Throughout its initial episodes “Riverdale” has given viewers hints at some deeper mental health issues Betty (Lili Reinhart) is facing. With the third episode, last week’s “Body Double,” those issues have risen to the surface giving viewers an interesting new prism to look at the character through.
In the episode she takes on the persona of her sister Polly while trying to exact revenge on Chuck Clayton (Jordan Calloway) for slut-shaming the girls of Riverdale High. In doing so she screams at him, calling him Jason — the name of the dead teen who seemingly treated Polly in a way that led to her being institutionalized.
“Betty’s issue is that she’s seemingly perfect on the outside but very broken on the inside and slowly trying to piece herself back together throughout the season — and throughout the show, I’m assuming,” Reinhart says. “She struggles with mental health issues, and anxiety and self-harm.”
Visit Screener for more of Lili Reinhart’s insights into Betty …