Cheryl Blossom. Cheryl is used to being at the top of the social food chain. A quintessential mean girl who particularly enjoys torturing Betty, Cheryl isn’t afraid to say whatever is on her mind, no matter who she hurts. But it’s also clear that the loss of her brother affects her greatly. And while you may think there’s something a bit creepy about their relationship, star Madeline Petsch said “the way to explain it is that she’s not in love with him in an intimate and sexual way. It’s that he’s the only person who’s ever shown her unconditional love and the only person she’s ever unloaded unconditional love back to. So it’s a very awkward [and] weird place for her when she loses him to realize she’s so in love with him and so obsessed with him because no one loves her like he did, and her family doesn’t show love to her. She’s kind of distraught and so lonely without him.”
The loss of Jason actually helps the fans better understand the character, who is “not so one-dimensional” as she is in the comics. And maybe she’s not the mean girl you think she is: “You really get to see the emotional side of her [in the show]. She is the biggest emotional roller coaster on this television show, which is so interesting because you wouldn’t imagine that from reading the comics at all. She’s kind of like a bad girl for a purpose. She’s there to make Veronica seem nicer in the comics, and she’s kind of a standalone character. She does have her own purpose as well, but she’s a real human. She’s not just the villain for being a villain. She’s a person, and there’s reasons why she’s a villain. She’s lost the love of her life. There’s so many layers behind her that you get to see in this television show.”
The appearance of Veronica — who knows how to hold her own against girls like Cheryl — also complicates Cheryl’s life. Petsch said that “I’ve kind of been the Queen Bee of Riverdale High for a very long time, and with Jason by my side, nobody can turn me down. Now that Jason’s gone, and Veronica comes in, she really kind of throws me off-kilter, and I’m not really quite sure what to do with somebody who talks back to me and feels like they can say anything to me. It’s definitely very interesting.”
Meanwhile, Cheryl’s twin brother might die in the pilot, but that won’t be the last we see of Jason. This crucial relationship in Cheryl’s life will continue to be showcased as RIVERDALE goes on:”Trevor, who plays Jason, will be coming back quite often. Until we find out who done, he’ll be coming back most episodes to kind of help us pave the path for whoever did it.”