Riverdale (2017) s06e21 Episode Script

This may be the last
article I ever write.
Either I might not be here
tomorrow or the town might not be,
or both of us might be gone.
Our villain's name is Percival Pickens.
He's an immortal,
inter-dimensional sorcerer
whose power is growing by the hour.
He wants to claim
Riverdale or destroy it,
depending on the outcome of a war
that we're literally
pre-destined to lose.
In advance of our battle, Percival
shut down the town's borders.
to keep people from leaving, yes,
but mostly to keep help from arriving
but the truth was, no one was coming.
No one knew what was
happening outside of the town.
Riverdale was a sealed-off ecosystem.
We were on our own.
Not that we were giving up.
We had Archie Andrews who'd served
two tours of duty in the US Army,
leading us, planning
our counter-offensive.
Step one:
Mitigate the sources
of Percival's power.
It turns out,
Pop's had been built over a Hellmouth,
which, ever since we moved
the diner, "uncorking it"
has been feeding Percival's strength.
So we had to seal and
sanctify the Hellmouth
with, in this case, a sacred
object like the Holy Grail
to catch the escaping darkness.
Step two: Raid his outposts.
Though, on this front,
Percival was a step ahead of us.
Yeah, he's cleared out his whole shop.
All those weapons he's been
collecting, they're gone, Arch.
Probably he's armed his troops with him.
- Yeah, but who are his troops?
- No clue.
What do you want us to do?
Burn it down. So he can't
use it as a safe house.
Copy.
You're up. Archie says torch it.
With pleasure.
We were preparing for
combat as best we could,
given the horrific blow
we'd already been dealt.
Tom Keller, Frank Andrews and
Alice Cooper had been decapitated
as prisoners of war.
That bastard.
He did it out of spite.
To knock us off our heels to
win this stupid war of his.
What are we supposed to do now?
I just got you back,
and now he executes Mom?
He chops off her head like a barbarian.
It's horrible, Betty, I know.
- But if it's any comfort, I know
- Don't.
If you say, "She's in a better
place," I swear I will lose it.
Okay. I won't say it.
But, Betty, please try not to
let this rage consume you
All I have is rage!
Polly, I just want Mom back.
Not in heaven or
wherever the hell she is.
- Just here! With us!
- She will be soon.
Cheryl will be able to resurrect Mom
and the others with her Phoenix powers.
How? We don't have their bodies.
She can't do anything without them.
Well, have faith, Betty.
Oh, screw faith.
I I just can't believe it.
I can't believe my dad
He was under Percival's
control, he didn't deserve
Of course not, Kevin.
It's still not over.
It's okay.
We thought after everything
you've been through,
you could use a little extra support.
- Hey.
- Oh.
I slipped back in right
before the borders closed.
I'm so sorry, Kev.
Archie, I got your message.
How are you doing?
I couldn't sleep. Can't
keep any food down.
I meant, how are you doing
about your Uncle Frank?
Frank was a soldier,
he knew the risks of war.
If he were still here,
he'd be telling me
to focus on the living, the fight.
Okay, then. How can I help?
I've got Cheryl and Heather looking
for a spell to block the energy
Percival might be
absorbing from the comet.
Percival doesn't need to get
any stronger, that's for sure.
I sent word to him, and he agreed
to a meeting at the Babylonium.
To establish some rules of engagement.
If you're willing, I'd love
for you to come with me.
I'm going to need an expert negotiator,
and there is no better
dealmaker than you.
Of course, Archie. When do we go?
Right after we meet up with the others.
This is a mistake.
You're walking into the lion's den.
We have to do it.
We're not just setting
parameters for the war.
We're trying to get
Alice, Frank and Tom back.
Negotiate their return.
Would Percival really allow that?
And what crazy demands
would he make in return?
- Baby Anthony
- Hell, no.
We're not going there, Toni.
But there are a few things we
should discuss offering him.
