Betty and Charles have been getting closer and closer to tracking down where Edgar took all of his followers, and with Kevin’s help, they’ve finally managed to do just that. In this week’s episode, Betty strikes up a deal with the cult leader, the gang have a car wash to help raise money for Archie and Munroe’s community center, and a familiar face is Jughead’s new roommate at Stonewall.
Keep reading to find out what happens in the latest episode of Riverdale, “Chapter Sixty: Dog Day Afternoon.”
He’s back. West Coast, #Riverdale starts now on The CW! pic.twitter.com/T5MKL0fj4E
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
Archie is practicing boxing at the gym while Munroe comes in with his little brother. He’s mad that he’s been hanging out at the Wipeout Arcade. It’s filled with dealers and fiends, and he doesn’t want Malcolm getting involved in any of it. Archie says it’s time to turn the place into a community center.
Archie and Munroe are telling Ms. Weiss about their ideas for the community center: They will group the kids for boxing and MMA lessons according to their age, and the center will be open until 10 p.m, so kids like Malcolm have a place to hang after school and keep them off the streets before they go home. Ms. Weiss says it all sounds wonderful, but she wants them to be aware of how much work it will entail. Mary asks Archie about school and says Mr. Keller will be there during the day. Ms. Weiss asks Archie about the last time the gym had a safety inspection because if the gym is a community center, there are updates that will have to be done, at minimum, adding a second bathroom. Mary says it sounds expensive, and Archie assures her they’ll figure it out.
Charles meets up with Betty and tells her because of intel provided by Kevin, he’s had a motel under 24-hour surveillance. According to city records, it’s owned by one of Edgar’s followers. Charles shows Betty a picture of Evelyn answering the front door. Betty asks Charles if they know where they are and why aren’t they doing anything about it. Charles brings up Waco. He tells Betty The Farm has been getting pizza deliveries at about the same time every day. There’s an agent disguised as a pizza delivery man, and they listen in. They can hear the agent getting attacked. Charles tries contacting Echo, the agent, but Edgar comes over the radio, telling him he’s usually more clever than sending a guy in with a wire. He knows all of Charles’ secrets. He threatens Charles not to send in more people, or their blood will also be on his hands.
At Thistlehouse, Cheryl and Toni are making out in bed when they hear Nana Rose walking around. Toni tells Cheryl it worries her to leave the twins alone with Nana Rose while they’re at school and suggests hiring a caretaker. Cheryl doesn’t like the idea of a complete stranger in the house. They hear a bloodcurdling scream and find Nana Rose in the living room, next to the fireplace. Cheryl walks up to Nana Rose, and she thinks Cheryl is Penelope. She tells her she thought she saw the triplets burning in the fire. Cheryl tells her it’s her, Cheryl, and that Juniper and Dagwood, the twins, are sleeping soundly in the nursery.
Normal evening here. #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/i6LfPmuKwC
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
At the lounge at Riverdale High, Archie is talking to everyone about the cost of renovations for the gymnasium. Veronica offers to lend Archie money, but he doesn’t want to take any more handouts. He wants to work for it, and he needs to figure out what that work can be. Kevin suggests a charity concert, while Betty suggests a bake sale. Veronica says she’s on to something, but not a bake sale. She’s looking at Kevin, Archie, Munroe, and Reggie. There is another classic way to raise money.
The gang holds a car wash at Pop’s. Later in the day, there is only a little over $400. Veronica says they’re just starting and suggests a Magic Mike Night at La Bonne Nuit. They’ll figure something out because they always do.
Best. Car. Wash. Ever. #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/0LOP2cnLEN
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
At school, Betty gets a call from Alice. However, it turns out to be Edgar. Betty asks him how he got her mom’s phone, and he says he suspected there was a traitor in his midst. He started cutting people’s fingers off until Alice admitted it was her. Edgar tells Betty he has a list of demands: $250,000, passports for each of his followers, food, water, and a bus for transport. Betty wonders why Edgar called her when he could’ve called Charles. He says it’s because she has a better chance at convincing him than he will. Edgar tells her she has five hours, then hangs up. Betty calls Charles and tells him everything.
