'Riverdale' Season 6 Episode 5 Ending Explained: Did Jughead sacrifice himself?
Spoilers for 'Riverdale' Season 6 Episode 5
It isn't 'Riverdale' if it isn't complicated. The 100th episode of The CW's teen drama sees a major chunk of the characters return from the dead, including Jason Blossom, and figuring out that their death was actually a nightmare. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) dreams differently and sets out to uncover the 'Rivervale' mystery. The meta-themed episode works well in 'Riverdale's favor and makes for a gripping watch. In the end, the writers try and keep things simple.
Here's a quick recap. The explosion at Archie's house birthed Rivervale — an alternate dimension, and Riverdales the Upside Down if you'd like to call it. It is a warped and twisted reflection of Riverdale and Jughead tells the stories to everyone he knows. The episode sees the characters return from the world beyond — Dilton Doiley, Ethel, Ben Button (The kid who threw himself out of the window invoking the Gargoyle King's name), and while some of the characters remember the events vaguely, they don't grasp the actual theory.
The episode also has a few twists. Archie turns into a killer after he realizes that this could be his chance to see his dad as he was at ground zero and witnessed the birth of the parallel universe, Fred again and in that process kills anyone who stands in his way of trying to solve the Rivervale mystery. He strangles Cheryl and Veronica, and attempts the same with Jughead, only to be shot in the head by Betty who ends with quite the line: "You don't leave a Cooper woman standing at the alter."
'Riverdale' Season 6 Episode 5: Ending Explained
The only solution that Jug and Betty figure are to recreate the events of Season 5 and just as they kiss, the other Jughead (of the Rivervale) reality walks in and claims that he has a way to separate the universes without killing everyone. He learned it from a comic at the great Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe in the sky after he died and figured out imagination was the key. Limitless and powerful, as he puts it, Jughead No.1 needs to write the tale further and cannot stop. He will be well-fed and well-taken care of, but he must keep the show going.
This sees Betty set his typewriter in Dilton's bunker and seals him in for good. She and Jug No.2 return to Archie's bedroom hoping for the bomb to go off, but it doesn't as the other Jug has already begun writing and splitting the two universes. Things return to normal, or we hope so as Betty is back with Archie, and Jughead is back with his new gal, Tabitha. The final minutes also show that Archie and Betty made it out of the explosion alive after she gets a call to get out of the house because there was a bomb planted under the bed.
Crazy episode? At best, this had to be one of the weirdest, but absolutely enjoyable episodes in 'Riverdale', but the new part will surely have specks of Rivervale left. Cheryl's curse storyline was hinted at in the promo of Episode 6 and only time will tell if the supernatural element will continue in 'Riverdale' Season 6. But there's one question: Was Jughead no. 2 in Rivervale not Riverdale's version?
'Riverdale' Season 6 Part 2 returns on March 6, 2022, on The CW.