Like, maybe half of Riverdale.
What?
And go back to a Northside
and Southside again? No.
At the risk of sounding like a
broken record, Percival is but one.
Let me go all super-nova on his ass
and burn him off the face of the earth
like the pimple he is. Please.
It's too risky, Cheryl.
I've seen the future,
a possible future. We are
trying to avoid the apocalypse.
You going nuclear on Percival
might be the very thing
that destroys Riverdale.
Look, I'll get us the
best deal that I can,
but we have to assume that
Percival is going to demand
our complete and immediate surrender.
Are we willing to go there?
And, if not, are we ready to say goodbye
to those we've lost? For good?
Hey, guys, um
look, I didn't want to say this
in front of everyone, but, um,
you know how I saw all of those
different scenarios play out
when I was looking for
a way to beat Percival?
Yeah. Only two out of 1,000
plus were successful, right?
Well, one of them
involved the two of you
going to the Babylonium
and meeting with Percival.
And what exactly did
we do in that scenario?
Percival's immortal
but not invulnerable.
So you shot him point blank.
Twyla Twyst.
I'm confused.
No disrespect but didn't
all the Ghoulies die?
Who are these people?
Take a closer look, doll face.
They're your friends and neighbors
under our control.
Maybe you shouldn't have blown
up his ghost train, ya think?
Ms. Lodge, you should know that
I have filters in my nostrils,
and my body is coated
in a special sealant.
So any kind of venomous
attack by you will fail.
Luckily, I'm just here to
negotiate a way out of this mess.
Hm.
And the first thing we
want is our dead back.
In exchange for what?
Me. I'll be your prisoner.
You can do whatever you want to me.
Starve me. Chain me up.
- Sounds great.
- Force me out of the final battle.
And need I remind you,
Archie's still invulnerable,
so that's got to be
worth something to you.
Do you know what this is?
This is a mace forged in
the fiery pits of Asgard,
strong enough to break
anything, even forged skin.
Like the daggers of Megiddo.
I call it my great equalizer.
And it's the reason I don't have
to make deals with any of you.
What if we split Riverdale in half,
along the former
Northside Southside line?
Mmm.
My dear Ms. Lodge, here's what I want.
It's what I've wanted
from the beginning.
My revenge on your friends.
And the town of Riverdale
under my complete control,
why would I accept anything else?
So, surrender.
Turn over your property,
revoke your town's charter
and pledge your undying allegiance to me
on your knees.
Yeah, we talked about that. All of us.
And we are not surrendering.
I tried.
You know, Percival,
before you came along,
Riverdale had another great
tormentor my father.
He spent years trying
to destroy this town,
but ultimately, I put a hit on him.
My only regret is that
I didn't kill him myself.
Oops. Hm.
The time for negotiation is over.
We shall meet again
tonight for the final act.
8:30 at the Chock'lit
Shoppe work for you?
Wherever that is these days.
For war or your
surrender. But be assured.
If you submit to my authority,
I shall be merciful and generous.
To that end, take your dead.
Mourn them, bury them.
Perhaps this gesture will
prove that not everything
need be bloodshed and destruction.
Confused and suspicious,
Veronica and Archie headed
back down to the casino floor
where, sure enough, three
caskets were waiting for them.
Are you getting soft on me, Boss?
Why give them what they want?
Oh, Twyla. How little
you know of true warfare.
Mr. Andrews and his
meddlesome associates
scuttled my plans for the dead.
It's only right that I
pay them back in kind.
Archie and Veronica brought the
dead back to the El Royale
back to their loved ones.
Cheryl, are you sure
this is going to work?
It should.
But I need to conjure my
Phoenix powers in the mines.
Otherwise, everything
here will be toast.
- Guys
- Wait.
I want to see my mom.
If Cheryl's spell doesn't work,
I want to feel like I at
least got to say goodbye.
Bee, what is that?
Is it not her?
No, it's her.
What is it then?
