Penelope Blossom

"It wasn't just trees. Dark, fertile earth. A mighty river. Back in those early days, we had a hand in everything. Building the railroads, operating the saloons and, yes, even a brothel. The old ways die hard, it seems."

- Penelope to Cheryl

Penelope Blossom is a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale, and the hidden main antagonist of Season Two and Season Three, being the mastermind behind the Black Hood and the Gargoyle King. She is portrayed by Nathalie Boltt.

She is the mother of Cheryl and the late Jason Blossom, as well as the wife of the deceased Cliff Blossom. She is also the grandmother of Jason and Polly twin babies, Juniper and Dagwood.

She suffered severe third-degree burns when running back into Thornhill to save the family portrait after Cheryl set fire to the house in an effort to "start over" with a clean slate. This gave Cheryl the opportunity to control her mother the same way she controlled and abused Cheryl.

She is also a serial killer who poisons men who she claims are the real "poison", having taken the lives of her late husband Clifford Blossom, his brother Claudius, Darryl Doiley, Felix Featherhead, and Hal Cooper.

Early Life
Penelope was born an orphan and grew up at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy until she was eight years old and adopted by the Blossom family, due to her red hair. The Blossoms raised her in Riverdale to one day become her adoptive brother Clifford's wife. Penelope attended the local high school, where she was a "teacher's pet" and frequently at odds with Alice Smith and Hermione Gomez, often leading the girls to physical altercations. Penelope would forge a rivalry with Hermione and to this day, the two ladies are still bitter rivals. During Penelope's junior year, she, Hermione, Alice, Fred Andrews, FP Jones, Sierra Samuels, Hiram Lodge, Tom Keller, Darryl Doiley, and Marty Mantle played Gryphons and Gargoyles. Penelope later sends everyone invitations for ascension night, and while everyone was high on Fizzle Rocks, Penelope disguised herself as the Gargoyle King and poisoned Felix Featherhead.

In adulthood, Penelope and Cliff Blossom had a set of twins, named Cheryl and Jason. Throughout the young years of Cheryl and Jason's lives, Penelope sought to protect her children from her husband's illegal business, specifically supplying drugs. She did this by turning an all-too-real monster into a bedtime story, a child's Bogeyman, and sent them to their rooms whenever "The Sugarman", Clifford's drug associate, came to Thornhill. She would later come to learn of Clifford's plans for Jason, to groom him to take his place after him. Despite her efforts, Clifford's actions set in motion the events that ultimately lead to Jason's death as well as Clifford's.

Throughout Riverdale

 * -|Season 1=

Season 1
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Death of Jason Blossom
Upon being alerted of the death of her son, Jason, she and Clifford joined the local authorities in retrieving their daughter, Cheryl, who had also been involved in the accident, from the edge of Sweetwater River. She attempted to calm Cliff down as he became verbally aggressive towards the police as they failed to find her son, despite dragging the river. Eventually, Jason's body washed up on the shores of Sweetwater, which forced her and Clifford to stand aside as their son's body was taken to the ambulance. As the body bag passed her, Penelope reached out to her son's lifeless body.

Penelope, Cliff and Cheryl were brought down to the morgue in order to identify Jason's body. As the cloth was pulled off his head, both Penelope and Cheryl turned away in horror. In spite of all that has happened, she and Cliff decide to attend the football game, they sat in the front row of the bleachers during the pep-rally as Mayor McCoy dedicated the night's event to the memory of Jason. Shortly after the performance of the River Vixens and Josie and the Pussycats, she became concerned as Cheryl ran off the stage in tears.

Penelope and Cliff interrupted Sheriff Keller's interrogation of Cheryl in a state of anger, Cliff demanded to know why his daughter is a suspect in his son's murder case. As they rushed Cheryl out of the office, Penelope asked why Cheryl didn't contact them, yet she did not answer and her silence spoke volumes. Despite the recent tragedy, the couple decided to attend the first annual Taste of Riverdale event, in which Penelope had a brief, but violent run-in with Alice Cooper. Penelope slapped Alice on sight, appalled that she would dare print Jason's autopsy in the Register.

The Blossoms were interviewed by Sheriff Keller as he continued his investigation of Jason's death. Everyone in town had their own suspicions, neighbor suspecting neighbor. During which time, Riverdale bared a striking resemblance to Salem, during the.

Investigating Jason's Death
Penelope stood in the doorway of Jason's room, where she watched Cheryl while she slept in his bed. As her daughter awakened, she told her there would be no more sleeping in Jason's bed. Cheryl explained that she dozed off while working on the eulogy, unfortunately, Penelope abruptly put an end to that, she told Cheryl that she would not be allowed to speak at Jason's memorial, as she would only run the risk of embarrassing the family.

The next day, Penelope led Sheriff Keller into the room in which Jason's memorial would be held, afterward, they would bury him in the cemetery on Thornhill ground. She then informed the sheriff of the list that she and Cliff composed, which consisted of all suspects in the murder of Jason, she believed there was a very strong possibility that the killer would be in the room for Jason's memorial.