Charles talks to Governor Dooley about Edgar, who says they can’t give Edgar what he demands, and he will not negotiate with a cult leader. Betty wonders about her mom and Polly, and the other Farmies. She gets another call from Edgar, and Charles says she needs to buy them time. He’ll walk her through what to say. Edgar asks if she got what he asked for, and Charles tells her to say that they aren’t able to get what he wants unless he releases a hostage. Edgar says she thought he’d be smarter than this; working with people who don’t share her same interests is a bad idea. He anticipated that she and her partners wouldn’t take his demands seriously, and he had already released a hostage. Polly comes in wearing an explosive vest.
Betty tells Polly to stay calm, and they’ll figure it out. Charles says Polly is holding a dead man’s switch. If she lets go, the bomb explodes. Betty tries to talk to Polly, saying she knows she doesn’t want Juniper and Dagwood to grow up without a mom or Betty without a sister. Charles tells Betty to look at the timer because wires are connected to the C4. Three of those are decoys, and they’ll trigger the detonator. She needs to find the one linked to the firing circuit and the battery. Betty goes up to Polly to check, and figures out it’s the yellow wire. Betty cuts it, but it’s a tripwire. All it does is make the timer count down faster. Charles says there might be a system override on the dead man’s switch. A pin is connected to a chain that slides beneath a hole. It goes underneath the trigger. Unfortunately, Edgar took the pin. Betty uses one of her bobby pins, and the timer stops at two seconds.
Betty tells Polly she has to help them stop Edgar, but Polly says there is no stopping him. Betty mentions Governor Dooley isn’t letting Charles or the FBI negotiate with him. Polly tells Betty to do it herself; get him what he’s asking for, or he’ll start sacrificing his followers one by one. Betty asks about their mom, and Polly says if she’s still alive, it won’t be for long unless she does what Edgar says.
Betty goes to Veronica, but she says $250,000 is a lot to come up with. Betty says she knows it’s an insane ask, but she can’t say anything more except that lives are at stake. Veronica asks if it needs to be cash, saying that the Glamourge eggs are worth $50,000 each, and there are five of them. Betty’s not sure since they’re Hiram’s, but Veronica corrects her saying they’re her mom’s, and tells Betty to take them. Veronica asks Betty how she will get the other stuff, and Betty says she knows people.
🥚= 🤑 #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/BVTDJgtPzQ
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
Betty meets up with Toni for the passports, saying they don’t need to be fake and blank passports are fine. They’ll do everything else. She says she can’t say much, but it’s a matter of life or death. Toni agrees, saying she knows a guy. Betty then goes to the front office, telling one of the staff that she left her calculus book on the bus that morning and acts defeated when she’s told the bus driver has already left for the day. She manages to get the bus and drives to the motel.
She calls Edgar and tells him she got everything he asked for. He opens the gate, and Betty drives through. At the entrance, she’s met by the Farmies and Edgar, telling him she got everything he asked for; money, passports, food, water; it’s all on the bus. Edgar says he knew she wouldn’t fail him and that it is such a shame she didn’t accept the simple truths he tried to instill in her. Betty keeps asking about her mom. Evelyn hits her in the back of the head.
Mary tells Archie to go back to Chicago with her. He can finish his senior year there and start all over. Archie says he doesn’t want to start over, and his best bet at going to college is on a football scholarship. Mary admits she and Fred started a fund for Archie when he was born. Mary was reluctant to tell him because she thought he would want to use it at the community center, which is what he wants to do. Mary asks Archie if he wants to invest in a town like Riverdale with all of the crime that’s been going on, and Archie says he’s not going to give up on Riverdale the same way she did. Mary says she moved to Chicago because she couldn’t find a job in Riverdale. Archie tells her he’s not moving and will make a difference there. He angrily goes to his room and starts beating up the punching bag.
He’s not giving up on #Riverdale. pic.twitter.com/9gzouSCmo2
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
Veronica stops by the house, apologizing to Mary for coming by so late. She tells Veronica that Archie’s already in bed, and Veronica tells her she’s there to see her. Veronica gives Mary a check for $40,000 to give to Archie for the community center. He’s too proud to take it from Veronica. Mary thanks her but says they can’t accept it. They can’t be in that kind of debt to the Lodge family. If she puts the money into the center, it keeps Archie in Riverdale, away from college and away from his future. Veronica says she’s not investing in a building. She’s investing in Archie. She believes in Archie, which makes her believe in herself. She tells Mary to rip up the check if she wants, but she hopes she doesn’t.
