Tall Boy

"The Northside declared war today. Your old man ain't here to call the shots. And yeah, I'm his right hand, that makes me de-facto leader, here and now. So, things are changing Jones, either you change with them or suffer the consequences."

- Tall Boy to Jughead

Gerald "Tall Boy" Petite was a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He was portrayed by Scott McNeil.

He was a former senior member of the Southside Serpents and FP Jones' right-hand man. Following FP's incarceration, he stepped up as the de facto leader of the Serpents. It was during this time that Tall Boy and the rest of the Serpents gave Jughead a Serpents jacket, providing him membership of their gang. After welcoming in Jughead, he served as Jughead's adviser for a short period of time, with Toni, later taking his place, guiding Jughead into the Serpent world. Now that FP has been released, Tall Boy no longer reigns over the Serpents. However, his days as a Southside Serpent would come to an end after Hiram Lodge hired him to decapitate the statue of General Pickens, and setting it up to make it look like Jughead was the culprit. Tall Boy's actions were exposed, and therefore he was exiled.

Tall Boy was also a copycat of the infamous serial killer, the Black Hood. Hiram Lodge also hired him to do this job, to attack the town hall and attempt to murder Fred Andrews. An anonymous tip led Sheriff Minetta and his officers to the suspect, though when they attempted to question him, they engaged in a gunfight. As a result, they were forced to take Tall Boy down.

Season 1
After the arrest of FP Jones, and his refusal of taking a deal of a lighter sentence in return for implicating other Serpents, Tall Boy and other Serpents visit FP's trailer to let FP's son Jughead Jones know that they would have his back for as long as FP was gone. Tall Boy then offered Jughead a leather Serpent jacket, to which Jughead accepted.

Watching Over Jughead
After Fred Andrews was shot at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe by an unidentified assailant, Jughead asked the Serpents to investigate the possibility that it was retaliation for some of the Serpents being fired from Fred's construction site.

Tall Boy and a young Serpent violently interrogated another Serpent, after learning that the Serpent had been bragging that Fred got what he deserved, until confirming that it was "just talk". He then brought the bleeding Serpent to Jughead's trailer to let him know. When a horrified Jughead asked why they'd brought the beaten man there, Tall Boy said it was so Jughead could tell FP that they were keeping their promise to look out for Jughead.

Tall Boy and Jughead met up on the south side to discuss FP's sentencing. It felt as if the entire system was rigged to work against them, even with Jughead going to the Mayor for assistance. Tall Boy wondered what FP had to say about this and if he had taken the deal that was being offered of twenty years in prison. Jughead informed him that FP hadn't yet taken the deal, and he wouldn't so long as he had any say in the matter. In a desperate attempt to free FP, Jughead suggested that they break him out of jail before he gets transferred to state. Tall Boy chuckled, telling Jughead that he had seen "Escape from Alcatraz" too many times. However, Jughead believed that the plan was doable considering that the Sheriff Station had worse security that Riverdale High School. Once he was out, it was a straight shot up Sweetwater River to the Canadian border. Tall Boy suggested getting FP a better lawyer rather than breaking him out. FP needed a snake-handler. Someone whose livelihood depended on snakes. Who's used to dealing with them, and he knew just who to contact.

The following night, he and two out Southside Serpents entered Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe during Retro Night. And while they did nothing to cause trouble, some were uneasy with their presence.

Serpents Initiation
Tall Boy and Sweet Pea were playing a game of pool in the Whyte Wyrm when Jughead entered the bar, wearing the Southside Serpents jacket that Tall Boy had previously given him. Jughead stated that he was over being half a Serpent. He wanted to stand alongside them, as he was ready to claim his place as a Serpent. However, he would first have to survive the initiation, Tall Boy said.

The first trial was to take care of Hot Dog, the Southside Serpents dog. Hot Dog was given to Jughead in his trailer at Sunnyside Trailer Park by a group of Serpents in masks. The next day, back at the Whyte Wyrm, in order to pass the second trial, Tall Boy demanded that Jughead site all six laws of being a Southside Serpent. After successfully doing so, they moved on to the third trial, where Tall Boy instructed Jughead that he had to retrieve a knife from inside the cage of a venomous rattlesnake. However, Jughead was unaware at the time that the snake's venom glands had previously been removed. The trial was merely a test of courage, to see if he was willing to put his life on the line, which he proved that he was.

