refused to back down, "the serpents are joining the Ghoulies over my dead body, Archie", Jughead said. Though, Archie was not down for those terms, and so with the bridge approaching fast, Archie pulled the safety break, forcing the car to a stop, as the Ghouiles crossed over. Enraged over Archie's interference, Jughead grabbed him by his jacket, and demanded to know why he would do such a thing. Archie explained that Jughead would thank him for it, just before hearing police sirens at the end of the road. They followed the sirens over the bridge to find that Malachai had been stopped by Sheriff Keller and the police department.

Archie and Jughead returned to the starting point to inform everyone that they needed to leave immediately, as the police were just down the road. Tall Boy accused Jughead of calling the police, but Archie confessed to calling Sheriff Keller, and alerting him of the race. It was his idea to get rid of the Ghoulies. They got arrested for street racing, and now they were no longer a concern. However, as Jughead explained, they wouldn't be gone long for over a street racing charge, and when they got out, they'd want all of their heads on a stake.

The following night, Archie's dad asked if he heard about the teacher that was arrested at Southside High for selling Jingle Jangle. Archie told his father that Jughead was in one of the teacher's classes, but beyond that, Archie had no idea what was going on with Jughead. He tried helping out, but it backfired. However, His father wasn't too concerned given that it wasn't their first fight, and probably wouldn't be their last. Archie then asked his father, who had just taken his medication, if he was okay, to which he replied that he was getting better every day.

Archie stood next to Veronica in his kitchen as he read aloud the Black Hood's letter that was affixed to the door of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. For the residents of Riverdale, the Black Hood had a message; "show me you are pure of heart, and my work ends. Continue to sin, and I will take up the sword again".

Archie received a surprise visit from Jughead after being shoved aside by Cheryl at school that morning. Jughead explained that he needed a favor, no questions asked. Archie was more than willing oblige considering how much worse he made Jughead's situation by making a deal with Sheriff Keller to get the Ghoulies arrested. He told Jughead to name the time and place, and he'd be there. Little did he know that there adventure would be taking place that night, and that they would need his father's truck.

That night, Archie and Jughead headed out to a shipping yard, where within a shipping container, Archie discovered that they would be transporting a crate of drugs to Greendale. However, due to Jughead previously requesting that no questions be asked, he simply went along with the night's plans, as he and Jughead grabbed the crate from opposite sides, loaded it into the back of the truck, and drove off. While Archie was willing to see the deal through, he had to ask where does Jughead being a Serpent end. However, this was a question that not even Jughead could answer, as he was living minute to minute. Archie then told Jughead of a post graduation idea he had. Instead of going to college, they'd move to New York after graduation, where he'd be a musician and Jughead a writer, both living somewhere like the east village. As for Betty and Veronica in this scenario, they were roommates in park avenue. But on a more serious note, Archie was concerned that if Jughead stayed on his current path, that he would end up in jail or worse. Unfortunately, as they were driving, the truck caught a flat tire, forcing them to call for help. After Archie shut down Jughead's proposition to call Betty, as he didn't want her involved in such business, they decided to call Kevin, who had a truck of his own. As they were doing so, a man named Farmer McGinty pulled up alongside the road to offer assistance. While the farmer didn't have a spare, he was willing to give one of them a ride to Greendale, but not without pay. Jughead offered up his last $18 in exchange for the ride, however, Archie wasn't so sure that this was a wise decision. Jughead insisted that he had no other choice, then telling Archie that his debt had been paid, and that they were all good. After loading the crate into the farmer's truck, Archie watched from his father truck as Jughead road off with Farmer McGinty.

After receiving road side assistance from Triple C, during which time they repaired his tire, Archie watched a deer covered in blood cross the road, leading into the woods of Greendale.

Archie later entered a cafe not far off from where the truck broke down. Inside, he found Jughead in a verbal altercation with Farmer McGinty, as not only was the farmer attempting to stick the bill on Jughead, but he was planning on leaving with the crate. The waitress claimed that they were trying to run out on the bill, and so she was about to call the police. During this altercation, the farmer accused both him and Jughead of being sinners, warning them to be careful or else they'd be next to taste the Riverdale Reaper's blade.

Just outside the cafe, after paying for the bill, Archie and Jughead took the crate from the farmer's truck, and loaded it back into his father's truck, where Jughead thanked Archie for coming back for him. Archie reminded Jughead of their agreement to see the deal through. He fully intended on keeping that promise. Despite their efforts to adhere to the advice Penny Peabody by delivering the drugs, and leaving Greendale by Midnight, as it was a town that you didn't want to be in past such hours, Archie and Jughead had no choice. At 11:52 P.M., they got back on the road to deliver the crate as agreed. Upon their arrival at the Greendale warehouse, where they delivered the crate as promised, Archie and Jughead were joined by an older woman in a wheelchair, and the man that was pushing her. They were late, the woman remarked, thought Jughead replied that they had car trouble. As her male companion flashed a gun to frighten them, she told them not to be late next time, but Jughead had no clue what she was referring to as the delivery was a one time job. However, the older woman claimed to have been informed by Penny that the Serpents were taking over for the Ghoulies, and that they were set for regular deliveries, with a regular delivery boy (i.e. Jughead).

After a somewhat successful delivery, Archie and Jughead returned to Riverdale. They stopped by Pop's, where Jughead thanked Archie for his assistance even though doing what they did violated every strand of Archie's DNA. However, Archie didn't seem too concerned, stating that they'd all done bad things ever since the Black Hood first entered the diner. It was almost as if he was making them do it. Jughead had been thinking about Farmer McGinty, and the story he was told about the Riverdale Reaper, a serial killer that murdered a family of four. Maybe it was just a tale from the dark side, but Jughead believed that it could be a lead as well. He hoped that Archie would join him at the library to research the topic. However, Archie would be preoccupied as he and Reggie were taking Moose to physical therapy. After that, he and Veronica would be having dinner with her parents. But maybe the day after that, Archie offered. He then further expressed his concern for Jughead, and the hole he was in with the Serpents. While he wasn't sure that he could, Jughead replied that he would try to get himself out. He then left as visiting time at the prison with his father was nearing. Shortly after Jughead's departure, Pop Tate announced that he had just gotten off the phone with the Black Hood, who said that they were all sinners that failed his test, and that the reckoning was upon them.

Unrequited Love
In an attempt to cope with the darkness engulfing Riverdale, Archie and Veronica became carnally defiant. With every kiss and embrace, it was almost as if they were saying "you have no power over me, Death". One could argue that they became the opposite of death, engaging in sexual activities in a number of locations, ranging from Archie's bedroom 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 as the tasting menu at Pourquoi is 13 courses. They had hours yet before her parents return. As Veronica gently rubbed his back, Archie uttered four words that she was not yet prepared to here "I love you, Ronnie". It would seem that these words startled Veronica, though it had a similar effect on Archie as awkward tension filled the room when Veronica didn't say it back. Archie decided then that it was best for him to leave. But before doing so, Veronica told him that she had an amazing evening.

The next day, Archie and Veronica were called down to the Blue and Gold offices by Betty and Jughead, who informed them of FP's upcoming release from jail. When Veronica asked what heralded the miracle, Jughead replied that it was the perfect storm of overcrowding at the prison and Cheryl's testimony that the Judge must've reviewed. However, both Archie and Jughead knew this tale to be untrue given that FP's release was being spearheaded by Penny Peabody, who agreed to set FP free should they deliver a crate a drugs for her into Greendale, which they did. Betty and Jughead then revealed that they had a new lead on the Black Hood and the Riverdale Reaper, which they needed Archie and Veronica to follow up on because Jughead needed to be there to help his father readjust to society while 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.

After school, Archie return home to take a shower, during which time, he received a message from Veronica, asking if he could come over.

Per Veronica's request, Archie showed up at the Pembrooke. With Veronica's parents in the room, they began to kiss until taking a momentary break from their passionate embrace to discuss murder house that Betty and Jughead had asked them to investigate. It would seem that they showed a desire to further investigate it, more so Veronica, whose parents had received a threatening letter, supposedly from the Black Hood. Though it also could've been someone pretending to be the Black Hood. As the two young lovers resumed kissing, Archie kept stopping as he sought to talk about previous night, when he told Veronica that he loved her. Archie wanted to be with Veronica, and she wanted to be with him. Couldn't that be enough for the moment, while they focused on the case, she wondered.

The next morning, Archie told his father about the weird place that he and Veronica were in ever since he said that he loved her. Archie was advised not to allow this to mess with his head as most people were often on different schedules when it came to those three words (I love you).

Archie and Veronica headed down to the Sheriff Station to ask Sheriff Keller about the family of four that was murdered in their home near Fox Forest, approximately forty years ago. With the receptionist telling them that the files on the case were missing, Archie and Veronica suspected that they could've been stolen as part of a cover up. However, Sheriff Keller explained that with cold cases, it wasn't unusual for the lead officer to take the files home so that they could continue working on them from there. During that time, they learned 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 the Sheriff, Archie and Veronica called her from the Blue and Gold offices to ask about the Conway murders, claiming that they were writing a retrospective about the murder, though Margaret seemed to grow irritable at the mere mention of the case. She explained that her father was obsessed with the killing. He even called the house of the massacre, "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, so Margaret concluded. Before hanging up, she told them that she was done talking about the house and to never call her again. Unfortunately, without much of a lead, Archie and Veronica realized that they were going to have to investigate the house first hand.

That night, Archie and Veronica arrived at the sight of the massacre, the Devil's House. Archie concluded that something wasn't adding up to Sheriff Howard if he kept returning to the house year after year. 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 the bed. Veronica then pointed out to Archie 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. Does it say anything about a third child with the initials of "J" and "C", Veronica asked. Mixed in with the files, they found a photo of the Conways, which revealed that they were actually a family of five, and that they did have a third child.

In a reversal of roles, Archie and Veronica called Betty and Jughead down to the Blue and Gold offices to inform them of what they had learned. In Sheriff Howard's case files, they discovered that the third child who survived the massacre was named 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, then he could possibly tell 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 not be the greatest idea given that he could be the Black Hood. Considering that Joseph possibly saw the slaughter of his family, something as traumatizing as that could've effected him for his entire life, which he might even blame Riverdale for, and is punishing the town because of it. Archie and Veronica were then invited to FP's retirement party at the Whyte Wyrm.

While looking over various yearbooks, Archie wanted to take a break to talk about the other night when he told Veronica that he loved her, but she failed to say it back. However, in that moment, 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. Archie and Veronica found Mr. Svenson moping the hallway. There, Archie revealed that they knew who he was, referring to him by his birth name of Joseph Conway. Hearing this, Mr. Svenson took off, though he didn't get far, as Archie managed to catch up to him, slamming Mr. Svenson into a locker before pushing him into a classroom. Mr. Svenson explained that he got scared. No one had called him by his birth name in decades. They explained that they 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 avenged his family. The night of the shooting, he heard gunshots, and so he escaped out of his bedroom window. Instead of running into the woods, he watched as the Reaper left his house, covered in his family's blood. The killer was a conman 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. 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.

That night, before leaving for FP's retirement party, Archie told his father that things didn't go so well on the other side of the four lettered word. However, as dark as things got, whenever he was with Veronica, she always made him feel as if everything was going to be alright, which is something that he didn't wish to lose. His father assured him that he wouldn't lose her so long as he provided Veronica with the space and time that she required. He was then advised to go out and have fun to take the pressure off.

At the Whyte Wyrm, Archie was joined By Jughead as he sat near the bar, waiting for Veronica's arrival so that they could clear the air.

Upon Veronica's arrival, 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 meant it. Hearing this delighted 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. As Betty signaled him to come up on stage, Archie informed Veronica that he signed them up for a duet, to sing Michael Andrews' and Gary Jules' Mad World, from their 2002 Donnie Darko album that Veronica loved. Or hopefully strongly liked, Archie remarked, which was a reference to her feelings towards him. The two of them then got on stage, where they performed in front of the entire bar. Unfortunately, their performance was cut short as Veronica abruptly ran off stage, with Archie not far behind.

They reconvened in the parking lot, where Archie told Veronica that it didn't matter that she didn't want to say it back to him, but it clearly did. 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 else she felt that she could do.

That night, after the retirement party, Archie returned home. He looked out his room window to see Betty in her room as well. It was in that moment that feelings that had long since been buried, shook loose. Betty turned around, looking out back at him from her room. As he looked out his window to the girl next door, it was almost as if Archie had seen Betty for the very first time.

Stopping the Black Hood
In the days leading up to Christmas, Archie and his father were selling Christmas tree to bring in extra money. With Pop Tate's permission, they had set up shop just outside of the diner. As a show of gratitude, they gifted Pop Tate with a tree, sitting it right in the middle of the diner. Archie then noticed Jughead sitting in a booth, working on his novel. Archie joined him in the booth, where they discussed Holiday plans. Despite initial plans to visit his mother in Chicago, Archie and his father were staying in town for Christmas, as his mother had booked a singles cruise. When Jughead asked about his current relationship troubles with Veronica, Archie told him that they weren't in the best place. Hoping that it would offer some kind of comfort, Jughead told Archie that he and Betty weren't do so well either. As he was leaving, Archie made sure that Jughead would still be attending Kevin's Secret Santa gift exchange.

The next morning, on his way out for school, Archie noticed his father reading what he initially presumed was a letter from the Black Hood. Unfortunately, it was something much worse; medical bills from Riverdale General Hospital. The total expense came down to $86,000. Archie suspected that something went wrong given that they had insurance. His father agreed that a mistake must've been made, stating that he would call them in the morning.

As planned, Archie attended the Secret Santa gift exchange in the student lounge at school with Betty, Reggie, Cheryl, Kevin, Veronica, Jughead and Josie. Veronica opened her gift from Josie, which awkwardly enough was a gift certificate for a couples massage. Archie and Veronica were still together when Josie purchase of the certificate. Hoping to lessen the awkward tension, Josie suggested that Veronica use the certificate to take someone other than Archie, such as Betty or her mother. If that wasn't able to be arranged, Reggie joked that he could use the gift certificate with Veronica's mother. Thankfully, as the awkwardness was too much to bear, Betty was the last exchange for the evening. Based on the wrapping of her present, she instantly knew that it was Archie who picked her name. Betty unwrapped the gift to find and old read-a-long record that she and Archie used to listen to when they were five years old, 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.

