Chapter Eight: The Outsiders

ARCHIE: Previously on Riverdale...

You only have enough in the bank to cover three more weeks of payroll.

I'm waiting to hear on this huge bid.

That new development where the old drive-in used to be?

HERMIONE: I kissed Fred Andrews.

VERONICA: The other thing. It involves you forging my signature to get Fred Andrews that stupid contract to build on Dad's land.

You hated Jason, and now Polly is pregnant with his baby.

Of course you can stay. Anything for Alice Cooper's daughters.

- So where are you gonna live now?

- I'll figure it out, Dad.

He was stealing from the company and selling stuff on the side.

When someone is drowning,you can try to save them, but not if they're gonna drag you down with them.

[MUSIC PLAYS]

JUGHEAD: The Coopers.

The Stepfords of Riverdale.

High school sweethearts who got marriedand had two beautiful daughters, Polly and Betty...

Until Jason Blossom happened.

And now, we would hear from the person who was closest to him those days leading up to his disappearance...

Polly Cooper.

How a casual conversation turned into an epic, forbidden romance.

How, for reasons still murky, theirrespective parents tried to tear them apart.

How their break-up was short-lived, because Polly soon learned she was pregnant with Jason's baby.

How they became secretly engagedwith his grandmother's blessing and her heirloom ring, and made plans to run away together, to start a new life.

And how their dreams of escape went up in flames.

That was the last day you saw him?

At Pop's, when he told me the plan, that he was gonna fake his own death, and then we would meet up.

But, before that could happen, my mom and dad sent me away.

One of Jason's teammates said that before he ran away, Jason was dealing drugs.

Making a one-time delivery.

He needed... We needed money.

To get away and to start over.

So Riverdale's star football player becomes a drug mule?

He went to a bar on the other side of the tracks and made a deal with some biker gang.

The Serpents?

He got an address upstate, where he was supposed to deliver the drugs in exchange for cash.

The drugs you found in Jason's car...

- Yeah.

- ...that went up in flames.

Along with everything I had left of Jason, including the ring his nana gave me, which he was keeping until...

Okay, Sheriff, I think that's enough for tonight.

I think Polly needs her rest.

I'll be in touch, ladies.

- I'll show you out.

- Thank you.

We're gonna get you through this, okay?

[MAN SCREAMING AND GROANING]

- JUGHEAD: Gotta stop blowing me up.

- You're going the wrong way.

- You're going the... What are you doing?

- [GUNSHOTS IN GAME]

Come on.

You're the one who keeps accidentally killing me.

War is hell, Jug.

No, Archie, hell is other people.

- [KNOCKS]

- Hey, guys, getting pretty late...

And... Whoa! It's kinda ripe in here.

Does someone wanna open a window?

I got it.

- You settling in, Jug?

- JUGHEAD: Oh, completely.

It's like Archie and I are just roommates in a college dorm.

Oh, great. What does that make me, the RA?

No, you're the third roommate.

All right, guys. I got a big day tomorrow.

Yeah, breaking ground on the SoDale project, right?

Yeah. Indeed, we are.

Sorry, 'cause I know it's kind of a sore spot with you, Jughead, about the drive-in.

As long as you build something beautiful in its place.

Well, I don't know about beautiful, but it's gonna be big.

- Night, guys.

- Night, Dad.

♪ Talking television at the... ♪

Polly's convinced herself that no one wants her baby.

Besides, of course, the child-snatching Blossom monsters.

- No offense, Cheryl.

- None taken.

So your mom and dad want Polly but not the baby, and the Blossoms want the baby and not Polly.

That's a true Gordian knot.

It's an impossible situation.

Betty, come on.

An impossible situation is being invited to both the Vanity Flair Oscar party and Elton John's Oscar party on the same night.

Which happened to me one year, I know.

This is merely an annoying situation.

But luckily, I've been percolating on an idea, hellishly simple in its conception.

What if my mom and I were to host a baby shower?

Count me in.

You want Polly to feel loved and supported, right?

Yeah, but ideally by her own parents.

Okay, so, baby steps, girl.

Get Polly and your parents in the same room in a public setting where they can't fight, and, voila, let the healing begin.

Am I expected to come to this thing?

Of course!

You're Betty's boyfriend, so...

Oh, my God, you guys, relax.

