“Riverdale” was careful to make Betty and Veronica friends, not frenemies
When we hear the word “Archie,” our thoughts are almost immediately filled with famous frenemies Betty and Veronica. So imagine our surprise when we learned that the new CW show Riverdale removes the famous Betty and Veronica rivalry! That’s right, in Riverdale, the two girls are very, very close. And while there’s a mystery and all sorts of Twin Peaks-esque weirdness, the heart of the show is the friendship between teenagers as they grow up surrounded by inhospitable parents. Now that’s the kind of show we want to watch.
Here’s what we know about Betty and Veronica’s relationship in Riverdale so far.
Veronica inspires Betty. As Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty, told TVLine:
“We don’t want to pit these women against each other. That was important to us. We didn’t want to make it seem like these women had nothing better to do than fight over a man — especially one who, in the comics, picks one [girl] one day and the other the next. We’re definitely not falling into that.
Preach, sister!
The actress who plays Veronica, Camila Mendes, adds:
“Whatever rivalry happens, it’s going to happen because of Archie, but it’s never really going to get in the way of the essence of their friendship.
We love that. Too many shows follow two former-friends battling over a random dude. That’s pretty darn insulting. In Riverdale, Veronica tries to inspire Betty to reach new heights.
“I think [Veronica] sees all this potential in [Betty] that is being pushed down because of her mother, Mendes shares. “Her mother really has a negative effect on her life. Veronica recognizes that and is trying to bring all… the strength in Betty out so that the world can see it.
So for once, teenage girls work to support one another and not argue over a boy. It’s almost sad how revolutionary that is.
Of course, there is a love triangle. But it’s not about Betty or Veronica. Following the footsteps of other team dramas (*cough* Pretty Little Liars *cough*), Archie dates a teacher. That’s right, in the pilot Archie hooks up with his music teacher Miss Grundy. Blegh!
The man who plays the lead character himself, K.J. Apa, admits that Archie does get a girlfriend, and it’s NEITHER of the two girls. Innnnteresting…
If this latest newest about Betty and Veronica doesn’t have you intrigued, the trailer will:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uISW88bFaxs
Riverdale premieres January 26th on the CW. We can’t wait to where this show goes. It’s definitely not the Archie comics of our childhood.
