| “ | We're out there fighting a holy war, Mom. I need something I can use as a shield against everything that's coming our way. Protection from everybody out there who hates us, who's out for our blood. | „ |
| ~ Veronica to her mother on her parents' criminal activities. |
Veronica Lodge is one of the main protagonists of Riverdale.
She is portrayed by Camila Mendes.
Veronica is a new student at Riverdale High School. In addition, she is a member of the band Josie and the Pussycats and the captain of the River Vixens. She moved from New York to her mother's hometown of Riverdale due to her father's arrest and subsequent incarceration. She struggles to find the truth behind her father's loyalties and intentions, as well as reform herself into a better person. She is currently in a relationship with Archie Andrews, and is best friends with Betty Cooper.
Character description
An intelligent, confident, silver-tongued high school sophomore. Veronica moves to Riverdale from New York, eager to reinvent herself after a scandal involving her father.[1]
Early Life
Veronica grew up in New York with her wealthy parents, Hiram and Hermione Lodge. She lived a life of luxury and privilege, and she attended The Spence School where she was a cheerleader and a bully. However, this all changed when her father was convicted of fraud and embezzlement. He was sent to jail, and Veronica and her mother were depleted of their fortune and subjected to malicious gossip. Veronica was accused of being nothing more than a spoiled, icy socialite, which affected her greatly as she realized it was true. She and her mother left New York for Riverdale to start a new life, with Veronica determined to change her ways.
It's a secret to no one that Veronica was a mean girl back in New York. While she may have changed her ways, that does not negate all the harm she has done in the past, which she uses as a constant reminder to help her stay on that narrow path of good and right. One year ago, while Veronica was attending Spence, she and her best friend at the time, Katy, tormented a fellow classmate named Paige. The only motive for their bullying was the fact that Paige was a misfit and they were "class A brutal bitches". By December, Paige could no longer take the bullying, so she transferred schools and went into therapy. Veronica's guilt over this incident and other similar occurrences is what inspires her to be a kinder person who is loyal and protective of her friends.
Biography
Season 1
Veronica arrived in Riverdale, with her mother and they moved into The Pembrooke apartments since it was the only piece of property in her mother's name, and not her father's. They were greeted by the bellman, Smithers, who took their bags to their room. Shortly after settling in, Veronica went to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe to pick up some burgers and onion rings for her and her mother, who had been craving them all day. While waiting for the food to be prepared, Veronica introduced herself to Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper, who she quickly befriended.
The next day, Veronica started her first day of the sophomore year at Riverdale High School, with Betty as her tour guide. The two made chit-chat before Kevin Keller interrupted them and asked Veronica if it was true about her dad and what happened to their family. Veronica was dismayed to learn everyone knew about the scandal. They bumped into Archie again, and Veronica expressed her attraction for him but put it to the side when Kevin informed her that Betty was in love with Archie. Keen to make friends with Betty, they tried out for cheerleading together, but the River Vixens captain, Cheryl Blossom only allowed Veronica on the team. Veronica stood up for her new friend and refused to join without her, forcing Cheryl to relent.
She and Betty bonded over the sadder aspects of their respective family histories; Veronica revealed that she used to be a mean girl like Cheryl and was trying to turn over a new leaf. She then encouraged Betty to ask Archie to the back to school Semi-formal, but Betty's courage failed her and invited him to go with both her and Veronica as friends instead. At the dance that evening, Veronica left Betty and Archie to their own devices, encouraging Betty to make a move from a distance. She eventually did so, but Archie did not reciprocate her feelings. At the after-party, hosted by Cheryl, they played a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. With Cheryl being the mean girl, troublemaker that she is, she was keen to stir up drama by forcing Archie and Veronica to go in the closet together.
Though determined not to hurt Betty's feelings, Veronica eventually gave in to the sexual tension and kissed Archie. They returned to the party to which Cheryl gleefully informed them Betty had fled in distress, so Veronica implored Archie to go after her. A dejected Veronica then returned to her apartment to be comforted by her mother. The next morning, she and her mother stood at the edge of Sweetwater River, among the crowd, as Jason Blossom's body was brought to shore with a gunshot wound to his head.[2]
At school the next day, Veronica attempted to make amends with Betty, presenting her with flowers, cupcakes flown in from New York, and a gift certificate to the spa. She pleaded with Betty for forgiveness after kissing Archie, it was such a basic bitch move, and she wasn't sure why she did it, it was like she was the "old Veronica". After smoothing things over, Veronica joined Betty and Kevin at lunch, where she addressed the secret relationship between Kevin and Moose, saying that she shipped it. The three of them sat down with Archie, and insisted that he play them a song to lighten the mood, which he did beautifully, but, it was too much for Betty to bare, so she ran off in tears. Though Betty initially accepted Veronica's apology, she seemed to have changed her mind following the incident at lunch, as she struggled to forgive Veronica for what she had done.
Veronica questioned Cheryl's method of mourning her brother's death, claiming that Cheryl was either brilliant or psychotic or both. Still bitter of the kiss at the after-party, Betty defended Cheryl since she wasn't putting on an act, pretending to be a butterfly when she's really a wasp. Veronica sensed the tension between her and Betty; for the record, she only went into the closet with Archie to prevent Cheryl from going in, however, while she may have gone in with the best intentions, it did not end that way. Veronica explained that it wasn't anyone's fault that Archie didn't like her though, that's just the way it was, the people they like often don't like them back, but at least now Betty wasn't pining after Archie in secret. She's okay if Betty never wanted to talk to her again, but Veronica was curious as to why Betty was so frustrated with Archie, and just then they were interrupted by Cheryl, who Betty offered Veronica's other hers-and-hers mani-pedis.
With a terrible start to the week unfolding before her, Veronica joined her mother as she waited tables at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Archie then entered the diner with a pickup order for him and his father. Hermione recognized him as Fred's son and volunteered Archie to walk Veronica home, during which, the two of them talked about their mutually strained friendships with Betty. Veronica was back to being the shallow and toxic rich-bitch that ruined everything in her path, which was unfortunate because even though she had just met Betty, she felt they were destined to be best friends, she felt like she just missed the train that was headed to the rest of her life. Veronica advised Archie to give Betty time, and not to despair, as she didn't believe their story was over yet.
