Riverdale is all about powerful duos. Veronica and her pearls. Jughead and his hat. Archie and his bear scar. And, of course, Betty and her ponytail — that one physical thing that just is quintessential her. When we first met Betty in the pilot episode of Riverdale, the ripped-from-the-comics character was all about that high ponytail life. It's the perfect hairstyle for trying out for the River Vixens, sure, but later on in the series, the look also kept her hair out of her face while trying to solve Riverdale's many murders and mysteries.

This season, however, takes place in a world seven years after the gang's high school graduation. Everyone is a little different this time around, but perhaps the most obvious proof that Betty is not the girl we left at the graduation podium is her new hair look. It's not that Betty never dons a ponytail anymore — it's that when she does, it's simply not the pony that we've come to expect from Betty. It's a low pony. Or it's a half up, half down thing. And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but... does it mean something?

Apparently, the answer is yes.

The most recent episode of Riverdale, titled "Destroyer," saw Betty in one of the darkest emotional places she's been in the show's history. Her sister, Polly, is dead — or at least, that's what Betty believes, after her blood was found all over a phone booth. Betty kidnaps a trucker who she suspects may be involved in Polly's death, and ties him to a tree, almost deciding to shoot him, until Jughead calls and needs her assistance. And the whole time? Well, she's rocking a very low ponytail.