Riverdale (2017) s06e18 Episode Script

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Biblical

1
The signs when they began
were easily explained.
Frogs escaping from the biology lab.
And swarming flies.
And children sent home from school
for having lice in their hair.
So despite these omens and
portents, daily life continued.
What can I do for you, Toni?
Okay, I know it's super short notice,
but Fangs and I set a
date for the wedding.
Really?
- Congratulations!
- Thanks!
We're really excited.
And let me guess, you wanna book
one of our champagne suites,
for the big night?
Actually, we were kind of hoping
that you could help organize
and facilitate the wedding.
Oh. Like in a party planner kind of way?
I know it's super last minute,
but we need a miracle worker.
And you're literally the only person
I know that could pull this off.
Absolutely.
I'd be honored to plan your party.
Fangs asked me to be a
groomsman at his wedding.
I said, "I'm in, as long as I
don't have to give a speech
or plan a bachelor party."
I can't believe it.
I'd understand it if you
wanted to take a pass.
No, Archie, I'm really happy
for Toni and Fangs.
And I would love to get dressed up
and do something fun after SlaughterCon.
Yeah. A wedding would be a good thing
for everyone in the town.
We need something good
to talk about, to celebrate.
Mm.
Jughead, this is really cool.
But also really creepy.
I feel like I'm gonna have nightmares
about La Llorona now.
- Sorry.
- No. No, no, no, I love it.
But, um, where is this sudden
burst of creativity coming from?
You know those voices that
I've been hearing in my head?
I just started riffing off them.
And get this, the more I write,
the more the voices subside.
Well, that's a relief.
Does that mean you can
come out of the bunker?
Maybe go to Toni and Fangs' wedding?
Uh
I just I don't know if I'm ready yet.
When I go back up there,
the voices come back
and it's that same cacophony again.
But I don't want you to go
dateless to the wedding.
No, no, no, no. Don't worry about that.
I just want you to get better.
I want you to be okay.
I am. I think I'm finally recovering.
Then that's all that matters.
Little did any of us know
that frogs, flies and lice
were mere preludes to Percival's
symphony of Biblical horrors.
I'm glad Jughead's doing better.
Me, too.
Not enough to rejoin
society, but baby steps.
Hmm.
How are you doing?
Am I getting the sense that
you are slightly less enthused
about Toni's wedding than
you were about SlaughterCon?
It's It's not the wedding.
I'm thrilled for Toni and Fangs.
But
I used to be the she-wolf
of Wall Street, Tabitha,
and now somehow I'm a
glorified party planner.
And instead of living in New
York, I'm here in Riverdale
with no social life, no lover
Nothing.
- How did this happen?
- Listen
According to my five-year plan,
I should have franchised Pop's
and taken it national by now.
But you are a lot more
than a party planner.
And we all know that when you
set your mind to something,
there's nothing you can't do.
Except find a day for this wedding.
God, I just miss sharing
my heart with someone.
My love.
Uh, Ms. Lodge, we've got a problem.
There's something wrong
with the plumbing.
And it wasn't just at the casino.
It was happening all over town.
What is that, rust?
I don't know.
Something must be messed
up with the pipes.
Well, Kevin,
what's so important you
couldn't call or text?
I just wanted to come
and tell you in person
that I'm not gonna fight for custody
of Baby Anthony anymore.
I'm dropping the case.
What made you change your mind?
You're his mother, Toni.
And you're his father, his
real father, Fangs. Not me.
I just don't wanna cause your
Baby Anthony anymore distress
than I already have.
So just please forgive me.
What do you want, Percival?
I want you to call off
this ill-advised strike.
Your crew must be
feeling the pinch by now.
End their torment, Archie.
Let them get back to
work on my railroad.
It's not up to me.
The crew's holding firm,
it's their choice.
See, Archie, even now,
you refuse to see the signs.
Reptiles and insects are swarming.
It always starts with
God's lowliest creatures.
What are you even talking about?
You have no idea what forces
are at play here, do you?
Oh, well, you will, soon.
And then, your crew will be begging
to get back to work for me.
In the meantime, might I suggest
you tune in to the news?
We repeat, somehow, overnight,
Sweetwater River has turned blood red.
Scientists are at a loss
to explain this stunning,
dare I say, apocalyptic event.
It's weird. Percival
basically insinuated
that he was responsible for what
happened at Sweetwater River.
How could that be possible?
He's got the power of persuasion, yes.