Her head's missing.
Oh, my God.
Cheryl
The bodies need to be whole.
Or the resurrection won't work.
It was psychological warfare
at its most diabolical.
Percival was twisting the knife,
making us relive the death
of our loved ones all over again.
Are you sure you don't want one?
Jughead, you need to leave Riverdale.
Like, right now.
You don't survive the final
battle or did you forget?
No, I didn't forget.
But as you said,
if there's even an outside
chance that we beat Percival,
then my mental abilities
are going to be key.
You can open up a portal
to literally anywhere.
Tabitha
I'm not going to leave you
or anyone else.
I came back from the dead for this.
And if it means going up
against Percival mano-a-mano,
then I'm going to do it.
I knew you'd say that.
And you said that in every scenario
that I visited.
But I couldn't
- I had to try.
- I know.
That's why I love you.
I love you, too.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to us,
Percival was preparing to
launch a ghoulish stealth attack
in direct violation of his
agreed upon terms with Archie.
So, Arch, what's your plan?
How's this battle going to go down?
Given everything, Reg, I think
we should leave the houses.
We're sitting ducks out here.
So you're saying we bail and run?
Not run. Hide.
In Fox Forest. Let Percival
and his army come to us.
Will that work? I mean,
with how powerful he is.
He's got magic. We've got Cheryl.
He's got telepathy. We've got Jughead.
The rest of us? We get down and dirty.
And we take out his troops.
Smart.
Hey, bro, can you grab
me another brewski?
Yeah, sure. I'll be right back.
I'm sorry, Polly.
I know that you mean
well, I just can't
I just want to be alone, okay?
Yes. I love you too.
Okay, bye.
Who's there?
It's me, mi nieta, tu abuelite
Can I please come inside?
Cheryl, I've checked
various astronomical texts
for any and all references
to Bailey's Comet.
And we have been making an
incorrect assumption about it.
Pray tell, what do you mean?
Cher-Cher. Want to play?
Jay-Jay, Heather and I are
a little busy right now,
but maybe later?
Why are you always so mean to me?
Mean to you?
- Jay-Jay
- Cheryl, something's wrong.
Go, go, go!
Reg?
Bingo?
You know what, bro?
You're not that smart.
This is one of Percival's magic daggers.
Hey!
Glen?
Please, mi nieta, let me in.
Abuelita, why didn't you
call to say you were coming?
Because I want this to be a surprise.
What? What is it?
Something's wrong.
My sense of the divine is tingling.
- What?
- It's a heightened awareness.
I'm Riverdale's guardian angel, Jug.
And one of the souls
of the town is dying.
You killed my son! Murderer!
Marco
Come on, Cher-Cher.
Polo.
Come get some.
You're going to burn in hell
for everything that you've done.
Abuelita, I don't
know what you've heard,
but before you do anything
you regret, let me explain.
I'll start with the neurotoxin
I coated the doorknob with.
It won't kill you,
but it has paralyzed you.
Don't worry, the effects
of it should wear off soon.
Archie?
- Marco
- Polo.
Jason, this isn't you.
You're being controlled
by an evil sorcerer.
We're playing a game.
Jay, I'm so sorry.
I never should have
brought you back to life.
It was a mistake.
Please forgive me.
Archie! Oh, my God.
Tabitha am I dying again?
Not if we can help it.
I don't know what happened, mi nieta.
I just heard this voice
inside that told me
that I should come here and punish you,
for killing Heraldo, your papa.
Then I don't remember
what happened after that.
It's not your fault, Abuelita.
I believe a very bad person
sent you here to hurt me.
I was getting anxious, so I
thought I'd come and check on you.
What what happened here?
I'm not really sure.
I think it was Percival who launched
some kind of crazy stealth attack
using my old boss, Glen
as some stitched-together,
patchwork man.
His body parts are
twitching in the garage.
Heather, I feel terrible that
my brother did this to you.
