Riverdale: Betty Will Fight for 'Bughead'

In Riverdale season two, Betty (Lili Reinhart) won't let her relationship with Jughead (Cole Sprouse) fall apart without fighting to keep it together. Based on the long-running Archie comic book series, Riverdale was one of this year's first genuine surprises on TV, and quickly cemented its place as one of the best "based-on-a-comic-book" shows on the air right now. Pitched originally as an unlikely combination between the dark mystery of Twin Peaks and the meta teen drama of The O.C., the series managed against all odds to find a tonal balance between those two shows that allowed it to create an identity of its own, apart from its decades worth of already-established comic book lore.

What that meant, though, was finding a way to dedicate enough time each week to the two most central aspects of the show: the mystery behind Jason Blossom's gruesome murder, and the complex relationships between its teenage lead characters. And one of the show's most effective and surprising developments is the romantic relationship between Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones.

However, much to the chagrin of Betty and Jughead shippers everywhere, the Riverdale season one finale left their relationship hanging in an uncertain place, with Jughead's future suddenly taking an unexpected turn. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise then, that while recently speaking with EW about Riverdale's second season, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased how Betty and Jughead's relationship will be put to the test moving forwards:

“It seems like we end on an ominous note. The fear Betty has is Jughead is going to be sucked into this world that has nothing to do with Betty — he might be going to a new school, living with a new family in a different part of town, he’s joined this gang. All I’ll tease is Betty is not someone who gives up easily. She’s probably the strongest of the kids. If she’s going to start losing Jughead, which may happen, she’s going to fight for him.”

Riverdale Season 1 Finale Veronica Jughead Betty

While Riverdale began its first season by putting the iconic love triangle between Betty, Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) front and center, the series gained a noticeable amount of momentum and depth when it turned its focus away from that dynamic in the latter half of its season. And after working together to try and solve some of the season's key mysteries, Betty and Jughead's relationship emerged as one of Riverdale's most fun and charismatic characteristics.

Unfortunately, just when Betty and Jughead looked like they were ready to commit to each other on another level, they were interrupted by Jughead's sudden induction into the Southside Serpents, Riverdale's ominous street gang that his father was a member of. So with Jughead's alliances torn between his old friends and the new friends he'll gain at Southside High, it's hard to know just where Betty and Jughead's relationship will go from here on out. Will they be able to stay together, even as their town's lies and secrets prove to be even more tangled and sinister than they had thought? For the time being, as fans wait several months for Riverdale to return to their television screens again, it looks like viewers will have to remain content with that question remaining unanswered.