‘Riverdale’s Charles Melton on That Big Veronica-Reggie Moment & What’s Coming Next
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 3, Episode 9 of Riverdale, “Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit”]
Riverdale has officially returned from its winter hiatus and tonight’s midseason premiere brought the heat — especially for Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton) and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes).
Between fighting off Hiram’s (Mark Consuelos) gargoyle gang and keeping things in order at La Bonne Nuit, Reggie’s plate was fairly full in “Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit.” Luckily, both he and the fans were also given something they’ve been wanting since the start of the season — a Veggie (Veronica and Reggie) kiss!
And viewers weren’t the only ones excited for the big ship moment. Melton tells TV Insider of the scene, “I was really looking forward to the Veggie kissing scene cause it was something that we were aware of before this season started. So for it to finally actually happen was really exciting.”
“It’s a big scene, it’s a new ship, so I was really looking forward to that scene specifically,” he reiterates.
So what should fans expect from the couple in the coming weeks? Melton couldn’t share too much but did divulge that “fans should expect a very positive relationship between Reggie and Veronica in the upcoming episodes.”
With this ship now confirmed, we have to wonder if Archie’s (KJ Apa) group of friends will be less welcoming to the idea — they were, after all, big supporters of Varchie (Veronica and Archie). “It could definitely play in for sure,” Melton says of some potential cold shoulder treatment from the crew. “The only thing I could say about that is that Reggie’s support for Veronica doesn’t waiver one bit.”
As for the ship name? Melton’s entirely on board with the meshing of Veronica and Reggie’s names into Veggie. “I think Veggie is it,” he says, “Veggie is good for you, it’s healthy.” Jokes Melton, “Veggies are great. You know, there’s a lot of antioxidants in Veggies. They’re good for the soul, they’re good for the digestive system, they’re good for the skin, they’re good for the heart, so I think Veggie stands.”
Of course, there’s more going on in Riverdale than Reggie and Veronica’s buzzy kiss — including the continued threat posed by Hiram. Though that the serpents are protecting Veronica and her people, that doesn’t mean that her father is completely deterred. When we asked Melton about the possibility of another attack, he reveals, “I think nothing is gonna be a surprise.”
But in terms of Archie’s life-or-death predicament after being attacked by a bear, that’s only the beginning. “It’s just gonna get very intense and it’s going to escalate very very quickly,” Melton teases.
Adds Melton, “With our show, everything is not how it appears. That’s just kind of a theme of our show.”
We’ll have to wait at least a week for some resolution, as Melton adds, “Tune in next week and see what happens.” Because if one thing’s clear by now, Riverdale still knows how to surprise its fans.
Riverdale, Wednesdays, 8/7c, The CW