That night, the Blossom family ate dinner together, they were joined by Veronica Lodge, Cheryl invited her, yet Penelope has no idea why. Cheryl commented on the subject of her being prevented from speaking at Jason's memorial, which caused Penelope to remind her that she already said her goodbyes to Jason, when she rowed him over Sweetwater River, to his death.

The day of the memorial, Penelope stood by the door, greeting each guest as they entered, when face to face with Hermione Lodge, things took a nasty turn, she accused Hermione of being happy over Jason's death. Before the service began, Archie Andrews approached her, offering the family Jason's old jersey from his time on the Riverdale Bulldogs, she couldn't help but notice the similarities between Archie and Jason, brushing his hair back, and caressing his face, then accepting the jersey. Furious with Cheryl over her disobedience, Penelope explained to her that she'd no longer be on the River Vixens, and if not for the fact that no one wanted Cheryl, she'd be shipped off to boarding school in Europe. As planned, Penelope laid Jason to rest in the cemetery, following the memorial.

Blossom Babies
With the discovery of Jason's vehicle on route 40, Penelope went down to the Sheriff Station wondering if they were any closer to solving the mystery. Cheryl then unexpectedly showed up at the station, offering a piece of information, but only if Penelope allowed her back on the River Vixens, to which she agreed. Cheryl revealed that Polly Cooper had escaped the Sisters of Quiet Mercy group home, so with Jason's vehicle being burned to a crisp, it's possible that she was the culprit of both the fire and the murder. Following the revelation of Polly Cooper's escape, the Blossom organized a witch hunt throughout Eversgreen Forest, where they had a run-in with the Coopers. Penelope informed Alice that the noose was tightening around Polly's neck, and the entire town would know it once they find her.

During the press conference held by Alice Cooper, she learned that Polly was pregnant with Jason's child. Penelope, Cliff, and Cheryl met up with Betty at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe in order to discuss future plans with Polly and the baby. She and Clifford were relieved to learn that they were safe, Penelope wanted to offer emotional support, as well as financial. She asked where Polly was residing, but Betty refused to answer. Penelope then reminded her that she and Polly were members of the Blossom family, and they'd be ferociously protected, as long as they all trusted each other.

Back at Thornhill, Penelope asked Cheryl if she had ever seen Polly take drugs, which Cheryl wasn't sure of, Penelope explained that she wouldn't want an unfit mother to raise her grandchild.

Surprisingly, even after accusing Polly Cooper of being an unfit mother, the Blossoms were still invited to her Baby Shower, being held at The Pembrooke by Hermione Lodge. Penelope began the event with an apology for embracing the child and not her, she had hoped Polly could forgive her. The gift opening portion of the night had come, and Penelope insisted that Polly opens there's next, inside was a miniature rocking horse, it was a family heirloom that great-grandfather Blossom used to play with. She and Cheryl then extended an invitation to Polly for her to stay with them at Thornhill, which unsurprisingly, didn't go over well with Alice, leading to a momentary quarrel. Penelope was under the impression that Alice had disowned her daughter, considering that she as staying at the Pembrooke instead of the Cooper house.

Polly screamed at them both to stop with the non-stop hatred for one another, their constant bickering is what led to Jason's death, she claimed, simply because neither Penelope nor Alice would just allow them to be together. The next morning, she and Cliff welcomed Polly at the front door as she had accepted their invitation to stay at Thornhill.

Fall of the Blossom Empire
Thicker than blood, and more precious than oil, Riverdale's biggest trade business had been maple syrup since the founding of the town, which the Blossoms had been in control of since the beginning. Following a flashback, where Penelope, Cliff, Cheryl and Jason sipped syrup almost as if it was fine wine, the Blossoms had to address a major problem. The death of her son precipitated a crisis within their family, with Jason gone, many wondered who would inherit the family business. With that in mind, the Blossoms awaited the arrival of the board of trustees, circling the wagon against possible attack from within their own ranks.

Later that day, after learning that Archie turned down Cheryl's invitation to the tree tapping ceremony, Penelope took matters into her own hands, informing Archie that she could get him into an exclusive summer music program if he escorted Cheryl. She remembered how Archie brought her Jason's Riverdale Bulldogs jersey during his memorial, an act of kindness during a moment of despair, which made Archie a decent person in her eyes. Penelope eventually managed to persuade Archie into attending the tree tapping, and in return, she'd give Great-Uncle Harrison a call at the Brandenburg Music Academy.

The next day, Penelope and Cliff were extremely nervous as Cheryl was to perform the ceremony in Jason's place, fortunately, the ceremony could not have gone better as Cheryl tapped the tree perfectly. Later that week, Penelope sat at Clifford's side as the banquet at the Belmont Lodge took place. Outside, she informed her husband that while the trustees appeared to be satisfied, uncle Bedford kept asking about the drive-in land. Cliff promised that he would regain the land, but they never suspected that Hermione Lodge would be so resourceful. Penelope joked that maybe Cliff should have sent Hermione to prison instead of Hiram, unaware that Archie was listening in.