A couple days had passed since Jughead completed the third trial. Now, it was time for his fourth and final trial. Should he succeed, he would gain membership into the Serpents. Tall Boy and Fogarty stood on the sideline as the other Serpents formed a path around Jughead. As part of his final trial, he would have to be jumped into the gang through having to endure a physical beating. Jughead walked down the path formed of Serpents, where he survived blow after blow from each Serpent, as he proceeded further. He continued down this path until reaching Sweet Pea, who delivered a heavy hit while wearing brass knuckles, which knocked Jughead to the ground, instantly. After regaining consciousness, Jughead stood to his feet, and shook Sweet Pea's hand. Tall Boy smiled as Jughead was accepted into the gang, and given his Serpents jacket by Toni.

An Alliance with the Ghoulies
Tall Boy arranged a meeting with Ghoulies leader, Malachai in an attempt to strengthen numbers and combat the Northsiders, who had just declared war by raiding Southside High for Jingle Jangle, and arresting Southside Serpents on sight, Toni and Sweet Pea in particular. Tall Boy informed Jughead that the heat on them and their ranks had depleted, so the two rivaling gangs needed to unite, which would be easier to accomplish if Jughead, who is the son of Serpent leader, FP Jones, endorsed the partnership, as his status carried weight, more so with their younger members. Jughead reminded Tall Boy that the Ghoulies were responsible for the school being raided, though chaos was how the Ghoulies thrived. With the Northside declaring war, and FP in prison, the fate of the Serpents were left in the hands of Tall Boy, FP's right hand, and de facto leader. He gave Jughead two options; either change with them, or suffer the consequences.

The next day, Jughead returned to the House of the Dead with Archie Andrews, his best friend, to challenge Malachai and the Ghoulies to a street race. If Jughead won the race, then the Serpents remain autonomous and the Ghoulies refrain from selling Jingle Jangle at Southside High. However, should Malachai win, Jughead agreed to allow the Ghoulies to continue polluting the Southside. Malachai was impressed with Jughead's initiative, though he didn't have much to offer beyond that. Malachai then ordered all of them out after two of Jughead's friends (Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge) were caught trying to sneak into the garage. In a last-ditch effort, Jughead offered up the Whyte Wyrm in the race. Malachai agreed, but only after adding Sunnyside Trailer Park to the agreement.

At the drag race, Tall Boy announced that the event was about to begin as both sides prepared to drive off. Unfortunately, the race didn't go as planned, as Sheriff Keller intervened, cutting Malachai off at Herk Harvey bridge and arresting him. Tall Boy confronted Jughead as he returned to the starting point, accusing him of calling the police, "You won't throw in with the Ghoulies, but you will with cops? Where's the honor in that?". Jughead explained that it wasn't him who called the police, shortly before Archie stepped up to claim responsibility for the interference of law enforcement, in which Jughead became infuriated, as now the Ghoulies shall want all of their heads on stakes, and left Archie in shock, as he didn't think that was the response he would receive.

FP's Release
While at the Whyte Wyrm, after learning that FP would soon be released from prison, Tall Boy and Jughead had a brief argument with one another. Tall Boy questioned Jughead's authority and his position as a Southside Serpent and, particularly, with Jughead's plan for a meeting between the Serpents and Mayor McCoy. However, he was quickly put into his place by Jughead after he told Tall Boy off, as he told him straight to his face that he was sick of the way he was acting, going behind his back to others saying that he was only half a Serpent and that he didn't belong. Unfortunately for Tall Boy, his opinion was outvoted. With Jughead having gained the Serpent's approval; Tall Boy left the bar in shame after his 'authority' was revoked.

Following FP's release, he returned to the Whyte Wyrm, where he gave his speech to the Serpents at his retirement party, the Serpents gathered around the 'King' in celebration of his return. However, FP's speech was about returning to the Serpents and not about retiring. At the end of his speech, Tall Boy later handed FP a shot glass, cheering to his return home to them, their Serpent Leader once more.

Tall Boy stopped by FP's trailer at the Sunnyside Trailer Park to drop off a duffel bag. Upon entering the trailer, Jughead asked what was in the bag, though Tall Boy did not respond.

Later that day, Tall Boy entered the Whyte Wyrm with FP. As they prepared to head out on another run for the Snake Charmer, they ran into Jughead, who wished to join them on the run, which FP was against. However, Tall Boy informed him that they would be needing another set of hands. With that in mind, FP called over Sweet Pea, as he would rather take his help than Jughead's.