The next morning at Thistlehouse, Cheryl goes down into the basement to do her daily reading with Jason and finds he has been moved to a different part of the room.
Betty is still knocked unconscious, and Alice is next to her, trying to wake her up. They’re both tied to chairs, so she can’t do much. When Betty wakes up, Alice tells her she’s in one of the motel rooms and that Edgar’s been keeping her there since he found out she was the mole. Alice apologizes, saying she was trying to keep Betty safe. She didn’t want her to know, and she needed to get Polly out. Alice reveals that Evelyn was going to drive the bus full of Farmies off a cliff as a distraction while Edgar takes off in the rocket he’s building. She and Betty will be tied to the front of the bus as shields. Betty gets an idea of how to get out of there and tells Alice they need to be back-to-back.
Evelyn goes into the room that Alice and Betty were in, finding the chairs empty and broken, and the lamp is broken as well. Betty comes up behind her and knocks her out. Alice and Betty leave to go to the courtyard, trying not to get shot.
On their way to take down your cult. #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/NPRcrC00UV
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
Alice and Betty get all the Farmies on the bus. Once they drive the Farmies out, Charles can move in and take down Edgar. Alice spots Edgar, and Betty gives her the gun. Alice tells Betty to get everyone on the bus while she stops Edgar. Betty sees Mr. Weatherbee, who told Edgar he wasn’t the mole but wouldn’t listen, so Edgar cuts off his finger. Betty tells Mr. Weatherbee this is his last shot at redemption and to get everyone on the bus. Betty calls Charles and tells him she’s inside the motel. Charles tells Betty to get out of there; Governor Dooley is sending in a team of mercenaries. Betty tells Charles to tell them to stand down because there’s a busload of unarmed civilians headed his way.
Alice finds Edgar by his rocket, holding the gun and telling him to have his hands up. He tells her she betrayed them, and he’s not going anywhere with her. Edgar asks Alice if she remembers the story of the prophet Elijah and how he lifted up in the sky in a chariot of fire. Elijah ascended, and he will too. Before Edgar can get his gun out, Alice shoots him.
At the gym, Munroe is teaching a boxing class. Mary comes in and watches. She finds Archie in an office, asking if he needs any help. Mary says she will focus more on pro bono work for the foreseeable future in Riverdale, and her first order of business is to get the community center declared a non-profit. If it is, Archie can ask for donations, won’t have to pay taxes, and can apply for grants. Archie says he doesn’t know how to do any of that, and Mary says he’s just like his dad. He can leave it to her, and he can go help those kids. She doesn’t think she’ll be back in Chicago any time soon.
Cheryl is with Jason in the chapel, and a mouse comes out of him. Cheryl lies Jason on the ground and tells him she’ll fix him right up. Toni catches Cheryl with Jason and asks her what’s going on.
Jughead and Betty are cuddling, and Jughead asks about Alice and Polly. Betty says her mom is already working on her exposé of the Farm, and Polly started a program at the Shady Grove Treatment Center. She’s getting the help she needs. Jughead then asks if Charles is the real deal and if they can trust him. Betty says she thinks they can. She’s just happy this nightmare is finally over. The doorbell rings and a VHS tape is on the porch. It reads, “Famous last words.”
📼 Thanks for watching #Riverdale! Stream free tomorrow only on The CW App. pic.twitter.com/PaidZVQTDa
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 24, 2019
A few things that weren’t mentioned: Jughead’s new roommate at Stonewall is Moose, who now goes by Marmaduke. He went through a lot after his dad got arrested, so he wanted to start fresh. However, Bret is upset after losing a writing contest and goes after him, leaking everything that happened with Moose in Riverdale. Veronica decided to change her name to Veronica Luna, which used to be Hiram’s name.
When it was announced that Chad Michael Murray was going to be cult leader Edgar Evernever, I didn’t know how that would turn out. I was not disappointed. It was great seeing him in such a different role compared to One Tree Hill, A Cinderella Story, or Agent Carter. It made me want to join The Farm. Who knows? He may be dead, but he could always return…
Watch Riverdale on The CW Wednesdays at 8 p.m EST, followed by Nancy Drew.
