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Behold, Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. For decades, the heart of Riverdale. Now, the latest casualty in the town's ongoing battle against darkness.


"Chapter Fifteen: Nighthawks" is the second episode of the second season of Riverdale[2], and the fifteenth episode of the series overall. It aired on October 18, 2017. [3] It premiered on October 18, 2017.

Synopsis[]

SAVING POP'S — With the gunman still at large and the residents of Riverdale on edge, Betty leads the charge to save Pop's after learning that the diner may be forced to close its doors forever. Meanwhile, the gang becomes increasingly concerned for Archie's well being after noticing a string of unusual behavior from him. Elsewhere, Betty and Veronica approach Cheryl and Josie for their help saving Pop's, while Jughead's attempt to find FP a new lawyer may have some serious repercussions. Finally, when a past betrayal unexpectedly comes to light, Veronica finds herself at a crossroads with Hiram and Hermione.[4]

Plot[]

SPOILERS AHEAD


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Pop's shoppe vandalized

"Did you see what they wrote on my Chock'lit Shoppe?", Pop Tate asks Jughead as he enters the diner. In black spray paint, alongside the door read; "Death Diner", thus making Pop's the latest casualty in the town's on-going battle against darkness.

At the Andrews house, Archie makes breakfast as Fred enters the messy kitchen. Initially planning to take it up to his father as he rests in bed, Fred comes down to the kitchen due to the food burning, sarcastically asking if they need a fire extinguisher. While he appreciates Archie's effort, Fred wants to start moving around on his own. After finishing off the last of his energy drink, which he is in constant need of due to lack of sleep, Archie receives a call from the Sheriff's office. He leaves Fred in the kitchen as he picks up the phone, hoping that it is Sheriff Keller on the other end to update him on his father's case, but is, however, disappointed to learn that it is merely a deputy following up on his prior calls.

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Veronica leaving the Pembrooke

Before leaving for school, Veronica is stopped at the door by Smithers, who recommends that she take the side exit in order to avoid her father, Hiram, who is on an early morning run. Confused by this, Veronica questions this just as Hiram appears through the entrance, seeming to have heard what Smithers was saying. Hiram mentions that he's been noticing that Veronica is actively avoiding him; leaving before breakfast and coming home after her mother and father have had dinner. He can't even recall the last meal they ate as a family. However, Veronica reminds him that their last meal was the day he got arrested at the Dakota. Hiram then suggests that they talk about his arrest over dinner, but Veronica claims to have plans that evening.

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Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica at school

At school, the gang meet up, where Archie, Betty and Veronica learn from Jughead that Pop Tate's entire staff quit on him. To make matters worse, he isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to keep the diner doors open. Archie then points out that the diner's closing is a result of his father's shooting, so People are bound to be scared, not that he blames them as he too is actively avoiding the diner. Betty is baffled by what she is hearing; her friends accepting the fact that Pop's is closing. She cannot allow one psychopath with a gun dictate what happens to their favorite hangout place. Pop's is a major part of their lives, and where many important memories are rooted. She reminds Jughead of his crusade to save the Twilight Drive-In when it was closing, though with his father's hearing approaching, he doesn't have it in him to take on any further social issues, which is why Betty and Veronica decide to team up once again and volunteer to take point on helping Pop Tate. Jughead then announces that he has to leave as he has to meet with his father's court-appointed lawyer, who is far from qualified for the task. Archie decides to join him as he too has business at the Sheriff Station; he needs to drop some flyers off regarding the black hooded assailant.

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Archie with flyers of the shooter

Once at the Sheriff Station, Archie waits outside Sheriff's office holding flyers with drawings of the Black Hood. When Sheriff Keller exits his office, Archie immediately springs up from his seat and rushes over to him. He cuts to the chase telling him that everything will better if the shooter is caught. The sheriff tells Archie that they are doing everything in their power to catch the shooter, as is Archie, who has been handing out flyers and talking to neighbors. He's also been tracking his father's credit card because his wallet is still missing, meaning the shooter has all of their personal information, including their address. Archie seeks to join the patrolling deputies as they search the town for suspects, but the Sheriff denies his request as it is too dangerous. Before Archie can continue to plead his case, the Sheriff receives a call from dispatch, a "53 in Greendale".

