Grief is a terrible thing.
When you've suffered a loss as I have,
the death of my mentor and literary idol, Brad Rayberry,
time falls into a slow, sad rhythm.
And a moment feels like an eternity.
Even as the rest of the world
continues to tick on.
You will no longer be in the River Vixens.
Your mother and I believe that it's too sexualized an environment for you.
High school in general is a highly sexualized environment.
Wouldn't you say?
Is that how you see it?
A bunch of horny teenagers trapped together like sardines for hours upon hours?
How do you see it?
As an academic institution meant to provide a safe environment
where students can challenge themselves intellectually
without being morally and physically compromised.
Oh, well, you obviously haven't spent a lot of time in gym class.
You are here, Betty,
because you stripped in front of your window
for your next-door neighbor's pleasurement.
And then you flashed your... Your underpants on live television.
In short, you seem... unhealthily obsessed with sexuality.
Now, the words that come to mind are
"nymphomaniac," "exhibitionist," "sexual compulsive."
What exactly do you want to talk to me about, Dr. Werthers?
Well, given your recent behavior, I'm curious.
What is your first sexual memory?
I'm not sure that I remember.
Uh, in that case, um...
How often, Betty, would you say that you think about sex?
Betty. Betty.
How often do you think about sex?
I would say an average amount.
I need a number, Betty.
Well, according to Dr. Kingsley,
teenagers think about sex every seven seconds.
That number is for teenage boys.
There is a very different barometer for teenage girls.
Well, in that case, I would say I think about sex...
all the time.
What did you just write down?
Never mind that.
Why do you think you think about sex all the time?
I'm curious about... how it feels.
I don't think that waiting until I'm married to have sex makes sense.
What about having sex for pleasure?
Betty, sex is for married people so they can start families.
So then, what about the girlie magazines that my dad keeps hidden in his sock drawer?
Uh, I'm sorry?
Well, I remember last year, we were going to church.
My dad asked me to fetch him his cuff links and...
when I went to look for them in his sock drawer,
I found all of these
girlie magazines.
Your father is not in therapy. You are.
Well, maybe he should be.
He's a grown man.
I'm a child psychiatrist.
I am not a child, either.
Though, actually, I do think that...
our conversations are starting to make me see things more clearly.
In what particular way?
Well, I'm just now realizing that...
I don't think I want to get married.
At least not anytime soon. Maybe never.
I want to make an impact on the world instead of...
Or in addition to... just having a family.
Knock, knock.
Hi, sweetheart.
I got you something fun.
What are those for?
I was in the grocery store and I just thought the pictures were so pretty.
I had to get you a few of them.
Mom, I'm not even dating anyone.
Oh, it doesn't matter.
A girl can daydream about her wedding, can't she?
Why are you bringing this up right now?
Oh, Elizabeth,
I just know,
when I see you in that white dress, standing at that altar...
It's gonna be the happiest day of my life.
Tickets.
Get your tickets to the Babylonium's James Dean double feature.
What's all this about James Dean?
As president of his fan club, I, along with my fellow Dean-izens,
have been waiting for East of Eden to reach our little hamlet for months now.
Well, you're just in luck,
because we have, in our possession, a print of East of Eden.
And why, pray tell, should I go to the Babylonium
when the screen at the Orpheum, in nearby Greendale, is much larger,
as befits the stature of my beloved Jimmy Dean?
Is the Orpheum giving you and your Dean-izens free passes?
On the condition that you spread the good word about the Babylonium?
We want a robust crowd to honor Jimmy's memory.
On the sacred ground of James Dean's grave,
I will deliver my fan club, the Vixens and the Bulldogs.
Excellent.
But don't worry about the Bulldogs.
I'm extending that invitation myself, personally.
Batten down the hatches, boys,
because the Babylonium is going to do boffo business this weekend.,.
I can feel it.
But why are we giving out tickets for free?
I'll let you in on the dirty secret
about the movie theater business, Kevin.
We make most of our money from popcorn and soda sales.
And, uh, what was all that about inviting the Bulldogs?
They're our hometown heroes. Of course they have to be there.
All the Bulldogs or just one in particular?
Oh, check it out, Bulldogs.
Oh, look at this.
If it isn't Miss Twinkle Town herself.
It's Tinseltown.
As a fan of the Bulldogs, I wanted to personally offer you free passes
to our James Dean double feature at the Babylonium.