It's just a word that starts with the letter "B."

Betty, what do you say?

Elizabeth Cooper.

Mom?

I need you and you.

Right now.

Hey, Vic, I was just getting ready to come out and walk you through the day.

Hate to do this to you, Fred, but, um... I gotta pull my crew.

Before we've even started? What happened?

Cliff Blossom reached out.

Says he's got a big job coming up.

Says he needs us free and available.

[SIGHS]

Blossom's willing to guarantee us two years' work, starting now.

Can't ask my guys to turn down that kind of money.

No, Vic, I can't.

Sorry, Fred.

Sheriff Keller told us everything.

How you're hiding Polly at the Pembrooke?

Better than in an insane asylum.

VERONICA: Actually, Mrs. Cooper, that's on me.

I was the one who suggested that Polly stay with us.

She's trying to help.

Unlike you and Dad, who want Polly to give the baby up for adoption.

Betty, it's what's best for Polly and the baby.

Mom, that's not your choice.

Your choice is whether or not you want to be a part of Polly's life.

Veronica and her mom have offered to host a baby shower.

Well, that is hardly appropriate!

Really?

Because I think it's an amazing idea.

You want to be loving and supportive like a normal grandmother?

Then, great.

Otherwise, stay away.

Don, I just need a few guys from your crew.

FRED: A couple to get me started.

I did check. I'll get back to you, Don.

What was that about?

It's all good.

How was your date with Val?

It was good. I got you some slices.

Did something happen at work?

Cliff Blossom made my crew an offer they couldn't refuse so they walked.

Every last one of 'em.

Screw em, then.

Anyone who'd rather work for Clifford Blossom than you is crazy, Dad.

Dad?

What is it?

You always make me talk to you about my problems.

The business... It's in trouble, Archie.

Has been for a long time.

Big jobs are just few and far between.

That's why this SoDale thing is so important to me.

I can't break ground without a crew, so every day I'm just hemorrhaging cash.

We've got equipment sitting there, supplies, bills that are past due.

[STAMMERING] Dad, why didn't you tell me? I had no idea.

[SIGHS] It was never supposed to get this bad.

You work your ass off to build something, and in one false step you could lose everything.

No, Dad, you're not losing anything.

We'll figure this out.

A Baby Shower? Are you sure that's a good idea? You know, when...

- It is.

- It's a great idea.

What about Mom and Dad?

What do you want, honey?

Do you want them to come?

I do. I mean, Mom, at least.

In that case, we'll get her there somehow.

But I do not want to fight with her.

BETTY: You won't.

The entire Cooper family will support you on this, Polly.

I want the Blossoms there.

- Cheryl, sure, yeah, she's on the guest list.

- Cheryl.

And Mrs. Blossom.

She just tried to declare you an unfit mother.

Well, then this shower is the perfect opportunity for me to prove to her that I'm not.

- Ronnie? A word?

- Hmm?

Sure.

Excuse us.

The Blossoms and the Coopers in our pre-war apartment?

It'll be a bloodbath!

They've been the Hatfields and the McCoys since long before Polly was pregnant.

Plus, I'm trying to avoid the Blossoms.

If they find out your father is the one who bought the drive-in, it'll be open war.

Against us?

They're making a play for the land, hoping to stop construction.

Fred and I are trying to keep it on track, but...

But Mr. Andrews still doesn't know that Daddy is the buyer?

All of which is to say the timing of this shower is just...

It's not ideal.

Plus, I can't believe Alice even wants to come, from what you've told me.

She doesn't.

I was kind of hoping you might talk some sense into her?

You know, like, mother-to-mother?

Oh, yeah, no.

Please, Mom, she really needs our help.

[TIRES SCREECHING]

Fred.

You try to hire my crew on the first day of construction?

Opportunity knocks when it knocks.

Nothing personal.

Yeah, it never is with you guys.

So what is it? The development? What?

That land you're building on, it belonged to my family.

We founded our maple empire on it.

Now, we were in the process of trying to reacquire it, buy it back, when your mysterious boss, he, he just stole it right out from underneath us.

And you can't go after him, so you come after me.

The way your boss does business deals, secret deals, building that SoDale monstrosity at the speed of light kinda makes me think that he has a limited amount of funds.

So you're gonna halt construction, bleed him out.

