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This article is about Alice Smith, who resides in Riverdale. You may be looking for her Rivervale counterpart, Alice Smith.

All of the love in the world and all of the sacrifice, and it was never enough. It was never enough for you! You always had to... You always had to conjure up these villains to explain everything that was wrong with you. But did you ever stop to think that maybe you're the villain? You need to stop looking for monsters under the bed and in the closets and just stop and take a really good look in the mirror. Despite everything that I did as a mother, you have always been a bad person.
— Alice to Betty[src]

Alice Susanna Smith (formerly Cooper) is a main character on The CW's Riverdale. She is portrayed by Mädchen Amick.

Alice is the former editor and co-owner of the local newspaper, the wife of Hal Cooper and the mother of Betty and Polly Cooper, as well as her son Charles Smith, whom she gave up for adoption when she was in high school. She is also the grandmother of Jason and Polly's twin babies, Juniper and Dagwood. One of Alice's greatest kept secrets was that she's a former member of the Southside Serpents. Following her arrest, she severed all ties with the gang, and erased, or at least thought to have erased every article about her arrest from the system archives.

Some time after she found out that Hal was the Black Hood, she was reunited with her biological son, Charles Smith, who worked as an FBI agent and was tasked with taking down Edgar Evernever and The Farm. Alice infiltrated the Farm under Charles' order to rescue Polly and expose the Farm's organ harvesting. Unfortunately, Alice would later learn that Charles was a psychopath and that he was responsible for multiple deaths. Alice also rekindled her childhood romance with FP Jones, which ultimately ended with FP leaving for Toledo with Jellybean after learning that she was the Auteur. And so, she was left heartbroken twice.

Character Description[]

Editor of the local paper, described as a steely perfectionist who places exceedingly high expectations on her daughter, Betty.[1]

Early Life[]

Alice grew up on the southside of Riverdale and attended the local high school with Mary Andrews. She began dating Hal Cooper and they later went on to marry and have two daughters, Betty and Polly. During high school, she became pregnant by FP Jones and Hal pushed her to have an abortion, as he did not think she was ready to be a mother. She refused an abortion and instead gave the baby up for adoption once he was born. She also seems to have had a lactose intolerance in high school, as mentioned by Hermione Lodge.

Alice has been suspected of having ties to the Southside Serpents ever since an argument that unfolded after Jughead's 16th Birthday Party, between FP Jones and herself, where he remarked that "snakes don't shed their skin so easily". In an email from the Black Hood, it was revealed that Alice, as a teenager, was once a member of the southside-based gang and had been arrested during her time of affiliation with them. How the Black Hood came into possession of the archived arrest article remains unknown as Alice claims to have removed every copy from the system archive, years ago. Thus, making it one of the many secrets that she's kept hidden for many years.

Throughout Riverdale[]

Physical Appearance[]

Alice is a beautiful middle-aged woman with an elegantly slender, feminine physique. She has blonde hair, tan skin and grey eyes that sometimes appear blue. Her style choice reflects the parts of her personality that she often tries to display: this is seen by her dressing professionally, in a smart, neat manner often featuring pencil skirts and flattering blouses. She pairs this with a natural and pretty makeup look, which makes her look attractive and intelligent but also allows her to seem like she always came from the 'right side of town'.

Her sexier side was revealed, however, when she was exposed as a miscreant of the Southside- her former home- and she confidently waltzed into the open house of the Lodges in a red snakeskin romper with a plunging neckline. This proved that she could always get anyone's attention if she needed it and she was not ashamed of who she was, she paired the show-stopping look with a matching gold snake necklace, teasing the town that she still had a bit of a bad girl flare in her.

Personality[]

Alice is a very protective parent when it comes to her family, especially to Betty, whom she was quite over-protective of when she found out that Polly was pregnant with a child. Alice is also quite sneaky when she wants to get information on something or someone. She is also quite manipulative at times when she wants to play her mind games to get intel out of someone.

Alice is also quite judgmental toward others, as she was quite judgmental towards Betty's friends and her friends' parents as well. This was particularly true toward Jughead and FP due to their connection to the Southside Serpents. Because of this, she often accuses the Jones boys of criminal activities and their biker gang, even though she was previously affiliated with them in her teenage years.

Relationships[]

Betty Cooper[]

Main article: Alice and Betty
I'm terrified. Every time that you walk out that door, every time that I call you, and you don't pick up the phone, my heart stops. But how am I supposed to protect you two girls, right, when you go and do this? And then you try to make me the monster!
— Alice to Betty[src]
RD-Caps-3x01-Labor-Day-53-Betty-Alice

Betty and Alice having a serious mother daughter talk

Presumably, Alice and Betty had a good even if strict relationship before Betty's elder sister Polly began dating Jason Blossom. However, after Polly was sent to live in a group home, Alice became even more controlling and placed immense pressure on Betty's shoulders to be perfect in every way and their relationship became strained because of this. They both share a hunger for justice and are both writers for the town's newspapers, The Register. Even though Alice and her daughter, Betty, may not see eye to eye on most subjects, they both care deeply for one another and are often there by each other's side in a time of need.


