‘Riverdale’ Season 2 Finale Recap With Spoilers: “Brave New World”

The episode begins with Betty, Veronica, and Archie at a grave. It’s Jughead. Betty kneels down at it and begins crying, telling Jughead to come back to her.

Jughead wakes up in a hospital room, with FP sleeping in the chair nearby. FP wakes up and begins to tell Jughead what happened. He explains that Jughead’s sacrifice inspired more Serpents to fight the Ghoulies, but they ultimately didn’t win. Jughead asks why FP and the Serpents even fought off the Ghoulies, as it goes against the deal he made with Hiram.

FP reveals that Fangs actually survived, and that one of Hiram’s deputies had lied when telling him that Fangs had died initially. FP reveals that the trailer park has mostly been burnt to the ground, and most of the Serpents either joined the Ghoulies, went to jail, or died.

Betty cuddles Jughead in his hospital bed. Jughead apologizes for not being there for her when Hal was revealed to be the Black Hood, but Betty says that it’s fine. She says that her goal is to try to rebuild her life and make up for what Hal did. Betty and Jughead joke that they’re not running for student council anymore.

Veronica helps Fred plan the final days of his mayoral campaign. Fred worries that his campaign won’t win anyway. Veronica reveals that she also is dropping out of the student council race, to focus on helping Fred win.

Archie and Veronica visit Jughead at the hospital. Archie tells Jughead about the second Black Hood’s attacks, and Jughead and Veronica suggest that Hiram is behind them somehow. Jughead thinks that Sheriff Minetta could be a suspect. Archie reveals that he needs to go to the Sheriff’s office anyway, to identify Hal Cooper.

Sierra helps Cheryl become officially emancipated from her mother. Cheryl offers to deliver the paperwork to Penelope and Claudius in person. She arrives at the barn they’re staying at only to find Hiram meeting with them. Cheryl panics and hides in a nearby barrel.

Betty returns home to see Alice screaming at a mob of onlookers.

Jughead and Betty talk on the phone. Jughead reveals that he’s worried about Betty, and offers to help her with anything.

Archie is at the Sheriff office, where he positively identifies Hal as one of the Black Hoods.

Minetta tells Archie that there were several copycat Black Hoods the night of the riots, and dismisses his claims.

Betty apologizes to Fred about Hal being the Black Hood.

Kevin finds Moose having a panic attack at school over Midge’s locker full of stuff being destroyed in the riots. Kevin comforts him, and they kiss.

Reggie and Josie reveal that they’re also withdrawing from the student council race.

Jughead meets with Sweet Pea and Toni, where they learn that all of the Serpents are being transferred to another school because of the riots. Sweet Pea asks Jughead what they’re going to do.

Cheryl tells Veronica about Hiram meeting with Penelope and Claudius. Veronica confronts him about it, but he argues that it’s just to get Lodge Industries into the syrup trade. Veronica accuses Hiram of making Claudius impersonate the Black Hood at the debate.

Jughead visits the remaining Serpents, who are healing at the Whyte Wyrm.

Veronica and Archie ask Betty to come back to school, but she argues that she can’t show her face there again. She reveals that she hates Hal for what he did.

Jughead finds FP drinking at the trailer. FP reveals that Hiram fired him from Pop’s. Jughead asks FP about the Serpents at the Whyte Wyrm. FP tells Jughead that they’re leaving town.

Archie and Fred ask Sierra how to help with the campaign. They get a call from Sheriff Minetta, who says that they found and killed the copycat Black Hood — Tall Boy.

Polly asks Betty how the family is going to forgive Hal. Alice suggests that she and Polly visit him in prison to get answers.

Hermione tells Veronica that Hiram was responsible for the attack at the town hall. She shares a piece of information with Veronica — that Hiram wants to renovate the entire South Side, but he can’t acquire the Whyte Wyrm.

Veronica brings Sierra to meet with Hiram. She argues that she’ll expose her father if he doesn’t give her the million dollars back.

Archie tells Jughead about Tall Boy, which Jughead believes.

