Glamour: Last week, you spoke to us about the lack of sex on the show, and boy did things change this episode. Archie and Veronica go all the way, and Jughead and Betty would have if they weren’t interrupted. What made you decide to have Archie and Veronica take that step?
RAS: Ironically, we were kind of building to those dual scenes. Originally, we were going to have it be the opposite, and it was going to be Jughead and Betty who went all the way, and Archie and Veronica who were sort of like, "We like each other, but let’s slow things down and really get to know each other before that happens." But again, in the writing [room] things change. It’s a pretty big deal for Jughead and Betty—particularly for Jughead—when he says, "I love you." That sort of is a huge moment for him, so even though it’s not a sexual consummation, it’s a huge step for Jughead. But yeah, we were like, "Wow, it seems like they’re going to have sex unless the serpents arrive and knock on the door!" So once again, we had an idea, but the writing in the story took us in another direction.
Glamour: It’s obvious Archie longs for Betty and that appears like it would be endgame, but if viewers gravitate towards Jughead/Betty, could you see the course of that changing if fans become obsessed with a certain couple?
RAS: Yeah, you know, I kind of approach this and come to Archie first and foremost as a lifelong fanatic. I love comic book movie and comic book TV adaptations, and I’m one of those people that is like, "No, this is different from the comic book! How could you do this? It was perfect!" I really love the passion. I really love that people feel passionately about Jughead and Betty, and Archie and Veronica. There are people that want Archie with Betty, there are people that want Betty with Veronica, there are people that want all the different 'ships…. I kind of suspected that people would really respond to Jughead and Betty, but I didn't know it was going to capture people’s imaginations the way it did. As for would I ever change stuff based on fan response and things like that? The thing is always changing, do you know what I mean? The person who I thought killed Jason Blossom at the end of the season is not the person who ended up killing Jason Blossom at the end of the season. The couple that I thought…
Glamour: Hold up! Who did you have killing Jason Blossom originally? I can’t let you skip over that one! [Laughs]
RAS: [Laughs] I think at one point it was Hiram. At one point it was Hal Cooper. Again, the story guides you, and the characters speak to you a little bit and things change. I, too, always thought that Archie and Betty were always endgame, but hopefully, we’re going to have a long journey with these characters. I think the stories will tell us who endgame is with. But I do hear from fans. I hear notes from the executives [too], and Greg [Berlanti] and I have discussions. Sarah Schechter, another EP—and I—discuss things. John Goldwater, the head of Archie, and I discuss things. So there’s always a dialogue happening, and that helps us figure out what the most dramatic or satisfying direction is. I always thought Archie and Betty were endgame, but I don’t know, maybe not.
