| Curse of the Mummy | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 7 | |
| |
| Air date | November 13, 1999 |
| Written by | Brian Swenlin |
| Directed by | N/A |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Haunting of Riverdale" |
Next "Fleas Release Me" |
Curse of the Mummy is the seventh episode of the first season of Archie's Weird Mysteries. It premiered on November 13, 1999.
Plot[]
Opening Narration[]
"Curse of the Mummy! Resting in peace for over 3,000 years, rudely awakened from the sleep of the dead, now he's back and he's not a happy camper. (screams) Curse of the Mummy!"
Full Summary[]
The mummy exhibit comes to town.
The episode opens in the Riverdale Museum, where Professor Osiris is wrapping up the story of the great Nezabim, a long dead Egyptian king who hated the sight of his own face, hence why photography is not allowed in his present-day exhibit. His colleague shrugs off the story, unaware of the mummy briefly waking up to glance at her as the two walk away. The following day, Miss Grundy reminds the class about their group assignments being due soon. Betty calls Archie out on his tendency to procrastinate; like always, he promises to help with their assignment tomorrow, so he can check out the mummy exhibit with Jughead in hopes of finding another weird mystery. Archie theorizes that this mummy comes with a curse, but is unable to enter the museum due to the tickets being sold out. He bemoans his luck, but despite Jughead's advice, he refuses to use his newfound free time to work on his assignment.
Archie is confronted over his procrastination habits.
The following day, Archie gets a call from Veronica, who introduces him to Professor Osiris over at her mansion. Archie consults him for help on his mummy report, completely forgetting that he promised to help Betty on the same day. He also partially learns about Nezabim's backstory, containing parallels to his current situation, although he fails to notice them. Archie later arrives at Betty's house, where he is once again confronted over his broken promise; he agrees to study with her that night at the library, but is tempted to quickly check out the museum since it's on the way there, with Jughead tagging along after his evening think. The two convince the ticket saleswoman to let them have a peek so long as they get out before security locks up, but they overstay their welcome. And to make things worse, the mummified Nezabim wakes up and starts skulking around.
Nezabim pursues the gang.
Over at Lodge Manor, Veronica is in the midst of getting pranked by Reggie, when she receives a call for help from Archie, knowing her father probably has the keys to get him and Jughead out of the museum. The two head on over, unaware that their friends are being chased by the resurrected mummy until shortly after they find themselves locked inside as well. The four teens quickly notice that the mummy is only targeting Archie, and Veronica suspects that it just wants to destroy the photos he took. She explains how Nezabim was so ashamed of how he let his wife go due to his procrastination that he didn't want to look at his own face, destroying every last mirror in the kingdom as well as all the statues built of him, even going so far as to scratch his face off of his coffin. Archie figures that destroying his photographs is the only way to put the mummy back to rest, and he does just that.
Archie's Closing Monologue[]
"It was that simple. I found another weird mystery, and thanks to Veronica, I solved it in the nick of time. We had a lot of explaining to do in the morning, but fortunately, Ronnie's allowance was enough to cover the damage. Betty had finished her part of the assignment that night without me, and I was left to finish my half of the work alone. After Betatiti... er, I mean, after Betty heard what I had been through, she knew I wouldn't be putting things off anymore. I didn't wanna be like King Nezabim, always miserable for stupidly procrastinating. And maybe the Pharaoh can rest easier now, knowing that someone learned from his mistakes, even 3,000 years after the fact... in a little town called Riverdale."
Continuity[]
- When Archie finds Jughead on the way to the library, he states that he's on his "Evening Think", a part of his schedule that was established in "Attack of the 50-Foot Veronica".
- Veronica opens the door for herself instead of having Smithers do it for her, possibly acknowledging the character development she underwent in "Me! Me! Me!"
Goofs[]
- While talking on the phone with Veronica, Archie briefly goes walleyed.
Trivia[]
- This is the only episode in which Archie does not wear his default attire, instead donning a new outfit exclusive to the episode. It can be inferred that the initial plan was to have the characters swap outfits more often, like in the original comics, but the idea was scrapped due to budget limitations.
- Peculiarly, Archie wears his usual outfit in the title card, even though he doesn’t in the episode itself.
- This is the first episode in which the narrator's opening spiel is interrupted.
- This is the first episode of the series to feature a cold open.