Upon Moose and Midge's arrival, Archie abruptly exited the lounge, heading out into the hallway, with Betty following not far behind. Archie didn't want to be "that guy", but every time he saw Moose, all he could think about was the Black Hood and all the pain he had caused to the people that Archie cared about, Betty included. The fact that the killer was still free to wreck havoc was giving Betty anxiety nightmares and making her paranoid. It was as if everywhere she looked all she could see is the Black Hood. Betty cut her sentence short after noticing a new janitor cleaning the floors rather than Mr. Svenson. They approached the janitor, as Betty asked who he was and what happened to Mr. Svenson. The new janitor told Betty and Archie that he had no knowledge of Mr. Svenson's whereabouts, who had been out for a few days. He was merely called in as a replacement. Archie and Betty became concerned for Mr. Svenson's well being considering that he and Veronica had confronted him about his connection to the Black Hood. It was possible that in doing so, they led the Black Hood to Mr. Svenson and got him killed.

Betty and Archie spoke with Ms. Bell in the front office, where they learned that Mr. Svenson had been out all week with a cold. She stated that he sounded terrible over the phone, so she dropped off some chicken soup at his front door a few days prior. She went on to explain that Mr. Svenson often became depressed during the Holidays due to having no family to spend them with.

While exiting class, Archie received a gift from Veronica, which was unfortunate as he hadn't gotten her a gift. Inside the box was an expensive watch that she had engraved before their break up. Veronica explained that she didn't want things to be weird between the two of them, and Archie agreed. With a look of concern on his face, Veronica wondered if she had only made their situation worse by giving him a gift. Archie explained that it wasn't the gift, rather his living situation. Veronica asked if there was anything she could do to help, and while Archie was hesitant in admitting that his father owed $86,000 in hospital bills, he did so anyways. They were already selling Christmas trees just to barely manage. Hearing this, Veronica wanted to help, but she didn't know how. Archie told her that it was alright as his problems were no concern of hers.

While sawing trees in the lot of Pop's shoppe, Archie got a call from Betty, who couldn't let go of the feeling she had that something had happen to Mr. Svenson. So, she wanted Archie to join her in stopping by his house to check up on him. Archie told Betty to give him ten minutes and then they would go. Before he could tell his father that he was taking off, Archie was approached by Cheryl, who was looking to purchase a tree. With Archie in route to meet Betty, he pointed Cheryl to Vic, who was assisting with the tree sales.

Archie and Betty arrived at Mr. Svenson's house, where they founded Ms. Bell's chicken soup still sitting on the front step from several days back. They knocked on the front door several times, but no one answered.

Shortly after failing to make contact with Mr. Svenson, Archie got a call from Betty, telling him to come over as she had received a severed finger that was wrapped as a gift. Along with the gift came a letter that read "Enclosed is a finger that belongs to the sinner Joseph Conway .You have one final trespass to unearth. Find the truth, reveal it to the town, and you will perhaps save his life". The letter revealed that the finger belonged to Mr. Svenson and that the Black Hood had taken him, as they suspected. Betty then got a call from the Black Hood, during which time she and Archie briefly heard Mr. Svenson's voice, begging to be saved. The Black Hood told Betty that Mr. Svenson had lost a lot of blood, though it was nothing compared to the blood on the hands of the town. The Black Hood instructed her to exhume the past and find find where the primal sin was committed. There, she could find Mr. Svenson, possibly alive. Archie then snatched the phone away to talk to the killer himself, but the Black Hood immediately hung up, leaving them to question the nature of the primal sin that the Black Hood was referring to. Before he was adopted, Svenson lived as Joseph Conway at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty and Archie hoped that the Sisters would be willing to inform them of anything useful.

At the Sisters of Quiet Mercy group home, Archie and Betty spoke with Sister Woodhouse, who informed them that Joseph Svenson/Conway was a troubled youth. Archie took this to mean that he was a sinner, but this was incorrect. Did he suffer from survivor's guilt, Betty asked. But before Sister Woodhouse could answer, another Nun passed the window, giving off a menacing look, which caused Sister Woodhouse to bring their discussion to an end. However, Betty wasn't willing to give up just yet. Much to Archie's surprise, Betty revealed that she had learned from Polly all about the corporeal punishment that the Sister handed out. Should Sister Woodhouse fail to answer their questions, Betty threatened to expose them. In fear of what would follow should that occur, Sister Woodhouse told them that after Mr. Svenson's family was massacred, he identified the man responsible, known as the Riverdale Reaper. Having outed him, a small group of men took matters into their own hands by executing the alleged killer. It wasn't until Svenson had been taken to Quiet Mercy that he admitted in his terror and shock that he accused the wrong man, meaning that his primal sin was sentencing the wrong man to death. Betty asked if Svenson ever talked about who carried out the execution. Sister Woodhouse replied that they came by to see him once. It was a group of men and one woman. While she couldn't remember their names or what they looked like, Sister Woodhouse recalled that the woman had striking white hair, save for a cherry-red stripe. With that description in mind, Betty concluded that the woman was Nana Rose Blossom.

Under the suspicion that Nana Rose was present for the execution of the innocent man, Archie and Betty showed up at Thistlehouse uninvited, where Cheryl answered the front door. She invited them in and took them to see Rose. Archie and Betty asked her about the execution of the Riverdale Reaper and if Nana Rose had accompanied the men when they killed him in the name of justice and revenge. Nana Rose revealed that she wasn't there to see the execution first hand as she was told to stay at home while the men took care of the killer. Where did they hang the Reaper, Betty asked. Rose replied that he wasn't hung. They gave him a proper burial by burying him alive. As for the location of the burial, Nana Rose, who mistook Betty for Polly, as she had done before, told Betty to ask her grandfather, who had shared in the execution. Rose had a picture of them at the burial, smiling just beneath the devil's hand, she remarked. Nana Rose then asked Cheryl to take her to her room as she had fell ill.

Archie and Betty sat in the car, just outside Thistlehouse, where they discussed how her grandfather helped murder an innocent man. Archie questioned if what Nana Rose had told them was true. Betty was certain that it was true considering that she vaguely remembered the picture Nana Rose mentioned. When her grandfather Louis died, Betty and her family packed up his house. While they donated most of his items, they kept the pictures, and later organized them. Archie advised Betty to take a breath before asking where the picture could be found. She replied that they were at her house. With her grandfather taking part in the death of an innocent man, Betty questioned if this was the reason that the Black Hood chose her to call and torture, as a way to enact revenge for something that she didn't even do. Archie grabbed Betty's hand as he explained to her that they were finally at the part of the story where they could end it all by stopping the Black Hood and saving Mr. Svenson. But in order for that to happen, Archie needed Betty with him. Tomorrow, they would wake up and everything would be back to normal. But for that night, he needed Betty at his side. They then shared a kiss before driving off, unaware that Cheryl watched from her bedroom window above.

Archie returned to Betty's house with her, where they looked through her grandfather's old photos to see if they could find the picture that was previously mentioned by Nana Rose. There was one photo in particular that Betty somewhat remembered, but the story behind it, at least according to her father was that her grandpa Louis and his friends planted some trees in Picken Park. It wasn't long before they found the aforementioned picture. Looking at it, they could see the burial site of the preacher that was falsely accused by Mr. Svenson. Archie suspected that the burial ground of the preacher is where they could find Svenson, hopefully alive. Betty then took a better look at the branches, which resembled the devil's hand, as described by Nana Rose. Archie and Betty headed out to Picken Parks in hopes of finding Svesnon alive and well. While doing so, they would call Sheriff Keller to meet them.

The two of them arrived at Pickens Park to the sight of a shallow grave labeled "here lies Joseph Conway". After Archie dug up the grave, he and Betty opened the coffin only to see that it was empty. They started to wonder why the Black Hood would bury an empty coffin. Though this question wouldn't go unanswered for long as the Black Hood showed up alongside them. He held them at gunpoint and demanded that Archie get into the coffin. Should he refuse, Betty would die. Once he got in, Betty shut the coffin and began to fill the grave with dirt, essentially burying Archie alive as her grandfather did to the innocent preacher. Archie laid in the grave as dirt came falling through the small cracks of the coffin. He listened on as Betty told the Black Hood that they had uncovered Mr. Svenson's wrongful accusation of the preacher and how a small group of men executed him. This was the town's sin, which Betty was willing to expose should the Black Hood allow Archie to live. No one had to die, Betty stated. The Black Hood then became distracted at the sound of police sirens ringing throughout the park. Betty took advantage of this opportunity by hitting him in the face with the shovel and disarming him. She then jumped into the grave to uncover the coffin and pull Archie out. As she did so, the Black Hood took off, leaving his gun behind. As Archie got out the grave, he grabbed the Black Hood's gun and chased after him.

Archie and Betty chased the Black Hood over a bridge, which he attempted to jump over as they started to catch up to him. Though, he was hesitant in doing so with Archie holding him at gunpoint. Betty looked on as Archie demanded the killer to get down off the edge of the bridge. Should the Black Hood try to escape, Archie threatened to shoot him. It would only be right, with Archie reasoning that the Black Hood tried to kill his father and friends. Despite having a gun pointed at him, the Black Hood attempted to jump over. However, before he could do so, he was shot down and killed by Sheriff Keller. Upon removing the hood, they discovered that the Black Hood was Mr. Svenson, who had even cut off his own finger to further along his the ruse of him being a victim in the Black Hood's twisted game. Archie and Betty then hugged as back up arrived.

Archie and Betty were taken to Pop's by the Sheriff, who spoke with their parents as they sat in a booth with Jughead and Veronica. Archie pointed out how Veronica's instincts about Svenson were 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 twisted 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.

Christmas morning, Archie and his father spoke to his mother over the phone, during which time, he lied to her about the town being quiet despite a killer previously being on the loose. He then handed the phone over to his father just before getting a message from Veronica, telling him to come outside. He joined Veronica on his front porch, where they stood under a mistletoe that was placed by her. "Now we have no choice but to kiss", she remarked. After sharing a kiss, Veronica addressed Archie's good nature, as if he was filled with it. With that being said, 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, all the while unaware that they were being secretly photographed.

Investigating the Lodges
While getting packed for school, Archie's father stopped by his room to see if he had told anyone about their medical bills because it had been paid in full, all $86,000 of it, through an angel donation. Archie admitted that he had told Veronica though he didn't think anything would come of it when he did. He offered to ask her about it, but his father would rather he focus on school. In Archie's hand, was his guitar, which his father noted to not having seen recently. Archie explained that he'd been busy. But after spending Christmas break on writing songs, he was considering starting a band, like the Fred-heads, he joked, as a reference to his father's and FP's old high school band. Should he start a band, he was advised to do it in the garage as it had previously been sound proofed.

Unbeknownst to Archie, who walked to school with his guitar in hand, he was being photographed from afar by an unknown individual.

At school, Archie asked Veronica if she had told anyone about his father's hospital bills. She had. Veronica admitted to mentioning it 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 then began to kiss as they headed into the student lounge with Betty and Kevin. Over the intercom, Mr. Weatherbee announced that effective immediately, Southside High was shutting down and that the students who attend would be transferring to other school's in the district, including Riverdale, meaning that Jughead was coming back. Archie began to wonder what caused the sudden shut down. Veronica concluded that it was some kind of bizarre, Byzantine town ordinance that they couldn't possibly understand.

On his way home from school, Archie was approached by a man, claiming to be an agent of the F.B.I. He introduced himself as Special Agent Adams and he was hoping that he and Archie could talk. Agent Adams told Archie that he too was from Riverdale, which is why he was assigned the case. Archie wondered what case he was referring to and how he could be of assistance. Agent Adams explained to that the case in question was regarding Hiram Lodge. They believed that he was conducting criminal activity in Riverdale, with ties to organized crime. Between Archie's relationship with Veronica and his father's connection to Lodge Industries, Archie was in a unique position to help the bureau take Hiram down. As far as Archie knew, Mr. Lodge was a business man, which Agent Adams sought to address. A few months ago, one of Hiram's business associates came to Riverdale with his family, the St. Clairs. They were going to invest in Hiram's SoDale project, but for reasons unknown, the deal fell through. The St. Clairs went back to New York and their son, Nick, was soon after admitted to Columbia Presbyterian with life-threatening injuries. The F.B.I. believed that Hiram was responsible for this as he was an extremely dangerous man who has hurt people. Agent Adams was hoping that Archie could find out what happened to Nick. However, Archie wouldn't agree to help, questioning if Agent Adams coming to him for help was even legal, given that he's a minor. Unfortunately, as Agent Adams explained, Archie's father was working for Hiram Lodge, meaning that he could be apart of the criminal activity. Archie denied all possible allegations on his father behalf. However, Agent Adams wasn't so sure that he was innocent, telling Archie that the only way they could be sure of his father's innocence is if he helped them. Admittedly, it was a lot to take in, so Agent Adams gave Archie his card and told him to call after thinking it over.

Archie returned home, where he sat at the kitchen table until his father's arrival. Both he and Archie had learned that the Lodges were responsible for his medical bills being paid. Archie urged him to give the money back, but he had already accepted it after horse-trading 20% of Andrews Construction, which covered the $86, 000. Furthermore, they couldn't afford to take another mortgage out on the house. The Lodges would allow him to buy it back, piece by piece. They would be fine. Unfortunately, that only put them in deeper with the Lodges. Given what Archie had just learned from Agent Adams, this was the last thing he hoped for. However, he couldn't share any of this information with his father, who question what Archie was concerned for.

That night, Archie was invited over to the Pembrooke for dinner by Veronica and her parents. He wanted to personally thank them for covering 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 the transfers and she was hoping that Archie would stand by her side. He agreed join. He then asked her parents about Southside High closing down. With it being as close as it was to the SoDale project, Archie asked if it was bad for business. Mr. Lodge explained that it was good for business given that it would take care of the drugs, guns and violence. Despite learning from Agent Adams that the deal had fallen through, Archie asked if investors like the St. Clairs would be fine with it. Veronica and Mrs. Lodge 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. While Mr. Lodge couldn't recall whether the accident occurred in Vail or on the slopes, from all reports, he was recovered enough to return to school.

That night, as Archie laid in bed after his dinner with the Lodges, he picked up Agent Adams card.

