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Yeah, and Fangs is still clinging to life. And whether it was Reggie or Mrs. Klump who pulled the trigger, a Northsider put him there. You took our friend, our land. And you'll take everything if we give you the chance. So now you get to watch as we burn your school to the ground.
— Sweet Pea to Archie[src]

Sweet Pea is a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. He is portrayed by Jordan Connor.

Sweet Pea is a Southside Serpents who attended Southside High until it was shut down by Mayor McCoy, who deemed it a public health hazard, claiming toxic fumes were coming from the "methamphetamine lab" in the basement. Not long after the school was shut down, he transferred to Riverdale High along with Toni Topaz, Jughead Jones and Fangs Fogarty.

Like many Southsiders, Sweet Pea appears to hold a great amount of disdain towards the Northside and those who inhabit it. However, his hatred for them seems to run deeper than most, resulting in several violent encounters with the Riverdale Bulldogs and the Red Circle. He's had repeated encounters with both Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle, with each being just as violent, if not more than the last. He blames the Northside for the Southside's troubles, and Fangs' shooting outside of the Sheriff Station only intensified this hate as he led the younger Serpents in trashing Riverdale High during the riots. However, he would later come to learn that not all Northsiders are his enemies.

Early Life[]

Not much is known about Sweet Pea's early life. It is presumed that at some point in his young life, he completed the Serpents Initiation and became a Southside Serpent. However, it's currently unclear if he met Fangs Fogarty and Toni Topaz, who are also serpents, before or after joining the gang.

Throughout Riverdale[]

Physical Appearance[]

Sweet Pea appears to be slim, but also very tall. He has long jet-black hair brushed to the side and dark brown eyes, with the gang's symbol of a double-headed serpent tattooed on the left side of his neck. He is usually seen wearing his Southside Serpent jacket.

Personality[]

Sweet Pea is protective of his own and has a firm stance on loyalty. Due to Jughead's biological relation to Southside Serpents leader, FP Jones, Sweet Pea was fast to accept Jughead as one of their own. However, Jughead did not accept his hand in friendship initially, which Sweet Pea took as a sign of disrespect, thus triggering his already short temper.

However, ever since Jughead went through the Serpents Initiation to become a full member, Sweet Pea has looked at him now with a sign of respect, as Jughead was more than willing to take the beating that was bestowed upon him and passed all of the tests that were given to him in order to become one of the Serpents. Despite the fact that Sweet Pea and Jughead had their differences in the beginning, they've since put their differences aside, showing that Sweet Pea is more than capable of forgiveness and compassion.

Relationships[]

Jughead Jones[]

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Jughead and Sweet Pea at the Whyte Wyrm

The relationship between Sweet Pea and Jughead didn't get off to a great start, mostly due to Jughead's hesitance in joining the Southside Serpents. With Jughead being the son of the Serpent leader, FP Jones, Sweet Pea was quick on accepting Jughead into his crowd as one of their own since the Serpents considered Jughead a Serpent by blood. They viewed him as family and even treated him as such by extending a hand of friendship and helping out when they were asked. However, Jughead didn't share this sentiment of a family bond between himself and the gang. He more so saw himself as a conscientious objector, who would step in when required. It was this attitude towards the Serpents that angered Sweet Pea. He took this as a sign of disrespect. However, Sweet Pea made a point to warn Jughead that as the son of the Serpent leader, he had a target on his back and denying the Serpents hand in friendship would only increase his chances of being attacked. Just as Sweet Pea predicted, Jughead finally decided to join them after an attack on him from the Ghoulies. Jughead has since undergone the initiation into becoming a full-fledged member of the Serpents, resulting in newfound respect between the two.

Fangs Fogarty[]

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Fogarty and Sweet Pea

Both in and out of school, Sweet Pea and Fangs appear to be close friends, who are often seen together, though it remains unclear how long the two have known each other or whether this friendship extends beyond the Serpents. Due to their mutual ties to the Southside gang, Sweet Pea and Fangs are expected to be willing to die for one another, as the gang presents a fairly strong bond of loyalty and family. Sweet Pea and Fogarty are similar in many ways, such as their equally reckless and impulsive behavior, for example, their willingness to blow up the Register following Alice Cooper's article on the rumble with the Riverdale Bulldogs, which depicted them as town menaces.

Toni Topaz[]

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Toni and Sweet Pea at the drag race

Sweet Pea and Toni are good friends, who are often seen together, both in and out of school, though it remains unclear how they met or how long the two have known each other since the meeting. Due to their mutual ties to the Southside Serpents, Sweet Pea and Toni are expected to be willing to die for one another, as the gang presents a fairly strong bond of loyalty and family bond. Of the two, Sweet Pea is without a doubt more reckless and impulsive, often acting off of anger, unlike Toni, who on the other hand is more composed and relaxed. On occasion, Toni has been known to calm Sweet Pea, proven when she defused the altercation that nearly unfolded between him and Jughead in the Red and Black offices after the latter refused to join them. This ended with Toni escorting Sweet Pea.

Archie Andrews[]

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Standoff; Sweet Pea vs Archie

Sweet Pea initially had a very hostile relationship with Archie, which stemmed from Archie forming the Red Circle. When Archie began to spray paint his symbol around town to draw out the Black Hood, primarily on the Southside, Sweat Pea pulled a knife on him and demanded Archie desist. Instead, Archie pulled out a gun on him. This led to an all-out rumble between the Serpents and the Bulldogs. Since then, they've become enemies, and due to Sweet Pea's hate towards the Northsiders in general for looking down upon Southsiders and treating them poorly, he despised Archie. However, Sweet Pea and Archie become allies after Archie provided the Serpents with asylum on the Northside after escaping the police, who raided the Whyte Wyrm. Archie also led a protest, uniting Northsiders and Southsiders, who were all wearing Serpent jackets in support of the Southside students staying at Riverdale High.

Josie McCoy[]

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Josie and Sweet Pea at Cheryl's end of summer party

After Archie is arrested, Josie and Sweet Pea start a summer fling with one condition: a 3-month expiration date. Sweet Pea wishes for more, but Josie declines his offer, as she must remain focused on music. It is, however, revealed that Josie and Sweet Pea kept hooking up despite their fling's initial expiration date. Josie later asks Sweet Pea to accompany her as her date in Sierra’s and Tom’s forthcoming wedding. However, Sweet Pea, who wants a real relationship with Josie, declines her invitation, as she doesn't want a serious relationship. During the party at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy compound, organized by Evelyn Evernever, Sweet Pea spots Josie and Archie having an intimate moment. Deeply hurt, Sweet Pea spills the secrecy of Josie and Archie’s relationship. As adults, they rekindle their romance and Sweet Pea leaves Riverdale with Josie as she goes on tour.

Appearances[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Trivia[]

  • Sweet Pea was initially supposed to recur for a four-episode storyline, however, the team was so impressed with how well Jordan Connor stepped into the role that the character remained throughout the duration of the series.[1]
    • The description given for the role of Sweet Pea was "dark Jughead". As in, if Jughead had gone down the wrong path, this is who he would have become.[1]
  • In the original drafts, Sweet Pea’s name was actually going to be “Applejack” as revealed by Drew Ray Tanner, who had auditioned for that role too.
  • Unlike most characters introduced into the series, Sweet Pea is not a character from the Archie Comics.
  • The initials of Sweet Pea's real name are "NM," which were revealed in a teaser for "Chapter Fifty-One: Big Fun" posted by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa on social media.

Gallery[]

See also: Category:Images of Sweet Pea

References[]

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