With Riverdale season 5 almost upon us, let’s take a look back at the wonderful romance between Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones by celebrating the best Bughead moments on the show.
Sometimes, the best things in life are those which you don’t expect. That’s a philosophy that could certainly be applied to TV‘s Riverdale. Though it initially seemed like Betty Cooper was destined to follow the girl-next-door cliché of making her long-time crush, her dreamy neighbor Archie Andrews, fall in love with her, the Riverdale writers threw a curveball and had her find love in her detective buddy Jughead Jones instead. And from there, the phenomenon that is Bughead was born.
The romance between Betty and Jughead has arguably become the most popular on the show, with fans falling as head over heels with the adorable couple almost as much as the pair did with each other. It’s easy to see why, too, because in a town as outlandish as Riverdale – in which nothing is right or even completely normal – these two found each other. And the extraordinary chemistry between them is more captivating than any of the ludicrous occurrences in that strange, strange town.
These two make each other better and, in turn, they do the same for Riverdale. And with Riverdale season 5 almost upon us, let’s take a look back at the very best moments that Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse’s Bughead have gifted us with.
10. Betty supports Jughead during his emotional turmoil
Season 2 of Riverdale is when the show started going a little too off-the-wall for some fans, but the one thing that helped it remain grounded was Betty and Jughead’s relationship. That couldn’t have been clearer from the offset as the pair hit something of a crossroads when Jug began questioning whether or not he should join the Serpents.
In spite of some friction, Betty understood that Jughead needed to find himself and offered her boyfriend her full support, sealing her declaration with a passionate kiss in the rain. A moment as powerful as it is aesthetically-pleasing, it often gets overlooked when looking back at the Best of Bughead. Not here, though.
9. Jughead and Betty publicly acknowledge their relationship
Betty and Jughead are known for their powerfully romantic displays of affection – and don’t worry, we’re getting to plenty of them – but let’s take a moment to appreciate one that was a little quieter.
After sleuthing led to smooching (sorry not sorry), the pair kind of just existed in their own world together for a little while. However, that world expanded to include Veronica and Archie when the pair publicly acknowledged their connection for the first time in the student lounge.
A concerned Jughead put a caring arm around Betty – who reciprocated by taking his hand. The moment sparked shock from Veronica and Archie who quickly brushed it off and respectively congratulated Betty and Jughead for finding love in a hopeless place.
8. Betty and Jughead take down Stonewall Prep
We can’t move through this list of Bughead moments without paying tribute to the very thing that Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones do best: Solving mysteries. And after the absolute hell that Stonewall Prep put these two through in the fourth season of Riverdale, you can rest assured that we all took great pleasure in seeing them take down everyone involved.
Having faked his own death and concocted an elaborate murder mystery, Jughead returned from the dead and locked all of the suspects in the seminar room. And, together, he and Betty proved why they were such a force-to-be-reckoned with as they single-handedly peeled back the layers of the season 4 mystery for us viewers and the wider mystery of Stonewall Prep.
Sleuthin’ and slayin’ like only they can.
7. Betty and Jughead babysit the twins
The scene in which Betty and Jughead babysit Polly’s twins understandably sent the internet into meltdown because, well, Bughead parents sounds like a storyline that, say, Riverdale season 8 (or something) absolutely needs to visit. However, aside from the imagery, it was also a truly beautiful moment between the couple.
A conflicted Betty was worried about her father being the serial killer known as the Black Hood and how having a troubled grandfather and great grandfather suggested she could turn evil too. Jug, however, shot that theory down really quickly, reminding her that, in spite of a little darkness, Betty Cooper was a good person. And seriously if this wasn’t the most gentle moment on Riverdale ever, this writer doesn’t know what was.
6. “Partners… in Serpents, in life, all of it”
Having spent all summer working on Archie Andrews’ legal case, Betty found herself at the end of the season absolutely exhausted. Thankfully, she could find some comfort in Jughead, who supportively sat down beside her at the campfire and reminded her that she’s capable of anything and that they’re in this for the long haul as partners.
