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- You and Toni are forever soulmates... Your fate is written in the stars. It transcends time.
- —Heather to Cheryl
Choni is the femslash ship between Toni Topaz and Cheryl Blossom from the Riverdale fandom.
Canon[]
Cheryl Blossom grew up in a mansion on the Northside of Riverdale. Toni Topaz grew up in Sunnyside Trailer Park on the Southside of town. Their lives and lifestyles couldn't seem more different, but two things they have in common are a lack of loving parents and a yearning for the kind of family they didn't have growing up. Unbeknownst to them, their lives are already intertwined before they even cross paths, through a sorted and shared history between their ancestors, that eventually drives them apart and then brings them back together.
ENEMIES TO FRIENDS
- Toni – “Uh, I usually do the honors.”
- Cheryl – “Not today, Cha-Cha. I was born for this moment.”
Where the story begins.
Cheryl and Toni meet at the Ghoulies vs. Serpents drag race as Cheryl takes over the flag prompt from a bemused, but nonchalant Toni.[1] Their later re-introduction goes far worse as Cheryl leads the charge against Toni and the other Southside High students transferring to Riverdale High following the closure of their school, insulting them in the hallway, which almost results in a fight between her and Toni.[2] Following Jughead's article about the history of the Serpents, Toni, inspired by her grandfather, leads the protest against Pickens Day, the celebration of a man who slaughtered the indigenous Uktena people who have the rightful claim to Riverdale and today exist as the Southside Serpents. Cheryl's mother, Penelope, confirms the horrible crimes of General Pickens at the behest of her great-great-grandfather, Barnabas B. Blossom, and Cheryl, horrified at this new information, goes and stands with the Serpents in protest. Taking a stand against her family's gruesome acts, Cheryl looks on in reverence and admiration as Toni speaks.[3]
When Toni overhears Cheryl telling Jughead that Betty and Archie kissed as a way to ruin their couples only weekend she wasn't invited to, she asks Cheryl if she at least had a reason to do that. When Cheryl puts on her Cheryl Bombshell facade and tells Toni that she doesn't need reasons to do what she does, Toni suggests that Cheryl tell her what's really going on, because she's clearly in a of pain. Cheryl immediately gets defensive and demands Toni get her hands off of her before storming out, leaving Toni intrigued by her dramatics.
"You're sensational."
The next day, Toni approaches Cheryl when she sees her alone at the movies. Cheryl is defensive at first, but when Toni asks if she's okay, she's honest, telling her that she's alone at the movies because she's trying to escape her mother and her attempts to turn their house into her sexual playpen. Toni says she was going to watch the movie alone, but is up for company if Cheryl wants to join her, which pleases Cheryl, and they watch Love, Simon together.
- You're not loveless, you're not deviant, okay? You're sensational.
- —Toni, 2x14
After, while enjoying a milkshake at Pop's, Toni mentions that she noticed Cheryl crying during the movie, and though Cheryl admits she doesn't usually cry at movies because real life is tragic enough, she related strongly to the main character in the movie, especially when his mother mentioned that he used to be a carefree kid until he started harboring a secret. Cheryl says that everyone thinks she's a loveless monster, but she isn't, and tells Toni about Heather, her old best friend from Junior High, who she used to have sleepovers with every weekend, until her mother caught them in bed together and told Cheryl she was deviant. Toni assures her that her mother was wrong, that she's not deviant or loveless, but sensational. She takes Cheryl's hand, and something shifts for between them.[4]
Emotional support.
When Cheryl learns that her father's will is finally being read, she invites Toni to accompany her to the reading. She loans Toni a shirt for the occasion that fits her style, but flirtatious assures her that she adores her usual aesthetic. Penelope storms in and interrupts their moment, demanding to know why Toni is there when she introduces herself and isn't pleased when Cheryl informs her that she invited her to be her emotional support. Toni notes that she's a nightmare once she leaves. During the will reading, Cheryl reaches for Toni's hand to hold and it doesn't go unnoticed by Penelope. When it's Cheryl's turn to speak, a man resembling her dead father shows up, causing her to faint. She later learns that it's her father's long lost twin brother, Claudius, and invites Toni over for dinner with all of them, where its decided that Claudius will be staying at Thistlehouse.[5]
TO LOVERS
- I didn't want to invite all the girls tonight. But I knew my hideous mother would never allow me to invite just you. Which is... what I craved.
- —Cheryl, 2x16
Almost kiss.
Toni tries out for the River Vixens, impressing Cheryl with her routine and immediately earning herself an invite to Cheryl's inner circle only sleepover that night. At the sleepover, Cheryl confesses to the girls that she's afraid to be alone in her house because she's scared of her mother and uncle. While all the other girls sleep on the floor, Cheryl shares her bed with Toni and admits that she didn't want to invite all the other girls, but she had to or her mother wouldn't have let her invite Toni, which is what she craved. They almost kiss, but a loud crash interrupts them and wakes everyone else up. They all rush to the stairs to find Nana Rose at the bottom. The attempt on Nana Rose's life has Cheryl confessing to Toni that she fears she might be next. But instead of killing her, Penelope sends her off to gay conversion therapy at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Toni later goes looking for Cheryl at Thistlehouse when she can't find her at the hospital, and is told by Penelope that Cheryl's been sent off to a Swiss boarding school.[6]
When Toni doesn't hear from Cheryl, she's sure she's in danger and goes to Josie and Veronica for help. They're skeptical that anything is wrong at first, but when Toni reminds them of what she said about her mother and uncle and that her social media has been dead for days, they agree that something must be wrong and agree to help. The three of them go to Thistlehouse to confront Penelope, who tries to convince them that Cheryl is sick and needs help, informing Josie that Cheryl had been the one sending her the threats she was receiving awhile ago, causing her to bow out of the search party. It isn't until Nana Rose manages to get to a phone and call Toni at the school that they catch a break. She informs Toni that Cheryl is at "the Sisters" but their call is cut off before she can say anything more. Toni informs Veronica of this new information, and she wonders if Nana Rose meant the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. The ask Kevin if he knows if they do gay conversion there, and he confirms that they do. He also knows of a secret tunnel in and out of there, and the three of them hatch a plan to go save Cheryl later that night.
- Toni – “We came to rescue you.”
- Cheryl – “You did?”
The Big Damn Kiss.
They find the tunnel and Veronica and Toni sneak inside, while Kevin agrees to wait for them up top. Toni tells Veronica that they need to search each and every room until they find her, and they agree to split up to cover more ground. Meanwhile, Cheryl is at movie night, crying while watching reeducation videos and losing all hope when Toni bursts into the room, calling her name. When Toni declares they've come to rescue her, Cheryl can't believe it, but runs into her arms for a hug. Once reunited, they share their first kiss in front of all the other teens in conversion therapy. Their kiss is interrupted by Veronica, who warns them that the nuns are coming, and the three of them make a run for it. Cheryl and Toni hold hands the entire time they're being chased, and once outside, Cheryl doesn't leave until Toni's hand is back in hers.
Once she's back at school, Cheryl and Toni are openly affectionate with one another in the student lounge, holding hands as they discuss what Cheryl plans to do to get her revenge on her mother. Cheryl puts that thought on hold when she spots Kevin, approaching him to discuss the musical he's putting on, Carrie, for which she plans to star.[7]
Cheryl's biggest fan.
When Cheryl senses some people may be doubting her ability to lead the musical, she breaks out into a song from Carrie, to which Toni is the only one to give her a standing ovation. As she heads back to her seat, a sandbag falls from the rafters, nearly killing her. After Cheryl apologizes to Josie for stalking her and they make amends, Kevin receives a note from someone claiming to the Black Hood, demanding Cheryl's role be recast. Though Cheryl refuses to comply with such threats, Penelope shows up and informs her that she needs parental permission to participate in the musical, which she does not have. Kevin informs the cast that Cheryl will no longer be playing the role of Carrie due to Penelope's intervention, and tells Toni where Cheryl is. Toni finds her in the gym and gives her a pep talk, assuring her that she's still the same strong willed girl she always has been and she can still show her mother who's boss; she's not done playing Carrie yet.[8]
During the chaos of the riots, the Ghoulies managed to snatch Toni, and Jughead receives a call from Penny, using Toni as bait. But when Jughead shows up to the meeting, he's brought Cheryl and her bow along with him. Cheryl holds Penny and Malachai at bow-point until Penny finally lets Toni go, and she immediately runs to Cheryl's side. The three of them return to the Whyte Wyrm, where Cheryl takes part in the Serpent vote to fight the Ghoulies.[9]
- Toni – “That jacket looks good on you.”
- Cheryl – “Everything looks good on me.”
Cheryl joins the family.
JUNIOR YEAR
Poolside confessions.
After Archie was arrested at the school assembly and framed for murder by Hiram Lodge, Cheryl and Toni spent the summer riding their motorcycles across country to California, while Archie and the gang stayed in Riverdale for his trail. Upon their return, Cheryl informs her friends that they're throwing an end of summer pool party at Thornhill. At the party, Toni notices that Cheryl seems sad and distracted and encourages her to open up about what happened at Sweetwater River last year, since they've never talked about it. Cheryl tells Toni that she lost hope and did something stupid, but when she fell through the ice, Archie saved her life, and now there's nothing she or anyone can do to save him from what Hiram is doing to him now. The only comfort Toni can offer is to hold her hand.
Fangs shows up with news that the Ghoulies have kidnapped Hot Dog, so Cheryl, Toni and the other Serpents gather in privacy to decide the best course of action. They agree that Hot Dog is a Serpent and can't be left behind, and make a plan to rescue him that night. While the others hang back, Jughead goes to retrieve Hot Dog, only to be met with Penny, Malachai and a bunch of Ghoulies. Cheryl fires off an arrow without warning, hitting Malachai in the shoulder when he takes a step towards Jughead. Using the threat of another arrow, Jughead manages to get Hot Dog back while Cheryl keeps them at bay with her bow. Jughead later vents to FP that Cheryl is a loose canon. Cheryl and Toni attend Archie's verdict reading along with the rest of Riverdale, where it's declared a mistrial. They're just as shocked and distressed as everyone when Archie pleads guilty to avoiding putting everyone through a second trial.[11]
- I couldn't have done it without my favorite power couple.
- —Veronica, 3x03
President Blossom and First Lady Topaz.
Veronica approaches Cheryl and Toni where they're canoodling in the student lounge to invite them to the opening of her speakeasy, La Bonne Nuit, and ask them to hand out other invites in exchange for free cover and drinks all night. Later, she finds them at the Serpents' new campground, Tent City, looking for Jughead. When they inform him that he's probably off somewhere with Betty, they offer their assistance instead. Veronica shares that Penny Peabody and the new Sheriff paid her a visit on behest of her father, trying to ruin her opening. She wants Hiram to call them off, but needs leverage against him to do that. When Toni suggests blackmail, she informs Veronica that Jughead has been keeping close tabs on the Southside and that Sweet Pea and Fangs know the Ghoulies are running a drug lab in the basement of the Whyte Wyrm, which Hiram now owns. Luckily for Veronica, Toni used to bartend there and knows all the secret ways in, so the three of them break in later that night and find all the blackmail material they need to ensure Veronica's opening runs smoothly. When Cheryl and Toni make their grand entrance at said opening, Veronica thanks them for all their help.[12].
G & G girlfriends.
A new mysterious board game called Gryphons and Gargoyles that the gang's parents played when they were teens sweeps the town, and Jughead pulls his fellow Serpents into the hysteria in his pursuit to find the Gargoyle King. One night while Toni and Cheryl are having a "rendezvous" in Tent City, Sweet Pea and Fangs accidentally shoot one of Cheryl's arrows into Toni's tent, narrowly missing them, while eagerly preparing to take the game into the real world. The girls complain to Jughead about their antics, and he puts the boys in their place with a game of chicken, having Cheryl shoot an arrow at a beer can sitting on top of his head and daring them to do the same. When they back down, he reminds them he's the game master, and they need to play by his rules; they'll get a chance to go on a quest when he says so. The time arrives soon enough when the four of them are hanging around the fire pit and Jughead informs them that they'll be playing a game the next night, an announcement that's met with cheers by all. So while the rest of their friends enact a mission to spring Archie from juvie, Jughead leads Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea and Fangs in a game of G & G that perfectly parallels Archie's escape and leads him to the bunker, where they're playing. Later, once everyone has arrived in the bunker where Archie will be hiding out and Toni has patched him up, Veronica swears them all the secrecy.[13]
- Cheryl – “I'm cuckoo bananas for you, obvi. Won't you move in?”
- Toni – “As long as I'm the big spoon.”
Moving in.
Not long after, Toni, Veronica and the other Vixens suffer from the mysterious seizures going around town. Cheryl rushes to Toni's side when she collapses in the school hallway, screaming for help. Cheryl takes Toni back to Thistlehouse, where she tucks her into her bed and declares that she's on bedrest. Toni says she's feeling better but fears that whatever happened to her might be contagious, but Cheryl assures her that nothing could keep her away and she can stay in Thistlehouse for as long as she'd like... Perhaps even permanently. When Toni asks if she's asking her to move in and Cheryl confirms that's exactly what she's doing, Toni agrees and is playfully tackled by Cheryl in her excitement. Veronica later summons Cheryl to the speakeasy with a plan to ask Penelope about any information she might have on Hiram and his involvement with the seizures, to which Cheryl is eager to help to avenge Toni and the fallen Vixens. They eventually torture some information out of Penelope, but they're too late, because by the time they get to the Mayor's office, a town wide quarantine has been called. While Veronica heads to Pops to be with Kevin and the RROTC boys, Cheryl heads home to cuddle in bed with Toni as Hiram's master plan goes into action.[14]
- I love you.
- —Toni & Cheryl, 3x09
Partners in crime and in love.
It's been five weeks since Riverdale's been put under quarantine, and the crime rate has risen. There's even been a series of daring cat burglaries around town, committed by none other than Cheryl and Toni. They sneak back in through their bedroom window at Thistlehouse one night, dumping all their stolen money and loot onto the bed as they debrief about their night's activities. Cheryl tells Toni she makes an extremely sexy Robin Hood, as they've been stealing from the rich to give back to themselves. Toni smiles bashfully and fondly tells Cheryl that she's crazy, pausing for just a beat before she tells her she loves her for the first time. Cheryl smiles, touched, and returns the sentiment, before Toni starts unzipping Cheryl's cat suit and they fall onto their money covered bed in giggles. While the quarantine is soon lifted, the school is still under strict new rules, including minimal physical contact. When Cheryl and Toni get scolded by Moose and Kevin for holding hands in the hallway, they both ignore their warning and the rules, and continue on their way. They later go to the speakeasy, where they're greeted by Veronica, who has their usual table ready for them.
