Riverdale: Who’s better off heading into season 4, and who isn’t? – Part 1

Last “Labor Day” (3×01), many of our favorite characters were not doing so hot. Heading into Season 4, which characters are better off now and which aren’t? Let’s take a look at some of them now.

It’s going to be quite a game-changing year for Riverdale.

Thanks to that shocking flash-forward in the season 3 finale, we know that the show’s core four will definitely be in quite a bloody bind on spring break several months down the road. However, that is then and this is now.

With the upcoming season’s heavily-anticipated premiere nearly upon us, let’s check in to see whether the embattled citizens of Riverdale will be better off this Labor Day (around the start of season 4) than they were last Labor Day (the start of season 3).

Worse off: Archie

Last Labor Day, Archie was carted off to juvie after pleading guilty to a murder he didn’t commit to spare his friends and family from going through another trial. He’s since escaped juvie, survived a bear attack, been gifted the boxing gym by Veronica, seen his arch-nemesis, Hiram, carted off to jail and gotten back together with Veronica. But, tragically, as we’ll see in the season four premiere, Archie has lost his father.

Better off: Veronica

While Veronica had her ups and downs last season from Varchie/Veggie drama to Hiram drama to Hermione drama to Gladys drama, she did fairly successfully running her illegal underground night club/casino that she swore would never serve alcohol to minors… until it did. Ultimately, it worked to her advantage, though, because she was able to pin it all on Hiram since he’s real owner of La Bonne Nuit and send him to jail. Well-played, V!

Worse off: Alice

This might seem an odd assessment given that at the start of season 3, Alice seemed like she was not okay to say that least. However, in the season finale, it was revealed that she was working undercover to take down The Farm the entire time. So, in retrospect, she was actually in a pretty good spot at the beginning of the season because she was solidly selling her cover. Now, she’s M.I.A. and almost definitely in danger.

Better off: Betty

Fortunately for Alice, Betty is now on the case, alongside her half-brother, FBI Agent Smith (a.k.a Charles) and his half-brother Jughead (a.k.a. Betty’s boyfriend). Assuming that awkwardness doesn’t interfere too much with the investigation, Betty can reunite with her mom, which will also definitely be awkward since Betty is now aware that Alice, while trying to do the right thing in taking down The Farm, also pretty much chose doing that job over treating Betty well and being there for her. So, Betty is better off now because she knows the truth and, thus, can begin to repair her relationship with Alice, but it won’t be an easy reconciliation — and it shouldn’t be.

Worse off: Cheryl

Cheryl can seriously never catch a break. Even after Betty helped snap her out of her Edgar Evernerver-induced delusion that Jason was still alive and she reunited with Toni, Cheryl ended season 3 on a decidedly depressing and disturbing note: visiting a shrine she made for Jason with his dead body that she took from The Farm.

Check back in tomorrow, September 2, for part two to see how five other major characters are fairing heading into season 4.

How do you feel about where these Riverdale characters have ended up prior to Season 4? Do you think this year’s installment will change everything? Let us know in the comments below!