Original subtitles

After my encounter with the crazy cat lady

down the hall from Mr. Rayberry's,

I went back to Sheriff Keller.

But he wasn't buying what I was selling.

Walk me through this again.

Mr. Rayberry's neighbor heard milk bottles the night that he was killed.

Ethel saw a milkman the night that her parents were murdered.

So, if you put two and two together,

I think it's no sweat to say

that we have a killer milkman at large.

-Do you agree? -Mr. Rayberry killed himself.

We have established that.

No, you have established that. I have not established that.

Unless that neighbor

said that they saw someone

dressed as a milkman...

saw, not heard...

then I am not reopening

that case again, Jughead.

So I think it's time that you dropped this,

and don't forget our ban tomorrow night.

Halloween is for kids, right?

It's not for teenagers looking to make trouble.

Rise and shine, Riverdale.

It's October 29, 1955,

which means it's high time to get in the mood for Halloween.

Killer milkman in Riverdale?

Better safe than sorry.

I admit, I usually get a better response

when I pull my witch costume out of the mothballs.

What gives?

Well, it's not your costume, Vee.

You look...

like everything plus. It's just, um...

Riverdale has a funny relationship with Halloween.

Dare I ask?

Unfortunately, we don't embrace All Hallows' Eve

the same way Greendale does.

We have rules in Riverdale.

Trick or treating's for kids.

Teenagers aren't allowed into the streets after sundown.

Why not?

There was a, uh...

a tragedy a few years back on Halloween night.

A carload of Riverdale High students were out raising heck,

and they ran off the road.

They died, all four of them.

Two Vixens, two Bulldogs.

So what are teenagers expected to do on Halloween?

Nothing much.

Stay at home. Hand out candy to ankle biters.

My dad and his officers drive around,

make sure no one's cruising the roads,

raising Cain.

Back home in Duck Creek, we never celebrated Halloween.

But teenagers need Halloween.

To dress up in costumes and masks and pretend to be someone else.

To be a kid again, even if it's just for a night.

To kiss a girl or a boy in the dark

and blame it on the Halloween spirit.

To honor the dead.

The... The dead?

Back in Los Angeles, my parents used to throw

the most lavish costume balls every Halloween night.

Then afterwards,

in the wee hours of November first,

we'd all gather around the family altar,

just the three of us,

and light votive candles to honor the dead.

And celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

It was one of our only family traditions.

And my favorite by far.

In any case, it sounds like

our gatekeepers are trying to put the kibosh

on one of the most phantasmagoric nights of the year.

Little do they know,

Halloween is practically my middle name,

and I have every intention of celebrating it.

I mean, really,

just when you think this town couldn't get any kookier.

Put those milk cartons down!

No!

All right, everyone, listen!

Don't drink fresh milk anymore.

Just drink powdered milk.

Ethel, how are you?

I'm okay, Jughead.

I miss you.

I miss school.

Gosh, Ethel,

I... I don't mean to upset you further,

but there's been another murder.

Do you remember the writer Brad Rayberry?

The guy who wrote November County?

He's your favorite, right?

Yeah, he was.

I was working with him, but I... I...

I suspect that he's part of the milkman murders,

or he was killed by a milkman.

Murdered? Why?

Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out.

Did your parents have any connection to Mr. Rayberry?

No.

But this can't be just some big coincidence, can it?

I don't know, Jug.

But you know what I have been noodling on?

What?

The milkman comic book?

The original one?

Maybe whoever wrote it in the first place

knows something.

Say, that's a good tip.

-I tell you what, I'm gonna look into that-- -Oh, gosh.

Jughead, I gotta go.

Sister Woodhouse is giving me the evil eye.

But hopefully, I will see you soon.

Yeah. I can't believe you've never experienced

a real Halloween before, Reg.

Uh, just like any other night.

Wake up early the next morning.

Same as always.

So does that mean you've never worn a costume

or gone trick or treating before?

I've been cow-tipping with my cousin once.

...all right, Betty?

Sorry, what?

I was just saying,

since Reggie hasn't had a real Halloween growing up,

why don't we give him one?

Yeah, absolutely.

What is a real Halloween anyhow?

