Original subtitles

The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke

said this about aliens,

"Two possibilities exist.

Either, we are alone in the universe

or we're not.

Both are equally terrifying."

Mom, come on. It's almost time for the game.

Polly's out there, Mom.

We don't even know if that was her blood on the phone booth.

She called us from that booth a half hour before we got there.

Who else's blood would it be?

We'll find out when the FBI calls me back

with their analysis.

Maybe you should get back into your support group

with all of those other moms.

All right. Bring it in.

We lost again.

We totally could've been practicing for regionals,

instead of wasting our time here.

I couldn't agree more, Cassandra.

Could not agree more.

All right, guys, that was another tough one.

But the Baxter High Ravens are number two in the league.

You guys fought hard out there.

Keep fighting. We're gonna break through. All right?

While I do believe Coach Andrews

is the best motivator a Gridiron Gang could ask for,

as your de facto team owner,

what can I do to incentivize you?

How about ten grand

to whichever Bulldog scores first this season?

Yeah!

All right?

You okay, Derek?

I'll be all right.

It just sucks to lose, Coach.

I'm giving it my all.

I hear you, man.

There was no better player than you out on that field today.

Seriously, what do we do?

Push them more?

I'm already running them ragged.

Not to mention, there's zero fan support.

The Bulldogs were supposed to inspire the town

and Riverdale was supposed to rally behind the Bulldogs,

but no one even comes to our games.

In that case,

I'll get the town to back our Bulldogs again.

You just keep those kids motivated, Coach.

What about me?

Don't coaches need motivation too?

Chin up, Andrews.

And the incidents, they go back decades, Samm.

There's dozens of people seeing things they can't explain.

There's even support groups.

Slow down, Jones.

You're writing about aliens now?

Yeah, but it's not just about aliens.

It's about personal trauma.

And if I'm right, it's about a town's collective trauma.

Could you please just take the idea to Scribners?

Y-Yeah, I'll let you know what they say.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Tabitha.

How do you feel about Pop's hosting a pancake breakfast

so that folks can mix and mingle

with the new and improved Riverdale Bulldogs?

Sounds fun.

And if it brings in warm bodies, then great.

Amazing!

And what if, hypothetically,

Pop's became the official sponsor

of the Bulldogs?

Let's give it a shot.

I like supporting underdogs.

I will express order the pancake mix and the syrup.

Oh, no. No. Don't order the syrup.

I have a special supplier for that.

I'm sorry, but I cannot donate my precious maple resource

to help fund that collection of tatterdemalions

you call a football team, Archie.

Moreover, the Vixens can no longer, in good conscience,

continue cheering for the bad news Bulldogs.

Cheryl, please.

Just stick around for one more game

and maybe help get some more people in the stands.

My Vixens are cheerleaders, not boosters, Archie.

Fine. I'll do it myself.

Hi, Ms. Bell

Can you turn this on, please?

Attention, everyone. This is Coach Andrews.

You may not know this, but a bunch of your classmates

are out there busting their asses on the football field

to represent this school

and to represent each and every one of you.

So why don't you all show some school spirit

and support your team.

Starting with...

the free pancake breakfast

that Pop's is hosting tomorrow morning.

Give them your support. And, hell...

you might even get something out of it yourselves.

And what about the Vixens?

One more game.

I'll even come out of retirement

to give the people something they'd actually like to see.

Namely, moi.

But first, there's something broken I need to fix.

Don't forget to turn in your short story assignments

on the way out, guys.

Thank you.

Good job. Thank you.

Glen.

Did you get the blood results from the phone booth back?

I did.

The recovered blood is AB-negative.

The rarest type.

Under one percent of the population.

And a match for Polly.

So, she... She's really...

I'm so sorry, Betty.

No, you're not.

If you had cared at all about me or my sister,

you would have done something to help me.

Betty, look, I realize you're upset...

Screw you, Glen.

I must admit,

it is a bit disturbing.

Waldo, a kid is held captive by mole people.

Only to escape

and be abducted by a family of mothmen

who operate on him in a spaceship,

in graphic detail.

Doesn't it ring any alarm bells for you?

But the child survives.

He's found on the side of the highway.