Sabrina was right.
I shouldn't have resurrected him.
Don't apologize.
Your brother was clearly
possessed by Percival.
It wasn't his fault.
Before Jay-Jay pierced
you with an arrow,
I believe you were about to tell
me something about the comet?
Oh. Merciful Hecate, yes.
This is unbelievable.
All my stab wounds are gone.
Or does it make complete sense?
Bingo has healing properties,
as does his saliva, clearly.
Ergo, him licking you regenerated
all of that torn tissue.
Healed your wounds.
How ya feeling, Reg?
I'm so sorry, bro.
I don't know what happened.
I was with my dad and suddenly I
heard Percival's voice in my head,
telling me to find out what your
plan was and to then kill you.
Toni, what's up?
Fangs, Kevin, Moose and
I came up with a plan.
A crazy-ass plan.
There's a saying we Serpents have.
Always kill a baby snake in its egg
so it doesn't grow up to bite you.
That's exactly what Percival's
trying to do with Baby Anthony.
The only true threat to
someone who's immortal
is someone else who's also immortal.
Anthony can hold someone like Percival
in checkmate for centuries, if need be.
Even as everyone else
dies out around them.
The last man standing is the winner.
Okay, what are you thinking, Toni?
Simple. We kick some Ghoulie ass.
The Serpents and I break into
the Babylonium with Baby Anthony,
who Percival is terrified of.
We bust up his army.
And then we look for
those missing heads.
I mean, we know they've got
to be in there somewhere.
And then Baby Anthony
can take out Percival.
I hear you.
But Toni, Anthony's a baby.
Right now he is.
But we've had the privilege of
seeing Baby Anthony in the future,
and he's a warrior, Archie.
So what if Tabitha speeds up time?
Just for Baby Anthony?
Ages him up.
We would miss his childhood,
but that's a sacrifice
I'm willing to make.
Percival would never see him coming.
Damn, that's some Looperlevel crap.
In Rivervale, I created a time-loop.
I might be able to create a
time-bubble around Baby Anthony,
in which I accelerate
his and only his aging.
I mean, it could actually work.
Did it work?
It did.
Anthony are you in there, son?
Yeah I'm here.
So are we kicking
Percival's ass, or what?
Yeah.
I got the weapon for it.
Percival's dagger. If it'll
hurt me, it'll hurt him.
Serpents, remember,
we're not trying to kill the
Ghoulies, just subdue them.
They're our neighbors.
They're being mind-controlled.
We seize command of the casino
and clear a path to Percival.
- Got it?
- Yeah!
You've seen all the
scenarios play out, Tabitha.
Do you really think this Serpent
surprise attack is gonna work?
I mean, the Battle of the Babylonium
is one of two possible ways
we beat Percival.
So maybe, maybe not.
Like they say, hope for the best,
prepare for the worst.
Yeah, I wanted to
talk to you about that.
Whatever happens to
me, don't mourn, okay?
I want you to chase your
dreams. Live your life.
Jughead, how can you
be so casual about this?
I am choosing to look at it like this.
I've lived a wonderful life.
I've fallen in love. I published a book.
I've gone to an alternate universe
and met other versions of myself.
There's not many people that
can say that they've done that.
Alternate universes
Oh, my God, I don't believe this.
Jughead, you need to open up
another portal. To Rivervale.
- Like, right now.
- Back to River Why?
Yes. All of those scenarios in
which we lost against Percival,
those happened in Riverdale,
but we have access to an
alternate universe now.
I have some maje tea to spill
about Bailey's Comet, Archie.
Did you find a spell to keep Percival
from absorbing more power from it?
No, but that may be moot at this point.
Turns out Bailey's Comet
isn't arriving tonight.
It's passing over
Riverdale tomorrow night.
What? Percival's been talking about,
how this comet will give
him the ultimate advantage.
Well, we've set up Nana's telescope,
so once it's dark out, we'll be able
to track its progress in real time.
