While I
wouldn’t say that Betty and Veronica’s relationship is the best thing about Riverdale – partially because, after a
strong start, it (and Ronnie in general) spends a good chunk of time on the
backburner – I do think that making them such good friends might’ve been one of
the single best decisions the show made.
I love both characters on the show, and their relationship is so much
more awesome than I would’ve expected based on the comic history (a few
Betty-Veronica spoilers.)
When
Veronica blows into town in the pilot and gets an eyeful of Archie, who we’ve
been told “got hot” over the summer, the writing seems to be on the wall for
her and Betty. Betty likes Archie,
Veronica likes what she sees, and Archie’s tongue is lolling like a cartoon dog
over the new girl. However, one of
Veronica’s first official acts in Riverdale is declaring herself friends with
Betty, and that’s a role she takes seriously.
As soon as she finds out Betty is into Archie, she jumps into wingman
mode, bound and determined to pair them up if only she can get past Betty’s
insecurities holding her back.
Things
don’t go quite as planned, naturally, and the girls do spend a small amount of
time on the outs. However, even at its
most trianglest, it’s never about two
girls competing for/fighting over a guy.
For Veronica , it’s about trying to balance her interest in Archie with
a burgeoning friendship that she very clearly values, and she doesn’t want to
do anything to screw that up. For Betty,
it’s more about simply believing that a girl like Veronica is interested in a
genuine friendship with her, and that a girl who could likely have any guy she
wanted would refrain out of respect for her (Betty’s) feelings.
But while
this decisive rejection of the typical love triangle drama is refreshing, it’s
not even the best thing about these two.
I love their frequent “us against the world” vibe – with Veronica’s
ferocity and Betty’s knowhow, they’re capable of being a pretty unstoppable
team. Whether their attentions are
pointed toward a bullying head cheerleader, a sexist jerk, or a sketchy
teacher, the girls can get things done. Both of them are smart and capable, with
Betty leaning more towards practical skills and Veronica emphasizing strong
people smarts. I love Betty and Jughead
as a sleuthing duo, but I do feel a bit disappointed that the heavy focus on
them as the season progresses means less of Betty and Veronica being awesome
together.
I also
love them for their strong support for one another. They only ever clash over majorly serious
matters, and by and large, no matter what one of them wants, the other is ready
to have her back. These girls share
their secrets and worries about their insane family dramas, they talk through
their problems, and they’re often ready to drop everything to go to bat for the
other. With issues both large and small,
they’re prepared to tackle them together, and if it’s something with no immediate
fix and one just needs a listening ear and emotional support, the other will
provide that as well. Let’s hear it for
the girls!
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