On the face of it, it doesn’t quite make sense why a rich girl who can get pretty much anything she wants would go for some clumsy, average dude. But the most recent issue of Archie explains when Veronica Lodge fell in love with the redheaded teen.
Archie #6 has a bunch of the series’ core characters at a crossroads in their relationships with each other. Last month’s issue #5 ended with Archie taking time off from his friendships with Betty and Jughead after he found out they were conspiring with Riverdale’s resident alpha jerk Reggie Mantle. The pair were trying to figure out a way to break Archie and Veronica up, since they thought there was no way that a spoiled brat like her could actually care for him.
The truth of Veronica’s feelings comes out in a conversation with the writer who’s working on her memoir. The affection seems genuine, sparked by a messed-up yet classic teen reasoning.
Archie represents a ginger-tressed bit of chaos that Mr. Lodge can’t control, unlike every other aspect of Veronica’s life. After Archie gets a concussion from a home run ball hit by Betty, Veronica shows that she does really care for him.
Being with Archie is turning into more than an act of defiance on Veronica’s part, and that shift in feeling is making the girl you’re supposed to hate a much more sympathetic character.
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