And other parlor tricks, but
turning an entire river red
would mean he's a sorcerer of
tremendous ability and skill.
Well, he also said there are
other signs and forces at play.
- What signs?
- I don't know.
Something about insects and snakes.
- But the call was a threat.
- Playing devil's advocate,
which is what I do best,
I suggest we deal with
our personal situation
immediately and decisively.
How?
Simple, we kill him.
I'll do the deed myself
with my pyrokinesis.
Oh, my God. Guys, we've
all thought about it.
And if we kill Percival,
the battle between good and
evil will already be lost.
Look, Percival wants
to break the strike.
Only, instead of bringing in gun thugs,
he's using scare tactics
and intimidation.
So, then, we need to stay strong.
We have a meeting with
the workers tomorrow.
We'll make sure that
they feel supported.
That said, until we know more,
should we maybe tell Toni to
wait a beat on her wedding?
No. A wedding will remind
everyone in Riverdale
what they're fighting for.
A better tomorrow for our families.
Percival's trying to divide the town.
Toni and Fangs will
help bring it together.
I didn't sleep well last
night, vivid nightmares.
And now something's missing.
The ghost story I wrote
about La Llorona.
Could someone have snuck
into the bunker and stolen it?
The strike is breaking us.
Some of us heard that
Percival might be open
to renegotiating our
contracts and salary.
No, guys, look,
under no circumstances can we go
back to work for Percival now.
We've gotta keep thinking long term.
We're gaining momentum.
And, Percival, he's a snake.
We are fighting for the future.
You guys just need to hang
on a little bit longer.
Can you do that?
Agent Lin, would you do me a favor
and get me a few Bibles?
And any other religious
books you can track down.
Basically holy texts that mention
plagues, curses, revelations.
Sure I didn't realize
you are a religious person.
I'm not, uh, but it's research
for a possible case.
Hopefully, I'm wrong, and it's nothing.
Do you think it's crazy,
that we're planning a wedding
while the sword of Damocles
hangs over all of us?
We are fighting a battle
on multiple fronts,
but it's just as important for
life to continue during wartime.
Because otherwise,
what are we fighting for?
Good question.
You're fighting for Jughead
- and your family business.
- Mm-hmm.
Betty and Archie are
fighting for each other.
Toni and Fangs are fighting for Anthony.
What exactly am I fighting for?
Trust me, there's something.
There's a reason you
stayed in Riverdale.
That was Toni.
Something wrong?
She asked me to officiate
her and Fangs' wedding.
And what did you say?
I said yes.
That was a really nice thing to do.
You know what, Heather?
It is nice.
And I am going to give Toni
the best wedding gift ever.
Which is what?
I'm going to kill Percival for her.
Oh, my God!
What the hell happened to the food?
I don't understand.
Me neither.
Ten minutes ago, the
spread was to die for.
Rotting meat? Spoiled
food? That's Percival.
I don't believe this.
We're gonna have to cancel.
The dinner's in a few hours.
No, no, Toni. I said I would make
this wedding happen for you,
and that includes the rehearsal dinner.
Leave everything to me.
They don't call Veronica Lodge
a miracle worker for nothing.
That smell. Is that
a Pops' cheeseburger?
What? It can't be.
Okay. This is weird.
I mean, I shouldn't touch it.
And I definitely shouldn't eat it.
And yet
Are you certain this will work?
According to the incantation
from the Maleficarum,
you should be able to project
your powers elsewhere,
across town even, onto Percival,
as long as you focus on his puppet.
Okay.
"Fire of brim and fire of stone,
accept this doll in place of bone.
And as the fire burns and quickens,
may death become old Percival Pickens."
Blossom.
Is that it?
Did it work?
I I'm not sure.
Something doesn't seem right.
Nana?
I'd like to propose a toast.
Originally, this dinner was
going to be at the Babylonium.
Then I realized that when
your bride is as elegant
and classy as Antoinette Topaz,
she elevates everything to five stars.
Aww!
Moreover, the venue
isn't nearly as important
as the people who are
there celebrating with you.
So, a toast to you, Toni,
and a toast to all of us
for coming together in the face
of unprecedented adversity.
But most especially
to us single girls.