Reacquire the land at a more reasonable rate.

- That's a great plan.

- Thank you.

Except you're bleeding me out, too, you pompous ass.

You're messing with my business, my livelihood, my son's future.

I don't care if you're the richest man in Riverdale.

I will come after you with everything I've got.

Which is what, exactly?

Go park somewhere else.

[DOOR SLAMS]

How did it go with Clifford?

Good, insofar as I didn't knock him on his ass,

which I would really love to do.

He's in some kind of grudge match with the owner of this land.

Lucky us, we're caught in the crossfire.

And this mysterious buyer...

Does Cliff know who he is?

No, he's as in the dark as we are.

[CAR TIRES SQUEALING]

What the hell now?

[CAR DOORS SLAMMING]

What is this?

Your new crew, reporting for duty.

I appreciate it, I do, but isn't there something more important you need to be doing?

Like going to school, playing football?

We can work after practice and on weekends.

Until you find a new crew.

Help keep things on schedule.

Come on, Dad. I worked for you the whole summer.

And these guys...

We're bruiser studs, Mr. Andrews.

At least some of us are.

Come on. Desperate times, Fred, huh?

[SIGHS]

All right. Here we go.

♪ Life gives me one more chance ♪

ALICE: You must be loving this, Hermione.

Providing sanctuary to my daughter.

Asking me here, to what? Gloat?

Look, I asked you here because I'm trying to help.

So what is your plan for Polly?

What do you want?

I want my daughter back.

I want my family back together.

Well, then, it's time to face facts.

Hermione, Polly is a teenager.

She hasn't even finished high school.

The father of her baby has been murdered.

You want to play house with her, and throw her a baby shower, fine.

But the very next day, all of those things will still be true.

And she's supposed to what?

Raise a child?

Mothers do it every day.

We did it.

Come to the shower.

Be there for Polly. Help her.

Otherwise, you're gonna regret it for the rest of your life.

This is awesome.

Moving rocks beats working out in our crappy weight room.

Hey, Keller!

Looking good, looking buff.

We should get you on the team.

I prefer my contact sports one-on-one, you know, like...

Boxing.

Pretty handy with that wheelbarrow, Archie.

You know, if the whole music thing doesn't pan out, you can always have manual labor as a fallback.

Don't even joke. I did this all summer long, remember?

My dad loves this kind of work.

And I love him, but...

No, I know.

Your dad's path is not for you.

Trust me, I get it.

He works his ass off for me, bro, but never asks for anything.

Always has my back, even when I mess up.

So if having his back means I gotta haul some rocks, then bring it on.

Agreed.

Your dad's got my back, too.

More than some people.

Exactly.

Hey, guys, you were a life-saver today.

I appreciate it. Hard hats go in the bin, and there's sodas in the fridge.

Crap! Hey, guys, I forgot my phone.

[BANGS]

[SPARKS HISSING]

Hey!

Hey, get away from there!

[BANGING]

[MOOSE GRUNTING]

Moose, are you okay?

[GROANS]

Stay down. We'll get you some help.

Who did this to you, Moose?

No clue.

But they said, as long as we keep working, they're gonna keep coming back.

What the hell happened?

Moose, over there, he caught a couple of guys working over my equipment with a crowbar and then they got the drop on him.

Who were they, vandals?

Cliff Blossom has made it abundantly clear he would love nothing more than to see this whole project go belly-up.

I doubt that Blossom's gonna hire some thugs to bust up your site and beat up some teenagers.

Maybe it wasn't him.

I mean, this is Serpent territory, right?

Maybe it was them. Pissed that they had to leave 'cause of this project.

Serpents?

Yeah.

When I worked at the drive-in, the Serpents never bugged me.

Did you see any snake tattoos, anything on their jackets?

It happened pretty fast.

SHERIFF KELLER: All right, I'll talk to Blossom, but I mean I don't think we'll get anywhere unless we can ID these guys.

That is such bull.

If this was Clifford Blossom asking for help, you would say yes.

FRED: Archie.

What, Dad? It's true.

It's also not helping.

Have you heard from Mom? Is she coming?

She's invited.

Hey, it doesn't matter.

If Mom doesn't want to come, that's on her. It's her loss.

Betty, I've decided... I want you to be the baby's godmother.

Really? Me?

