| “ | It's thanks to this young lady here, that Pop's gets to stay open tonight, tomorrow, as long as you folks keep coming. Thanks also to the Lodge family for a donation they just made that gives us a little cushion to weather any storm that might come up. | ” |
Retro Night is an event hosted by Betty Cooper at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe to save the diner from closing down.
Summary
A Deserted Chock'lit Shoppe
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe abandoned
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe was known for decades to be the heart of Riverdale; however, business got slow after a mugging gone wrong, resulting in the shooting of Fred Andrews, and the masked assailant still at large. Since that day, the town has battled an air of darkness that has descended upon Riverdale's inhabitants, some going as far as to deface the diner with "Death Diner", spray painted in black. Jughead, noticing the vandalism confronted a worried Pop Tate standing behind the counter of an empty diner.
With Jughead too busy dealing with his father's situation, he was unable to help make plans to try and save the diner, like he previously tried with the Twilight Drive-In. In his stead, Betty and Veronica took the initiative to try and save it. Veronica needed anything that would keep her busy and away from her parents.
Betty and Jughead at the diner with Pop
Back at Pop's, Betty and Jughead were seated having breakfast with Pop Tate giving them company. Jughead asked him why did he decide to sell the diner, wondering if the buyer made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. Betty interjects, asking Pop if he knew who was the buyer was. Pop replied shamefully, saying it was ChugMo, the Liquor Store Chain. Jughead asks Pop if he could give him one last favor, to which Pop was more than happy to oblige if he could make his father one last meal since he was facing twenty years in prison with weird meatloaf being served. He wanted his father to have his last meal in Riverdale to be his favorite meal. Pop recalled that FP's favorite was fried chicken, cornbread, onion rings, and an orange freeze, if his memory served him correctly. Jughead was impressed by his memory, but Pop admitted that he's been doing this job for a really long time, even imagining that he would be working at the diner until the day he died.
Saving Pop's
Betty was heartbroken to hear those words come out of Pop's mouth. Like Jughead, she was unwilling to accept the news and asked Pop if he had officially sold the diner. Pop informed her that the contract was being drawn up at the moment. Betty demanded him not to sign it, yet, telling Jughead and Pop both to not give up; Betty was determined that she could fix the problem and left in a hurry to get started on her plan.
Cheryl and Betty having 'fun girl talk'
At Riverdale High School in the girls' locker room, Betty paid Cheryl a visit. She pointed out to Cheryl that she wanted closure and she wanted to help her boyfriend's dad. However, Cheryl was unwilling to help Betty, telling her that she already gave her an answer. Betty was unwilling to accept this and demanded that Cheryl help FP with his case hearing, going as far as to blackmail her. Betty revealed that she was in possession of a copy of Clifford Blossom shooting Jason and that she would release the video if she refused. Cheryl, unamused, asked if she was threatening her but Betty reassured her that they were just having "fun girl talk". Cheryl relented and agreed to Betty's terms in exchange for the copy, along with any other copy made erased. Before Betty left, she made one last demand, which was having the River Vixens present for Retro Night in order to help save Pop's Diner.
Meanwhile, back at Pop's, Veronica and Kevin were cleaning up Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, along with the rest of the River Vixens aiding them.
Retro Night
Later that evening, back at Pop's, the River Vixens were the first in attendance, as they were doing some final touch-ups getting ready for the grand opening of the event. As they were waiting for the guests to arrive, Alice Cooper was the first to enter the diner. She approached Betty to tell her that she came to write her next story over one last root-beer float, telling Betty that she already thought of the name that she would use for her story, "Requiem for Pop's."
