| “ | In case you're wondering if I can suddenly hear again, I can't. What I can do post-explosion is read minds. I can hear the words forming in a person's brain just before they speak them. It's, uh, slightly disorienting. [...] Tabitha and my friends think my hearings returned. It's not impossible to believe, the doctor said it might. Am I a bad person for lying to her, to everyone? | ” |
— Jughead
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"Chapter One Hundred and Three: The Town" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of Riverdale and the one hundredth and third episode of the series overall.[2] It premiered on April 3, 2022.
Synopsis[]
THE WORST TOWN IN AMERICA - After learning that Percival Pickens is behind a blistering article calling Riverdale the worst town in America, Archie comes up with a plan to prove him wrong. Meanwhile, after the Town Council goes after their casino, Veronica and Reggie decide they're going to do everything on the up-and-up moving forward. Finally, Britta makes a risky move to help Cheryl.[3]
Plot[]
Tabitha reads Jughead's article
Jughead has published an anonymous article that was sent to his Riverdale Choice email. While he still can't hear, he's able to maintain a conversation with Tabitha through his newly found ability to read minds, which he has neglected to share with Tabitha and admittedly, is slightly disorienting. Tabitha can't help but wonder what will the town do when the read Jughead's anonymously submitted article, titled "Riverdale: Worst Town in America?" The article was a blistering critique of Riverdale, calling out Veronica's casino, the street gangs like the Serpents and Ghoulies, the town's long history of ignorance and backwards thinking, their over taxed law enforcement, lack of culture, and struggling economy.
Archie confronts Jughead
With no author named, Archie confronts Jughead after reading his article trashing Riverdale. Jughead explains that the Riverdale Choice is free press, and that's why he allowed the anonymous author a platform. Furthermore, he refuses to tell Archie the author's name in fear that he will go after him, which Archie claims he has no intentions to do, but his thoughts says otherwise. Jughead offers to interview Archie, who could offer a rebuttal to the initial article, but he informs Jughead that a town hall meeting is being called so that everyone can respond to the article in person.
Nana Rose tells Britta how to get Cheryl back
Britta sneaks into Nana Rose's room to devise a plan to get Cheryl back, after Britta saw her in a mirror that Abigail was looking into. Rose comes to the conclusion that Abigail is keeping Cheryl locked away, imprisoned in a mental jail of sorts. The only way to make contact with her is to put Abigail and Britta both into deep sleeps. With Abigail having once inhabited Britta's body, she could use that tether to walk Abigail's dreamscape and find Cheryl. Britta plans to drug her tea, though Nana Rose warns her that if she tries this, she must awaken before Abigail does or risk her wrath.
Blossom family dinner
Abigail has conjured a hellish dreamscape, which Cheryl inhabits and is the victim of her mother's cruelty, though she does have Jason at her side to comfort her. Penelope announces her plan to throw them a birthday party and reveals that she's invited all their friends, with the exception of Heather, much to Cheryl's disappointment.
Percival wrote the article and wants all the homeless out of Riverdale
Jughead attends the town hall meeting and listens in on the various things being said in the minds of the Riverdale residents. With everyone having read the article, the meeting is underway. Veronica starts, given that her casino was one of many subjects. The Babylonium not only employs Riverdale citizens, they also have the potential to bring in out-of-towners, but Alice argues that only she and Reggie will truly profit from the casino, before questioning when was the last time a Lodge had done anything good for their town. Archie interrupts and would like to cut to the chase. He calls out the author of the article, demanding they show their face. Percival claims ownership of the article. He left it nameless in fear that if they saw the name Pickens, they'd dismiss his word because of what his great-great-grandfather did, which was essentially genocide against the Serpents and Toni's ancestors. When Archie invites Percival to a fight in the parking lot, Frank interjects and allows Percival to offer his solutions. He wants to start with the homeless encampment on Sketch Alley. Poverty begets crime and drugs until no one is safe, and so he wants the homeless to be bused out of town, but Archie retorts that Riverdale takes care of their own and that includes the homeless population. Percival then asks if Archie has a solution given that he's opposed Percival's so strongly, but at the moment, he doesn't.
