Riverdale fans rejoice!  It looks like Reggie has now gone over to the side of good.  The question is:  Will he, his father and Kevin gets away (yeah still show Kevin did).  Also rejoice that Jughead doesn’t hear the voices all the time now.  There is some force for good stirring (and I don’t mean Sabrina).  Maybe Gabriel offered help to Tabitha in the Great Hereafter. And on that note:  Riverdale, you have some explaining to do.  Neither Jason or Polly were involved in this little town invasion.  If that why death is mad?  Plus, we haven’t seen La Llorna in Riverdale.  What does that mean?

Tonight’s episode starts with a meeting of the gang to discuss what to do.  Archie and Jughead’s hair is different.  Percival doesn’t know they’re back and Cheryl tells them what she has discovered about the Pickens family.  Ronnie tells them that the investigation that Guido (whatever) did reveal he didn’t exist.  exist in the records.  Then Tabitha drops the bombshell.  Percival will only start the apocalypses if he doesn’t’ get what he wants.   The decision is made that the dead will appear to remain dead.

And Where to Go from Here

From this point, we start getting more and more information.  How do I  explain it.  More importantly, which is the most important.  Let’s start with happy.

Cheryl, Betty and the Family…

Cheryl talks to Betty and tells her she needs to come to Blossom manor.  There, Betty sees Polly and Jason and faints.  When she comes to, Polly is in the room with her.  Betty apologizes and Polly forgives her but really has nothing to forgive Betty for.  Betty has looked at Polly’s aura and it is now pure and glowing yellow.  Betty is upset because she won’t be able to get into heaven but Polly tells her that she will.  She just needs to let the evil go as good and evil have to coexist.  Polly assures Betty that she is good and all will be right.

Betty goes back to sleep and has a dream of the past and the present.  She sees herself with blood coming out of her mouth and ends the nightmare.  Polly is with her and asks what’s wrong.  Betty says she has too many things to be forgiven on (killing Archie, dumping Jughead, destroying Ronnie and Archie’s relationship, etc. yawn).  Betty can never enter Heaven (hereafter).  Polly has a cure.  She gets a bowl of water and tells Betty to stick her feet in it. Polly washes Betty’s feet and stands.  Just like Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.  Betty doesn’t think that will make her pure but Polly said it occurred t her before she could enter the hereafter.  Betty looks in the mirror and her aura is back to pure and yellow like Polly’s.

Jughead and Tabitha and the Rivervale Portal

In Riverdale, Jughead tells Tabitha that he has done some reading on parapsychology.  He believes that he has opened a portal to another dimension where there is another Jughead, Pop’s, etc.  Jughead thinks they need to go there to explore.  Jughead remembers the powers happened after the explosion at Archie’s.  They need answers which may be found in Rivervale.

As Riverdale’s Jughead looks at the bunker door, it starts to glow.  He and Tabitha go through and find Rivervale (let’s just say SJ).

SJ is upset to see our Jughead there and tells our Jughead he’s been stealing SJ’s story due to the voices.  Tabitha demands an explanation and it seems that once again the universes are merging.  It’s the old parallel universe thing again (calling Doctor Who).  Rivervale has only happiness and seems to be dying.  By writing the stories, it stays alive and happy.  SJ is the battery for Rivervale.  Tabitha realizes that Percival is the catalyst. Since SJ can’t go out, they need to explore Rivervale and see what is happening there to find out why Riverdale is having problems.  SJ warns they can’t interact with themselves or rish problems.  Anyone else feel a headache coming on!  (Calling Doctor Who – Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant – help is needed please.)

First stop is the Blossom mansion where Cheryl looks the same but her brain is slowly dying.  When Abigail was exorcised there, Cheryl began to die.  She looks like our Cheryl but Jughead mind melds and only finds old comics, covered is dust and crumbloing away.  (Well, from the 1600s, I can understand.)  Before they leave, Brigit asks them to sign the comic Jughead just drew about the Superteens and their power (so that’s why that comic was released this week!)

Next stop is Pop Tates’.  They can’t go in but Tabitha has a plan.  When Rivervale’s Tabitha takes out the trash, our Tabitha knocks her out.  Wait a minute – why the time loop?  Anyway, Jughead goes to the apartment and the Rivervale Jughead is there.  They talk and Rivervale’s Jughead admits that he signed a deal with Mr. Crypto, Rivervale’s Devil (yes, I did say Devil).  Jughead has been world success as long as he writes grim stories.  The comics that Rivervale’s Jughead is what caused the Riverdale’s gang superpowers, and entrance of Percival into our dimension.  It seems Rivervale’s Jughead, like ours has heard of the meta-verse.  The villain of the comic is Percy the Perverse that Rivervale’s Jughead had seen in dreams.  The fictional in Rivervale is playing out in our Riverdale.  In the latest comic, Percy the Perverse kills the Superteens (now I know I’m buying that comic)!  Riverdale’s Jughead and Tabitha asks about Crypto who just happens to be playing chess at Babylonia.