Here's to the ladies who lunch ♪
Everybody laugh ♪
Lounging in their caftans
and planning a brunch ♪
On their own behalf ♪
And here's to the
girls who play wife ♪
Aren't they too much? ♪
Keeping house, but
clutching a copy of Life ♪
Just to keep in touch ♪
And here's to the
girls who just watch ♪
Aren't they the best? ♪
When they get depressed ♪
It's a bottle of Scotch ♪
Plus a little jest ♪
Another chance to disapprove ♪
Another brilliant singer ♪
Another reason not to move ♪
Another vodka stinger ♪
I'll drink to that ♪
So here's to the girls on the go ♪
Everybody tries ♪
Look into their eyes and
you'll see what they know ♪
Everybody dies ♪
A toast to that invincible bunch ♪
The dinosaurs surviving the crunch ♪
Let's hear it for
the ladies who lunch ♪
Everybody rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
Rise ♪
That was quite the performance, V.
Thanks, B.
I did Company at Barnard,
and I've been waiting
for the perfect moment
to deploy a little Sondheim.
Yeah.
So listen, V.
Do you have a date for
the wedding tomorrow?
For the first time in, well, ever,
Veronica Lodge is going stag.
Well, in that case
do you want to come with me and Archie?
You mean, like when the three of us
went to the back-to-school dance
together, sophomore year?
That was iconic.
I mean, we were pretty badass, huh?
Oh, completely.
But I couldn't do that
to you and Archie.
Though I am moved by the gesture.
But thanks for reminding
me of what I'm fighting for
in this wicked little town.
My friends.
B and V forever?
B and V forever.
Guys. We just got a
crazy text from Cheryl.
It was awful. My Nana
was engulfed in flames.
Heather is rubbing a healing salve
all over her body even as we speak.
Okay, but I don't understand.
You were trying to burn Percival,
but Nana Rose caught on fire instead.
Yes. Heather thinks he
used a counter spell
to redirect the attack on to Nana.
Which means his powers do
extend beyond mind control
and psychological attacks.
Small potatoes, but we think
he may have corrupted
the first iteration of
Toni's rehearsal dinner.
Corruption, it's another plague
like rivers running blood
red, and flies, and frogs.
So, Percival's calling
plagues down upon us?
Fine, whatever.
But how are we supposed to
protect ourselves against that?
We call the strike off
before God knows what else happens.
That's why Percival's bringing
the hammer down on us,
on everyone, to get us back to work.
Yes, building his ghost train,
which would doom us all.
The very definition of
a lose-lose situation.
Well, this will just be a stopgap,
a counter move to get
Percival to ease off.
We'll build his railway, but slowly.
It'll give us enough time to find
a more permanent solution.
God, I wish there was a person
on the inside who we could trust,
who could just tell us what
Percival was doing in his shop.
Wait. Toni told me that Kevin
is dropping his custody claim
on Anthony, and he's moving
out of the Babylonium,
which makes me think
maybe he's not team Percival
all the way anymore.
Well, I can talk to Kevin.
Maybe he can help us.
Damn, I probably shouldn't
have eaten that food.
Oh.
God, no, I definitely shouldn't have.
I actually thought that Percival
was making this town better,
that he had something to offer me.
But he was just telling me
what I wanted to hear,
and I listened, and I went
along with it like a fool.
You weren't the only one, Kev.
And it's not too late for you to
help us stop Percival, okay?
So what can you tell me about him?
He's some kind of magic man.
I've seen him performing spells.
Yeah, we suspected as much.
Is there anything else?
He's got this little black
book full of secrets
that he's always writing in, like
a journal, a diary, or something.
Kev, I hate to ask
You want me to try to
steal it, don't you?
Okay, Betty, yeah, I'll try.
Where are you guys going?
Oh, we're just gonna play
a little pickup outside.
Get the blood pumping.
Why? What's up, Archie?
Look, guys, with your permission,
I'd like to meet up with Percival,
and negotiate the best possible
terms for you that I can.
To return to work? Why?
Because who knows how
long this strike will drag on.
And my sense is things
are going to get worse,
a lot worse, before they
start getting better.
Yeah, but we heard you before,
and we're here for it.
We want to do what's right,
but don't you waver, man.
You guys all feel like this?
All right, screw it. We stand together.
All right!
Whoo!
Archie!
Guys, what the hell is happening?
What the hell are you playing at?
I did warn you, Mr. Andrews.
Take away the boils.
I'll get the crew back to work.
No. Too soon for that.
They haven't learned their lessons yet.
But if you wanted to ease
your workers' symptoms
you could start work for me immediately.
And you'll stop hurting my crew?
If you keep working and a certain
threshold of progress is met,
the workers' boils and
pain will subside
eventually.
