OK, But Who The Heck is Tall Boy on "Riverdale"?
Warning: This post contains Riverdale spoilers.
Episode ten of Riverdale was CRAZY! Not only did someone finally get a shot in against Hiram and we found out Archie isn't actually dead (no duh), but the Gargoyle King was revealed! Finally, after months of waiting, the mask was removed and his highness' face was brought to light.
Yup, Tall Boy is the man behind the mask. And honestly, the signs were there all along, like we probably should have expected this. But, of course, it was really easy to forgot about Tall Boy altogether considering the fact that he was a pretty inconsequential character who supposedly died in season 2. So, in case you need a refresher on Tall Boy, who just became one the deadliest killers in Riverdale, here you go:
Gerald "Tall Boy" Petite was first introduced to us in the finale of season one, when FP was in prison. Tall Boy and the rest of the Serpents showed up at Jughead's door to let him know that the Serpents would be taking care of Jughead while his dad was in jail. He even gives Jughead his own Serpent jacket.
Tall Boy seems to be on Jughead's side for at least a little while. He helps Jughead in his investigation into the identity of the Black Hood after Fred Andrews is shot and he remains Jughead's confidant when it comes to dealing with FP's prison sentence. TB is, however, the one who suggests Jughead talk to Penny Peabody aka The Snake Charmer, which of course doesn't end too well, but it's unclear whether or not Tall Boy knew that would blow up in Jughead's face.
Later, Tall Boy walks Jughead through his Serpent initiation, but their friendly relationship pretty much ends there. Tall Boy tells Jughead he wants to make an alliance with the Ghoulies since the Northside has started a war against the Serpents, arresting Toni and Sweet Pea in the process. Tall Boy needs Jughead's blessing, however, since being FP's son carries a lot of weight in the gang. Of course, Jughead isn't going for it and instead challenges the Ghoulies to a street race, winner takes all. When the race is cut short by the police, TB accuses Jug of calling the cops, but Archie ends up owning up to it.
The two continue to butt heads, fighting over Jughead's desire to end the war between the north and southside peacefully, by talking to the mayor. Tall Boy isn't for it, he wants to take more extreme, physical actions against the northside. Tall Boy is put in his place, outvoted by the rest of the Serpents, and with FP's release from prison, everyone seems to be getting along decently well, that is, until Tall Boy makes a deal with the devil (aka Hiram Lodge).
When the General Pickens statue gets decapitated, of course suspicion is placed on the Serpents. Tall Boy blames Jughead, but it later turns out TB was the one who destroyed the statue (gasp!) at the request of Hiram (double gasp!). "I'm tired of seeing the Serpents going soft under your rule," Tall Boy explains to the Jones boys. "Hiram Lodge came by wanting to stir up some trouble. He said if I took the head, he's get [Mayor] McCoy and the cops to swarm all over us, cause some chaos." His biggest reason for taking the deal though? "I figured it would be my chance to get rid of you, sunshine," he says to Jughead. Of course, this doesn't go over well and Tall Boy is immediately stripped of his jacket and exiled from the Serpents.
We don't hear from Tall Boy for a while, until the season two finale, in fact. That's when Sheriff Minetta reveals to Fred and Archie Andrews that Tall Boy is the Black Hood. He was the one who opened fire on the Community Hall during the mayoral debate. After receiving an anonymous tip, the cops went to find Tall Boy, and the two sides engaged in a gun fight, which ultimately "killed" Tall Boy.
Of course, now we know that TB didn't actually die that day. He was hired by Hiram to dress as the Black Hood and attack the Community Hall and then sent to Athens, a town nearby, where he spent some time before donning a new mask, this time, the mask of the Gargoyle King.
Now, thanks to Sweet Pea and Fangs, Tall Boy is actually dead and his story has come to an end, but it's hard to believe he is going to be the last of the Gargoyle Kings.
Need to rewatch all of this drama for yourself? Luckily, season one and two of Riverdale are on Netflix, and hopefully season three isn't too far behind.
Carolyn Twersky is the Editorial Fellow at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram!
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