The next day, Archie joined Veronica as she welcomed the transfers to Riverdale High, inclduing Jughead and his friends, Toni Topaz, Sweet Pea and Fangs Fogarty. Hoping to ease their transition to the Northside, a registration desk had been set up in the hallway where they could get their locker assignments, class schedules, and a list of sports and extracurriculars. As Veronica encouraged each of them to drink deeply from the cup that is "fair Riverdale", Cheryl and Reggie interrupted. 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 stand by while Riverdale High's above average GPA suffers because of overcrowded classrooms with underachievers such as the Southsiders. In making these comments, she angered Toni. Just as it seemed the she and Cheryl would face off, 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. Fortunately, Weatherbee arrived to send everyone off to class before the incident could escalate. As he was heading off to class, Cheryl remarked how it was nice to see him and Veronica back together, especially after the kiss he and Betty shared outside her house. If he sought to keep that kiss a secret, he was to reconsider his allegiance.

In response to Cheryl's blackmailing, Archie texted her to meet him in the music room. Cheryl decided to keep it brief. If he didn't convince Veronica to stand with them against the Southside rabble, she would tell her about the kiss with Betty. Archie explained that Cheryl had nothing to tell considering that he and Veronica were broken up, as were Betty and Jughead. Nonetheless, that's not the reason why Archie messaged her. He wanted to talk about Nick St. Clair. He asked if Cheryl knew that he got into a bad car crash after he left Riverdale. Cheryl asked Archie to forgive her if she didn't shed a tear for the man that tried to rape her. She only wished that she and her mother hadn't burned the check that his family gave them as hush money. Cheryl concluded that Archie must've been thrilled after finding out about the accident given what Nick did to Veronica on the night of his party, when he got physical with her, which Archie had no knowledge of. He quickly grew angry, threatening to kill Nick. It was Veronica's right to tell Archie or not. Cheryl was sure there was a specific reason she kept it from him.

Archie met up with Agent Adams in his garage after school. He told the agent that according to the Lodges, Nick was hurt badly in a accident in Vail. But it may not have been an accident. Before he said anything else, Archie wanted insurance from Agent Adams, guaranteeing that no matter what happened to Mr. Lodge, his father would be protected. After Agent Adams agreed to Archie's deal, Archie revealed that Nick assaulted Veronica. If Mr. Lodge discovered this, it would give him a motive. Agent Adams wanted confirmation from Veronica, but Archie refused to get her involved. But he could get to Nick. Which was a good plan considering that he would be more likely to talk to Archie than he is an agent. However, in going to Nick, Archie ran the risk of Nick telling Veronica or his parents that he was asking about the accident. He needed a cover story, Agent Adams surmised. A reason to see Nick that had nothing to do with the Lodges. It was in that moment that Archie came to the perfect story.

After his meeting with Agent Adams, Archie rushed over to Thistlehouse. He told Cheryl that he couldn't stop thinking about what Nick did to her and Veronica. Archie asked Cheryl if she wanted another check from Nick. She did. But she didn't believe she would get another one. Archie would beg to differ. He planned on going to see Nick and he could ask him to write another check. Archie only needed from Cheryl to borrow one of Jason's blazers.

The next day, after getting dressed in Jason's blazer, Archie headed down to Greenwich Prep in New York. He entered Nick's dorm room to demand that he write Cheryl another check, for double the amount, after the previous one got lost. Archie then noticed the casts on Nick's leg. He asked what happened. Nick replied that it was a Ski accident. Nick stated that he broke both his legs on the slopes, asking why Archie cared. He didn't. Archie was merely curious. It was weird that Nick came to Riverdale, acted like a jackass, tried to rape Cheryl and then blew up the deal between the Lodges and his family, only to go back down to Vail for a Ski weekend. To Archie, that seemed weird. Nick began to conclude from Archie's tone that he wasn't there for Cheryl. He wasn't even aware that Archie and Cheryl were friends. Archie insisted that he was there for Cheryl and that they were friends, but that Nick was likely too high off Jingle Jangle to notice. In spite of all this, Nick still questioned why Archie had really come to see him. Archie revealed that it was payback for what he did to Cheryl and Veronica. Still, Nick did not believe him. He surmised that Archie is just a hick who was beginning to realize how deep into shark-infested waters he really was. Nick then warned Archie, telling him to be careful because when Veronica smells blood, she'll turn on Archie too. This angered to Archie so much so that he attacked Nick, punching him multiple times.

Later that day, Archie was confronted by Veronica after she learned that he had assaulted Nick in his dorm room. Archie broke his nose and was foaming at the mouth, according to Nick's text. 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. Veronica wondered who told Archie about that. Cheryl interrupted their private discussion in the music room to admit that she told Archie about Nick trying to get 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 that reparations were in order. Cheryl's only regret was that she betrayed Veronica's confidence. She issued an apology before walking off. Archie told Veronica that he too was sorry for not being up front with her.

At Pop's, Veronica told Archie that her girlfriend intuition was telling her that Archie was hiding something. While Archie did want revenge for what Nick did to Veronica, 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 Veronica 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 before them. Literally, forty minutes later, he was being buried alive by the Black Hood. 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, Archie asked Veronica why 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. Veronica admitted to telling one other person, Kevin.

Archie arranged another meeting in his garage with Agent Adams. The last time they met, he asked for his father to be protected. This time he was asking that Veronica be protected since she's caught up in all of it. Archie didn't want to see her hurt or in trouble. Should Archie help them, Agent Adams agreed that he would protect Veronica and his dad. After Agent Adams agreed to put Archie's request in writing, he informed Archie that he couldn't allow himself to get emotional again, like he did with Nick. In getting emotional, he became sloppy. There was one more thing Archie wanted to add, since Agent Adams had been following him around for a while, he must've known about the Black Hood. So, in Agent Adams' expert opinion, Archie asked if he thought that they had gotten the right guy because Archie wasn't so sure that they did.

In the gymnasium at school, Archie prepared for basketball tryouts as he does every winter. He played a full court game along with Reggie, Sweet Pea and Fogarty. Archie proved to be quite the skilled ball player, making several shots effortlessly. On the outside, he was fine. But underneath, he was churning, with his life in chaos after an unexpected visit from the F.B.I.

Archie returned home that night to find his dad having a meeting with Mayor McCoy, Sheriff Keller and the Lodges. Archie stood at the doorway, eavesdropping in on their conversation. In this meeting, they talked about Pickens Day and how the Serpents would be hired as security for the event. While the Mayor may have had her reasons for closing down Southside High, his fathered believed that a Pickens Day celebration event was the best opportunity to let the Southside know that they weren't being abandoned. Archie then made his presence known, greeting his dad as he entered the room. He asked to join them, but they were just finishing up the meeting as Mr. Lodge excused himself, completely disregarding Archie. On her way out, Archie tried to give Veronica, who was also in attendance, a kiss. But she declined given that he was sweaty.

In the garage, the following morning, Archie spoke with Agent Adams who had printed out an agreement between the two of them which ensured his father's immunity if and when the US government decided to bring actions against Hiram Lodge before any domestic court of law. Archie couldn't believe how crazy things had gotten, especially considering that the Lodges were just at his house, planning a party, along with Mayor McCoy and Sheriff Keller, though Archie made a point to leave Veronica's name out. To answer Agent Adams question on why he wasn't apart of the meeting, Archie was playing ball. Archie wondered what they could do to speed the process up because he wanted to get back to his normal life. Agent Adams asked if he had any kind of a direct relationship with Mr. Lodge. However, nothing came to mind. Furthermore, Hiram didn't even like him, which they needed to change. Agent Adams suggested that Archie establish trust to get Hiram to lower his guard. The sooner Archie gets access to his inner circle, the sooner the F.B.I will have what they need to take him down.

At school, Archie told Veronica that he had gotten the impression 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 persay 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 was amused with the lengths Archie was willing to go in an effort to endear himself to her father. So she told Archie that her father liked wrestling. He was captain of Riverdale High's wrestling team back in the day. 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. Archie was shocked to learn that wrestling was an interest of Mr. Lodge, who, with Lodge Industries, basically bankrolls the team. Hiram was just asking his old coach if he could sit in on tryouts. With that in mind, Archie decided to take a break from basketball that year to tryout for wrestling.

The next day, at tryouts, Archie ran into Mr. Lodge, who questioned what Archie was doing at wrestling tryouts considering that he was given that impression that basketball was more of Archie's sport. Archie explained that he was branching out. Archie was in the 175 weigh class, but he was trying to get down to 170. Chuck Clayton then joined in on the discussion as he too was trying out for the wrestling team. He told Archie that it was a good thing that they weren't in the same weight class. Had they been, Chuck would've wrecked Archie. Coach Kleats then blew his whistle, calling them in and asking that they give Mr. Lodge, otherwise known as Hiram "the Ram" Lodge, a round of applause. Not everyone would make the team and there'd be cuts every day. So Coach Kleats advised them to make each match count. Archie paired off for "up and downs" with Kevin, who told him that wrestling is nothing like basketball or football. While Archie was aware of this, he insisted that he was fine having gone up against Moose once before in the Oklahoma Drill. Unfortunately, when it came time to impress Mr. Lodge by showing off his wrestling talent, Archie had none and was bested by Kevin twice in a row.

Archie was joined in the music room by Veronica after she learned from Kevin that Archie's tryouts for the wrestling team didn't go as well as he had hoped. She asked him if he was okay. Archie replied that other than a bruised ego, he was fine. Fortunately, Kevin had agreed to work with him on improving his wrestling abilities. Archie had still not given up on impressing Mr. Lodge. But in the case that he isn't a natural-born wrestler, Veronica thought of another 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 her and Josie. They then shared a kiss.

That night, Archie headed over to the Pembrooke, to rehearse with Veronica for their Pickens Day performance. They were interrupted by Mr. Lodge shortly after. Archie offered to take it to the living room in the case that he was uncomfortable with them being in Veronica's 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. While not everyone could wrestle as it took a certain kind of man, Hiram told Archie that there was no shame in admitting defeat and accepting the fact that he was better 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 on second thought, he had decided against performing with the Pussycats. He would rather use that time practice some moves that Kevin had showed him.

The following day, at tryouts, they were focusing on fundamentals, starting with the fireman's carry. And since it was his signature move back in the day, Coach Kleats had asked Hiram to demonstrate. Hiram called on Archie to be his volunteer. He encouraged Archie to come at him before taking him down in one swift move. With Archie tackled to the mat, Hiram explained the simplicity of the fireman's carry. While it is fairly simple to execute, it's also an effective move when your opponent gets cocky by dominating your rival. Demoralizing him is the key if you want to win. While trapped in a headlock and pinned to the mat, Hiram pulled Archie closer to ask if he got the message, that he always wins.

In the locker room after tryouts, Archie thanked Kevin for his help with wrestling. While Kevin was happy to help, he was curious with Archie's sudden interest in the sport. Archie explained that it didn't start with trying to impress Mr. Lodge. But that has since changed because it was like there was nothing he could do to earn Mr. Lodge's respect. And the more he looked down on Archie, the more Archie wanted to show him that he's wrong.

Archie stopped by the Pembrooke that night to see why Mr. Lodge didn't like him. He couldn't think of one thing that would account for the hate he was getting. Hiram told Archie that his father slept with another man's wife i.e. Hermione. From that, Hiram assumed that Archie had the same weak character. Archie exclaimed that he was his own man and that he would never sleep with someone else's wife. Assuming that was true, Hiram still felt as if Archie wasn't good enough for Veronica in any respect. He wasn't worthy. Hiram didn't believe that Archie would ever be able to take care of her, but as Archie reminded Mr. Lodge, he took care of Veronica while he was in prison. When she and Mrs. Lodge moved to Riverdale, Archie was there for Veronica when he couldn't be. As tension rose, Veronica entered the room to the sight of what she called a juvenile chest-thumping contest. Hiram assured her that this wasn't the case. He claimed that he had 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.

At 4:31 in the morning, Archie received a call from Mr. Lodge, telling him to meet him outside in five minutes. In the early hours of the morning, the two of them went on a run around town, during which time, Hiram proved to be the faster of the two. Following their run, Archie and Hiram stopped to eat at Pop's, where he explained to Archie that when it's two men on the mat, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, or even how strong you are. It's about sheer will and knowing your opponent. Maybe even better than he knows himself. Which is why, Archie would never win. Veronica had a lot on her plate at the moment. So Hiram didn't want her worrying about them. So now they can say that he helped Archie when they went for a jog and broke bread together. Mr. Lodge was willing to tolerate Archie until this phase ran its course. "runs its course"? Archie questioned. Mr. Lodge told him that he wasn't the first boy who had turned Veronica's head. While boyfriends come and go, fathers are forever.

While warming up for tryouts that morning, Archie received a surprise visit from Veronica, who had been invited by her father to watch Archie's final day of tryouts. Hiram had lied to Veronica by telling her that he and Archie 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 was first up on the mat, his opponent was Chuck, who was both in a higher weight class and more experienced than Archie. Archie and Chuck went back and forth on the mat for some time. But ultimately, Archie managed to gain the upper hand and pull the victory over Chuck, which certainly came as a surprise to Mr. Lodge, who watched from the stands with Veronica. As Archie got the win, Veronica jumped to her feet with excitement. Applauding Archie for his win.

At the Pickens Day celebration, Archie was congratulated by Mr. Lodge on his victory over Chuck. They shook hands, but Archie grasped Mr. Lodge's hand tightly and asked if they were done with the back and forth. He replied that Archie should come by the Pembrooke that night to talk about some things. A little later, Archie stood beside Kevin, Sheriff Keller and his dad as the Pussycats took to the center stage and performed for the town. 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. Jughead stood in the crowd as 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, Mr. Lodge 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.

Later that night, as planned, Archie met up with Mr. Lodge at the Pembrooke, where they discussed Archie's future plans. In five years, he saw himself in college with some kind of athletic scholarship. Mr. Lodge assumed it was to study music, but Archie explained that being a musician was in his past. He was considering studying business. Maybe one day he'd even be able to buy back Andrews Construction. As long as Archie's dating Veronica, Mr. Lodge was going to demand the best from him and that required learning from the best. So he asked how Archie would like to start his business tutelage under his shepherding, like an internship. Before Archie could respond, he got a call from Agent Adams, though he did not answer. He then directed his attention back to Mr. Lodge to accept his offer.