Comp tickets are in your lockers.
And you, Reginald?
Shall I save you a seat beside me?
I mean, surely you know what Jimmy Dean used to do in high school, I hope.
What's that?
He was a basketball star, Reggie.
Just like you.
Here you are.
That'll be 25 cents.
Okay.
Or you could treat me to a milkshake after the show.
You just keep on shooting, don't you?
You keep passing me the ball.
Okay, sure. Let's do it.
Take it.
-Meet you back here? -All right.
Now get in there before you miss the coming attractions.
Veronica?
Kevin.
Guess who's got a date with Reggie Mantle tonight after the show?
That's swell, but Clay's got a situation in the projection booth.
I don't know what happened, but the print we received from the studio...
We can't play it.
What? Why?
It's been overexposed.
How many reels are like this?
That's the thing, all of them.
We've got a sold-out house.
Welcome to the Babylonium.
We're so excited to have you all here tonight.
So quit bashing our ears and play the damn movie!
Yeah!
Due to some unforeseen technical difficulties,
I regret to inform you we are unable to screen
our James Dean double feature tonight.
I knew it.
However...
However, we are working on the problem
and are rescheduling said double feature...
That's all very well and good,
but we, the proud members of the James Dean Fan Club Riverdale Chapter,
demand a refund... immediately.
Refund! Refund!
Refund?
You all got free passes, including you, Cheryl.
True, but we did spend all this money on popcorn and soda
to consume during the double feature which is no longer happening.
I would be more than happy to provide each and every one of you
with a voucher for any snack of your choosing...
We don't want your stupid vouchers.
We want our money back.
- Yeah! - What a fakeout!
It's like Jimmy Dean died all over again!
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right.
Calm down. Calm down.
You can present your receipts at the concession stands for a full refund.
Yeah, right!
Hey!
Reggie.
I'm so sorry.
As much as I'd be delighted to split a milkshake with you...
You've got a business to take care of.
I do.
The Babylonium's hanging on by the most gossamer of threads.
I figured as much.
I'd happily take a rain check.
Yeah? Sure.
Yeah, just let me know when's a good time for you.
Okay.
I've never heard of such a thing, Mr. Roth.
A venerated studio like yours, sending out unplayable prints
of a major release like East of Eden?
I'm as baffled as you, Miss Lodge.
At any rate, please accept our deepest apologies for this mishap.
I'll accept your apology,
but what I really want is a pristine copy of East of Eden.
And what I want is audiences in Riverdale to see this picture.
I do. It's a wonderful picture.
But I'm afraid that there are no more available prints.
You sent me a defective product. How is this my problem?
Miss Lodge.
Veronica. May I call you Veronica?
You're the theater owner.
It's always your problem.
You'd know that if you weren't so green.
Green?
Let me assure you--
I'm so sorry, but I need to let you go.
I'm having lunch at the Polo Lounge with Monty Clift,
but good luck to you.
How does a major studio
run out of prints of their biggest release of the year?
I don't know.
But luckily, they're not the only studio in town.
- It's time to work the phones, boys.
I have Pasadena Pictures.
Nikki? Veronica Lodge.
No, Nikki, I'm in exhibition these days.
The Babylonium in Riverdale.
Listen, my customers simply don't have time for that Steinbeck yawner.
I need something exciting, something fresh.
Do you have any available prints of To Catch a Thief?
I'm hearing great things about Hitchcock's latest.
Word around town is that Oklahoma! is a masterpiece.
What about this Night of the Hunter I keep reading about?
It's RKO.
Be that as it may be, Miss Lodge,
we've already booked our picture at the Orpheum.
Unfortunately, Riverdale isn't a market we're interested in cultivating.
It's Silver Shield Studios.
I'm sorry, but we're being very particular
about how we're distributing musicals this year.
It's Superior.
Furthermore, all of our current releases demand larger theaters.
Please, don't call us again.
But, sir, you used to send us your movies every week. What changed?
I don't do business with underage would-be impresarios.
Especially not when I'm trying to get into business with their parents.
But good luck to you, Miss Lodge. You'll need it.
Well, there you have it, boys.
I and the Babylonium have been blacklisted by every major studio in Hollywood.
Why, though?
If I had to hazard a guess,
my parents.
I've been waiting for this penny loafer to drop
since I bought the theater out from under them.