Abigail returns from the town hall
Abigail returns from the town hall and informs Britta that it was Percival Pickens who wrote the article against the town of Riverdale. He may prove an ally to Abigail, but first, she must acquaint herself with the history of Riverdale and the role the Pickens family played in its shaping. Britta offers to fetch her a book on the town's history from the library and some tea she brewed.
Jughead stops by Archie's to discuss a better plan than simply bussing the homeless population out of Riverdale. Jughead knows those people, and at one time, he was one of them. They've helped him, and he'd like to return the favor. Jughead has done some research, and a lot of cities are building micro homes, suggesting that they do the same for every unhoused person in Riverdale.
Penelope tells Britta that Cheryl is on punishment
Abigail has fallen asleep after being drugged by Britta, who sneaks into Abigail's room and drinks the tea herself before entering a deep slumber and accessing Abigail's dreamscape in search of Cheryl. She arrives in the middle of Jason's party and asks Penelope where she can find Cheryl, who is crying in the corner as punishment for being an ungrateful brat, by Penelope's account. Despite she and Jason being twins, Penelope says that this year, Cheryl will not get a birthday or presents. Just as Penelope asks Britta who is she, her alarm goes off and Britta awakens, narrowly escaping before Abigail can awaken.
Veronica wants to run a clean business
They haven't talked about it much, but Veronica and Reggie have both assumed they'd be gaming the system with the casino through side hustles and scams, but given the council's hesitance, she's proposes they don't and do everything by the books instead. With her father buried, she'd like to rehabilitate the Lodge name and help fix the town her dad broke. Reggie likes the idea in theory, but doing everything above board is expensive. Veronica also wants to replace her portrait in the office with her father's, as a constant reminder of who they're not going to be like.
With his charming accent and a bit of flirtation, Percival pays Alice a house visit to hopefully persuade her to see his side and agree to get rid of the homeless population. However, Alice doesn't want to make a decision until Archie has had a chance to present his solutions. Percival assumed Alice would have a personal stake in making Riverdale safer, given what happened to Polly.
Archie proposes micro houses
At the next town meeting, Veronica and Reggie give their proposal for the Babylonium. Instead of the town and casino being at odds, she proposes to the council that they work together to rebrand as a family friendly destination hotspot. When Alice sarcastically asks if children can gamble now, Veronica reveals her plans for an arcade and daycare. However, as Frank points out, Riverdale already has a lot of broken people, and a casino isn't a healthy environment for them. Alice agrees to look over the proposal, but in the meantime, if they have any trouble with the casino, then any partnership will be out of the question. Archie is up next with his proposal to build micro houses for the homeless, with the labor being provided free of charge by Andrews Construction. Toni is impressed with his proposal, with Tabitha adding that they have similar mini houses in Chicago, which are game changing. Archie wants to start with 30 houses. Unfortunately, it will cost approximately $20,00-25,000 to build each house, which Alice remarks they can't afford. Percival points out that his proposal will cost them nothing and can be carried out immediately, if approved. While Toni and Tabitha like Archie's proposal, they need funding and proof of concept.
Percival claims Archie's thinking is flawed
After the meeting, Archie asks Percival to stay behind to chat and notices that Percival is English. Some of his family came to America to settle in the colonies, while others stayed behind in the old country. As for Percival, he was traveling around the world when he came across Riverdale. With some investment and a bit of hard work, their town can be the next Marsha's Vineyard. Given that they both want a better Riverdale, Archie hopes they can align on the idea of micro houses, but Percival perceives Archie's thinking as fundamentally flawed. The people of Sketch Alley don't want help, they want hand outs. And if they try to lift them up, they'll only bring the property value down. Secondly, Percival tells Archie that his neighbors also don't want the homeless around. They want the poor and destitute to go away without compromising their own comfort. Archie insists that he's wrong and offers to prove it to Percival.
Tabitha and Toni agree to invest in micro houses
Archie meets with Toni and Tabitha, given that they're two of the most prominent business owners in town. He asks if both of them would be willing to underwrite one of the houses, and after they're built, he can't paint them to match the likeness of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe and the Whyte Wyrm. Toni asks if it bothers Archie that she's a gang member, but he insists it doesn't. They'll build the houses in Sketch Alley and set them up in the parking lot of the diner. After giving it a bit of consideration, both Toni and Tabitha both accept Archie's proposal.