What do we know about Lerman?

Well, he's a good student, average grades.

Is there any trouble at home?

He has sustained a substantial number of injuries.

A broken arm, a black eye,

was on crutches for a while.

I know what you're thinking, Mr. Jones,

but I spoke to Lerman and his parents.

They couldn't be nicer people.

So what? He's just accident prone?

And then what about this story?

Some kids get hurt a lot.

And, yes...

sometimes a story is just a story.

Order up.

Behold. 'Tis the nectar of the gods.

Amazing! Thank you again.

Enjoy.

Thank you.

We're feeling optimistic about the rest of the season, Mrs. Davis.

And your son plays a huge part in that.

Which is why, Derek,

I want you to be captain of the team.

And what's the team gonna do for my son, Coach Andrews?

Uh, I'm not sure I understand.

Derek's a damn good player.

And football could be his ticket out of this town.

- He could get a scholarship... - Mom, chill!

I have to think of my son's future, Coach.

Not just your team's.

Excuse me.

No, I understand.

So sorry to interrupt.

Coach, we have a situation.

I take it you didn't come for the hotcakes, Reginald?

No.

I'm here on behalf of

the Greater Rockland County High School Football League.

The eight other teams in the conference

and our commissioner saw fit to send me as a representative.

We're all in agreement.

We'd like for the Bulldogs

to withdraw from the league like... yesterday.

You guys, uh, suck.

Screw you, Reggie.

Riverdale has a right to play.

Come on, Andrews. The Bulldogs are an embarrassment.

They're tainting the league's prestige.

So, can we tell the league you're withdrawing?

Like hell.

I want the names of every member of this so-called league.

Doesn't it kill you, Coach?

To watch the Bulldogs lose week after week.

Yeah. Well, it's not all about winning, Reg.

Keep telling yourself that, loser.

Loser. Loser. Loser.

Y-You want to talk about it?

A few days ago, you were getting married and having a kid,

and now, uh... Now we're moving you out.

It was my decision, you know.

Maybe you're right, Dad. Maybe...

I'm not the kind of guy who deserves a family.

Hold on, now.

You, you don't really believe

that you don't deserve happiness now, do you?

You know what, Dad, I actually don't want to talk about it.

Given how invested you are

in seeing Riverdale High fail on all fronts,

I find it hard to believe you're not behind

the league's attempt to oust the Bulldogs.

All I know about the Bulldogs is that they're garbage

and that they haven't even scored this season.

They will against your precious Stallions.

Oh, please.

We'll be wiping Bulldog blood off our cleats for weeks.

You seem so sure.

How about a wager?

Ooh. What are the terms?

If your Stallions

keep my Bulldogs off the scoreboard,

we'll withdraw from the league, voluntarily.

If, however, we do score,

you'll have to convince your good friend,

the commissioner, and his legion of doom,

to stop trying to muscle out the Bulldogs.

I will take that bet.

Great.

Hey, Lerman. Could you hang back for a sec?

Story is great.

It's very vivid, it's intense.

I wanted to ask you what inspired it.

Uh, just a series of dreams I had.

Really? Recurring?

Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I guess.

Now some experts believe that

stories about aliens and the like

are really about traumas that people have experienced

and that these stories are cries for help.

What? What do you... What do you mean?

I mean, is this story real, Lerman?

Any part of it?

Did someone hurt you?

Like what you wrote about

or tie you up, or keep you locked up?

Mr. Jones...

it's just a story. Okay?

I... I never should've written it. I'm sorry.

Sorry. I have to go.

Sweet cousin, what a surprise.

Any news on your fair sister?

Yeah. As a matter of fact,

that's why I'm here, Cheryl.

When Jason first disappeared,

for a long time, no one knew where he was

or what had happened to him.

But when you learned that he had died,

was it helpful to know the truth?

To say it was soul-crushing

would be an understatement.

So what if you'd never learned the truth?

If you had had hope that he might still be alive?

When I learned the truth,

I was able to grieve for my brother.

From my experience, it is better to know the truth

and make your peace with it.

Does this mean Polly's...

I don't know what it's gonna do to my mom.

What's going on?

Why aren't you guys dressed for practice?