Jughead has returned from his adventure with Archie and is ready to start cracking down on crime within the Serpents. When he hears about Serpents dealing drugs, he warns the gang there will no longer be any crime tolerated, and anyone that breaks the code will be exiled from the Serpents. Cheryl calls Jughead out on his recent absence, while Fangs argues that a lot of Serpents need a way to make money, to which Jughead promises he'll think of something. Jughead later learns that Fangs was one of the Serpents dealing drugs, but secretly grants him clemency for his crimes as long as he keeps it between them. After hearing this from Sweet Pea, who heard it from Fangs, Cheryl and Toni continue their recent late night activities, and break into the Pembrooke to steal Hermione's Glamourge egg. Feeling brazen, Cheryl leaves a lipstick mark on Hiram's self portrait as a calling card. When Hiram tasks Veronica with getting the egg back from Cheryl, Veronica goes to Jughead after Cheryl ignores her calls, essentially but unknowingly ratting them out. Jughead and Veronica make a deal - if he can get the egg back, she'll give the Serpents jobs as her security team - and when Jughead gathers the gang to announce this news, he also makes a public example out of Cheryl and Toni, exiling them in front of everyone for breaking the code. Toni argues that she's a Serpent by blood, while Cheryl calls out Jughead's hypocrisy for excusing Fangs but banishing them. But instead of backing down, Jughead also banishes Fangs, much to Sweet Pea's rage. Cheryl declares she and Toni are keeping their jackets, but eventually gives Jughead back the egg so that the Serpents can get the job working for Veronica. Jughead later secretly grants Fangs with a way back into the Serpents.[15]
TENSIONS RISE
"Flawess, as I've always known you to be."
While enjoying an early morning in a comfortable bed, Toni laments that she doesn't miss living in Tent City, but she does miss the Serpents. Before she can say more, their SAT scores come in. Cheryl is nervous that her score won't be good enough to get her into her family's legacy school, Highsmith College, but she's relieved when her score is close to perfect. She's just as elated when Toni's are as flawless as she's always known Toni to be, and they celebrate with a kiss. But despite her excellent score, Cheryl's admission interview at Highsmith doesn't go as planned when she's informed that their board has recently decided to look beyond alumni applicants, a move Cheryl suspects Penelope had something to do with. Her suspicions are confirmed when she confronts her mother at her brothel, the Maple Club, where Penelope deems Cheryl an aberration who doesn't deserve to go to Highsmith. At school the next day, Cheryl finds Kevin moping and upset about his closeted boyfriend Moose not wanting to come out. In an attempt to help Kevin and nudge Moose along, Cheryl announces that she's forming an LGBTQIA alliance and reads a blind item on the morning announcements, declaring that there's a member of the RROTC that's afraid of coming out. An angry Toni finds Cheryl in the bathroom later and calls her out for essentially outing Moose, which Cheryl doesn't realize she did. Toni's emotions bubble over, and she lets out her recent frustrations about the loss of the Serpents, that were like a family to her when her own uncle kicked her out for dating girls. She understands Cheryl's upset at her mother and possibly not getting into Highsmith, a school Toni wouldn't even be able to get into, but the Serpents were her legacy and now she's lost them. Cheryl tearfully apologizes for not realizing how upset Toni has been, ressures her that she's the most important person in her life, and she'll find a way to make everything right.
- You are the most important person in my life. I'll do whatever it takes to make all these things right.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 3x12
Step one of Cheryl's multi-step plan for amends requires them to go to the Maple Club and get pictures of Penelope's clients so that they can blackmail her into changing the alumni rule at Highsmith. Step two is Cheryl giving her Highsmith admissions interview slot to Toni. Step three is sincerely apologizing to Moose, who accepts it. And step four is finding a bunch of girls around school that are interested and forming a new family for Toni. Toni is touched when Cheryl presents her with a new girl gang, declaring it the most badass and romantic thing she's ever done, and names the gang the Pretty Poisons. [16]
The calm before the storm.
When Jughead realizes that all the female Serpents have defected to the Pretty Poisons, he decides it's time to invite Toni to rejoin the Serpents, but after he rejects her condition of making her Serpent Queen and calls the Poisons Cheryl's vanity project, Toni turns him down, telling him the Poisons give her an opportunity to lead and that the Serpents aren't a family anymore. Toni goes back to Thistlehouse and relays the details of her meeting to Cheryl, assuring her girlfriend that she'll figure out how to deal with him. But Cheryl decides to take matters into her own hands and gathers the Poisons to confront Sweet Pea and Fangs outside of Pops. When the boys continue to belittle them and mockingly call them a sorority, Cheryl has the Poisons beat them up to prove they're as legitimate a gang as the Serpents are. However, Toni doesn’t approve of Cheryl using the Poisons for petty vendettas and reminds Cheryl that she’s a leader, and not to use them without her permission again. Cheryl, appropriately chastised, agrees.[17] But when another fight breaks out between a Poison and a new Serpent under Cheryl’s encouragement and on school grounds this time, Toni threatens to suspend Cheryl from the gang after Principal Weatherbee admonishes Jughead and Toni for the fight. Cheryl passively aggressively suggests that would be a shame, as that would make hosting gang meetings at Thistlehouse awkward, and the girls were looking forward to using her pool in the summer. Toni later meets with Veronica, who offers the Poisons the Serpents' former job as her security team. Toni accepts the job, assuring Veronica she doesn't need to discuss it with Cheryl, who later declines Toni's olive branch of an invite to join them at the speakeasy, choosing instead to stay home, upset.[18]
Choni's self choreographed sex scene.
In an attempted to reconnect, Cheryl books her and Toni a Spring Break ski trip to Mont Blanc, but is disappointed when Toni informs her that she’s already made plans to go camping with the Poisons without telling her. Their conversation is interrupted when Toni gets a text from Veronica, requesting her at work, but when Cheryl shows up at the speakeasy with freshly baked snacks for Toni as a peace offering, she finds Toni isn't working, but is instead having fun and singing karaoke with Veronica and the other Poisons. After later learning from Nana Rose that Toni has secretly been paying rent, Cheryl shows up at the speakeasy when Toni is working its casino night, trying to get her attention by making a show of casing the place when she knows Toni is watching. Just as she planned, Toni is waiting for her after closing and confronts her when she shows up in her catsuit pretending to rob the place. This time, instead of causing a fight, their back and forth is used as foreplay, and soon enough, they're undressing each other and having sex all over the speakeasy.
- Toni – “Cheryl. I love you.”
- Cheryl – “And yet...”
Once they've eased the tension and are getting redressed, Toni suggests that they finally talk about what's been going on between them, and Cheryl agrees. Toni believes Cheryl has a problem with the Poisons because Toni's in charge for once instead of her, which Cheryl denies, saying her issue is that Toni would rather spend all her time with them than with her. Toni tells Cheryl she loves her, but she can't stay cooped up in her house or bedroom all the time, and when Cheryl tries to correct her, saying it's their bedroom, Toni explains that's also an issue, that it doesn't feel like it's theirs, it feels like it's all Cheryl's. Cheryl realizes that it sounds like Toni regrets moving in, and when Toni laments that maybe it was too soon, Cheryl defensively agrees and suggests that maybe Toni moving out is exactly what should happen. She storms out of the speakeasy, leaving Toni alone. Kevin expresses his sympathies when he's summoned to Thistlehouse, but Cheryl isn't interested in hearing it, she just wants to inform him that this years musical will no longer be Godspell, but instead be Heathers, and she will be playing iconic HBIC Heather Chandler so she can channel her rage.[19]
Dead Girl Walking.
According to Kevin, Cheryl was originally a big mess after her break up with Toni, but since giving herself the role of Heather Chandler, she's changed. She tries to appear blasé, but as soon as Toni joins the musical as a choreographer, she grows petty. When Toni's assigned to teach her the choreography to Candy Story, Cheryl ignores her instructions, assuring both Toni and Kevin that she's worked on her own. Half way through her performance, Toni cuts in with a verse and choreo of her own, and it soon dissolves into a musical fight of sorts, which ends with Cheryl pushing Toni out of the spotlight. Kevin's co-director Evelyn Evernever invites the cast to a party at the Farm, formally the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, and Cheryl spends most of her time at it drinking, sulking and watching Toni. However, her sullen mood reverts back to anger the next day when Cheryl sees Toni wearing all red in an attempt to get her attention. She confronts Toni in the middle of the school hallway, informing her that she's the only one at Riverdale High allowed to wear red, so she better find another school to transfer to. As Cheryl leaves, Toni begins to sing Dead Girl Walking, picking up Sweet Pea and fellow Poisons member Peaches N' Cream on her way to the auditorium for a revenge hook up. But before anything can happen, Toni imagines Cheryl singing to her from across the room, and she can't go through with it.
- Thornhill was a den of shadows. JJ was my only light. And he died, and it was dark again. Until you.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 3x16
Cheryl's favorite part.
Toni then goes by Thistlehouse to try to work things out with Cheryl. Realizing what must be the root of Cheryl's issues, she asks Cheryl what love was like in her family. Cheryl explains that it was “all or nothing, pure adoration or distilled hate.” She says that Jason was her only light growing up until he died and her life was dark again, until she met Toni, but lately, it’s felt like she’s losing her. Toni assures her that she’s still here and it’s not too late for them to make it work. They, along with Betty and Jughead across town, sing Seventeen, a song about longing for lost innocence, before they kiss, reuniting. Later, backstage for opening night, Cheryl and Toni sit surrounded by roses, doing their make up. They blot their lipstick with a kiss, and Cheryl declares that her red lipstick was made for Toni. All is well again, until the end of their final performance, when their song is met with applause from only members of the Farm - the cult Betty has been investigating - including their leader, Edgar Evernever. [20]
THE FARM
After losing her sister, her mother and now Kevin to the Farm, Betty approaches Cheryl for help infiltrating it. Though Cheryl initially refuses, not convinced anything nefarious is going on, Betty reminds her of Jason's original plans to run away with Polly and escape to the Farm to pique her curiosity. Cheryl appears vulnerable to Evelyn by pretending she and Toni have broken up again, this time for good, and scores an invite to the Farm. Betty hooks her up with a hidden mic to record her visit, but instead of being interviewed by Evelyn, her father Edgar takes over. It doesn't take long for Edgar to emotionally manipulate genuine answers out of Cheryl, getting her to open up about Jason's death and her suicide attempt, telling her she's already taken two of the steps required to joining the Farm - being baptized and reborn. Cheryl once again tells Betty she doesn't think anything strange is going on at the Farm and that she actually liked talking to Edgar, but agrees to for a second time. Betty loses the feed just as Edgar tells Cheryl he wants to show her something, and the next day at school, Cheryl tells Betty she's done being her spy. When Betty sneaks into the Farm to steal back the interview tapes, believing there are confessions on there that Edgar may be using to blackmail people into joining, she overhears Cheryl officially becoming a member of the Farm. She brings Cheryl's tape over to Thistlehouse and asks why Cheryl would fall for Edgar's sales pitch considering she never listens to anyone, only for Cheryl to inform her that it isn't about Edgar, but what Edgar showed her: Jason. Edgar allowed her to speak with Jason.[21]
When Toni learns of Cheryl's descent into the Farm, she storms into the Blue & Gold office and demands to know how the hell this happened. Betty shifts the blame solely on Edgar, explaining that Cheryl believes she's talking to Jason. When Toni points out the obvious, that Jason is dead, Betty sends Toni a video of Clifford Blossom shooting Jason and suggests that Toni play it for Cheryl to try to snap her out of it. Toni does, but Cheryl claims it's fabricated. When Toni pushes and asks if Cheryl has ever hugged Jason, there's a split second of doubt before Cheryl pushes it away and says she has, storming off. When Evelyn hears of Toni's meddling, she confronts her in the bathroom, telling her to back off. Toni stands her ground, telling Evelyn that she and Cheryl love each other, and she finds it hard to believe the Farm is fulfilling Cheryl more than she can.
- I need you tonight. I need you in every way. Mind. Body. Soul. But, uh, mostly body.
- —Toni to Cheryl, 3x18
Toni: 1, The Farm: 0.
The next time Cheryl has a meeting at the Farm, Toni manages to seduce Cheryl into staying at Thistlehouse instead. It's the last straw for Evelyn, who then forces Cheryl to break up with Cheryl or lose Jason forever. Toni tries once again to convince Cheryl that Jason is just a ghost and remind Cheryl that she loves her, but Cheryl cries and says that while she does love her, she's loved Jason her whole life and she's sorry. When Toni refuses to let her do this, insisting there must be a way to have both, Cheryl informs her there is, if she opens her mind to it. And so, Toni joins the Farm, but as another undercover agent for Betty, who asks Toni if she's a monster after hearing her mother claim as such. Toni assures her she isn't, that she just wants her mother back, the same way she wants her girlfriend back.[22]
Toni reports to Betty that she's heard talk of Edgar adopting Cheryl's niece and nephew, Juniper and Dagwood, and they hatch a plan to sneak Betty into the Farm so she can save them. However, instead of leading Betty to the twins, Toni leads Betty into a room full of Farmies and Edgar, revealing she's been turned. Toni explains that she's been searching for a family her whole life, and now it feels like she's finally found it. Edgar tries to convince Betty to join them, and when she runs away, he has Cheryl, Toni and all the other Farmies chase her down, though they don't catch her.[23]
Choni's first dance.
- “So it goes without saying, vote Choni for co-monarchs because, when you really think about it, no other options make sense. ”
- — Cheryl, 3x20
Cheryl's dedication to the Farm is tested when Prom season approaches. Cheryl and Toni are running as co-Queens, and as they're selling tickets to their classmates, Evelyn approaches and warns them that running for Prom queen goes against the Farm's rules. Cheryl meets with Edgar, pleading for him to grant her permission to run, but when he threatens to cut her off from Jason, she quickly backs down. At the dance, Toni expresses her sympathy that Cheryl didn't get to run, knowing how much it meant to her, and Cheryl admits the Farm is making less sense to her now.[24]
But Cheryl's doubt is quickly forgotten, and Cheryl and Toni have moved into the Farm just as Betty has come to stay for her own safety. Betty continues trying to investigate what's really going on, asking Cheryl, Toni, Kevin and Fangs about a treatment they keep talking about, for which Kevin has already had and Toni will later that night. Betty notices a huge surgical scar on Kevin's side, but they all shut down the conversation before it can go further. After Edgar attempts to play his mind games on Betty, she realizes how he's tricking people into believing what he's claiming they're seeing and hearing: he's hypnotizing them and having them talk to someone, or something, else. When Betty tries to warn the others, none of them are fazed, as hypnotherapy is a legitimate medical technique and tell her she needs to come up with something better than that.
- Toni... I love you. This is your only chance at freedom.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 3x21
Cheryl's sacrifice.
And she does, in the form of a freezer full of organs that have been harvested. She brings one to Cheryl's room, showing her just what the Farm's treatments are, and it's finally enough to get through to her, especially when Cheryl realizes that Toni has just gone down for hers. She rushes down to save her and she gets there before anything has happened. She throws a nurse around and threatens another with a scalpel, managing to convince Toni they need to leave. The two of them are chased through the building by two male guards as Toni leads them down to where she previously let Betty. As they reach a window, Cheryl realizes that they'll never be able to outrun the two guards, and closes the window behind Toni once she's out. She tells Toni she loves her and that this is her only chances at freedom, and yells at her to go just as the guards find her. She fights them off as best as she can while Toni makes her escape, and even though she gets taken down, she is able to keep them from catching Toni.[25]
Toni runs all the way to Thistlehouse in bare feet, where she finds Penelope. She tells her what happens, that Cheryl, Betty and the others are still at the Farm, but she quickly passes out from the poison Penelope put in her drink. Penelope then goes to the Farm and purchases Betty from Edgar for her own game, leaving Cheryl there to rot. Cheryl tries to convince Kevin and Fangs of the organ harvesting since they didn't believe Betty, but finds the freezer is empty now. As she goes in search of the missing organs, she finds Jason's dug up corpse, realizing that's what she's been talking to this whole time. She barges into Edgar's office while he's speaking with Alice, demanding to know why he would do that. She screams that Toni will come for her while she's being dragged away, but it's Alice that helps her escape. She give her Juniper and leads her through the tunnels to an exit, telling her to get out and find Betty. Meanwhile, Toni finally wakes up to Nana Rose telling her that Penelope, the person behind the Gargoyle King, has Betty and the other Core 4 members and they need her help, but Toni is more concerned with saving Cheryl.