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FP facing twenty years

Meanwhile, at the interrogation room at the Sheriff Station, FP and Jughead speak to the attorney in charge of FP's case. Jughead paces back and forth throughout the interrogation room as his father's lawyer reviews the charges that FP is facing; arson, destruction of evidence, making a false confession, obstructing justice, and dumping Jason Blossom's body in the river. Fortunately, he is being offered a deal. The lawyer advises FP that he should take the deal, as this is a strong deal considering how long he's been on the job. How many years, Jughead wonders, to which the lawyer explains that he could be facing twenty.

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Jughead nearly attacked by Archie

With this news, Jughead goes over to Archie's house, where he is nearly savagely attacked by Archie with a baseball bat as he enters through the back door. He has been walking around town all night, trying to wrap his head around how bad the situation he is facing is. With FP facing twenty years, the lawyer thinks that he should take the deal because if he doesn't and the case goes to trial, he could be facing forty. Jughead confesses that he is really scared of what will come next. Archie replies that he is scared as well. But of what, Jughead asks.

Betty phones Jughead with a plan that could potentially save the diner as well as help FP with his legal troubles. However, after looking over to Archie's room, and noticing that it has gone unslept in for another night, Betty tells Jughead to meet her at the Mayor's office. She then calls Veronica to inform her that Archie hasn't slept in his room since he and his father returned from the hospital.

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Archie and Veronica talking about his father's shooting

Veronica rushes over to Archie's house to address the fact that he's been sleeping elsewhere. Archie explains that he hasn't been sleeping recently. Instead, he's been watching the doors to make sure that no one comes in. While it may have sounded crazy, the shooter was still on the loose, and Archie fears that he would come back to finish the job. Veronica reminds Archie that he went through something deeply traumatic, so she decides to offer a suggestion. When she lived in New York, she saw a therapist once a week to help her get through all sorts of Park Avenue drama. While she wasn't saying Archie should go to see a therapist, he could possibly benefit from seeking professional help, like from the school counselor for instance.

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Mayor McCoy running into Betty and Jughead

Betty and Jughead head down to the Mayor's office to see if Mayor McCoy is willing to assist them in saving Pop's shoppe. With the diner on the verge of closing, Betty wants Pop Tate to know that the entire town is rallying behind him. They were hoping that the Mayor could make the diner a landmark or declare a day for Pop Tate in support. However, Mayor McCoy cannot risk endorsing Pop's, only for another shooting to possibly occur. Her priority is keeping the town safe. If they had to close Pop's in order for that to happen, then she is all for it, causing Jughead to lash out. He asks if she is also all for sending his father off to state prison for a murder he didn't commit. Jughead is hoping that the Mayor could call the state attorney, and arrange to get his father a more qualified lawyer, but she dismisses his plea. It is this moment that Jughead instructs Mayor McCoy to remember because this is the moment that she turned her back on both Pop Tate and his father.

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Reggie and Midge talking about Jingle Jangle

Reggie is approached at his locker by Midge Klump, who is in need of scoring a new drug making its way through Riverdale - Jingle Jangle. She tells Reggie that it's herself as well as her boyfriend, Moose. Reggie instructs Midge to lower her voice while on school property as even the slightest mention of the drug could result in serious consequences. He then tells her that he'll see what he can do. Moments later, he spots Archie across the hall, at the guidance counselor's office. Why are you seeking guidance from Ms. Burble, Reggie asks. Archie replies that he isn't. However, Reggie didn't think it would be such a bad idea if Archie did, in fact, seek counsel considering that he looks like, as Reggie puts it "my nuts after football practice". Archie, who is having trouble with staying awake, asks Reggie if he could help with this. Reggie offers him a number of solutions, one of which being Jingle jangle, which Reggie claims is capable of keeping him up for days, in more ways that one. Though, he can't help but wonder why Archie is seeking "uppers", to which Archie explains that he wants to be on high alert until his father's shooter is apprehended.