Derek transferred.

He got recruited to play for Stonewall Prep.

We're doomed.

As much as I hate Stonewall Prep,

I can't blame Derek.

Enrolling there, playing for the Stallions.

It's his best shot at college.

And they're a team that wins games.

The Bulldogs will be, too.

You've only just re-launched them.

Not to mention, we're down a player.

The league won't even let us on the field with ten.

It seems to me like the Bulldogs

just need a little motivation.

Something to get them energized.

Luckily...

I just came up with one of my genius ideas

that will rally the troops

and maybe even recruit some new ones.

Mom.

Mom.

We got the blood results back.

Is it Polly's?

No.

No, it was O-positive.

It wasn't a match.

Oh, thank God!

Thank God!

Oh, thank you, Betty.

Hey, you're awake.

Perfect timing.

I ordered a platter of cold cuts from Pop's.

Would you mind running to get it?

What's happening?

Oh, I decided you were right about me

getting back into the support group. I'm hosting today.

Would you mind running to get the cold cuts?

Yeah. No. Of course.

What's the buzz, Waldo?

It was him?

Mr. Jones, these are the Logans.

Lerman's parents.

Oh, hi.

They've come in to discuss a conversation you had with their son.

In what world, Mr. Jones,

do you think that it's appropriate

to encourage these wild fantasies

that Lerman is obsessed with?

Death and aliens and underground monsters?

What's wrong with you?

Well, I'm sorry.

I'd figured it was my responsibility as Lerman's teacher.

The story he wrote...

might've been alluding to some troubles at home.

Then why didn't you come to us?

Instead, you ambush our child?

Mr. and Mrs. Logan,

Mr. Jones' behavior was wildly inappropriate.

But I can promise you that it will never happen again.

Oh, we know it won't,

because we don't want him teaching our child.

Now, wait. I didn't reach out to your so...

Not a problem at all.

We'll move Lerman to another English class.

How dare you break protocol in such a reckless manner!

I told you, I had already vetted the Logans.

I know. No. I'm sorry. I...

I felt like something was off.

My instinct was telling me something strange was going on.

One more misstep...

I mean, even just a little one...

and you're done at my school.

Kevin. Fangs.

Thank you both for agreeing to this tete-a-tete.

Toni may never forgive me,

but I will never forgive myself

if I don't try to repair

what my antics have torn asunder.

Namely, hashtag Kangs.

Your games brought up deeper issues between Kevin and I.

- Agreed. - See? Consensus.

Go on, Fangs.

You've never been all in, Kevin.

Y-You've always, always held back.

And I don't know if that's because of me

or if it's because you're ashamed of being gay.

I am not ashamed of being gay.

Dude, you go to the woods,

you hook up with anonymous strangers.

You don't want to be in a real relationship

with a real gay guy.

Fangs, don't.

You're not me.

You don't know my experience, okay?

We were about to get married, Kevin.

I want to know everything about you,

the good and the bad.

I think it's too late for that.

- Kevin, please. - I gotta go.

Cheryl, please butt out of our lives.

What? Are you having a party

and I wasn't invited?

No. Um, it's for my mom's support group.

How's she doing?

Uh...

there've been... developments

in Polly's case.

Um, apparently,

the blood they recovered

at the phone booth

is a match for hers.

Which means most likely that, um...

Oh, God. Betty, I'm so sorry.

And the worst part is, she disappeared four weeks ago,

which means she has or had been alive

that entire time,

somewhere along the Lonely Highway.

So I just didn't do enough.

Hey, I actually met someone that lives on the Lonely Highway.

I mean, he's kind of an eccentric kook,

but he sees a lot of what goes on out there.

Maybe he might've seen or heard something about the missing girls.

If you want, I can put this tray on ice, and I can...

take you to go meet him.

- Yeah. - Yeah?

All right. Bring it in.

What's the point in practicing, Coach?

We don't even have enough players anymore.

Bulldogs are a team, Britta.

We play for each other and for the love of the game.

Yoo-hoo! Got room for one more?

Bulldogs, I wanna introduce you to a friend of mine

who plays professional football

for a little team called the New York Goliaths.

Holy crap!

It's T Dub!