My last call confirmed it, but honestly,
I suspected sabotage from the moment we got that bad print.
What do your parents want?
To see everyone but themselves fail,
including their own daughter.
I'm sure they want the Babylonium to shutter
so they can buy it from me at a discount and turn it into a parking lot.
I have an idea.
So far, we've only tried the major studios.
But there are a lot of smaller, independent places out there.
They're scrappy, and they don't play by the same rules.
Their movies don't have big stars or budgets or prestige.
In other words,
they're B movies, but they're still movies.
Good idea, Clay.
Boys, if we're going down, we're going down fighting.
Get me... one of those smaller studios.
Tell me, Betty, do you ever remember your dreams?
Sometimes.
Are your dreams sexual?
Sometimes.
Well then, tell me, Betty...
What is your most vivid or frequent sexual dream?
I guess it's the one where I'm in biology class, only...
I'm the teacher, tutoring one of my students.
Which student?
It varies.
Yes, but most often?
It's Archie.
And what occurs in this dream?
And that's the part of the dream where I realize...
everyone's watching.
This dream, and others like it,
do you ever share them with other people?
No, never. Just my diary.
Hmm.
What are you always writing in that notepad of yours?
Notes, observations.
Thoughts to myself, kind of like a diary.
Tell me, Betty.
Where do you think this urge comes from?
The urge to be seen in such a sexualized way.
Well, it must titillate you, make it more exciting for you.
I don't think it's just about being seen sexually.
I think it might be more about being seen... period.
In what respect?
Being seen... as a person.
With autonomy, and desire...
and self-determination.
Go on.
I'm wondering if my interest in understanding sex
is really more about understanding myself.
Who I am.
I mean, what better way to understand a person
than to understand their desires?
Including your own.
- It'll just be a few minutes.
Thanks, Pop.
Hey, Holden Caulfield.
Have you ever heard of a movie called The Crawling Eye?
Yeah. It came out a couple years ago.
Uh, the story was kind of a mess, but the monster was cool.
I loved it.
Mr. Rayberry loved it too.
Why... Why do you ask?
Because after calling every minor independent studio in La La Land,
it's the only movie I can get my hands on to play at the Babylonium.
Why don't you just do what William Castle did?
The name dimly rings a bell.
He's a producer-director. His movies are just okay,
but they all came with a kind of gimmick.
Like for The Tingler, filmed in Percepto,
he put a bunch of buzzers under the audience's seats
and when the monster, the Tingler, appeared on screen,
he would buzz the people and give them an electric shock.
That sounds dangerous.
It was just a mild shock, but it worked.
People went nuts for The Tingler.
I get it.
Sell the gimmick, not the movie.
I can do that.
Oh, good. She's home.
Hello, dear. So glad you're home.
What's going on?
You remember Reverend Lowe from Riverdale First Reformed Presbyterian Church?
My, how you've grown since the children's choir, Elizabeth.
He's going to hear your confession
and perform an exorcism if need be. Right?
Confe...
Confession. Why would I need to confess?
What are you doing with my diaries? Uh...
Did you read them?
Elizabeth, I had to.
They were prescribed to me.
By Dr. Werthers?
I would rather not say.
You... You broke into my room and stole my diaries
because my psychiatrist told you to?
Good grief, Mother!
I suspected you and Dr. Psycho were talking about me, but breaking and entering?
If you are so hot to trot to talk with Dr. Werthers,
why don't you come to therapy with me? It might help you.
I am an adult woman. I don't need therapy.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth.
Breaking and entering.
What do you write down in that notepad of yours?
Breaking and entering.
Okay. Dr. Werthers.
Let's see what you've been writing about me.
Come on.
This always works in the Tracy True books.
Gosh. You're an even bigger bookworm than I am.
Pop says you've been glued to this booth for two days, getting ink on your nose.
Uh, yeah, you might say, I'm, um...
spending time with a friend before saying goodbye.
Oh, well, sorry to interrupt, but...
have you heard of this book, Lolita?
Holy moly.
Where did you get this?
I borrowed it from a friend.
What can you tell me about it?
Well, it's Nabokov's latest novel.
It's... pretty salacious,
according to the Paris Review.
It's about a relationship
between a professor named Humbert Humbert
and a young girl named Dolores Haze.
-How young? -Twelve.
Twelve?
So it's a book for perverts?