As the trustees were leaving town the next day, Penelope wondered if they had been appeased but Cliff assured her they weren't out of the woods just yet.

Having learned that Polly had earlier made her way to the east wing of Thornhill, where Penelope and Clifford's sleeping quarters resided, Penelope informed Polly that this specific area was off limits.

The next day, Penelope offered Polly an explanation as to why she was in possession of Nana Rose's heirloom ring, which was thought to have gone up in flames along with Jason's car. She claimed the last time Clifford saw Jason was the day he rid himself of the Blossom family, he wanted nothing more to do with the name or lineage, including the ring, which he threw in Cliff's face as a final rebuke. Cliff then gave the ring to Penelope for safekeeping. Polly was under the impression that the ring was lost, but "nothing's lost forever, everything comes back", Penelope said. She then insisted that Polly finish her milkshake, which Penelope later revealed to both Cheryl and Cliff that she had drugged with a relaxer, leaving the babies unharmed but putting Polly to sleep in the process.

Before Cheryl left for the Homecoming dance, Penelope made a point to ask her for the heirloom ring that had been taken, however, come to find out, Cheryl flushed it in anticipation that one day Polly might reveal the truth about the ring to someone, there wouldn't be any proof, simply her word against their's.

Following the arrest of FP Jones for Jason's murder, Penelope wept angrily and told her husband that she wanted FP dead for what he had done to her son. Unbeknownst to either that Cheryl was watching, Cliff held Penelope as she cried and promised to take care of him.

The very next morning, Penelope informed Polly of the latest development in Jason's case as FP Jones was arrested for his murder. Jason would finally have peace, and they could all start over.

Later that night, a loud knocking could be heard all throughout Thornhill, much to her surprise it was the Coopers, coming to take Polly back. Penelope reminded them that Polly chose to stay with them, a mentally stable family. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware that Alice was aware of the family relationship between the Blossoms and the Coopers, in which Clifford's grandfather and Hal's grandfather were brothers, thus making Polly and Jason relatives, third cousins to be exact. Betty then accused her of killing Jason to hide the fact, but it was quite the opposite, as Penelope remarked that nothing could be more purely Blossom than Polly's babies. As Betty attempted to leave, Penelope grabbed her wrist and told her that she made a grave error.

The following day, as she sat alone staring at the fireplace, Cheryl approached her with a question, asking about the fight that took place between Jason and her father on July 4th. A question that had previously been answered, they'd already told Cheryl that Jason didn't have the stomach for the family business. Cheryl believed that whatever happened to Jason involved their family, she wondered if he was running away from Clifford, or even her, which Penelope took great offense to as she firmly grasped Cheryl's hands, and dragged her to their family's barn. She pushed Cheryl inside, and told her that maple syrup was the dark truth, to "drown in it, why don't you", she said.

As she and Clifford at dinner together that night, Cheryl entered the dining room and accused him of killing Jason, and she could prove it with the video surveillance from the night Jason was killed. It wasn't long before Sheriff Keller and his deputies arrived at Thornhill, in which time Penelope and Cheryl directed them to the barn, where Cliff had hung himself.

After the suicide of her husband, Clifford, Penelope and Cheryl stood idly by as law enforcement turned their home into a crime scene upon the discovery that Clifford killed their son after Jason found out about his drug distribution business. Following the funeral of her husband, she and Cheryl returned to the Blossom Maple Farms. She wondered why Cheryl was crying since she always hated her father. The Blossom family had always been cursed, every since brother killed brother, "who will the grim reaper take next", she said. Penelope then looked up to the rafters, where Clifford hung himself, and began wondering if he had made the right decision by ending it, better the sweet hereafter than that awful limbo.

The next day, before leaving Thornhill, she was approached by Cheryl, who requested to stay home that day, but unfortunately for Cheryl, Penelope stubbornly denied her request, as she didn't care about her struggles. Penelope later went on to attend the 75th Anniversary Jubilee at the Town Hall. She sat in the crowd as Betty Cooper gave a speech about the turmoil Riverdale was facing after the death of her son at her husband's hands. Their town was at a crossroads, and if they didn't do something to fix it, what happened to Jason wouldn't be the last.

After the Jubilee, Penelope returned home to find a strange smell and Cheryl, who is unhinged after a failed suicide attempt, with a candlestick in her hand. When Penelope asked what the smell was, Cheryl explained that it was gasoline and that she believed the only way they could start over is to burn the house down, which she did by dropping the candles into the gasoline. The two of them quickly left outside and watched as the house burned, with Cheryl smiling, while Penelope, who is horrified and outraged at the destruction of the house, lashes out (which Cheryl ignores). }}
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Season 2
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Suffering Consequences of Blossom Sins
As an aftermath of the Thornhill burning down, it was revealed that Penelope had gone back inside the house only to salvage the Blossom family portrait, suffering major third-degree burns and acute smoke inhalation in the process. However, the truth never came to surface, as Cheryl created a cover story to cover up for the fact that she burned down their home in an attempt to start over. As the story went, Cheryl was asleep after the incident at Sweetwater River, the breeze probably knocked a lit candle over, setting fire to the curtains. After Penelope returned from the Jubilee, she ran headlong into the blaze to save Cheryl, leaving her severely burned.

