Is there hope for Cheryl and Toni (Choni) in Riverdale season 6?

Riverdale season 6 wrapped up its “Rivervale” event on Dec. 14 and dropped fans back into the town with pep we know and love. However, if you think what happened in that five episode miniseries was just a fever dream not meant to be thought about again, you’d be surely wrong.

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Nerds of Color at the start of “Rivervale” that the events that unfold will inform the rest of the season moving forward.

"…in ways both very small and subtle, and in ways kind of huge and immediately apparent, the events of “Rivervale” will 100% be felt, continue, and develop in Riverdale. And again, various things happened to various of the characters in “Rivervale” and we’ll sort of keep playing either that exact story or something very similar to it beyond the event."

I’m of the mind that the emotional beats are what he’s really talking about.

Major spoilers ahead of Riverdale season 6

If you’re a fan of Cheryl and Toni’s relationship then that’s definitely a good sign. In “Rivervale,” the two often crossed paths. When Toni needed help, it was Cheryl who came through with a solution.

Sure, in the season opener–“Welcome to Rivervale”–Cheryl’s price was having Toni assist with Archie’s ritual sacrifice and, in “Ghost Stories,” Cheryl’s help panned out in a way that resulted in Toni needing to sacrifice her life for Baby Anthony and become La Llorona BUT the point is the two women were intrinsically linked from episode to episode.

The most meaningful and touching example was in “Witching Hour(s)” where Abigail Blossom and Thomasina Topaz’ love transcended time. Though they were brutally parted centuries ago and Abigail was cursed, they eventually made their way back to each other after Sabrina Spellman helped who we thought was Cheryl spiritually lay Abigail to rest.

Not to mention in the 100th episode, “The Jughead Paradox,” Toni started the episode in bed with Fangs but for reasons not elaborated on or discussed, she seemed to slowly drop back into a relationship with Cheryl as if she and Fangs weren’t together at all.

Will Cheryl and Toni get back together in Riverdale season 6?

When RAS was asked by Nerds of Color to tease what’s ahead for the couples, he said, “There’s hope,” in regards to Choni. Given how “Rivervale” went that doesn’t seem to be lip service.

At the risk of being too meta, I’ll remind you that “The Jughead Paradox” ends with Rivervale’s Jug in control of the story. He wrote Cheryl and Toni together unprompted as if that should be the natural course of things which is another good sign for what’s to come in Riverdale.

Aside from caring for Baby Anthony together, Fangs and Toni didn’t have significant moments in “Rivervale.” Their partnership was firmly grounded into that of being parents and their romantic bond was on the weak side compared to the other couples explored. Their ancestral stand-ins were also at murderous odds.

In fact, Fen Fogarty (a known serial killer and warlock), was the person who kept Cheryl and Toni apart. He even cursed Cheryl. It was a very dark depiction that can stand on its own or be a metaphor for where Choni are right now on Riverdale.

If we ignore the assassination of a Fogarty’s character, at its bare bones you get a story about him intruding on the two’s happiness. Choni weren’t in a good place after the time jump and, ultimately, Toni chose to move on with her life instead of waiting on Cheryl to make a move that didn’t dismiss her own growth or erase the decisions she made involving Fangs and their baby.

In Cheryl’s eyes, if she doesn’t take accountability for her own actions, that would mean Fangs is who’s standing between them. He, however, is not an obstacle. He’s the father of Toni’s child and her partner, so it’s difficult to say how things will progress in season 6.

What’s for sure, however, is the show is still invested in Cheryl and Toni’s relationship in a way that they’ve yet to invest in her and Fangs’ despite having every opportunity to do so at this point. Of course, that could change the further we get into Riverdale season 6, but if we’re to go off of what we’ve been shown so far, it doesn’t seem like it.

So, if you’re a Choni shipper, you should definitely keep hope alive.

Riverdale’s “Rivervale” miniseries is available to stream on The CW app and cwtv.com. For a full list of when CW shows are returning and premiering in the midseason next year, click here.