Exiled from the Serpents
Just days after the desecration of General Pickens' statue, Sheriff Keller visited Sunnyside Trailer Park to issue two week eviction notices for all its residence. He was only the messenger as the order came down from the Mayor's office. Apparently, there was a lot of back rent owed at the trailer park though the Serpents knew that the sudden evictions had little to do with back rent. At the Whyte Wyrm, Tall Boy and the Serpents watched FP from the stage as he declared that none of them would be going anywhere. The heat had been on them since Pickens Day and the Mayor was using the decapitated statue of General Pickens as an excuse to turn up the heat. But if they were going to solve their dilemma, FP had to ask if anyone in the bar was responsible for cutting off the statue's head. Tall Boy suggested that FP ask Jughead what he had to say since he wrote the article that started it all. And he and his posse (Sweet Pea, Toni and Fogarty) only made it worst by firing the first shot at Pickens Day. Tall Boy suspected that maybe they went back with a ladder and hacksaw to take the head. Offended by Tall Boy's accusations, Jughead fired back, though FP managed to keep the tension from boiling over as he stepped in between the two of them.

The following day, Tall Boy brought in the Snake Charmer as they were in dire need of her legal assistance regarding the two week eviction notices at Sunnyside. Tall Boy and the Serpents gathered around Penny as she told them how Jughead sliced a chunk out of her arm where her Serpent tattoo used to be and then left her bleeding in a ditch in Greendale. Nonetheless, she was still willing to help the Serpents. While the eviction notices that Tall Boy had shown her were legitimate, she could think of a number of ways that would stall the process by years. Her price, however, was blood for blood. An eye for an eye. She not only wanted her membership with the Serpents reinstated, but she wanted Jughead to be kicked out in her place. But for her final demand in exchange for her services, she wanted to carve off Jughead's tattoo with a dirty knife.

Taking Penny's offer into consideration, the Serpents decided that they would put it to a vote. So a couple days later, at the Whyte Wyrm, they were determining whether or not Jughead would remain a Serpent when Jughead, FP and Betty entered the bar with General Pickens' head in hand. FP demanded that they stop the vote in light of recent events. They sat Tall Boy down to ask him what he was doing at the dump last week. Tall Boy initially claimed to have no knowledge on what they were talking about. Though it wasn't long before he confessed. When he asked why Betty, a Northsider, was in the bar given that they were handling Serpent business on Serpent land, Jughead stated that she was one of them. Tall Boy revealed that he decapitated the statue because he was tired of seeing the Serpents go soft under FP's rule. Hiram Lodge came by, wanting to stir up trouble. He told Tall Boy that if he took the head, he'd get Mayor McCoy and the cops to swarm all over them, causing chaos in the process. Tall Boy helped Hiram Lodge start a mutiny in an attempt to get rid of Jughead and FP, leaving the Serpents under the leadership of him and Penny. In doing this, Tall Boy betrayed his own kind and broke Serpent law. His punishment was being stripped of his jacket and exiled.

According to Sheriff Minetta, Tall Boy was the second Black Hood. Supposedly, Tall Boy attacked the residents of Riverdale at the Community Hall, firing down from the balcony overlooking the debate taking place. He was wearing a black hood, presumably because of persuasion from Hiram Lodge. After firing countless bullets into the crowd, Tall Boy left the building, managing to avoid all law enforcement.

Shortly after, riots began to take place all over the town. Tall Boy took advantage of the chaos to attack Archie Andrews in Archie's own home. Fortunately, Archie's father was able to knock Tall Boy unconscious. Or so he thought, as Tall Boy soon got back to his feet. Firing a single bullet at Fred, Tall Boy then scrambled out of the house. Luckily, Fred was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

A day or two after the original Black Hood was arrested, Sheriff Minetta and other law enforcement officials confronted Tall Boy after an anonymous tip, which led to a firefight. During this showdown, Tall Boy was killed, but the sheriff was able to confirm Tall Boy was the second black hood. This is because of weapons matching both attacks from Tall Boy, as well as a black hood in Tall Boy's possession.

Physical Appearance
Tall Boy was a middle-aged man. He was very tall and big built, with long straight brown hair and blonde highlights, as well as a short trimmed beard with some gray hair in it. He had a hoop earring on one side of his ears as well as a nose ring on the same side. He also had green eyes

Personality
Tall Boy was initially presented as an ally. A fellow Serpent that Jughead could go to when in need of help. However, he would later prove to be disloyal and untrustworthy, proven when he attempted to merge the Serpents with the Ghoulies while FP was in prison. He also had little respect for FP, their leader. Tall Boy felt that the Serpents were going soft under FP's leadership and was willing to do anything to get rid of him and Jughead, even working for Hiram Lodge.

Trivia

 * In "Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter" he was credited as "Older Serpent".