In what was being described as a classic trope of mob movies, Archie was being taken under Hiram's wing in a criminal apprenticeship of sorts. After picking up Mr. Lodge's dry cleaning and order from Pop's, Archie arrived at the Pembrooke to deliver. He was then instructed to take a cash bag to his father's trailer at Andrews Construction and pick up Mr. Lodge's loafers that he had resoled at the Shoe Doctor on Main. Archie arrived at the trailer to drop off the cash bag before returning to the Pembrooke to find Veronica in a beautiful white dress. She explained to him that she was having a confirmation ceremony and that they usually 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. The ceremony was a big deal to her entire family. A lot of them were coming in for it. Archie wondered if she had to memorize anything. 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 and excited that Veronica would be confirmed before his very eyes. Along with Mr. Lodge, Archie agreed that Veronica was a miracle.

Archie sat in the student lounge with Veronica as she 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 her 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.

After school, at Pop's, Archie apologized to Pop Tate for making him double check the order. He explained that it was more to make sure that he got it right since Mr. Lodge's special orders could get pretty complicated. Pop Tate told him not to worry about it since after all, Mr. Lodge was the boss. Pop Tate's choice in wording alarmed Archie, though before he could further inquire about Pop Tate's statement, he got a message that called for his immediate attention. The message was from Agent Adams. Archie returned home to find the agent awaiting his arrival. He apparently hadn't heard from Archie in a while which was cause for concern, especially with Veronica's upcoming confirmation. Agent Adams' sources were telling him that Mr. Lodge's crime family would be in attendance. Agent Adams requested that Archie be his eyes and ears at the event. Though, he was initially against it, Archie was left with no other choice.

The next day, in Mr. Lodge's study, he and Mr. Lodge discussed how he paid Nick St. Clair a visit and roughed him up. Archie explained that when he found out about what Nick tried to do to Veronica, his anger grew out of control and without thinking, he pummeled Nick. Surprisingly, Mr. Lodge respected and was impressed with the extremes Archie was willing to go to in Veronica's honor. He was pleased to learn that Archie fiercely protected her. With some out of town guests coming in for Veronica's confirmation and a poker game scheduled for the night before, Hiram asked Archie to lend a hand. He needed someone he could trust to keep the drinks filled and cigars cut.

At the soup kitchen, where he and Veronica were volunteering, Archie told her 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.

The following day, during a clandestine meeting with Agent Adams in a parking lot, Archie told him that under no circumstances would he wear a wire to the poker game. With this poker game, all the king pins would be together in one room. The F.B.I. had never managed to get anyone close enough to hear and record what they discuss. While Archie was fine with listening in, he didn't feel comfortable with risking his life by wearing a wire.

That night, as planned, Archie attended the poker game of the king pins. While cutting cigars, he became acquainted with Mr. Lodge's guests. There was Lenny Kowalski who ran canned meat out of Chicago. Carl Martin, of Martin Brewery. Finest beer in the Rust Belt. And lastly Poppa Poutine who owned a chain of hot dog restaurants in Quebec. In speaking with Archie, Poppa Poutine recognized Archie's surname, "Andrews". He recalled that Mrs. Lodge knew someone with that particular name. Mr. Lodge replied that Fred Andrews was one of his business associates. Poppa questioned whose idea it was to make Archie's dad a business associates. Pop Tate then arrived with their orders, though Poppa wasn't satisfied with his meal. It was then that Mr. Lodge revealed that he owned the dinner. Which explained Pop Tate's prior remark of Mr. Lodge being the boss. When Mr. Lodge demanded that Poppa apologize for his unkind words, he refused and decided it was best if he head out for fresh air. Archie then headed into the bathroom to unclog the toilet. While doing so, he overheard Lenny and Poppa plotting to take out Mr. Lodge after Veronica's confirmation.

The very next day, Archie, Betty, Jughead and Kevin attended Veronica's confirmation ceremony. They watched as Veronica walked down the aisle and was confirmed. Afterward, during the post-ceremony celebration, Veronica pulled him away from Betty to meet her Abuelita who couldn't help but pinch Archie's cheeks given his handsomeness.

While slow dancing 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. Unfortunately, their dance was interrupted by Mr. Lodge who wished to cut in and have the next dance with Veronica.

As the king pins plotted at the after party, Archie approached Mr. Lodge to talk to him privately. So the two of them headed up to his study where Archie revealed that Poppa Poutine was planning to make a move against him. He said that Mr. Lodge was getting sloppy and that action needed to be taken. Mr. Lodge thanked Archie for delivering this message. He then sent him back down stairs to ensure that Veronica was having a good time.

Immediately following his return downstairs, Veronica pulled him to the side to ask what he and her father were talking about. Archie told her that they were merely going over a few details for his internship. Veronica was surprised to hear that it was still happening though Archie didn't understand why she would be. 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 wasn't going to 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 wasn't interested in hearing it. He told 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 or scare him off. He didn't need her to protect him from it because he loved her. Surprised with his response, Veronica gave Archie a kiss.

After the party, Archie returned home to find Agent Adams in his garage. Archie questioned what he was doing there given that his father wasn't even sleep yet. Agent Adams explained that it couldn't wait. Paul Boucher a.k.a Poppa Poutine was found dead in his hotel room less than an hour ago. Shot in the back of the head. Agent Adams next question was extremely important. Poutine was a guest at Veronica's confirmation. So he was wondering if Archie saw or heard something that would implicate Mr. Lodge in what was obviously a gangland slaying. Despite overhearing Poutine's plan to take action against Mr. Lodge and then Archie himself telling Mr. Lodge about what he heard, Archie lied to Agent Adams, claiming that he knew nothing.

Picking up from where the previous episode left off, Archie spoke with Agent Adams in his garage about the gangland murder of Poppa Poutine. Archie told the agent that he didn't hear or see Hiram Lodge say anything to or about Poppa Poutine that would indicate any kind of hostility. To Archie, it seemed like they were friends. Given that he never left the Pembrooke, Archie concluded that it wasn't Hiram that killed Poppa Poutine. Agent Adams agreed, though not for the same reasons. He presumed that Hiram would've sent his "Capo" to execute Poppa Poutine. A Capo, Agent Adams explained is someone who does the boss's dirty work. So he asked if there was someone who's always hovering around Hiram, like a personal assistant or driver. Although, Andre would fit this bill, Archie told the agent that no one came to mind.

While walking to school with Veronica the following day, she 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.

In the student lounge, there was clear friction between Jughead and Veronica that was as evident as it was concerning. Jughead was frustrated with Veronica's father's pursuit to take over the Southside. While the two of them went back and forth, Archie got a call from Agent Adams though he ignored the call. 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 murder, Archie and Veronica headed off into 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 Veronica 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 told her to choose to believe her father. His business dealings may be shady, but at heart, he was still a good guy. Archie believed that and he was sure that Veronica did as well.

After school, Archie met with Agent Adams at a bench in the park. Agent Adams handed him an envelope filled with money, claiming that the F.B.I. always compensated their informants. Enclosed was three weeks salary. Agent Adams was hoping that payment would entice Archie to go to Hiram Lodge and engage with him directly about Poppa Poutine. The Agent suggested that he be a little aggressive, gauge his reaction to see what he says. Though in doing this, Archie worried that he would arouse Hiram's suspicions. Hoping it would encourage him to do as he was told, Agent Adams handed Archie a newspaper article from the Register, detailing Poppa Poutine's death.

Archie met up with Mr. Lodge at the Pembrooke following his meeting with Agent Adams to talk about Poppa Poutine and how he was killed in his hotel room. However, before Archie could even start, Hiram explained that he was gutted over this atrocity. But Poutine was rich with enemies. He was rude, and selfish, and deep into gambling debts, a quarter to Lenny alone, not to mention the affairs. With so many vendettas against him, it was just a matter of time. And sadly, his time came the same night as Veronica's confirmation. Speaking of which, Archie told Hiram that when Veronica heard someone was murdered in Riverdale, the thought of Hiram, possibly being involved was making her spiral. And while Archie didn't want to overstep, he advised Hiram to clarify things with Veronica. Just to give her peace of mind.

The following day, in the park with Agent Adams and Vegas, Archie told the Agent that he asked Mr. Lodge point-blank if he killed Poppa Poutine or had someone do it for him. He answered no. And Archie believed him. But Archie did mention that Mr. Lodge told him that there was bad blood between Poppa Poutine and Lenny Kowalski, who Poppa owed $86,000 in gambling debt.

Archie returned home that night and was greeted at the door by Vegas. He walked into the living room to find Agent Adams in his house, talking to his father.

Archie sat in his room, waiting for Agent Adams to finish up with his father and leave. Apparently, Agent Adams had told Archie's dad that the FBI was assisting in a crackdown on undocumented labor from Canada. They think that maybe over the years that his father had hired some of these guys and paid them cash under the table. Which he had on a few occasions. Even worse, they're requesting his files for the last seven years.

Just outside his house, Archie approached Agent Adams and warned him to stay away from his father. Archie reminded Adams of their written agreement that his father would be safe. However, that was before Archie began feeding him false information as Agent Adams had learned that Poutine didn't owe Lenny anything close to $86,000. This led the agent to believe that Archie was both compromised and protecting Hiram Lodge. Basically, the only thing Archie could offer now was access. He needed Archie to plant a bug in Hiram's study. Then Hiram would slip up by saying something incriminating, which would allow Agent Adams to arrest him. However, before leaving with the bug, Archie pointed out that he didn't believe the agent when he said that Archie and his father would be safe. Agent Adams would do anything he can to destroy Hiram Lodge, even if it meant Archie and his father being destroyed in the process.

The next day, after checking in on his father, who was sorting through his work files for the last seven years, Archie grabbed the bug that was given to him and contemplated his next move. After thinking it over, he headed over to the Pembrooke and told Mr. Lodge the truth about the FBI approaching him to be an informant a few weeks ago. Archie assured Mr. Lodge that he didn't tell them anything. As for the bug that Archie was instructed to plant, he smashed it with a hammer. The agent had been threatening his dad because he hadn't given up any information, and Archie didn't think he was going to stop until he did. He was telling Mr. Lodge all of this because he liked him and because he loved Veronica. Furthermore, Agent Arthur Adams was a lot more dangerous than Mr. Lodge at that point. Archie was hoping that in coming clean, Mr. Lodge would help him and his father out of the mess they were in. Mr. Lodge agreed to deal with Agent Adams. He assured Archie that he wouldn't be harmed and that he did the right thing in telling him. Mr. Lodge then asked for 24 hours. Afterward, he'd get back to Archie.

Later that night, Archie answered the door to find Andre on the other side. He was there on the boss's behalf. He told Archie that they were going for a drive as the boss wanted to see him. In the car, Archie grew concerned as they passed the Pembrooke. Andre informed him that the boss had requested somewhere more private and scenic to meet. They pulled up alongside a cliff, where down below was a long and deadly drop to the ocean below. Much to Archie's surprise, 'the boss' was not Hiram, rather Hermione Lodge. Do you know what "Omertà" is, she asked Archie. It's their code of silence. It states there is no worse, no more cowardly crime than snitching. Archie assured Mrs. Lodge that he would never do anything to betray her family. Which he'd unknowingly proven to her in those last few weeks. She and Hiram, unbeknownst to Veronica, enlisted one of their closest associates to approach Archie and say that he was an FBI agent investigating Hiram. Agent Adams isn't real. He worked for Mrs. Lodge as one of her capos. She asked him to apply a lot of pressure to Archie by threatening his father to see if he would crack. It was all a test, which Archie passed. With that, Mrs. Lodge welcomed him to the family.

That morning, Archie stopped by the Pembrooke to take Veronica to school. Before leaving, they were approached by Hiram who suggested that they go out to the family lake house for the weekend as a romantic getaway since he and Mrs. Lodge were no longer able to. While Veronica was fine with Andre driving them down and later picking them up Sunday night, she insisted that Andre leave immediately after dropping them off. Her father agreed to her demands. He even suggested that they invite Betty and Jughead along with them.

At school, Archie and Veronica invited Betty and Jughead to the cabin, but Veronica warned them that it was rustic. Although, 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 unwind. Cheryl then entered the student lounge after overhearing their conversation from the hallway. When she attempted to invite herself, Veronica explained that it was a couples getaway.

After school, Andre drove them out to the cabin. Veronica told them that 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. As Veronica headed off to show Betty the inside of the lake house, Archie grabbed the bags. While doing so, Andre told him to call if they got into any kind of trouble. As Archie prepared to take the bags to the cabin, he briefly noticed a gun holstered within Andre's jacket, though he made no mention of it. Shortly after entering the cabin, Jughead got a call from Cheryl who told him about Archie and Betty's kiss outside of Thistlehouse just before Christmas. After ending his call with Cheryl, Archie and Betty were confronted by Jughead.

While Betty and Jughead discussed the kiss in the other room, Archie and Veronica 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. Archie and Veronica then proceeded to have sex.

Archie and Veronica were joined downstairs a little while later 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. Afterward, 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 father was doing a superb on of keeping everything on schedule. When Betty asked about her lake house neighbors, Jughead pointed out that as they were driving up to the cabin, he noticed that none of the houses had mailboxes or numbers. Veronica explained that Shadow Lake was a private community., leading 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 Archie and Betty. Understanding the reason for the tension in the room, Veronica told them to change into their swimsuits.

In the hot tub, during a moment of full disclosure, 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 the four of them, Veronica suggested that they kiss. While Archie and Betty 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 finally in agreement, Veronica and Jughead shared a kiss in the hot tub as Archie and Betty watched.

Later that night, Archie got in bed after getting in his daily workout with a set of push-ups. While laying in bed, Veronica suggested that they have sex. However, Archie claimed he was tired though 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, unbeknownst to Archie, Veronica watched from the balcony as he chopped wood in the nearby forest. However, she grew suspicious as he took off after receiving a call from Andre. Veronica followed him into the woods only to find that him talking with Andre despite making it perfectly clearly that she didn't want him hovering over them during the weekend. 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 and he wanted to make sure that Veronica was safe. As the means to resolve the conflict, 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 and she told him to stay behind with Jughead.

The next day, in the woods, Archie learned from Jughead that Betty and Veronica kissed. It supposedly happened during the first week of school, during River Vixens try-outs. Betty tried to explain to Jughead why they kissed but the rationale stilled eluded him. Archie took this opportunity to apologize for kissing Betty. While there was no good excuse, he was apologetic. Jughead forgave Archie as their situation was far more complicated than any of them could've planned. After a poor attempt to explain to Archie the miracle of their friendship, Jughead simplified it to the fact that it should be amazing that they were all such close friends. But sometimes it terrified him. It was as if the four of them were in a powder keg. All it would take was one match and they would all blow up.