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Betty planning Retro Night with Veronica and Kevin

At the Blue and Gold offices, Betty suggests to Veronica and Kevin that they host an event at the diner that'll remind the town of simpler times, essentially a throwback to when it first opened its doors. While Veronica wholeheartedly supported Betty's cause, she wonders why Betty chose this hill to die on. Betty explains that the diner had a very special place in her heart; orange freezes with her mom and Polly after ballet. Chicken noodle soup with her dad after ice-skating. Grilled cheeses with Archie on the last day of summer vacation. Pop's is where she met many of her closest friends, including Jughead, who may lose his dad. Keeping that in mind, Betty is hoping that she could save the diner for all of them. Suddenly, Hiram enters the office with a bouquet of flowers, to both Betty and Kevin's shock.

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Veronica and Hiram discussing their relationship

Just outside the school, Hiram explains that every day he was in prison, he thought about getting back to Veronica and Hermione. And while he knew it wouldn't be easy, and knew it would take time, he was hoping that Veronica could at least meet him halfway. It's not that she didn't want to meet him halfway or that she didn't want everything to go back to the way it was, but as Veronica put it, the blindfold's off, and she can't just put it back on and ignore all his wrongdoings. Hiram's arrest and the events that followed resulted in Veronica seeing him in a whole new light. She apologizes for not being able to give him the answer he desires, but she needed to get back to her friends. Before she does so, Hiram offers to help with her crusade to save Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe from closing in any way he could, though she didn't seem interested in his help.

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Jughead meeting with Tall Boy on the south side

Jughead meets with Tall Boy on the south side of town, where they two discuss FP's current dilemma. Jughead tried going the legit route by asking Mayor McCoy for help, but it felt as if the entire system is rigged against them. Tall Boy wonders what FP had to say about this and if he had taken the deal that was being offered. Jughead informs him that FP hasn't taken the deal yet, and he wouldn't so long as Jughead had any say in the matter. In a desperate attempt to save his father from life in prison, Jughead suggests that they bust him out of jail before he is transferred to the state. According to Jughead, the Sheriff Station had worse security than Riverdale High. Once his father was out, it was a straight shot up Sweetwater River to the Canadian border. Rather than breaking FP out, Tall Boy suggests getting FP a better lawyer, he needed a snake-handler. Someone whose livelihood depended on snakes. Who's used to dealing with them, and Tall Boy knew just who to send Jughead to.

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Cheryl and Josie at Cheerleading practice

Cheryl and the River Vixens newest recruit, Josie, greet Betty and Veronica as they enter the gymnasium for practice. Josie expresses how overjoyed she is to work on her moves and act as a team player. With Cheryl back on the squad, Veronica wonders if this means that Cheryl is taking the Vixens back from her, to which Cheryl replies that they were never hers, to begin with. Betty then asks if it was possible that Cheryl would allow the Vixens to help at an event in support of Pop Tate. Unfortunately, Cheryl declines her request before rudely dismissing both Betty and Veronica.

Mr. Weatherbee enters the classroom with tragic news to share. He reveals to the students that Ms. Grundy was found murdered in her Greendale home the prior night. With some of them being students of hers, like Archie Andrews, he could imagine that the news would be difficult to process. Archie, who is overwhelmed with pain and fear, suddenly gets out his seat and exits the classroom.

Archie returns home to inform his father of Grundy's death. All within a matter of days, his father had been shot and his former music teacher/lover had been murdered. Archie begins to wonder if he is being targeted by a crazed individual, though Fred has his doubts considering that they didn't know the specifics of Ms. Grundy's death.

