Betty Cooper’s long-lost brother Chic has been teased on Riverdale for quite some time. Finally, during this week’s midseason premiere, the prodigal son has returned home.
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Riverdale Season 2!
Chic, played by up-and-coming actor Hart Denton, was located by Betty (Lili Reinhart) in an effort to cheer up her mom, Alice (Madchen Amick). Unfortunately, as things in Riverdale usually go, this family reunion didn’t go according to plan. After finding him beaten and bloody at the hands of one his “clients,” Betty took Chic home only to have him creep on her sleeping at the end of the episode.
So, what’s Chic’s deal? We took some time this week to sit down with Hart Denton about this week to see how the arrival of a new brother would affect Betty and the Cooper family going forward throughout the rest of this season.
“I think Chic is being thrown into such a privileged situation that he’s not necessarily used to, in the sense of being in the town of Riverdale,” Denton told ComicBook.com “Riverdale’s got its stuff together pretty much and Chic’s whole life has been chaotic. There is a transitioning phase with him and Betty and they are brother and sister and both of them know this. It’s like when you’re at a zoo and you’ve got these two exotic animals and you put them in the same area. There’s a bit of a transition phase because it’s so foreign to them and it’s just something that they haven’t been used to their entire lives.”
Betty and Chic might be facing an uphill battle on the series going forward, especially when one is watching the other toss and turn in her bed every night. However, it’s difficult to deny that the two young actors have impeccable chemistry and, according to Denton, that’s all because Lili Reinhart took him under her wing from the moment he arrived on set.
“Lili is wonderful, she’s incredible,” the actor said of his new co-star. “Her and I have formed such a great bond on the show in-between scenes and she’s been the most absolutely amazing person to bring me into this because this is one of my first things and she’s really shown me the ropes on a lot of stuff and done it such a gracious, patient way. I’m very grateful for that.”
As far as Chic’s relationship with the rest of the Cooper family is concerned, there may be even rockier roads ahead. While Alice wanted nothing more than to spend time with her son, Cooper patriarch Hal (Lochlyn Munro) seemed dead-set against bringing him home. Could it be that Hal just doesn’t want the public attention? Or is there a bigger mystery set to unfold between these two men?
“You saw, in season one, the heated argument that Hal and Alice had. There’s a lot going on here that people will find out about things eventually and it will kind of all tie in to the intensity of different conversations and the reasons for that,” Denton said. But, just on the surface, Hal’s the only guy in this household. You bring in someone else into this and it can ruffle some feathers just a bit. There’s a bit of a learning curve with things and it’s going to be interesting seeing how Hal takes to me.”
Chic’s arrival to Riverdale won’t be without hiccups, and the character will only add to the mystery of the series as Season 2 continues forward.
You can check out new episodes of Riverdale every Wednesday night at 8pm ET on The CW.
