‘Riverdale’ Star Lili Reinhart Defends Betty’s Shocking Decision
After a month-long break, Riverdale finally returned with its musical episode, “Wicked Little Town.” But along with songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, fans got to see Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Archie (KJ Apa) finally give in to their pent up chemistry. Bughead stans were quick to criticize Betty, but actress Lili Reinhart came to her character’s defense on Twitter.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Riverdale Season 4 Episode 17.]
How ‘Riverdale’ shocked viewers with that Barchie moment
Since the first season of Riverdale, fans knew Betty and Archie had something special between them. Initially, before they met and fell in love with Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Veronica (Camila Mendes), the two had chemistry, and they could have easily become Riverdale High’s “it” couple.
But, when Jughead and Veronica came into the picture, Betty and Archie brushed their chemistry aside and remained good friends. It wasn’t until season 4, episode 15, that the two began revisiting their connection.
To expose his enemies, Jughead faked his death. And in order to convince the Stonewall Prep students that he was gone, Betty and Archie pretended to start dating. But even though the two were making out just for show, it felt like they may have reignited some old sparks.
Then in the musical episode, “Wicked Little Town,” Betty and Archie get into arguments with Jughead and Veronica. Betty is angry that Jughead isn’t taking school and graduations seriously. And Veronica is upset Archie didn’t tell her about her father’s handling of his health.
Upset and annoyed, Betty and Archie come to rehearse a song for the show. As they sing their rendition of “The Origin of Love” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a montage of their cutest moments is shown.
Then, out of the blue, the two share a passionate kiss, confirming they’ve had the feels for a while. By the end of the episode, Archie and Betty reconcile with Veronica and Jughead. But they conveniently hide all details of their makeout session.
Some ‘Riverdale’ fans were not happy
Jughead is a fan favorite, and after all that he and Betty have been through together, Bughead stans were counting on them being a solid forever couple. But after seeing Betty and Archie kiss and then lie about it, fans felt the two were being disloyal.
“Can’t believe how people treat cheating so lightly as if it’s just a simple mistake,” one fan tweeted. “Is it because it’s a show? or Betty? It can literally destroy other people’s lives. If I were Jughead or Veronica, I would actively shun Betty and Archie out of my life permanently.”
“I hate to be like this but no. I will not take or accept any excuses whatsoever of why it was ok for Betty and Archie to lie like that,” tweeted another fan. “And continue to do so next episode. They don’t get a free pass for hurting Jug and Veronica and ruining so many good things.”
Lili Reinhart responds to Betty haters
Soon after “Wicked Little Town” aired, actress Lili Reinhart took to Twitter to defend Betty and her choices. “Some food for thought- You don’t have to agree or support Betty’s choices, but she’s a young girl,” Reinhart wrote in the tweet. “And she’s figuring herself out, just like everyone else in the world. And sometimes people do bad things.”
“Love is messy, love is confusing… tensions are high,” she added in another tweet.
In a sneak peek for episode 18, it looks like Betty might make her love life a little messier. In the trailer for “Lynchian,” Betty is laying in bed with Archie, in a romantic candle-lit room. “Archie, why are we here?” Betty asks, to which Archie responds, “I don’t know, but it feels nice right?”
Who knows how far Archie and Betty will go before Veronica and Jughead find out what they’ve been up to. Riverdale will return with new episodes on April 29 on The CW.
