Penelope Blossom really fascinates me because here you have this lonely woman who used to be a lonely teenager and before that a lonely little girl and very often she maintains these traits in adulthood which is really interesting to me because you can actually observe them in the way she isolates herself and the way she's socially awkward, even the way she behaves when she's not in her house (I'm thinking of when Betty meets her in Pop's)
she is just such an interesting character when you peel back the layers because you see someone who's lonely, who's traumatised, who can't break the cycle because it's all she knows - I think she genuinely thinks she's giving Cheryl a better life than her own because nana Rose is her mother! and I know it's an easy detail to forget but she adopted Penelope for one purpose and it sure wasn't love
I also think Penelope is definitely autistic and Cheryl got that from her but that's another post for another day
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And the award for "Worst Mother in Riverdale" goes to...
I've already spoken before on the similarities between Betty and Cheryl. Their murderous fathers. Their superhuman abilities within the narrative. Their dead siblings.
But today I want to talk about their mothers.
Alice Cooper (Smith) & Penelope Blossom
There are quite a few similarities between Alice and Penelope. (Certainly plenty of sexual tension as well.)
They're both controlling and abusive with their daughters. Over and over they torture their daughters with expectations and cruel lies.
In the end though, only one daughter come out on top.
Sure, Penelope Blossom is a homophobic serial killer with a penchant for poison, but Alice is truly the greater monster, I feel.
Penelope is all aggression and thus, Cheryl is able to respond in kind.
Fuck you, mom! Go live in the barn.
By the time we reach the end of the original timeline, Cheryl is independent of her mother. She proves that she is not taking her shit and, because of this, they're able to have a moment of genuine connection before Penelope goes off to the OG Sisters of Quiet Mercy in the Himalayas.
(Though, the veracity of this is in question considering Penelope doesn't do the sign of the cross properly, but that's speculation for another day.)
Alice, on the other hand, is much more insidious. She exerts her control on Betty, but as soon as Betty bites back, Alice plays the victim. She cries. She makes Betty out to be the villain...and Betty falls for it time and time again.
By the time they reach the end of their arc in Season 6, they're still trapped in that endless cycle of lies and tears. At the end of Season 6, Betty is ready to give up on herself and become Archie's little wife. This wouldn't be the worst end for her, but only because Archie is a good guy. The reality of her existence in this timeline would ultimately keep her in Riverdale under the thumb of her mother, settling for a life she actively fought against. Truly, she would become her mother. She would become 'The Mom Next Door'.
I don't see this happening to Cheryl. Sure, she never leaves Thornhill, but she's herself. She possesses her own destiny. Barring the unrelenting obsession with Toni, Cheryl was really starting to move on and grow.
Betty, if anything, was regressing. She is trapped endlessly.
Now, examining their relationships to their mothers in Season 7 is also worth mentioning. What I can say is that Betty and Alice are very much repeating the same cycle. Cheryl and Penelope still have an openly antagonistic relationship, but Penelope is taken off the board before their relationship can really go anywhere.
We can assume things would play out the same way. After all, Riverdale is about cycles, after all.
Alice lied about the body under the table, as revealed in Season 5. This body's existence proves that she at least had reason to suspect Hal as the Black Hood. Yet, she says nothing. We can only assume this was to preserve her "perfect nuclear family" picture as long as possible. Ultimately fruitless, but also deeply selfish.
(Yes, I am well aware that the writers were making things up as they went along and thus, Alice likely had no idea there was a body under her dining room floor back in season 2, but we must examine the facts as we know them now.)
Alice also lied to go under cover for the FBI, never once letting Betty in on the truth to soothe her worries. This pushed her into the arms of her father.
The death of Polly. Ultimately, Alice blamed Betty for this and said it aloud. Even if it was said in a moment of emotion, it was still unbelievably cruel.
So, in the end, I do think that Alice is worse than Penelope and the reason is simple. Penelope's singular aggression allows Cheryl to break away and stand on her own. Alice's cruelty combined with her neediness never allows Betty to breathe long enough to realize that her mother is a monster. She is so deeply selfish.
Cheryl can go toe to toe with Penelope and ultimately grow up. Alice's wounded bird routine breaks Betty's heart and ultimately, keeps her trapped forever.
And thus, the award for "Worst Mom in Riverdale" goes to....ALICE SMITH.
this has been said so many times (i’m not sure if it matters)
a rivermoms series
the mamas who raised them. these are their stories.
and i’m dizzy on dreams
hermione gomez has always known what she wanted from life and the first step has always been to leave riverdale behind.
bury me in memory
no one could ever say that alice smith was swept along by the current of life. a victim of circumstances. someone who settles for the easier path.no.alice smith made her own decisions and she stuck by them. come hell or high water, she stuck by them.
an only child of the universe
she’s named for a saint of selflessness. a mother who gave up everything to help her son reach sainthood.too bad gladys laurence isn’t the self-sacrificing type.
keep my jealousy close (cause it’s all mine)
penelope blossom remembers what it means to be loved unconditionally. she remembers what it means to be in control of one’s life. she remembers and remembers until one day . . . she forgets. (TBA)
the girl whose lips couldn’t move fast enough
there was a plan that led to a path that led to a life. sierra samuels has known this as long as she’s known that the sky is blue and the grass is green. she’s always known this. yet still - she cannot make her feet move forward for that next step. (TBA)
bulletproof loneliness
mary anderman was born in riverdale. she was raised in riverdale. her entire world started at the banks of the sweetwater river and ended at the train tracks that bordered sunnyside trailer park. mary anderman is riverdale to her very core. if she spent her free time checking the bus depot departure times, then that was her business and no one else’s. (TBA)
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