The next day, Betty admitted to Veronica that she was right on what she said about Archie, and how him not liking her is no one's fault. Though, Veronica reminded Betty that while Archie may not like her, he does love her, and sometimes a friend is better than a boyfriend, so her mom would tell her. The night of the Pep Rally had come, and River Vixens performed on the field alongside Josie and the Pussycats. Thereafter, Veronica comforted a distraught Cheryl after she broke down in tears over her brother's death, and ran off stage, unaware that Betty was behind them watching it all occur. Upon witnessing Veronica's true intentions, Betty invited her to get milkshakes at Pop's shoppe, where they reconciled their differences and vowed to never let a boy get between them again. They were then joined by Archie and Jughead shortly after.[3]
Following Archie's confession that he was at Sweetwater River on July 4th, and that he heard a gunshot, Veronica wondered if he was currently a suspect, to which Kevin replied that they all were. However, Veronica was the least likely suspect as she lacked motive considering that she was new to Riverdale. Veronica had to pass up binge watching "Making a Murderer" on "Netflix" as she had a date with Chuck Clayton, the Varsity football coach's son, which was the equivalent of dating a Kennedy, but Chuck was also a player according to Betty.
Chuck picked her up from The Pembrooke and took Veronica out to Pop's shoppe. At Pop's, Veronica and Chuck were taking selfies, as Chuck commented that she was different than what he thought she would be. He assumed she would be high-maintenance. He asked what she missed most about home, to which she replied almost everything. They continued talking about the hurdles that come with being the new kid. When Veronica admitted that before going on their date, she conducted a fair share of research on Chuck, everything from the dean's list to ivy league aspirations. Chuck then realized that he'd have his hands full with Veronica, which she thought he was more than capable of handling. The two of them got closer and had a passionate make-out session in his car.
The next day, Kevin wasted little time on hounding Veronica over her date with Chuck; while she was psychically attracted to him, Chuck was not the best conversationalist. In passing, Ginger Lopez and Tina Patel asked how was the "Sticky Maple" she received from Chuck on their date, but Veronica was clueless as to what they meant, so Kevin informed her that it was an act of visual slut-shaming in Riverdale. Veronica is neither a slut nor is she going to be shamed by Chuck, so she decided to take matters into her own hands, with Betty's assistance the two ladies would go "Full Dark, No Stars".
Veronica and Betty headed into the boys' locker room, where they confronted Chuck about the photo he posted and demanded that he take it down, but to no avail. Her high-tone and bitch attitude may have worked on the Betas she dated in New York, but it had no power in Bulldog territory.
At home, the mean-spirited comments from several students on Chuck's post brought Veronica to tears. Her mother entered the room to ask about her date with Chuck, which Veronica was less than forthcoming about, simply stating that Chuck was rotten and not her type. Just then, she received a call from Betty, telling her to come back to the school, where Veronica discovered that she wasn't Chuck's only victim, and Chuck wasn't the only one, there were four other guys on the team who engaged in the same activity.
Veronica listened as Ethel Muggs, a student who had also been lied on by Chuck told her story of how last year in the library, she talked to Chuck for ten minutes and helped him with a math problem. But the next day, he began spreading rumors that they had engaged in sexual acts; enter Cheryl, who rudely interrupted Ethel, and then called them sluts. Veronica then learned that they keep score, each conquest earned them points, they kept track in a secret playbook, unfortunately, they needed proof before they could go to Mr. Weatherbee with this information. Veronica insisted that neither she nor any of the girls were lying and that even without proof, she promised that Chuck and his posses would face justice. If Cheryl wanted to get caught in that back-draft, all she had to do was refer to any of them as sluts one more time.
That night, after a tip from Trev Brown on the location of the playbook, Veronica, Betty, Kevin, Ethel and Cheryl broke into the school to retrieve it. Inside, Veronica was labeled as being worth nine points; "(New Girl Bonus +1) equals 9". At that moment, they all noticed Betty's sister's name in the playbook, Polly Cooper, it was next to Jason Blossom's name. Veronica felt bad for Betty, she wanted to show the taken picture to Weatherbee as proof, but Betty wanted justice, and she had a plan to achieve it. The plan consisted of Betty and Veronica fooling Chuck into coming over to Ethel's house, and through means that were exactly ethical, getting him to reveal the truth about what happened between him and Veronica on their date.
Though Betty may have taken it too far as she entered the room in a black wig, red lipstick, and lingerie, she called herself Polly after slipping Chuck a muscle relaxer and hand-cuffing him up to the rail in the hot tub, forcing him to confess on video. At school the next day, Veronica was pleased with the latest issue of the Blue and Gold, she then confronted Betty on how she became a completely different person last night. Although they took down Chuck and his possess, and got them kicked from the team, how they went about it was wrong. But their punishment wasn't too serve as Hermione negotiated for a lesser sentence. Ethel thanked them for helping, but in actuality, her going on the record made all the difference, making her the bravest of them all, Betty and Veronica said. This is the moment that B & V had forever been forged.[4]
Veronica, Betty, Kevin, and Jughead sat in a booth at Pop's shoppe talking about the closing of the Twilight Drive-In. Veronica thought it was overdue as she didn't believe that anyone still went to drive-ins, when there are more efficient ways of seeing movies in this day and age. Jughead invited them all to closing night, Veronica choices for the final screening was any film involving Audrey Hepburn or Cate Blanchett. Moments later, Archie, Fred, and Ms. Grundy entered the shoppe, Betty mysterious got up, and walked outside the diner to talk to Archie alone, which led Veronica to wonder what they were talking about.
Curiosity got the better of her, as Veronica exited the shoppe just in time to over hear that Archie was in a secret love affair with Ms. Grundy, which was scandalous. Veronica backed Betty up on her stance of Archie and Geraldine's relationship being wrong and illegal, Veronica didn't even know what to call them, asking if Ms. Grundy was his "booty tutor". After Archie explained that Ms. Grundy believed in him when no one else did, she backed off the subject, but not before reminding him that he was in it deep.
The next day in the student lounge, even though she couldn't promise him any action, Veronica offered to go to the drive-in with Kevin since he didn't have a date, maybe she'd bring him good luck. Cheryl entered the room with a smile on her face, ready to remind Veronica of her place in the town's social hierarchy, she revealed that Hermione was in a heated discussion with a Southside Serpent outside of Pop's last night. Veronica confronted her mother with the evidence founded by Cheryl, but Hermione assured Ronnie she had nothing to worry about, Serpents may be from the wrong side of the tracks, but Hermione grew up with some of them.