Well...
passing moral judgment on a work of art is a slippery slope.
Have you read it yet?
That's what I'm about to go do. Thank you, Jughead.
-Hey, Pop, can I get another one, please? -Coming right up.
No one is safe from its spell of destruction.
A cold, hypnotic stare striking fear into the hearts of all,
creating a frenzied nightmare for those who behold it.
And that, ladies and germs, is the terrifying, titillating new feature film,
The Crawling Eye, playing at the Babylonium, one week only.
Not that I care to see such dreck,
but didn't that movie come out a few years ago?
Perhaps, but this is a re-release in stunning 4D.
Mmm, don't you mean 3D?
Oh, no. 3D is so 1952. This is 4D, Cheryl,
a new fourth dimension of terror.
Time is the fourth dimension.
Do you mean time?
Shut up, Dilton.
4D is a novel, visceral experience,
unlike anything you've ever encountered
at the movies before. Guaranteed.
My associates are handing out little novelty reminders,
which are redeemable at the candy counter,
for buy-one-get-one-free Milk Buds.
Now, remember, boys. After you completely cover your balls
with a layer of newspaper,
let them dry before applying the next one.
I'll handle the paint job when I get back from casting.
Just the two strapping he-men I've been looking for all my life.
Hope you can make it to The Crawling Eye tonight.
Not as audience members, mind you, but as performers.
As part of my revolutionary 4D experience.
-Veronica, we're not actors. -What would we have to do?
Yeah, what exactly?
Not much.
All told, it would probably be about two minutes of work,
for which you'd be handsomely compensated, of course.
Oh, Miss Cooper.
You haven't forgotten about our standing appointment, have you?
No, I didn't.
But I won't be attending our session today.
Instead, I have some very interesting reading to finish tonight.
But don't worry, Doctor.
I'm sure tomorrow we will have plenty to discuss.
Cheryl. So glad you could make it.
Before the movie, you may want to take out a life insurance policy.
You know, in case you die of fright.
Pathetic.
Otherwise we have a nurse on duty, should you merely faint.
I am extremely disappointed in you, Midge.
Now, let's see what this 4D you've been ballyhooing is all about.
And believe me, if it disappoints,
I will be demanding a refund, again.
If that cloud starts to move this way before I get back,
take the car up. Do you understand?
- What about you? - Do as you're told.
Steady. Steady.
To your right.
Visual on. Steady.
Bombs away!
You care to explain this novel, Dr. Werthers, which I found in your desk?
Breaking into my office, stealing my property.
So you admit it's yours?
Of course it's mine.
By reading about Lolita's mind, I was hoping to better understand yours, Betty.
You're comparing me
to Lolita.
Well, she, too, is a sex-crazed young woman.
Dolores Haze is a 12-year-old girl, and she is not sex-crazed.
She is being coerced against her will, much like I am, Doctor.
So let me tell you what I learned from reading Lolita.
You are a kissing cousin to Humbert Humbert, only creepier.
And it is completely inappropriate for you to be asking me all these questions
about my sexual fantasies and experiences behind closed doors.
Manipulating our conversation, feverishly writing down every word that I say.
Doing God knows what with that notebook of yours at night.
You think I'm obsessed with sex?
I think you're the one who's obsessed with sex, Doctor.
Dangerously so.
And I don't think you're reading Lolita for research.
I think you're reading it for pleasure and some sick gratification,
and I no longer feel comfortable being alone in a room with you.
Excuse me.
Guess word got out, huh?
I'll say. Our seven o'clock show is already sold out.
Well, boys, we've got a genuine hit on our hands.
Ready to play to a full house tonight?
That's what we wanted to talk about.
Veronica, we did this as a personal favor to you, and...
We were happy to, once.
But this can't be a... A regular thing.
I'll say this.
You two sure know when to ask for a raise.
Because I respect your moxie and your balls,
I'll pay you $2 per show going forward.
Veronica, we can't do it, okay? We have basketball practice. We have games.
Seems to me like you're playing hardball, not basketball.
But here's the thing. You're not the stars.
Those eyeballs are the stars.
You want to squeeze me, I'm not interested.
I'll get Kevin and Clay to do the gag. You can leave your balls with them.
Yes, Reginald?
I was thinking...
Maybe after tonight's show, we can try that date again?
I would, but...
did you see that crowd out there?