As Penelope was left in a critical condition on the hospital bed, bandages coating her entire face and body, Cheryl taunted her. Blackmailing her mother, Cheryl warned her that if she told everyone the truth about the incident at Thornhill, she'd tell everyone about what really happened to Cliff in the barn, implying that there was a dark secret surrounding Cliff's death. When Cheryl made it very clear that the abuse of the elder Blossoms had come to an end and that she now had control over the family, Penelope's dominance was reduced to a mere shadow of the ominous woman she once was.

With Thornhill deemed uninhabitable, after being released from the hospital, Penelope and Cheryl relocated to Thistlehouse. Once there, they were joined in the conservatory by Betty and Jughead, who was hoping that Penelope and Cheryl could help FP Jones escape spending the rest of his life in jail. If the family of the victim showed mercy in front of a judge, then the case could shift in his favor. It was an appeal of leniency in order to reduce FP's sentence, Jughead explained. Penelope, however, refused to do so, stating that, if it were up to her, she would let FP fry in the electric chair. Cheryl also wanted that sordid chapter of their lives closed forever; FP was the last loose end to tie up.

In the night that followed, Cheryl returned home with what she referred to as a present; the video surveillance of Clifford murdering Jason, which she had earlier gotten from Betty in exchange for testifying on FP's behalf. As the two of them watched the video together, Cheryl commented that it might bring Penelope peace.

With the killer, now known as the Black Hood, targeting the residents of Riverdale, Mayor McCoy scheduled a Town Hall meeting for Wednesday at 7:00 PM. Penelope sat in the crowd as Mayor McCoy and Sheriff Keller heard their concerns and later announced the town-wide curfew. She presumably evacuated Town Hall along with everyone else in attendance when the fire alarm was pulled by after Betty, after she and Jughead interrupted the meeting to inform everyone of the Black Hood's supposed arrival.

Tales of the Sugarman
After learning that Cheryl was assaulted by an out of town teen named Nick St. Clair at the Lodge's open house, Penelope headed over to the Pembrooke, where she met with Hiram and Hermione to discuss their next course of action. While she appreciated the Lodges calling her over to talk, she wished that they had stopped Cheryl from filing a report with Sheriff Keller, given that she likely provoked her attacker. However, Hermione informed Penelope that Cheryl did nothing wrong, at least according to Veronica. Penelope then told Hiram that she wanted the incident handled discreetly, which was fortunate, considering that the St. Clairs felt the same way. With that being said, Penelope would inform Sheriff Keller that they no longer sought to press charges. After all, nothing really happened to Cheryl, Penelope said with a dismissive tone.

The next morning, Penelope was approached by Cheryl at the breakfast table with an old picture Cheryl had drawn as a child of herself and Jason, along with a man that she only knew by one name; "The Sugarman". Cheryl reminded Penelope of the tales she would tell her and Jason when they were younger, about the Sugarman being a friend of their father, and how they were to stay up in their rooms whenever he visited Thornhill. Was he one of daddy's drug-related business associates, Cheryl asked. Penelope glanced up at Cheryl with a look of irritation, though she did not answer the question, which upset Cheryl, especially with all that had been kept from her in the past about her father and Jason's death, leaving her to wonder if the Sugarman was just another piece of her mother's cryptic puzzle. Penelope slammed her fist down on the table in frustration, claiming that she had no idea what Cheryl was talking about because she never told her any such stories. As for her father's business dealings, all his records were either seized by the police or burned in the fire that Cheryl started.

While applying ointment to her partially healed burns the following day, Penelope was confronted by Cheryl, who after a fascinating chat with Nick St. Clair, discovered that Penelope had taken a check from the St. Clairs as "hush money". Cheryl had even found the check in her mother's bedroom. Before she started casting stones, Penelope informed Cheryl that the Lodges were still accepting money from the St. Clairs for their SoDale construction, though Cheryl made it clear that the Lodges involvement with the St. Clairs was no concern of hers. She merely cared about Penelope, her mother, who would defend the man that killed her son, yet she wouldn't stand up for Cheryl, not even against her would-be rapist. Penelope dismissed Cheryl's claim, telling her not to be so absurd, just before demanding that she hand over the check. However, Cheryl refused to do so, at least until Penelope agreed to tell her the truth about the Sugarman. They both knew he existed, and that he worked with Clifford, who Cheryl concluded was an awful human being. So she was grateful for his passing. However, she was very much alive, and from daughter to mother, Cheryl was begging her to be honest with her, to care about her more. With tears running down her face, Cheryl finally understood that Penelope's silence had been bought by the St. Clairs. However, before leaving with the check, Cheryl told Penelope that she would only get paid once the truth has been revealed.

