BIRD'S EYE-VIEW of an American SMALL TOWN.
Jughead's voiceover
Our story is about a town. A small town.
WE SEE: Nondescript SUBURBAN STREETS, anonymous, mysterious.
Jughead's voiceover
And the people who live in the town.
WE SEE: Riverdale's MAIN DRAG. Store-fronts, local businesses. People, different ages, sizes, races, walking...
Jughead's voiceover
From a distance,it presents itself like so many other small towns all over the world.
WE CYCLE THROUGH IMAGES OF: City Hall,Pickins Park,the Bijou Movie Theatre, the Fire Station,the Comic Book Shop,The high school,the 24-hour Diner,POP'S...
Jughead's voiceover
Safe.Decent.Innocent.Get closer though and you start seeing the shadows underneath.
We see a "Welcome to Riverdale" sign. Its faded motto: "The Town with Pep!"
Jughead's voiceover
The name of our town is Riverdale.
EXT. SWEETWATER RIVER - EARLY MORNING
A beautiful, slow-moving RIVER, eternal, hypnotic.A RED CONVERTIBLE drives along the road carrying two impossibly gorgeous TEENAGERS,both red-haired,step out of the car...
Jughead's voiceover
And our story begins,I guess,with what the Blossom twins did this summer...
They are JASON and CHERYL BLOSSOM, and really, they could be models from an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue.
They look out at the river's shimmering, rippling surface, start walking towards a DOCK...
Jughead's voiceover
On the fourth of July,just after dawn,Jason and Cheryl Blossom drove out to Sweetwater River for an early morning boat-ride
As they near the dock,Cheryl turns to Jason
CHERYL says to Jason "Are you scared, Jason?"
Jason shakes his head and Jason smiles
EXT. SWEETWATER RIVER - MOMENTS LATER
Jason and Cheryl in the rowboat, sliding across the water, towards an outcropping of rocks. They pass into -- and out of - frame...
EXT. SWEETWATER RIVER - THE SHORE - THE SAME MORNING (LATER)
Storm clouds are brewing overhead
Nerdy, glasses-wearing high school geek DILTON DOILEY guides a troop of BOY SCOUTS along the river's edge. They all carry BINOCULARS. Dilton's pointing to BIRDS in the trees...
Jughead's voiceover
The next thing we know happened for sure is that Dilton Doiley,who was leading Riverdale's Boy Scout Troop on a bird-watching expedition,came upon Cheryl by the river's edge.
Dilton and the Scouts stop short.There's Cheryl,huddled by the lapping water,knees tucked under her chin,arms around her legs, shivering because she's sopping wet.Numb, in shock,she turns to him.Her face is streaked with tears.
CHERYL says to Dilton "...Ja...Jason..."
EXT. SWEETWATER RIVER - DAY (LATER)
A POLICE BOAT moves along the river. Cheryl and her parents, CLIFF and PENELOPE, are onboard. Cheryl is in shock and her mascara has been smudged.
Jughead's voiceover
Riverdale Police, dragged Sweetwater river for Jason's body, but never found it.
Blonde ALICE COOPER stands with her husband HAL on the riverbank
ALICE says to Hal "If he is dead,Hal? I hope in those last moments he suffered.May Jason Blossom burn in hell."
CUT to low angle shot of JUGHEAD JONES
WIDE ANGLE of Sweetwater River riverbank
Jughead's voiceover
So a week later,the Blossom family buried an empty casket,and Jason's death was ruled an accident.
INT. POP'S CHOCK'LIT SHOPPE DINER - EVENING
Open 24-hours. A skinny teenager with dark, shaggy hair sticking out from under a weird hat -- it's like a felt CROWN -- sits in one of the diner's booths,sipping coffee and tap-tap-tapping away on his laptop.
Jughead's voiceover
As the story that Cheryl told made the rounds.That Cheryl dropped a glove in the water,and Jason reached down to get it,and accidentally tipped the boat,and panicked,and drowned.As for us,we were still talking about the July 4th tragedy on the last day of summer vacation.When a new mystery rolled into town.
EXT. THE PEMBROOKE APARTMENT BUILDING - DUSK
A TOWN CAR pulls into the Gothic APARTMENT BUILDING's driveway -- this is the PEMBROOKE.
Two dark-haired beauties -- HERMIONE LODGE pearls, always and her teenage daughter VERONICA -- climb out of the car, look up at the Pembrooke's ornate facade...
HERMIONE says to Veronica "Now brace yourself, the apartment is small,a pied-à-terre,but..."HERMIONE/VERONICA says to each other "quality, always..." HERMIONE says to Veronica "...plus,it was the only piece of property in my name and not your father's."
They walk towards the entrance
INT. THE PEMBROOKE APARTMENT BUILDING
Various shots of the extravagant yet dark interior are shown.The Pembrooke's doorman,SMITHERS,in a uniform, approaches the two...
SMITHERS says to Hermione "Ms. Hermione! Welcome home."
HERMIONE says to Smithers "Smithers! You're a sight for sore eyes."
Hermione kisses Smithers cheek
SMITHERS says to Hermione "How was the ride?"
HERMIONE says to Smithers "No traffic,thank God. Smithers,I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Veronica." SMITHERS says to Veronica "It's a pleasure,Miss." VERONICA says to Smithers "Hi..."
SMITHERS says to Hermione "I'll get the bags."
as he does that
Smithers says to Hermione "And would you like some menus,Ma'am,so you can order in?"
HERMIONE says to Smithers "Oh, no,I've been craving one of Pop Tate's cheeseburgers since noon...is his Chock'lit Shoppe still open?"
VERONICA thinks they are talking about a chocolate shop
Veronica says to Hermione and Smithers "What is a Chock'lit Shoppe? And why does it sell burgers?"
EXT. ELM STREET - RIVERDALE - NIGHT THAT SAME NIGHT
The Camera pans across a series of MODEST HOMES along a tree-lined street. Towards ONE HOUSE in particular...a BEDROOM on the second floor...
INT. THE COOPER HOUSE - BETTY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Blonde, pretty BETTY COOPER 16,in jeans and a bra,getting dressed and putting on makeup,while brown-haired KEVIN KELLER 16,cute lounges on her bed,scrolling through profiles on his iPhone.