Later that day, Veronica and Betty Googled Ms. Grundy, and presented the information they found to Archie, according to them, she didn't exist until a year ago. In spite of Betty promising Archie to let it go, she and Veronica broke into Ms. Grundy's car to find anything that would prove that Grundy wasn't as clean as she appeared. Inside the car, they found a driver's license with the name Jennifer Gibson on it and a revolver handgun. Once again, they had approached Archie with the information they had gathered, Veronica suggested that he open his eyes to all the evidence but he blew them off, just like before. As planned, Veronica attended the drive-in that night with Kevin, they snuggled up in the back of his father's pickup truck.
As they attempted to enjoy the film, the Southside Serpents became loud and unruly, after Kevin's failed attempt, Veronica threatened to stomp on each one of them with a Louboutin heel if they didn't shut the hell up. Veronica noticed from across the way that her mother was sneaking into an ally with a Southside Serpent, she witnessed an exchange go down between her mother and the gang member. Upon arriving home, Veronica confronted her mother, who claimed she was handling business for Veronica's father. He hired the Serpents to decrease the land's value in order for Lodge Industries to buy it at a cheaper price. What Veronica saw was a final payment for a job well done. Veronica knew this was wrong, but it was the only way for them to regain their former luxurious lifestyle.[5]
As Veronica, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, and Archie sat in the bleacher, she insisted that Betty tell her everything about her upcoming date with Trev Brown. She then inquired about Archie's dating life in the PG (post Grundy) world, but he wasn't concerned with anything other than football. All of them received an invitation from Cheryl to Jason Blossom's Memorial, surprisingly, Veronica was invited as well, despite the current rivalry between her mother and Cheryl's. However, her invitation didn't come without Cheryl's usual level of disdain, and so with Jason's recent passing in mind, Veronica took it upon herself to disregard Cheryl's attitude and extend an olive branch in hopes of avoiding mutual annihilation. Cheryl accepted her hand in friendship as she invited Veronica to sleepover at her place, the night before the memorial.
During River Vixens practice, Veronica spotted Archie in the hallway wrapping his playing hand, she told him that it was his instrument and that punishing himself was no way to solve his problems. He injured his hand because he didn't know the play, and he didn't know the play because he was working on songs all night with Valerie. Veronica appeared to be jealous of the time he had been spending with Valerie, but she swore that she wasn't, having already been given her Seven Minutes in Heaven with Archie. Alluding to their time spent in the closest at Cheryl's after-party. She finished wrapping his hand, kissed it, told him to take better care of it since it would be worth millions one day, and walked away.
As promised, Veronica slept over at Cheryl's house the night before the memorial, unfortunately, she was forced to endure an awkward dinner with the entire Blossom family; Penelope, Cliff and Nana Rose. She thanked the Blossoms for having her yet she wasn't sure why she was the only girl there since it was supposed to be a sleepover. The topic of discussion switched a few times, starting with the introduction of maple into Riverdale, and ending with her father. It was difficult for Veronica to witness Hiram being taken from her, the worst part is about the ordeal was how quickly it took place, she never even got the chance to tell her father goodbye.
Later that night, Veronica and Cheryl spent the night looking through an old photo album of Jason, Veronica described him as "crazy handsome", Cheryl agreed, then saying that Jason would've liked Veronica. She asked why Cheryl invited her instead of Ginger and Tina since they were her best friends, Cheryl explained that Veronica was the only person who came to her aid during the freak out at the Pep Rally. After learning at dinner that Cheryl's parents weren't going to allow her to say goodbye to Jason during the memorial, Veronica urged her to do it anyways, she even offered to help write it and permitted Penelope and Cliff to do their worst.
The next morning, Veronica joined her friends downstairs as the memorial was about to begin, days like those would often put things in perspective, at least they were all alive. Though Veronica and Cheryl had earlier planned how the evening would play out, she never expected for Cheryl to enter the room in her all white outfit from the day she and Jason fake his death. Veronica joined Cheryl up on the podium to offer comfort after an emotional eulogy.
Veronica watched from outside Cheryl's bedroom as she was scolded by Penelope for her stunt during the memorial. After a first-hand look at the life Cheryl had to endure on a daily basis, Veronica felt bad for her. The incident also reminded her how lucky she was to have a mother like Hermione.[6]
Veronica sat in the crowd as Archie choked during his audition for the 75th annual Variety Show. Looking to help out a friend, Veronica first had a chat with Kevin, the host of the event, who she reminded that he had heard Archie sing on numerous occasions, so if Archie had a spot in the show, she'd even sing along with him, if it would help with his stage fright.
After school, Veronica visited the Andrews Construction work site only to discover that her mother was kissing Fred Andrews, so immediately following Hermione's arrival home, Veronica questioned if she'd be getting a divorce from Hiram, Veronica's father. She wanted to know what would happen to all of them once he's released from prison, but Hermione didn't have an answer, there was nothing she could do to help Veronica through the situation.
The next day, she arrived at school, prepared to rehearse with Archie, unfortunately, he had given her spot to Valerie, which Veronica didn't appreciate, referring to Archie as a "Ginger Judas", and on top of that, she told him about her mother and his dad. He then offered to give Veronica her part back, which she no longer wanted, instead, Veronica became the latest member of Josie and the Pussycats.
At rehearsal, Veronica was more concerned with her phone than she was with the song, she was overwhelmed with stress, that involved both her mother and her father, who she hadn't see in three months. Veronica and Josie would later meet up at Pop's shoppe, and exchanged sob stories. Veronica told her about the intimate moment between her mother and Fred Andrews, the only thing that keeps her going is the thought of her family being whole again, but that all goes away if she tells her father.
Some time later, she was approached by her mother with a motion to award the construction contract to Fred Andrews, when Hiram was arrested, he made Veronica a legal officer of Lodge Industries, meaning her signature is needed to pass the motion. However, Veronica refused to sign as Hermione refused to stop seeing Fred Andrews. Aburptly ending the discussion as she had to leave for the Variety Show.