Penelope sat by the fireplace as Cheryl returned home from the street race. Having thought it over, Penelope decided to be truthful with Cheryl about the Sugarman, as she had requested. He was a story that she had concocted to turn an all too real monster into a child's boogeyman. It worked for a while, but now Cheryl needed the truth behind the tale. Over the years, there were many Sugarmen, each taking over for the last. When Clifford decided to groom Jason to take over the family business, he wanted Jason to meet the current Sugarman. Penelope protested, but Clifford insisted. So began the terrible series of events that led to Jason's death. The mere mentioning of Jason's death caused Penelope to weep. She then looked up to find Cheryl standing before her, returning the check as promised. Penelope took it, though it would appear that she no longer had any desires for it, disposing of the check in the lit fireplace. Cheryl thanked her for burning the hush money, before asking one last thing of her; who was the current Sugarman. Penelope revealed that his name was Robert Phillips, and he was a teacher at Southside High.

A Hard Candy Christmas
Penelope and Nana Rose were joined in the dining room by Cheryl, who immediately noticed that Jason's stocking wasn't at the table. Penelope explained that she couldn't find it, not that it mattered considering that they had nothing to put in it. Aligned along the table were candy canes, which none of them were accustomed to. Penelope told Cheryl that it would be a "hard candy Christmas this year" and that they had to face the fact that they had no more money.

Penelope returned home to Thistlehouse that night to find that Cheryl had purchased a large Christmas tree despite their recent money problems. She was irate, referring to Cheryl as a spoiled and wretched brat. How were they supposed to pay for it all, Penelope wondered. Cheryl suggested that she ask Hiram Lodge for a job, though that would force Penelope to admit that the only skill she possessed was being a terrible mother. So, Cheryl advised her to get creative in the new year. As Cheryl exited the room, Penelope was told by Rose that she should've drowned Cheryl and Jason at birth, "like a basket of kittens".

On Christmas morning, Penelope was caught by Cheryl, making out with Vic on the living room couch.

The Life of a Courtesan
With Christmas behind them, the Black Hood dead and Riverdale regaining a sense of normalcy, per her prior dispute with Cheryl, Penelope went to work in an effort to pay the debt left behind from the Christmas tree and the ludicrous presents that Cheryl had purchased for herself. She came downstairs that morning to inform her daughter that after last night, she had nearly enough money to pay everything off. While Cheryl was pleased to learn that her debt would be covered, she couldn't move past the fact that for the past two weeks, she'd been living in a bordello with a woman of the night. Penelope explained that her latest sexual escapades don't strange far from her youth, when she had her pick of gentlemen callers, lining up every evening. Cheryl became disturbed as she couldn't believe that Penelope sounded, dare she say, proud of her promiscuous past. Penelope reminded Cheryl that it was her who suggested that she get a job. She had since found one in providing comfort and companionship to the lonely men of Riverdale.

A couple days later, Penelope was approached by Cheryl, who came bearing a check from the St. Clairs, claiming to have solved all their problems. Cheryl gave Penelope her blessings to deposit it into a bank, rather than in the fireplace, as before. Cheryl hoped this would bring an end to her mother's days of being courtesan, though this didn't seem to be the case as Penelope took the check and put it away for safekeeping. Unfortunately, Penelope had no desire to stop as she was having such a good time.

Penelope visited General Pickens' statue in Pickens Park to pay respect and lay red roses at the statue's feet. Before long, she was joined by Cheryl, who questioned the sincerity of her gesture. Cheryl then asked if there was any validity to Jughead's published article from the Blue and Gold which accused Barnabas B. Blossom i.e. Cheryl's great-great-great grandfather of hiring General Pickens to steal land from the Uktena. Penelope confirmed the articles' report by asking Cheryl how did she think their family got started in the maple syrup business. Their family was responsible for killing hundreds of people. More than just maple syrup, this gave them access to dark, fertile earth and Sweetwater River. Back in those early days, they had a hand in everything. Building the railroads, operating the saloons and, yes, even a brothel. Old ways die hard, it seemed, given Penelope's recent escapades.

On Pickens Day, Penelope watched as Hal stormed off after a fight between him and Alice. She then joined Cheryl by the stage, and the two of them watched as Veronica and the Pussycats performed. However, halfway through their performance, the Southside Serpents unexpectedly arrived protesting the celebration with duct-tape over their mouths and holding signs that read 'honor this land' and 'sacred land'. Cheryl handed over her candy apple to Penelope so that she could join in on the protest. The Serpents represented the dead and the silenced. Pickens Day was a lie. General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe. And the land in which they were standing on, would soon give way to a new Southside, which was stolen from them. While the Serpents couldn't bring them back, they could at the very least honor them. Hiram Lodge then got on stage in an attempt to defuse the protest. He applauded the Serpents for standing up for justice, as well as the honor and legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale, that is the Southside and that will be SoDale.

Later that night, as Pickens Day was coming to an end, Penelope approached Hal, who was sitting alone, eating a maple snow-cone. She offered to get him a proper dessert since he was in need of company and she had nowhere else to be.

At Thistlehouse, Penelope massaged Hal's shoulders as he told her about Alice and Betty's strange behavior when he stopped by the house for toiletries. Hal was positive that they were hiding something since the house smelled of bleach. Penelope replied that everyone is always hiding something. She then asked of Chic, who she joked was up in his room, entertaining people.