Off to Babylonia they go with Devil controlled Ronnie hosting a chess match between Crypto and Raphael (the angel – maybe Gabriel, same difference).  Crypto wins and mention is made of the battle of good and evil always plays out.  Jughead and Tabitha meet Crypto and asks about Percival.  He tells them a story (which I will relate in the Percival section) about Percival went running to prevent fulfilling a life contract.  Percival won’t win though.  The Devil always collects his soul.  Jug and Tabitha decide they have to return to Riverdale and win but Crypto reveals that they won’t.  Riverdale has always had a special role with Pop’s being the key.  Pop’s was built over a hell mouth (Buffy verse) like all cathedrals and by moving it, they opened the hell mouth.  By moving Pop’s, they had destroyed the guard.  Jughead and Tabitha realize they know more now and return to our world from the bunker.

At the bunker, Ethel is there and is shocked to see our Juggie.  She turns on RJ and tells him that he caused the rupture of the time lines by calling and warning Betty.  Our Jughead had mentioned that he was next door when the bomb went off and Betty mentioned that call.  Ethel accuses SJ of still being in love with Betty but he says he only wanted to save her life.

Now Jughead sees Ethel.  It was supposed to be a clean break and they’re trying to figure out why.  Jughead on the other sie and he admits he was near when the explosion happened.  Betty received a call of warning to get out of the bedroom which shouldn’t have happened.  Bunker Jughead called her and Ethel says that caused the break.  YThat gave super powers and compromised everything.  The universes are controlling each other.  Ethel tellsl him that it’s over because he loves Betty.  And they return to Riverdale.  They are to update everyone.  All are meeting for the plan.  They know where the powers come from.  All exchange information.  Jughead can help with that.

The Legend of Percival (the Annoying)

Now, remember!  Percival doesn’t know Jughead, Archie and the rest are back.  He also has Reggie, Mr. Mantle, and Kevin in the vault at Babylonia awaiting execution.  When Ronnie goes back to take over the club, she is met by Tom Kline and Frank Andrews (gangster style) who tell her to leave.  She sees the guillotines and knows something is up.  Going back to her house, she opens the security cameras.  The stupids haven’t change the password so she knows what is going on and where Reggie and company are. 

Percival meanwhile has met with Alice and mind melded with her.  She agrees to do an interview with her.  At the end, he will hold a public execution (Kevin, Reggie and Mr. Mantle).  I never knew until tonight that it was Channel Six.  In her “Barbara Walters” style interview, Percival documents his life’s work.  It is dark and grim.

We all knew that Percival had a deal with the devil but how did he get to Riverdale.  Well, he landed in 1680 and went up Sweetwater River with the ancestors of Betty, Archie, Cheryl and Jughead.  Each of them were there to work.  He was there to learn/do magic.   So far, it hadn’t worked but each night, he practiced and this time on Betty’s relative.  Archie’s ancestor witnessed the ritual, caught Percival and tried him.  He was tried and to be executed in the wood by death in the stocks with no food.  He promised he would get his revenge on Rivervale (that’s right, I said Rivervale).  The Devil paid him a visit.  He would free Percy if he signed a deal giving his soul to the devil on death.  Percy snuck off thinking by disappearing that he wouldn’t die thus living forever.

Have I mentioned that Alice needs a brain?  Well, she asks Percival if he took the deal and he said he did.  Percy thought he had his powers and was traveling to Rivervale (yep) to claim get his revenge.  He heard an explosion and the Rivervale sign now read Riverdale.  Percy was in a new universe so similar to the old, he decided to get his revenge there.  The only problem was those he wanted revenge against had superpowers.  They must have slipped out of Percival when the explosion occurred.  To Percival, that was fine.  He had the powers forever and was stronger than the young.

Brain-dead Alice asks about what happens when he takes the town over – what a new Riverdale will be like.  Percival promises that it will be corrupt and he will have his enemies at his mercy – wild and untamed.  He wants suffering in the “State of Percival.”  Alice may be buying a clue, because she looks shocked.  Percy announces another twist.  He’s building the ghost train for Riverdale’s soul.  Hmm! Hiram wanted a train through Pop’s also.  I don’t think he had a deal with the devil though.

The Gang’s Discovery

With Ronnie watching, Frank and Tom go in to check on Mr. Mantle after Kevin claims he is dying.  Reggie grabs and holds the knife on Tom but Frank pulls his gun to kill not Reggie but Tom.  Reggie drops the knife and the evil ones leave.

Cheryl talks to Jason about whether he is glad to be back.  He mentions the war between good and evil and she rings Archie for an emergency meeting.  Percy is setting up to bring the army of evil to fight a battle in Riverdale (instead of Rivervale).  Ronnie has called Archie about Percy’s plan to execute Reggie, Kevin and Reggie’s dad. They need to stop Percival and meet at Archie’s with Jughead and Tabitha back.  Archie says they need to blow up the train track but is told they need to rescue Reggie and company first.  (There’s only minutes!  You better hurry.)

Well, Jughead saves Reggie and company by using a portal to reach them.  Archie gets a call that he can blow up the train track and we see him running as the explosion happens.  Back at Archie’s, Ronnie calls it a skirmish to all that survived.  The war hasn’t started.  As they talk, Betty and Ronnie’s phone rings.  It’s Percy with a message.  He has (or will) kill Alice, Tom and Frank.  They first think it’s a mind game but when you fight the Legion, don’t count on it.

Next Week:  The battle continues.  All are armed with weapons during the episode.  Will Jason and Polly have a role to play?  Is that why they are back?  What can we expect when good versus evil take a stand.  Who will win the battle for the soul of Riverdale.