Well, one,

trick or treating.

Two, visiting a graveyard.

And three...

necking in a haunted house.

All very possible things to do in a town like Riverdale.

The projection room.

At this hour?

And what are you two doing here at the witching hour?

We were just--

We were on our way home from the dark room,

and I forgot my keys earlier,

so we were just swinging by to pick them up.

Well parried, Clay.

What are you doing here?

Some late night brainstorming.

Oh, and I have good news.

I know exactly what we're going to do for Halloween night.

We're going to host a ghost show

here at the Babylonium.

And the powers that be won't be able to object,

as technically,

we'll be keeping the teeny boppers off the streets.

I'm thinking 1920s glam for the dress code.

Ginchy idea, no?

Yeah, um, what's a ghost show?

It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Monsters, movies, burlesque.

And then at midnight...

we raise the dead.

Hear ye, hear ye.

Come one, come all to the Babylonium's hair-raising

Halloween Burlesque and Ghost Show.

One night only.

There will be music.

There will be mayhem.

And then, as Halloween gives way to the Day of the Dead,

there will be a resurrection,

as the four Riverdale High students who oh-so tragically died

on Halloween night all those years ago

return from the dead before your very eyes.

Get your tickets fast before they vanish without a trace.

Mr. Fieldstone,

do you remember who wrote

the milkman story inside this issue?

I just want to ask him a couple questions.

Kid, I haven't the foggiest.

But most of our, uh, Pep Comic freelancers

will be at the annual Halloween office party.

Why don't you come by and sniff around?

You might find the guy.

Uh, thanks, Mr. Fieldstone. I'll do just that.

So, beauty queen,

any plans for Halloween?

Because I was thinking we could spend it together.

Veronica's got me roped into her ghost show,

but it would be a gas

if you joined in on the fun, too.

She's got some sort of floor show planned,

complete with a kickline.

That we would perform?

In... In front of people?

Yeah.

You and me, and Kevin and Clay.

Don't tell me you have stage fright.

No, but it is tradition that I host a sleepover

for the Vixens every year.

No big whoop.

I just thought Halloween's the one night of the year

where everyone wears a mask,

and people like us,

you and me, and Kevin and Clay,

we don't have to, you know.

All right, fellas, bring it in.

Just one last thing before we break.

Now, I know Halloween is coming up fast,

and it used to be Bulldog tradition

to go out wilding.

I have one thing to say.

Don't do it.

Not on my watch.

Understood?

- Understood? - Understood, Coach.

All right, then.

Bravo!

Gold star, fellas. Even I almost believed you.

What are you bugging about, Julian?

It's Halloween, Andrews.

Of course, the Bulldogs

are going out wilding,

despite what Coach says.

Count me out.

I'm playing the ghost show at the Babylonium.

No one asked you, greaser.

What about you two?

You coming or what?

No, I'm gonna sit this one out.

I promised my folks

I wouldn't cause trouble while here in Riverdale.

Good God, Mantle.

Let me know when you grow a pair.

For those of you who actually care about tradition

and aren't namby-pamby cream puffs,

we're meeting tomorrow night, school parking lot.

At sundown.

Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo.

I still can't fathom

that Reggie's never

celebrated Halloween.

Well, go figure.

That's why Archie and I

are showing him what it's like.

In that case,

you're excused

from my phantasmagoria

at the Babylonium.

But tell me, Betty, what's your skin in this game?

Because I'm sensing you have some.

Well, I used to get butterflies for Archie.

I still do.

But now I think I'm also getting them for Reggie.

You know...

you should use Halloween night

to figure out which way your love compass is truly pointing.

And then?

And then, let the spirit move you.

And then, tell me all about it the next day.

So, Cheryl, I've been thinking about tomorrow's slumber party.

I think you and the girls,

instead of sleeping in your bedroom,

should decamp to the grand hall.

It's more open,

less opportunity for inappropriate hanky-panky.

Yuck, Mother! I'm trying to eat here.

Just make sure that's good and secure, boys.

I don't want any lawsuits on my hands.

Wise words, Veronica.

Mrs. Cooper.

What a lovely, yet unexpected surprise.

-Hmm. -What can I do for you?