A couple days had passed since that evening with Hal when Penelope was confronted by Cheryl who accused her of being a homewrecker given that she was sleeping with Hal. Cheryl explained that Betty was literally sick to her stomach at school the day before. Cheryl surmised that it was about this. Penelope told her that it was different with Hal because he wasn't a client. What she felt for him was real regardless of the fact that he had a wife. Alice was far from a victim, so Penelope asked Cheryl to stay out of it.

After what was presumably another session with one of her clients, Cheryl was in disbelief that Penelope hadn't yet grown tired of taking filthy wads of cash from strangers. Penelope scolded Cheryl for her crude remarks and judgmental tone as it was Cheryl's doing that drove away from the one decent chance she had at happiness with Hal Cooper. Penelope grabbed Cheryl by her arm and asked what she could possibly know about love as she herself had never experienced it, except to rip it apart because she was a jealous, spite-filled, starving, emotional anorexic.

The following night, unbeknownst to Penelope, Cheryl watched from her bedroom as Penelope welcomed another one of her clients to Thistlehouse.

At Thistlehouse, Penelope and Cheryl spoke with Mr. Lazenby, their state attorney. As it turned out, Clifford had a secret will. Which came as no surprise to Cheryl however. Clifford's instructions were to reveal the existence of the will only after the authorities had concluded their investigation of his drug dealings. Per her husband's instructions, he requested that Mr. Lazenby withhold all information, including the names of his numerous beneficiaries, until a public will-reading.

The next day, with the will-reading not far off, Penelope barged into Cheryl's room demanding to know what was going on. It was then that she met Toni Topaz, who Cheryl had invited to the will-reading as her emotional support. Penelope told Cheryl that she needed to be downstairs before the guest started to arrive as Penelope wanted to present a united front.

The will-reading commenced once all the guests (Betty, Polly, Hal, aunt Cricket and uncle Bedford, amongst others) were all in attendance. Clifford's first declaration was that ownership of Thistlehouse remains with his mother, Nana Rose. With Penelope, Clifford left ownership of Thornhill, which Cheryl had burned to the ground. "The charred husk of an empty house. That sounds about right, Mother." Cheryl remarked. Regarding the other guests who had been contacted per Clifford's request, they were to receive half of his remaining assets of his fortune. The first half would be distributed equally to anyone in town who could prove, with medical authentication, that they were of Blossom blood. The will-reading was then interrupted by Alice Cooper, who came to confront Hal over him asking for a divorce for the sole purpose of cutting her out of the will. Once Alice turned her attention towards the family and began insulting them as a whole, referring to them all as inbreds, Penelope requested that she and Sierra McCoy, her newfound attorney, leave the premises.

The second half of Clifford's fortune would go to Cheryl alone as Jason was no longer with them. And so Cheryl approached the podium. As the one, true Blossom heir, she felt it was her duty to say a few words. However, Cheryl's speech was interrupted by Clifford. Or so they believed. Overwhelmed by his supposed return, Cheryl fainted.

By the time Cheryl woke up, it was dark outside and the will-reading had long since ended. Who they believed to be Clifford returning from the grave was actually his twin brother, Claudius Blossom. Claudius explained why they had never heard of him before. when he and Clifford were boys, they were inseparable. But it became apparent that Claudius was being primed to inherit the Blossom empire. Until their 14th birthday when he and Clifford were down by Sweetwater River and he pointed a rifle at Claudius and told him about the Blossom curse. How one of the twins always met a violent end and often at the hands of the other. Fortunately, he spared Claudius. But that very night, Claudius ran away from home without a trace and later joined the Merchant Marines where sailed the seas desperate to outrun the Blossom curse.

The following night, Penelope had dinner with Nana Rose, Claudius, Cheryl, and much to her dismay, Toni. Penelope suggested that Claudius ignore Toni as Penelope had assumed that it would be a family only dinner. But Claudius didn't mind. He even told them about his journeys as a sailor. During one particular journey, he came upon an Island named "Lesbos", in reference to Cheryl and Toni's relationship. He claimed it was the most beautiful and natural place on earth. Claudius then announced that he would be staying in Riverdale to assure that Rose and the house was well cared for. And so Penelope reluctantly invited him to stay in the room over the garage which was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer.

The next day, while the Lodges announced that Hermione Lodge would be running for Mayor, Penelope and Claudius discussed their plan to take care of Nana Rose and Cheryl.

At the breakfast table, Penelope dismissed Cheryl's claims that someone was trying to break into her room the night before by insisting that she was merely imagining things. With Claudius in town, Penelope suggested that they start considering him to take Nana Rose's stewardship of the syrup business. However, Rose refused to even entertain the matter, and so Claudius offered Rose some of Penelope's special blended tea.

That night, an ambulance had to be called after Nana Rose suffered a terrible fall down a flight of steps. Fortunately, she would recover. Penelope claimed that Rose suffered from Sundowner's Syndrome, causing her to lose her senses at night fall.

