‘Riverdale’ Recap With Spoilers: “The Great Escape”

Jughead continues his G&G game with the Serpents, crafting a scenario where the characters are caught in a prison.

We cut to Archie, who is planning his escape from juvie. Joaquin tells him that the electricity for the electric fence has been cut, and they have a small window of time to break out. Archie agrees to escape now, and Joaquin gets two of the other inmates to start fighting. Archie, Joaquin, and company attempt to escape, but get shot by guards.

Betty arrives in the bunker, where Jughead muses once again about meeting the Gargoyle King.

Betty tells Jughead about the Midnight Club, and the ties between Featherhead’s death and Ben and Dilton’s. Jughead argues that they’ve been “playing the game” for a while before they were even introduced to G&G, and that the game only exists within Riverdale. Jughead says that by getting into the game, he’ll be able to get on the same level as the Gargoyle King. Betty tells him to keep playing, because that at least means she knows he’s safe.

Hiram comes back from a run, telling Veronica about Archie’s failed attempt to break out of prison. As he explains, the guards shot at them with rubber bullets, and might add another year to Archie’s sentence because of the escape. Veronica says she isn’t fazed by what Hiram is telling her. She leaves, and Hiram calls Warden Norton.

Norton confronts Archie, who is tied down to his bed by rope. He brands Archie with a mysterious symbol.

Betty tells Josie, Kevin, and Reggie about their parents’ high school exploits, to their disbelief. She argues that one of the parents is responsible for the recent G&G attacks, and she needs them to help investigate.

Veronica talks to Elio, the suitor she agreed to partner up with last season. She asks for Elio’s help in finding out what happened to Archie, and agrees to give him something in return.

Toni, Cheryl, and Jughead confront Sweet Pea and Fangs, who are messing around with arrows as a way to bring G&G into the real world. Jughead has Cheryl shoot a soda can off the top of his head, and she succeeds. He tells Sweet Pea and Fangs that they’ll get a chance to prove their worthiness when he says so.

Veronica gets a call from Elio, who agrees to put Veronica and Archie together if she agrees to come as his date to some sort of mysterious event.

FP confronts Jughead about his G&G playing, and Jughead reveals that he knows about FP’s time in the Midnight Club. FP says that he still doesn’t know who killed Featherhead, and Jughead argues that an outside force was the one who did it — and he’s going to catch them.

Josie, Kevin, Sierra, and Tom eat at Pop’s together. Josie and Kevin ask their parents how they met in high school, and they lie and say they didn’t really know each other, and that they never played G&G. Sierra and Tom then reveal that they have something to tell Josie and Kevin.

Elio takes Veronica to the underground fight club, where Archie is brought out to fight.

Veronica visits Archie backstage. They hook up. Afterwards, Veronica suggests that she help Archie break out of the next fight club. Archie suggests that he use the drain under the ring to try to escape, and Veronica offers to do research about it.

Jughead tells the Serpents that they’ll be playing another G&G game tomorrow.

Betty meets with Josie, Kevin, and Reggie again. Josie and Kevin reveal that their parents were lying — and that they announced they’re getting married. Reggie reveals that he got punched in the face by his dad after asking about the game. Veronica arrives in the room, and asks the group to help her break Archie out of juvie.

Betty visits Jughead in the bunker, and asks for his help in breaking Archie out of juvie. Jughead agrees, as long as he can make it part of his next G&G quest. Betty gets upset and leaves, saying that she’s taking his bike.

Archie and Norton eat dinner. Norton reveals that he’s “getting rid” of Archie, which is why they’re eating such an extravagant meal. Archie asks Norton how Hiram pinned the murder on him, Norton tells him the truth. Hiram paid $10,000 to each of Bulloch’s friends, if they agreed to testify against Archie in court. Archie asks if Hiram is paying off Norton as well, and Norton says that he’s only indebted to some sort of higher power.

Veronica addresses the group that wants to break Archie out of prison, while Jughead begins his next G&G quest.

Reggie, Kevin, and Josie make some sort of distraction to bring to the match.

Veronica assigns Betty to do the getaway, and Betty asks if they can add another precaution.

Joaquin bandages Archie up, kissing and then stabbing him. As Joaquin puts it, he’s doing this because Norton promised he would “ascend”.

Reggie and Veronica arrive at the fight club, where they don’t have the correct password. Veronica tells the guard at the door that she’s Norton’s daughter, and he lets them pass.

Kevin arrives with the case of soda, which is he is allowed to bring inside.

Veronica and Reggie find their spot at the match, as Archie is brought into the ring. His opponent is none other than Mad Dog. Mad Dog doesn’t seem to recognize Archie, and begins fighting him.

Outside, Betty does something to one of the cars.

Josie, posing as a waitress, tells Veronica that she heard guards betting against Archie. Veronica tells everyone to get into position.

Kevin tries to get into the entrance of the tunnel, and sees Joaquin running nearby. Joaquin says that it’s too late for Archie, and that he’s joined a different gang of sorts.

Archie tells Mad Dog about his plan to escape. Mad Dog says that Archie will need a head start.

Betty meets Kevin at the entrance of the tunnel. Kevin says that he’s leaving to meet Joaquin.

Veronica accidentally crosses paths with Hiram. She kicks him down. She, Reggie, and Josie all light off the soda cans, which contain smoke grenades. Mad Dog offers to stay behind and fight off the guards. Archie makes his way down the grate.

Later, Norton tells his guards to find Archie.

Archie makes his way to the end of the pipe, just as Betty opens the lock.

Norton tries to start his car, but he can’t. He sees Betty and Archie drive by on a bike, and gets the guards to follow them.

A hoard of bikes chase after Betty and Archie, but she outruns them — only to be stopped by more police officers. “Archie” takes off his helmet — revealing that it was actually Kevin there the whole time.

Josie, Veronica, and Reggie load Archie into their car.

The Serpents ask Jughead how the G&G quest ends, and he says he doesn’t know.

Norton confronts Kevin and Betty, referring to Archie as the “red paladin” just as Jughead had for the whole game. Betty threatens to pull out her mace on Norton. He suddenly gets a revelation, and tells all of the guards to go back to the rec center.

The Serpents ask whether or not the red paladin made it — just as Archie tumbles down into the bunker.

Later, Toni patches up Archie as the rest of the group watches on. Archie asks the group about Dilton’s bunker, and they reassure that he’s safe there. Veronica notices the brand that Norton gave Archie, and tells everyone in the room that they’re part of a pact from this point on. Everyone agrees.

Hermione questions Hiram about the underground fight club. Veronica arrives, and Hermione confronts her and Hiram, saying that their obsession with Archie is going to be their downfall.

Kevin, Josie, and Reggie all sit at Pop’s, talking about what happened with the escape. Reggie convinces the two of them to play G&G, so they can find out the truth about their parents. A radio bulletin comes up, announcing that Archie has escaped and that citizens of Riverdale should keep an eye out for him.

Jughead and Betty watch Archie sleep in the bunker, and talk about the brand and Norton’s behavior. Jughead wonders if Norton is the Gargoyle King, and Betty tells him to get some sleep.

Norton looks over his G&G materials, as a guard tells him that Hermione is coming to visit him. He takes a cyonide capsule out of his desk, swallows it, and dies.

Jughead walks through the woods, where the Gargoyle King turns around to face him.