Wow! It's a pleasure to meet you, bro.

You're one hell of a player.

Oh, man. I appreciate it.

Heard you're one hell of a coach.

How are you even here?

Ronnie and I go way back.

T Dub was one of my most loyal clients

when I was selling jewelry in New York.

Hey. Uh, is it cool if I say a few words to the team?

Yeah, please.

Some of you might've seen me play for the Goliaths,

but my career started off in a small town just like Riverdale,

with a coach who pushed me to be what I could be.

He believed in me.

Just like Coach Andrews believes in you.

But you gotta be the ones to make it happen on the field.

You're not underdogs.

You're the damn Bulldogs!

Yeah!

Y'all ready to prove these haters wrong?

Yeah!

You must be Britta.

Heard you got a cannon.

Come on. Let's see.

This might be the shot in the arm we needed, Ronnie.

I just wish T Dub could suit up for us. We're still short a player.

Oh, Archiekins, not for long.

Behold, a group of Bulldogs-to-be.

Hey...

who wants to play football?

We have a problem.

The interest in the Bulldogs

is growing, not waning.

I do not want people

rallying around this team or that school

or that town.

I want you to target their weakest link

and knock some heads.

We don't need to go there.

We're still gonna crush the Bulldogs

on the field fair and square. Easy.

Your loyalty lies with me. At Stonewall.

Yeah, but I'm not gonna break some kid's legs for no reason.

Yeah.

Consider yourself benched, Reggie.

I'll be leading Stallions into battle against Riverdale High.

So be it.

I'll be standing with the Bulldogs, then.

What were you doing out here?

Just working on a book.

So, the old-timer that owns this place

has been here for decades.

Mr. Dreyfuss, hi.

- Jughead Jones, you remember me? - 'Course I do.

Great. This is Betty Cooper.

She's a friend of mine, from the FBI.

- We were hoping that you could help us with an investigation. - Come on up.

We're one hundred percent certain

that my sister made a call from the payphone

on the Lonely Highway.

But when we got there, it was destroyed.

Shredded? Like a tin can?

Exactly, yeah.

Have you seen that before?

Back in the summer of '77.

And again in '82.

I know what happened to your sister.

She's had an encounter.

Yes, right. But... But with who?

The mothmen.

I'm sorry. The mothmen?

What makes you say that?

The phone booth.

You see,

their ships use anti-matter fusion reactors

that create a gravity field that, uh,

that allows them to levitate, like, like a balloon.

But anything that gets caught in that stasis,

well, it gets crushed, like it's made out of papier-mache.

I knew our friends were back in town.

I've been pickin' up their chatter on my radios.

That was a colossal waste of time.

Look, a lot of people believe this stuff. And there is some evidence.

My sister went missing, Jug.

She was taken by someone. Not some thing.

What are you even saying?

I'm saying that things happen,

especially in Riverdale, that you and I can't explain.

Sometimes, there isn't a logical explanation.

- Sometimes, unexplained phenomenon... - No, someone is...

kidnapping, torturing, and murdering women,

that's not a phenomenon.

It's just pure evil.

But I'll be damned if I let it happen to anyone else.

Can you hurry up? I need to get back to Riverdale.

Because I care about you.

You don't live here.

You deserted us.

Okay, being a real sister

doesn't mean coming in for one day and telling me how to live my life.

Especially when you don't know anything about it.

My daughter is alive!

- She called... - Betty, you have to help me.

I don't know, I ran as fast as I could. You have to come get me.

Polly, I wanna tell you that I love you,

and that I'm here for you,

just please, please, please come home.

Hey, how's it going?

Good, good.

I haven't seen you in here before.

My name's Shane. I'm visiting from LA.

Ah. Well...

I guess it's true what they say about LA guys.

Oh, what's that?

That they're... hot.

And what to they say about guys from Riverdale?

Why don't you tell me?

- What the hell are you doing? - Oh.

Uh, I'm sorry.

I must've misread the situation. I thought...

- You thought I was like you? - No.

- You thought I wanted you? - No.

You think I came here to be groped by your pathetic ass.

No, no...

- What the hell? - Hey! What are you doing?

Saving your life, whether you want it saved or not.