Later in the week, at Riverdale General Hospital, the doctors would discover a paralytic toxin known as Tannis root in Rose's bloodstream. Which was likely the same herb blend that Penelope and Claudius had been giving Nana Rose with her tea. However, Penelope told Dr. Masters that they had caught Nana Rose on more than one occasion chewing bits of tannis root that she grew in the greenhouse. Leaving him to conclude that this incident was nothing more than a case of Nana Rose's Sundowner's Syndrome. The hospital would be keeping her for observation for another day, then she would be well enough to return home. Penelope then intercepted Cheryl before she could warn Dr. Masters and escorted her out the hospital.

In the car, on their way back from the hospital, Penelope was accused by Cheryl of poising Nana Rose with Tannis root and pushing her down the stairs. However, Penelope wrote her accusations off as a lapse in sanity. Cheryl had lost her mind which left Penelope with no choice. And so Cheryl was admitted into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. When Toni came knocking on the door of Thistlehouse the following day in search of Cheryl, Penelope told her that Cheryl was gone at an all girls boarding school in Switzerland. She claimed that Cheryl had left the night before though Toni wasn't buying it. Nonetheless, Penelope demanded that she never come by again before shutting the door in her face.

Since they had barged their way into Thistlehouse, Penelope allowed Toni, Josie and Veronica to ask whatever questions they may have had. They immediately demanded to know Cheryl's whereabouts. When Penelope refused to answer, Josie threatened to have her mom tell the Sheriff about Cheryl's disappearance. Hoping to avoid any unwanted attention, Penelope complied. She revealed that the truth was that Cheryl had begun to exhibit strange, deviant behavior. So, she was sent abroad to a private wellness institute where they were trying to help her. In case they didn't believe her, Penelope gave them a drawing of Cheryl's that depicted her and Josie together, which strongly resembled the drawing that Chuck Clayton had supposedly drawn of Josie. This meant that it wasn't Chuck who threatened Josie and sent her a pig's heart, rather it was Cheryl, who had grown obsessed with her. Penelope supposedly feared that Cheryl would either hurt Josie, herself or both of them.

The next day, before leaving, Penelope told Nana Rose to behave herself while she was out. She had been fed and taken to the water closet. If Rose had to go to the bathroom, Penelope instructed her to hold it until she returned. In the meantime, Rose was to watch her programs.

With it now being a matter of her safety, Kevin told Cheryl that he has to recast her role as he had been getting letters from someone claiming to be the Black Hood. However, Cheryl refused to succumb to be ousted from the production. After the fires she's walked through, the world needed to see her up on stage. A Dark Phoenix reborn in the spotlight, so to speak. Unfortunately for Cheryl, that wouldn't happen, not if her Penelope had anything to say about it. Penelope informed Cheryl that students require parental approval to participate in extracurricular activities, as she reminded Mr. Weatherbee when she told him that Cheryl didn't have her permission to do the musical. Cheryl asked why her mother was doing this to her. Penelope replied that Cheryl's desire to play Carrie, a murderous telekinetic teen who kills her mother, was nothing more than a matricidal revenge fantasy.

Penelope heard the door open while alone at Thistlehouse. She initially thought it was Claudius, but learned that it was actually Cheryl, who had covered herself in blood while holding lit candles. She approached Penelope and told her that she's covered in Jason and Clifford's blood. The next blood to be spilled is Penelope's. Penelope is confronted for being in cahoots with Claudius, for trying to kill Nana Rose and shipping Cheryl off to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Penelope's depraved gambits end here. If she ever tried to harm Nana Rose again, Cheryl threatened to end her. She burned one house down, she'll gladly do it again. When Penelope asked what Cheryl wanted from her, Cheryl said she wanted Thistlehouse to herself and Nana Rose. So she told Penelope to start packing as she and Claudius are no longer welcome.

The town gathers for Midge's funeral to pay respect. Cheryl sings a song in Midge's honor. She and the rest of the River Vixens are dressed in all-black cheerleader uniform. Midge's death has seemingly taken a great toll on Riverdale, Mrs. Klump and Moose especially. Penelope stands alongside Claudius as the service commences.

A clandestine meeting is arranged between Penelope and Claudius, Hiram in one of the old barns on the Thornhill estate. Penelope checks outside after they hear a noise by the door, but she discovers nothing. Little does she know that Cheryl is hiding in a barrel.

Penelope confronts Cheryl after receiving a letter of separation. She insults Nana Rose, referring to her as a senile crone, who couldn't possibly be a better guardian by Penelope's account. As Cheryl prepares to leave to take goods to the Whyte Wyrm, Penelope informs her that she can't go to the Wyrm tonight because Sheriff Minetta is raiding the bar. And if things turn violent and some Serpents end up shot, so much the better.