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Penny showing off her Serpent tattoo

Jughead follows Tall Boy's instructions, which pointed him in the direction of a lawyer named Penny Peabody, who could be found in the back of a Southside Serpents' tattoo shop. Upon his arrival, Penny explains that she not only worked for Serpents, but that she is a Serpent. They put her through law school. The Serpents are often on the other side of the law, so having one of their own on retainer, helping out, is clever, Jughead acknowledges. Penny mentions how FP always bragged that Jughead was smart. She knew his father and she also knew of the deal he was being offered, which in her opinion, is garbage. While there were no loopholes, Penny believes that if Jughead can get the Blossoms to forgive his father in front of a judge, that could shift things in FP's favor. Instead of twenty years, he could get time served with parole. Jughead asks if he is now supposed to pay her for her consultation, but Penny tells him that no payment is required. They're friends. She does him a favor, and maybe one day, he would repay that favor.

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Archie and Betty asking Alice to look into Ms. Grundy's death

Under the suspicion that Fred's shooter and Ms. Grundy's killers are one and the same, Betty and Archie go to Alice for help, hoping that she could lend a hand in uncovering the truth. Since Alice was the first to gain exclusive details to Jason Blossom's autopsy, Betty and Archie are wondering if she could get details in regards to Ms. Grundy's death to see if they line up with the attack on Fred. Betty's mother agrees to reach out to her friend at the autopsy lab as it would put Archie's mind at ease. As Archie leaves, Alice addresses how thin Betty is spreading herself out as the patron saint of lost causes. She then tells Betty that she can cross saving the diner off her list of crusades because it was being purchased by an anonymous buyer, which was exactly the same term used when Veronica's Hiram was secretly purchasing the Twilight Drive-In.

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Veronica handing her mother the letter

As she enters through the front door of her home, Veronica receives a call from Betty, telling her that the diner was being purchased by an anonymous buyer. Veronica jumps to the conclusion that her father is buying the diner anonymously in an attempt to buy her. Hiram claims that he isn't buying Pop's, then requesting that Veronica sit so that they can speak civilly. Since her father wants to talk so badly, Veronica suggests that they talk about Mr. Andrews, since he was shot one day after he rejected the offer to sell his portion of the SoDale project, which has Veronica wondering if it's her father's doing. Hiram denies having any involvement in Fred's shooting. Unconvinced with her father's claims of innocence, Veronica explains that she was his fiercest protector. Whenever someone called him the devil incarnate, she always came to his defense, telling herself that he wasn't that bad and that he can be forgiven. However, this changed when she received the letter from him, threatening her mother. Veronica then hands Hermione the letter, telling her to think about the kind of man that they're letting back into their lives. After reading the letter, Hermione tells Veronica that she wrote the letter threatening herself in order to get Veronica to testify on Hiram's behalf, so that they could be reunited as a family once more.

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Jughead and Betty at Thistlehouse

That night, Jughead and Betty visit Cheryl and her mother, Penelope at Thistlehouse, their latest place of residence since the burning down of Thornhill. Jughead and Betty explain that they were instructed by FP's lawyer to seek mercy from the victim's family. It was an appeal for leniency in order to reduce FP's sentence, leaving Cheryl to question where FP's mercy was when she was walking the halls of Thornhill in agony, obsessing over what was happening to Jason, imagining the worst. Lastly, she asks where was FP's mercy when she slept under the same roof of Jason's cold blood killer, night after night, though Betty interjects to remind Betty that it was FP who killed Jason, rather her own father. Unfortunately, if it were up to Penelope, she would watch FP fry in the electric chair. As for Cheryl, she wanted this sordid chapter of her life to be closed, and FP was the last loose end to tie up. With it being apparent that neither Penelope nor Cheryl are willing to forgive FP of their own free will, Jughead and Betty leave Thistlehouse. While doing so, they discuss their next course of action. Jughead would've suggested blackmail and extortion if they weren't already an orphan and a widow.