Back at the cabin, Archie greeted Veronica as she returned. While she was still upset 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 on, it was only about him and her, not Archie and her dad. Jughead then got a call from his dad, telling him that Hiram 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 Sunnyside trailer park. With the Southsiders' debt cleared and eviction notices revoked, Archie, Veronica and Betty wondered why he was outraged. Jughead explained that Hiram's move with buying the trailer park was tactic. But Archie, Veronica and Betty insisted that he was simply being paranoid and that Hiram was trying to make amends.

A game of Monopoly was interrupted by a call from Betty's mother. As she stepped away to take the call, Archie and Veronica learned that Jughead met Chic, who he described as being kind of creepy. Betty returned from the call with her mother to announce that Hiram Lodge 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 Hiram Lodge was making big plays. In wake of recent events, Betty began to question the sincerity of Veronica's inviting them to the cabin though Archie came to Veronica's defense. 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 lake house with weapons in hand, demanding their valuables. After taking Veronica's wallet, one of the intruders demanded that they get down on their knees. As he grabbed a baseball bat, the phone rang as Veronica had triggered the silent alarm. With guards on their way, the intruders exited the house. However, Archie chased after them after they snatched Veronica's necklace. Archie managed to tackle the intruder to the ground. He recovered the necklace and unmasked the assailant. Just as Archie was about to pummel the attacker, Andre appeared and he told Archie to get back to the cabin. As Archie ran in the opposite direct, a gunshot rang throughout the forest.

Later that night, in a booth a Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead joined hands and came together as no one was hurt and they had each other. Afterward, he met up with Hiram in his study. Hiram assured Archie that he did the right thing in telling the intruders to take what they want. It was both the smart and only choice. Hiram then asked if Archie was bothered by what happened between the intruder and Andre. Archie replied that the night they stopped the Black Hood, there was only one thing he regretted, and that was him hesitating the pull the trigger.

Archie and his dad were invited over to the Pembrooke for dinner by the Lodges. During which time, Archie and Veronica laughed as their parents shared a wild story from their youth when they seemingly broke into Thornhill for a swim and stole the school's van. As their parents went into the study for a drink, Archie and Veronica 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 the Lodges thought Archie's dad was the ideal candidate for since business and politics went hand and hand.

On their way home, Archie asked his dad if he was seriously considering running for Mayor. Which he was, considering that it was something he had dreamed about since he was a kid. While Riverdale had been through a lot lately, he was hoping that he could be the one to change things.

The next day at school, Archie asked Jughead if he was still continuing his pursuit of Hiram Lodge, which he was. Archie told Jughead of the special election to replace Josie's mother, and how Hiram wanted his dad to run. But Archie didn't want his father any deeper with the Lodges than he already was. And while Archie couldn't tell him not to run as that would come with consequences, Jughead could however intervene. So Archie offered Jughead information in hopes that he would write an article about it, forcing his dad to abstain from the election. Archie revealed that Hiram Lodge secretly bought Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe from Pop Tate. Jughead then pulled out his map, looking at the territory claimed by the Lodges. He compared Hiram to Dracula and accused him of snapping up all of Riverdale in order to expand his empire and feed.

Archie got a call from Veronica the next day after she had done some research. Apparently, his dad needed 12,000 signatures before he could even run for Mayor. And so Veronica was hoping that the two of them could collect the signatures together. However, Archie blew her off, claiming that he had homework to catch up on before hanging up.

In the living room, Fred shared an old urban planner presentation of his with Archie. "Riverdale 2020", he called it. A small town with a big future. Archie took joy in seeing his father's past work. However, their moment was interrupted by Veronica, who came to the house with design ideas for campaign logos. After Veronica agreed to get buttons and t-shirts printed, Archie confronted her over 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 his father didn't obey, they'd push him out like they did Mayor McCoy. Veronica corrected Archie to tell him 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. Nonetheless, Archie felt as if he was being steered and would appreciate it if Veronica ease up.

Archie met up with Jughead the following day at Sunnyside Trailer Park to see if Pop Tate had confirmed that Hiram Lodge secretly purchased the diner. Pop Tate admitted this was true. Unfortunately, Jughead couldn't publish the article out of respect for Pop Tate who had requested that he not. Jughead had talked to every possible suspect connected to the Lodges, Mayor McCoy included. But they all refused to talk. Archie suspected that Jughead had spoke to the wrong McCoy. Instead of Sierra, Archie went to speak with Josie. At Pop's, Archie told Josie about his dad running for Mayor and how he didn't want him to go through the same ordeal that Josie's mom went through. So he was hoping that maybe Josie could convince her mom to talk with his dad to convince him out of running for Mayor. Josie reluctantly agreed. In the living room at the Andrews house, Archie and Josie sat quietly as her mom revealed to his dad the less glamorous side of being the Mayor.

While working out in his garage, Archie was confronted by Veronica over his betrayal in telling Jughead about the Lodges secretly buying Pop's. Veronica revealed that she covered for Archie though he didn't wish for her to do so. But if her dad ever found out that he snitched, Archie would be in deep trouble. Regardless, Archie refused to apologize for protecting his father. However, Veronica assured Archie 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 with her parents, he deserved the entire truth, Archie added. He wanted to know Hiram's 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. Though, he had even less time than initially though as his father entered the garage to announce that he would be officially throwing his hat in the race for Mayor.

Just as Veronica suggested, Archie spoke with Hiram that night. He echoed Jughead's sentiment of Hiram being like Dracula, who bought property all over London so he could move his vampire kingdom over from Transylvania. The only difference was that Hiram was bringing organized crime to Riverdale. Even worse, he wanted Archie's dad to be Mayor so that he could be their patsy. What if Hiram and his father didn't see eye to eye, Archie asked. In Archie's hand was his journal. When Mrs. Lodge sent Arthur Adams, the fake FBI agent to test Archie, he started taking detailed notes of everything he saw while he was apprenticing with Hiram. Archie explained that he was merely looking out for his family though Hiram assured him that he had no reason to worry as Lodge Industries would be 100% legitimate and Riverdale would be crime free in 18 months. Hiram promised that they would all benefit. Archie decided to hold him to that.

The next day, Archie and his father were called over to the Pembrooke after Jughead had learned of the Lodges' master plan. Hiram hoped to tell them everything when the time was right. But with Jughead ready to break the story at any moment, he was forced to lay everything out then and there. They learned that the Lodges' plans for Riverdale entailed turning Southside High into a private, for profit prison. As for SoDale, it would be housing for the employees of the prison. Unfortunately, Archie's dad refused to support their plan as it was built on the bones of a high school. He called Archie over as he was preparing to leave. However, much to everyone's surprise, Archie decided to stay as he wanted to hear what else Hiram had to say.

Later, Archie forever sealed his fate and loyalty with the Lodges. Hiram understood that a prison would be a difficult sell. So he was going to ease them into the idea, and it was his mistake in not telling them sooner. Archie explained that before Jason Blossom's death, the Black Hood and his father getting shot, he likely wouldn't have understood Hiram's point of view. But he's changed, and he believed that Riverdale needed a change too. Hiram grabbed a blade from his case as he told Archie that the tradition they were about to perform was a sign of loyalty and that there was no going back. Archie and Hiram both cut the palms of their hands and dripped blood onto Archie's journal, before throwing it into the fire.

Archie entered the kitchen to find his father reading the latest article from the Register about Hermione Lodge and her promise that the new prison will bring forth more jobs and a safer Riverdale. Archie assured his father that the prison was a good idea. Though Fred did not agree. He was certain that a prison would rip the soul out of Riverdale, especially the Southside. So his father couldn't support that plan. Which meant he had to sever all ties with Lodge Industries and SoDale.

At school, Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Betty discussed the closing of Southside High and whether or not Veronica knew that the sole reason for its closing was for her parents to build a private, for-profit prison on its bones. Jughead continued to press the issue, but Archie and Betty insisted that Veronica had no knowledge of her parents wrong-doing. Nonetheless, Jughead planned to go on a hunger strike to protest Southside High closing and Betty supported him. Ethel then approached the table with a milkshake from Pop's and poured it onto Veronica in retaliation for her parents' misdeeds.

The next day in the student lounge, Archie, Betty, and Jughead learned that Veronica was running for student council president against Reggie, and Archie wholeheartedly supported her. She also asked that Betty be her running mate.

In the study, Hiram asked Archie about Jughead's hunger strike. Archie told him that Jughead loved a political crusade almost as much as he loved a burger. Hiram then announced that he was accelerating the timeline for the demolition of Southside High and he was hoping that Archie could send Jughead a message by giving him a flyer notice that Southside High would be demolished within the week.

At Pop's, Archie informed Jughead of the demolishing of Southside High as planned. The school would be torn down that week despite the fact that Hiram was supposed to give the neighborhood a six week notice. When Jughead began to wonder who Hiram paid off to have demolition underway so quickly, Archie reminded him of the Black Hood shooting his father. If Hiram's plan could make the town more secure for them and their families, then Archie saw no reason not to oppose it. He then questioned why Jughead cared for Southside High so much when he attended for such a short amount of time. Jughead explained that he was raised on the Southside with his mom, dad and Jellybean. The Southside was the last tangible thing he had of them. Much to Jughead's surprise, Archie's dad was also against Hiram's plans as he had pulled out of his deal with the Lodges.

Archie got a surprise visit from his mother the following day. Given that she was a lawyer, his father had called her in for help in getting out of his contract with the Lodges. Archie assured them that there was nothing to worry about because Hiram would keep his word, but Archie's parents weren't so sure, especially since they'd known Hiram a lot longer than him. As tension between him and his father began to build, Archie excused himself.

At school, Archie and Betty supported Veronica in her run for student body president. They joined her by her stand as she gave out kisses and cupcakes.

Archie later had lunch with his mother at Pop's. She hated to see him and his father fighting. Given that he was in his first serious relationship with Veronica, his mother wanted to ensure that he wasn't led astray to align himself with her family against his better judgment. Archie insisted that this wasn't the case.

After school, Archie was sent over to Southside High by Mr. Lodge following the discovery that Jughead and the Serpents had chained themselves to the building. With the demolition just two days away, Archie tried to convince Jughead to leave but he refused.

The next day, Archie performed before the school with Veronica and Josie following her endorsement of Veronica's run for president. Unfortunately, Ethel entered the lounge halfway through their performance with flyers that revealed Veronica knew all about her parents turning Southside High into a prison, amongst other things. Upset over Veronica's deceitful ways, Betty stormed out the lounge with Veronica and Archie not far behind.

That night, Archie had dinner with his parents. The topic of discussion — Riverdale and Jughead's crusade to save it. Archie wrote the protest off as an act of lunacy. However, his father defended Jughead's protest. While Archie may not have believed in what he was fighting for, Jughead's motive was still valid. However, Archie disagreed, arguing that Jughead was mostly fighting against Mr. Lodge. As were a lot of people in town who were afraid of what had to be done. His mother took great offense to Archie's comments. Not because they were directed at her, but because they were directed at his father, who according to her, broke rocks in high school to support his family when his own father got sick. He saw what had to be done, and did it. Even making a business out of it. One that paid for the house that Archie slept under and the food that he ate. Furthermore, his mother explained that his father did have a vision. One that didn't end with everyone working in a penal colony. While it was his prerogative to side with Hiram, his mother refused to allow him to disrespect his father.

Every hour that passed, that Jughead was chained to the school, was bad for business. It was time to move Jughead and his fellow Serpents by force. Hiram suggested that Archie lead the Riverdale Wrestlers to stop Jughead. Archie initially refused, but he had made an oath of loyalty to the Lodges. If he broke it, there would be consequences. With that being said, Archie reluctantly agreed to do Hiram's bidding. But only if Hiram let his father out of all commitments to Lodge Industries.

In agreement with Mr. Lodge, Archie went down to Southside High with the wrestling team to confront Jughead and the Serpents. He passed through the crowd only to be stopped by FP, who threatened to take him down if need be. However, Jughead would rather it not come to that. He had no desire to fight Archie. With bolt cutters in hand, Archie planned to cut them from their chains and end the protest. However, all around them were residents of Riverdale with their phones out, recording. While it may have taken a couple days, now people knew what Hiram was doing. So no matter what happened, Jughead would continue to fight. Having said that, he told Archie to cut their chains as he wanted the whole crowd to see them do it. And so Archie and the wrestling team did just that. Cutting the Serpents from their chains one-by-one and escorting them off the premises.

Archie returned home to learn that Mr. Lodge had kept his end of the deal and freed his father of all contractual obligations to Lodge Industries. He also learned that his mother planned to stay in Riverdale longer than initially expected to help his father with his campaign to run for Mayor against the Lodges.

As Veronica's running mate, Archie joined her at the school hall meeting where they squared off with Jughead, Betty, Reggie and Josie. The first question of the night came from Sweet Pea and Fogarty who were concerned about the Southsiders and their treatment since being transferred to Riverdale High. This was followed by Midge's question in regards to Archie and Veronica's parents being on opposite sides of the Mayoral election. She wondered if this would produce problems for their campaign. However, Archie and Veronica adhered to the old maxim that politics are never discussed at the dinner table. They were supposedly on the same page about everything. In the meantime, they were dedicated to improving the quality of life at Riverdale High.

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

Archie returned to the Pembrooke with the Lodges where they were greeted by Andre and Adams. In the lobby was Lenny Kowalski and Carl Martin. Two mob bosses who requested to speak with Hiram privately. Archie was concerned, but Hiram assured him there was nothing to worry about.

Archie returned home that night. His mother joined him in his bedroom to remind him that his father was announcing his Mayoral campaign and ask that he be there in support of him. Archie agreed to attend but he wondered why his dad didn't ask himself. While he was a proud man, his mother assured him that it would mean a lot to everyone if he was there.

Archie met with Hiram in his study the following day to discuss his associates from the night before, Lenny Kowalski and Carl Martin. Hermione's Mayoral campaign made them anxious due to the unwanted attention it would bring. Hiram was having dinner with them in hopes of smoothing it over but in the meantime, he needed Archie to watch over Veronica. Archie agreed to keep an eye out for Veronica, but in addition to that, he wanted to join Hiram for his dinner with Lenny and Carl. While Andre and Adams would be there, Archie always proved resourceful. And with Hiram's crew in Montreal going silent on him, he needed all the help he could get.

