In the time between the high school graduation and the seven-year time jump, Archie served as a sergeant in the army. After several years of service, he was reassigned and ordered to revive the inactive RROTC enlistment program at Riverdale High — which Archie saw as a demotion.
When he returned to Riverdale, he was surprised to discover that the town had become an even worse breeding ground for destruction and anarchy at the hands of Hiram Lodge and the Ghoulies.
Archie also learned that Pop Tate was retiring, so he called up his former crew in the hopes of preventing Riverdale from dying.
Over the course of season five, he became an RROTC instructor at Riverdale High, served as the football coach, became a volunteer fireman, and mined for palladium beneath Cheryl Blossom's maple groves. While juggling these various jobs, Archie also struggled with PTSD and survivor's guilt after serving in the army for seven years.
All season long, Archie worked tirelessly to restore Riverdale to the town he knew and loved.
At a town hall meeting on the finale, he announced his intention to re-incorporate Riverdale with a council of four guiding the town, rather than a singular mayor.
The members — Frank Andrews, Alice Smith, Tabitha Tate, and Toni Topaz — would put Riverdale's collective needs before any single individual. A majority of the residents in attendance at the meeting voted in favor of re-incorporation and Archie unveiled a brand new welcome sign at the Riverdale border.
This season also featured Archie and Betty Cooper finally hooking up after several years of longing looks, flirtation, and one kiss during season four's musical episode.
They agreed to be friends with benefits, but later in the season, Archie revealed that he had feelings for high-school sweetheart Veronica Lodge. Betty also told Archie that they should make sense as a couple, but deep down they're different people. So, they ended their romance.
But on the season finale, Archie told Betty that he wanted them to try again, not as friends with benefits, but for real. Betty agreed to go all-in with him and they went to his bedroom to have sex. They were interrupted by a strange ticking sound, only to realize that a bomb was planted under Archie's bed and set to detonate in seconds.
The final moments of the finale revealed that Hiram was behind the bombing, and it's unclear if Archie and Betty made it out of the house alive.