Betty Cooper: Her Ponytail Is Iconic and Beyond Reproach

[WhosThatGirl]

Hm. So watching a few Paleyfest clips people have posted(I could watch the whole thing but not in the mood) LIli was asked about Dark betty who I personally hope we never encounter again, and she tried to say that yes it is Betty exploring her sexuality but also it’s her inner demons like for example when she’s holding a lighter to someone’s face like she did to Chic in the last episode. So.. I.. what? It didn’t make sense to me her answer. She did say she never wants to wear the wig and bra again. But yeah.. those two answers are very different to what Dark Betty should be, I think? I don’t know. The answer just didn’t make sense to me. I mean I guess it can be healthy, but is it? I don’t.. the answer just confused me. I mean yes she can have a bunch of her darkness manifest in different ways and the wig and bra could be healthy but the first couple times we saw the wig weren’t for healthy darkness ways. Especially given the first time it seems she blacked out into her darkness and the other time was for webcam usage. Yes the last time was her having a good time with her boyfriend but still.. and then to bring up the times when her darkness when she isn’t dressed up, it’s confusing. Dark Betty will never be really addressed the way it should be and yes I know this is a small issue I should stop being all about it, it doesn’t bug me, it just confuses me now. I have no idea where they’re going when they bring Dark Betty in the show. At least when the other three of the core four go into their darkness, I understand what I’m supposed to take from it or where it’s going for the most part. Even Jughead who while it was ridiculous, I understood it And why t was happening.

  But yeah thought I’d bump this thread up to say that.

Edited March 26, 2018 by WhosThatGirl

[Mabinogia]

Ok, I really hate that they are mixing her sexuality with her "inner demons" WTF kind of message is that? Is female sexuality evil now? Yikes!

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah. I mean that may be Lilis perception of it but.. it’s a confusing explanation of it that doesn’t quite make sense when you think about it. 

[jeansheridan]

I am coming to Riverdale crazy late but my love for the actress who plays Betty is unconditional. I feel like I'm watching the beginning of a long and awesome career. She handles all the hairpin changes so well. All the actors do (even the Archie dude who at least has an awesome New Zealand accent to fall back on in his future career). I couldn't figure out why I liked her voice so much and then realized she has Winona Ryder's voice with Alicia Silverstone's smirk and Amy Adam's round eyes. She has quite a good face. 

 

Sorry, nothing profound the probably hasn't already been said. She is a delight and may her future be shining. 

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah my only issue with Betty the character and Lili to an extent, along with the writers is Darkness betty and how they really have no idea what they want it to be. So.. that’s my issue. But aside from that, I like her. I think she’s my favorite of the female characters, I’m always surprised though on these forums how she gets a lot of hate and more characters who have done just as terrible things don’t?, but whatever.

[CherithCutestory]

On 2/11/2018 at 11:36 AM, Affogato said:

 

We'll have to see what happens. I think Chic is supposed to be a catalyst for a lot of darkness, but where did that boiling Chuck thing come from earlier? A lot of it is jarring. By contrast Jughead's behavior seems more natural, even the tattoo removal. He presumably has seen a lot of gang activity in his life. Where is Betty getting this stuff?

Her parents shipped her sister off by explaining she was crazy and not letting her see her? Her mother is borderline psychotic who throws bricks through windows in front of her, threatens to destroy predator teachers (which Grundy deserved it but WTF do you care about her and Archie call the cops and move on with your life), has demonized even the hint of sexuality in Betty? Her father showing he was willing to abandon his children if they were bad or inconvenient (as he refused to let Polly live with them) and jumping to things like burglary of law enforcement? 

This is how she's been taught to behave. Always be perfect on the outside. And save your intense sometimes violent freakouts for private. Why not shift those freakouts to a different persona?

Her darkness seems much more natural than Jughead's, who was distant from his father and was not exposed to much gang stuff. Her parents both have a lot of rage and lash out unexpectedly while otherwise insisting on maintaining the facade. 

Edited July 3, 2018 by CherithCutestory

[WhosThatGirl]

I agree with the above poster,I never had to doubt where Betty got her darkness and with the ending of this past season, now it makes more sense.

Jugheads was random because in the first season, it seemed he hated the gang his father was in and chose to be far removed from it. And then this season it’s like one episode and then he was all in-which was hilarious because before this season cole had said that Jughead would be torn between the Southside and Northside and that was not at all what I saw on my tv screen. I saw him though himself completely into this.

Betty was always somewhat dark, although I don’t think her darkness resembles that of hals, I think the season finale implied that Polly may share Hals version of darkness. I think bettys darkness resembles more of Alice’s, the need to be so perfect it leads to self destruction.

But Jughead was just a loner. I guess there was something dark there but him throwing himself into the gang so quickly to the point of cutting someone’s tattoo off is something else.

[PeekaBoo]

4 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

 I think bettys darkness resembles more of Alice’s, the need to be so perfect it leads to self destruction.

 

5 hours ago, CherithCutestory said:

Her parents shipped her sister off by explaining she was crazy and not letting her see her? Her mother is borderline psychotic who throws bricks through windows in front of her, threatens to destroy predator teachers (which Grundy deserved it but WTF do you care about her and Archie call the cops and move on with your life), has demonized even the hint of sexuality in Betty? Her father showing he was willing to abandon his children if they were bad or inconvenient (as he refused to let Polly live with them) and jumping to things like burglary of law enforcement? 

This is how she's been taught to behave. Always be perfect on the outside. And save your intense sometimes violent freakouts for private. Why not shift those freakouts to a different persona?

I agree with you guys.... Betty's "darkness" is more like having a fragile/vulnerable mental health rather than having this total "dark side"....

 

4 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Jugheads was random because in the first season, it seemed he hated the gang his father was in and chose to be far removed from it. And then this season it’s like one episode and then he was all in-which was hilarious because before this season cole had said that Jughead would be torn between the Southside and Northside and that was not at all what I saw on my tv screen. I saw him though himself completely into this.

Yeah, I think the whole Jughead falling for the south side happened in the blink of an eye (or it must have been a pivotal scene in some episode that was cut for Varchie sex scenes... gah) because I, at least, could not see that, even after rewatching certain scenes... But that's on the show... I think he was torn between the North/South side like for what, a second? But whateve.r..

 

Jughead's darkness was forewarned by FP in 1x13 so despite most of us, and maybe Jughead himself were unable to see/expect that, it was an undertone but I mean... its like the bullied kid finally coming out of his shell, finding others like him and then voila! You suddenly had the strength and the self-esteem to muscle up and turn bad-ass with confidence... (just check the dude in 13 reasons why in s2 so....)…. I'm glad he's more confident and all, but, yeah, did he really have to skin off someone? Yeah...