Riverdale – Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: The Night of the Comet

While Percival may have been defeated, his last deviant trick to have Hailey’s Comet hit Riverdale is now an inevitability that the group must face in the next eighteen hours. While Toni (Vanessa Morgan) and Fangs (Drew Ray Tanner) have found that there are barriers keeping the citizens within the town, Jughead (Cole Sprouse) is only able to open portals in Riverdale and Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) encounters timelines where the comet is coming towards Riverdale. Yet both Heather (Caroline Day) and Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) have one last card to play as they need to talk to the one person who might be able to rival Percival’s magic: Abigail Blossom (Madelaine Petsch). Meanwhile, everyone begins to prepare for the comet in their own ways. 

Betty (Lili Reinhart) spends time with Polly (Tiera Skovbye) and Alice (Mädchen Amick), especially as Alice laments over not being a better mother to her children. Veronica (Camila Mendes) is now back in Babylonium where Reggie (Charles Melton) decides to pay her a visit with one very special item he procured from Percival’s shop: Hiram’s (Mark Consuelos) portrait. Jughead and Tabitha are visited by Tabitha’s friend Alexandra Cabot (Camille Hyde) with a way to potentially franchise Pop’s nationwide, Alexandra unaware of the events to come. Anthony (Will Jackson) is receiving his official Serpents tattoo courtesy of his father Fangs, as well as the title of Serpent King since his immortality is the only way for the Serpents to survive beyond the comet. 

At Thornhill Heather and Cheryl summon Abigail for help with a willingness to negotiate Abigail’s release from the doll they have trapped her in. Abigail recalls her time with Thomasina (Vanessa Morgan) and learning that comets are made of ice. If Cheryl projects her phoenix powers onto the comet she may be able to melt the comet and save Riverdale. Abigail also says she may be able to undo the binding spells that Percival placed on the town, but on one condition: that she gets one more night with her beloved Thomasina.  

With this information Cheryl calls everyone to Thornhill for a meeting. As Cheryl shares that her abilities may be able to melt the comet, using her phoenix powers may come at a cost that the group is not willing to endure: those that she resurrected may perish.  Later, after the meeting, Cheryl has a private discussion with Toni to inform her of Abigail’s request to be with Thomasina…which would require Toni allowing Thomasina to use her body. While Toni seems reluctant, she agrees to the arrangement and Abigail and Thomasina share one more night together. When Cheryl and Toni return to their bodies, they deny remembering anything. With Abigail’s request fulfilled, Abigail points to a pile of knotted rope that must be untied in order for the binding spells to be broken. During their unknotting, Heather tells Cheryl that she will be heading back to Greendale once the comet is melted. It is clear that Cheryl and Toni are soulmates.  

As Archie (K.J. Apa) returns from Thornhill, he learns that his mother Mary (Molly Ringwald) has decided to pay a visit to Riverdale following the beginning proceedings of divorce from her soon to be ex-wife, Brooke. Realizing how precious time is, Mary decided to come back to Riverdale and spend time with Archie. With this realization Archie goes to visit Veronica and ask her for her help in procuring an engagement ring so he can propose to Betty. Though Veronica agrees to help Archie, she is somewhat apprehensive about helping. However, the proposal doesn’t go as planned and Betty reminds Archie of when he proposed when they were kids. But instead of being eighteen years old, she asks that Archie ask again when Cheryl destroys the comet or they break the barriers keeping them in Riverdale. Archie is now determined to break through the barrier.  

Later on, Betty talks to Agent Drake (Sophia Tatum), who is offered an opportunity to head up a new FBI team. However, Betty has finally broken out from her darkness and declines Drake’s offer to join her. Still slightly bitter, Drake asks if this is about Archie to which Betty tells her she is just ready to move on in her life. With this she tells Mary about the comet and everything she missed while she was out of town. Mary goes to find Archie, who is busy trying to break down the barrier with his superstrength. They embrace and talk about Fred, reminiscing about his hard work ethic and determination to be there for his family. With this, Archie decides to head home and thanks Betty for sending his mother. In turn, Betty decides to turn the table and proposes to Archie, which he readily accepts.  

At Babylonium Veronica meets with Reggie and decides to give him the casino since it was his idea in the first place. Instead, Veronica wants to focus on the absinthe business that she started and take the time to be single and enjoy herself. She also intends to work on her friendships with others, starting with Reggie. It’s clear that their romantic relationship is now over. Later while she is alone with Hiram’s portrait, Veronica realizes that she may have a new way to save the town. 

Jughead tries to convince Tabitha to franchise Pop’s so that the diner can stay alive, even if they don’t. Their conversation quickly turns to a discussion of the movie Titanic, which Jughead admits he has never seen. Tabitha immediately decides that they must watch the movie despite their limited time.  After the movie, Jughead asks Tabitha to go through with the franchise with Alexandra if he doesn’t make it. In return, Tabitha asks Jughead to go on one more epic date with her. On this epic date Tabitha takes Jughead through the life they would have together if they survive the comet, ending when they are old and gray. Later on while they meet with Alexandra for franchising, they receive a text message from Veronica for an emergency meeting.  

At Veronica’s apartment she pitches to the group that with her abilities she can use her gift to absorb everyone’s abilities and give them to Cheryl to enhance her powers. Having everyone except Cheryl cut their hands and join hands, Veronica absorbs everyone’s powers and kisses Cheryl to hand the powers over to her. To test and make sure that she absorbed the powers, Veronica points a gun at Cheryl and shoots her. Cheryl sees the threatening aura and is impermeable to the bullet, showing that the plan worked. Cheryl is ready to battle. 

With Cheryl ready to take on the comet, everyone is spending their time where they want to be. Toni and Fangs are with their son Anthony. Pop (Alvin Sanders), Tabitha and Jughead are having dinner together. Betty and Archie are in bed in an intimate embrace. Veronica and Reggie sit side by side in Veronica’s apartment. And Kevin (Casey Cott), Tom (Martin Cummins) and Moose (Cody Kearsley) are together. The clock is ticking as Cheryl goes head-to-head with the comet and Heather, Nana Rose (Barbara Wallace) and Britta (Kyra Leroux) finish untying the knots. With Cheryl’s strength, she comes face to face with the comet and everything goes to white.  

It would appear that Cheryl’s plan worked, as we see Archie wake up. However, the destruction of the comet also brought about a big change in Riverdale. Instead of current time, the gang is transported back to 1955 and back in high school as a form of simpler times. And while it would seem that everyone is oblivious to the change, one person still remembers what life was like before the comet: narrator Jughead Jones.