Penelope confronts Cheryl about her emancipation papers. Cheryl leaves to visit Toni and the Serpents at the Whyte Wyrm, but Penelope tells her she can’t go there.

Cheryl meets with Jughead and Archie, where she reveals that Minetta is planning on raiding and shooting up the Whyte Wyrm.

Jughead meets with the Serpents and helps them plan an escape. They flee just as Minetta’s cop car arrives. They escape to the North Side, but Jughead briefly hesitates leaving.

Fred serves breakfast to the Serpents. FP asks Jughead about he and Archie saving the Serpents, which FP is proud of. Jughead thanks Archie for helping him, but Archie reveals that he has more of a plan.

Weatherbee goes out into the hallway of the school, where he finds the entire student body wearing Serpent jackets. Weatherbee threatens to expel everyone, but Archie stands up to him, and Weatherbee allows it.

Toni suggests that Cheryl officially become a Serpent.

Veronica tells Jughead about Hiram’s plans to buy the Whyte Wyrm. She reveals that she has a plan to stop him.

Veronica meets with Hiram at the Whyte Wyrm, where she reveals that she bought it. She offers to trade the bar for Pop’s, as a way to still hold on to a place that she and her friends feel comfortable with. Hiram says he’s willing, but that he would disown Veronica in the process. She agrees.

Betty asks Jughead if he thinks Hal’s darkness can be passed on to her or to Polly’s babies. Jughead argues that that won’t happen, and he comforts Betty.

The mayoral and student elections take place.

Betty meets with Hal at the prison. She reveals that she’ll never see him again, and that he no longer has power over her and her darkness.

Weatherbee announces that Archie won the Student Council race. Weatherbee also reveals that the South Side students will stay at the school. Everyone celebrates.

The Serpents throw a party on the banks of the river. FP addresses the group, and reveals that he’s stepping down as leader and naming Jughead his successor. He then gives Jughead a red Serpent jacket, which he bestows to Cheryl.

Betty tells Alice about her seeing Hal at the prison. She asks if Alice will be OK with her going back to school. Alice hugs her.

Fred gets a phone call during his campaign party. He tells the group that Hermione won the race. Someone knocks at the door — it’s Hermione. She reveals that the race was close, and congratulates Fred on running a great campaign. Archie asks Veronica where Hiram is.

Hiram arrives home to find Archie waiting for him. He congratulates Hiram on getting everything that he wanted. Archie reveals that he has a knife on him, and that he wants to get Hiram back for manipulating him and the entire town. Hiram accuses Archie of being delusional, but Archie says that he will uncover the truth about Hiram. He then stabs the knife into the desk and walks away.

Veronica, Archie, Betty, and Jughead sit at Pop’s. Veronica reveals that there’s a secret speakeasy under Pop’s, which she wants to re-open. She asks Jughead if FP will help manage it. Jughead asks Veronica about Hiram, and she jokes that he’s plotting his revenge.

Hiram meets with Claudius, Penelope, Penny, and the Ghoulies. He reveals that his plan is going accordingly — the prison will be up and running, with Claudius’s drugs coming through, the Ghoulies and Penny serving as security, and Penelope running a brothel. Claudius asks about Veronica and her friends, but Hiram says there’s something in place to tear them apart.

Polly congratulates Alice for visiting Hal in prison. She then offers the assistance of a man who helped heal her at the farm, and Alice accepts it. Polly smiles menacingly.

Jughead and Betty lay in the bed of an expensive hotel room. Jughead asks Betty to join the Serpents and be his queen. She smiles and they continue kissing. In Jughead’s narration, he reveals that their pact didn’t matter anyway, considering what happened the next day at school.

Weatherbee speaks to a pep rally of students. Josie sings the national anthem before Archie is expected to be sworn in as student council president. Archie spots Hiram lurking from the corners. Sheriff Minetta then barges in and arrests Archie for the murder of the man at Shadow Lake. Archie is taken out in handcuffs, as Hiram nods from the shadows.