Cheryl and Toni reunite.
- Cheryl – “Toni!”
- Toni – “Baby?!”
THE JASON PROBLEM
Choni watch the fireworks.
With Polly and Alice MIA with the Farm, Juniper and Dagwood are now staying at Thistlehouse with Cheryl and Toni. When Cheryl learns the town is having a 4th of July parade for the first time since Jason's death, she's vehemently opposed, especially since her family was always the one that paid for the fireworks. But when Archie's dad Fred is suddenly and tragically killed in a hit and run, it's the last thing on her mind. While Archie and the other Core 4 members are out of town picking up Fred's body, Cheryl and Toni stop by Archie's house to talk with his mom. They express their sympathies and Cheryl explains that she'd like to do something special for them, because she doesn't want her or Archie to ever feel how she felt when she lost Jason. She organizes for everyone to line the streets with signs celebrating Fred to greet Archie as he drives his father's body through town. She later brings fireworks for all their friends to watch in Archie's backyard.[27].
Punch drunk love.
As summer ends and school starts, Cheryl continues spending time with Jason's body in secret. But despite her continued deteriorating mental health, Cheryl still strikes up a rivalry with the school's new principal, Mr. Honey, who is much stricter than the previous principal, and informs Cheryl and Toni that he's canceling the annual Back to School dance due to the deaths that occured at Junior Prom. When Toni almost catches Cheryl talking to Jason in the chapel, Cheryl tells her that they'll be throwing a back to school party at Thistlehouse instead. At the party, Cheryl gives a speech, assuring her classmates that she plans on finding a way to get rid of Mr. Honey by Homecoming. Her speech is met with cheers, and a tipsy Toni pulls her into a kiss. After Reggie almost stumbles on Jason's body while looking for the bathroom, FP shows up to break up the party, informing Cheryl that someone named Honey has called in a noise complaint. Realizing this means war, Cheryl puts a beehive in Mr. Honey's office the next day.[28]
Cheryl and Toni are trying to get intimate late one night when a creaking somewhere in the house interrupts them. Toni writes it off as Nana Rose and expresses concern about leaving the twins in her care while they're at school, suggesting they hire a caretaker for her. Worried about someone discovering her Jason secret, Cheryl immediately shuts her down, assuring her that they're all doing fine. When a louder noise crashes through the house, they rush downstairs to find Nana Rose standing by the fire, where she mistakes Cheryl for Penelope and mentions something about triplets. After that, Toni takes it upon herself to hire a nurse named Darius to help take care of Nana Rose and the twins, which Cheryl is against at first, but eventually gives into, as long as he swears not to go into the chapel in the basement. Even though he promises not to, Cheryl finds Jason's body has been moved the next time she goes to speak with him, and when Darius informs her and Toni that Thistlehouse has a rat problem and he went into the basement, Cheryl fires him on the spot for disobeying her and out of fear he knows her secret. Without Darius to fix the rat problem, Cheryl discovers some of them have found Jason's body, and as she's trying to stitch him back up, Toni walks in, shocked at what she finds. Cheryl, too far gone to understanding how disturbed Toni is, tries to introduce them.[29]
- Toni – “So, what do you think, Ms. Isley? Are we ready for any trick-or-treaters that might come our way?”
- Cheryl – “Oh, we're ready for a lot of things about now Ms. Quinn.”
Choni as Harlivy.
After promising Toni for weeks that she'd say goodbye to Jason, he's still hanging around by Halloween, except now, he's in the main house, seated at the table as Cheryl and Toni carve pumpkins. Cheryl insists Halloween is his favorite holiday so she can't do it now, but Toni argues that she'll always find an excuse not to do it, so Cheryl very reluctantly agrees. When they return from burying him that night, Toni tells Cheryl that she's proud of her and she's the strongest person she knows, only to discovering a creepy doll sitting on the couch. Cheryl insists that it must be Jason coming back to haunt them for getting rid of him, but Toni sees through her attempt and throws the doll away. Come Halloween night, Toni is dressed as Harley Quinn while Cheryl dresses as Poison Ivy, and they're just getting into a little roleplay fun when the twins' crying interrupts them over the baby monitor. When they get downstairs, they find the twins are asleep, and Nana Rose says that the crying is coming from Cheryl's brother in the chapel. They go down to investigate and Toni is confused and annoyed to find the doll is back. Cheryl still insists it's Jason's spirit haunting them and suggests they have a senace.
Cheryl, Toni, Nana Rose and the doll gather around a Ouija board in the chapel. Cheryl tries summoning the spirit in the doll, while Toni continues calling her out for messing with her, but it's Nana Rose that says it's not Jason in the doll, but Julian, the triplet brother that Cheryl absorbed in the womb. When Penelope lost the third baby, she got the doll and raised it alongside the twins until they got too old and then put it in the attic. Toni is still not convinced, sure it's all a plan by Cheryl, so she finally ask if Cheryl will cut it out if she agrees to let her bring Jason back and they bury the doll in his grave instead. Cheryl agrees, and they dig him back up and put him back in the chapel, much to Toni's discomfort. The next morning, Toni finds the Julian doll when she gets out of the shower, and demands to know why Cheryl is still playing this game when she has Jason back. Cheryl shamefully admits that she was behind the antics the before, but she swears she didn't bring the doll back into the house, which means Thistlehouse must really be haunted.[30]
Murder girlfriends.
Cheryl has become increasingly paranoid about the Julian doll to the point that she's been skipping school to stay home and keep guard. Toni eventually puts her foot down and forces her to go, but Cheryl insists on encircling Julian in salt first. When she comes back to find the doll has been moved from their room, she tries drowning it next. The next day, she gets called down to the office at school and is informed that Dagwood has been rushed to the hospital after almost choking on a ping-pong ball. When Cheryl gets home, she discovers the doll is no longer in the tub, but sitting with Jason, only to head upstairs and find her Aunt Cricket, Uncle Bedford and Cousin Fester waiting for her. She faints and wakes to Toni at her bedside, thinking the afternoon has been a terrible nightmare until Cricket summons them downstairs to talk. Her family is there because they want to sell the business and with her parents gone, they need Cheryl's agreement. They insist that the business is bleeding them dry and hasn't been profitable for years, but it isn't until Toni suggests that if she sells it they can move and start somewhere fresh that she agrees to consider it. However, when her Uncle requests to visit the chapel, Cheryl freaks and kicks them out, telling them she won't sign after all. Cheryl and Toni later wake to a strange noise in the house, and when they investigate, they find Bedford in the chapel, having discovered Jason's body. He says he always knew there was a sickness in their blood, but this is monstrous. He says he's going to take her to the authorities and grabs her and throws Toni to the ground when she tries to stop him. Then he threatens to take care of Cheryl himself, attempting to choke her, until Toni hits him in the head with a candle stick, accidentally killing him. The next day, his wife Cricket comes looking for him because he said he might be there, but Cheryl and Toni play dumb, claiming not to have seen him and don't allow her to look around when she asks. She promises to get a warrant and come back, to which Cheryl wishes her luck.[31]
- Whatever guilt you're experiencing, free yourself of it. You didn't set out to do anyone any harm. You were defending me and I love you for it.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 4x07
Thankful.
With a big ice storm heading towards Riverdale over Thanksgiving, Cheryl excitedly explains her plan to dump Bedford's body in Sweetwater River while everyone is busy celebrating in the hopes the river will freeze over for the winter so that his body will be eaten by the time it thaws. Toni doesn't share her enthusiasm, explaining that she feels like someone is watching her. Assuming it's about her guilt, Cheryl reminds Toni that it was a accident and she loves Toni for defending her. However, Toni soon finds out she is indeed being watched by Cricket, who's staking Thistlehouse out, which will make it impossible to sneak Bedford's body out. Luckily, Cheryl quickly thinks up a plan to get rid of Cricket once and for all, and invites her over for Thanksgiving dinner, to which she brings her son Fester along, as a witness. Once dinner has been served, Nana Rose tells the story of the first Blossom Thanksgiving, which ended in cannibalism. Cheryl plays along, commenting that if such a tale got out, it would ruin the sale of their family's business, but when Cricket insists nobody would ever believe it, Fester finds Bedford's ring in one of the meat pies they were served. Cheryl then heavily implies that she and Toni disposed of Bedford's body in those meat pies that Cricket and Fester just ate, and thus, she'll never find his body. When Cricket says even Cheryl isn't deranged enough to do that, Toni rolls Jason's body into the room to show just how crazy things are around there. Knowing she has them on the hook, Cheryl orders Cricket to leave them alone, not to speak to her girlfriend and to never ask her to sell her legacy again if she doesn't want this to get out. Once Cricket and Fester flee, Cheryl and Toni finally break, cracking up. Later, as they cuddle on the couch by the fire place, Toni laments that she feels better and Cheryl confirms that Bedford's body has finally been dumped in Sweetwater River. They celebrate the fact that they have the house to themselves for the weekend, and exchange heartfelt "I love you"s as the Julian doll sits by.[32]
- Cheryl – “Promise me, no matter what the contents of this envelope, you're here for me.”
- Toni – “Cheryl, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I love you and nothing would ever change that.”
The truth sets Cheryl free.
Cheryl's absences from school finally catch up to her when Mr. Honey informs her that she'll lose her captaincy of the Vixens if she's deemed unfit by the school's guidance counselor, Mrs. Burble. Cheryl is resistance to Mrs. Burble's attempts to get her to open up, but once she expresses her admiration over the way Cheryl's survived her many traumas and asks how she copes with it all, Cheryl admits she talks to Jason. Mrs. Burble assumes she means prayer, but Cheryl corrects her, confessing to the fact that she has Jason's body and speaks to him and even thinks he talks back. She wonders when she lost her mind or if she's always been this fractured, but Mrs. Burble tells her she doesn't think she's crazy, that she's merely grieving, that talking to Jason the way she has been isn't that different than people that keep their loved one's ashes, and she probably just wishes Jason was talking back. When Cheryl explains what's been going on with the Julian doll, Mrs. Burble suggest that someone else might be moving the doll around the house in an attempt to gaslight her into thinking she's going crazy. While Cheryl considers this, Mrs. Burble gives her the number of a doctor that can test if she ever absorbed a twin in the womb to give her some peace of mind. She tells Cheryl she thinks she's doing very well, but that she feels it's best she advise Mr. Honey to get a coach for the Vixens, so Cheryl can focus on herself. Cheryl finds her way to the girl's locker room and breaks down crying. Later, she meets Toni at Pop's with the results of her test, and after Toni assures her that she loves her no matter what, Cheryl is elated to discover that she never absorbed a twin and she's not crazy. When Toni wonders what's been going on around Thistlehouse then, Cheryl relays Mrs. Burble's gaslighting theory, and says whoever is behind will face her wrath.[33]
- He was a good brother to me. I wish you could have met him for real.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 4x09
A final goodbye.
In an attempt catch her gaslighter, Cheryl pretends to gas the house with deadly fumes, which brings Penelope out of hiding to reveal herself. It turns out that she's been hiding in the walls of Thistlehouse ever since she went on the lamb after trying to kill the Core 4. Cheryl ties her up and gathers Toni, Nana Rose, Julian and Jason in the living room to put Penelope on trial for her crimes, which include murder, attempted murder, and gaslighting. Penelope assumes she'll kill her either way, but Cheryl says she's looking for a reason not to; she's her mother but she's absued her all her life, tried to kill her friends and now tried to ruin her happiness with Toni. Penelope says it wasn't about Cheryl being happy with Toni, but that seeing her happy with Jason made her jealous, because she didn't deserve something Penelope couldn't have herself. Cheryl declares her guilty, but instead of turning her over to the police, she locks her up in the bunker. Later, while having tea, Cheryl tells Toni that she thinks it's time to say goodbye to Jason, that Jason deserves the peace her mother has always denied her. So, Cheryl calls the Core 4 and has them join her and Toni at Sweetwater River, believing it's fitting they be there since they were there to save her when she attempted suicide. She lights the raft holding Jason's body on fire and Archie and Jughead push it out into the water, giving him a proper vikings funeral. As they embrace, Cheryl tells Toni that she wishes Toni could have meet Jason for real.[34]
HEALING
Cheerleader girlfriends.
It's Spirit Week and Mr. Honey introduces Cheryl to the new Vixens coach, Miss Appleyard, who immediately butts heads with Cheryl when she says they will no longer be performing any musical numbers, but instead sticking to cheer routines. When Cheryl attempts to make amends by baking her some muffins, Miss Appleyard rebuffs her offer to work together and basically calls her fat, making an even bigger enemy out of her. Cheryl, Toni and the Vixens gather in Mr. Honey's office to inform him that they plan on going on strike until he fires Miss Appleyard, which he claims he'll consider. However, it's not long until Toni gets wind of the other members folding, and she and Cheryl find the whole squad gathered for Appleyard. It turns out, Mr. Honey told them that anyone striking will be banned from Prom, so they broke. Cheryl offers them a second chance, but when only Toni stands with her, Cheryl warns Appleyard that the battle isn't over. As a last resort, Cheryl locks Appleyard in her office right before the game, convinces the other Vixens that they owe her, and they all perform Cherry Bomb for the crowd. Later, Veronica invites Cheryl to Pop's and shares a business proposal with her: she wants to combine her family's rum with Blossom Maple Syrup, and Cheryl is very interested.[35]
Toni's biggest fan.
While Veronica and Cheryl work to get their rum business off the ground, they, Toni and Betty also compete on the school's Quiz Show team. They work fairly well as a team in the first game, with Toni coming in clutch with a right answer and earning Cheryl's praise, but their second showing is dominated by Betty, to the point Cheryl and Toni wonder why they're even there. But they win either way, and all is forgotten. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Veronica run into trouble with dance club night at the speakeasy under Hiram's watchful eye, so they decide to make use of Penelope's abandoned Maple Club to hold their parties and hand out their samples there. They let Penelope leave the bunker under the condition that she wears a mask and stays inside to run the place for them while they're at school, and Toni warns her that she's wearing an ankle monitor that will alert them if she doesn't.[36]
- I am, as always, one lucky lady.
- —Cheryl to Toni, 4x12
Toni the dragon slayer.