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Geraldine's corpse

Later that night, Alice arranged a discreet meeting in the autopsy lab with the very same medical examiner from whom she received Jason's autopsy from, Dr. Curdle. He removes the blanket covering Ms. Grundy's face, revealing lacerations on her neck. Her trachea's been crushed, and the broken veins in her eyes and the tears in her skin suggest brutality. Dr. Curdle determines the murder to be a crime of passion. the killer wanted to feel Ms. Grundy struggle as she died. After Alice handed him an envelope filled with money, as payment for his services, Dr. Curdle asks if she knew the victim. Alice replies that she didn't, despite previously meeting Ms. Grundy after learning of her affair with Archie earlier in the school year.

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Reggie pranking Archie

As Archie prepares himself a late night snack, he notices someone outside his kitchen window, wearing a black hood. Presumably the shooter, Archie immediately runs out the back door, tackling the supposed shooter to the ground. However, upon unmasking the intruder, he discovers that it was merely Reggie, pulling a cruel prank. He tells Archie that he was bringing him his "uppers", which is the last thing Archie needed if his recent actions were any indication. He was losing his mind, Reggie surmises. What if I had been the shooter, Reggie then asks. What would have Archie done with a baseball bat against a guy with a gun, he wonders.

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Alice informing Archie and Fred of Ms. Grundy's autopsy

First thing the next morning, Alice stops by the Andrews' house to inform Archie and Fred of what she had learned in regards to Ms. Grundy's murder. There were no signs of forced entry, which probably meant she knew her killer, but the police didn't know if any of her personal belongings were taken. Archie asks how Ms. Grundy died. The autopsy showed that she was strangled with something the killer grabbed on hand, a cello bow. There was a struggle. She fought back. But, Alice states that it was a crime of passion, in another town, with a completely different murder weapon. The likelihood of the two crimes being connected seems 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 actually thinking out of fear that they would perceive him as crazy.

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Pop telling Betty and Jughead he sold the shoppe

Jughead and Betty head over to the diner to ask why Pop was selling the shoppe and to who. As much as it shamed Pop Tate to admit, he was selling it to ChugMo, the liquor store chain. Considering that the diner would soon be closing for good, Jughead makes a last supper request for his father, who is facing twenty years of having to eat the weird meatloaf that they serve prisoners. So, barring an eleventh-hour miracle, Jughead is hoping for FP's last meal in Riverdale, that Pop could make his favorite, which was fried chicken, cornbread, onion rings and an orange freeze. With Pop Tate accurately recalling FP's favorite meal, down to the drink, Jughead jokes that it is very "Rain Man" of him. Pop's been in the food selling industry for a long time. He always thought that he would be doing it until the day he died. Despite their willingness to accept what they perceive to be inevitable, Betty refused to give up, telling them both that she can fix everything.

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Cheryl and Betty having 'fun girl talk'

In the ladies' locker room at the high school, Betty barges in, startling Cheryl. Betty then tells her to help FP. Should Cheryl fail to comply, Betty threatens to wide release the video of Jason's death. Betty claims that before handing the USB over to Sheriff Keller, she first saved a copy onto Jughead's laptop. Just like that, the darkest chapter of Cheryl's family's twisted psychodrama becomes a viral sensation. Cheryl is being presented with the opportunity to save a man's life. A nice ending to an otherwise sad story. If she testified, Cheryl wanted the footage of Jason's death and a guarantee that any and all other copies in Betty's possession will be erased. After agreeing to her terms, Betty tells Cheryl that she'll also need the Vixens for Retro Night.

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Jughead and Veronica talking about their fathers

Jughead approaches Veronica in the Blue and Gold offices as she sat alone. While he didn't have red hair, nor broad shoulders, or even a blonde ponytail for that matter, he is willing to listen and offer wisdom to Veronica. Not too long ago, Jughead was ready to walk away from his father, and now he's crusading for his freedom, which has Veronica wondering what changed. FP changed, Jughead says. He made an effort by taking another swing at being a good dad. But what if some people can't change because they're bad by DNA, Veronica asks. Jughead's not going to presume to know what lies in the heart of Veronica's father, but Archie's father almost died, and his father is going away for twenty years. If there's even a .0001% chance that Veronica's dad is trying, Jughead believes that she should at least give him a chance.

