If I’m being honest, I haven’t watched Riverdale in years. Once the bears, angels, and alternate realities started happening I bounced. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t keep an eye out for the show. Because no matter how problematic the show and its characters were, I wanted to know how it ended. I especially wanted to know what would happen to Choni aka Cheryl and Toni. Finally, we have our answer.
Choni lived happily ever after. They moved out of Riverdale, were activists, and had a kid. Then they died peacefully. No more crazy shit, no random bullets that somehow always manage to find LGBTQ+ couples. Just happiness. And sure, we’d really like to know more about the OG storyline, but for a network that never took LGBTQ+ relationships seriously, it’s amazing to see that Choni survived and thrived. That’s especially true considering that none of the other couples who had been teased or were on and off again, ended up together.
And sure, Choni was messy sometimes. A little toxic honestly. *looks over at Cheryl because Toni definitely deserved better than some of the drama coming her way from our favorite redhead* But so what? As a queer person, I deserve messy. I deserve hot. I deserve sexy. I deserve it all, especially after the nonsense I’ve had to endure my entire life watching straight people do straight nonsense and people eating it up. I’m allowed to eat this up. In addition, LGBTQ+ has been shrinking at a rapid rate these last couple of years, with LGBTQ+ shows being canceled after one season. And here Choni is getting their happy ending.
This couple matters.
The way that Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan brought this couple together matters. (No, not giving you credit RAS. They really made magic with the scraps given to them by this show.)
At the end of the day, I’m sad to see them go. But I’m happy that they made it through the hardships, made a home with each other, and then decided to grow their family. It’s the least Riverdale could do. And from the reaction online, I’m not alone in this feeling of elation that they ended up together and made a life of their own.
Many couldn’t believe that Choni actually happened, especially with The CW being The CW.
Others were going to miss the chemistry between the actresses.
There were some who were so grateful that Choni had ended up together because the series finale was surely something.
And there were some grateful that Choni wasn’t part of that quad mess.
What did you think of the Riverdale series finale? Let us know in the comments below!
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Riverdale being covered here wouldn’t exist.