After performing at the Variety show with the Pussycats, apologizing to Archie, and then recording his amazing performance on stage, Veronica would come to learn that her mother forged her signature on the motion for the new development despite their prior disagreement.[7]
Veronica initially appeared during a dream sequence of Jughead's, best described as some kind of idealized, make-believe version of the American dream, where she sat across the table from Jughead, the Coopers and Jason Blossom.
Outside of the dream, Veronica retaliated against her mother after learning that she forged her signature. Veronica bought a number of expensive items online and requested that Smithers take them up to her room. At school, Veronica suggested the possibility of moving away from Riverdale as the town didn't seem to be getting any better, she then noticed a moment shared between Betty and Jughead, which Veronica would later come to approve. She then joined in on the search party throughout Eversgreen Forest to find Polly, the party headed East, towards Sweetwater River, as that's the direction Polly most likely would've traveled.
Veronica split off with Kevin, and the two of them discussed the "Cold War" between Veronica and her mother. She hated having to fight with her mother, but that's exactly what she'll do until Hermione admits that she forged Veronica's signature in order to further her relationship with Fred Andrews. It's Hermione's turn to make the next move, however, if she didn't, Veronica would have to force her hand, which she would usually do by going out on a party bender; dancing with her favorite celebrity gal pal (Josie), her best gay friend (Kevin), and dimwitted arm candy (Reggie).
The next day in the student lounge, she offered to help Betty and Polly, as the pregnant mother was hiding out in the attic of the Cooper house, with no place to stay. As planned, Veronica went out partying that night, after a brief argument with her mother over the forging of her signature, and the fact that her father would think that she betrayed him.
Veronica, Kevin, Josie and Reggie danced the night away at a club called the Roving Eye. Afterwards, they found a booth and discussed Veronica's current troubles at home. When her father was arrested, the police, lawyers, and courts took everything from them, including the clothes off their backs, but her mother set her down and told her not to cry because there as one thing that no one could ever take from her, which was her name. However, after being told that no one could ever take her name, that's exactly what Hermione did, like it meant nothing like it was nothing like Veronica was nothing. To no surprise, Hermione finally struck back, she canceled Veronica's credit card and reported that it was stolen, which was surprisingly a good thing because it meant that she was ready to negotiate. Veronica returned home to a negotiation as she expected after Hermione laid out her terms, Veronica stated hers.
Fred Andrews and her mother's relationship could not take place at their home, and her mother would have to tell her father about the forging of her signature. Veronica sat by her Hermione's side and held her hand as they told Hiram over the phone that Lodge Industries was partnering with Andrews Construction.
Veronica, Archie, and Jughead joined Betty and Polly as they awaited the arrival of the Blossoms. However, they learned from Cheryl that her parents had no intent of helping Polly. With no place else to go, Veronica and Hermione offered Polly to stay with them.[8]
Veronica, Betty and, Hermione sat in with Polly as she gave her statement to Sheriff Keller of the days leading up to Jason Blossom's death.
The next day in the student lounge, Veronica, Betty, Archie, Jughead, Kevin, Cheryl, and Valerie discussed Polly's dilemma, in which the Coopers wanted her but not the baby, while the Blossoms wanted the baby but not her, an impossible situation, Betty remarked. Veronica then recalled an impossible situation of her own, when she was invited to the Vanity Fair's Oscar party and Elton John's Oscar party on the same night, which led her to her next point, that their current situation wasn't impossible, merely an annoyance. She suggested they host Polly a baby shower, Veronica thought baby steps would be the best way to approach the situation, starting with getting Polly and her parents in the same room, and in a public setting where they couldn't fight.
Just then, Alice entered the lounge, demanding to talk to her and Betty. Turned out that Sheriff Keller had informed Alice of Polly's whereabouts, which Veronica took the blame for since she offered Polly to stay with her and her mother at The Pembrooke.
The next morning at breakfast, Veronica and Betty approached Polly and Hermione with the baby shower proposal, which Polly was initially hesitant towards, but eventually warmed up to. In a surprise turn of events, Polly announced that she wanted the Blossoms to attend the shower as well. This subsequently led to a sidebar conversation between Veronica and Hermione, in which she was scolded by her mother for the inevitable bloodbath that would ensue between the Blossoms and the Coopers. Hermione found it hard to believe that Alice would even want to come after hearing what they'd told her, which was precisely why Veronica wanted Hermione to have a mother-to-mother talk with Alice.
While Alice had not accepted their invitation, Veronica did inform Polly that she had been invited, and then right before her very eyes, Polly announced Betty as the child's godmother, and so Veronica was thrilled for her.
Down at Pop's shoppe, Veronica and Betty learned from Jughead that Moose had been attacked at the SoDale work site, he was fine, but the two thugs responsible got away.
That night, as Archie, Kevin, and Moose went looking for their attackers on the south side, the girls (and Jughead) hosted the baby shower, where Veronica and her mother greeted guests at the door. During the gift opening portion of the shower, Archie stormed into the room and announced to both her and Betty that Jughead's father was a Southside Serpents. And while this news was scandalous, it was Polly's night, so in respect for her, Veronica suggested that the boys check themselves and settle their differences elsewhere.[9]
Lawyers would be visiting that week to take Veronica and Hermione's statements for Hiram's hearing since both of them were set to testify on his behalf. Veronica asked what she was supposed to say if the lawyers asked about her father's embezzlement charges, which Hermione replied to by saying that she would have to stretch the truth. From her mother, Veronica learned that her father knew about the secret affair with Fred Andrews and that the Blossoms were still looking to gain control of the new land development. To top it off, Fred still had no idea they Hermione and Hiram were the anonymous buyers. Veronica suggested that it was time to tell him the truth, otherwise, he would eventually find out on his own considering that Riverdale was such a small and gossipy town.
Veronica was personally disturbed by Ethel's reading of an exceptionally dark poem, which led her to take a personal interest in the situation. She approached Ethel in the student lounge to inform her that while she was moved by the poem, it was fairly dark and real, leading her to question if everything was alright with Ethel, who explained her parents had been constantly fighting. They would not tell her why, so it was as if something really bad was going to happen but there was nothing she could do to stop it, like watching a slow motion car crash, Veronica said. After hearing Ethel's tragic dilemma, Veronica took it upon herself to cheer Ethel up by inviting her to lunch and pampering at The Pembrooke. Following her chat with Ethel, Veronica explained to Kevin, who she had volunteered to also attend the lunch, that Ethel's poem was a cry for help, the likes of which she vowed she would never ignore.