While working at the Maple Club, Toni meets Nick St. Clair, a rich boy from New York who, unbeknownst to her, previously roofed and attempted to sexually assault Cheryl before they met. As they're making friendly chit-chat, Cheryl walks in and sees him, and immediately runs out. In bed later that night, Toni asks Cheryl where she went earlier and why she ghosted her. Cheryl tearfully tells Toni the story of how Nick tried to assault her but that she was saved by Veronica, Josie and the pussycats. She explains that she thought she had worked through it, but that seeing him triggered her. Toni understands, because she experienced something similar herself when she was younger. Cheryl expresses her sympathy and asks how she dealt with it, to which Toni explains she had a lot of help, but eventually got there, and she wants to help Cheryl to get there too. The next time Nick comes to the Maple Club, Toni serves him a spiked drink and invites him into one of the bedrooms. When he wakes up the next morning, he finds Kevin and Fangs in the room too, and Toni shows him a fetish video the three of them made last night of the boys tickling Nick, and threatens to upload it onto the site Kevin and Fangs have been making their own videos for if he doesn't follow her orders: don't come back to Riverdale, don't even think about Cheryl Blossom, and never assault another woman again. Later, Toni, Cheryl, Kevin and Fangs have a good laugh enjoying the video of Nick in bed, and Cheryl thanks Toni for slaying another dragon from her pasts, acknowledging how lucky she is to have her.[37]
We totally dig your vibe.
Cheryl and Toni are working on their own at the Maple Club when they receive a call from Veronica. Cheryl relays to Toni that there's a rich customer that's been asking around the speakeasy about the secret parties at the Maple Club, and asks Toni if she wouldn't mind vetting her. Toni promises to lay on the charm and they share a quick kiss and casual "love you"s as they part. That night, Toni meets the customer at the bar, and immediately pegs her as Veronica's half sister Hermosa, clearly working for Hiram, but she plays along, offering to speak to her partner about her and inviting her back the next night. When they meet again, Cheryl joins them on the dance floor, where Cheryl and Toni share a heated kiss and then invite Hermosa to come with them to the Maple Club, under the guise of having a threesome. But of course, Veronica is waiting for them back at the room, and confronts Hermosa for trying to screw her over, while Cheryl is annoyed Hermosa thought she could seduce Toni like she's some simple fool.[38]
When Jughead fakes his death with the help of the other Core 4 members, Cheryl and Toni are left out of the loop, and think he's truly dead. While Toni is sad about her former friend's death and starts wearing her Serpent jacket again out of respect, Cheryl is more concerned with making sure Betty is taking care of herself and figuring out what's going on between her and Archie. When Alice interviews them for a news segment on Jughead's passing, Toni has nice things to say about Jughead, lamenting how much they had in common, and even mentioning their brief hook up that only solidified they were better as friends. Cheryl is unbothered by this past dalliance, but all she has to say on the subject is that she's sorry for calling Jughead a hobo once. Still, when it comes time for the funeral, Cheryl is there by Toni's side, offering her strength and comfort.[39]
A hard earned victory.
After Mr. Honey denies Kevin's request to perform songs from Hewdig and the Angry Inch at the school's variety show because they're not appropriate for kids or families, the gang rally around him to try to get their principal to change his mind. First, Toni plays drums on an impromptu solo performance Kevin puts on in the lounge while Cheryl watches on and blows her a kiss, then they perform Wig In A Box with him at Betty's sleepover, before confronting Mr. Honey themselves at Pop's. They attempt to demonstrate out how fun and funny the musical is by performing Sugar Daddy with the other Vixens, but in the end, they only prove Mr. Honey's point about it being inappropriate. When they threaten to have everyone change their variety show songs to ones from Hedwig, Mr. Honey warns them that he'll ban anyone that does from Prom. Then, when Cheryl, Toni and other students join Kevin in protest by dressing up as Hedwig and coming to school, Mr. Honey cancels the variety show all together. But Veronica decides to put on a show herself at the speakeasy, where everyone can perform whatever they want. Cheryl and Toni canoodle and dance to Kevin and the Core 4's performance of Midnight Radio (and even get a shout out by ship name!), before joining them outside, where Cheryl spots a miserable looking Mr. Honey amongst the crowd, and gives Toni a big kiss on the cheek in celebration of their victory.[40]
- Here's to Ronnie. And Archie. And Betty. And Jughead. And Choni!
- —Midnight Radio, 4x17
Toni comforting Cheryl.
FAMILY DRAMA
It’s time for senior prom and Cheryl and Toni are running for prom queens again. Toni cares about being a Serpent Queen more than she cares about being prom Queen, but since it’s important to Cheryl, it’s important to her. While getting ready for bed, Cheryl proposes they throw a dinner party before prom, but when Toni starts listing off classmates for them to invite, Cheryl clarified that she meant a family dinner party, especially for Toni’s family, as she hasn’t met them yet. Toni is apprehensive, explaining that while she’s out to her grandparents, they’re still not the most accepting and would probably be uncomfortable at a “big gay dinner party.” When Cheryl wonders what will happen when she meets them, if she’s just supposed to pretend not to be Toni’s girlfriend, she’s upset when the answer is yes. Toni acknowledges it’s messed up, but that’s her reality. When Toni visits her Nana to tell her about Cheryl, her Nana reveals that she already knows because Cheryl already stopped by. They get into a fight due to the violent history between the Blossoms and the Uktena tribe, but even after Toni tries to assure her that Cheryl is nothing like her family, her Nana says she won't allow her to date a Blossom. When Toni confronts Cheryl about going to see her Nana behind her back, Cheryl calls Toni out for lying about why her grandparents wouldn't be supportive; she thought it was because she's a lesbian, not a Blossom. Toni reminds her that what her family did to hers was horrible and tells her that her nana is begging her not to go prom with Cheryl because it would dishonor their family, and while Cheryl apologizes for going to see her nana, she hopes Toni will still go to Prom with her.
- Cheryl – “Toni! You came!”
- Toni – “Was there ever any doubt?”
Riverdale's first gay royal couple.
Just as Cheryl is getting ready to pose for her pictures on her own, Toni shows up in her dress, and they happily pose together. At prom, they dance together and have fun with their friends, and share a kiss when they're crowd prom queens, becoming the school's first openly gay royal couple. Cheryl offers to share their spotlight dance with the Core 4, but it's quickly interrupted by a faux snuff film of the masked voyeurs playing. As they're leaving the gym together, Toni regretfully informs Cheryl that she can't go home with her. Cheryl's confused, since she thought Toni chose her, but Toni explains she did tonight, but her nana said she'll never speak to her again if she's not home by midnight. Cheryl says she understands because family is the most important thing, and thanks her for coming with her tonight, because despite how it ended, she'll treasure the memories, always. Toni thanks her and tries to assure her that her nana will come around before they hug and part ways. Cheryl ends the night crying on the floor in her prom dress, telling Nana Rose that she's now realized she and Toni won't end up together, that she can no longer outrun her fate; she's a Blossom, destined to be alone.[41]
- Today I realized Toni and I won't end up together. Once again, I'm a victim of this family's curse. I can no longer outrun my fate. I am a Blossom... destined to be alone.
- —Cheryl, 5x01
Choni's last kiss for over eight years.
At school, Toni overhears Cheryl getting upset about her graduation gown being the wrong color, and approaches her at her locker to make sure she's okay and to apologize again for not going home with her after prom. It's not what either of them wanted, especially her, but it's family. Cheryl understands, but tells her that since she knows how Toni's family feels about hers, there's some family business she should attend to, while Toni assures her she'll keep working on her nana. Cheryl calls a virtual board meeting of the family business and proposes a plan to sell part of their land and have it declared sanctuary grounds for the Uktena people, then use the money from the sale to reopen and rebrand the factory, but nobody is interested in doing either of those things, and Aunt Cricket tells her that they'll never approve anything she wants to do as revenge for killing Bedford. Cheryl then goes to Penelope for advice and Penelope suggests she make herself scarce and to bring someone along as an alibi. So, when Toni spends the night, Cheryl invites her on a mini vacation to reconnect after all the mess at prom, to which Toni happily agrees. When Cheryl returns days later, Nana Rose informs her that their entire extended family is dead, that they poisoned themselves and left a note claiming it was to atone for their family's sins. Cheryl asks Penelope if she had anything to do with it, and she's told to consider it a graduation present, because now Cheryl has full control over the business to do with as she pleases.[42]
It's the last day of high school, and Cheryl and Toni spend it together and with their friends, looking over their yearbooks, performing their student council duties and celebrating when that final bell rings. On graduation day, Toni shows her nana around school and tells her that she's made a lot of special memories there, including with her girlfriend. Cheryl spots them from across the hall, but just as she's about to join them, she overhears Toni's nana tell her that she's proud of her and that she's honoring the Topaz name, and Cheryl realizes her presence would hinder that and walks away instead. While they sit together at graduation, Cheryl is subdued, and after, when she runs into Penelope in the parking lot, she reveals that she's considering not going to college anymore. Later that day, Cheryl and Toni gather with their friends to bury a time capsule: Toni puts in her Pretty Poisons jacket, since she'll always be a Serpent, and Cheryl puts in her HBIC shirt, since she didn't find anyone else worthy of it.
Toni dries Cheryl's tears.
- Toni. You know I love you with every ounce of my soul...
- —Cheryl, 5x03
That night, as they share a drink at Thistlehouse, Cheryl informs Toni that she's no longer going to Highsmith College with her because it doesn't feel right anymore and she needs to stay in Riverdale, where the damage from her family was done, to help the town and rehabilitate the Blossom legacy. Toni tries to talk her out of it, saying her nana is slowly making progress, but Cheryl tearfully tells her she loves her with every ounce of her soul, but she doesn't want Toni to have to choose between her and her family, and if she's successful with this endeavor, maybe she won't have to, but until then... But Toni stops her, not wanting to hear her say they're over, so Cheryl promises she never will.[43]
TIME JUMP
It’s been seven years since Cheryl and Toni broke up. Cheryl is now a reclusive painter living in a rebuilt Thornhill, while Toni is finally the Serpent Queen, a guidance counselor at Riverdale High, and pregnant. She also owns the Whyte Wyrm and lives in an apartment with Kevin and Fangs. When Archie returns to town, Toni gives him updates on everything he’s missed. He asks her about Cheryl, and she shares that when she got back to Riverdale after graduating college, she went to Thornhill to check up on Cheryl a few times, but always got the cold shoulder, until her most recent recent visit, when Cheryl said she was glad to see her and requested to paint her and she agreed.
Cheryl paints Toni.
While she posed, Cheryl revealed how well she kept up with Toni’s life since their break up by listing her college major and minor, her GPA and what charity work she did. When Toni pointed out that she was also pregnant, Cheryl faltered, but offered her congratulations, saying she wouldn't ask who the father is. Toni told her that she still talked to her family about Cheryl, that they recognize all she’s done to atone for her family over the years, and that she thinks they’d approve of them being together now. But Cheryl insisted that it’s not enough, and besides, she’s cursed to be alone, which is why she’s been rebuilding Thornhill, in an attempt to stay safe from that curse. She told Toni she’s glad she’s happy because she deserves to be, and they spent the next twelve hours in silence. Cheryl sent her the portrait she painted a week later and Toni hung it up in the Whyte Wyrm, and it's still there. When Archie questions why Cheryl didn’t keep it to remember their relationship, Toni dejectedly says she guesses Cheryl didn’t want it, but unbeknownst to her, Cheryl painted an exact copy of the painting of Toni to keep for herself.[44]
Toni asks for a favor.
Hiram's latest plan is to unincorporate the town, which would take away all the funding for public services, such as education. Toni, Archie, Alice and Kevin are fighting to keep Riverdale High open and staff it with more teachers, as the ones they have keep defecting to Stonewall Prep. Toni suggests that if they turn Riverdale High into a private school, then they can hire people without college degrees to teach. The only problem with that is that they'll lose their funding, which will happen if the town gets unincorporated anyway, so they'll need an investor. Toni reaches out to Cheryl to ask, and invites her to Pop's retirement party, but Cheryl says she's not interested in town politics and she can barely afford the renovations on Thornhill. Toni understands that Cheryl believes she's cursed, but insists she's not, and Cheryl argues that if she does this, it will just end up corrupted like everything else she tries to do. Then Toni asks if Cheryl would please do it for her; that if their love meant anything to her, she'll help them, and Cheryl can't deny her. At the town hall meeting, Toni announces that thanks to a very generous donor, they'll be able to keep Riverdale High open as a private school.[45]
- If you won't do it for the town... would you do it for me? Please? If our love ever meant anything to you, help us.
- —Toni, 5x05
Toni's plan is a success.
With budgets set but still tight, Archie requests more money for the football team, which Toni refuses because she’s had it earmarked for something else. She refuses to ask Cheryl for more money, but tells Archie if he wants to go ask, he can, which he does. But Cheryl tells him that she's already done her part, and when he tries to guilt her into giving more by mentioning Jason, she kicks him out. Unbeknownst to anyone else, after her donation to Toni, Cheryl is out of money, and must resort to trying to sell forged paintings to make more. She sets up a meeting with an appraiser, Minerva Marble, who seems convinced. But during their meeting, Cheryl gets a call from the high school's secretary, Miss Bell, informing her that Toni has restarted the cheerleading team, and was even walking around school in an HBIC shirt like Cheryl used to. While Cheryl is upset by this news at first, she later shows up at Toni's office pissed off, warning Toni that she's playing a dangerous game. But Toni just smirks in response, her plan to lure Cheryl out of the house successful.[46]
Toni's plan to bring out the old Cheryl works a little too well, because Cheryl shows up at Vixen practice ready for a dance off for control over them. When Toni declines due to her pregnancy, a Vixen volunteers to dance for her. When it ends in a tie, Toni offers to share coaching duties and Cheryl reluctantly agrees. But later, Toni finds Cheryl running a second practice without informing her, and overworking the girls. Cheryl insists Vixens are forged in fire like Blossoms, and Toni remarks that sounds like something Penelope would say, to which Cheryl warns her to be careful. When Cheryl shows up to the next practice and finds the gym empty except for Toni, Toni informs her that she's officially calling her out for how she's been behaving lately and since she's known her. Cheryl reminds her she doesn't know what she's been through the last seven years, but Toni isn't interested in hearing it, saying that Cheryl cursed herself and holing up in Thornhill isn't a sacrifice but selfish. Cheryl wonders if her donation was selfish, to which Toni counters that money isn't going to save this town, that there are people putting in actual work and she wants Cheryl to be on the ground with them as one of the good guys, but she'll have to take a good hard look in the mirror first. When Cheryl returns home, she finds Minerva there. She says she knows the painting she tried to sell her is a forgery, but before she goes to the authorities, they should chat. [47]
When Kevin and Fangs, who have been in an open relationship, announce their engagement to their friends, they also reveal that they’re the fathers of Toni’s baby, and that the three of them are having it together. An upset Cheryl confronts Toni in her office for not telling her about this, and Toni admits she wanted to, but wasn’t sure if they were even friends anymore after their recent fight. When Cheryl expresses confusion about why Toni would agree to this arrangement, Toni reveals that in college, she found out she has a condition that makes it harder to get pregnant the older she gets, so when Kevin and Fangs started talking about surrogacy and adoption, she volunteered. Cheryl expresses her sympathy and understands better, but still thinks doing this with them is a bad idea. Toni tells Cheryl she still cares about her deeply, and if she wants, they can still try to make a relationship work despite her situation, but Cheryl doesn’t see how that’s possible anymore. Cheryl later vents to Minvera, who is blackmailing her into painting her, about everything she’s just learned. She feels like Toni is flaunting her happiness in her face and has stuck a dagger in her heart. Minerva suggests that she can either step aside or infuse some chaos.
