Riverdale ending explained: Here's what happens to each character in the season 7 finale

24 August 2023, 12:37

Riverdale cast say goodbye as filming officially ends

By Sam Prance

Here's how Riverdale ends for Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and the rest of the characters.

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It's officially the end of an era. After seven chaotic, entertaining and unpredictable seasons, Riverdale has officially waved us goodbye with its final episode. How does the show end though and what happens to Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica?

If you haven't watched Riverdale lately, it's probably worth letting you know that a lot has happened in the past few years. In recent seasons, the show has gone full on supernautral and the characters have developed superpowers. Not only that but season 7 begins with a comet sending the characters back to high school in the 1950s with their past memories erased.

So are Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and the rest of Riverdale still stuck in the 1950s? Here's a breakdown of the finale.

Who dies in the Riverdale season 7 finale?

Riverdale ending explained: Here's what happens to each character in the season 7 finale. Picture: The CW

At the end of the penultimate episode of Riverdale, Tabitha (Pop Tate's granddaughter who is also a witch) reveals that time is saved but she can't send our Riverdale faves back to 2023. Instead she offers to restore the characters' memories and they agree but ask to only remember the good times. However, Jughead and Betty both remember everything.

In the final episode, the show flashes forward to an 86-year-old Betty and she is given a chance to flashback to one day in high school where she can revisit her old friends and their town. Here we're told that Betty, Archie, Jughead and Veronica were in a quad relationship with each other for over a year.

We also learn that Betty is the only living member of her high school class and we then find out what happened to each of her friends and how they died.

What happens to each character in Riverdale?

First things, first we learn that Polly lived a happy life with her twins and her family. As for Fangs, he married Midge and then went on a summer tour. However, his story doesn't end happily ever after. While on the road, Fangs' bus crashes into the Rocky Mountains. Midge is then left to raise their daughter by herself.

One couple who do get their happily ever after is Kevin and Clay. They move to Harlem and Clay becomes a professor at Columbia. Meanwhile, Kevin launches his own off-Broadway theatre company. Kevin passes away at the age of 82 and weeks later Clay joins Kevin in the afterlife and dies in a park. Clay joined the cast in season 7 if you're confused.

Now, when it comes to Toni and Cheryl, they relocate to Oakland Hills, and live their lives as artists and activists. Cheryl actually becomes a very successful painter. They also have a son who they name Dale after Riverdale (obivously!) It's revealed that they died peacefully.

We also learn that Reggie plays basketball for Kansas State and the Lakers before moving back home and becoming a coach at Riverdale High. He also has two sons and one of them runs Mantle Motors.

What happens to each character in Riverdale? Picture: The CW

What happens to Veronica in the Riverdale finale?

As for the core four, Veronica returns to LA, becomes a movie producer and wins two Oscars for her iconic work in film. She also gets buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery after her death. Of course, she does. We're told that Betty did go to a few of Veronica's film premieres but she says that she wishes she had stayed in touch with her more.

What happens to Archie in the Riverdale finale?

For anyone hoping for Betty and Archie to end up together, we're sorry to report that they do not. Archie even tells Betty: "I always felt that it would be you and me at the end of the road. It started with us, didn't it? A boy and a girl next door." He moves to California, becomes a construction worker and has a family. He is then buried in Riverdale when he dies.

Archie's mum also falls in love with a woman named Brooke and they stay together until they die.

What happens to Jughead in the Riverdale finale?

How about Bughead? No, we're sorry to report that Bughead were never endgame either. However, Jughead did have an impressive career in New York City. He launched Jughead's Madhouse Magazine and, while he never married, he lived a complete life with no regrets.

What happens to Betty in the Riverdale finale?

Betty also moves to New York and starts a magazine of her own. She Says Magazine is described as a "go-to source for feminist and progressive causes." Like Jughead she never marries but she adopts a daughter named Carla and has a granddaughter called Alice.

For those wondering what happens to Alice, she divorces Hal, becomes an air stewardess and marries one of her passengers.

What happens in the final scene of Riverdale? Picture: The CW

How does Riverdale end?

In the final scene of Riverdale, Betty dies and reunites with Jughead, Archie and Veronica at Pop's in the Sweet Hereafter.

In a final voiceover, Jughead says: "We'll leave them here I think. Where they're forever juniors, forever 17, always grabbing a burger or a shake, always going to or coming from some dance talking about school, the big game, who's dating who, homework, whatever movie is playing at the Babylonium — you know, the moments that make up a life."

He adds: "It's where they've, where we've, always been, in this diner, in this town, in the Sweet Hereafter. So if you happen to see that neon sign some lonely night, after that long journey, the journey that every one of us is on, pull over, come on in, take a seat, and know that you'll always be among friends and that Riverdale will always be your home."

Finally, Jughead says: "Until then, have a good night."