Get the hell out of here.

You're leaving these girls alone,

and you're never coming back here again.

Hey, these girls are the ones looking to trick.

Tell your dirtbag friends

the party's over.

Put a little ice on it.

These bruises will settle down in a few days.

You keep those cuts clean.

- Thanks, Dad. - You're a grown man.

And as your father...

I'm terrified for you right now.

What's going on, son?

I think...

I'm ashamed of myself...

of being gay.

Is this something that... that I did?

No.

No, Dad. No.

It isn't your fault, okay?

You've... you've always accepted me.

You've never judged me.

- But, Mom... - What? What happened?

There was this one time...

we were back-to-school shopping.

And she made

some offhand comment.

Like, about needing to buy me...

husky clothes.

I don't know.

Man, I just felt...

like, so ashamed.

So, I, uh...

I told her I was meeting Betty.

And I went to Fox Forest... to be alone.

I didn't even know it was a cruising spot.

And there was this other guy there,

and he was telling me I was cute...

or whatever.

And it was like...

all the stuff Mom said, just washed away.

And ever since then, I... I've been cruising.

It's like I'm hardwired this way,

- or something. - I don't know.

I don't know.

Get out. Now.

You...

- You're not Patty. - No, I'm her sister.

You can't do this. You can't arrest me again.

You let me go. You got nothing on me.

You're right, John.

I'm not gonna arrest you.

But you are coming with me.

Waldo, what's going on?

Jughead, is Lerman with you?

What?

No, definitely not.

I've been steering clear with him. Why?

His parents just called me. They think Lerman ran away.

Any idea where he might be?

Oh, God, no. I haven't talked to him.

Tell the Logans that I'm calling in some help, okay?

Come on.

Please don't do this.

I told you. I don't know where Patty is.

What? Why are you doing this?

You really have to ask me that?

You are still preying

on these girls.

Exactly the same way

you preyed on Polly.

I have a family.

I had a sister.

No one looked out for those girls.

No one was protecting them.

I couldn't even protect Polly.

But I can deliver justice.

- Jughead? - Betty. Hey, this is an emergency.

One of my student is missing, and I think he's on the Lonely Highway.

I'm on the highway.

I'm ten miles north of town.

I'm leaving from town right now. I'll meet you halfway.

- Who is it? - Lerman Logan, he's 14.

I'm on my way.

I'll send someone to come untie you tomorrow.

If I remember.

Here are the Stonewall Stallions

versus the Riverdale Bulldogs.

Let's go.

Go. Go.

Lerman. Thank God.

Yeah, he was walking on the shoulder in a daze.

You okay, bud?

Mr. Jones...

did it happen again?

Thank you for finding Lerman.

We'd hoped you wouldn't have to go through this again.

- Again? - Yeah, Lerman is a sleepwalker.

Has been since he was little.

We thought he grew out of it, but, uh...

then he started hurting himself.

He walked into a door.

Another time, he burned his hand on the stove.

Even fell out of a window once and broke his arm.

So, we started locking his bedroom door at night.

Now, we gave him the whole basement to himself.

We just... We made sure he was safe.

So you were the "Mole People" who were keeping him locked up.

All we've done is try our best to protect him.

I remember we were so terrified

after that morning we found the front door open

and, and...

Lerman was just gone.

That whole week, we thought we lost my boy.

No, wait. He left in the middle of the night and was missing for a week?

Where did he go? What happened to him?

A good Samaritan found him wandering the Lonely Highway...

with no memory of the prior week.

That's why we were so upset with you, Mr. Jones.

We thought your questioning might trigger...

Well, something like this happening.

God only knows what draws him to that highway.

I don't think it's a coincidence, Jug.

Polly and Lerman both end up on the Lonely Highway? No way.

I agree. But what are the other connections?

When Polly escaped and made that phone call,

my mom said, she described being in

what sounded like an alien spaceship.

Seriously?

They could've been abducted by the same person.

Why would they keep Polly but let Lerman go?

Well, maybe he escaped.

Which is why we need to find out

what Lerman knows about that missing week.

Yeah, we're going to have to exhaust every possible option

no matter how insane it might seem.

