Which ‘Riverdale’ Couples Will Survive Season 3?

Chances they’ll survive: 99%

If any ‘ship is solid right now on Riverdale, it’s Bughead. Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) have been together all season long, and even with a few breakups in their past have given no indication of anything being on the rocks. Sure, they’ve been off on their separate investigations, running gangs, and occasionally leaving town. But through it all, they’ve always been there for each other. In fact, even when Jughead went a little nuts while diving into the Gryphons & Gargoyles game, Betty trusted him enough to let him handle things on his own. They’re solid.

I knocked off one percentage point there, though, for a couple of reasons. The first is the aforementioned “there are 10 episodes left in the season,” and anything could happen. But there’s also a new element in town (well, two), in the form of Jughead’s returning family. Gladys (Gina Gershon) and Jellybean (Trinity Likins) are living with Jughead and FP (Skeet Ulrich) again, and having his Mom around could put a crimp in Jughead’s carefree, gang-running lifestyle.

Still, chances are when the sun sets on Season 3, Bughead will be around to watch it go down.

Chances they’ll survive: 75%

A relatively new relationship, so there’s a lot that can happen before the season finale. But right now Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Reggie (Charles Melton) are clearly enjoying each other’s company, and have shown that they can be good, even partners in both business and love. Add in that Mendes and Melton are dating in real life, and it certainly seems like a relationship the show would want to explore further as the season progresses.

That said, Melton is disappearing from the show for a good chunk of episodes while filming Bad Boys for Life, the third movie in the Bad Boys series. And Archie (KJ Apa) and Veronica, a.k.a. Varchie, is a relationship that will never go away completely. Could it rear its head again sometime in the next few months? I’m iffy on the prospect, but then again I also didn’t think Archie would be temporarily killed by a bear.

Chances they’ll survive: 50%

As a card-carrying member of the Choni fandom (nice cards, by the way) this is physically painful for me to write, but all is not rosy in the land of Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan). It’s a little early to be making any final calls on this one, but every piece of promo The CW has released seems to point to a major change in the lives of Riverdale’s favorite LGBTQ+ couple.

On the last episode, “Bizarrodale,” they had their first fight — though that was resolved, due to some amazing legwork on Cheryl’s part. But where there’s a first fight, there’s (possibly) a second one. The episode synopsis for this week’s (February 27) episode “Requiem for a Welterweight” states that, “Cheryl’s attempt to send the Serpents a message causes tension between her and Toni.” Cheryl gifted Toni a new all-girl gang, the Pretty Poisons, to help replace her old one, the Serpents, which they were both kicked out of. Sounds like that particular point of contention is unresolved. Add in some stills from the episode that certainly look like Cheryl getting teary-eyed, and Toni chiding her, and things don’t look great for the duo.

Though Cheryl and Toni aren’t referenced in the synopsis for the episode after, “Fire Walk With Me,” stills show Toni hanging out sans Cheryl, and with Pretty Poisons gang member Peaches ‘n Cream (Bernadette Beck). There are a lot of questions surrounding the mysterious new recurring player, and Beck hasn’t been shy about teasing the drama her character may bring to fans online. Given we haven’t seen a solo Toni scene in maybe a season, one could certainly intuit that the discussion an episode prior doesn’t go well.

…and then we have the synopsis for the show’s fiftieth episode, “American Dreams,” which teases that, “Cheryl and Toni find themselves at a crossroads.” Could that mean they’re challenging the devil to a fiddle battle? Sure. Again, this is Riverdale. But more likely, they’ve reached a crucial decision point in their relationship.

Fans hoping for a positive outcome to that discussion haven’t been buoyed by info about the episode after, “Big Fun,” which uses a picture of Cheryl from the comics tearing a heart in half on the script cover. The musical episode also finds Cheryl playing HBIC in the “Heathers: The Musical” portion of the episode, and Toni shunted to the side of the cast.

There’s a lot of time to get there, and a lot can happen but… It doesn’t look good. Still, there are another six episodes after the musical, and we are talking about the end of the season here. So even if they do break up, there’s no reason to think they couldn’t later get back together.

By the way, if they do break up, I place my own personal chances of survival at 0%. FYI.

Chances they’ll survive: 10%

I want to couch this one with a note that so far I’m loving Archie and Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), a.k.a. Archosie. The actors have only been hanging out for the last two episodes, and kissed in the closing seconds of “Bizarrodale.” But they’re adorable together, and as two lost characters, they lift each other up. It’s great! And given stills that were released, they’re together at least through “Fire Walk With Me.”

Except, this one really, actually comes down to pure math. Murray has been cast on the potential Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene. If the show is picked up, she’s leaving the mothership and headed to New York. Technically, since Katy Keene takes place after Riverdale, she could be on both shows. But logistically, other than a guest spot here and there, it’s not going to happen. Given we most likely won’t know whether Katy Keene has been added to the network’s schedule until network upfronts in May (when they announce their full Fall schedule to advertisers), and Riverdale finishes filming in March, expect there to be a degree of ambiguity in what happens to Josie in order to allow Murray to pursue either opportunity.

As for Archosie, though? They won’t keep that going.

…Unless, of course, they do.

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