Penny Peabody

"Well, I was and still am a Serpent. They put me through college. Law school."

- Penny to Jughead

Penny Peabody is a recurring character on the second season of Riverdale. She is portrayed by Brit Morgan.

Penny is a shrewd attorney on the southside of town, who also happens to be in league with the Southside Serpents. However, she does not take monetary payments from fellow Serpent members, but instead, she demands favors, which she expects in return should the time come. Penny also runs a secret operation, involving crates being delivered to a warehouse, located on the other side of town, known as Greendale. Later, recruiting a delivery boy to do her dirty work for her, to be delivered to an unknown employer.

Character description
''Penny is a wily backroom attorney that the Southside Serpents keep on retainer in case of run-ins with the law. She prefers that her clients pay her with favors, not cash, as Jughead finds out when he seeks her out to help with his father.''

Early Life
It is unknown exactly when Penny joined the Southside Serpents; however, the Serpents put her through college and she became a lawyer. She still remains a Serpent while behind the desk. Like all other Serpents, at some point in her young youthful years, she completed the Serpents Initiation in order to join the Southside Serpents.

In bed with the Snake Charmer
Jughead came by Penny's office to ask her for advice in his father's case, her office located in the back of a tattoo parlor. Penny explains to Jughead that she was and still is a Serpent, she reveals her Serpent tattoo on her left forearm and continues to tell him that they put her through college. Jughead reasons that having a lawyer of their own, on retainer, was clever. Penny mentions how his father used to brag about him being smart and this takes Jughead by surprise. Through mutual colleagues, the deal he was given is trash and Jughead pleads for her help with his case. She suggests that he get the victim's family to forgive FP in front of a judge in view of clemency, perhaps reducing his sentence to time served with parole. With services rendered, Jughead attempts to pay her, though she declines, asking that one day, maybe, he'll do her a favor.

Penny contacted Jughead in the early hours of the morning to call in the favor that he owed her from when she offered him free consultation regarding FP's case.

The two of them met up at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, where Jughead refused to follow through on his end of the bargain. That is until Penny informed him that FP required further assistance. He was in the infirmary, Penny claimed. Supposedly, while in prison, FP was attacked by a few Ghoulies in the shower as a result of the deal that Jughead and his Northsider best friend made with Sheriff Keller to get the Ghoulies' higher ups locked away. In order to broker a deal for FP's release, they needed money. Rich people don't sit in jail because money greases the wheels of justice, Penny surmised. Unfortunately, Jughead only had $18 to his name. In that case, Penny offered Jughead a one time delivery job, where he would be required to pick up a crate on the Southside, and deliver it to an address in Greendale. As for the contents of the crate, Penny settled on calling it "pancake mix", in other words, drugs. She referred to Jughead as her transportation adviser. Should he agree, Penny would use his cut of the money for FP's case, to see if they could get him released early. Initially hesitant, after thinking it over, Jughead agreed to deliver the drugs. Penny then handed him the address before explaining that he needed to make the drop before midnight because Greendale is not a town you want to be in after such time. Lastly, the crate was rather large, so she advised him to get a ride as it wouldn't fit on his bike.

The next day, Penny was confronted by Jughead after he discovered that she lied to him about FP getting jumped by the Ghoulies, though she preferred to look at it as if she gave him incentive. She then showed Jughead video surveillance of him and Archie from the night before, entering the Greendale warehouse with the crate containing drugs. Holding the means to blackmail Jughead in her very hands, Penny informed him that his one time drug delivery had become full time. Should he fail to comply or even raise his voice to her, Penny threatened to send the video to the Sheriff Station, which she imagined would break FP's heart given that Jughead would be arrested. He questioned why she was targeting him. Penny explained that FP made her a promise that he did not keep. So, as far as she was concerned, his depth was also Jughead's. Unfortunately for him, she was only just getting started.

Physical Appearance
Penny is a middle-aged woman with straight blonde hair with bangs. She has blue eyes and a slim body. As seen before on other members of the Southside Serpents, Penny has the gang's symbol of a double-headed serpent tattooed on her forearm.

Personality
Penny appears to be a kind woman when Jughead meets her at her office for advice. However, she turns out to be bad news. This is evident due to FP's call to Jughead from prison, warning him to not speak to her if she contacts him. However, it would eventually be revealed, that FP was in fact right about Penny, as she did indeed try to contact Jughead once again, lying to him about his father getting assaulted by Ghoulie members, due to him and Archie called the police on them, getting there most valuable members locked up, in order for her to get Jughead to do her bidding for her, to make money to speed up his fathers release from prison. When Jughead eventually learned that Penny lied to him about his father, he refuse to continue her work, however he failed, as Penny had footage of him and Archie delivering the crate at the warehouse. Later blackmailing Jughead, threatening him that she would give the tape to the authorities if he refused to continue to do her bidding.

Trivia

 * FP, who's had dealings with Penny in the past, tells Jughead that he doesn't want to "be in bed with a snake charmer" and advises him to not seek her council any further.