I was in the neighborhood. Just thought I would pop in.

How are ticket sales going for your little ghost show?

Briskly.

We should be sold out.

You're new in town,

but this is how we celebrate Halloween in Riverdale.

Everyone stays home

and watches Mr. Cooper and I host Shock Theater on RIVW.

We dress up in singed clothes

and we introduce old horror flicks,

we have a little banter in between.

- Oh. - It's quite the event.

We really give families a tickle.

Well, we're not really expecting a family crowd.

More... teenagers, exclusively.

You like to cause trouble, don't you, Veronica?

You're a natural born rabble-rouser.

I can tell.

At any rate, I will allow this little ghost show to happen.

It's not gonna affect our ratings.

But I want you to know, young lady,

you've been put on notice.

Whoa.

Ethel.

How the heck did you escape The Sisters of Quiet Mercy?

I started hearing about secret tunnels beneath the nunnery

right when I got there.

I spent every free moment I had looking for them.

Found them a couple days ago.

It was your call

that gave me the push I needed to make a break for it.

I really couldn't...

bear to be there for another second.

The sisters are cruel,

and abusive.

Well, they'll probably come looking for you.

What's your plan?

My birthday is in a couple months.

Once I'm 18,

I won't be a ward of the state anymore,

and I can live on my own.

I just need to make it until then.

Where are you gonna hide out In the meantime?

This place isn't exactly safe, Ethel.

It got ransacked by John Law, remember?

But I do know a place that you could stay.

It's Mr. Rayberry's apartment.

I mean, it's still empty,

and he's got rent paid until the end of the year.

As long as staying in a dead guy's apartment

doesn't give you the heebie-jeebies.

It could be haunted.

I would rather ghosts than the sisters.

Well, then you're made in the shade.

And I can go down to the five-and-dime

and get you a cheap Halloween mask,

so you can walk the streets incognito.

Once we get to the Halloween party,

you won't have to worry about the fuzz.

And you could help me suss out who wrote that milkman comic.

How's that sound?

Yes, Midge, how can I help you?

Do you have a special request for the sleepover?

Um... that's the thing. I...

I wanted to see if I might be excused from the slumber party.

You see, Fangs is performing at Veronica's ghost show,

and it would be gangbusters to see him.

Midge, with all due respect to your greaser boyfriend,

this is a Vixen tradition.

The center must hold.

Of course, I... I figured as much.

But I had to at least try.

Wait.

As it happens,

I, too, am intrigued by Veronica's midnight burlesque.

So if I asked Evelyn to host the slumber party

and you know that witchy witch would,

and we went to the Babylonium,

we can never ever speak

of what we did or saw at the ghost show.

I'd be okay with that.

I'm good at keeping secrets.

Me, too, dear Midge.

Perhaps it's time we both confide in each other.

Maybe on Halloween night,

after the festivities?

I'm on pins and needles.

Mr. Jones,

are you aware that your friend Ethel Muggs went missing last night?

She escaped from The Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

Ain't that a bite?

No, no, I had no idea.

So if we searched your train car,

she wouldn't be there?

Oh, please, go ahead. Door's unlocked.

Uh, but, uh, if you could just not trash it like you did last time.

The place is practically The Waldorf now.

Can I go?

Dang.

Your mom's costume work is top notch.

Yeah, she was keen to do it.

Started to get the weeps 'cause she said it was probably the last time

she'll be sewing Halloween costumes.

Until she has grandkids.

What do you think Betty's going as?

Maybe a princess?

Or Rosie the Riveter?

Man, I can't believe how much she knows about fixing up cars.

Yeah, how'd that happen anyway?

Her fixing your jalopy.

Did you ask or did...

-Did she offer? -Nah, she offered.

But the truth is, I was kind of getting vibes off her.

You know? Vibrations.

Well, trust me, I know.

If I'm being honest, I've been getting vibes from Betty

since way before you got to town, so...

And I still am.

You don't think Betty wants to make it

with one of us tonight, do you?

I hadn't considered that,

but...

She ain't blind.

Well, she might want to get with me, Reg.

Like I said, we do have a history.

Yeah...

Well...

Let's make a pact then.