Footage taken moments before disaster.
- Cheryl – “Looks like fate has brought us together yet again, Antoinette. Destiny has manifested. I could feel it. After making this night all about you, I knew we would end up together.”
- Toni – “I don't believe in fate, Cheryl.”
At the Whyte Wyrm, she apologizes to Toni for how she acted earlier and asks for a do-over in the form of throwing them a celebration party. Toni agrees, telling Cheryl that her support means the world to her, and Cheryl informs the gang that they're all invited to a key party at her house, where they'll draw keys and are encouraged to follow their libidos with whoever they're paired with. After some drama goes down at the party, including Fangs bringing a date at Kevin's insistence, and everyone has chosen a key and left with someone, Cheryl ends up with Toni’s key. She claims fate has brought them together again, while Toni suspects Cheryl manipulated the evening so they’d end up together. Cheryl leads Toni into a gothic looking nursery she’s set up as a place where they can be together, with or without Kevin and Fangs, depending on if their relationship survives the night. She says she'd been compelled to rebuild Thornhill all these years without knowing why, and now she does, to give Toni and her baby a safe place. Toni is horrified by the gesture and scheming, feeling like Cheryl is trying to trap her like she felt she did with her dead brothers in Thistlehouse. She tells her that she’d never bring her baby into Thornhill, that she’s done trying to have a normal friendship with her and that she should have left their relationship in the past, where it belongs. She walks out, leaving Cheryl standing alone, in tears.[48]
MAKING AMENDS
Cheryl feels immense guilt and regret for what she’s done, and while she acknowledges that Toni may never forgive her, she tries to help Kevin and Fangs repair their fractured relationship. Fangs admits Cheryl’s antics revealed far bigger and deeper issues that were already there in their relationship, but Kevin isn’t interested in dealing with them yet.[49] Later, when Cheryl invites Kevin to join the ministry she and Penelope have started because it's helped her feel better than she has since the key party, he admits to her that walking out on Fangs and their baby is the worst thing he’s ever done. Cheryl says she can sympathize, because her own regrets from that night haunts her too. She advises Kevin to go to Fangs and try to make amends. Even though it doesn't work out because Fangs has moved on with Moose, they do clear the air and agree to be friends, and Kevin agrees to join Cheryl's church.[50]
Cheryl helps Toni deliver her baby.
When Toni, who has been on bed-rest recently, goes into labor during a Josie and the Pussycats concert at the Whyte Wyrm, Fangs declares that because they’ve been preparing for a home birth, they can handle it there, they just need another set of hands. heryl immediately volunteers and helps Fangs lead Toni up the stairs. After helping Toni give birth to her baby in the back room of Pop’s, Cheryl informs Kevin and all their waiting friends that Toni had a baby boy. Days later, when Toni and Fangs introduce the baby to everyone outside of Pop's and reveal his name is Anthony, named after her grandfather, Cheryl is much more somber and can’t seem to look at them.[51]
After Betty finds Polly dead, the gang gather in the Whyte Wyrm to offer her support. When Toni asks how the twins are doing and Betty says that Cheryl has been taking care of them, Cheryl shares that they hung up hummingbird feeder and they wait for their mother to come by; Toni tells her that's beautiful and Cheryl offers her a surprised smile before they both remember how strained things are between them. At work, Toni learns that Britta, a student that recently came out to her has been kicked out of her house by her homophobic parents and living in the school, so she and her social worker friend, Janet, are tasked with finding a place for her to stay. When Toni tells Fangs that she hasn't had any luck finding a place to take Britta in, he suggests she ask Cheryl. Toni refuses, but he insists that she's really changed, and leaves her to consider it.
Looks of love.
- I love you. And I felt your love. And I know the huge capacity for love your heart has.
- —Toni, 5x18
Later, Toni stops by Thornhill and explains Britta's situation to Cheryl, telling her that their stories are actually very similar and she thinks she could help her. When Cheryl expresses her surprise that Toni would trust her with something so important after everything, Toni reminds her that she loved her and felt Cheryl’s love for her, and therefore knows the huge capacity for love Cheryl’s heart has. Cheryl says she’d be honored to take Britta in. After coming home from Polly's funeral, Toni and Fangs discuss how well Cheryl and Britta seem to be getting along already, and Toni abruptly tells Fangs that she thinks he loves him, and he says he thinks he does too.[52]
While Toni starts dating Fangs, tortures Ghoulies and becomes a member of the newly founded town council, Cheryl discovers that her ancestor, Abigail Blossom, was a witch who was burned at the stake by the ancestors of Jughead, Betty and Archie. When she demands a public apology from them after the way she's had to atone for her own ancestors' sins for years and is rebuffed, she declares Thornhill will cede from Riverdale. Later, as a way to honor Abigail, Nana Rose convinces Cheryl to finish reciting the curse she started as she was being burned.[53]
RIVERVALE
A confluence of elements - including Cheryl's magic - combine to create another universe called Rivervale, where most things are the same as they were in Riverdale, but even darker, and with the presence of the supernatural. Just like in Riverdale, Cheryl is on the outs with the rest of the community, and is butting heads with Archie in particular. She believes a sacrifice needs to be made to ensure a plentiful harvest and Cheryl is concocting a plan to make it, but needs the cooperation of everyone in town.
Choni and Anthony.
Meanwhile, Toni and Fangs are struggling with Anthony, who has a bad case of colic and won't stop crying. When the doctor can't help, Fangs shares some advice he got from his grandma, who said that Serpent mothers used to leave their babies in Fox Forest overnight back in the day and when they'd pick them up in the morning, they'd be cured. At her wits end, Toni travels into Fox Forest that night, but just as she's about to leave Anthony on a stump, Cheryl appears on one of her walks. She asks what Toni is doing with Anthony, and when Toni mentions his colic, Cheryl offers to try to calm him down, and as soon as he's in her arms, he stops crying. When Toni asks how she managed that, she suggests it must be her calming perfume. She offers to mix up some for Toni if she'll agree to help her with her plan, and Toni does. Later, when Archie barges into the town council meeting to accuse Cheryl of killing the town's maple trees, Toni defends her and informs Archie that the council has accepted Cheryl's invite to a Maple festival at Thornhill on behalf of the town. Then they, along with the rest of the town, sacrifice Archie in a ritual killing after the festival.[54]
After Toni accidentally kills a teenage Ghoulie in front of his mother during a gang fight, she struggles with the guilt of it, imagining how she could ever survive if something happened to Anthony. Soon after, weird things start to happen to the children in town, including Anthony. So Toni, along with Betty, goes to Thornhill to ask Cheryl for help, and they discovers that La Llorona, a vengeful ghost who was drowned with her children, has been summoned by the mother of the Ghoulie Toni killed and is after Anthony. When they return to the Whyte Wyrm and find Fangs nearly drowned and Anthony missing, Toni rushes to Sweetwater River to save her son. La Llorona says she can't return to the water without a soul, so Toni offers to take her place to save Anthony and as penance for killing that boy. She gives Anthony to Betty, becomes La Llorona and disappears into Sweetwater River.[55]
When Nana Rose is close to death, Cheryl readies for another ritual, this time to be done in private, with only the help of her friend and fellow witch, Sabrina Spellman. Cheryl reads the stories of Abigail Blossom and Poppy Blossom to Nana Rose and Britta in preparation, and it's through one of those stories that it's revealed that Cheryl's ancestor Abigail and Toni's ancestor Thomasina were once in love in the 1890s.
- Everything, the stars, time, and even you and I, we're all part of an intertwining cosmic fabric.
- —Thomsina Topaz, 6x04
Abigail and Thomasina's first kiss.
Abigail ran a school for girls in Thornhill just as Cheryl does, and Thomasina arrived seeking shelter and a teaching job. Abigail interviewed Thomasina for the position, who kept her dark past a secret and claimed to not have a husband. When Abigail offered her the job, they shook hands, magically igniting a candle in the room. They butted heads at first over what was best to teach their girls: Abigail thought it best to teach proper etiquette and other ladylike things, while Thomasina was more interested in teaching them about science and other things men get to learn, particularly Bailey's Comet, which was set to pass over Rivervale soon. But after some reflection, Abigail decided that Thomasina was right, that they should be teaching the girls of a world they hope will exist some day, even if it didn't yet. When Thomasina asked how she could help, they shared their first kiss. They quickly fell in love, and after a policeman came looking for Thomasina, she confessed to Abigail that she was once in an arranged marriage with a man that used to abuse her, until she killed him in self defense and ran. Abigail offered her comfort and asked her to stay with her forever.
However, when Fen Fogarty, an ancestor of Fangs, arrived with a story that Abigail's twin brother's dying wish was for his sister to marry him, Abigail felt it was her duty to do so. But Thomasina didn't trust Fen's story or intentions, and urged Abigail not to agree until they investigated him properly, swearing she won't let any harm come to her. When they did sneak into Fen's room, they found objects of witchcraft and proof that Fen murdered Abigail's brother, but Fen caught them and held Thomasina hostage until Abigail agreed to marry him. She did so that she could kill him on their wedding night, but when she went in search of Thomasina to celebrate, she found Fen had already killed her. With his dying breath, Fen cursed Abigail to an eternity of lonely misery.
Abigail and Thomasina reunited.
- Happy sad endings are the best.
- —Sabrina Spellman, 6x04
In present time, Sabrina arrives and it's revealed that Cheryl is actually an immortal Abigail, and the spell they're casting is to transfer Abigail's soul into Nana Rose's mortal body, so that she can finally die. Sabrina and Nana Rose (now in Cheryl/Abigail's body) explain to Britta that Cheryl and Poppy were identities that Abigail had to create over the years to hide the immortality she was cursed with, and now that she's dead, she can finally be with her true love like she always wanted. Which is exactly what happens, when Abigail joins Thomasina in the afterlife, and they reunite with a hug and a kiss.[56]
Rivervale resets itself, the characters that recently died in Rivervale - including Toni, who wakes up in bed with Fangs - are alive again; Cheryl is no longer Abigail, and everyone thinks the previous supernatural events in Rivervale were just a strange dream. A second reset occurs when an explosion happens as Jughead is leaving Archie's house, and now, Toni and Cheryl are dating again, Jason and other longer dead characters are alive, and nobody but Jughead seems to have any recollection of either the previous events of Rivervale or their supposed dreams. The gang gather in the staff lounge to discuss Betty and Archie's upcoming wedding, and later Cheryl and Toni attend Betty's bachelorette party at the Babylonium. The next morning, as they're all recovering from hangovers at school, Cheryl comes in to show everyone a ransom note she got from someone who kidnapped Jason. After they find it was Clifford Blossom that did it, Jughead, who has started to remember the events of Riverdale, realizes how much the two universes are starting to blend. At Betty and Archie's rehearsal dinner at Pop's, Toni shows up late and in tears, informing the group that someone murdered Cheryl.
Choni gets the Rivervale endgame.
With the help of Ethel, Jughead figures out that both Rivervale and Riverdale are collapsing because Rivervale isn't supposed to exist, and needs to find a way to save Riverdale. He figures out what elements were at play in creating Rivervale and tries to recreate it with the help of Veronica, but his plan is spoiled when Archie reveals he killed her, just like he Narrator Jughead and Cheryl, in an attempt to prevent Jughead from destroying Rivervale before his father can come back to life. A fight breaks out and Betty saves Jughead, but just as they're trying to destroy Rivervale, the narrator comes to inform them that he has an idea that can save both universes. He reveals that after Archie killed him, he went to the afterlife, where Cheryl and Toni were together, and found a bunch of comics about Riverdale and Vale, realizing that the way to keep Rivervale going is through imagination: Jughead must lock himself in the bunker and continue writing the stories of Rivervale, while the narrator will take his place. Once Jughead is in the bunker, the universe resets itself one more time, and Betty and Jughead go downstairs with no memory of what just occurred, and find all their friends alive and waiting for them, including Cheryl, who has been reunited with Toni.[57]
THINGS GET WEIRDER
Back in Riverdale, things continue where they left off. When Britta informs Cheryl of the explosion at Archie’s house, she fears that Abigail’s curse was real and responsible, so she goes about trying to break it. However, she soon discovers that Britta, possessed by Abigail, keeps sabotaging her attempts. With Nana Rose’s help, they perform a spell meant to banish Abigail’s spirit from Britta’s body, which results in her inhabiting Cheryl instead. Elsewhere, Toni is dealing with the fallout torturing a Ghoulies, and thanks to some meddling from Archie, it ends with her and Fangs having to temporarily give Anthony to Kevin to keep him safe.[58]
Abigail sees Toni for the first time.
In the hopes of getting acclimated with this present day version of Riverdale, Abigail, in Cheryl’s body, attends a town council meeting with Britta, and all of her plans for revenge are paused when she sees Toni, who looks exactly like her beloved Thomasina. Britta explains who she is, and Abigail is instantly smitten, wanting to know everything there is to know about Toni. Back at Thornhill, Britta tells her that she doesn’t know why Cheryl and Toni broke up, just that they were together, and Abigail can’t believe they, as two women, were able to do so publicly. She uses Britta as an excuse to meet with Toni at school, claiming she wants to adopt her. Toni is happy to hear that, but informs her that there’s a lot of hoops to jump through before they can do that, to which Abigail suggestively invites Toni to Thornhill to go over it all with her. When Toni informs her that she has to work at the Wyrm that night, Abigail invites herself along.
There, Cheryl asks if Toni knows anything about her ancestor Thomasina, and gets upset when Toni calls her a spinster. She begins gushing about Thomasina, but just as she's telling her how she was murdered, Fangs joins them, giving Toni a casual kiss in greeting, triggering a flashback of his ancestor Fen and revealing their relationship to Abigail. Toni notices her reaction and apologizes for not getting a chance to tell her about their relationship. When Abigail asks how this happened and they mention Anthony, she gets so upset that she makes an excuse and rushes out. Toni can tell something is off with Cheryl, noting to Fangs that she didn't seem like Cheryl to her. Back at Thornhill, Abigail vents to Nana Rose and Britta about what she's just learned, and when Nana Rose expresses gratitude that Abigail can now stop being distracted by "Serpent trash", Abigail locks her up as punishment, declaring her mission to get revenge on her killers' descendants, and to do it with Thomasina by her side.[59]
- Cheryl doesn't even seem like Cheryl to me.
- —Toni, 6x07
Toni opens up to Abigail.
