Take a seat, Varchie shippers; you're gonna need a second. On Thursday, Jan. 7, just two weeks away from the Season 5 premiere, it was announced that Chris Mason will be joining the Riverdale cast as Veronica's husband, Chad Gekko. As in, the new Mr. Veronica Lodge. As in definitely not Archie.
This casting news pretty much guarantees that a Varchie breakup is imminent, even though Mason isn't set to make his Riverdale debut until Episode 4, after the 7-year time jump. (Of course, this doesn't come as a huge surprise, given the prom drama teased in the Riverdale Season 5 trailer, but, still, take a moment if you need to.) But what's worse is what Chad means for Veronica's future in general.
In the casting announcement, Chad is described as "an Alpha Dog" Wall Street banker who is extremely jealous and possessive — as if the name "Chad Gekko" wasn't enough of a tip off that this man is trash. (Fans might draw a connection to Gordon Gekko of the movie Wall Street.) And, even worse, he's connected to Veronica's shady dad, Hiram, as a casting call for the role that went public in August revealed. "Though charming, his failed Ponzi scheme and shady deals with Hiram reveal his moral duplicity, putting Chad's life in danger," read the casting call, per The Hashtag Show. Oh, Veronica, what have you gotten yourself into this time?
Fans of the Archie Television Universe might recognize Chad Gekko from his brief appearance on Katy Keene. Played then by actor Reid Prebenda, Chad Gekko was an investor and one of Pepper's clients. So, basically, he was a con artist, and by the sounds of it, he's still shady AF. Not to mention the fact that, if people are after him, they're also after Veronica.
Given all that we know about Chad Gekko, I have to ask, why is Veronica Lodge married to this fool? Over the past four seasons, Veronica has come such a long way, especially in terms of how she relates to her father and his business. She's smart, calculating, and shrewd, and has proven herself to be a worthy opponent to a literal mob boss! Why would she marry someone with a failed Ponzi scheme?
Unless... this isn't, as they say in Bridgerton, a love match. Given Chad's connection to Hiram, it's possible Veronica married her unfortunately named husband as part of some kind of deal. After all, Hiram is definitely capable of pimping out his daughter, and crazier things have happened in Riverdale.
Whatever Chad's intentions towards Veronica, there's no way this relationship ends well. In December, Riverdale showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa shared a sneak peek of adult Veronica on Instagram, featuring her marching down the halls of Riverdale High. And, given this new casting information, the video and caption is starting to make a little more sense. First, now we know why she was wearing an absurdly sparkly ring on her ring finger (take a close look at the hand around her coffee cup). Secondly, Aguirre-Sacasa's the emojis, specifically the last four — money, an abacus, heartbreak, and a skull — take on a whole new meaning. Could they be Chad Gekko-specific? Based on his character description, he's losing money, and their marriage is potentially heading towards heartbreak and death. (Hopefully his, not Veronica's.)
The only good thing about Chad joining Season 5 of Riverdale is that reports about his character give a glimmer of hope for Varchie, as Deadline describes him as jealous of Veronica's ties to Riverdale and specifically "her friendship with Archie." Hmmm...OK, so, assuming Varchie breaks up at prom, maybe they get back together before graduation. At the very least, even in the future, they're still friendly. And where there's friendship, there's room for romance.
Riverdale Season 5 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 20, on The CW.
Image: Diyah Pera/The CW