I have to get on the phone with Variety
and whip this buzz into a story.
The Crawling Eye is going to change everything for the Babylonium.
Yeah.
But I'll tell you what.
Come by tomorrow, and we'll see.
Okay.
Well, I think I've heard just about everything now.
Just got off the phone with Dr. Werthers,
and he wants to end his sessions with you.
Great. The feeling's mutual.
To which I told him, under no circumstances is he to give up on you.
Mom... Why?
Because he's going to fix you.
Whatever... Whatever is wrong with you,
he is going to help me fix it.
There is nothing wrong with me. I wish you would stop trying to convince me otherwise.
-Who are you calling? -Dr. Werthers. I'm calling him back.
Put the phone down.
If you want to help me, then talk to me. Really, just talk to me.
Stop playing this stupid game of telephone with Dr. Werthers.
Fine.
What would you like to talk about, young lady?
Everything.
Starting with how unhappy I think you are.
Unhappy? Me?
You must be.
You don't know what you're talking about, young lady.
No, you're right. I don't, so please enlighten me.
Tell me why you'd rather foist me off to some quack psychiatrist
than just be honest with me, your own daughter.
What happened?
Things didn't always used to be so fraught between us.
Something must have happened.
If this is what you're getting out of the Dr. Werthers sessions,
then maybe you're right. We should end them.
You once told me that you were afraid for me.
Afraid of what the world might do to me.
But why does it seem like you're afraid of me?
-Oh, Betty. -Please...
Just talk to me, Mom. I'm... I'm right here.
- I... - What is going on here?
Mom and I are having a conversation, Dad. Can you please leave us?
Leave?
This is my house.
And I heard the conversation you were having, Betty. Enough of it.
This woman...
is the most wonderful wife and mother in the world.
And the way that you've been acting, you don't deserve her.
- Dad. - Just go to your room.
And do me a favor and stay there.
And you think about what you've put your poor mother through.
- What I've put her through? - Yes.
When all she's done is sacrifice for you.
How?
Somebody, please tell me how.
You know what? Just go to your room, young lady. Now.
Mom.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
Mom...
I want us to figure out a path forward.
But it is not Dr. Werthers.
No. It's not.
I relieved Dr. Werthers of his duties this morning.
And mercifully, he's decided to not press charges against you for breaking into his office.
That's good.
Everything that I have been trying to do my entire life,
sacrificing for you,
protecting you, trying to help you...
It's obvious. You don't want it.
So I'm stopping.
You have all the answers.
You know everything.
Seems to me that you don't need a mother anymore.
Marvelous.
You don't have one.
What are you saying?
I am not your mother anymore.
And you can make your own damn breakfast.
You sure she knows I'm here? It's been half an hour.
Yeah, phone's been ringing off the hook all day.
I'm sure she'll be down soon.
I was surprised and pleased
to read about your recent box office success in the trades.
I didn't even know there was such a thing as 4D.
Yes, well, that's the kind of business the Babylonium is doing these days.
So I was curious
if you might want to reconsider your decision
not to let us screen any of your new releases.
Oh, I am sure we can work something out.
You know, I've always been a fan of Riverdale.
Great town, superb audiences.
It's like no place else, Mr. Roth.
So we'll be getting that print of East of Eden for the weekend, I take it?
It's already heading your way.
Fab.
Looking forward to a long, fruitful collaboration, Peter.
Can I call you Peter?
All right, Reginald. Sorry to have kept you...
waiting.
-Where's Reggie? -He got tired of waiting.
He left those for you, though.
Smithers,
there seems to be something wrong with my lock.
I'm afraid, Miss Veronica, that the locks have been changed.
Your parents no longer feel that you need or deserve their financial support
now that you're such a roaring success.
As soon as you have a new address, I'm to move your belongings.
An eye for a crawling eye.
As for my address, I already know where I'll be staying.
In the short term, at least.
What can I get you this round, Jughead?
Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry?
I think just the check, Pop.
I've been re-reading all of Mr. Rayberry's work
and I've noticed some recurring themes.
Time passes,
seasons change,
life moves on, you know?
I... I don't know if I'm done mourning, but I...
I think I'm done wallowing.
I think I'm ready to move on.
I think he'd want me to move on.
I'm glad to hear it.
Jughead, we're still working the Rayberry suicide case.
We need your help if we're gonna solve it.
So much for moving on.