The “Riverdale” Musical Episode Just Got a Whole Lot Gayer With This Deleted Choni Scene

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased that a few scenes from the Riverdale musical episode had to be cut for time, including one featuring Cheryl and Toni singing together. Today, Warner Bros. released the deleted duet, which is a reprise of Carrie: The Musical’s “You Shine,” the love song that Betty and Veronica ended up queering in the episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOaCBZt3-c&feature=youtu.be

The scene starts and ends with what we did see in the episode: Toni comforting Cheryl after Penelope banned her from performing and convincing her to have her own Carrie White moment, which she spectacularly does at episode’s end. Then, Cheryl and Toni break out into song, making “You Shine” much more explicitly gay. “What a surprise, gazing into your eyes / I swear that I still get lost in the light / No photograph could possibly show / The you I know,” Toni sings to her. And then while they’re harmonizing, Toni touches Cheryl’s chin so tenderly, staring into her eyes. And Cheryl looks the happiest she has… ever been? It’s a lot!

This! Chin! Caress!

Madelaine Petsch, who plays Cheryl and was the one who broke the news that the character is bisexual, has also said that a scene was cut in which Cheryl calls Toni her “girlfriend.” And she confirmed that Toni and Cheryl are living together post-hellish-nunnery-escape, as evidenced by the fact that Cheryl has been wearing Toni’s clothes. I also like to imagine that Toni helped Cheryl mix the fake blood for her stunt at the end, because that seems like a sweet thing for a girlfriend to do.

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Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is the managing editor of Autostraddle and a lesbian writer of essays, short stories, and pop culture criticism living in Orlando. She is the assistant managing editor of TriQuarterly, and her short stories appear or are forthcoming in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Joyland, Catapult, The Offing, and more. Some of her pop culture writing can be found at The A.V. Club, Vulture, The Cut, and others. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram and learn more about her work on her website.

Kayla has written 934 articles for us.

7 Comments

    • Somebody, possibly even AS, said that someone was sending Cheryl those letters like they knew that “Carrie” was going to be killed by the Black Hood. What if Cheryl’s uncle (can’t remember his name) is the Black Hood? The man would have felt alienated and wronged by what his twin had done to him, and maybe he’s taking it out on “sinners”. Penelope knows this, and tried to roundabout get Cheryl out with the threatening letters. When that didn’t work, she directly intervened. For this theory to work, Penelope has to want Cheryl still alive. I imagine she’d want her compliant, but still alive.

  1. can confirm that mixing fake blood for your girlfriend’s carrie costume is queer culture, i’ve done it!

  2. Oh my God this explains how her mother hasn’t just dumped her back in the nunnery! (Because if I’m a nun’s hired thug I’m not going up against FP and the serpents).

  3. You know a couple is really meant for each other if the girl tells her girlfriend that she burned her old house down and cut her mothers oxygen (I am pretty sure Cheryl told Toni everything after she started to live at her house) and still deeply loves her and sings lines like “What a surprise, gazing into your eyes / I swear that I still get lost in the light / No photograph could possibly show / The you I know“.

    Cut off the Varchie scenes and give us this.

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