Archie and Reggie decided to settle their presidential differences once and for all in an arm-wrestling contest. They were both Bulldogs, who like wolves, supported the Alpha. At the moment, they risked splitting the teams' votes which Reggie had told Josie that he could deliver, hence the contest. Winner received Bulldogs' votes. Initially, the contest appeared to be at a standstill, but Archie overpowered Reggie and threatened to break his arm should he ever mention his dad again.

That night, Archie attended the dinner as planned. He stood alongside Adams and Andre as Hiram negotiated with Lenny and Carl, who wanted 25% of the profit that Hiram would receive for his private prison. However, Hiram could not agree to such high numbers as it would void him of all profit. So he declined their offer. Lenny and Carl grew angry, explaining that Hiram had nothing and that his men in Montreal and New York now worked for them. Archie then stepped forward to demand respect from Lenny and Carl. He told them that he was not to be underestimated as he had beaten up Nick St. Clair, taken out Poppa Poutine and did the same to a hillbilly that threatened Veronica while they were up at the safe house. Despite Archie the stern manner in which Archie addressed them, Lenny and Carl were not convinced. In fact, they laughed at him.

Afterward, in the parking lot, Archie explained that he refused to be disrespected in their own town. Nonetheless, firing a warning shot like that meant that he would have to back it up. All-in-all, Hiram was impressed.

The following evening, Archie came downstairs to find Jughead helping his father with his announcement address. Though some time had past since the protest, things were still awkward between Archie and Jughead, who barley looked at one another.

Archie later escorted Veronica home as he told her that he was beginning to feel distant from his father. They entered the Pembrooke to find Andre being attacked by a hooded assailant. As Andre laid bleeding on the floor, Archie chased after his attacker. He tackled him to the ground only to discover that it was Adams. He had apparently double-crossed the Lodges. Adams then punched Archie in the face and told him to tell Hiram to take the deal. Archie relaid this message to the Lodges who weren't pleased. They concluded that Lenny and Carl either offered Adams money or he sensed that they were weak and vulnerable. The message that was being sent was clear, either cut Lenny and Carl in or suffer the consequences. The Lodges were essentially unprotected. Archie offered to keep watch on the lobby as he did for his father during the Black Hood attacks. However, that was only a short-term solution to a long-term problem which Hiram had no answer for.

Archie continued to fulfill his duty in escorting Veronica home to ensure her safety. After seeing her home, he met with Hiram in the study to learn that Hiram had decided to cut Lenny and Carl in on his profit from the prison or else they would destroy it as they didn't share Hiram's ambition to go legitimate. He'd pay them a cut for protection, thus preventing a war and ensuring all of their safety. However, Archie didn't like the sound of that. So he devised a plan that would hopefully take care of the matter. Unfortunately, this would mean missing his father's speech. Archie headed down to Pop's to convince Reggie to stand alongside him as he needed Reggie's help in stopping Kowalski and Martin. While Reggie was against the Southside and for the prison, he couldn't see himself working with Archie. However, when Archie offered him the Bulldogs' vote should he help, Reggie reluctantly agreed.

That night, Archie, Reggie and the Bulldogs, disguised in black masks and bearing the name "The Dark Circle", sent a message to Kowalski and Martin by blowing up their car. Archie informed them that Hiram Lodge didn't stand a lone and that Riverdale was protected. Just as the rivaling sides were about to face off, they scattered at the sound of police sirens.

The next day, before she left for Chicago, his mother asked what was so important that he couldn't be there for his dad. She recalled that he used to worship his father and play music. Not to mention, that he, Jughead and Betty were inseparable. But who he is now is someone that not even she recognized.

Archie later met up with the Lodges at Pop's to the sight of a brand new car that they had bought for him. Archie was in shock and couldn't except such a great gift but they insisted that he take it, especially since he would have to continue his duty of escorting Veronica. While Veronica started up the car, Hiram pulled Archie to the side to explain that blowing up Kowalski and Martin's car was the very definition of a short-term solution which Archie was very much aware of. Their enemies would be back to take everything though Archie was sure they would be ready for them when they did. He then hopped in the car and he and Veronica headed off to school.

At the Andrews house, Archie started his day off with his morning workout and study session, doing push-ups as he flips through the pages of his script for the musical. Archie went downstairs where his father told him that Andrews Construction will be building the set for the musical. Fred was thrilled that Archie was getting back into music, even if it's not rock and roll, as he would prefer. It would also allow them to spend some time together. Fred then offered to give Archie a ride to school, but Archie insisted that he'll be fine taking his bike. However, that is a lie. He walked down the street, out of eye view of his house, where he parked the car that Hiram Lodge had given him. And that he drove to school.

Archie arrived at school and ran into the auditorium with Veronica, Betty, 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.

Archie remarked that it is weird for him and Betty to be playing boyfriend and girlfriend. Hearing this, Jughead advised him to take it easy as Big Brother is watching. Archie acknowledged that their relationship (Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica) was strained at the moment. But they were there for Kevin and to do the play. So, Archie hoped that they could do it as painless as possible. However, it was not that easy for Betty considering that Veronica lied to all of them by conspiring with her parents against the entire school. Betty added that it's fine that Archie was doing exactly what Tommy Ross would do by standing by Veronica's side. However, where Betty's standing, Veronica was just as much of a privileged, selfish, spiteful mean girl as the part she's playing.

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 Archie, Veronica, Betty, 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.

Later, while Jughead recorded, Archie and Chuck performed with Betty and Veronica on stage as they sang "Do Me A Favor".

While making out with Veronica in the hallway after rehearsal, Archie stopped to ask if he can keep "Firebird", the car that Hiram 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.

Veronica, Toni, Ethel, Betty 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.

Afterward, Archie confronted Betty for being so mean to Veronica. Betty had no idea what's going on with Veronica. There's a lot that Betty didn't know about Veronica, her family and the intense pressure that she's under. Betty asked that Archie tell her as she wanted to let it go, but it's not Archie's place to share it. Archie did however remind Betty how quickly Veronica forgave her when the Black Hood made her say terrible things to Veronica at Nick St. Clair's party. Kevin then called them on stage to run Tommy and Sue's ballad. Archie took Betty's hand while singing "You Shine".

Archie and Fred were working on set pieces for the play in woodshop when Hiram stopped by. He asked Fred if Archie had taken him for a spin in the Firebird despite knowing that Archie has been keeping this a secret from Fred. Hiram claimed it was a gift for all the help Archie has provided for him and his family over the past few months. Fred claimed it was a pretty smooth ride, choosing not to cause a scene despite being disappointed in Archie. Just outside, Archie tried to convince his father that it was just a car, but for his father it's was so much than that. He was planning on them going to the junkyard and picking out a beat up car to fix up together, like he and his father did with his first car.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Kevin informed Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Fangs, Toni, Ethel, Alice, Moose, Midge, Betty, 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.

Kevin returned with the programs for the play, telling them all to be sure to get them signed on opening night. On the back of the playbill is Hermione Lodge's campaign. Archie then noticed his father on set and approached him as he has assumed that he would've quit after their disagreement. Fred told Archie that he's no quitter and that he'd continue to help with set work.

Archie confessed on camera to Jughead that when Kevin came to him about Carrie, The Musical, he said Archie was the literal embodiment of Tommy Ross. Loyal, selfless, a hero, a force for good. But Archie believed that he's none of those things. He's not the hero of any story. Lately, he had been going down this dark path, ignoring how much it hurt his dad. After his confession with Jughead, Archie headed down to the Pembrooke to confront Hiram over trying to get in between him and his dad. While Hiram may be his boss, Archie assured Hiram that getting between them is a battle he will lose every time. Archie then returned the keys to Firebird to Hiram.

After returning Firebird, Archie sold some of his music equipment and went down to the junkyard to buy a beat up car off junkyard Steve. It needs a lot of work, but Archie is hoping that he and Fred can fix it up together. Fred was touched, so much so that he sent Archie off to school as he didn't want his son to see him emotional.

Opening night, in the dressing room, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, Midge, Moose, Kevin, Alice, Chuck, Toni and Ethel sang "A Night We'll Never Forget". After Archie did a bit of singing in the dressing room with Veronica, Betty 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". Archie, Betty, Veronica, 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 Return of the Black Hood
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, Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead 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.

Afterwards, Sheriff Keller began his investigation into Midge's murder, starting with interrogating everyone involved in the play. Archie is questioned, however, he has a question of his own to ask the Sheriff. Archie asks if the Sheriff ever found any evidence that linked Joseph Svenson to any of the Black Hood attacks because he suspects that they got it wrong. He has ever since that night on the bridge. But the Sheriff recalls Svenson nearly burying Archie alive while wearing a black hood. Whoever the killer is, the Sheriff guarantees Archie that they will catch him and that Svenson was the Black Hood.

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.

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.

While walking home, Archie briefly spots a man wearing all black at the end of the street. When Archie proceeds down the street to approach the man, he finds no one.

The following morning, Archie joins Fred in the kitchen after a rough night of sleep. Archie can't stop thinking about the Black Hood's message that said all those who escaped him before will die. Archie suggests that his father leave town and stay in Chicago with his mom. This of course would leave Archie all alone. Which just will not do for Fred. He informs Archie that Sheriff Keller put a deputy outside their house. But that won't be nearly enough to stop the Black Hood considering that he killed Midge in an auditorium full of people.

Despite promising Veronica that he wouldn't, Archie went to investigate Svenson's old house. It is now boarded up and abandoned. While trying to get a better look through the windows, Archie is ambushed by three men wearing black masks.

It turns out that Archie's attacker was Nick St. Clair and two of his friends.and tell her 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.

Archie pleads with Nick to be released given that the Black Hood is still at large. Nick thought that the Black Hood was dead, but Archie informs him that this may no longer be true. Furthermore, Archie's dad may be in danger though Nick doesn't care. Nick explains that he's about to be disowned by his father thanks to Archie, Veronica and the Pussycats. Nick is viewed as an embarrassment who'll never have the guts to run the family business. Which is why he grabbed Archie. He's going to "make his bones" with Archie. Nick's friends then hold Archie down as Nick assaults him.

Nick tells Archie that his laptop is going to have a live feed of his suite at the Five Seasons where he and Veronica will be on a date. Archie initially believes that Nick is lying, but realizes that this is not the case when Nick reveals that he told Veronica that he would let Archie go afterwards. Archie remarks that he'll kill Nick. Which Nick takes to heart. That's why this can only end one way. When he said that he was going to make his bones, he meant it. But you have to kill someone for that. And who better than Hiram Lodge's Capo.

Later that night, Archie watches via live stream as Veronica arrives at Nick's suite for their date. 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. Meanwhile, Archie grows frustrated as he is forced to watch this transpire. Still tied to the chair, Archie kicks back off the table, smashing the chair as he hits the ground, thus escaping his restraints. Archie attacks Nick's friend from behind with a pipe and knocks him unconscious before escaping.

Archie runs through the streets of Riverdale as fast as he can to the Five Seasons after escaping the warehouse. He finally makes it 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.

Afterward, Archie and Veronica head to the Pembrooke, where Archie waits in the study for Hiram's return. In the study, Hiram offers to explain why he didn't assist in Archie's ransom, but Archie doesn't want to hear it. He thought about a lot of things while Nick was torturing him. One of those things was that he feels that he's proved himself in a lot of ways, but there's one step left. He still hasn't made his bones with Hiram. There's only one man Archie's interested in bringing down — the Black Hood. Hiram tells Archie that this would earn him his bones and that he'll help in whatever way he can.

On the eve of the Mayoral debate, Archie goes door-to-door campaigning for his dad, though that is not his sole purpose. He looks each resident in their eyes as he approaches, hoping to match their eyes to those of the Black Hood. When one voter says that he's voting for Hiram Lodge, Archie corrects him in explaining that it is, in fact, Hermione Lodge who is running for Mayor. Unfortunately, Archie has no such luck in locating the killer. While most people believe that Midge Klump was murdered by someone else, possibly a copycat, Archie is certain that the Black Hood has returned and that Midge was only his first victim.

Archie stops by the Pembrooke to see Veronica. With make-up, she covers the bruises he 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 to 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. Hiram then interrupts to speak with Archie.

In the study, Hiram informs Archie that his spies have told him that Archie was out campaigning for his father. Archie reveals that he was actually looking for the Black Hood. Archie remembers his eyes. Admittedly, what he was doing is insane, but he has no other choice but to go house-to-house. Hiram explains to Archie that he may be wasting his time and going about this all wrong. He recalls Archie saying that he wanted to make his bones. Assuming this is still true, Hiram tells Archie to reform the Dark Circle. He'll want back-up should he identify the Black Hood. While Reggie and the Bulldogs are surly fired up, Archie explains that they're loose canons. To help with that, a new Sheriff has take over, Michek Minetta. Someone Hiram knows very well. He instructs Archie to coordinate his efforts with the new Sheriff. Hiram will arrange a meeting between the two of them, but they have to move fast as there's no telling when the next attack will take place.

If what happened to Midge taught them anything, it's that no one is safe and that the town needs the Dark Circle. So Archie rallies the guys in hope that they will join him. This time around, they'll even have the Sheriff's support. Kevin is there as well, but only to help catch the guy that took his father's job. Moose has a confession to make. The night of the musical, he and Midge got into an argument because she admitted that she was seeing someone else, a Southside Serpent is all he could get out of her. Reggie is outraged. Reggie knew the Serpents would do something the second they stepped foot into the school. When Kevin asks why Moose didn't say anything before, he explains that he didn't want to become a suspect. Archie wants to go to the authorities with this information, but Reggie would rather find out on his own who the Serpent is that was hooking up with Midge.

Archie, Reggie, Kevin, Moose and the rest of the Bulldogs interrupts the Serpents Swords & Serpents meeting. They've come for answers to who was hooking up with Midge. Reggie immediately points his finger at Sweet Pea, who does not take the allegation lightly. He claims that while he didn't know Midge, he completely understands why she wouldn't want flees from the mangy Bulldogs. Reggie is angered by Sweet Pea's insult and pushes him. This nearly leads to a fight. Thankfully, Archie and Jughead are there to keep their respective sides at bay.