♪ You're the one that ♪

♪ I've been waiting for ♪

♪ Gotta quit this crying ♪

♪ Nobody's gonna heal me ♪

♪ If I don't open the door ♪

♪ Kinda hard to believe ♪

♪ Gotta have faith in me ♪

♪ Freak out, freak out Freak out, freak out ♪

♪ Look at me ♪

♪ Get down, get down Get down, get down ♪

♪ Look at me ♪

♪ Freak out, freak out Freak out, freak out ♪

♪ Look at me now ♪

♪ 'Cause all I ever Wanted was love ♪

♪ All I ever wanted was love ♪

♪ I want your Stupid love, love ♪

♪ I want your Stupid love, love ♪

♪ I don't need a reason ♪

♪ I don't need a reason ♪

♪ Not sorry I want your stupid love ♪

♪ I want your Stupid love, love ♪

♪ We got a stupid love, love ♪

♪ I want your Stupid love, love ♪

♪ I want your Stupid love, love ♪

Bring it in. Come on, bring it in. Bring it in. Bring it in.

Circle up. Circle up. Circle up, come on.

Look at me.

Hey, look at me. Don't worry about the scoreboard.

I don't care what it says. You guys are playing with heart.

You're leaving it all out there.

That is all I could ever ask from you.

But listen,

this is your moment.

The whole town is behind you.

The people in those stands are here for you!

Your teammates are here for you!

I'm here for you!

And we're not gonna give up on each other.

If you don't give up on yourself,

then guess what?

You can't lose.

If you don't give up on yourself, you cannot lose.

This game is not over. Keep your head up.

Let's go out there and make something happen.

Let's make this a night we'll remember forever.

This game is not over. Come on, bring it in.

- Britta, on you. - Bulldogs, on three!

One, two, three!

- Bulldogs! - Get out there, and make something happen. Come on!

♪ It's the quiet In the distance ♪

Let's go, Bulldogs!

♪ The static in the shadows ♪

♪ And the thunder from afar ♪

♪ And it comes Without warning ♪

♪ It comes without warning ♪

Now.

Left. Hut!

♪ Ooh, you better run ♪

♪ Ooh, you better run ♪

Go, go, go, go!

♪ There's no time To think it over ♪

♪ There's no time To change your mind ♪

♪ You better run ♪

♪ It's the weight Above the footsteps ♪

♪ And the clouds Of ash and dust ♪

♪ The will, the faith ♪

♪ The power ♪

♪ To do what must be done ♪

♪ You better run ♪

♪ Ooh, you better run ♪

♪ There's no time To think it over ♪

♪ There's no time To change your mind ♪

♪ You better run ♪

Heck of a game, Coach.

Yeah? What game were you watching?

Well, the Bulldogs may not have triumphed on the scoreboard,

but I'd say we've started to win over the hearts and minds of the town.

And thanks to a little side wager with my father,

the rest of the league will no longer demand that we withdraw.

Ronnie for the win.

I, just, uh...

I just wanted to say, good game, Coach.

Hey. Thanks, Derek. You played great out there.

What do you think, Ronnie? Kid's got wheels, huh?

He sure does.

Just remember. Keep working. Keep getting better.

I promise I will, Coach. Just like you taught me.

Waldo, this is becoming sort of a regular thing for us?

So it seems.

But I just wanted to let you know

that Lerman's parents have pulled him out of school.

They've left Riverdale.

My God. Where'd they go?

They left me a message, but no forwarding address

or contact information.

I suppose they wanted a fresh start.

Yeah. Don't we all?

Hey, what's wrong?

Agent Cooper.

Glen, what's going on?

I came to check on you.

Why is my mom upset?

Because you... You lied to me.

Elizabeth, you made me feel like she might still be out there.

That there might still be hope!

You told your mother that the blood in the phone booth

wasn't a match for your sister's?

- Mom, I'm so sorry. - Don't.

How could you? How dare you!

I can't imagine what you must be going through, Mrs. Cooper.

But I want you to know that I will be personally taking over this case.

No. I'm working this case, Glen. This is my sister!

I'll make sure that this investigation is handled thoroughly, by the book.

I'll leave no stone unturned.