This was brought on after an incident that happened last year at her old high school, where Veronica and her best friend Katy, terrorized another girl named Paige, which subsequently led to Paige transferring schools and going into therapy. Veronica felt that if she could make Ethel's life even a little bit better, then that's what she was going to do.
The group was celebrating Archie's potential invitation to an exclusive summer music program with the help of the Blossoms, which Veronica noted as being terrifying since those type of favors always have a price tag.
As planned, Veronica, Ethel, Kevin, Betty, and Hermione had lunch the next day, however, Ethel was in no mood to eat as her family was losing their savings and their house. At that moment, Veronica realized that she and Ethel had more in common than she initially thought. They lost their place at the Dakota, and having your life ruined was a terrible experience, but Veronica reminded her that she had her family and friends to support her. Hermione privately informed Veronica that Ethel's father invested with Hiram, meaning it's possible that he was responsible for the Muggs' misfortune. Veronica exclaimed that they were being kicked out of their home and that they had every right to testify against her father since this was the risk of investing with him. She asked her mother if Fred could lose everything for doing business with them, but Hermione was not sure, which resulted in Veronica exiting.
The next day, Veronica gifted Ethel with expensive clothing and jewelry, the items she was giving to Ethel were first given to her by her father, he would bring home gifts in effort to make up for misdeeds, she even still wore the pearls he gave her. However, Ethel did not want any gifts, she only desired to be Veronica's friend.
At school the following day, Veronica ran into the restroom crying after learning that Ethel's dad attempted to commit suicide; she snatched the pearls that her father had given her from around her neck, and fell to the floor, as Betty came to comfort her. She and Betty brought flowers that evening and took them to the hospital for Ethel's father, where they ran into Ethel and her mother, Mrs. Muggs. Veronica introduced herself as the daughter of Hiram Lodge, the man responsible for their troubles. Veronica apologized, wishing she could do something, which led Mrs. Muggs to suggest that Veronica tells the truth about her father's actions, how he was ruining lives.
Once home, Veronica informed her mother of Ethel's father's attempted suicide, and that she was done lying for him. In class the next day, Veronica apologized once again for her family's action, which Ethel did not hold her accountable for, hoping they could still be friends.[10]
Before leaving for school that morning, Veronica had a brief encounter with her mother and her father's lawyer, Paul Sowerberry. He was there to prep them for their statements and help with Hiram's upcoming court hearing. However, Veronica reminded her mother that she still had no plans on helping her father. Mr. Sowerberry explained that she would not be asked any questions pertaining to her father's business arrangements, she only needed to speak to Hiram's character, in an effort to humanize him, which could possibly mean a lesser sentence. Unfortunately, Veronica still refused to testify on the account that her father had ruined many lives, he made his bed, so now he had to sleep in it.
In the student lounge, Veronica learned that when Archie was at the tree tapping ceremony with the Blossoms, he overheard Cliff Blossom say that he was responsible for Veronica's father being sent to jail, though they had yet to learn of a motive.
At lunch, Veronica discovered via Betty that Jughead had never had a birthday party, so when Betty suggested that they throw him a low-key surprise party, she was completely on board. Ignoring Archie's negativity, Veronica loved the idea, any excuse to wear a cute party dress, she said, adding on that it should be a small party, solely consisting of the inner-circle. Just then, Chuck Clayton entered the cafeteria, fresh off his suspension, even though Veronica believed he should have been drawn and quartered for what he did, or at least expelled. He headed over to Ethel's table, with Betty not far behind, and when she returned, according to Betty, Chuck was apologizing, which Veronica refused to believe considering he did not have a contrite bone in his body.
Upon the discovery that the Blossoms were accountable for her father's arrest, Veronica thought it best to do some digging. Within a few of her father's files, she learned that over a course of 75 years, substantial monthly payments had been made from Blossom Maple Farms to Lodge Industries, until five months ago when Hiram was arrested. She believed that Cliff could have implicated Hiram in order to get out of paying the monthly fee, and she wanted to go public with this. However, Hermione refused to let this information out as it would lead many to speculate that Hiram was responsible for Jason Blossom's Death, and she didn't need Veronica bringing up questions that no one else was asking.
Having missed the review for the new choreography for Homecoming, Veronica was put to the back of the squad by Cheryl, in an effort to reduce any potential damage. Though she would not go down without a fight, Veronica challenged Cheryl to a dance-off, the winner would lead the River Vixens during Homecoming. Following their routines, it was left in the hands of the Vixens to decide who won. most of which voted for Veronica.
Sometime later, Veronica paid her father's attorney a surprise visit at his firm, where she revealed that the Blossoms agreed to pay her family a perpetuity fee. However, Cliff Blossom attempted to end the payments, but when that failed, he got her father arrested, and the reason this has not come out yet was because it could possibly make Hiram the latest suspect in the Jason Blossom murder case. In the light of all this, Veronica was even less inclined to testify on her father's behalf, which is why Hiram sent her message from jail through Mr. Sowerberry, in which he essentially threatened Veronica and her mother.
That night, Veronica arrived at Archie's house in a foul mood, she informed Kevin about the meeting with her father's attorney, which did not go well, leaving her wit a less than partying mood. She greeted Jughead in Spanish as he and Betty returned to the house for the party, then heading off to the kitchen in tears before Jughead could even blow out his candle. Archie noticed this change in Veronica's behavior and asked her about it, though she was not willing to talk about it. Archie offered her a drink and then told her that his father and mother were gearing up to finalize the divorce, but this was through no fault of Veronica's mother, Archie assured her. Veronica then informed Archie that her father threatened to destroy her mother if she did not testify, saying Hermione was just as guilty as he was, but Veronica was unsure if he was telling the truth, and so the two of them hugged.
Not long after, the doorbell rang, followed by the entry of Cheryl and Chuck, along with several dozen of their classmates, all of whom were ready to party. As she headed towards the kitchen, Veronica recognized one of the party-goers, it was the same middle-aged serpent from the Twilight Drive-In with her mother, who Kevin informed her was Jughead's father. Chuck and Cheryl blocked the front door off as Jughead attempted to leave, announcing that they were all about to play a game called "Secrets & Sins", in which they spill all their secrets. The game started with Veronica, Cheryl questioned how getting a fresh started ended with Veronica defiling Archie in a closet, which was actually Cheryl's doing. Moving on from that, Cheryl asked about Veronica's father, and whether or not it was true that he illegally purchased the Drive-In.