Oh, my God!

POLLY: If anything would ever happen to me, the only person I'd trust to take care of my baby is you.

Oh, my God, Pol!

It's so wrong, Val!

Things should not be this way.

It sucks, but, please, Archie, talk to me.

I can't keep talking about it, I have to do something.

Hopefully not something you'll regret.

[SIGHS]

I'm sorry, Val, I have to go, I have to try.

VERONICA: Poor Moose. Is he okay?

His name is Moose. He's fine.

[CHUCKLES]

Dude, what the hell?

I've been texting you.

Archie, Jughead just told us what happened yesterday.

Though I checked out at the words "construction" and "site."

Moose and I are going to the Southside to find those Serpents. You in?

Whoa! Hey, you didn't say it was the Serpents who beat Moose up.

'Cause we don't know that for a fact.

Well, it's still worth a shot if it might help my dad.

Kevin's boyfriend can get us in.

Get you in where?

To some bar where the Serpents hang out.

If Moose spots them, we call Sheriff Keller and get these goons arrested.

Archie, the Serpents are dangerous.

They're drug-dealers.

What?

Says who?

Polly.

Remember? Trev told us that Jason was dealing drugs?

It was for the Serpents.

You heard my Dad, Jughead.

Clifford Blossom is trying to torpedo him.

Sheriff Keller basically blew him off, right in front of us.

Somebody needs to do something.

Archie, going into that bar is a bad idea.

Jughead, are you coming with me or not?

Thanks for having my back.

[MOTORCYCLE ENGINES REVVING]

Play it cool, just like we said.

Keep eye-contact to a minimum.

And Moose, if you see the guys that jumped you, we leave, and we call Kevin's dad.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Moose? Anything?

Not yet, not that I see.

We're all gonna die.

Pay up.

[SIGHS] I'm gonna get this back, right?

You wish, Preppy.

Is that one of them?

I can't tell.

He looks kind of familiar.

Oh, God!

Hey.

What? You got a death wish?

Archie, back off.

What the hell is this?

You like beating up teenagers?

This isn't the first time one of you Bulldogs has come in here, looking to 'cause trouble.

FP: Hey! That's enough, Mustang. Let 'em go.

I'll take care of this.

Not you, Red, you stay.

I'm good.

What the hell are you doing here?

Looking for the thugs that trashed my dad's equipment.

We figured it was the Serpents, angry for getting kicked off their land, but now that I know you're a Serpent, I'm thinking this is personal.

Going after my dad, his company, that is payback, right?

For when he fired you?

Man, you've got a bigger imagination than Jughead, and that's saying something.

This isn't a joke. My dad could lose everything.

You think I'm responsible?

That I've been, what, waiting all these years for a chance to get back at your old man?

No. No, kid, life's too short.

You don't know that now, but you will.

[TIRES SCREECHING]

I called him the second you set foot in the bar.

Get in the truck, Archie.

♪ Our house, our house ♪

♪ Our house ♪

♪ Our house ♪

♪ In the middle of our street ♪

Hi, guys. Good to see you. Right this way.

Hey. Hey.

Good to see you.

♪ Our house, it has a crowd ♪

♪ There's always something happening ♪

You're sweet to be here.

I know this isn't exactly your scene.

What? Organizing a baby shower?

It's totally on my bucket list.

Mom!

♪ Our house ♪

♪ In the middle of our street ♪

♪ Our house ♪

Polly, look, Mom's here!

I'm so glad you're here, and you're safe.

You and the baby.

Oh, Mom.

We're here!

No big deal, it's only the best stroller money can buy.

So expensive.

All I ask in return is that you make me your baby's godmother.

[BETTY CLEARS THROAT]

Kidding!

[BOTH CHUCKLING]

So not kidding.

Come on, Nana Rose, let's get you a good spot by the food.

Polly.

Let me begin with an apology.

When I first heard about the baby, my initial instinct, to embrace the baby but not you was wrong.

I hope you can forgive me.

Think happy thoughts.

So what, you're a Serpent now?

Thought you left that behind.

A guy's got to make a living.

And not many people would hire me, after...

Right.

It's my fault you run with criminals that rough up teenagers and trash my equipment?

You really think I'd come after you?

That I'd put you and your kid in danger after everything you've done for my boy?