Sweet Forsyth.
Cheryl.
What ails you?
I don't know.
Mayhap, I can relieve you.
And how much did you want to bet
that another one of my
stories was now gone, too?
Kevin, what are you doing?
Oh, uh, I'm just looking for you.
I was out picking up delivery.
What's all this?
Uh, I'm just feeling adrift, I guess.
All this stuff with Toni and
Fangs getting married
just made me feel lonely, unwanted
Oh, Kevin.
You and your self-esteem, eh?
Well, I've got something that will
distract you, if not cheer you up.
Come and help me unpack some
of the glorious new treasures
that I've acquired.
I saw a woman sit upon
a scarlet-colored beast,
full of blasphemy.
And that woman was Babylon the Great,
mother of all destruction
and abomination.
You are that woman, Betty.
And lo, it came to
pass on the third day,
while Archie Andrews worked the railway
to spare his crew anymore suffering
and Veronica Lodge
worked the phones,
trying to rustle up an appropriate date
for Toni's wedding
and Toni and Fangs worked
on their wedding vows
a terrible darkness fell
over the town of Riverdale
in the middle of the day.
And now, surprise eclipses
are happening in Riverdale.
Archie's working the railway,
and the plagues are still coming.
So clearly, Percival has another agenda.
Percival is getting
ready for war, Betty.
What does that mean?
He just received a shipment of weaponry.
Crossbows from the Crusades,
uh, sabers from the Civil War,
torture racks from the
Spanish Inquisition,
a stockade for the Harlot of Babylon,
swords and shields from ancient Saxony.
Hold on. Go, go back to
the the stockade part?
Yeah, it's a torture device.
Kept rambling about how he wants
to put the Harlot of Babylon
exactly where she belongs.
On display for when the
walls come tumbling down.
Ms. Cooper.
Always a pleasure to
have visitors in my shop.
You want to imprison me, right?
Do you want to put me in that
stockade? Will that satisfy you?
And why on Earth would I want that?
I had a a flash.
A memory, a dream.
I don't know what it was.
A man calling me the Harlot of Babylon,
and asking me to join
his side in a coming war.
I didn't understand it.
I still don't understand it.
But yours is the only war
that I'm aware of, currently.
So if you want Riverdale's
harlot on display,
I guess that would be me.
So put me in your stockade, Percival,
if that will finally stop the plagues.
Now I understand.
Mr. Keller has betrayed me.
But no, Ms. Cooper,
it's not you that I want.
At least, not only you.
Then what?
Well, I would have thought
that was rather obvious.
He wants Baby Anthony?
Over my dead body.
Well, of course we're not going
to give him Baby Anthony.
What? Does he want Anthony
for some crazy occult ritual?
Hmm, probably.
If that man comes near my child,
I'm going to rip his larynx out.
Time is not on our side.
Percival's threatened to
call down more plagues
if we don't hand over
Baby Anthony by sundown.
I'm almost afraid to ask,
but which plagues are left?
Earthquakes, fire from
the sky, pestilence,
hail, and death of the firstborn.
Oh, my, God.
And Baby Anthony is not the
only thing that he wants.
He wants to put me in the
Harlot of Babylon's stockade.
Stockade?
- What?
- Check the Maleficarum, page 352.
Is this what you're talking about?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, that's it.
Okay, that's good news.
This is the Stockade of Legarius.
According to the Maleficarum,
the Stockade of Legarius
is practically inescapable.
It renders its prisoners powerless.
Would that include Percival?
Sure, if we can get him into it.
Turning his torture device against him.
- I'm down with that.
- Agreed, but how?
With a tactic my father favored.
A good old-fashioned raid.
Percival's just hanging out in his shop,
happily polishing his antiques,
waiting for me to deliver Baby Anthony.
Well, if we move fast enough,
like, right now, we might be
able to catch him by surprise.
I'm so in, but
Won't he see us coming from a mile away?
Not necessarily.
Who are you?
What are you?
What do you want from me?
Why are you stealing my work?
Oh.
What? No answer?
Oh.
Back.
Sooner than I expected.
And what does the Harlot
have in her arms?
I brought what you wanted.
Very good, Betty.
Now, may I see the baby?
Of course.
You're a fool, Miss Cooper.
Coming here,
all alone, with your
dime-store trickery.
Yeah, except I'm not alone.
Guys.
- Oh!
- You're under arrest, Percival.
Nighty night, Percy.
