‘Riverdale’ Season 2: The 16 Most Essential Deleted Scenes

I’m probably starting this list off poorly by breaking down a scene that is not, technically, essential. But you’re definitely going to want to watch this, as Jughead narrates the history of Riverdale and we see our fave characters dressed in attire from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and today. Particularly as Season 3 promises a flashback episode with the kids playing their parents, this scene serves as a tantalizing preview.

At the end of Season 1, Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) set her home on fire, with her mother Penelope (Nathalie Boltt) inside. Most of her recovery was off-screen, so while watching the show she basically went from stuck in a hospital bed, to working as a high class escort several episodes later (this show is crazy, y’all). The deleted scenes spend a good chunk of time on her recovery, but this one is the most fascinating – particularly because it adds the detail that Penelope still sets places at their table for dead family members Jason and Cliff.

This bulky deleted scene set in Pop’s diner provides some interesting bits of connective fiber that were left out of the episode. First, Archie (KJ Apa) tries to recruit Jughead (Cole Sprouse) into his insane, shirtless teen vigilante gang. Then Veronica (Camila Mendes) gives more of her motivation for bringing her father Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and her boyfriend (that would be Archie) together. Particularly for Veronica, this is a key bit of character that buoys up where she heads for the rest of the season.

Late in Season 2, we got an iconic scene where Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich) and Tom Keller (Martin Cummins) saved Pop’s diner from an attack by the possibly cannibalistic Ghoulies (seriously, this show is bananas). But we never really got a Hot Moms of Riverdale team-up… Or did we? Turns out, the Charmed reboot we really needed was there all along, as this deleted scene featuring Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols) trying to recruit Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) and (Penelope Blossom) proves.

You’re actually going to want to watch all three deleted scenes for “House of the Devil,” but we’ll get to the second one in a moment. The first and third scenes feature a surprisingly excised plotline about Fred getting addicted to painkillers after he was attacked by the Black Hood at the end of Season 1. Along with the cut scenes of Penelope recovering from her burns, it’s kind of fascinating that the show skipped over recovery periods for both characters. There’s, of course, a lot going on in Riverdale; but particularly with Fred, it would have given him some nice character beats in Season 2 that are otherwise missing.

There’s not a lot of Falice (a.k.a. FP and Alice) content on these discs, but there are some key scenes that illuminate more of their past (and present) relationship. And this scene, with Alice confronting Betty (Lili Reinhart) in her bedroom, is a big one. Not only does Alice talk more about FP, but she reveals why she left the gang the Southside Serpents in the first place. Particularly given how integral this one is to her character, fingers crossed they repurpose the monologue for the upcoming season.

The potential romantic relationship between Betty and Archie (a.k.a. Barchie) has been teased out over the past two seasons. It’s part and parcel with the comics, but they’ve (mostly) kept out of the smooching territory on screen. Add in the strong relationships between Archie and Veronica (Varchie), and Betty and Jughead (Bughead), and Barchie has become one of the more fractious ‘ships on Riverdale. But there was one tantalizing cut scene that calls back to Betty and Archie’s window-gazing conversations from Season 1; and if you’re a Barchie ‘shipper, you’re going to want to check this out.

There are some deleted scenes that are inconsequential, pure filler that weren’t necessary to the tapestry of an episode. There are some that provide crucial subplots that seemingly got cut for time. And then there’s this one from “The Hills Have Eyes,” a deleted scene so jaw-dropping it’s clear why it never made it to air. I’m hesitant to even detail what transpires here, other than it involving Cheryl, her mother, and a third character. There’s some important character bits with Cheryl in here, but even for Riverdale, this might have been a step too far.

When Cheryl invites the girls, including Betty, Veronica, Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) and Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) over for a sleepover, it naturally devolves into murder and mayhem. But one sleepover staple got cut from the episode: a prank call. Actually, two of them, as Cheryl and Betty pull a Strangers on a Train in order to deal with their problems. It’s a great scene for the girls, but perhaps ends up a little too creepy, at least for one character.

