I'm Worried About Archie & Jughead

AND NOT JUST BECAUSE THEIR RELEVANCE IS QUESTIONABLE. Mostly I'm worried because I don't think that Archie knows how Jughead really feels about him.



It's a little hard to read, but Archie is saying, "Jug, where did you say those knockout girls were?" You see, Jughead has distracted Archie's attention so that he can "gobble his cone." I know Freud has said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." But I think we all know that an ice cream cone is NEVER just an ice cream cone. For instance, is Carmen Electra just innocently trying to enjoy a cool summer treat here?



No, I don't think she is. The imagery is the same, and the message is clear.

Oh, poor Jughead. He can never be honest about his true feelings. He's stuck in Riverdale, a town that remains locked in the '50s. So he displaces his romantic feelings for Archie onto food. According to Wikipedia (the most accurate source of information on the planet), Jughead "demonstrates very little interest in girls, claiming to like food better."

Later in that same Wikipedia entry (and why would the Internet lie?), Jughead is quoted. "No girl is going to make me happy!" Jughead declares. "I'll never eat again!"

And yet he continues to eat. In fact, he gorges himself constantly. Why? Because there's an emptiness inside that can never be filled. An unrequited love. For his redheaded best friend.

It's sad really. It's like Brokeback Mountain. Only with cartoon characters.