Josie speaking to Betty about there performance for Retro Night
Over the course of the evening, more guests had arrived. Veronica was serving a group of customers two Strawberries, one Vanilla, and one Chocolate Milkshake with extra malt. Josie and Melody Valentine arrived and went straight to Betty. She was highly upset that Betty broadcasted all over social media that the Pussycats would be performing a free concert without their knowledge. Betty explained that had she asked, she already knew that Josie would reject the offer, so she forced her hand instead. Seeming reluctant to help, there was worse news, the Pussycats were without one a cat, Valerie Brown, who had a norovirus. As Betty did not account for the recent developments, Cheryl came to their rescue and volunteered to take Val's place for the night. If Josie could be a Vixen, then she could be a Pussycat. As long as it was a cover of another song, Cheryl was sure she'd know the lyrics. Persuading Josie to accept the offer, Melody chimed in, pointing out to Josie that she loved her Cheese Fries at Pop's. This was enough to win her over.
Veronica speaking to her parents
After the Pussycats' encounter with Betty, they stood on the rooftop of Pop's diner, as they sung the song "Milkshake", as everyone stood below them, watching them perform. During their performance, Archie arrived at the event. Working his way through the crowd into the diner, he was greeted by his girlfriend, Veronica, after a brief flashback to the moment his father was shot and his blood spilled all over the floor. Veronica then escorted him to a booth while she got him a milkshake. As Veronica was walking back to the counter to grab Archie his shake, she spotted her parents walking into the diner. Approaching her parents, Hiram informed Veronica that they didn't come here to fight, but to be supportive of her instead. Veronica then confessed to both of her parents that she had been doing some thinking earlier, realizing that the event for Pop's was a new beginning, and that could also be the same for their relationship. Hiram was pleased with Veronica's changed attitude towards them, as he reached over to hug Veronica with joy, and to celebrate, he informed her that he would make a proposal to Pop, that Lodge Industries would make a charitable contribution to show there support, to which he earned Veronica's approval.
Jughead and Betty fulfilling their deal with Cheryl
Following Hiram's generosity, Tall Boy, along with a two other Serpent members, later entered the Diner, where Alice, quickly grabbed her phone to take a few photos as they entered. Betty was worried by their appearance, Jughead instructed her to relax, he was sure that they were just there to enjoy Pop's world-class burgers and service. When they reached to give each other a kiss, they were interrupted by Cheryl, who informed them both to mark this day in their diary, as she lied under oath for the both of them. Luckily, she was quick on her feet. Jughead thanked Cheryl for her help before handing over the USB flash drive containing video surveillance of her brother's murder, though Betty honoring her end of their deal was all the thanks Cheryl required.
Outside of the diner, Reggie greeted Moose Mason and Midge Klump. While the two couples were in Moose's car, Reggie handed Moose a supply of Jingle Jangle, while Alice quickly spotted the dealing happening outside of Pop's, she took another photo for her article, while she witnessed the drug dealing happening in front of her.
Hiram informing Hermione that they now own the diner
As the night came to a close, Pop Tate formally thanked Betty for her hand in saving the diner. After sharing a hug with Pop, Betty joined Jughead, Archie, and Veronica in a booth, where they relished in their victory; a rare win for the good guys. During his speech, Pop also announced that the Lodge Family, as he thanked them for making a huge donation to help them overcome any obstacle that may come there path. However, it was later revealed by Hiram, when Hermione informed him that she wasn't aware that they were in the charity business. Though that did not seem to be the case, as Hiram assured her that they weren't, informing her that as of five minutes ago, they now owned the diner. And in an exchange for Pop's silence of there business deal, Hiram told Pop that he could stay on as manager.
After the Celebration
Betty and Alice during closing
With her friends having already gone home, Betty stayed behind to clean up the diner, during which Alice approached her, informing Betty that several drug deals went down on that very same night. If Betty thought Hiram Lodge, Riverdale's answer to Scarface, helped Pop Tate for altruistic reasons, well then she had a bridge to sell her, as she informed Betty that the Serpents have now officially crossed the tracks and have a toehold on the Northside. With that being said, Alice sarcastically congratulated Betty for almost single-handedly being responsible for giving crime a haven in Riverdale.
Attendees
Hosts
Guest of Honor
Guests
- Hermione Lodge
- Hiram Lodge
- Alice Cooper
- Dilton Doiley
- Reggie Mantle
- Archie Andrews
- Midge Klump
- Tall Boy
Performers
Staff
Appearances
Season 2
Gallery
