Did 'Riverdale' Just Make Betty Cooper Canonically Bisexual?

Although Archie and Betty have always been seen as the core romance when it comes to anything Archie Comics, Riverdale’s latest episode has fans thinking that that this iteration of Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) might be a little higher on the Kinsey scale than the narrative previously allowed us to hope.

Spoilers for Riverdale below!

The second to last episode of season 6, which is, of course, somehow, a musical episode featuring songs from American Psycho, sees Betty’s FBI colleague, Agent Jillian Drake (Sophia Tatum) confessing her romantic interest in the other woman.

Betty talks it over with BFF Veronica (Camila Mendes) and makes an unexpected confession — not only does she feel like she can be herself around Drake more than she can with Archie, but her reaction when Veronica asks if she’s “hot for Agent Drake” heavily suggests that she kind of is, even though she subsequently denies it.

“I did have a dream about her,” she admits. “And yeah, on paper, we’re compatible.”

The scene set sapphic fans off, with many feeling that bisexual Betty Cooper, regardless of who she ends up with, would be a win for representation and for the idea that showrunners should be open to following chemistry and vibes regardless of their original intent for a character’s sexuality.

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa spoke briefly with TV Line about the progression of these characters, noting, “We haven’t seen the last of Agent Drake, but we’re very protective of Betty and Archie.” He also called Agent Drake’s confession a “weird, wild curveball complication,” which some fans have worried means this was a queer moment thrown in for a little bit of drama and not much else.

However, he did acknowledge the “sparks between Betty and Agent Drake” and teased “one aspect of [Betty’s self] that she has to reckon with” — that involves Agent Drake.

With only one episode left in the season, and one season to go after this before Riverdale calls it quits, there’s definitely still time for Betty to explore her sexuality. And sure, she may still end up with Archie, but — hear me out — what if she didn’t?