Jaime Weinman: “The thing that struck me most is that Mr. Weatherbee just seems to accept that once Betty has got a victim in her little school-approved torture chamber, it’s “too late” to stop her. Unless he’s just assuming that Veronica has already been suffocated to death and that Betty is trying to force the poison into her lifeless mouth. That’s just one of the things he has to put up with at his school.”
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I think that the panel in question has “The End” on it speaks volumes…
Those bandages underneath Betty & Veronica look suspiciously like chalk outlines…
SAW V: RIVERDALE
How many times has Mr. Weatherbee watched as Betty killed perceived rivals for Archie’s affection in this very room?
Veronica is just the latest victim.
Why are people acting as though this is the end of Veronica? That “The End” is misleading, perhaps a manifestation of Betty’s delusions. After all, to this day Veronica is still alive.
We’re missing the panels where Jughead shows up armed with his tranquilizer rifle. Taking slow aim, he marvels that this might be it, the final effort to keep Betty Cooper down for good. Jughead pulls the trigger…
… and hits Veronica
I think Weatherbee was just concerned about confronting Betty face-to-face. He obviously went to save the victim (in this case, Veronica), but he needed Betty to be distracted long enough for him to get to the victim.
He’s obviously had to deal with Betty’s insanity before (hence his comment upon entering the room as he knows from experience that the situation has gotten as bad as it can get) to the point where he’s got the rescue plans down to a science: Grumby distracts Betty and Weatherbee makes sure that Betty doesn’t eviscerate any students while on school grounds.
Naturally Weatherbee isn’t so naive to ignore the reality that Betty can and will fulfill her demented desires elsewhere, but he’s got enough on his plate trying to keep his school safe and Weatherbee simply can’t worry about what Betty does when she’s not on school grounds.
But this time its gone wrong. Grumby failed to distract Betty (most likely because her victim was too important to be distracted) and Weatherbee now has to come face to face with the unholy terror in front of him and while, in that moment, he wished that he had taken Jughead’s plan seriously, he was not yet aware that Jughead was already a step ahead and had Betty in his high-powered rifle’s sights.
An action that Weatherbee will be all to happy to overlook and cover-up for the sake of keeping his school safe.
I told you she was going to become the next Jigsaw.
I think you’re all missing that Betty isn’t trying to kill Ronnie here. If she were going to do it, it would be done.
Note that, while we’ve establish Betty’s tendency to overdo restraints, in this case the majority of the gauze is serving no purpose other than to cover Veronica’s probably-half-nude body. As you’ll recall, Ronnie’s predilection for extremely revealing clothing is one of Betty’s triggers.
Also, see how the victims actual bindings are sloppy, haphazard. This isn’t Betty’s MO. Archie’s later bindings were precise and tight, if overdone. It’s almost like Betty wants Veronica to have some range of movement.
Examine Betty’s language. “Dainty little yap, my pretty.” Diminutive, possessive and obliquely sexual. I doubt the symbolism of forcing liquid down her throat needs to be explained.
This isn’t Betty committing a murder, either deliberate or in a classic Cooper rage. No, this is Betty establishing dominance by taking her primary sexual rival, symbolically assaulting what she sees as their primary sins (promiscuity and a lack of modesty), and then sexually humiliating them.
Someone that used to be Veronica will walk away from this one.
Chris, I’m impressed by your deductive reasoning on this one. Are you a cop or do you just play one on TV?
@Chris Lowrance: I am in awe of you, sir. You clearly understand this case better than anyone, save perhaps MGK and Jaime themselves.
Mr Weatherbee takes a deep breath and tries to conceal his white knuckles. Under the weight of his belly, his lungs still only manage to creak out a somewhat breathless “Now Betty, as a friend to Archie… and yourself… I-I don’t think he’d approve of this.”
Two eyes rotate overtop of a shiny grimace of teeth and affix him with the gaze of a porcelain dog. Her shoulders twist with the motion, bringing the “medicine” jug with it. The brew inside still lapping out of it, but now falling across Ronnie’s bandages, now the floor. Waldo Weatherbee couldn’t tear himself away from the horrible cheerful gaze, so he could only pray that the gentle pattering of water was only that of the jug’s contents and not that of his bladder. Predators smell fear, and piss water is it in concentrate.
“Sp-speaking of young Archie,” he continued, “I believe he was just leaving en route to get some hamburgers. He seemed rather dejected to be going alone, since uh, Jughead had the… accident.”
The porcelain eyes quavered.
“So I guess that he’ll be… dining alone? Or maybe he’ll run into…”
Before he could conceive of a finish, there was a squeak and flash as blonde streak departed the scene. Like most predators, Betty had a one track mind. Weatherbee slumped against the doorframe. “I can’t believe that crap worked,” he sighed. He had to fight to remain standing as the adrenaline left his system. He clutched his chest and closed his eyes. His fat pocked cheeks quavered as he fought the urge to cry with relief.
A quiet cough interrupted the silence. “Um, Mr Weatherbee, could you help me?” asked Veronica.
Bleary eyes opened, those of a man defeated and yet still standing through inertia. They surveyed the scene with pragmatic calculations.
“Fuggit” said Mr Weatherbee, as he walked off to find his Scotch
@Lister Sage: Neither, but I did stay in a Holiday Express last night.
@Chris Lowrance: Well played, good sir. Well played.
I see Betty’s getting into the kinky nurse and restrained patient routine with Veronica.
I think Chris is right in part…but frankly, I suspect this has almost nothing to do with her Archie obsession.
In their day to day life, Veronica is clearly the dominant of the pair. She’s the take charge one..Betty is the quiet best friend…But behind closed doors, Ronnie can stop being in control and give herself to Betty.
The proof here is Weatherbee. He’s clearly aware of their regularly scheduled playtime and was rushing in to watch….but of course he missed the beginning of the fun, because that’s how things go for him.
Y’know, string all these coments together and you’d swear Warren Ellis is writing for Archie Comics
Reason #23 Why Warren Ellis Should Write “Archie”
(a picture is here)
Betty
“There. Now I look like a real fucking Pussycat.”
Best. Comments. EVER.
Damn. Warren Ellis writing Archie. I would really love to see that. It’s going to take a long time to get over that regret.
Hey, if Veronica can’t be bothered to use the safeword, it’s not like Betty is really crossing the line here.
Well, this time, at least.
Crazy Betty aside, this is a nice panel. It must be hard to draw comedy scenes because it’s so rarely done. Usually artists make their jokes in the speech bubbles and settle for drawing their characters in ridiculous reaction postures, as if to say “my silly pose shows that I am in a silly situation.” Exhibit 1 for that kind of style is Mr. Weatherbee, with his overwrought face-fault, his projectile flop sweat, and his jostled pince-nez.
But Betty and Veronica sell the scene. Veronica, with her sour face and outstretched flailing limbs, says “I’m not in pain or danger but I don’t like what’s happening to me.” And something in Betty’s posture says “I have the mental state of a 10-year old girl who has decided that it’s time to dress the cat again.”
Anybody else seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet? I just got back, and I was sitting there, watching Lavender Brown drool over Ron Weasley, and I couldn’t help but think… “Betty… Lavender… Betty… LAVENDER… OMFG RUN RON RUNNN!”
Maybe I’m just a Betty (and Lavender, PaulW) sympathizer, but I can’t help but wonder what Veronica did to deserve it. I mean come on, she’s no angel. She probably did something!