While visiting Thomasina's grave, Abigail reveals her plan to Britta: she will reincarnate Thomasina's soul into Toni's body and once they're reunited, they'll kill Fangs together and seal their love for eternity, but in order to do the ritual, she'll need some of Toni's blood. To get some, she brings a bouquet of roses to Toni's office and tends to the wound on her finger after she pricks it on a thorn. While doing so, Toni opens up to who she believes is Cheryl about what's been going on in her life. With the town's new villain Percival coming after her, she's been trying to rebrand the Serpents as an activist group, and just the night before, the police found illegal guns Fangs hid in their apartment for a gang fight he organized behind her back, which landed him in jail. But it's information about Archie that Abigail finds most valuable, and she uses it to try to kill him, which only tips off him, Betty and Jughead that something is off about Cheryl. With the help of Britta, they manage to capture Abigail and vanquish her spirit out of Cheryl's body and into the Julian doll by burning her at the stake again. Elsewhere, Percival ups his crusade against Toni by having Anthony kidnapped to make Toni look like an unfit mother, and when he's saved, Kevin files for sole custody of him because he feels he's not safe with Toni and Fangs.[60]
After Cheryl, Tabitha and the Core 4 have developed superpowers, a strange fog rolls into town, causing everyone to stay inside for the night. While Cheryl is visited by Penelope, who claims to be reformed and gives her letters from Cheryl's junior high crush Heather that she hid from her, Toni is stuck at home with Fangs while they wait for Kevin in the hopes that they can settle this custody issue between themselves instead of wasting time and money in court. However, Kevin ends up canceling, which angers Fangs, who then turns town Kevin's offer to settle it the next morning without informing Toni.[61] The case continues to cause a lot of friction between Toni and Fangs, who can't agree on how best to handle the case, Kevin, or how they want to raise Anthony. Toni confides in her social worker friend, Janet, about how bad things have gotten between them, but when Janet tells her that the best thing Toni and Fangs have going for them in the case is the fact that they're a couple, Toni proposes to Fangs without revealing her motives to him. Meanwhile, after Cheryl contacts her, Heather shows up in Riverdale and they reconnect. Cheryl tells Heather about her relationship with Toni, while Heather introduces Cheryl to witchcraft and helps her embrace her identity as a witch. [62]
- I was seeing someone special, named Toni. We had a beautiful and nurturing relationship for a time, but we've both gone on to forge different paths. We're friends.
- —Cheryl, 6x15
Not wanting Cheryl to hear about the engagement from anyone else, Toni goes to Thornhill to share the news with her. Cheryl tries to hide her upset, and is assisted by Heather, who joins them. Cheryl introduces her to Toni, who is surprised and wonders if she's the same Heather that Cheryl told her about all those years ago at Pop's. Cheryl confirms it is and that they've reconnected recently. Toni is happy for her and invites them to come to the bachelorette party at the Babylonium. After Toni has left, Heather asks a quiet Cheryl how she's doing, assuring her that it would be normal to feel strange about an ex-girlfriend getting married, but Cheryl snaps at her to stop building a false narrative about how she's feeling because she's perfectly fine. Then she heads to Kevin's apartment and asks if he wants to curse Toni and Fangs' unholy union with her. They cast a spell to put a wedge in their relationship, allowing the universe to decide what that wedge should be. Later, she visits their apartment, hoping to sees some results, only to discover that Anthony has suddenly come down with a case of colic and has kept them up all night crying. Realizing that Anthony is the wedge, Cheryl rushes out to quickly put an end to the spell, then calls Heather for help reversing the effects. Heather accompanies her back to their apartment with a cure for Anthony's colic, and while they're discussing it in his room, Toni and Cheryl both have flashbacks of the night in the woods from Rivervale. Once they're back at Thornhill, Heather asks Cheryl why she's been so upset, to which Cheryl admits that it's partly because a part of her has been holding on to the idea that she and Toni were fated to reunite, but also because she's scared to open herself up to another person and be hurt again. Heather suggests that they just have fun and see what happens, and after they return home from Toni's bachelorette party, they spend the night together.[63]
- Part of me was holding on to the idea that Toni and I were fated to reunite.
- —Cheryl, 6x17
Toni dying in Cheryl's arms.
As the wedding approaches, weirder things than usual start to happen in Riverdale and the gang learn that it's because Percival has brought biblical plagues to town. Cheryl informs Heather that Toni called to ask her to officiate the wedding, to which she agreed, and Heather commends her for doing such a nice thing. Cheryl then declares she plans on giving Toni the best wedding gift ever: she's going to kill Percival for her. They skip the rehearsal dinner to perform a spell meant to kill him, but it backfires and instead only harms Nana Rose. When it's discovered that Percival is after Anthony, the gang devise a plan that ends in his capture, so that the wedding can go forward, and Kevin even drops the case just before and scores an invite. The ceremony takes place in the Whyte Wyrm, where Cheryl wears her red Serpent jacket, introduces Toni as her dearest friend and does her job well, even though it's obviously hard for her. It goes off without a hitch, but just as it's finishing, Percival escapes his bindings and evokes the final plague, death of the first born, which causes half the guests at the reception to start dropping dead, including both Fangs and Toni. Cheryl rushes to Toni sides when she falls, but there's nothing anyone can do, and soon, the Whyte Wyrm is full of dead bodies. Sometime later, Cheryl is in tears with the rest of her surviving friends, including Anthony, when Heather reveals she might know somebody who can help bring everyone back to life: Sabrina.[64]
In an effort to trick Percival into believing he's won, Cheryl and the rest of the living go through the motions of grieving their loved ones, even going so far as to have graves made for them, while they wait for Sabrina to arrive. When she does, she informs them they'll need six witches for a resurrection spell, so she makes Betty, Veronica and Tabitha witches, and then does a trial run resurrection on only Jughead. But when she goes to the Sweet Hereafter to coax his soul back into his body, he doesn't want to come back, so Sabrina proposes that the girls will have to go in and convince them, hoping they'll be more receptive to their loved ones than a stranger. In order to do that, they'll have to temporarily die in order to cross over, but Cheryl doesn't hesitate to volunteer to go get Toni (and Fangs, she supposes, and Nana Rose and Dagwood). Meanwhile, in the Sweet Hereafter, the Serpents have finally reached peace with the Ghoulies and Anthony is grown and in love with one of them; he's just telling Toni and Fangs about their relationship and his desire to marry his boyfriend just as Cheryl makes her grand entrance. Cheryl tries to explain to them that they're dead and in their version of Serpent Heaven, but neither of them believe her, insisting nothing bizarre happened at their wedding. Fangs accuses Cheryl of making this all up because she always hated that Toni chose him over her and trying to sabotage them like she did Polly and Jason. Cheryl keeps her composure and tries to appeal to Toni's motherly instinct, telling her that her real son is still a baby and needs her, and she would never abandon him like this.
When neither Tabitha nor Veronica were successful in convincing Jughead or Archie to come back either, Sabrina informs them that there's a way to bring them back even without their agreement: Cheryl. Turns out, she possesses the power of the Phoenix, which means she has a gift of resurrection. Though there's a risk of ripping their friends from the Sweet Hereafter, the girls all decide it needs to be done, so Cheryl heads to the Blossom mines, where all the bodies are, and begins the ritual to bring them back to life. As she does, Toni, looking at half empty photo albums in the Sweet Hereafter, realizes that Cheryl had been right and they don't belong there.[65]
END OF THE WORLD
After the gang finally defeats Percival, he leaves them with one last problem to overcome: Bailey's Comet is now heading straight for Riverdale instead of passing by it and if it hits, it will be an extinction level event. He's used a binding spell, preventing anyone from leaving Riverdale, and to everyone else in the world, it appears as if Bailey's Comet will simply pass over them as it's meant to. The gang gather in Archie's house to figure out what to do, and Cheryl suggests that while the magic Percival used is far beyond her or Heather's knowledge, they do have someone else they can contact. It turns out to be Abigail, who tells the story of Thomasina explaining to her that comets are made of ice, which means that Cheryl can use her powers to melt it. However, if they want to know how to break the binding spell and get out of Riverdale, it will cost them a favor.
Ritual preperation.
Cheryl gathers the group in Thornhill and shares the good news, but cautions that it will take all of her Phoenix powers to do, and because its her powers keeping the resurrected dead alive, one or more of those people - including Toni - may die as a result. After, she asks to speak with Toni alone, where she explains that Abigail requested a night with her beloved Thomasina, in exchange for the information on how to break the binding spell, and in order to do that, they need two vessels to make it happen: Cheryl will be Abigail and Toni will be her ancestor, Thomasina. When Toni wonders about Fangs and Heather, Cheryl says Heather is fine with it and it's not technically cheating as their souls won't be in their bodies; Heather will keep them in a jar until the lovemaking ends. Once Toni has agreed, Toni and Cheryl hold hands as Heather begins the spell, and their souls leave their bodies as they transform into their ancestors. As Abigail and Thomasina marvel at the fact that they're together again, Heather notices that Cheryl and Toni's souls are attached to each other in the jar, and she looks distressed as she watches them run off to have sex.
Things left unsaid.
- Cheryl – “Toni. Thank you.”
- Toni – “Of course... Anything to possibly save the town.”
After Thomasina and Abigail are through and Toni and Cheryl's souls are back in their bodies, they wake up in bed together. They both ask each other if either remember anything that happened, and both of them are quick to deny that they do. Just as Toni is about to leave, Cheryl stops her by taking her hand and thanks her for the help. Toni takes a breath and plays it down as doing anything to possibly save the town, and they share a smile as she leaves the bed. Cheryl watches her go regretfully. Abigail thanks Cheryl for fulfilling her wish and tells her that to break the binding spell, she just needs to undo the knots in a giant rope. When Cheryl and Heather are doing just that later, Heather tells Cheryl that if she manages to melt the comet, that she will return home to Greendale. When Cheryl asks why, Heather reveals that she saw something during the ritual earlier: Cheryl and Toni are forever soulmates. Cheryl argues that Toni is with Fangs, but Heather assures her that's only the case for now, but that Cheryl and Toni's fate is written in the stars and transcends time.[66]
Later, when Toni is hiding in the bunker with Fangs and Anthony, and Cheryl is alone at Pop's, waiting for the comet, the whole group sings a song from their places scattered around town. Toni and Cheryl harmonize a section together, thinking of one another as their world threatens to end.[67]
THE 50s
It's revealed that Cheryl was unable to stop the comet and it hit Riverdale, but on the moment of impact, Angel Tabitha used the last of her life force to send everyone back to 1955, where they're teenagers again and the memories of their lives in the present have been erased. She explains to Jughead that while she attempts to untangle the various timelines that knotted when the comet struck, they need to stay there and make a go at it, and try to ensure the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, so that they can return to a future where Riverdale that isn't on the verge of moral collapse. But she warns him it might take awhile.
Toni's already in love.
In October 1955, Riverdale High is recently integrated and Toni is trying to get the story of Emmett Till's murder published in the school's newspaper, the Blue & Gold, but is shut down by Principal Featherhead and other avenues they try to take. When Betty says she's going to publish it anyway, Toni suggests that she read a poem about Emmett Till on the announcements instead. Betty points out that Cheryl, as class president, is in charge of the announcements and the Blossoms also shut down one of their attempts to speak out about Emmett Till on the news channels they own, but Toni says that even though she doesn't know her well, she has faith Cheryl will help them. They approach Cheryl in the bathroom and ask for help, and when she tells them that Featherhead will just unplug her like he has before, they assure her they'll handle him, so she agrees. They have Tabitha pretend to pass out on the football field, getting both Featherhead and his secretary, Miss Bell, out of the office, so that Cheryl can introduce Toni and allow her to read her poem over the announcements. Later, Featherhead gathers Cheryl, Toni, Betty and Tabitha in his office to punish them, and when Cheryl plays innocent, Toni is intrigued by her.[68]
The school is putting on a sock hop, at which Kevin is performing. Toni approaches Cheryl as she's selling tickets and flirts with her until she gets flustered, then suggests that she should have her friend Fangs play the dance instead, since he's much cooler than Kevin's band. Cheryl declines, not wanting to attract greasers to the event. The next day, Cheryl notices that nobody is buying tickets to the sock hop anymore and asks Dilton Doiley why. He says the Serpents, led by Toni, are threatening to egg anyone that goes, causing Cheryl to seek Toni out at The Dark Room, a coffee house for beatniks, and tell her off. Instead, Toni invites her to sit and hang out so she can hear Fangs play and they can get to know one another.
Cheryl takes a risk.
- Toni – “Just one boogie woogie and I'll stop hassling you if that's what you really want.”
- Cheryl – “Fine, but just one dance.”
The following day, Toni and Cheryl are selling sock hop tickets together, with Toni threatening people into buying some. When she asks Cheryl if she's told Kevin he's being replaced by Fangs, Cheryl says not yet, but she will, doing a little flirting of her own by using some of Toni's lingo she picked by hanging out with her. At the sock hop, Toni asks Cheryl to dance, and though she tries to resist, she eventually agrees to just one dance. Cheryl is a bit self conscious of dancing with another girl at first, but quickly loosens up, not realizing that Featherhead is watching them closely. Later, as Cheryl is staring at Toni from across the gym longingly, Featherhead approaches her and pointedly comments on the boys and girls dancing in chaste harmony, just as God intended, and asks if Cheryl agrees. Scared, Cheryl nods, saying everything is as it's meant to be.[69]
- And I have a feeling it might razz your berries.
- —Toni to Cheryl, 7x03
Toni's the girl of Cheryl's dreams.
When Penelope grows concerned by Cheryl's painting of a half naked woman, she tasks Julian (now a real live boy and Cheryl's twin brother) with setting her up with a boy and he approaches Archie, encouraging him to ask Cheryl out. Toni invites Cheryl to come see her spoken word poetry performance at the Dark Room, sure it will razz her berries, but Cheryl declines. Toni's friend Lizzo calls her out on always going after straight laced girls and warns her there's no future with Cheryl, but Toni isn't convinced or deterred. When Archie asks Cheryl out to the movies, she sees an opportunity to go see Toni's show without seeming suspicious, and accepts Archie's invite, as long as they can go to the poetry reading at the Dark Room instead. At the show, Cheryl zones out during Toni's performance, imagining she's performing just for her and getting turned on as she does, which Toni notices. She's so upset when she snaps out of it that she makes Archie take her home, where she forces herself to kiss him and asks him to pick her up for school the next day; she breaks down crying once she's alone inside. That night, she has a sexual dream about making out with Toni, and the next day, makes a big show of walking down the hall holding Archie's hand, which greatly amuses Toni. After a confusing Sex Ed class, Veronica invites everyone over to her place for a make out party, but when Toni tries to tell Cheryl she doesn't have to try to prove anything by going to it or by parading Archie around, Cheryl snaps at her, telling her to stop making assumptions about her like her mother does. At the party, Fangs draws Cheryl's name but she refuses to kiss him, and Toni ends up paired with Julian, whom she does kiss in an attempt to make Cheryl jealous. The next day, Cheryl lies to Penelope about sleeping with Archie to get her off her back, while Toni admits to Veronica that she's interested in someone and playing the long game, but she doesn't want to say who just yet.[70]
Locker room heart to hearts.
- Cheryl – “What makes you think you know me better than I know myself?”
- Toni – “I was you.”