Look, I'm sorry for your troubles.

How bad is it?

I got no crew. I got no cash.

Never been worse.

- Let me ask around.

- [SIGHS]

See if any of my guys have heard who it could be.

I'd appreciate it.

You'll pull through, Fred. You always do.

But you might wanna keep tabs on that boy of yours.

NANA ROSE: This necklace reads the baby's aura.

Predicts the s*x.

Nana has dementia and gypsy blood.

Oh!

What?

Is my baby okay?

Babies.

It's twins.

One of each!

This is occultism at its most ludicrous.

But I'm grateful to be here.

Oh! Thanks guys!

Okay, now Mom's.

It's my nightlight.

When I was a little kid.

[CROWD EXCLAIMS]

How did you... Where did you even...

I saved it. I know how much you loved it and how it made you feel safe.

And I wanted you to be able to pass it down to your own baby one day.

Alice, it's lovely.

Open ours next, dear.

You were protecting him.

That's why you didn't tell me.

Relax.

What happened?

Did you know that Jughead's father is a Serpent?

No.

That's why he tried to stop me from going to the bar, so I wouldn't find out.

After everything my dad has done for you...

Archie. I can explain, okay?

But not right now.

This is Polly's day, so you two need to check yourselves.

I mean it.

Archie...

No, save it.

Come on.

PENELOPE: That is a family heirloom.

Great-grandfather Blossom used to play with it. Isn't it magnificent?

Oh, Polly, come stay with us at Thornhill.

Cheryl's invitation is genuine.

Thornhill's gates will always be open to you.

The child would want for nothing.

You would want for nothing.

Do you think that you can just waltz in here, with a bedbug-infested Trojan Horse, wave a blank check around and steal my daughter?

I didn't think you wanted her, else why would she have been exiled like some pariah?

To keep her away from your family.

PENELOPE: Oh...

And not because you're ashamed?

Why is your own daughter not living with you?

She's not going to set foot in that twisted, poisonous house of yours.

She should be so lucky.

Cheryl, that's not helping.

She'd do a lot better there than with you.

How dare you?

Enough! Both of you!

If you believe one lie...

POLLY: This is why Jason is dead!

Because of this hate. This pointless, stupid fighting.

Honey...

No, don't touch me.

We were supposed to be together.

And you didn't let us have that, neither of you.

And you know it cost Jason his life.

Polly.

Mom.

You need to talk to her.

Polly, I'm sorry.

- It's just that woman...

- Didn't send me away.

You did.

And if you hadn't, I would've met up with Jason, and he still might be alive.

Or you might've gotten hurt or worse.

I was alone there.

In that place.

I never wanted you to feel alone, or unwanted, or unloved.

Honey, come home.

I promise you you'll never feel that way again.

You want me to come home?

More than anything, honey.

Yeah, but what about Dad?

Your father...

Dad's just gonna have to get over it.

Are you sure he's not just gonna try and make another appointment for me?

What are you talking about? What appointment?

Before you sent me away, Dad made an appointment for me to see a doctor.

Said he would be more than happy to pay for it.

That I shouldn't have to live with my mistake.

Oh, my God...

He didn't even ask me what I wanted.

Dad, before you say anything, I was trying to help.

It was reckless.

Yeah, but it doesn't matter.

I wanna pull my weight around here.

I wanna help you the way you help me.

We've both done everything we can.

I need you to know, son...

I tried, my whole life, to build stuff.

I tried to build a family, that didn't work out.

I'm trying to build us a safe life for you.

And the jury's still out on that.

I've been pouring concrete and laying brick since I was your age.

That's who I am.

It's all I am.

Dad, I was thinking, what if I have a kid someday, and what if that kid hates music, doesn't want anything to do with it, and says, instead... [EXHALES]

"Nah, I wanna build houses and buildings like Grandpa."

I think that would be pretty friggin' cool, Dad.

That would be something.

This is your legacy, which makes it mine, too.

Polly's finally asleep.

What a mess.

I should've told you about my dad when I had the chance.

So, why didn't you?

I was ashamed.

Jughead, if we're gonna be together, I want to know who you are.

All of it.

Okay.

Okay.

But Juggy, we should talk to your dad.

He might know something about Jason.

Jughead!

Dad, Betty Cooper.

Betty, this is my dad.

