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To save the future, they must survive the past.
Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.
After coming together to stop Bailey's comet, the gang finds themselves transported back to a simpler time — Riverdale 1955. Archie attempts to impress the new girl Veronica. Toni, Tabitha and Betty take a stand against Principal Featherhead. Meanwhile, Jughead attempts to convince the gang that they're from the future.
Riverdale High's sock hop is around the corner and Archie has his sights set on taking Veronica (Camila Mendes) to the dance. Betty is confused when Kevin appears uninterested in taking things to the next level with her. Elsewhere, Jughead takes aim at Pep Comics, and Toni attempts to convince Cheryl to let Fangs perform at the sock hop.
After a lesson in sex education leaves the gang more confused than ever, Veronica decides to organize a make-out party at the Pembrooke. Elsewhere, Jughead attempts to help Ethel out of some trouble only to find himself in hot water as well.
After enlisting Archie's help, Cheryl's plan to fool her family spirals out of control. Jughead turns to Veronica for help after finding himself in some trouble, and Betty gives Kevin an ultimatum.
Principal Featherhead takes aim at the negative influence comic books have over kids, just as Jughead is tasked by Pep Comics to write four tales for a new issue.
At her wits end over Archie's recent actions, Mary turns to Uncle Frank to get him back on track. Meanwhile, Betty asks Veronica for help understanding her sexuality. Elsewhere, Jughead takes action after he discovers plagiarism taking place at Pep Comics, and Cheryl and Toni's budding attraction catches the attention of some River Vixens
Fearing that Betty is going down the wrong path, Alice forces her to join the after-school dance show, "American Grandstand." Meanwhile, Kevin is forced by Tom to join the Riverdale High basketball team, and Veronica finds herself cut off by her parents.
In order to keep Riverdale High's basketball legacy alive, Frank and Archie recruit a new player to the team - a quiet farm boy named Reggie Mantle. Tabitha's return to school inspires Toni to start a literary society for Riverdale's Black students. Alice forces Betty to join the River Vixens, and Kevin starts a new job at the Babylonium.
After devising a plan to bring in some money at the Babylonium, Veronica is surprised to learn somebody may be sabotaging her. Elsewhere, after beginning sessions with Dr. Werthers, Betty begins to question his motives.
Jughead and Tabitha team up to investigate a mystery involving Ray Bradbury. Cheryl asks Toni if she can attend an afterschool book club with her and other Black students. Betty and Veronica ask Archie and Reggie out on a double date, and Fangs prepares for his first big gig.
Veronica decides to host a ghost show after learning that Riverdale doesn't celebrate Halloween the way she's use to in LA. Betty makes the most out of her night out with Archie and Reggie, and Jughead makes a major discovery in a mystery brewing in Riverdale.
Archie and Reggie lean on each other as they prepare for their big basketball game against Stonewall Prep. Meanwhile, as they deal with ongoing issues with their parents, Betty and Veronica decide to throw a slumber party with Kevin and Clay.
Panic ensues after Archie and the gang learn that Mrs. Thornton is accused of being a communist. Cheryl's father Clifford forces her to out gay students at Riverdale High or risk losing power over the Vixens. Meanwhile, Hiram's surprise arrival to town is quickly met with suspicion by Veronica, and Jughead devises a plan to get around a boycott of comic books.
After Principal Featherhead agrees to let Kevin present him with an original musical written by him and Clay, Kevin learns the group might not be as into it as he had hoped. Elsewhere, musical rehearsals prompt Archie to question what he wants in life, while Betty and Veronica confront what's going on between them.
It's time for the town's annual Miss Teen Riverdale pageant and Betty, Veronica, Cheryl and Toni each have their own reasons for entering. However, when Alice doesn't allow Ethel to enter the pageant, the girls band together to make sure she has a fighting chance.
Veronica sets up a screening at the Babylonium after Julian gets his hands on a stag film and invites Archie, Reggie and the guys over for a watch party. Betty unexpectedly reunites with Polly and learns about her sister's new life in New York. Elsewhere, Jughead goes to war with Dr. Werthers over his censure of comic books.
Betty enlists help from Cheryl and Toni after deciding she's going to publish her own book. Veronica, Kevin and Clay host Hollywood movie star Josie McCoy, who is in town to screen her latest film. Finally, Archie's attempt to take his poetry to the next level doesn't go as planned.
As the gang gets swept up in Cold War paranoia, a new mystery brewing in Riverdale leads Jughead to suspect it may have ties to a string of suspicious murders in town. Archie reconsiders his future after Uncle Frank gives him a hard time about his poetry writing, and a shocking discovery involving her family shakes Betty to her core.
As the town's past secrets start to bubble to the surface, Jughead and the gang are forced to make a difficult decision that will change each of their lives forever.
Back in the present day and longing for her former life in Riverdale, 86-year-old Betty turns to a special friend to help her relive her last day of senior year with her friends as they were, their memories restored.