One of the most popular new relationships in Season 2 of Riverdale was (and is) Choni, a.k.a. Cheryl and Toni. Cheryl’s gradual coming out story was heartfelt and beautifully done, but a good number of scenes featuring the couple ended up on the cutting room floor. There’s a brief scene of them chatting in a hallway in “Chapter 28: There Will Be Blood,” but this scene from “Primary Colors” is the first good look at the pre-relationship official Choni. In it, an emotional Cheryl confides that she’s scared for her grandmother’s life… Though Cheryl probably should be more worried about her own. A second deleted scene later on shows Toni swearing to find Cheryl, while the latter begins conversion therapy at an evil nunnery.

You should definitely watch every deleted scene for the landmark Riverdale musical episode “A Night to Remember,” which expertly mixed character arcs with the plot and songs from “Carrie: The Musical.” But while scenes featuring Jughead hilariously failing to grab snacks, and an explanation as to why the musical continued after someone was almost murdered by a falling sandbag are nice, this confessional from Cheryl is key for Choni fans. It’s a fun bit of comedy from Petsch, but it also contains the first canonical reference to Cheryl calling Toni her girlfriend. Or rather, non-canonical, since it got cut out of the episode. But it’s there! And for LGBT fans in the audience in particular, it’s an important thing to hear out loud.

FP gets the short-shrift during the musical episode. He strangely pushes off Alice after their romantic encounter the previous episode, and then basically disappears until the end, when he shows up holding flowers — only to see Alice back with her husband, Hal. Two deleted scenes fill in his emotional journey better: one at Pop’s, where the diner owner teases he’s got a lady-friend of his own; and a second one that will break any Falice ‘shipper’s heart. In the latter, it’s clear that not only is FP headed to the musical for Alice, he’s trying to make amends with a note. Sob.

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet / It’s gonna be a night you’ll never forget,” sings Toni, as the cast of Riverdale dances backstage while getting ready to perform “Carrie: The Musical.” But this deleted scene proves that for Choni fans at least, they A) ain’t seen nothin’ yet, and B) this will be a deleted scene they’ll never forget. As Toni warms up in her dressing room, Cheryl enters with a rose, kisses her on the cheek, and recaps what happened after Cheryl confronted her mother slathered in blood holding a candelabra (not sure if I previously mentioned this show is utter insanity).

Toni turns to Cheryl, looks her up and down, and says, “You are so hot right now.” And then they kiss.

Which, given this is a couple that during the regular season broadcast got one kiss and were otherwise relegated to side-hugs, is a BIG DEAL.

For Choni fans, there are no other essential deleted scenes.

Choni material aside, it’s Alice who gets the biggest cut plotlines in the deleted scenes. We mentioned her Serpent confession, and in “Chapter 22: Silent Night, Deadly Night” Amick gets two emotional scenes about her children leaving her. They’re great, but were covered elsewhere in the season. This one from “Brave New World,” though, is a doozy. One of the bigger plotlines in Season 2 was the introduction of Chic (Hart Denton). Initially thought to be the long lost son of Alice, it turns out he’s an imposter — and Charles, her real son, seemingly died years earlier. When the season is over, Chic is believed to have been killed by the Black Hood, and Charles is long dead and gone… But as any TV viewer knows, bodies or it didn’t happen.

Except, it did happen, in this deleted scene. Alice discovers that Charles was cremated years earlier and left in an unmarked grave. She visits with Betty, and of course breaks down in tears over what could have been. It’s a complicated scene for both Amick and Reinhart, and a good pin on the Charles/Chic storyline. But its excision certainly raises the question of whether it was cut to keep the plot open-ended, or just for time…

Okay, I swear, one last Choni scene, but it’s just nice to see Toni officially moving with Cheryl (as was rumored). And Nana Rose’s reaction to Toni entering the house is priceless.

Season 2 certainly wasn’t lacking from hot Varchie makeout sessions, but the deleted scenes end with one of the more eye-popping ones, as Archie and Veronica decide to, uh, stick it to her father by taking advantage of his empty office. I guess that’s one way for Archie to make his bones?

Where to stream Riverdale