Riverdale – Chapter One Hundred Nineteen: Skip, Hop and Thump!

As Jughead (Cole Sprouse) peruses through his massive collection of comics, he finds that one contains a story very similar to the one he submitted to Pep Comics. He tells his friends Ethel (Shannon Purser), Dilton (Daniel Yang), and Ben (Moses Thiessen) about his find. Even in their reluctance to rally behind him, Jughead is adamant about his claims. 

During Cheryl’s (Madelaine Petsch) morning announcements, it’s that time for Riverdale’s Annual Sock Hop! While Archie (KJ Apa) and Julian (Nicholas Barasch) set their sights on Veronica (Camila Mendes), Betty (Lili Reinhart) plans to go with her boyfriend Kevin (Casey Cott)…despite his piqued interest in classmate Clay (Karl Walcott). Deciding he cannot wait until after class, Archie approaches Veronica and asks her if she’ll go with him to the sock hop. Veronica considers the offer but will only accept it if Archie knows how to “cut a rug”. While Archie has two left feet, he agrees to show Veronica his moves.  

With Cheryl and Midge (Abby Ross) manning the ticket table for the dance, Toni (Vanessa Morgan) approaches the table with Fangs (Drew Ray Tanner) in tow. Toni flirts with Cheryl and manages to ruffle her feathers a little but is on a bigger mission. If Cheryl has Fangs perform instead of Kevin, the Serpents will attend the dance in full force. Cheryl refuses and it sparks a little rivalry between Toni and Cheryl. Game on. As Fangs leaves, he throws a little flirtation towards Midge and unsettles her as well.  

Jughead goes down to Pep Comics and meets with Editor-in-Chief Al Fieldstone (Garry Chalk). There, Mr. Fieldstone tells Jughead he is sent hundreds of submissions that are all the same and Jughead’s idea is no different. Still convinced that his story was stolen, Jughead is ready to bring charges to Pep Comics until Mr. Fieldstone gives him an offer that he can’t refuse: if he can turn one of Fieldstone’s ideas into a cohesive comic, he’ll give him a job….if he drops the lawsuit. Jughead takes one of Fieldstone’s ideas and heads out to create a story.  

Knowing that he needs help with his dance moves, Archie goes to his best friend Betty for help. While learning the twist does not go as expected, Betty moves to a slower number. As Archie is grateful for the help, Betty seems to see Archie in a different light. Their moment is quickly interrupted by Alice (Mädchen Amick), who sends Archie home. 

At Jughead’s train car, he has Ethel look over his story idea for Pep Comics for an honest opinion. Impressed by Jughead’s opportunity, Ethel shares her own desire to work for Pep Comics and be an illustrator. Hoping to help Ethel, Jughead says he’ll pitch the idea to Mr. Fieldstone and see what he says. The next day, Mr. Fieldstone accepts Jughead’s story for print and brings Pep Comic employee Bernie (Jesse Goldwater) to get to work on illustration. Seeing the opportunity, Jughead offers up Ethel’s help for cheap to finish the zombie comic. Fieldstone agrees and a deal is made.  

At Lover’s Lane, Cheryl decides to take the opportunity to remind her fellow frisky classmates to buy their tickets to the sock hop. Unfortunately, Cheryl finds Midge in the car with Fangs and drags her out. In another car along the row, Betty and Kevin are out for a date. Betty tries to convince Kevin to take their relationship to the next level, but Kevin quickly rebuffs the advances. While Kevin feigns that he is thinking about performing at the sock hop among many other things, Betty is tired of their stagnant relationship and storms out of Kevin’s car to walk home.  

At school, Kevin ventures down the hallway to practice in the music room and bumps into Clay already in there playing piano. The two strike a conversation and it’s clear that a spark is there. Clay is new to town and asks Kevin if there is anyone that he knows he could ask to the sock hop. Kevin seems interested, but remembering that he is the entertainment and Clay’s knowledge of Betty….he assures Clay that many people go stag. 

Eager to impress Veronica with his moves, Archie finds her in the lounge. But Veronica has other plans as she is looking for more than just a boy with moves. Entertaining other offers, Veronica invites Archie to her place for a gathering of the minds. If Archie can impress her with his moves on the dance floor and intellectually, he has a chance. As Archie leaves the lounge, Betty has witnessed the entire exchange and is curious as to how Veronica is so confident. Taken aback by Betty’s insecurity, Veronica tells her how she is a catch and Kevin has no clue what he is missing out on….urging Betty to invite someone else to the sock hop to make her beau jealous. 

Finding out that students are trying to return their sock hop tickets, Cheryl flags down Dilton and finds out that the Serpents are planning to throw rotten eggs at anyone who tries to enter the dance. When Cheryl pushes Dilton for a name, it is none other than Toni Topaz leading the charge. Later that day, Cheryl finds Toni at a coffee house called The Dark Room. While Cheryl hopes to call off the Serpents, Toni proposes that Cheryl stay, order a drink, and give Fangs a listen before she says no.  