Okay, cool.
And with any luck, Toni and the Serpents
will have ended things
before the zero hour.
Yep.
I'm worried about the army, Boss.
What is that, my dear?
You're controlling them.
But they're newbies.
Oh, Twyla.
As if my victory hinges on
those feeble misfits down there.
That band of Ghoulie-surrogates
are simply shields to be shattered.
Cannon fodder. Pawns to be sacrificed.
As are you, for that matter.
You're really messed up
in the head, you know that?
Why don't you go and
investigate that, Twyla, my love?
See what Big Bad Wolf
is banging on my door?
Don't open that door!
Topaz
Don't even try it, bitch!
And who are you supposed to be?
I'm your match.
I'm the guy that kills you.
I don't think so.
Now do you know who I am?
- Anthony.
- That's right.
Like you, that gun won't kill me.
But this blade will hurt you plenty.
I just got word from
inside the Babylonium.
The good news is, Toni and the Serpents
took the Ghoulies off the board.
Bracing for the other shoe
Percival escaped and trapped
them inside the building
with some kind of sealing spell.
And there she drops.
My God, is everyone okay?
Kevin's injured,
but they think they've got
the bleeding under control.
And any sign of the missing craniums?
Not yet, but they're turning
the place upside down.
Where the hell have you guys been?
Our parallel universe.
And we have a plan.
So Jughead opened up
a portal to Rivervale,
and I went through and started
exploring different future scenarios.
- Did we win in those?
- Our odds were better.
In Rivervale, we had a
fighting chance, at least.
Okay, not that I want to hear the
answer, but why is that, exactly?
The energies are different there.
The supernatural exists there.
These different variables
affect all probable outcomes.
I knew I shouldn't have asked.
We have an idea, though, that might
beat Percival. It's a long-shot.
But for it to work,
the final battle has to
take place at Pop's
at the diner's original location.
How would that happen?
Well, we'd need to move the
diner back to where it was.
That would take days.
We have two hours until this battle.
Well, the same way I was able to
speed up time for Baby Anthony,
I might be able to
speed up us moving Pop's.
Which is what Tabitha did.
She formed a time bubble
around all of us at the El Royale.
While some of us loaded out
the gym, the diner was rebuilt,
matching the original exactly.
Then everything was
moved back into place,
brick by brick, piece by piece.
Man, even in hyper-speed, moving blows.
Once everything was
back where it belonged,
we all went to our respective
houses to rest, regroup and recharge.
And then, it was the appointed hour.
Time for our final stand.
What an interesting choice of weapon.
Oh. And you brought reinforcements.
Good.
I always knew it would come
down to you and your cohorts.
Where's your back-up?
Comet's a day away.
Yeah, but it's been
bolstering me for weeks.
First the end of Archie Andrews.
Then the end of Riverdale,
as you've known it.
And I'm so glad your friends will
Wait, where's
Where did they go?
As far as this being the end of
Riverdale, I wouldn't hold your breath.
This is our town, bitch.
You're outnumbered,
Percival. You've lost.
Now will you surrender?
Never.
I never surrender.
I'm a magic man, Mr. Andrews.
And I've always got
another trick up my sleeve.
And I'll be bathing in
your blood by morning.
Percival turned our powers against us.
He poisoned Veronica.
- Excuse me.
- Archie?
- He blinded Betty.
- Veronica?
He froze Cheryl.
He turned Archie into an iron statue,
and Reggie into a life-size dummy.
Where are you guys?
And then, it was just me.
Guys?
Ah.
Mr. Jones.
The last line of defense.
And our ghosts are here to bear witness.
Good of you to dress for the occasion.
And what do we have here?
I was thinking, let's play a game.
Winner takes the soul of Riverdale.
And the loser gets lobotomized.
You know, I've been
looking forward to this.
A test of our mental prowess.
I must say, I admire your hubris.