Moving forward with their plan to build micro houses, Jughead takes Archie, Frank, Tom, and Kevin to Sketch Alley, where he embraces Doc, who remarks that Jughead looks better than the last time he saw him. Jughead owes that to Doc, which is why they've come to build some houses for them. Archie tells them that they're welcome to help out, but he doesn't force them.
Veronica and Reggie discover a dead customer
Reggie has been crunching numbers and they're over leveraged. If they're strictly legit, it's going to be impossible for them to turn a profit unless they start running scams, a scenario that Veronica is reluctant to accept. They are then interrupted by the floor manager, who takes them to the private room, where a man has hung himself. Calling the ambulance is what a legit business would do, but Veronica tells Reggie they don't have that luxury, as it would confirm Alice's fear about the casino, and Babylonium would be over before it began. So, she decides to call Heraldo instead.
Cheryl on her hands and knees
Britta has drugged Abigail yet again and sneaks into the dreamscape, where she finds Cheryl asleep in her bed and wakes her up. However, before Britta can inform Cheryl that none of it is real, she is forced to hide under the bed when Penelope enters with a bucket and brushes, commanding Cheryl and Jason to get down on their hands and knees to scrub the floor. Britta then awakens.
Construction of the micro houses is underway when Kevin is approached by Doc, who hits him over the head with a hammer.
Archie, Toni, and Tabitha watch the news
Archie, Toni, and Tabitha watch Alice news report of Kevin's attack in Sketch Alley. Archie just got back from the hospital, and Kevin will be okay, but this attack is bad for business. These houses are going to be painted with their businesses on them, which Toni is no longer sure is a good idea. While Archie still has her financial support, she asks that he hold off on painting it to match the Wyrm. Tabitha on the other hand is still in, paint job and all. So, he'll bring by the first house later in the day.
Veronica and Reggie review the tapes. Reggie figured the dead guy must've been on a major losing streak, which led to his suicide, but the tapes suggests that he was up almost $20,000, leading Reggie to question why he would kill himself. Veronica then notices Percival Pickens on the footage, whispering something into the dead man's ear. Heraldo then arrives, and Veronica takes him to the body.
Britta asks for Nana Rose's help
Britta informs Nana Rose that Cheryl is being tortured by her mother in Abigail's dreamscape, which, by Rose's account, makes perfect sense, as Penelope has always been Cheryl's tormentor. Rose instructs Britta to tell Cheryl that Penelope is nothing more than a fiction pulled from her own subconscious. Perhaps this will allow Cheryl to regain control. However, Britta never even gets a chance to talk to Cheryl before Penelope descends on them. Perhaps, she devises better means to communicate with Cheryl, Nana Rose suggests.
Percival visits Kevin and Tom in the hospital. He's come to talk to them in hopes that what happened to Kevin never happens again.
The first house is up and is painted in likeness of Pop's. Tabitha loves it, and Jughead adds that it's a great start.
Heraldo recovers the body
Heraldo recovers the body and reveals that once it's dark, he'll put the dead man in his car, drive him to New Jersey, and hang him up in the bathroom of a rest stop with no cameras. He asks how things are going otherwise. Unfortunately for Veronica, business has been slow, so Heraldo offers to put the word out to some wise guys he knows. While Veronica appreciates the offer, she's trying to avoid that crowd. However, she could use his help in looking into Percival Pickens.
Archie gets a call from Tabitha and rushes down to Pop's to discover that the first micro house has been vandalized. In a fit of rage, he punches a massive dent in his car door.
Jughead visits Doc at the sheriff station. He has no recollection of attacking Kevin. One minute, he's hammering, and the next, he's standing over Kevin, getting ready to take another swipe at him. It was as if someone put the idea on his head. When Jughead asks who, Doc recall that a man approached him with a British accent.
Jughead discovers that Percival has powers
Jughead lures Percival to the Riverdale Choice under the guise of writing a follow-up article to Percival's. Jughead quotes Gandhi and asks if bussing the homeless out of Riverdale is the best they can do as a society. Percival claims that his approach is from a place of compassion, and his main concern is for the law-abiding and contributing citizens of Riverdale. He also believes that charity and giving the homeless a handout is a disservice. Jughead gains all this from listening to Percival's thoughts. However, to Jughead's surprise, Percival is aware of his ability to read minds and tells Jughead to get out of his head.