If something goes on between Betty and one of us,

as soon as we start feeling which way she's leaning,

then the other guy peels off and vamooses.

What do you say?

You got yourself a deal there, Buck Rogers.

Jughead!

Welcome to the Madhouse of Mystery.

Who's your friend? Or should I say fiend?

Bernie, this is Ethel.

You-- you may have met. She's been here a couple times.

Hi. Happy Halloween.

And to you!

Uh, get yourself a snootful and settle in.

It's gonna be a crazy night.

Okay, let's enter the fray.

Ask around. See if anyone knows about the origin of the milkman comic.

Good evening, ghouls and boils,

to what I'm sure will be

the most electrifying night of your life.

I'm your host...

Well, thanks for volunteering to be our kid tonight, Dilton.

Yeah, Doiley. You're really going above and beyond your duties as waterboy.

It's no sweat, fellas.

It's kind of hard to say no to a girl like Betty.

Well, boys, how do I look?

Wow! Gee whiz, Betty, you look... tremendous.

Ring the bell. I'm knocked out.

Who are you supposed to be?

Goldilocks, of course.

You know, she couldn't decide on a bed,

so she tried all three.

Shall we head out and see where the night takes us?

A doctor of dentistry.

Well, what are you complaining about?

Trick or treat!

-Whoo! -Yeah!

That's it. I'm going home.

Wait, Dilton. We're just getting started.

I'm dressed as a pumpkin head,

and Julian and those clowns have baseball bats.

I'm doneski.

It's okay, Dilton.

You've been a swell sport tonight.

You can go home.

Yeah, we've got a cemetery to get to anyhow.

You made the scene.

As promised.

Well, you look fab as a flapper.

How did it shake out with the rest of the Vixens?

As far as anyone else is concerned,

Midge and I have been stricken with a 24-hour influenza

and we're self-quarantining.

Well, it means a lot to me that you came

and that you're willing to perform.

Veronica is over the moon about it.

So am I.

Well, as you say, it's Halloween.

If we can't let our masks slip tonight, then when can we?

Come on, let's get you ready.

So, Randall, you didn't write The Milkman Cometh?

No, but I sure wish I had.

Best story Pep published last year.

Sorry I can't be more help.

Jonah, did you write The Milkman Cometh?

No, and between us,

I didn't think it was such great shakes either.

Did you write The Milkman Cometh?

Or do you know who did?

The Milkman?

Yeah. That was one of Ted's stories.

-Ted? -Ted Sullivan.

-Journeyman writer. -Ted. Ted Sullivan?

Is he here?

Uh, no.

Ted's dead.

A few weeks after his milkman story was published,

they found him kaput in his apartment.

Dead? How?

Hung himself,

left a note saying he'd never write

another story as good as the milkman one.

It's a metaphor. A critique of America.

It's saying that the enemy is us.

What are you talking about?

The enemy is here at home.

It's not Mother Russia.

It's not the communists.

It's not the Axis of Evil.

It's us.

We're the enemies.

Wholesome, conforming, homogenous America.

You know why wolves howl, don't you?

To attract a mate.

And how do you know that?

We've got lots of wolves in Duck Creek.

Packs and packs of them.

Well, must have made it

pretty scary growing up there.

More like exciting.

Hmm.

Though they never caused me any trouble.

Maybe because they recognized a fellow...

alpha.

Is that what you think you are?

An alpha?

Uh...

Damn. Julian and his goons are still out.

Well, that's not good.

Wonder where the rest of our wolf pack is.

Gosh, Archie, I'm so sorry.

I didn't even think about the fact that--

It's okay.

I'm okay.

I was just thinking about how my mom and dad

used to take us trick or treating.

Remember that?

Of course.

You remember the year we dressed as Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer?

Of course I do.

I went barefoot, stepped on a nail.

Right.

We've been friends for a really long time.

Yeah, we have been.

Feels like I've known you my entire life.

I feel the same way.

Hey, so where's this haunted house, anyway?

Well, come on and let me show you the way.

If you're brave enough.

So this is where it happened.

The murder you guys were telling me about.

Yes.

It's hard to imagine your life ending so...

suddenly, violently.