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Archie telling Sheriff Keller about Ms. Grundy's abusive ex-husband

Despite previously telling his father and Mrs. Cooper that they were right about the incidents being unrelated, Archie went down the Sheriff station to inform Sheriff Keller that he had a suspect in the attacks. He thinks 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 comes back for her. How do you know all this, Sheriff Keller questions. Archie tells him that he and Ms. Grundy were close. He was thinking that her ex-husband found out about him. Furthermore, Ms. Grundy was killed with a cello bow. Archie doesn't believe that it's a coincidence that she was killed by a cello bow after he so happened to give her one before she left Riverdale. He is positive that it's the murder weapon, and that it was a message. Unfortunately, Archie's 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. Hearing this, Archie begins to think that maybe he is going crazy and everyone else was right.

Veronica, Kevin, and the entire River Vixen squad came together at Betty's behest to clean up Pop's vandalized diner in preparation for Retro Night.

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Cheryl giving her statement

Meanwhile, Cheryl appeared in front of a judge in court, where she testifies on her and her mother's behalf when saying that they forgive FP Jones for the part he played in covering up Jason's murder, and they humbly ask the court for leniency. FP's guilt has been blown out of proportion to satiate what her father's suicide denied them; closure. However, as much as the judge sympathized, he couldn't ignore the quality of FP's crimes. There were no extenuating circumstances on his account. Cheryl blurted out "my father threatened him". Though this is a lie, Cheryl claims to have overheard them talking when she heard her father say he would hurt Jughead if FP didn't comply. Is that extenuating enough, Cheryl asks the judge. In light of these revelations, the judge suggests that they take a step back and reevaluate certain aspects of the case. At which time, they will revisit the sentencing. Thanks to Cheryl, a delay in the case is ordered. Jughead and FP happily embrace one another as Jughead silently sobs after earning their first win in a series of loses.

That night at the diner, Retro Night was off to an embarrassingly slow start. Betty fears that no one is coming at all. It is then that Alice walks through the door. She decided to stop by for one last root beer float as she writes her story entitled "Requiem for Pop's." Betty then tells her that Pop's diner is an obituary that she'll never get to write.

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The Pussycats performing at Retro Night

Accompanied by Cheryl and Melody, Josie confronts Betty on why she posted all over social media that the Pussycats would be performing a free concert at the diner. Betty knew that had she asked Josie to perform, she would've said no, so instead, she decided to force Josie's hand into performing. If Josie's mother even hears that she stepped foot in the diner, she'd be in a lot of trouble. Disregarding her mother's feelings, Josie cared about the shoppe, and Betty knows this to be true. Even if Josie wanted to help, she explains that they were one Pussycat down because Valerie had a norovirus. Luckily, Cheryl is willing to fill in. If Josie can be a Vixen, then she can be a Pussycat. With all in agreement, the Pussycats stand on top of the roof of Pop's diner to perform Milkshake for the crowd below.

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Veronica greeting Archie

Archie arrives outside of the diner to the sight of Josie and the Pussycats performing. As he enters the shoppe, Veronica greets him with a hug and a kiss after asking if he was okay with being in the diner as it was his first time being back since the shooting. After escorting Archie to his booth, Veronica bumps into her parents, who decided to attend the event as a show of support. With the night being a new beginning for Pop's, Veronica suggests that maybe the night can be a new beginning for them as well. However, she asks for total transparency in return. In the spirit of that, Hiram proposes that Lodge Industries make a "charitable contribution" to the diner.

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Alice taking photos of the Serpents

Alice is taken by surprise when three members of the Southside Serpents show up in the diner, during which time she took several photos of them with her phone. And while they didn't cause any trouble, some were uneasy with their presence, such as Betty, who also notices their arrival, though Jughead tells her to relax, as he was sure that they were simply there to enjoy Pop's world-class burgers and service. Betty and Jughead then began to kiss before being interrupted by Cheryl, who compared the couple to chimps in captivity, grooming and picking lice off each other. Mark this day in your diary, Cheryl say. She lied under oath for them. Luckily, she was quick on her feet. Jughead thanks Cheryl for her help before handing over the USB flash drive containing video surveillance of her brother's murder, though Betty honoring her end of their deal was all the thanks Cheryl needs.