Cheryl is back!
Britta writes a handwritten note to Cheryl, which she takes with her into the dreamscape whilst Abigail sleeps. Britta finds Cheryl weeping by the fire, with her hair all chopped up. Cheryl reveals that Penelope cut it when she saw Cheryl with Heather. Britta pleads with Cheryl and tells her that she's in a dreamscape. However, before she can further explain, Penelope confronts them both. Unlike Cheryl, Britta does not fear Penelope, who grabs her by the wrist and escorts Britta out, though she does manage to drop the letter by Cheryl's feet before being kicked out of Thornhill. Cheryl reads Britta's letter, which reveals the world she inhabits is a dreamscape created by Abigail, who occupies her physical body and is tormenting Cheryl until her soul dissipates within the confines of her corporeal body.. Meanwhile, Penelope lashes out before retrieving a wire hanger from the closet to torture Cheryl. However, when she approaches, Cheryl is no longer the sad, weeping girl with chopped hair. Realizing that Penelope isn't real, Cheryl begins to fight back.
Sketch Alley is abandoned
Archie's arrives outside of Pop's to find Jughead, Tabitha, Toni, and Frank not only cleaning up the vandalized micro house, but they've brought the second house and have painted it to honor the Whyte Wyrm. Archie fears that in a few hours, someone will simply vandalize it again, but Tabitha will simply repaint them, as she refuses to give up. Jughead then approaches Archie and tells him that he doesn't think Doc attacked Kevin. Before he can reveal who is truly responsible, they are joined by Percival, who reveals that the houses won't be necessary, as he took it upon himself to encourage the homeless to move on and start over somewhere else. When asked how he arranged that, Percival credits his "power of persuasion." Toni doesn't believe him, so they go to see for themselves and discover that Sketch Alley is completely abandoned.
Cheryl plots with Britta
Cheryl visits Britta in her sleep and tells her that she will soon be rewarded for her loyalty, but only after they've driven Abigail out of her body, though Cheryl isn't quite sure how they will manage that.
Percival is celebrated at the town hall meeting for ridding the town of its homeless population. Toni, Tabitha, and Frank remain skeptical, but Alice seems enthusiastic. Percival couldn't have done this without Tom, who reveals that Percival will be joining the department and working as a deputy with him and Kevin to keep the peace. Archie compares Percival to a super villain in his head. Jughead agrees and tells Archie that they need to talk.
Alice shuts down the casino
Veronica and Reggie notice that the casino didn't even come up during the meeting and confront Alice, who after careful review and solid advice from Percival, tells Veronica that the council believes that there's a lot of risk of partnering with Babylonium, which can be mitigated, but only if Veronica falls back. The Lodge name is synonymous with crime and corruption due to her father. Veronica is not her father and has worked really hard to not be, but Alice isn't interested and challenges Veronica to even try and get the casino up without their support. Between the picketing, the bad publicly, the complaints to the gaming board, the raids, and the sanctions, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Veronica resorts to scheming
Veronica and Reggie retreat after having failed to convince Alice and the council to accept their proposal. If Riverdale doesn't want to bet on them, then they'll have to lean in to who they are and what they do best. This means running scams, side hustles, and loopholes, which includes taking Heraldo up on his offer to make a call to his wise guys. They need to start making money fast. Speaking of Heraldo, he looked into Percival as Veronica asked, but he didn't find anything, almost as if he didn't even exist before appearing in Riverdale.
Archie tells Betty about Jughead and Percival
Betty arrives at Archie's with sunglasses on and shuts off the lights by the front door, asking Archie to turn off the TV as well as any other lights. She lost TBK in Maine, but her headaches have only gotten worse. She figured out that they're triggered by lights, meaning the brighter the light, the more excruciating the pain. It's a side effect of being able to see auras. She then hugs Archie, who tells her that Jughead can read minds and Percival Pickens can control people's minds.
Percival opens to a blank page in his journal and writes down Jughead's ability to read minds. In his office, there's also a board of Riverdale's most prominent figures, ranging from Archie, to Veronica, to Tabitha, to the Blossoms.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Trivia[]
- With the exception of his Rivervale counterpart in "Chapter One Hundred: The Jughead Paradox", this is the first episode in which Jason Blossom speaks.
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