‘Riverdale’: That Veronica/Archie Moment Means Big Things Going Forward

By Alex Zalben @azalben
Published April 17, 2019, 9:00 p.m. ET

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Spoilers for Riverdale “Chapter Fifty-Three: Jawbreaker” past this point.

Are Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Archie (KJ Apa) getting back together? After a heated moment on tonight’s episode of Riverdale, that definitely seems the way things are headed… And if the show does follow that path, it also might point to at least part of how Josie (Ashleigh Murray) leaves the show, assuming The CW picks up spinoff Katy Keene.

Veronica and Archie (a.k.a. Varchie) have been broken up for nearly half a season now. They were going strong when we entered Season 3, but after Archie was framed for murder, thrown in juvie, escaped from juvie, and went on the run, he broke up with the girl who once called them “endgame.” Then they briefly got back together, only for Veronica’s love for her father Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) to get in the way. Ironic, because it was Hiram trying to kill Archie that led them to break up originally.

Regardless, the two have been friends for a while now, with Veronica striking up a romance with Reggie (Charles Melton) and Archie taking things to the next level with Josie.

…And then there was “Jawbreaker,” which found Veronica and Archie teaming up yet again to try and get him into a boxing tournament. The two were strictly business, until Veronica presented Archie with a pair of fighting trunks while hanging out at his house. There was a pause, the two locked eyes, and one after the other their faces started to lean in towards each other. Veronica broke the spell, saying she had to go, and Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) wryly noted that his son was playing with fire (though Archie denied anything was going on).

Later at the fight, Josie did a double take when she saw Archie’s new boxing outfit… And though the two girls both cheered him on, there was — again — a palpable moment there.

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So what does this mean for the final few episodes of the season? Next week’s “Chapter Fifty-Four: Fear The Reaper” is most likely the last episode Murray will be on the show (for now), again assuming The CW picks up Katy Keene. Though that show takes place years after Riverdale, Murray headed down to NYC to film the pilot, so expect some sort of resolution to Josie/Archie. My guess? Veronica and Archie are denying their feelings, but Josie has always been wiser than the rest of the Riverdale teens, and will most likely pull a classic “you need to sort out your feelings because there are unresolved issues there,” and break up with Archie for his own good.

What about Reggie, who was offscreen this episode, but still has feelings for Veronica? Charles Melton has been filming Bad Boys For Life, so won’t be in most of the final five episodes, but is returning before the season wraps up. Perhaps to make his own amends with his and Veronica’s relationship?

And then there’s the Varchie of it all. A still showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa posted on Instagram tying into the Season 3 wrap sent fans into a tizzy trying to enhance the pic, an artful shot of (what certainly looks like) Archie standing under a moodily lit tree with a blurry, blacked out girl. Is it Veronica? And if so, is Aguirre-Sacasa teasing the season will end with the pair getting back together?

Regardless of hard to parse tree pics (heck, it might be Jughead with tall hair and a bear in a dress for all we know), it certainly seems like we’re headed to a Varchie reunion by season’s end. It’s been a long, hard journey for fans of the couple, if so. And when/if they get back together, will Hiram be able to stick by the truce he has with Archie, or will he try to kill his daughter’s boyfriend once again? Time — and Season 4 — will tell.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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