And lo, it came to pass
that Percival was captured.
And with his capture
the sun returned.
The plagues had ended
the chain was broken.
The mad monk was in his dungeon.
What do you think of your
new accommodations?
Rest assured, my vault is the most
secure room in this building.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I don't want to be late for
the event of the season.
TTFN!
We wanted to talk to you, Kevin.
What you've done over the past
few days isn't lost on us.
Releasing custody of Baby Anthony,
helping us catch Percival.
So we've talked it over,
and we'd like to invite
you to the wedding.
Really?
You guys, I I don't know what to say.
Can Moose come?
Yes, yes.
Dearly beloved, we are
gathered here today
for the wedding of Fangs Fogarty
and my dearest friend Antoinette Topaz,
to celebrate and bear witness
to their union as a couple
with Baby Anthony present as a family.
Fangs, what say you?
Mm-hmm.
Toni
"If you had told me while we were
being initiated into the Serpents
that we'd one day be getting married,
I probably would have laughed."
But believe me when I say to you today,
I love you, Toni.
And I love our family.
It's us against the world.
Toni?
Fangs, getting married here
today is just the next step
in our wild and unexpected
journey together.
I love how unconventional,
surprising, and beautiful
our relationship is.
You're an amazing father,
and you make Baby Anthony
and I, very, very proud.
I'm so excited about the memories
we're going to make with Anthony.
Till death do us part.
Oh, good, you found me.
Now, where are the others?
Well, now it's a party.
Now, by the power vested in me,
under the watchful eye of Hecate,
I declare you husband and wife.
You may share your first wedded kiss.
Yeah!
I wrote a song six years ago ♪
While playing in a wedding band ♪
The word got out and suddenly ♪
The band and I are in demand ♪
And now couples all over Jersey ♪
Hire me to ensure
their wedding bliss ♪
All because of the tune I wrote ♪
That tune goes like this ♪
Oh, when it's your wedding day ♪
And my music starts to play ♪
I can guarantee that
love will find you ♪
Yeah, when it's your wedding day ♪
All the problems melt away ♪
If you count on me ♪
'Cause love is what I do ♪
Now, when we ♪
Let's make quick work of
this wormwood, shall we?
It's not my first time in a stockade,
and I simply can't abide it.
Plus, there's still so much to do
before the end of it all.
Or make you wish you
had Jessie's girl instead ♪
Bring the room down
with endless love ♪
And last, bang your head ♪
Bang your head! ♪
Yeah, when it's your wedding day ♪
All the problems melt away ♪
If you count on me ♪
'Cause love is what ♪
Yes, love is what ♪
What I do! ♪
- Do, do, do, do ♪
- Love's what I do ♪
- Do, do, do, do ♪
- Love's what I do ♪
Do, do, do, do, do ♪
Do, do, do, do ♪
Love is what I do! ♪
Roseanne Blossom.
You are the oldest living
first-born child in Riverdale.
And so, will be my harbinger
for my last plague.
And there shall be a
great cry in all the land,
as there never was before.
You are the blueprint ♪
But internally God
damn, you're a mess ♪
So to stay with you ♪
I had to imagine ♪
That he is perfect ♪
Anything I give him he deserves it ♪
Care for some company?
- Tabitha, hey.
- Hi.
Perfect timing.
I have a question for you.
You've seen into the future.
Does that mean you know who's endgame?
Archie and Betty? Or
Archie and me?
Come on, Tabitha. I know you know.
Okay.
Listen, I will tell you, but
this has to stay between us.
- The truth is
- Archie!
Oh, my God!
Hey! Arch! Oh, my God!
Oh, my God! Someone
help, please! Please!
Arch! Arch!
I don't know who did this. Archie?
Archie! Look at me, please! Hey.
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Archie! Arch!
Gigi! Gigi!
Gigi! What's happening?
Help, somebody!
What is happening?
All right. Jig's up.
Who are you?
Why are you taking my stories?
Hey, turn around.
I said turn around!
What
Oh.
I don't understand this.
It's the last plague.
Death of the firstborn.
I was born last after Polly and Charles.
Hermosa's older than me.
Jason was older than me.
But Baby Anthony is the first born.
Yeah, he is.
Must be why Percival wanted him, he's
he's special somehow.
Jughead!
Oh, my God, Jughead!
Oh, my God.
I believe I know someone
who can help us.
A necromancer,
far beyond my abilities.
Who?
Her name
is Sabrina.
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