The next day, Archie is confronted by Jughead who arrived at school to find Dark Circle posters taped to all the lockers. Archie claims that Reggie made them, not him. Jughead asks Archie that he call the Circle off the Serpents even though they were right about one of them hooking up with Midge. But he didn't kill her and Jughead refuses to give Archie his name. Rest assured, none of Jughead's guys are the Black Hood. Hearing this, Archie agrees to talk to Reggie about backing down. In the meantime, Jughead needs to get back some possibly incriminating footage from the new Sheriff. While Archie has yet meet him, he asks Jughead to come with him.

Archie and Jughead arrive at the Sheriff Station. They are greeted by Sheriff Minetta and Hiram Lodge. Hiram had already told the Sheriff all about Archie and Jughead. Jughead explains that he stopped by to ask about the documentary footage that he lent to Sheriff Keller before he stepped down. While they chat in the Sheriff's office, Hiram asks that Archie accompany Veronica as she entertains Elio, the casino suitor.

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". When Veronica heads into the restroom, Elio asks how Archie got in with the Lodges. Archie explains that it's mostly through his relationship with Veronica. However, Elio had heard from his father that Archie is Hiram's Capo and that he made his bones by killing Poppa Poutine, who's son is now looking for payback. However, Archie informs Elio that he had no involvement in Poppa Poutine's death.

Archie returns home to find his father in the kitchen with a note from the Black Hood that says he's next. According to Fred, it was pinned to the front door. Not long after, the police are called. Hiram and Hermione make their way over as well. Prank or not, Hiram, Hermione, and Archie want to cancel the debate, but Fred wants to go on. He asks if Sheriff Minetta can tighten security at Town Hall, which he can. Fred explains that the town is scared, but they need to show that they can't be cowed.

Archie stands guard with a baseball bat that night in case the Black Hood decides to strike. Fred assures him that there's no need for this as a deputy is just outside the house, but Archie is worried that a deputy won't be enough. He could fall asleep and the Black Hood could slip past him. Archie doesn't think he'll be able to stop the Black Hood should that happen. What happened at Pop's changed everything. Archie felt helpless. Everything broke that day and Archie's been trying to put it back together ever since, first with the Red Circle and now with Hiram Lodge. Fred understands his frustration with feeling helpless, especially when it seems as if the whole world is on fire. He then hugs Archie.

Archie falls asleep on the living room couch while standing guard. He only wakes up when Jughead calls with news of the Dark Circle's attack on the Southside, which initially unbeknownst to Jughead, Archie was not involved in.

Archie calls a meeting of the Dark Circle to scold Reggie, Moose, and Kevin for their actions in vandalizing the Southside. Reggie claims they were celebrating Fangs' arrest. Archie explains that his wrongful arrest isn't something to celebrate. However, Kevin argues that Fangs had a knife on him, making him look very guilty. Archie refuses to argue with them anymore. With that being said, he announces that the Dark Circle is officially disbanded. However, Reggie, Moose, and Kevin have no intention of stopping. It's not Archie's decision to make as Hiram is the one paying them. He even suggested that they go out and have a little fun. While Archie may have started the Dark Circle, Hiram stated that it is now Reggie's.

Archie stands a few feet away from his father as the Mayoral debate begins. They discuss plans to restore safety to the town. Hermione claims that they're already making strides with the arrest of Midge Klump's murderer. Fred argues that they don't actually know that Fangs is the killer. He makes a point to not call for blood until they've had a trial. Regarding his comment about calling for blood, Hermione enlightens him about the Dark Circle, who she refers to as a dangerous, radical group that traffics in terror, violence and street warfare. This group, she points out, was started by Archie. Veronica then spots the Black Hood on the balcony with a rifle. He shoots at Fred, but Archie tackles his dad to the ground, saving him from being shot. As the Black Hood continues to shoot from the balcony, Archie and his father hide behind his podium.

Afterward, at the Sheriff station, Sheriff Minetta explains that there's a trap door leading from the balcony to the roof that isn't on any building plans. Sheriff Minetta then assures Hiram they'll catch him before the night's end. Given that Archie's come face-to-face with the Black Hood, looking him right in the eyes, Hiram suggests taking Archie along to help identify him. When asked if he's up for a ride along, Archie looks to his dad and decides to go home with him to ensure his safety.

Archie gets a surprise visit from Veronica at the house. She reveals that she will be supporting his father's 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.

Archie arrives at the station shortly after getting a distress call from Jughead that the Dark Circle is out of control. He gets there just as Jughead, FP, Toni and Sweet Pea making their way through the crowd with Fangs. Reggie has just arrived as well. However, he has a gun and he's come to see to it that Fangs doesn't get away with Midge's murder. Archie spots the gun and before Reggie can use it, Archie tackles him to the ground. They fight on the ground over the gun, which unintentionally goes off, shooting Fangs in the abdomen. FP, Jughead, Sweet Pea and Toni tends to Fangs as he lays on the ground bleeding. While Jughead yells out for help, Sweet Pea looks to Archie and Reggie as his hate for them builds.

Archie regroups with Kevin, Moose and the Bulldogs in an alleyway. None of them seem to know of Reggie's whereabouts. He and Archie got separated when the fight broke out. Archie explains that Reggie had a gun, but Archie tackled him before he could shoot Fangs. When Kevin asks why Reggie would have a gun, Archie suspects that Hiram Lodge put him up to it. Nonetheless, they have to find Reggie as some of the Southside Serpents saw him with a gun. Archie, Kevin, and Moose head to Reggie's house while the rest of the Bulldogs fan out to find him before the Serpents do.

While with Kevin and Moose, searching for Reggie, Archie calls Jughead to inform him that the Serpents are trashing the town. Jughead is well aware. He surmises this is due to Reggie shooting Fangs. However, as Archie explains, Reggie didn't shoot Fangs. So Jughead needs to call off the Serpents. They just came from Reggie's house, but he wasn't there. Archie, Kevin and Moose are now headed to Riverdale High School as that's where Reggie's mother said he was going. Jughead arranges to meet them.

Archie, Kevin and Moose enter Riverdale High through a classroom window. Just outside the classroom, the Southsiders demolish the school in retaliation for Fangs' shooting. Archie reminds Kevin and Moose that they're out manned and unarmed. However, Kevin and Moose refuse to hide while the Serpents destroy the school. Archie agrees to join them, but only if they're organized in they're attack. While gearing up with Kevin and Moose, Archie gets a call from Veronica. 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.

Archie, Kevin and Moose demand that Sweet Pea and the Serpents stop vandalizing the school. As the Serpents approache, Archie swears to him that Reggie didn't shoot Fangs. He says it was Mrs. Klump, but Sweet Pea isn't buying it considering that he saw Reggie with a gun outside the station. However, as Archie points out, Sweet Pea also saw Archie tackle Reggie before he could pull the trigger. Nonetheless, whether it was Reggie or Midge's mom who shot Fangs, a Northsider put him in the hospital, where he is hanging on for dear life. Northsiders took his friend and his land. And they'll take everything if the Souhtsiders give them the chance. So now, Archie, Moose and Kevin get to watch as the Serpents burn the school to the ground. Sweet Pea then throws a trashcan into the display case, shattering the glass. Armed with nothing more than bats and sticks, Archie, Moose and Kevin prepare to fight off the Serpents. Fortunately for them, Mr. Weatherbee arrives with backup and a baseball bat of his own to see to the end of the confrontation.

Archie, Kevin and Moose meet Jughead outside the school. Archie informs him that he's too late as Weatherbee has already shut them down and kicked everyone out the school. After that, the Serpents took off, possibly to trash Midge's house after learning that Mrs. Klump shot Fangs. Archie looks to Jughead to coax the Serpents off the ledge. He then asks if Jughead has spoken to Betty, which he has, via text. Betty is supposedly with her mom. As Jughead pulls off on his motorcycle to find Sweet Pea and the other Serpents, Archie gets a call from Pop Tate, who informs him that Reggie is at the diner.

Archie, Kevin and Moose convene with Reggie at Pop's. Reggie didn't know where else to go after Hiram hung him out to dry. Just as Archie questions if Hiram put Reggie up to shooting Fangs outside the station, Southsiders supposedly pull up outside of Pop's. Archie calls Jughead to ask where he and the Serpents are at. Jughead informs him that he just brought them back to the Whyte Wyrm and Mrs. Klump's house is secure. Given that the Serpents are at the Wyrm, Archie begins to wonder who has just pulled up outside. At a closer look, Archie discovers that Malachai and the Ghoulies have returned. Kevin and Moose block off the door as Archie calls the sheriff station. Unfortunately, no one answers. When the Ghoulies bust the front window, Archie runs behind the front counter with Pop to ask if he has a gun. Unfortunately, he doesn't. Pop Tate had his fill of gun fights during the war. But Pop Tate does however know a trick that he learned during the riots in 1979. He has Hiram's leftover over liquor from the poker. He suggests that Archie use it to fend off the Ghoulies.

While Malachai leads the Ghoulies in their destruction just outside, Archie heads to the roof and with Hiram's old liquor, makes Molotov cocktails. He launches one bottle at the Ghoulies' feet, forcing them to step back. They only retreat when Archie's father arrives along with Tom Keller and FP.

As they return home, Fred asks Archie how Veronica's doing. Archie replies that she's on lock-down at the Pembrooke. For all of Hiram's talk about law and order, he was nowhere to be seen during the riots, Archie points out. Fred then heads upstairs to take a shower while Archie locks the house up. He enters the kitchen to find the front door open. He locks the door and then heads into the dinning room, where he is attacked by the Black Hood. They wrestle on the ground until the Black Hood gains the upper-hand. He knocks Archie over and then grabs his gun. Archie is helpless as he stares down the barrel of the killer's gun. Fortunately, Fred comes to his rescue, hitting the Black Hood from behind with a baseball bat. The Black Hood gets back onto his feet and shoots Fred in the chest before running out the house. Luckily, Fred is wearing a bullet proof kevlar vest. Apparently, Tom Keller made him put it on before they went to the diner. Seeing that his father is unharmed, Archie runs out the front door to chase down the Black Hood, but he is long gone.

Archie and Fred head over to Betty's house after seeing the police outside. Betty reveals to Archie that her father was the Black Hood. Archie asks Betty if she saw the Black Hood leave his house after he tried to shoot his dad again about an hour ago. Betty explains that this is impossible as her father was with them during that time. Betty then gets a call from Jughead. He only called to tell her that he loves her. With that, Archie and Betty grow concerned for Jughead.

Archie, Betty, Cheryl, Sweet Pea, Toni and the Serpents arrive at Jughead's old hangout where he sacrificed himself to Penny and the Ghoulies in order to save everyone else. FP comes out of the woods holding a lifeless Jughead in his arms. He has been beaten bloody and senseless, and his Serpent tattoo removed. Archie, Betty, Cheryl, Sweet Pea, Toni and FP are speechless, the fear of losing Jughead to Penny and the Ghoulies after he had risked his life for the Southside Serpents to not be harmed.

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, Archie, Veronica 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.

Archie and Veronica 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.

The next day, Archie heads down to the Sheriff Station to identify Hal Cooper as the Black Hood. Archie and Sheriff Minetta watch as a deputy places a black hood over Hal's head. When he does, Archie instantly identifies Hal as the man who shot his father at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Archie goes onto say that Hal is only one of the Black Hoods however. Archie continues his discussion with Minetta in his office. Sheriff Minetta isn't convinced that there is a second Black Hood. He tells Archie that a lot of people took advantage of riot night. They had multiple reports of looters wearing black ski-masks. However, Archie insists that the man who broke into their house was the Black Hood and not a looter.While Minetta may not be taking this seriously, Archie is. He won't stop until he finds the second Black Hood. He then tells Minetta to relay this to Hiram.

In the student lounge, Archie and Veronica 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.

Archie and Veronica 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.

The next day, at Andrews Construction, Archie and his father learn from attorney McCoy that elections are won in these two days. In her opinion, Fred's key to victory is the Southside vote. Historically, Southsiders don't vote because they feel marginalized. But if Fred can get them to the booths, they'll be voting for him and not Hermione. Kevin interrupts their conversation to inform Archie and Fred that Sheriff Minetta is on the line. He says it's urgent and asks them to come down to the station. Once there, Sheriff Minetta reveals that they supposedly caught the man who invaded their home. An anonymous tip lead to a suspect. When they went to question him, he engaged law enforcement in a shootout, which lead to his death. They're positive they got the right man as they found guns on the premises that matched the ones used at both the attacks. They also found a black hood. As for the man under the hood, Sheriff Minetta claims it was en ex-gang member, Gerald Petite. Also known as Tall Boy.

Archie relays what he learned from the sheriff to Jughead, that Tall Boy was the second Black Hood and that he was murdered in a shootout with law enforcement. This revelation comes as no surprise to Jughead. He's actually frustrated with himself for not figuring it out since Tall Boy has done Hiram's dirty work before. He confessed to it, which now that Jughead thinks about it, explains why he died suddenly in a firefight. There's no loose ends and he can't implicate Hiram. And now Sheriff Minetta can say the case of the copycat Black Hood is closed, meaning Hiram is going get away with it. Jughead then tells Archie about how his father wants them to move to Toledo. To make matters worse, Weatherbee wants to kick all Southsiders out of Riverdale High. Cheryl barges then into the trailer to inform them that Sheriff Minetta is raiding the Wyte Wyrm tonight. And if things turn violent and some Serpents end up shot, so much the better.

Archie, Jughead and Cheryl arrive at the Wyrm not long after. They coordinate with Sweet Pea, Toni and the other Serpents. Jughead tells them to only take the necessities and what they can carry with them. They need to move quickly and quietly. Sheriff Minetta's forces are all over the Southside and they're looking for Serpent blood. If they want their skulls to remain uncracked, they have to go undetected, Jughead states. When Sweet Pea questions where they are headed as there is no place safe for them, Jughead informs them that they've been offered asylum on the Northside. Archie, Jughead, Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea and the Serpents exit the Wyrm. They creep throughout the quiet streets of Riverdale, avoiding police detection.

The asylum on the Northside that Jughead spoke of turns out to be the Andrews house, as Fred feeds the Serpents the following morning. FP enters the house, pleased with Jughead's determination to save the Serpents, so much so that he decides to hold off on leaving for Toledo given that the Bulldogs have gone out of their way in helping Serpents and Fred is even offering shelter. Jughead then thanks Archie for helping him. However, Archie isn't done there. He has an idea, asking Jughead how many Serpent jackets he can borrow. With that, 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.