And while your psychic
abilities have been impressive,
you'll never break into my mind.
We'll see about that.
I'm a believer in beginner's luck.
May the best man win.
And may the other's memories
and cognitive abilities
be shredded like so much cabbage.
Damn. That was easy for you, wasn't it?
Well, I have broken into your
mind before, if you remember.
Oh, I remember. That's how
we came up with this plan.
Plan?
Well, "plan." "Trick."
"Trap." Take your pick.
We beat you.
While you were in here inside my mind,
you left your body
vulnerable to my friends.
Mr. Jones.
All of your friends are incapacitated.
And didn't Ms. Tate tell you,
you cannot and will not
beat me in Riverdale
ever.
I know.
But these are different friends.
And you're not in
Riverdale anymore, Percy.
So, how do those stab wounds feel?
Hm.
How?
I defeated them already.
Oh, no, these are different friends.
These are my Rivervale friends.
It's confusing, I know,
but when you stepped
through the doors of Pop's,
you walked through one of my portals
into Rivervale's Pop's.
Doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter who they are, or
where I am, you can't kill me.
I'm immortal.
Right now you are.
But 440 years ago, before you
made your deal with the Devil,
you were very, very mortal.
Mm!
Welcome back to 1580.
Ms. Tate
what have you brought
me this fine evening?
Mr. Cypher, an old friend.
We softened him up a bit, but he's
still dying to reconnect with you.
If I'm not immortal, then I haven't
sold you my soul yet, have I?
In fact, this contract,
which exists in perpetuity,
in all continuities, into the
past as well as the future,
suggests otherwise.
Oh, don't look at me.
I'm terrible with time paradoxes.
But maybe, that's just how
things roll in Rivervale.
If I can't have Riverdale,
then no one will.
Okay.
Mr. Cypher, get him
the hell out of here.
You know, I believe I will.
So it's over?
It's over.
We did it. We we beat him.
But there was still
important work to be done.
After Percival's death, the
casino was no longer sealed.
More good news
Toni and Fangs found the missing heads.
They were, naturally, in a fridge
in the Babylonium's kitchen.
Betty supervised Dr. Curdle
as he re-attached the heads to
the corpses' respective bodies.
At which point, Cheryl brought
our loved ones back to life.
And then she returned to Thornhill.
There was one last
surprise waiting for her.
Heather.
Oh, no.
What's the matter?
There's something very, very wrong.
It's the comet.
It's fine. No, it's fine.
Percival is toast,
and the comet is going to
pass over Riverdale, no biggie.
But that's just it, Cheryl.
You'd better see for yourself.
How are you feeling?
A little foggy.
Truthfully, just relieved.
Uh, I am confused, though.
You saw what happened to me
in every one of your
time-traveling scenarios, right?
I died. It was a fixed point.
Why am I still here?
I'm not sure.
I know that's not a great answer, Jug,
but I was only exploring scenarios
in Riverdale, not Rivervale.
Maybe something shifted
between universes.
Yeah, I guess we'll never know.
Similar scenes were
playing out across town.
Everything was a jumble of emotions.
Shock and gratitude that we'd survived.
But with so many questions
hanging in the air.
Like, what happens now?
How do we rebuild?
How do we start over?
Would our powers last forever?
Would the dead remain alive?
Was the threat really, truly over?
Archie?
Cheryl? What now?
Rally the troops tout-suite.
Turns out, it's not over yet.
Riverdaliens, we have one
last cataclysm to face.
Bailey's Comet is not simply
going to pass over
Riverdale tomorrow night.
We think Percival did something to it
because now the comet is
headed straight for us.
Based on Heather's latest calculations,
Bailey's Comet is going to crash
into Riverdale in less than 24 hours.
And it is going to be an
extinction-level event,
killing everyone and everything.
Oh, my God.
If I can't have Riverdale,
then no one will.
That's the destruction
I saw in the future.
Not fallout from the
war with Percival
from the comet.