The next evening, on the other side of town, at the Whyte Wyrm, Hiram calls a meeting with all his accomplices i.e. Penelope, Claudius, Penny, Malachai and Sheriff Minetta. It's been months in the making but the time has finally arrived. Hiram welcomes them all to New Southside. Penelope asks about Hermione, who Hiram explains can't be privy to certain machinations now that she's mayor. But the plan remains the same. The prison will soon be up and operational, with Claudius' drugs running through it. "Like brother, like brother", Penny comments. Malachai and his Ghoulies will be their soldiers and dealers, with Penny troubleshooting. And hopefully, doing a better job than she did of killing Jughead, Hiram remarks. However, as Penny explains, he wasn't breathing when they left him. Penelope reminds Hiram that he promised her a brothel, which Hiram intends to make good on. As for Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, they are not of concern as far as Hiram is concerned as steps have been taken to tear them apart. }}
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Physical Appearance
Penelope is an attractive middle-aged woman with tan skin, red hair, and light brown eyes. She is of medium height and a thin build. With the Blossoms being the most wealthy family in Riverdale, it should be a surprise to no one that she dresses very classy and has expensive taste. She suffered severe third-degree burns after Cheryl burned down the Thornhill and she ran back in to save the family portrait. After she was released from the hospital, she now wears a black, arm-length glove on her left arm to hide her burn scars.

Personality
Penelope is cunning, cold-hearted, calculating, manipulative, and vicious. Despite her apparent love for her son, Jason, and her husband, Clifford, Penelope seems to despise Cheryl, constantly treating her terribly, in a very unmotherly manner. Verbal abuse is a common theme in reference to Penelope's treatment of her own daughter. She's also been shown to be manipulative towards Cheryl, as well as others, such as Archie Andrews, who she bribed into escorting Cheryl to their family's tree tapping. Penelope is shown to have a highly homophobic attitude towards Cheryl's sexuality, as shown when she had her taken to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy for conversion therapy. Much like her deceased husband, she is a murderous psychopath and a serial killer, who murders men in cold blood, by poisoning them, showing her to be an extremely sinister woman who is willing to resort to diabolical methods to achieve her immoral aims.

In spite of all this, Penelope has a softer side, generally displayed whenever Jason is involved. She cried many of times following his death, as the passing of her son was too much to bear, leaving her deeply saddened. Penelope finally opened up to her daughter after Cheryl approached her with the memory of the Sugarman, which was a real-life drug dealer that Penelope turned into a concocted story in order to combat an all-too-real monster. Penelope revealed that she protected both Cheryl and Jason from the grasp of the Sugarman, who would occasionally visit Thornhill.

Relationships

 * Penelope and Cheryl

Cliff Blossom
"That bastard killed my baby. He killed my Jason. I want him dead for what he did."

- Penelope to Clifford

The relationship between Penelope and her husband, Clifford, was easily defined as an unhappy marriage, although they were often seen together. After Jason's death, their relationship became even more strained, but they continued to stand by each other, more so during the investigation, even working together to compile their own list of suspects. However, after it was revealed that Cliff was actually the one responsible for the death of their son and that he had merely framed FP, he hanged himself in the barn, leaving Penelope widowed.

Jason Blossom
"How dare you, Alice Cooper! Printing my son's autopsy? He was tortured and shot, and thrown in the river like a piece of garbage."

- Penelope scolding Alice for printing Jason's autopsy

The relationship between Penelope and her son Jason is mostly shrouded in mystery. It is currently unclear exactly how close they were before his death, but Penelope was devastated to learn of her son's murder. Notably, Jason was the family heir, who according to Cheryl was the golden boy. So it can be presumed that he was looked favorably on by his mother. Unfortunately, nearing Jason's death, their relationship seemed to have tarnished as Jason was set to leave Riverdale with his then pregnant fiancé Polly Cooper, going so far as to fake his own death in order to be rid of his parents.

Alice Cooper
"Enough! Both of you! This is why Jason is dead. Because of this pointless, stupid fighting. We were supposed to be together, and you didn't let us have that, either of you. And you know what, it cost Jason his life."

- Polly to Penelope and Alice on their relationship.

Penelope and Alice both grew up in Riverdale, where they eventually became rivals, dating at least as far back to their days as students at Riverdale High School, during which time they were consistently at each other's throats. Their interactions have been known to turn physical, proven when Penelope slapped Alice across the face at the Taste of Riverdale for her hand in publishing Jason's autopsy. Their hate is also tied to each other's family history, as the Cooper Family and the Blossom Family despise one another. After discovering Polly and Jason's relationship, this made matters worse for both families, as they tried to break the couple up, but they failed to do so as it was later revealed that Polly was pregnant. Little did Alice know that when she was marrying into the Cooper family, she was marrying into the Blossom family as well, as they are one bloodline that separated many years ago after one Blossom brother killed another.

Hermione Lodge
Penelope and Hermione were both raised in Riverdale, and they've been rivals since the two of them were students at Riverdale High School, which is a rivalry that carries on to this very day. The two rarely cross paths with each other, but when they do, the result is hardly every pleasant. However, they do have one thing in common, they are both a part of two of the wealthiest families in Riverdale. Their two families even engaged in a past business deal, which resulted in monthly payments dating back 75 years from Blossom Maple Farms to Lodge Industries, that is up until Hiram Lodge's arrest.

Gallery

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Season 1 Screencaps

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Season 2 Screencaps

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