Coming off his problems with fellow student Vinnie Wells, Archie tries to make decisions about his future, both romantically and professionally, and makes most of his social circle angry at him. Before he can recover, the vengeful Wells forces him on another trip through time. Can Archie make his way back in order to save his town?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind: After Archie manages to get rid of the T-Rex, Vinnie points out that now he's the only one with a time-travel device, so Archie can't stop him. Unfortunately for Vinnie, that's when the mysterious time-traveler, Archie's future self, reaches over and grabs the time-travel device.
- Disney Death: Archie activates his time-traveling device just as the T-Rex dives at him, mouth open, convincing Vinnie that he's been eliminated as planned.
- Emergency Temporal Shift:
- When Vinnie corners him with a borrowed T-Rex, Archie uses his time belt to escape the dino's jaws.
- At the end, Archie throws the time belt into the T-Rex's mouth, sending it back when it belongs.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: Future Vinnie Wells terrorizes the Chock'lit Shoppe customers (including Betty, Veronica, and Jughead), with them staying inside. When explaining what happened to Archie, he looks directly to the viewers meaning that he's going to terrorize them as well.
- Freudian Excuse: The episode establishes that Veronica's spoiled attitude came from all of the other rich kids in her private school picking on her. She chose to act even more snooty and obnoxious than them to fit in.
- Hypocritical Humor: While watching his younger self, Archie comments that he was such a klutz back then. Shortly thereafter, he walks backward into a curb and trips onto the grass.
- Parting-Words Regret: Archie tries to make a decision about a scholarship to Europe and gets confronted by Betty and Veronica about which of them he intends to pick. He can't decide between the two girls and the scholarship doesn't allow for Jughead to come along, so all three of them are angry at him when the time-travel part of the plot happens. When Vinnie gloats that his T-Rex ate Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead are all devastated, especially considering what they said to him the last time they saw him.
- Pet the Dog: Principal Weatherbee is often at odds with his students. However, when he finds Archie discouraged from fighting with Jughead and the girls and doubting whether he's made any kind of difference in Riverdale, he encourages him not to give up so quickly. Archie returns the favor while in past Riverdale.
- Stable Time Loop: Archie ends up being responsible for a lot of modern-day things.
- While waiting for the time belt to charge, he runs into the younger Mr. Weatherbee, who has had a terrible first day as principal and intends to quit. Archie encourages him not to give up after a single bad day.
- Archie's friendly and understanding attitude with the younger Veronica makes Mr. Lodge think of moving to Riverdale, so his daughter can benefit from the small town atmosphere.
- Archie encounters the younger Betty, crying because she's just moved to town and has no friends. He encourages her to give his younger self a chance, even though he's a boy.
- Terrifying Tyrannosaur: Vinnie brings a Tyrannosaurus to the present so that it would eat Archie and wreak havoc in Riverdale. The teens who see it run into the Chok'lit Shoppe for safety.
- The Unreveal: Archie encounters his future self, and Betty and Veronica take the opportunity to ask him who he finally chose. Just as Future Archie is about to answer, he is returned to his own time, frustrating the pair.