After Cheryl asks Archie to corroborate her lie about having sex, telling him that it will keep her safe from her family, things quickly spiral out of control, as their parents get involved and decide that it's best that they get married to save Cheryl's reputation. They halfheartedly go through the process of preparing for a wedding for their own reasons, until Archie suggesting they run away to California and elope instead. It isn't until Toni, after overhearing their conversation about eloping, confronts Cheryl that she truly starts questioning what they're doing. Toni tells her that running away would be a huge mistake because even though she can run away from Riverdale and her family, she can't outrun herself. When Cheryl questions why she thinks she knows her better than Cheryl knows herself, Toni admits that it's because she was her. She asks if Cheryl loves Archie, but all Cheryl can say is that he's an amazing person that's nothing like his family. Toni tells her that no matter how far she runs, she'll eventually have to face who she really is, otherwise she'll wither away.
Cheryl takes her advice and breaks up with Archie instead of leaving town with him, telling him that it was a wonderful dream, but that's all it was; she can't keep running away from her problems, at least not this one. Then she finds Toni at the Dark Room to tell her that she didn't end up going with Archie, and then admits she doesn't know where to go there. Toni offers her a lesbian pulp novel, The Cost of Pepper, and advises her to read it and see if any of it resonants with her.[71]
- Damn, Topaz. You must really be on the hook.
- —Lizzo to Toni, 7x06
Crush Filter.
When Cheryl returns the book, Toni invites her to the Dark Room to chat about it, but Cheryl declines because she has cheerleading try outs, something she knows wouldn't interest Toni, as it's too square an activity. Taking it as a challenge, Toni shows up and tries out for the River Vixens, where Cheryl sees Toni's entire routine in slow motion, and offers her a spot on the squad. Evelyn Evernever privately expresses concern about having a rumored lesbian on the squad, but Cheryl vehemently denies that Toni is interested in girls. Meanwhile, Toni's Serpent friend Lizzo teases her about how into Cheryl she must be to try out for the cheerleading squad. Later, Toni catches Evelyn snooping around her locker looking for evidence of her sexuality. When Evelyn tells her Cheryl denied that Toni liked girls and she didn't believe her, Toni demands to know exactly what Cheryl said. Upset by Cheryl's actions, Toni confronts her, telling her that she had no right to do that because Toni isn't ashamed of who she is, while Cheryl explains that she was just trying to protect her. When Toni expresses she's done doing whatever this has been with Cheryl, it prompts Cheryl to finally be truthful about her own feelings; she confesses to Toni that she is attracted to girls and that she's attracted to her.
- Cheryl – “I am attracted to girls. And I think, maybe, I'm attracted to you.”
- Toni – “You think or you know?”
- Cheryl – “I know.”
- Toni – “Finally. We're getting somewhere.”
Choni's second first kiss.
They go to the Dark Room to talk further, where Toni shares that she's known she was into boys and girls for as long as she can remember, and that her parents caught her kissing her female neighbor when she was a preteen and they kicked her out, leaving her to live with her grandmother, who mostly approves of her sexuality. Cheryl shares a story about Penelope cutting ties with her sister for being a lesbian, and how it made Cheryl wonder if she was like her aunt, but unable to live like her. She explains that her brief bout of dating Archie was about playing a role, but now she's ready for something else, which Toni can dig. Cheryl makes a statement at Vixens practice, assigning Toni to the top of the pyramid and telling Evelyn she can quit if she's unhappy with it. When they're alone in the locker room later, Toni thanks her and asks if she can show her appreciation, to which Cheryl says that would be more than okay, and they share their first kiss[72]
GOING STEADY
Post game ritual.
After a secret steamy make out session after a basketball game, Cheryl suggests that she and Toni should go steady when they get a minute alone in the locker room. Toni wonders what the point would be since it's not like they can do anything publicly like hold hands in the hallway, and when Cheryl says it could just be a secret for them, Toni says it's something only squares do. Cheryl understands and says it's already like they're going steady anyway. The next day at school, Lizzo teases Toni about being a cheerleader and calls her out for always going after closeted girls because she knows there's no future there. Toni also catches up with Tabitha, who expresses disappointment she's not writing for the Blue & Gold anymore, and surprise that she's a cheerleader now. After Cheryl assigns all the Vixens to a basketball player to bake for and help with studying as is tradition, she notices Toni's displeasure and asks her what's wrong later in the locker room. Toni says that she can't be a Vixen anymore, that this isn't what she wants her life to be about and it just isn't her. Cheryl understands, but wonders if this has anything to do with her asking her to go steady. Toni says it doesn't, but on that topic, she's not the settling down type, that she feels like she's lost herself in Cheryl's square scene, and she needs space to figure herself out.
While hanging out with Clay and Tabitha, Toni tells them about her idea to start a literary club for Black students. They're both supportive, but when Tabitha wonders if she'll be doing that on top of cheerleadering, she confesses that she quit because she only joined because she had a crush on Cheryl, but that's over. When Clay questions what happened, Toni says that she and Cheryl are just too different - she's rich, white and a Blossom - and it would be impossible, to which he disagrees; he's dating Kevin, and though it's hard, they make it work. It just depends on how much you like the person. Toni seems to consider this.
- I joined the Vixens for the wrong reasons. It was because I had a crush on a girl. Cheryl Blossom.
- —Toni, 7x08
Trying again.
Later that day, Toni approaches Cheryl to ask her, as class president, about getting money from the school's budget for her club. Cheryl says the club sounds like a good idea and she'll ask, but warns her Featherhead will need to approve it and promises to help with any possible fundraising if he denies the request. Before she leaves, she asks Toni if she ended things with her because she's white, and Toni admits that was one of the many interconnected reasons and Cheryl understands. At a fundraiser for the basketball team at her house, Cheryl overhears her parents saying racist and unkind things about new player Reggie, and steals the money from the fundraiser to give to Toni for her club, deeming it a more worthy cause. Toni thanks her, but before she can leave, she invites her to go to the Dark Room to talk. Not wanting to make assumptions, Cheryl asks what they would be talking about, and Toni confirms it would be to talk about what it would mean if they gave their relationship a second chance.[73]
Secret moments in a crowded room.
- Toni – “What's your tale, nightingale?”
- Cheryl – “To be honest, I'm really missing you.”
Between the Vixens and Toni's new literary club, Black Athena, Cheryl is missing Toni because they never get to see each other, and when they do, they have to be far apart, like they are then, in the student lounge. Cheryl asks Toni out to the movies, but Toni has to finish reading the assigned book for Black Athena, Native Son, which prompts Cheryl to ask if she can come to a Black Athena meeting, just to observe. Toni gently tells her that it's too early, but maybe once the club is more established and settled, she can. Cheryl understands, and Toni carefully offers her hand in comfort. Later, after Cheryl discovers that Clay has invited Kevin to attend a Black Athena meeting, she brings it up to Toni again at the Dark Room, saying he claimed it was life changing. Toni can see how much coming means to Cheryl, and says she can come if she really wants to and leans Cheryl her copy of Native Son. Cheryl assures her that she does not take this lightly, but that she can't wait.
At the Black Athena meeting, Cheryl sits and listens as the other members discuss their thoughts on Native Son, until she's asked if she has any to share. She's hesitant at first, but eventually says it was the most powerful novel she's ever read and that the white family in it reminded her of her own family in a lot of unpleasant ways. When another student asks Cheryl if this was the first book by a Black author she's ever read, she admits it is, but she's looking forward to reading more, to which Clay offers to give her a reading list of books by Black authors. Toni looks on, proud.
Toni's smitten.
Afterward, as Toni and Cheryl clean up after the meeting, they discuss how it went. They both admit that they were worried things would be uncomfortable and Cheryl worried she'd say the wrong thing, but that everything went well, and Toni expresses that it was really nice to have her there. But while Cheryl had a good time and it meant a lot to see Toni in her element, it made her realize that Black Athena is Toni's space, and she should be able to have that to herself, so in the future, she'll just attend their public events. Toni suggests that Cheryl can still read some books off Clay's list, and Cheryl builds on that, saying that they can discuss them between themselves when she's done. Toni likes that plan and then invites her on a date to Fangs' concert.[74]
- I think you were right to be so protective of Black Athena. It's your club, your space. I am so grateful that I got to experience it, and that I got to see first-hand what you're so passionate about. But I think in the future I will just attend the more public events.
- —Cheryl, 7x10
Concert Kiss.
When Veronica discovers that Halloween isn't really celebrated by teenagers in Riverdale, she decides to host a ghost show at the Babylonium. Toni invites Cheryl to spend the night with her at the show, since Veronica has roped her into performing a number with her Clay and Kevin. Cheryl tells her that it's tradition for the Vixens to have a sleepover at her house on Halloween, to which Toni says it's not a big deal, she just figured that Halloween is a chance for them to be themselves, since everyone else is wearing masks while they don't have to for a change. The next day, Midge approaches Cheryl to request permission to skip the sleepover so she can see her boyfriend Fangs perform at the ghost show, and Cheryl admits that she's curious about the show herself, and perhaps they could go together, as long as Midge swears she'll keep anything she sees there a secret. Toni is over the moon when Cheryl shows up at the show, telling her it means a lot that she would agree to come and perform with her. Cheryl admits that Toni was right, that if they can't let their masks slip on Halloween, when can they? They perform a musical number on stage with Kevin, Clay and Veronica, during which Cheryl impulsively kisses Toni in front of the entire crowd, a move that is met with applause.
No regrets.
- Toni – “I'm really happy that us four put our masks away. Even if it was only for one short, magical night.”
- Cheryl – “I wholeheartedly concur.”
Later, Toni and Cheryl go on a double date with Midge and Fangs at Pop's, where Cheryl learns that Midge is pregnant, and promises not to tell anyone. Midge says that was some kiss they had on stage, and Toni agrees, saying she's not complaining but it was pretty brazen, but Cheryl says she'll claim she was possessed by the Halloween spirit if anyone ever questions her about it. When Toni says she's grateful the four of them were able to be themselves with each other for the night, Cheryl agrees and holds her hand, unaware that Evelyn is watching them from across the diner.[75]
Thanks to Evelyn, news of Cheryl and Toni's kiss reaches Cheryl's parents, and her father tells her that the only way to redeem herself for her deviant ways is to confirm that all the students on a list they've curated are also gay. When she refuses, he tells her that he'll take away the one thing she cares about - the Vixens - if she doesn't comply. At school, Cheryl immediately tells Toni, Kevin and Clay about the list they're all on and that her father and Featherhead are after them. When Kevin tells her she can't confirm the list, Toni snaps that she'd never do that. They question who would have snitched on Cheryl, and she realizes it must have been Evelyn, who readily admits to it.
Cheryl will always choose Toni.
- Cheryl – “Isn't such play acting a betrayal of everything you stand for?”
- Toni – “It is. But for you, for all our sakes... I can live with that.”
While gathered at the Dark Room the next day, Cheryl rants about her predicament until Toni informs her that she, Kevin and Clay have come up with a plan that might take some of the heat off them: Cheryl will pretend to date Kevin and Toni will pretend to date Clay in public, while they can be themselves in private. When Cheryl points out that hiding her sexuality and pretending to be someone she's not goes against everything Toni stands for, Toni admits it does, but for Cheryl, for all of them, she can live with that. The next day, the four of them make a big show of walking down the hallway as new couples, much to Evelyn's chagrin and Cheryl, inspired by Archie's dramatic reading from the Crucible, tells her father and Featherhead that she will never sign off on their list, and resigns from the Vixens. Later, Toni, Kevin and Clay thank her, knowing how much the Vixens mean to her, and Cheryl laments that in a just world, she would be able to be a cheerleader and love who she chooses, but when given the unspeakable choice, there was no choice. But she's glad that at least with those three, she can be herself.[76]
- In a just world, a young woman should be able to love who she chooses and be a cheerleader, but clearly we don't live in a just world. So when given the unspeakable choice... there was no choice.
- —Cheryl, 7x13
Choni's last duet.
When Kevin and Clay write a musical about Archie’s senior year for their friends to star in, Cheryl and Toni aren’t happy with being glorified chorus girls, nor are they happy when they shoehorn them into a song about all the girls fighting over Archie. Cheryl challenges Kevin to write something more truthful about them, as well as himself and Clay. He later presents them with a song about what it’s like to be in a gay interracial relationship in the 1950s, and the two couples sing it together in the music room, as well as imagine singing it to each other in the privacy of their bedrooms. Cheryl and Toni are much happier with this song, but when Kevin says it won’t be in the musical because Riverdale is too provincial and it was just written for them to enjoy on their own, they decide to drop out of the show because they already do enough pretending in their real lives. But later, when Kevin is upset about his parents divorce, Cheryl and Toni join the rest of their friends in singing and comforting him.[77]
Evelyn clocks Choni.
- It's the worst kept secret in town. Second worst, after you two.
- —Evelyn to Cheryl & Toni, 7x15
It's time for the annual Miss Teen Riverdale pageant, and Cheryl, as the reigning crown holder, feels she has to compete, while Toni wants to compete because it's the first year the pageant is integrated and she wants the country to see at least one Black woman competing, even though she knows she'll never win. Betty, Veronica, Evelyn and Midge are also in the running, but when Alice discovers that Midge is pregnant, she’s forced to withdraw from the competition and is sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Because Cheryl and Toni are the only ones who knew Midge’s secret, they answer all the questions the other girls have, as well as scold Evelyn for her insulting comments. They take it upon themselves to inform Fangs of what’s happened to Midge, but warn him against trying to do anything about it, since the secret of him being the father might still be safe. Instead, Cheryl sets up a phone call between the two. Ethel takes Midge’s place, and the girls all band together to help her win.[78]
THE ART OF LOVE
Just some of Choni's photoshoot.
Cheryl and Toni are at school, hunched over a magazine gushing about Bettie Page, when Lizzo shows them a copy of her favorite underground lesbian pinup mag, Femme-and-In Magazine. They're both immediately fascinated by it, and Toni asks if they can borrow it, to which Lizzo says they can keep it since she always gets two copies, as long as they don't get caught with it. Later at the Dark Room, Toni suggests that they do a pinup photoshoot of their own, since she has her own camera and it even has a timer so they can both be in the pictures. Cheryl then says that they can pick their favorite one for her to make an oil painting of in the style of their favorite pulp novel covers, and that the chapter in Thornhill will be the perfect place for it, since nobody in her family ever uses it. During the photoshoot, Toni starts by taking a few solo pictures of Cheryl before she joins her, and they slowly lose more of their clothes as the session goes on.
Cheryl paints a masterpiece.
- Cheryl – “It's official. You're a genius.”
- Toni – “Well, photography's no big whoop when you have subjects as stunning as, well us.”
Toni develops the photos in the school’s dark room the next day, and then shows them to Cheryl outside of school, who is very impressed by her talents. Toni insists it’s not hard when her subjects are as stunning as them and tells Cheryl that Femme-and-In magazine publishes amateur photos too, but Cheryl playfully suggests they should wait until after they graduate for that. They agree on a favorite and Toni says she can’t wait to see Cheryl’s painting of them. Cheryl finishes the painting quickly, but while she’s at Polly’s burlesque show with Toni and Lizzo, Penelope finds it. When Cheryl goes to the chapel the next day, she finds the painting destroyed and all their photos ripped up. Penelope is smug about what she’s done when Cheryl confronts her, so Cheryl meets Toni at Pop’s to ask if she still has the negatives of their photoshoot. Toni says she does, and Cheryl declares that she’s tired of living at her parents' mercy, that she’s ready to shut them up and shut them down.[79]
Betty's a fan of the photoshoot.