Just outside the diner, Moose and Midge sat in the car, awaiting Reggie's arrival. Reggie shows as planned, handing the Jingle Jangle over to Moose, unaware that he is being photographed from within the diner by Alice.

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Pop Tate thanking Betty

As the night progressed, Pop's sought to formally thank Betty as it was her intervention that would keep the shoppe from closing. He also sent out thanks to the Lodge family and Lodge Industries for their generous donation which provided a little cushion for any unforeseen events or tragedies. He then gives Betty a hug as the shoppe erupted with applause. A

From their booth, Hermione quietly remarks that she wasn't aware that they were in the charity business. We're not, Hiram replies. As of five minutes ago, they owned the diner. He had secretly purchased the Pop's, and in exchange for his silence, Hiram told Pop that he can stay on as manager. Nice to have you back, Hermione states. Hiram thanks her for lying to Veronica about writing the letter that he in fact wrote. Veronica never would've forgiven him had she learned that he threatened her. Once again, Hermione has proven that her loyalty knows no bounds.

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Jughead and Betty in a booth at Pop's

With the shoppe settling down, Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica came together in a booth, where Archie looks across the diner to Veronica's father, wondering if he should go over to introduce himself. With Archie having already returned to the diner despite all that had occurred, Veronica concludes that he had faced enough dragons for one night, and that meeting her father is best reserved for their next outing. The four of them proceed to relish in their victory; a rare win for the good guys. However, Archie appears distracted, glancing out the window to Dilton Doiley.

Cheryl returns to home, telling her mother that she had a present for her; the footage of her father killing Jason. As she plays the clip for her mother, Cheryl hopes that it will bring them both peace.

Veronica arrives at the Pembrooke with her parents, only to find out that Smithers was no longer with them. She is greeted by their new doorman, Andre. Hiram claims that Smithers' mother fell ill, and he went home overseas to care for her, though Veronica doesn't seem convinced.

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FP calling Jughead from jail

After finishing up at Retro Night, Jughead went back to the trailer, where he receives a call from his father, who was upset that he had gone to see Penny Peabody. Jughead explains that they didn't have a choice. FP asks if he paid her, which Jughead hadn't because she said it was a favor. FP warns Jughead against contacting Penny ever again as he did not want to be in bed with the Snake Charmer.

As the night came to an end and the diner cleared out, Alice informs Betty that several drug deals took place right under her nose. And if she thought that Hiram Lodge, Riverdale's answer to Scarface, helped Pop Tate for altruistic reasons, Alice remarks that she has a bridge to sell Betty. The Serpents have now officially crossed the tracks and have a toehold on the north side. So, she sarcastically congratulates Betty for almost single-handedly being responsible for giving crime a haven in Riverdale.

RD-Caps-2x02-Nighthawks-150-Black-Hood-gun

Black Hood shooting Moose and Midge

Far from the glow of Pop's neon sign, on Sweetwater Bridge, Archie had arranged a secret rendezvous with Dilton, where a transaction takes place. Archie acquires a gun from Dilton, assuring him that he wasn't crazy and that it was just for protection. That night, for the first time in weeks, Archie slept.

Late that night, Moose and Midge drove out for a secluded tryst in the woods, where after taking the Jingle Jangle that they had gotten from Reggie. They started kissing in the car. However, before they could go any further, a man wearing a black hood appeared from the darkness, shining a flashlight into the car. Then, he fired several shots laying Moose and Midge for dead.

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Oh, Betty. I did not emerge from the frozen depths of Sweetwater River, nor the flames of Thornhill, to allow my Vixens to sling milkshakes at some death curse diner. The answer is a double cherry on top 'NO'.
— Cheryl to Betty about the River Vixens helping out at Pop's diner.


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