Trying to get ready for Veronica’s soiree, Archie enlists the help of his mother Mary (Molly Ringwald) to get ready. Finding one of her late husband Fred’s  suit jackets, Mary helps Archie get ready and gives him a pep talk. But in order to impress Veronica, Archie heads to Betty for some help on how to impress Veronica. He mentions that he wrote a poem for her and asks Betty to read it for him. While Archie believes his words to be corny, Betty is touched by Archie’s words and assures him that Veronica will love it. That night, Archie heads over to the Pembrook for Veronica’s get-together….and finds that he is amongst some competition, especially with Julian present.  

Confused about her feelings, Betty decides to talk to her mother over washing dishes. Dancing with Archie earlier had awoken feelings in Betty that she hadn’t felt before. Not one to break with the status quo, Alice tries to suggest that Kevin’s lack of affection is pushing Betty towards her best friend, something that Betty reluctantly agrees to. In Alice’s mind, a plan starts to form and she invites Kevin over to persuade him to pin Betty to show her appreciation and put things back in order.  

Hanging out in Ethel’s room, Jughead pours over Ethel’s illustrations and is impressed by her work. But it’s clear that Ethel is interested in more than just working with Jughead when she mentions the sock hop. Jughead agrees to go with her “just for kicks”, which Ethel goes with. But when Ethel’s mother (Jenn MacLean-Angus) enters Ethel’s room, she scolds her for having a boy in the room and Jughead leaves immediately. Mrs. Muggs leaves the room and Ethel seems be rattled by the interaction. 

At Veronica’s party, Archie begins to feel a bit out of depth while Veronica entertains the other boys. Veronica clearly wants to include Archie in the conversation, but Julian’s jabs at Archie seem to sour the mood. Once Julian decides to take a dig at Archie’s suit and his father’s humble living, Archie thanks Veronica for the invite and storms out of the apartment…throwing his poem that he wrote for her in the trash. The next day, Veronica heads over to apologize to Archie and is met by an angry Mary Andrews. Knowing what happened the night before, Mary gives Veronica a dressing-down for her actions and tells her not to hurt her son. 

After hearing Fangs perform, Cheryl has come around on having him perform and enlists Toni to help her sell tickets to the sock hop. With Toni’s ruthless demeanor shaking down Dilton to buy five tickets, sock hop sales are back on track! Even though Cheryl has not told Kevin yet that he is no longer performing, a flirtation between Toni and Cheryl begins.  

When Ethel’s illustrations are discovered, she is called down to Principal Featherhead’s (William MacDonald) office to explain herself. Ethel tries to explain that the illustrations are for a story for Pep Comics. Unfortunately, Ethel gets a week of detention for being caught that she later skips out on. 

Archie decides to approach Veronica at school and apologize for his behavior the night before. While eager to still take Veronica to the dance, she decides to go stag. This confuses Archie as he doesn’t understand why he would be put through so many hoops, but Veronica has heeded the words of Mary Andrews and proceeds to put up a cold and callous front to protect him from her. Later, Betty questions Veronica as to why she is going stag and whether she had read Archie’s poem. Veronica is confused as there was no poem, but lets Betty know that Archie is also going stag and whoever gets to be with him is lucky. Seeing her opportunity, Betty considers Veronica’s words and skips out of the locker room. But before she can approach Archie to ask him, Kevin manages to get to her first and officially pin her and ask her to the dance. 

Impressed by Ethel’s sketches, Fieldstone decides to use her work and hire her as an illustrator for Pep Comics. Jughead and Ethel are elated over this news and Fieldstone questions whether they are a couple. While Jughead continues to be adamant that they are creative partners, Ethel’s face belies that she wishes that were different and even explains how they will be attending the sock hop together. When Ethel returns home from Pep Comics, Ethel’s mother and father (Adam Lolacher) confront her about missing detention and showing rebellion. Ethel storms into her room to get ready for the dance and Mrs. Muggs assures her she will do that “over her dead body.” 

At Veronica’s apartment, Smithers (Tom McBeath) brings Veronica something of importance that he found in the garbage: Archie’s poem. Thinking about Betty’s conversation earlier, Veronica opens the poem and begins to read. She is touched by Archie’s words.  

That night the sock hop is in full swing. While Clay was eager to hear Kevin sing, Fangs manages to get everyone up on their feet with “Tutti Frutti.” Toni convinces Cheryl to get up and dance with her on the floor, something that Principal Featherhead seems to frown upon and later approaches Cheryl to indicate that anything other than boys and girls dancing together is not harmonious. Cheryl agrees, even though she longingly looks over at Toni. 

After reading his poem, Veronica looks to Archie only to feel a sting of rejection.  Pushing aside the rejection, Veronica approaches Archie and tells him that she read his poem. Deciding that they need a do-over, Veronica asks Archie to dance and is turned down as he goes to dance with his mother. Seizing his opportunity, Julian approaches Veronica and asks her to dance.   

With everyone in happy spirits during Fangs’s rendition of “Only You,” all good things must come to an end. Jughead looks over to the door and sees Ethel has entered the gym covered in blood. Thinking it is her blood, Jughead rushes over and realizes that Ethel is not hurt….but something very bad has happened.