Cheryl and Toni develop another set of their pictures in the school's dark room with the intention of having them published in Femme-and-In magazine, as a grand coming out that will tarnish Cheryl's parents' reputations. Cheryl bumps into Betty in the hallway a little later, spilling the pictures on the floor, and Betty picks up one of them kissing. When she questions Cheryl about the photos, Cheryl says she's sick of lying and admits that she's going steady with Toni. Betty is not very surprised, and admits to Cheryl that she's the Girl Next Door, the one giving advice in the anonymous newsletter The Teen Mystique. Cheryl is impressed by the admission and honored to meet her, and Betty shares that she plans on publishing a book version of the newsletter and thinks Cheryl and Toni's story and pictures would fit into it perfectly. Cheryl agrees that it would be a better way to come out than in Femme-and-In, and says she'll discuss it with Toni. Betty then asks if Cheryl and Toni would be willing to take photos of her and paint her portrait for the cover of her book, and they agree. They go over to her house that night and do a photoshoot in her bedroom. Later, Cheryl and Toni attend Josie's movie premiere together.[80]
After Cheryl and Jughead team up to expose Cheryl's parents secret life as Russian spies,[81] things in Riverdale start to change. At Toni's suggestion and insistence, Mr. Weatherbee is hired as Riverdale's first Black principal, replacing Featherhead, who stepped down from the position after the Blossoms were taken down. Elsewhere, Cheryl challenges Evelyn to a dance off to regain her position as captain of the Vixens, and when she does, she comes out to her squad, telling them that she's going steady with Toni and anyone that has a problem with that can leave. The squad supports her, and two other Vixens reveal they're also dating.
- I have decided to live in the light. I'm going steady with Toni Topaz. And if anyone here has a problem with that, you are more than welcome to follow Evelyn out that door and into a dumpster.
- —Cheryl to the Vixens, 7x19
Choni get ready to binge Seasons 1-6.
Angel Tabitha returns and explains to Jughead that everyone's inherent goodness and actions in the 50s has started to change the future for the better, and that though she was able to weave all the different timelines into one and stabilize it, it means she can no longer move people through time, which means that they all have to stay in the 50s. But she can give everyone their memories of their old lives back, and they can choose whether to keep them or forget then. Jughead explains this to the gang, who come to him in groups to watch the tapes of their previous lives that Tabitha has provided. Cheryl and Toni, along with Reggie, Fangs and Dilton approach him last. Jughead warns them that some of what they'll see will be disturbing and that at times, they might not even recognize themselves, but they all want to know about their past lives, so Cheryl and Toni hold hands and settle in.
Choni watch their first kiss.
Once everyone has seen everything and remembers their past lives, Cheryl and Toni are still together, huddled together as the gang gathers in an empty classroom to discuss what they want to do. Tabitha and Jughead ask them if they want to remember their knowledge or erase it, and Veronica says they've all been talking about it and asks Tabitha if it's possible for them to just remember the good times they had, but forget things like superpowers, Gargoyle Kings and serial killers. Though Jughead doesn't think that's possible, Tabitha says she can do that, reset their memories and only reshare the good; it's the least she can do, she says. Cheryl, Toni and all their friends gather together at Veronica's movie theater, the Babylonium, and a watch a highlight reel of their previous lives, including Cheryl and Toni's first kiss, to remember.[82]
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Back in 2023, as an 86 year old Betty nears death, Narrator Jughead lets her revisit a day in the past that she missed, the day of Senior year where they handed out the yearbooks, since she always regretted missing it. As she looks around Riverdale High, she hears Toni doing the morning announcements, as the senior class president. She reads another poem by Langston Hughes, and Betty looks over all the old framed articles in the Blue & Gold office, reminiscing about how Toni always made sure Riverdale High was in dialogue with the greater issues affecting the country, like Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, and Narrator Jughead confirms that she continues doing that kind of work. Betty later gets her yearbook from Cheryl, who reminds her of the opening of her and Toni's art show at the Dark Room that night and the gathering they're having at Thornhill after.
- This is the culmination of a year-long collaboration between myself and my partner in all things, Toni Topaz. Our relationship is the most thrilling thing I could have ever imagined. We're always creating. There's no separation between our art and our love.
- —Cheryl, 7x20
Choni's art show.
Everyone gathers at the Dark Room later that night for Cheryl and Toni's art exhibit, Beefcake Meets Cheesecake, a collection of sexy pictures and paintings that they've done of all their friends in the style of their own photoshoot and painting. Cheryl gives a speech, waxing poetic about how thrilling their relationship has been and how intertwined it is with their art. Toni follows it up by informing the crowd that she'll be signing a collected edition of the first six issues of Black Athena, Riverdale's acclaimed literary magazine. As their friends and family applaud them, they share a kiss and take in all the support. Later that night, the gang gathers at Thornhill, where Archie reads a poem he wrote for his friends, where he recalls their past lives, and tells Cheryl and Toni he's glad to see them back together.
Narrator Jughead tells Betty that Cheryl went on to become a very successful painter in the future, that she and Toni stayed together and moved out west together, where they lived their lives as artists and actives. They also had a son named Dale, named after Riverdale. When Betty asks how they died, Jughead assures her they died peacefully, after living full, gorgeous, sexy lives. And when Betty dies herself, she returns to Pop's in the Sweet Hereafter, where all her friends are waiting for her. Cheryl and Toni welcome her with hugs like everyone else does, and then they share as kiss as they work on a puzzle in a booth with Kevin and Clay, happy and together, even in death.[83]
70s Choni with their son & wedding rings.
- Toni and Cheryl stayed together. Moved out west together. They settled in the Oakland hills in a Craftsman house, where they lived as artists and activists, and they had a son, Dale, named after Riverdale, of course. [They passed away] Peacefully. After living full, gorgeous, sexy lives.
- —Jughead, 7x20
Quotes[]
- Main article: Choni/Quotes
Songs[]
- Main article: Choni/Songs
Fanon[]
Cheryl and Toni are one of the most popular ships on the show, and often deemed the one ship that the whole fandom can agree on. By the end run of the show, the Riverdale fandom was largely split between those that liked the early ships (Bughead/Varchie) and those that liked the later ships (Barchie/Jabitha), with Choni often claimed by both sides of the debate.
While Cheryl and Toni's characters were not connected in the comics, some fans were shipping them together on Riverdale before they even interacted, mostly due to the actresses' close friendship offscreen, but also due to Vanessa Morgan saying that she'd most like to see Toni date Cheryl when first joining the show.[84] Due to this popularity, some people argue that Choni getting together was fanservice, but Madelaine Petsch has said otherwise, often telling the story of how she sent the showrunner a post about Choni dating after their first scene together aired, and he replied back suggesting they were already in the works.[85] Riverdale faced a lot of criticism with how they handled Choni in the early days, from their offensive predatory lesbian storyline used to tease Cheryl's sexuality to the lack of screentime they received once they got together. Madelaine and Vanessa were not shy about sharing how many of their season 2 scenes were cut, including a romantic duet in the show's first musical. The backlash was so strong that the scene was released the following week, and all the deleted Choni scenes were included and hyped up on the DVDs.[86]
But while the writers eventually got better at giving Choni the screentime and onscreen development they deserved, the biggest criticism remained: most of their storylines centered Cheryl, and Toni often felt like a support system to her rather than her own character, an issue that plagued all of the Black characters on the show. Unlike every other main character, Toni's parents were never seen or even mentioned, and she had little to no backstory. Despite Choni fans pleading for better treatment in the form of organized hashtags and tweets, and many empty promises from the showrunner that the audience would finally meet Toni's family, it wasn't until Vanessa Morgan publicly called out the writers' racism in the summer of 2020 that anything close to real change occurred.[87] Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa promised to do better by Vanessa and all the other Black characters on the show,[88] but ended up blaming Toni's lack of story on Choni's relationship instead of his own failures, claiming their relationship hindered their ability to write for Toni, despite that not being an issue for ships like Bughead or Varchie. Thus, he felt breaking them up was necessary to properly explore her character away from Cheryl. While some shippers were heartbroken by the break up, many were excited for the potential angst of a separation and eventual reunion arc. However, after a promising start to the time jump, things very quickly went off the rails for Choni's story and it took a very long time to get back on track. Some shippers jumped ship after a particularly brutal storyline played out in Toni's last episode before Vanessa's maternity leave, and there was a bit of a division in the fandom between Cheryl and Toni fans as their character were at odds, which continued when Toni returned to the fold and abruptly started dating Fangs.
As disheartening as Toni's relationship with Fangs was, it did eventually turn the tides back in Choni's favor when it became clear to naysayers that the writing for Toni wasn't any better when she was paired with someone other than Cheryl. Many of the complaints fans and non-fans had about the writing for Toni while with Cheryl were present in her relationship with Fangs, if not even worse. That, coupled with the early season 6 episode that focused on Toni and Cheryl's ancestors' love story, reminded fans of just how much they were missing Choni, and soon enough, they became the most in demand reunion amongst the fandom, to the point that questions about them dominated the fan portion of the casts' Paleyfest panel.[89] Though Roberto promised that Choni's story would be prevalent throughout S6 and to keep hope alive,[90] it wasn't until the finale that their story really became clear, when it was revealed they were soulmates fated to end up together. After that, Choni became a central talking point in the press again and was deemed by fans and the media alike to be a real highlight of the final season,[91] largely because the writers finally gave their relationship the development it deserved, and Toni some of the focus she deserved.
Through the many ups and downs the fandom went through, Madelaine and Vanessa's support and enthusiasm for the ship stayed consistent. They were the biggest advocates for Choni from the very beginning, often providing fans with BTS pictures, spoilers, details on deleted scenes, and Youtube videos reacting to fan edits[92] or answering their questions.[93] While they showed some support for their characters' other relationships at the time they were together, they always made it clear they wanted Choni to get back together and be endgame.[94]
Fandom[]
FAN FICTION
- Cheryl/Toni tag on AO3
- Toni/Cheryl tag on FanFiction.net
TUMBLR
- tumblr@chonicentral
- tumblr@chonidaily
- tumblr@riverdaleladiesdaily
- choni posts on Tumblr
- choni edits posts on Tumblr
- @archiveschoni on Twitter
- @chonithinker on Twitter
- @chonigif on Twitter
- @mediachoni on Twitter
- @chonioutofcontx on Twitter
- @madnesssathinker on Twitter
- choni posts on Twitter
- choni hashtag on Twitter
- choni hashtag on Instagram
- choni edits hashtag on Instagram
WIKIS
Lists[]
| 13th | 2018 |
Trivia[]
- Vanessa Morgan (Toni Topaz) and Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom) are best friends in real life and met in 2015 when Morgan auditioned for Josie.[95]
- After Toni rescues Cheryl from the Sisters, it's implied that Cheryl is staying at Toni's, as she's wearing only Toni's clothes for the following episode.[96]
- It was Madelaine's idea for Cheryl to be wearing Toni's shirt in their first scene of 312.[97]
- According to Madelaine, she and Vanessa often added kisses to their scenes.[98]
- In fact, Choni's big sex scene in Season 3 wasn't even in the script, but was added in by them and the director.[99]
- Cheryl and Toni's son Dale is played by Vanessa Morgan's real son, River.[100]
- The last ever kiss on the show was a Choni kiss, and the last frame of both Cheryl and Toni in the show is that same kiss.
- Madelaine thinks the most romantic moment on the show was the Choni sex scene from 3x15, while Vanessa thinks it was their first kiss.[101]
- Toni's go to pet name for Cheryl was "babe", while Cheryl's was "my love."
- Choni's theme song is called "I Was In Love Once" by Blake Neely. It was first played in 2x14 and last played in 7x20.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Choni/Gallery
Videos[]
Backstage[]
- For their parts, Vanessa and Madelaine understood the weight of what their on-screen relationship meant to people. They worked hard to make the songs right. The musical episodes always had big moments for Choni. And they embraced that.
- —Imperial Mammoth, music producers (2023)[102]
- Vanessa has been my best friend since before the show even started. So to play her onscreen love when we have so much chemistry was absolutely wonderful. What I love about her is that even in scenes where we’re just [in the] background, we find ways to make Choni feel real and authentic and like they’re truly in love. I think you can really see — especially in the final couple episodes of the season — that what was really important to us is figuring out what our relationship looks like and making sure that it feels authentic and people really are happy with it
- —Madelaine Petsch (2023)[103]
- I think that they're just soulmates, those two characters. I just think they're meant to be together.
- —Vanessa Morgan (2023)[104]
- Choni is my favorite, my thing. I always give them extra love [when I direct].
- —Gabriel Correa, director/producer (2022)[105]
- I don't think there's any denying the power of Choni and the chemistry between Mads and Vanessa. When we were finishing that story, we knew we were going to reinvest in that relationship no matter what, no matter what other relationships happen. We have to get back to that after keeping them apart the last year or so. And I love that Heather says, "What we have is great Cheryl, it's been fun and we really like each other and maybe I love you, but what you and Toni have is cosmic. It's destiny. It is soulmates. You will find each other no matter what."
- —Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, showrunner (2022)[106]
- I'm still shipping Toni and Cheryl.
- —Charles Melton (2021)[107]
- I love when [Cheryl's] a supportive girlfriend and all in and loves Toni. I love how much she loves Toni and admires her... [Toni] is the stabilizing force in Cheryl's life. And it's so beautiful, I think it's so indicative of what love really does to somebody, to show the vulnerable nature of a human being, when you fall in love, I think it's so real. It brings the best parts of Cheryl out and that's what a good partner does. I absolutely adore them together and love them together, I'm their biggest fan.
- —Madelaine Petsch (2020)[108]
- With Toni, there's some unconditional love going on there.
- —Vanessa Morgan (2019)[109]
Media[]
- Choni Won Riverdale (DECIDER • AUGUST 2023)
- Choni Confirmed Endgame and Everything Is Right With the World (FANGIRLISH • AUGUST 2023)
- We Are Losing the Best Lesbian Representation on TV (PASTE • AUGUST 2023)
- Riverdale Season 7 Is Only Worth Watching for Choni (COLLIDER • JULY 2023)
- S7 Gives Choni a Second Chance and Cements It As the Heart of the Show (PASTE • MAY 2023)
- Riverdale Needs to Give Choni Their Happy Ending (COLLIDER • MARCH 2023)
References[]
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| Riverdale Ships • Riverdale Characters | |||
| SHIPS | het | Archosie • Barchie • Beggie • Bughead • Chosie • Falice • Fopaz • Formione • Jabitha Jeronica • Jopaz • McMantle • Midginald • SweetVee • Swosie • Valarchie • Varchie • Veggie | |
| slash | Clevin • Fanghead • Fredsythe • Jarchie • Joavin • Jugpea • Kangs • Koose • Rarchie • Regpea | ||
| femslash | Beronica • Cheather • Cheronica • Cherosie • Choni Joval • Lopaz • McTopaz • Tabitharonnie • Tabitoni • Verosie | ||
| poly | BugVarchie | ||
| friendship | Archeryl • Chughead | ||
| CHARACTERS | female | Josie McCoy • Toni Topaz • Veronica Lodge • Cheryl Blossom | |
| male | Archie Andrews • Reggie Mantle • Jughead Jones | ||