Both the mayoral election and student body election are held in the gymnasium of Riverdale High. Jughead approaches Archie, who's worried about his father's chances of winning. In the meantime, Jughead tells Archie that Betty is voting for him through Jughead. While he is concerned for Betty, Jughead thinks she's going to be alright.

Archie, Jughead, Veronica, 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, Sierra, Veronica, Kevin, Moose, Reggie, and Josie all attend. Unfortunately, Archie's father loses the mayoral race to Hermione. Not long after this news breaks, Hermione 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.

Afterward, Archie heads down to the Pembrooke to confront Hiram. Imagine Hiram's surprise when he finds Archie in his study. Hiram won everything he wanted. The Wyrm, the election, the Southside, and the town. In Archie's hand is a knife. After his dad was shot, Archie felt lost and powerless. Hiram took advantage of that by manipulating him. Archie reveals that he knows all about Tall Boy, that Hiram hired him to go after his dad, the same way Hiram got Andre to kill Poppa Poutine, and that boy at Shadow Lake, Cassidy. Archie practically saw that murder. He's also aware of Penny and the Ghoulies, who almost killed Jughead at Hiram's bidding. Hiram states that all Archie's claims are nothing more than delusions. Archie knows that all or any of this will be hard to prove. But he will. Archie's going to watch Hiram no matter where he goes or what he does. And when he does prove this, he's going to come for Hiram and make his bones once and for all.

Archie, Veronica, 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 next day, in Riverdale High's gymnasium, Archie prepares to be inaugurated. Mr. Weatherbbe welcomes all those in attendance and asks that they rise for the National Anthem, sang by Josie. Archie looks up to the crowd, smiling at Veronica, Betty and Jughead. Sweet Pea, Fangs, Reggie, Moose, Cheryl, and Toni are all present for the inauguration. Archie's moment is broguht to an abrupt stop as he notices Hiram standing at the end of of the gym. Sheriff Minetta and two deputies enter through the opposite end of the gym moments later to arrest Archie for the murder of Shadow Lake resident, Cassidy Bullick. Realizing that he's being set up by Hiram, Archie insists that he didn't kill Cassidy, but the Sheriff doesn't care. He reads Archie his rights before tasking him into custody. }}
 * -|Season 3=

Season 3
Three months have passed since that faithful evening in the school gymnasium where Archie was framed by Hiram Lodge and arrested for the murder of Cassidy Bullock. It's now the summer before the gang's junior year of high school.

Archie's trial is now in session. He sits alongside his mother, and Attorney McCoy, both of whom are acting as his counsel. All his friends and family are in attendace, as well as Sheriff Minetta, Hiram, and Hermione. Archie is being prosecuted by District Attorney, Ms. Wright. The evidence and testimony presented during court supposed tells a dark tale, that Archie has a history of violent behavior; he started two vigilante, the Dark Circle, formerly known as the Red Circle. He also assaulted Nick St. Clair and threatened Sweet Pea at gunpoint. Ms. Wright claims that while parting with his friends in the town of Shadow Lake, Archie ran into the woods and shot Cassidy Bullock in the head. However, Archie states that it was Andre who did the killing. However, Ms. Wright insists that Archie pulled the trigger in her closing argument.

His mother attempts to sway the jury by drawing attention to Archie's kinder side and all the good deeds he has done, such as helping solve the murder of Jason Blossom, providing the Southside Serpents with refuge as they hid from the police, and punching through a layer of ice in order to save Cheryl from drowning. With that in mind, Mary takes the opportunity to remind the jury that there were no witnesses, murder weapon or motive to the killing of Cassidy Bullock. All the prosecution has is cloudy testimony from unreliable people. While it is Mary's solemn duty to protect her son, as an attorney, it's her duty to adhere to the facts and evidence. There is nothing to prove that Archie is Cassidy's killer. After hearing from both the prosecution and the defense, the jury begins to deliberate.

Archie sits on the steps of the courthouse, all alone, reminiscing over past summers spent at Sweetwater Swimming Hole, when he is joined by Jughead, Betty and Veronica. Archie reminds Betty and Jughead how much fun they had together every summer at the swimming hole. Coincidentally, Betty and Jughead has also been thinking about it. However, they stopped going after they got covered in leeches one summer. Unfortunately, Veronica had never been and would like to go in fact. However, that would have to wait as Kevin interrupts to inform them that it's time to return to the courtroom. The Judge reveals that the jury is still deliberating, but he's also dismissed them for the evening. They're sequestered and he's instructed them not to read anything about this case, nor to discuss it with anyone. They'll reconvene all Tuesday morning after Labor Day. With that being said, the Judge advises Archie to spend the weekend with his family and loved ones.

As Archie leaves the courtroom with his loved ones, Hiram makes a remark towards him, resulting in Fred punching him in face. The two are then separated before the incident can escalate.

Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead grab a booth at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Betty thinks they can vindicate Archie if they find the gun that Andre used to kill Cassidy, however, Veronica tore the Pembrooke apart in search of the murder weapon but failed to find it. According to Veronica, after the riots, her father erased all traces of Andre. Jughead concludes that Andre most likely ditched the weapon at Shadow Lake. They contemplate returning to Shadow woods with metal detectors in search of the gun, but Archie doesn't want to spend what could be his last weekend looking for evidence that isn't there. They see it as three extra days to save Archie from going to prison, but he would rather follow the Judge's advice by spending time with them. Enter Cheryl, who invites them to her epic End-of-Summer pool party at Thornhill. Cheryl warns them that while they're welcome to invite whom ever they please, she's in the mood for some hell raising.

The following day, Archie, Betty and Fred fix up the car they got from the junkyard in the Andrews' garage. Betty admits that watching Fred punch Hiram Lodge in the face was Incredibly cathartic, though as Fred points out, it almost got him landed in jail. Archie has the honor of starting the car. It would seem that all their efforts are successful, as the car starts without a problem. When Archie comments that they fixed the car just in time [for him to go to prison], Fred gets choked up and heads inside. This provokes Archie to ask a favor of Betty. If he does go away, Archie asks that Betty check on his dad, and occasionally invite him to dinner, as he'll be all alone once Archie's mom returns to Chicago. Betty promises to fulfill Archie's last request from her.

Archie later gets a Southside Serpents tattoo from FP. However, Archie is merely an honorary Serpent. The first thing Jughead learned at Southside High was that you need to roll with a crew to survive. There are gonna be Serpents in juvenile detention. Archie needs to find them. That tattoo is going to get Archie in and offer protection. While Jughead's right, up to a point, FP explains that the Serpent ink will only help keep Archie's body safe. He still has worry about protecting his mind as it is the first thing that goes when you're locked up. You gotta keep your wits about you, Red., FP says.

Just as planned, Archie attends Cheryl's End-of-Summer pool party at Thornhill. While tossing the football around with Reggie, Archie tells him that he'll need to step up and lead the Bulldogs should he be convicted of murder. Reggie replies that he's already captain, but this isn't what Archie meant. He'll need Reggie to work with Jughead in order to maintain peace between the Bulldogs and the Serpents. There will be no more Circles, red, dark or otherwise. Reggie agrees, adding that bloody chapter is over. He then compliments Archie on his new Serpent tattoo.

Archie returns home to hear his mother and father discussing the trial. They tried to stack the jury in Archie's favor with women and mothers, but maybe it backfired. Nonetheless, Fred believes Mary did everything that she could. Even still, Mary can't help but think if she hadn't left Riverdale and gone to Chicago, she could've stopped Hiram Lodge from getting control of Archie, who then enters the room to tell them that they shouldn't blame themselves for what he did. Taking Hiram's side against his father was the biggest mistake he ever made, but it's on him. Archie explains that they are the best parents anyone could ask for. Everything they've done for him, he doesn't think he deserves it. Whatever happens to him on Tuesday, that is what Archie believes he deserves. However, Fred will stand for no such thing. Archie is a good kid who was simply manipulated by a mobster. But, he does not deserve to be framed for murder. Fred gives Archie a hug and tells him that he and Mary will always love him.

That night, Archie has a dream where he chases Cassidy through the woods and tackles him to the ground. However, in this dream, he pulls the trigger, killing Cassidy, rather than Andre being the killer. When he turns around, Betty, Veronica and Jughead are looking at him in disappointment. Archie then looks down to his blood covered hands, as he holds the murder weapon. Archie wakes up from his sleep in a panic. The next morning, he cleans off the car before picking up his friends.

Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead drive down to Sweetwater Swimming Hole in Archie's jalopy. They get undressed and jump into the water. Afterwards, the four of them sit around a campfire. No matter what happens in court, Archie informs them that this is the best last day of summer a guy could ask for. In a one last-ditch effort to keep Archie out of prison, Jughead suggests that he make a break for it. Past that treeline, there's a road that goes through the mountains to Quebec. There are Serpents north of the border that will keep him supplied. Betty says that he doesn't deserve it, but Archie questions if he does. He's guilty. He didn't kill Cassidy, but he left him alone with Andre. Had Archie stayed, he might still be alive. More than just that, Archie blames himself for everything that went wrong last year. And he has to take responsibility for that.

Archie and Veronica have split off from Betty and Jughead and have sex. Afterward, as they lie awake, Archie tells Veronica that if he does go away, he doesn't want Veronica visiting him while locked away. Should that happen, Veronica will be taking the bus every week with all the other prison widows and bringing Archie Magnolia Cupcakes from New York. As well as working on his appeal. This is exactly what Archie doesn't want. He doesn't want Veronica spending the rest of her high school waiting for him. Veronica refuses to let go of Archie. She's not letting her dad take away the one thing that she loves. Archie accepts this as Veronica seems to determined for her mind to be changed. He then opens up to her, revealing that the thing that keeps him up most nights isn't that he might get shivved. It's that he won't be able to graduate with them.

Labor day weekend is over and Archie must now return to court. He heads downstairs, joining his parents at the front door. He plays with Vegas before leaving.

Archie's trial is now in session. All his friends and family are in attendance, as well as his enemies. However, the jury could not reach a verdict. They're deadlocked. Six-to-six. With that, the jury is dismissed. Archie wonders what will happen next. Mary explains that the judge will declare a mistrial and they'll have to do it all again. In lieu of another trial, the State is prepared to offer a deal for a lesser sentence. Ms. Wright says. Instead of prison, time served plus two years in juvenile detention, if Archie will plead guilty to the crime of manslaughter. Despite his mother's counsel, Archie takes the deal, much to the court's surprise. Archie explains that he can't put all the people he cares about through this again. The court accepts Archie's plea of guilty and he will be taken directly from the courthouse to the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center, where he will serve out his sentence beginning immediately. As he's being taken away, Archie give his mother a hug and tells Veronica that he loves her.

Archie is on a transport bus leaving Riverdale, headed to the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center.

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

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

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

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

Relationships

 * Archie and Jughead
 * Archie and Betty
 * Archie and Veronica
 * Archie and Reggie
 * Archie and Geraldine
 * Archie and Cheryl
 * Archie and Fred
 * Archie and Mary

Josie McCoy
"So, you feel qualified to write songs for the Pussycats? For divas of color? [...] Look, this isn't LA or New York, this is Riverdale, and people's minds are opening up, but do you have any idea how much hate mail my mom got when she was elected mayor? [...] No, no, no, baby, you don't. I mean do you know why we're called the Pussycats? Because we have to claw our way into the same rooms that you can just waltz into. So, if you think that you can write my experience..."

- Josie to Archie

The relationship between Archie Andrews and Josie McCoy pre-dates the series given that they both grew up in Riverdale. Their relationship originally started out as a small rivalry between musicians, as Archie, who was looking to rise as an up-and-coming songwriter, hoped that Josie would assist him in doing just that. While Josie on the other hand, who is an established musician in her own right, wasn't willing to help him achieve his aforementioned goal. However, their relationship later evolved into a friendship after the pair bonded over their love of music, which resulted in Archie performing alongside Josie and the Pussycats.

Valerie Brown
"First of all, we didn't do anything. I broke up with you because I thought you were a hot mess. Clearly, I was right. [...] What is your problem, Archie? You shut me out, remember? It's too late."

- Valerie ends their relationship

The relationship, both platonic and romantic, between Archie and Valerie was relatively short-lived. Initially, Valerie helped Archie with his budding interest in music, but their time together quickly advanced into romance. However, Archie became involved with drama concerning the Blossoms, specifically Penelope and Cheryl and the promises of future in music. Archie then began ignoring her that eventually lead into a confrontation that resulted in Valerie ending their relationship, on the grounds that Archie knew nothing about her. Later at Jughead's 16th Birthday Party, Archie attempted to make up for ignoring Valerie and attempted to get back together with her. However, as far as it concerned Valerie, reconciliation was futile. Despite this, Valerie did support Archie after his father was shot by a masked assailant at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. They've since not associated with one another after his recovery.

Arthur Adams
"I don't believe you, that you'll leave me and my dad alone. I think you'll do anything that you can to destroy Hiram Lodge. Even if it means destroying us."

- Archie to Arthur

The relationship between Archie and Agent Adams is rather complicated given the fact that the FBI agent wasn't an agent at all, but rather one of Hermione Lodge's capos who was tasked with applying pressure to Archie as a test to his loyalty towards the Lodges, a test that Archie would later come to pass. As he was approached by Agent Adams, Archie was told that the FBI was building a case against Hiram Lodge and that they wanted his help to lock him away. During their multiple rendezvous, Archie and Adams had a strictly professional relationship. Archie would supply Agent Adams with information that he would then supposedly use to incarcerate Hiram Lodge. However, as Archie became more involved with the Lodges, he began to feed the agent false information. It wasn't until Archie told Hiram Lodge the truth about the investigation that he learned that Agent Adams wasn't real and that Arthur Adams was a close associate of the Lodges.

Trivia

 * Archie appears to be a big fan of the American comic book publisher, . He had two posters plastered in his room, one of and another of.
 * Due to their red hair and varsity jacket, Archie is often compared to Jason Blossom.
 * KJ Apa broke his hand while filming the season one finale which involved him punching through ice to rescue Cheryl Blossom, which was, in actuality, a foam mat sitting on ice.
 * Archie knows how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a skill that came in handy when saving the life of Cheryl Blossom.
 * To suit the role of 'Archie', KJ Apa has to get his hair dyed and bleached, every two weeks, to red since his natural hair color is dark brown.