While Veronica could not speak on her father, she could think of a dirty little secret, specifically Cheryl killing Jason. Veronica claimed that Cheryl loved him in a way that a sister should not love a brother, and as Jason got older, he saw it as strange, eventually choosing Polly over Cheryl, and in retaliation, Cheryl shot him in the head. Fed up with the disgusting turn the game had taken, Dilton Doiley volunteered to go next, revealing that he saw Ms. Grundy's car at Sweetwater River on July 4th and that Archie was there too. Veronica advised Archie to stay quiet, there was no need for him to join them in the gutter. As the night got later, this devious game quickly escalated into something more as Jughead and Chuck traded blows, resulting in Jughead's father ending the party.
Veronica sat on the couch with Archie and gave him a pep talk, reminding him that no one would remember anything come Monday, except for the fact that she accused Cheryl of Twincest. Archie wondered why he was the way he was, he kept wrecking things, which she could genuinely relate to, every day, Veronica felt like there was a new secret or lie about her parents. Archie began to wonder what could have happened had he made different choices, like leaving with his mother to Chicago, which Veronica could not answer, but had Archie left, they would not have met, and that would have been a tragedy of epic proportions. They're all messed up, but out of everyone, Archie was the least messed up, Veronica said, and at that moment, the two of them began kissing.
The next morning, Veronica woke in Archie's bed, while he laid passed out on the floor, so she kissed his head before leaving. As she made her way downstairs, she had an awkward encounter with Jughead, who promised to keep quiet about her time spent with Archie.
She then had a brief discussion with Smithers, in which he informed her that while her father may be a terrible man, her mother is an unequivocally good person. Despite her current feelings towards him, Veronica finally decided to testify on her father's behalf, but she was doing it for her mother, who she believed in.
Later that evening at The Blue and Gold, Veronica informed Betty that she just testified on her father's behalf, while knowing that he hired the Serpents to trash the drive-in, so given recent events, it's possible the Serpents were hired to go after Jason as well. With that being said, Veronica wanted to help with Betty's investigation to learn the truth, no matter what it was.
At The Pembrooke, she received a new diamond necklace from her father, thanking her for her testimony.[11]
Before heading off for school, Veronica and her mother received a call from Mr. Sowerberry, her father's attorney. who informed them that their statements on Hiram's behalf made a big difference. The judge was even inclined to give him a break, amounting in time served or just a few more months, if that. Veronica wondered what would happen upon his release, and what would come of the crimes he committed, up to and possibly including the murder of Jason Blossom. He was in jail because of the Blossoms, so this gave him a motive, even though Veronica had no proof to support this claim. Her mother reminded her that she needed to be supporting her father instead of demonizing him.
At school, she was approached but Archie, who explained his reason for not calling Veronica was due to the surprise arrival of his mother, but Veronica told him that he didn't owe her an explanation. From this, Archie surmised that she was pretending as if nothing happened between them at Jughead's party the other night. She pulled him to the side and explained that while they had a beautiful moment, and it was something that she had no regrets of, she didn't have the bandwidth to be with anyone at the moment. With that being the case, Archie hoped that they could at least do the duet they had previously talked about as he had told his mother he was performing at Homecoming. At that moment, she received a text from Betty, so she had to leave, but not before denying his offer to sing together, and telling him that they would have to pretend their kiss never happened.
Betty and Mrs. Cooper awaited her arrival at The Blue and Gold offices, and as she entered, Mrs. Cooper informed them both that everyone outside the room was a suspect in Jason Blossom's death. The first topic of discussion being her father, who had an epic grudge against the Blossoms. It was completely within the realm of possibility that he hired someone from within jail to kill Jason, possibly even Jughead's father, FP Jones, who Hiram had hired before to trash the Twilight Drive-In. Alice wanted the girls to further investigate Jason's death by finding out what FP and Joaquin were conspiring about a few nights prior, but Betty declined the task on both of their behalves. It wasn't long before Veronica returned to Mrs. Cooper, offering her assistance in finding out the truth about her dad, and Jughead's.
From there. Mrs. Cooper conspired a plan in which she would invite FP and Jughead over for dinner to buy Veronica enough time to go looking through his trailer for any potential evidence. After Cheryl's announcement that she and Polly would be campaigning for Homecoming co-Queens, Veronica announced that she and Archie would be covering a couple upbeat songs for the dance, despite earlier telling him no. The two of them then headed to an empty classroom, where they could talk privately, in which Veronica explained that her reasoning for agreeing to sing with him was so that he would agree to help her search FP's trailer. Her father was very close to being released, Veronica wanted to know exactly who they were welcoming back into their lives. Unfortunately, Archie denied her request, he didn't want to go behind Jughead's back.
After thinking it over, Archie finally came to his senses and agreed to help find out the truth about Hiram and FP, but they couldn't allow Betty or Jughead to find out. The following night, just before Homecoming, she and Archie made their way into FP's trailer, though they failed to find anything that would indicate FP had any involvement in Jason's murder. Veronica quickly became increasingly agitated and uneasy, it seemed almost as if she wanted to find something, but she really just wanted to know the truth, one way or the other, she needed to be sure. She became worried of what would follow once he returned home, but Archie assured Veronica that he would be there for her, not finding anything at the trailer felt like a major win for the home team to him. Veronica smiled, though she had walked through the Valley of Darkness, Archie Andrews was there with a smile and a sports metaphor, she said, just before they kissed.
The two of them then hastily exited the trailer after getting a text from Mrs. Cooper that the dinner was over. Regrettably, they were caught by Betty as they were talking to Mrs. Cooper at the dance, however, with their performance coming up, they didn't have time to explain. Following an amazing performance on stage, in which she and Archie sang "Kids in America", they were confronted by Betty yet again, but this time in the hallway. Veronica apologized for working with Betty's mom behind her back but she had to be sure since her father and FP had business. Just then, Jughead came around the corner, and they filled him on everything they'd done, which was a complete betrayal of him and his trust.
