Riverdale: Betty Makes A Stand And Veronica Repeats An Old Rivalry

Veronica Lodge has once again landed in a very familiar storyline. Although she had been given a brief reprieve from the never-ending war against Hiram, even going back in time with wiped memories is not enough to save Veronica from undergoing the repetitive plot again.

Veronica’s character has suffered in the past for attaching to male characters. She was in a continuous war with her father, and she rarely lived a single life, with her romantic life jumping between Archie and Reggie.

In the 1950s, Veronica already had a failed attempt to be with Archie and a just as quick start and ended romance with Jughead. But, instead of offering Veronica entirely new storylines, Riverdale reverts to old tricks, reviving the war between Veronica and her parents after they force her into an after-school job.

While Archie gets celebrated for his and Betty’s stripping moment, Veronica and Betty face the consequences of their actions. For Veronica, it means her parents forced her to work at the local movie theater, The Babylonium.

Veronica’s new job allows her to bond with Clay while re-igniting her passion for film. But, after learning that the Babylonium is being sold to Hiram and Hermione to turn into a parking lot, Veronica fights against their wishes the only way she knows how, by buying it first.

Veronica’s purchase of the Babylonium ensures it will still be a place of movies and magic. But, while Veronica’s intentions are good, it still sets her up for a potential war with her parents. While Veronica’s relationship with Hermione and Hiram is not great in the 1950s, going against them in such a manner would not have sat well in the present day, so even if Hermione and Hiram do not appear in town, there is still a chance they can cause problems off-screen.

Meanwhile, Betty is facing repercussions for her actions with Archie in a way that captures the double standard of what is expected from girls and boys.

For Betty, it is judgment immediately. Betty and Archie’s moment is relatively private, so it is not entirely clear how anyone would have known about it had Alice not started making calls, airing Betty and Archie’s business to everyone.

Since Alice revealed a version of what happened, everyone knew something about what had occurred between Archie and Betty, even if it was not the entire truth. When Betty enters class the next day, everyone is silent and stares at her. However, when Archie enters the same classroom, all the boys cheer and celebrate him.

Throughout the rest of “Dirty Dancing,” Betty is forced to face the ramifications of what occurred, while Archie’s storyline is mainly focused on his friendship with Kevin.

Forcing Betty to join the Riverdale Grandstand so her parents can keep an eye on her only ends badly for them. Betty stands against Alice with a twirl that she disapproves of. However, Betty could have just moved on with her life had Alice not told everyone about what happened between Archie and Betty.

As for Archie, while he still faces some acknowledgment for what happened, most of his storyline has him bonding with Kevin. Additionally, Archie disagrees with Sheriff Keller and Frank’s claims that Kevin is anything other than normal.

Rather than force Kevin to be anything other than himself, Archie tries to support Kevin and be his friend. When Julian starts bullying Kevin, Archie steps up to defend him. When Betty tells Archie that he needs to save Kevin from Twyla, he goes. Archie and Kevin’s heart-to-heart afterward was a rare sight for Riverdale, which did not spend much time developing a one-on-one friendship between Kevin and Archie.

Devoting an episode to showing the two bond while Archie readily accepts Kevin and continues to work toward being friends with him and Clay was a step in the right direction for offering a chance to see different characters interacting and growing together.