Good ole Jughead Jones and Archie Andrews are an iconic duo, fans love to watch them solve mysteries around town and make Riverdale a better place. They really do seem to work well together and even though Jughead and Archie are very different people, they also balance one another out.
While it’s true that they make a great team, the quality of their friendship is questionable. Supposedly they’re best buds, but when you take a closer look, are they as good of pals as everyone thinks they are? Here are 10 reasons why Archie and Jughead aren’t real friends.
They Actually Weren’t Friends For A While
Early in the first season of the show, viewers find out that Jughead and Archie used to be friends in the past, but weren’t exactly best pals anymore. This information comes to light when Jughead confronts Archie about having seen him and Miss Grundy together.
Jughead was just trying to look out for Archie but Archie wasn’t having any of it, he threatens Jughead and the duo parts ways on not so great terms. They ultimately make amends and start to grow close again, but the fact that they once took a break from their friendship makes fans question how solid they really are.
Archie Broke Up With Jughead For Betty
One of the most heartbreaking moments of the series is when Betty sends Archie to break up with Jughead on her behalf. While she was only breaking up with him to keep him safe from the Black Hood, Jughead was unaware of this and was extremely hurt by the situation.
The fact that Archie would go along with this plan shows that he values his friendship with Betty more than he values his friendship with Jughead as he knew full well that this plan would break Jughead’s heart.
Archie Kissed Betty
After Betty and Archie broke up with their respective partners, the two shared a moment and ended up kissing. Not only should this moment not have happened, but it happened so soon after Jughead and Betty broke up. Archie was fully aware of how much this would hurt Jughead and he went ahead and acted on his feelings anyway.
What’s even worse is that after Betty and Jughead got back together, Archie never came clean to Jughead about the kiss. Jughead ended up finding out from Cheryl while the core four were on a couple’s weekend in the woods.
Jughead Kissed Veronica
This random kiss happened as the aftermath of Jughead learning of the kiss between Archie and Betty. While on their couple’s weekend in the woods, Veronica suggests that they even playing field and prevent future drama by Jughead kissing Veronica. Of course, this makes absolutely no sense but Jughead agrees and kisses her right in front of Archie and Betty.
This is an extremely awkward moment for everyone and it’s obvious that Jughead just wanted to make Archie feel bad. Apparently, an eye for an eye is their motto.
Archie Doesn’t Take Jughead’s Theories Seriously
Jughead is known for his detective skills and wild conspiracy theories, though most of the time, his theories don’t turn out to be so wild after all. As fans have learned, Juggie has a keen eye for suspicious behavior and he’s the best of the best when it comes to solving mysteries.
Unfortunately, there are many occasions where Archie doesn’t take Jughead’s theories seriously and tries to shut him down. Jughead doesn’t necessarily need Archie’s support in the first place but it would be nice if he showed more respect for Jughead in these situations.
Jughead Rarely Confides In Archie
While Jughead isn’t exactly an open book in the first place, when he does share details of his personal life, he often goes to Betty and not his supposed best friend. Sadly, before Jughead was with Betty he didn’t have much of anyone to turn to when he needed a talk.
For example, Archie finds out early in the series that Jughead was living at the school since things at home weren’t so great. Archie questions why Jughead didn’t clue him on this, but it’s pretty obvious to viewers that it’s due to a lack of trust between the two.
Archie Didn’t Like The Serpents
Viewers found out pretty quickly that Archie wasn’t exactly the Southside Serpents’ number one fan and vice versa. There are many times where Archie makes this apparent, this is unfortunate for Jughead since the Serpents are part of who he is. For instance, when Archie first finds out that Jughead is with the gang, he immediately gets upset and judges him for it.
To be fair, Archie definitely had his reasons for not getting along with the Serpents but he should know to tread lightly when it comes to this topic since it’s clearly something of importance to Jughead.
Archie Isn’t Respectful To Jughead’s Dad
Ah, FP, an increasingly favorite character to the Riverdale fan base. FP has really turned his life around and become a great dad to Jughead. This is why it’s so hard to see Archie not treat FP with the respect he deserves. This lack of respect is shown several times through the series.
For instance, Archie goes behind Jughead’s back and searches his dad’s trailer to find evidence that he murdered Jason Blossom - which to be clear - he did not. Additionally, Archie didn’t consider how alcohol at Jughead’s party would impact FP and his sobriety and has also taken advantage of FP’s role of sheriff several times.
Archie Is Jealous of Jughead’s Relationship With Betty
One of the most questionable moments of the series is when Archie tells Betty that he loves her, but will never be good enough for, and that’s why they can’t be together. Luckily, Betty completely accepts this and moves on to bigger and better things with Jughead, but where does this leave the core four?
Archie has blatantly shared with Jughead that he is jealous of the quality of his and Betty’s relationship and has mentioned that he always thought he and Betty would end up together. Is Archie still jealous? If Archie can’t be with Betty because he will never be good enough for her, where does that leave Veronica, the person that does let himself be with? This is all very confusing.
Jughead Lets Archie Disappear
In season three, Jughead and Archie are on the run as everyone’s favorite Riverdale villain, Hiram, has finally forced Archie out of town. The two head to Gladys and Jellybean’s house for safety who are happy to let them stay for the night. However, Gladys warns Jughead that it’s not safe for him to be helping Archie since she has learned that anyone found helping Archie will also be a target.
At first, Jughead refuses to leave Archie’s side, but Archie is eventually able to convince him that he has to go it alone. While this does seem like selfless actions on both friends’ parts, Jughead should have never let Archie go it alone.