After learning that FP had been arrested for the murder of Jason Blossom, Veronica and her mother returned home, where they discussed their next course of action. If Hiram was involved in the killing, and her mother couldn't pretend otherwise, they'd cut all ties to him, he would be dead to them. Veronica learned from Kevin that his father found the gun that killed Jason in a lockbox in FP's closet, but the thing is, Veronica and Archie searched that closet, and the gun wasn't there. Someone put the gun there after they left, meaning FP was being framed.[12]
Picking up exactly where the previous episode left off, Veronica and Archie assured Betty that the gun wasn't there when they check the trailer, meaning FP was being framed. Veronica wanted to go to Sheriff Keller about what they knew, but Archie suggested that they tell their parents first, which didn't go too well.
Veronica and Archie explained that they had to check the trailer in order to be sure that FP and Hiram had no involvement in the death of Jason Blossom. The gun was planted by whoever killed Jason, but Veronica's mother and Mrs. Cooper both suggested that it was possible that she and Archie might have just missed the gun. At that moment, Betty outed her mother in putting Veronica and Archie up to the breaking and entering of the trailer, something that Hermione, Fred, and Mary were completely unaware of. Veronica admitted that she approached Mrs. Cooper because she had to know if FP and her father were involved.
Upon returning home, Veronica's mother began looking for their passports as there was not telling what FP was revealing to the authorities, leading Veronica to question if her mother finally believed that her father hired FP. Hermione wasn't entirely sure if Hiram was involved or not, but regardless of that, they were known associates of the man currently being accused of killing Jason, so either way, they need to be ready to run away, which Veronica opposed as it made them look guilty. Hermione exclaimed that they were guilty, she bribed Mayor McCoy for the Twilight Drive-In land, forged Veronica's signature. and paid off the Southside Serpents. They needed to be prepared to run if any of that became public knowledge.
A little while later, she called Archie looking to talk, but he couldn't as he and Betty were looking for Jughead, which upset Veronica because they were on a manhunt without her. Archie and Betty were at the Riverdale Bus Station but Jughead was nowhere in sight, but Veronica quickly realized that the only place Jughead could go at that time of night was Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe since it was open 24/7. Just as she said, they found Jughead sitting alone at the dinner, each of them felt bad about betraying him but something good came from it, they told Jughead that the gun wasn't there when they searched it. The four of them made their way to the Sheriff Station in search for Sheriff Keller to inform him that FP was being framed. However, by the time they arrived, FP had already confessed to killing Jason.
At school the next day, Veronica was thrilled that her father wasn't mentioned in the police report, but she couldn't help but feel that maybe he hired another Serpent to plant the gun. Under the table, Archie held her hand to comfort her, then Kevin joined them at the table, and soon thereafter, Jughead entered the cafeteria despite his initial decision to stay home, resulting in a violent altercation with Cheryl.
The next day, Veronica learned from Archie, who learned from his mother that FP used his one phone call to contact Joaquin, leaving her to wonder why he didn't call Jughead, Mr. Andrews, or even an attorney. Joaquin could possibly know if her father hired FP to kill Jason, so they called him over to interrogate him. Veronica asked what he and FP discussed over the phone, and he claimed that FP simply told him to lay low, but she wasn't buying it as no one would waste their only call so foolishly.
Kevin then asked if FP killed Jason, which Joaquin assumed he had because FP called him down to the Whyte Wyrm for a cleanup job on July 11th. In the basement of the bar is where Joaquin saw Jason's lifeless body, he and FP put the body in the freezer and cleaned up the mess. FP had done jobs for her father in the past, so Veronica asked if killing Jason was one of them. There was one time Joaquin overheard a conversation about a rich guy between FP and another Serpent named Mustang, who was the only other person aware of the cleanup. Veronica and Kevin then demanded that he take them to see Mustang or else they'd alert the Sheriff of his clean up job.
They entered Mustang's room at the City Centre Motor Hotel, only to find him dead in the bathtub, it appeared that he had overdosed. Veronica and Archie called the reported the incident, as Kevin and Joaquin left the scene, so it wasn't long before their parents and the authorities arrived. Sheriff Keller questioned them on what they were doing at the hotel in the first place, in which Archie explained that they knew Mustang was a Serpent, so they just wanted to see if he knew anything about FP. Then came a deputy with a bag filled with money, labeled "H. L.", that was found under Mustang's bed which Sheriff Keller mistook this to be Hermione's bag, but Veronica came to her defense, saying that it belong to her father and that he was doing business with the Serpents.
Once she and her mother returned home, Hermione broke down and began hysterically crying as Veronica held her close.
From Joaquin, they learned of a contingency plan involving FP, himself, and Jason's varsity jacket, which FP had deemed as being too dangerous. They began wondering what could be so dangerous about a jacket, Veronica suggested they ask her father because he would know considering that they have concrete evidence that he hired the Serpents to kill Jason, which likely meant FP pulled the trigger, she was sorry for Jughead. Betty refused to give up, checking the pockets of the jacket to see if they had missed anything, and inside the lining, they found a USB flash drive containing the video surveillance of the night Jason was murdered. They watched the video from beginning to end, everything from Jason being taunted by Mustang to Jason's death, in which it was revealed that he was killed by his own father, Cliff Blossom.
Veronica returned home to her mother that night, sorry that she had ever questioned her father, but Hermione forgave her, and then told her that her father would be home really soon.[13]
With Hiram's release from prison quickly approaching, Hermione and Smithers prepared for his arrival as Veronica snidely remarked that they wouldn't want to make her father angry.
At school later that morning, she and Archie contemplated over whether or not they should inform Betty of their relationship, now that they were no longer investigating an active murder case. However, Archie wanted to take precaution considering the last time he had a similar conversation with Betty, it didn't go well, thus burdening Veronica with the task of telling Betty that they were semi-dating. Before they could finish their conversation, Archie and Betty were called down to Mr. Weatherbee's office, where Mayor McCoy announced that she wanted to honor them for their contribution in the Jason Blossom murder case.
Following the meeting with Mayor McCoy, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Kevin discussed FP's case, and the false allegations of drug trafficking being pinned to the Southside Serpents. Betty was irate over the news that FP and the Serpents were being singled out as the town's villains. Betty was so frustrated that she decided to write an article on the topic but she couldn't figure out why people were so afraid of the truth. Using this as the opportunity to reveal her own truth, Veronica informed Betty that she and Archie had kissed a couple times. Surprisingly, Betty was genuinely happy for the two of them, telling them it was okay with her for them to be together.