My dad used to say, "Seize the day."

Like, is your next moment gonna be your last before the big chill?

I'm gonna go see if there's any Eleven-Up in the refrigerator.

Hey...

I'm gonna cut out of here.

No, you don't have to do that.

Come on, Andrews.

I saw you two in the cemetery holding hands.

You don't need a seismograph to pick up those vibrations.

Okay, Reg. If you say so.

I do.

Well, they're warm,

but I found some orange sodas in the icebox.

Where'd Reggie go?

Oh, he got tired.

Called it a night.

That's too bad.

Yeah, isn't it?

Gals and ghouls.

Thank you all for coming out tonight.

In just a few minutes,

we'll be screening our midnight feature, Frankenstein,

starring my godfather, Boris Karloff.

But before we do that,

you were all promised a resurrection tonight and a floor show.

Well, Veronica Lodge,

or should I say Victoria Frankenstein,

keeps her promises.

So without further ado,

I give you the electrifying return

of the four dead Riverdale High students.

So enjoy.

And don't dream it, friends.

Be it.

Well, well, well.

If it isn't Mantle the magnificent.

I'm just walking home, Julian.

Oh, come on.

Don't be such a stick in the mud.

We're going across the bridge to Greendale

to raise some hell. Hop in.

Come on. Join the fun.

Unless you've got something better to do.

Move over.

Attaboy.

Well, here we are, I guess.

Here we are, just the two of us.

I'm really nervous.

And I think I wanna kiss you.

I feel exactly the same way.

- Oh, my God. - What is it?

There's someone out there.

There's no one out there. What did he look like?

This is gonna sound Looney Tunes,

but he looked like a... a milkman.

-A milkman? -Let's just go, Arch.

Let's... let's go.

All right, let's punch it.

Well, gents,

looks like we had ourselves a smashing success.

For the ages.

I was in on the gag, and even I had goose pimples.

All of which makes me think.

What if we institute a weekly midnight movie,

a monster flick,

or something fun and campy?

It sounds like a gas.

But, uh, Veronica,

Kevin and I, we, um...

wanted to talk to you about something.

Oh.

What's that?

How long have you been living at the Babylonium

and... and why?

Is it trouble with your parents?

Look at you two Hardy Boys.

All right, you fellas got wise to me.

I am staying here.

But there isn't a problem.

There's nothing wrong.

The Pembrooke is merely undergoing renovations.

That's all.

I'll be back in my regular digs before Thanksgiving.

Now skedaddle.

And truly, everything's peachy.

Midge, Fangs...

I don't know what to say about your happy news, except congratulations.

Oh, Cheryl, I've been dying to tell you the truth for ages.

Well, of course your secret is safe with me.

Not to take anything away from my honey bun,

but you two had a pretty big moment during the floor show.

That was some kiss.

Yeah, I'm not complaining,

but it was pretty brazen, Cheryl.

If I'm ever challenged about it,

I will simply explain that I was possessed

by the Halloween spirit.

Can I just say that I'm really happy that us four put our masks away?

Even if it was only for one short, magical night.

I wholeheartedly concur.

Well, despite our boogeyman ending,

this was the best Halloween of my entire life, Betty Cooper.

Mine, too.

Elizabeth?

Mrs. Cooper?

Why are you out so late?

Mom, I thought you weren't my mother anymore.

I'm not, but you still live in this house,

so get your butt inside right this instant!

Get!

Damn it.

Do you want to come in?

Oh, I... I would, but I'm pretty tuckered out.

Plus, I haven't fed Hot Dog tonight,

so I'll just see you tomorrow.

Or later today, I guess.

Is that hunky-dory?

Yeah.

Sure. Good night, Jug.

Good night.

Oh...

I thought you were the milkman.

Milkman?

I heard his bottles earlier today.

I thought he might have come back.

You heard his...

Ethel!

Jeepers.

I told everyone it was a milkman.

Archie. Archie, wake up.

Archie, wake up.

Come on, get dressed.

Uncle Frank, what's wrong?

There's been some kind of accident.

Car full of Bulldogs went off the bridge and into Sweetwater River.

When was that? Are there any survivors?

We don't know yet.