Hi, Mr. Jones, nice to meet you, officially.

And you, and you. Um...

Why don't you guys sit down?

This isn't really a social call.

No. I didn't expect it would be after Archie showed up at the bar.

We know the Serpents had some kind of drug thing going on with Jason Blossom.

What?

Where'd you hear that?

Jason's girlfriend.

My sister.

[SIGHS]

The kid needed some money to get away.

A clean-cut kid like that, no one's gonna suspect him of running, so we helped him, he helped us.

Jeez, Dad. Did you tell the cops that?

What do you think?

Well, they know now. Polly told them.

So if they haven't been by yet, they will be.

Did you ever talk to Jason? Personally?

My guys gave him some product.

When it wasn't delivered, we figured he'd took off with our stash, until...

Until Jason's body was found at Sweetwater River.

Anything else you wanna ask?

Did you have anything to do with Jason Blossom's death?

You really think I could do that?

It's the dark ages, Dad.

I don't really know what to think anymore.

I'm not a perfect father, Jughead, no getting around that, but... I'm no killer.

[DOG BARKING]

Do you believe him?

I do.

Do you?

I believe you, Jughead.

[SPORTS ANNOUNCERS CHATTERING]

Honey?

What did you say to Polly when you found out that she was pregnant?

Did you make an appointment for her?

With a doctor?

That you offered to pay for?

Behind my back?

So that she could fix her... Her mistake?

Alice.

b*st*rd!

So you did to Polly exactly what you did to me?

See, this is why I didn't involve you, for this very reason.

I knew that you would overreact.

Honey, you weren't ready, okay?

And neither is Polly.

We were sending her to the Sisters.

Why wasn't that enough?

Because of exactly what is happening right now.

Our little girl's life is being ruined by that mistake.

By that family.

Polly is moving home, into this house, where she belongs.

The hell she is, Alice!

'Cause I will not be party to raising a child that has Blossom blood.

Get out.

No.

Get out!

Get out!

Get out before I do something that we both regret.

And I think, by now, you know what I'm capable of.

No. What would people think?

I don't... I don't care anymore.

And I am not gonna ask again.

Get out.

I don't want you here when Polly gets home.

[ARCHIE PRACTICING GUITAR]

I should've trusted you.

There's no excuse.

I was afraid that the Serpents and my dad were the ones doing those messed up things.

I didn't wanna believe that was true.

I mean... [SIGHS] He's my dad, Archie.

I get that. I do.

But, Jughead, you can talk to me about anything.

You're like...

[QUIETLY] You're like my brother.

Nice bro-whisper, Archie.

You are my brother.

And I'm here for you and your dad.

So what can I do?

Pray for a miracle.

The heat is on. If the cops come around...

This is our insurance.

In case everything goes to hell.

Here, stash it. Keep it safe.

How's it going with the Keller kid?

It's good. He thinks we're legit.

Right on.

We're gonna need that inside line with the Sheriff.

What?

We got a problem?

He likes me, you know... For real.

[SCOFFS]

[CHUCKLING]

Ah, you're breaking my heart.

We all got a part to play.

Including me.

I've got calls into Greendale and Centerville.

Clifford Blossom couldn't have hired every crew in the state.

In the meantime, we'll just be a two-person crew.

FP: That won't be necessary.

You need a crew?

My guys are always looking for work.

And you've never had a better foreman than me.

I won't leave you hanging this time.

What if there's trouble?

We can handle trouble.

We're burning daylight.

Let's get going.

I'll catch up. We're just gonna get the paperwork done.

I asked around about those bruisers going after your man's crew.

Turns out they weren't local.

Why are you telling me, not Fred?

One of my guys says he knows 'em from a stint doing time up north, in Montreal.

Pretty sure we both know who has business in Montreal.

Hiram? But...

Why would he...

Maybe he got a whiff of your little romance with Freddy Andrews?

But the real question is, who ratted you out?

Mom had no idea, Polly.

Dad never told her. She swears it.

[SIGHS] I just... I can't believe she kicked him out.

She meant what she said.

She wants you and the baby, or babies, to feel safe.

Which means...

You can come home now.

I'm sorry, Mom.

I tried.

Polly, we're so happy you're here.

I'm doing this for my baby.

Of course.

You made the right choice.

You'll be safe here.