Later that evening, she met up with Cheryl in the girl's locker room, who was uncharacteristically nice and pleasant. Cheryl had announced that she resigned as head cheerleader of the River Vixens, and had left them under Veronica's command, just before handing off her H.B.I.C (Head Bitch In Charge) shirt. Cheryl explained that the last few days had put things in perspective, but Veronica at least wanted Cheryl to know that if she ever needed anything, she shouldn't hesitate to ask.
Veronica described Cheryl's drastic change in behavior to Betty as chilling, "there are some dark goings on a Thornhill", she said. Betty believed the darkness to be town wide, which reminded Veronica of Betty's article she had written on FP and the Serpents as promised. She professed her love for the article as Betty announced that it was already up on The Blue and Gold website, and that hard copies would be in circulation the following morning. Now that it was just the two of them, Veronica thought it best to check with Betty one last time on her feelings towards her romance with Archie.
The next day at lunch, as Betty babysat Polly, Veronica joined Jughead at the 'social pariah table' for lunch. She recently realized that she and Jughead had a lot in common. He assumed that it was the trivial fact of his father going to prison as Veronica's was getting out, but she was going to say that it's the fact that they were dating each other's best friend. Cheryl soon joined them at the table to apologize for her previous assault on Jughead, gifting him with her iconic spider broach. Just as before, Cheryl was behaving in a manner that none of them were use to, leading Veronica to ask if everything was okay with her just before Kevin interrupted them to show that Betty's locker had been vandalized in retaliation to the article she wrote.
Upon her return home that evening, Veronica found her mother's sudden interest in her relationship with Archie to be strange. Hermione explained that she and Hiram had made Fred an offer to buy him out of the SoDale contract, but he's yet to respond. She was hoping that Veronica could talk to Archie, who would subsequently convince his father to sell. Veronica sarcastically remarked that she would sexually manipulate Archie into doing her bidding, which Hermione was fine with so long as Veronica remained in control. Shocked that her mother would allow her to commit such a treacherous act, Veronica questioned why Hermione was so eager to chase Fred off when he's the only person in town that's been good and loyal to her. Hermione told her that Fred and Hiram would never get along, so her need to push Fred away was in direct response to this.
The next day in the student lounge, Veronica and Archie learned that Betty had a long-lost brother, who would be in his mid-twenties, a blond Adonis Veronica claimed. After learning that Jughead had already transferred to Southside High due to the belief that no one wanted him at Riverdale, Veronica, Archie, and Betty raced over to retrieve him, but upon their arrival, they discovered that he was fitting right in. Just outside the school, as Betty and Jughead exchange a loving hug, Veronica couldn't help but notice the passion between the two of them, believing that they were soulmates. She then received a message from Cheryl, who thanked her for trying but she was going to be reunited with Jason. Realizing that she was trying to end her life, the four of them headed to where Cheryl saw Jason last, at Sweetwater River, where Cheryl pounded on the thick layer of ice, hoping to break it. Veronica pleaded with Cheryl to stop but the ice broke beneath her feet, and Cheryl was dragged under.
They rushed over to help before the current could drag her down any further. However, she was just beneath the ice, leaving them with only one option, to break through it, which Archie does, but not without severely wounding his hand. After Archie performed CPR on Cheryl, and brought her back to shore, Veronica sat her in front of the fireplace at the Pembrooke with a towel and hot chocolate with a little splash of peppermint liqueur. Veronica explained to her mother that Cheryl had gotten into an accident, and she needed help, so she brought Cheryl home. She went on to deny her mother's offer to drive her to the Jubilee, referring to Hermione as Lady Macbeth.
Veronica joined Archie backstage at the Jubilee as he attempted to play his guitar with an injured hand, "that's what you get for punching a river of ice", she said. Veronica wasn't too sure that he should be playing with the condition his hand was in but he insisted he was fine as he played his entire freshman football season with a taped up hand. Veronica recalled that Archie was looking at Betty and Jughead longingly, back when they were at South Side High. Archie explained that in that moment, he was seeing how good Betty and Jughead were together, and he wanted that for their relationship. Veronica told him that she'd love that as they kissed, before being interrupted by Josie and the Pussycats, who announced that as a show of gratitude for Archie saving Cheryl's life, they'd perform one of his songs.
As expected, Veronica joined the Pussycats on stage as they performed along side Archie. Afterward, Betty gave a speech pertaining to FP Jones, the Southside Serpents, and the turmoil in which Riverdale was facing if they continued with the same toxic patterns. Veronica, Archie, Betty, and Jughead celebrated with milkshakes at Pop's over Betty's speech and Archie saving Cheryl. That night, Veronica returned home with Archie once her mother had fallen sound asleep. They crept into Veronica's bedroom and had sex. The very next morning, Veronica jokes that she didn't know Archie was such a scoundrel as he attempted to leave without saying goodbye. Archie had actually received a message from his father, who wanted to meet up at Pop's for breakfast, so she kissed Archie, and sent him on his way.[14]
Physical Appearance
Veronica is an incredibly attractive young Latina woman with a slim and feminine physique. She has olive skin, straight, medium length, jet-black hair, and large brown eyes. Despite her family's recent misfortune, in which her father was arrested and everything they owned was taken from them, Veronica has managed to maintain her fancy and luxurious wardrobe, consisting of everything from stylish and expensive dresses to Louboutin heels. Her outfits often include her signature black cape and a pearl necklace that was given to her by her father.
Personality
Much like her nemesis Cheryl Blossom, Veronica is a charismatic and confident young girl. Before her father's arrest, Veronica was very much like her comic book counterpart and was a nasty, cruel bully (describing herself as "worse than Cheryl"), even driving one girl to transfer schools and go into therapy. After the downfall of her father, however Veronica was humbled by the barrage of accusations made against her and resolved to change.
However, since coming to Riverdale, Veronica is much more empathetic and caring of others, going out of her way to give her friends a taste of her life, from imported cupcakes to high-end designer clothing. She is fiercely loyal towards her friends, particularly Betty Cooper, and will do whatever it takes to protect them. During confrontations, Veronica is not afraid to fight back and show her ruthless side, especially if it involves her friends and family.
Gallery