It’s a quiet moment but the symbolism in this one is really powerful. At the beginning of a new season, the status quo tends to shift, but this was a definitive reminder that the one thing that would remain steadfast in all of that shifting would be Bughead. Furthermore, Jughead’s placing of his own beanie on Betty’s head to comfort her just highlighted how much he truly believed what he was saying. Partners in Serpents. Partners in life. Partners in all of it.
5. Betty and Jughead get back together
The controversial “Mad World” performance wasn’t one of Riverdale‘s finer moments with wider audiences and it didn’t sit well with fans of the show either because it felt like an uncomfortable contrived way to force a break-up from the seemingly unbreakable pair. Thankfully, it wouldn’t last as they ended up working together again pretty quickly. Of course, soon afterwards, they got back together.
A tender moment, Juggie apologized for not trusting Betty the way that he should have, but it’s the warm smile on Betty’s face when she hears him say “we” that makes this moment genuinely touching – because, just like the pair of them realized, Bughead was stronger because of its earlier flaws. And we can only hope that, heading into season 5, the writers apply a similar philosophy.
4. Jughead kisses Betty for the first time
The moment that caught the world completely off-guard, Jughead and Betty were simply two of Archie’s best friends at this point who had found themselves thrown together because of the inexplicable mysteries taking place in town. The former tended to prefer his own company but that didn’t stop him from feeling the chemistry with Betty. And he capitalized on that, drawing her in for a kiss that changed the course of their relationship (and the show) in a huge, huge way.
Ah yes, that, ladies and gentlemen, was the day Bughead was born. And none of us have looked back since.
3. Betty and Jughead accept each other for who they are
Bughead’s first major fallout came when the self-proclaimed “weirdo” Jughead didn’t know how to respond to his girlfriend’s surprise birthday party that was everything she knew he wasn’t. This led to Betty realizing that, as good as her intentions were, her thinking was flawed – and it made her concerned that the darkness she had been burying was beginning to rise to the surface.
The pair’s make-up, however, was an incredibly important one for their relationship as the acknowledged their own flaws and each other, vowing to love each other for who they are (instead of what anybody else wanted them to be). If you ever needed a better example as to why Betty and Jughead are made for each other – this was it. Not only do they get each other, they see each other in ways that nobody else ever could – and they make themselves better people in the process. That’s Endgame material, right there.
2. “I love you”
By the time the season 1 finale had rolled around, Betty and Jughead had been together for half of the season. With that in mind, it shouldn’t have been all that surprising when the pair admitted how much they loved each other in the finale – and yet it was, for it was the usually reserved and broody Jughead who opened up first. A huge moment of growth for the character, it highlighted how much their relationship impacted him and how quickly he had fallen for Betty.
While their romance allowed us to see a different side to Jughead early on, it also allowed Betty to hold onto the sunny side of her personality because the happiness he brought her continued to have a positive impact on her life – and that was reflected with her tearfully happy confirmation that she felt the same way.
1. Seventeen
It’s hard to find a Bughead moment more perfect than this one. Taking place during the show’s second musical episode, there was intrigue as to what Cole Sprouse’s singing voice would sound like and, wow oh wow, was it worth the wait.
There was something odd about seeing the usually-reserved Jughead belt his heart out like he was a part of Glee and not Riverdale, but that’s what made this moment all the more striking. Broken by how “adult” his teenage life had become, he exposed his soul to Betty with this moving – and very apt – song. What made it even more incredible was that Betty returned that emotion with her own rendition.
Perhaps the most powerful song Riverdale has ever covered, it was a moment designed to highlight what Betty and Jughead really are – two soulmates that are only whole when they are around each other. And you’d be hard-pressed not to get goosebumps watching it.
All Bughead moments are wonderful, but this is something else entirely.
What was your favorite Betty and Jughead moment on Riverdale? Are you looking forward to Riverdale season 5? Let us know in the comments below!