Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, and KJ Apa as Archie Andrews. Justine Yeung/The CW
Warning: Spoilers forward for the collection finale of Riverdale.
Riverdale has garnered an countless quantity of untamed fan theories through the years — however the collection finale might have simply confirmed a serious one about Jughead Jones.
Since Riverdale premiered on The CW in 2017, viewers have speculated that all the present has been a narrative written by Jughead (Cole Sprouse) all the time. As an alternative of occasions which can be occurring in real-time, the present’s plots are literally figments of his creativeness that he’s crafting right into a e book he’s been engaged on.
The collection finale, which aired on Wednesday, August 23, seemingly confirmed this principle — or at the least retains the likelihood open to interpretation. Within the episode’s ultimate moments, Jughead, who has been the narrator for the reason that present started, breaks the fourth wall and addresses the digital camera straight whereas saying goodbye to Riverdale’s beloved characters.
“We’ll go away them right here, I feel. The place they’re perpetually juniors. Eternally 17. All the time grabbing a burger or a shake. All the time going to or coming from some dance, speaking about faculty or the large sport, who’s courting who, homework, no matter film is enjoying on the Babyloniam,” Jughead says whereas standing exterior Pop’s. This model of the character dons modern clothes as he talks to the display, whereas his Nineteen Fifties counterpart stays in a sales space inside ingesting shakes with Betty (Lili Reinhart), Archie (KJ Apa), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and the remainder of the gang.
“You already know, the moments that make up a life. The place they’ve — the place we’ve — at all times been, on this diner, on this city, within the candy hereafter,” he continues. “So when you occur to see that neon signal some lonely night time on the finish of the lengthy journey, the journey that each one of us is on, pull on over. Sit. And know that you simply’ll at all times be amongst mates. And that Riverdale will at all times be your property. Till then, have a very good night time.”
Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones. Justine Yeung/The CW
As he walks away into the night time, a faint sound of Jughead furiously typing away on a typewriter someplace could be heard within the background, leaving followers to consider that that is the character writing his novel’s ending.
Past Jughead being a author in all three of Riverdale’s timelines — the 2020s, the Nineteen Fifties and Rivervale — the character has additionally narrated the story for the reason that present’s pilot. The choice to permit Sprouse, not Apa, to information viewers alongside is an attention-grabbing method contemplating the present relies on Archie Comics.
The collection even begins with one in all Jughead’s well-known monologues. “This story is a few city, a small city and the individuals who reside on this city,” he explains. Each installment after is titled as a “chapter,” not an episode.
Later in season 1, Jughead canonically begins writing a e book after the demise of Cheryl Blossom’s (Madelaine Petsch) twin brother, Jason Blossom, which he claims is the “most fun, if not tragic, factor to occur to Riverdale in years.” An ironic assertion to be made contemplating the outlandish plot strains that unfold within the seasons to return. (Organ-stealing cults, Rat Kings, tickle movies and Mothmen, to call just a few.)
There are different moments which have hinted at Jughead’s twist ending. In season 4 episode 2, Jughead could be seen sitting at Pop’s writing on his laptop speaking about consuming dinner with Archie, Betty and Veronica each night time over the summer season. He then turns round and truly watches the 4 of them sitting collectively in real-time.
“HE NARRATES THE BEGINNING & END OF EACH EPISODE (WHICH HES ALWAYS DONE) BUT IT JUST GIVES ME VERY PULLING THE STRINGS” VIBES IDK? LIKE HE KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON,” one individual wrote by way of social media.
When Riverdale grew to become Rivervale in season 6, Jughead was as soon as once more on the middle of the drama and even tasked with saving the city from the top of the world. “Rivervale is simply Jughead’s new e book,” one fan wrote by way of Reddit in 2021. “Narrating from the beginning, Jughead set the intro and tone of what occasions that will unfold. Taking actual life inspirations from the individuals he knew in Riverdale.”
When the group finally traveled again to the Nineteen Fifties to save lots of themselves, Jughead was the one character to recollect the occasions that acquired them there — and girlfriend Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) simply occurred to be the guardian angel to information him.
Nineteen Fifties Jughead even will get concerned in comedian e book writing. When trying again on his profession with Betty within the collection finale, he admits his graphic novels, Jughead’s Madhouse Journal, have been principally “juvenile satire” written for “teenagers and children” who’re nonetheless having fun with them 70 years later.
Lastly, Jughead is the one who guides Betty via her ultimate day in Riverdale as she says goodbye to her mates — and the one who reveals the ending for every character’s particular person story line.
Whereas the present in the end leaves issues considerably obscure, it looks as if followers have been proper all alongside — and have Jughead to thank for the previous six years of journey.
