Riverdale may already have its hands full with a mysterious cult, ritualistic killings tied to a strange roleplaying game, and even a prison fight club, but it sounds like things are going to get a lot more complicated in the form of Jughead’s estranged mom, Gladys.
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In an interview with TV Line Skeet Ulrich, who plays Jughead’s dad and Gladys husband F.P. Jones, said that there will be a lot to worry about when Gladys comes to the titular town.
“I think there’s a lot to be worried about,” Ulrich said. “[F.P. has just] started to get life by the horns a little bit and find a workable life with Jughead and she’s the X-factor. As [with] most toxic relationships, there’s someone that just sets you off. The reunion is certainly not what he would’ve wanted.”
Gladys’ arrival may throw a wrench into more than just F.P.’s “workable” life with Jughead, too. So far this season, fans have seen F.P. rekindle his relationship with Alice Cooper (Madchen Amick) whom he had a thing with — and a child — in high school. With F.P. likely still married to Gladys, things could get complicated and fast and those complications extend to the Serpents as well.
When Gina Gershon was cast as Gladys, the announcement described the character as “a ‘businesswoman’ who runs the salvage yard (chop shop) that doubles as a Serpent compound, and the Serpents all snap to attention when she gives them an order.” With Jughead (Cole Sprouse) now running the Serpents, this could cause issues between mother and son.
“When you bring a character like that in, it’s usually to cause problems,” showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said in a previous interview. “What’s nice about Gina is, she has sort of an innate warmth to her. Even if she’s doing terrible things, you kind of love her.”
Of course, trouble-causing or not, Gladys coming to Riverdale might shed some light on the mysterious situation with Gryphons and Gargoyles — the strange roleplaying game that may be connected to a series of ritual killings both in the present and the past. While it’s not yet clear exactly what Gladys’ story is, it’s possible she and Jellybean might arrive at just the right time bo shed some light on the story, or even add a mind boggling-twist.
“We don’t know anything about Jellybean just yet,” Sprouse said during an interview late last year. “This is one of those dilemmas that I think we face because we have such a massive ensemble of characters. And often times I think some characters deserve more justice narratively than what we’re able to provide in the first nine episodes. So the introduction of additional characters is kind of a dilemma that we have because it means possibly less screen time for characters who already haven’t got enough.”
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts on Jughead’s mom coming to Riverdale in the comments.