Polly Cooper[]

You look beautiful.
— Polly to Alice[src]
RD-Caps-3x13-Requiem-for-a-Welterweight-30-Alice-Polly

Polly helps Alice prepare for her baptism

Presumably, Alice and Polly had a good relationship before Polly began dating Jason Blossom, the son of a family she despised. When Alice found out about the two, she was furious and tried to break them up. She was thrilled when Jason's parents forced him to do so, despite her daughter's heartbreak, damaging her relationship with Polly. Their relationship wasn't so great once Alice found out that Polly was pregnant with Jason's child. After she discovered Polly's pregnancy, she and Hal secretly had their daughter forcibly locked away at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, a group home for troubled youths, where they had planned for Polly to give the baby up for adoption once he or she was born. To cover up Polly's pregnancy, Alice and Hal told everyone, including Betty, that Polly had a nervous breakdown when Jason broke up with her, and that was why she was sent to live at a group home. For a while, their relationship was estranged, but when Polly returned to town for the final time, she offered to introduce her mother to Edgar Evernever, the leader of the Farm, who healed Polly and could heal Alice too. During their time at the Farm, the two grew closer. Seven years later, after the fall of the Farm, Polly moved back home with her kids to live with Alice, who turned a blind eye to many of Polly's illegal activities, which caused her to feel guilty when Polly went missing and was found dead weeks later.

Hal Cooper[]

Main article: Alice and Hal
All I'm doing is I'm pointing out that your father can't do anything right. Not even be a serial killer! Cleansing the town of sin? Really, Hal, you're the damn sinner.
— Alice to Hal[src]
RD-Caps-2x05-When-a-Stranger-Calls-117-Hal-Alice

Alice and Hal at the SoDale Gala Opening

Alice and Hal grew up together in Riverdale and were High School sweethearts. During their senior year at Riverdale High, Alice learned that she was pregnant with her first child. At the homecoming dance, she told him about the pregnancy, which leads to a big fight between the two, as Hal wanted Alice to abort the baby while Alice wanted to deliver it. She then went to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, where she lived for five months until the birth of her son, who the Sisters arranged to be quietly adopted. Alice and Hal later went on to marry and have two daughters together, Betty and Polly. They went on to own the local newspaper, The Riverdale Register. After Polly got pregnant, and it was revealed that Hal secretly tried to have Polly get an abortion, Alice's relationship with her husband drastically changed, resulting in her kicking him out of the house. Alice has also admitted to Betty when speaking about her father, there were things she regretted telling him, as he used her secrets against her. In the seven-year time jump, Polly moved back home with her kids to live with Alice. Alice turned a blind eye to many of Polly's illegal activities which caused her to feel guilt when Polly went missing and was found dead weeks later.


FP Jones[]

You're still hot, Alice. Too bad you're a stick in the mud.
— FP to Alice[src]
RD-Caps-3x03-As-Above-So-Below-123-FP-Alice

FP and Alice burning Gryphons and Gargoyles manual

Alice and FP have known each other for years, dating back at least to their high school years. Just like FP is now, there was a time when Alice was a member of the Southside Serpents, however, that was during her adolescence. Alice later left the Serpents for reasons that remain unknown, though she cut all ties with them before crossing over to the Northside. During those earlier years of living on the Southside of Riverdale, Alice was a troublemaker. While it is unknown if she and FP were friends or not, they undeniably hold a great amount of disdain towards one another, though this appears to be due to Alice's "holier than thou" attitude, and her willingness to blame the Serpents for any-and-all criminal activities that are committed throughout town. Due to their history together, FP is at least aware of some of Alice's darkest secrets that were once part of her dark past, such as her reputable criminal background as a Serpent. It was later revealed that FP and Alice did, in fact, have a high school romance, which resulted in Alice giving birth to a child that FP did not know up until recently. That child was given up for adoption at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy shortly after his birth.

For a time, they lived under the same roof with their children (Betty, Jughead and Jellybean) and they finally reunited with Charles, their common son.


Mary Andrews[]

You have been playing the same game since junior high and it was tiring even back then.
Mary to Alice[src]
Mary and Alice Season 1 Episode 11

Mary and Alice doing their makeup

Not much is known about Alice and Mary's past, however, they met before the start of the series when they were in high school. Mary left Riverdale some years later after she and Fred were separated. Two years after her departure, Alice came face-to-face with Mary, who had returned to Riverdale in preparation for the Homecoming dance. It was in the restroom that Alice confronted Mary about her attending the dance with Fred and Hermione despite their secret affair. Even though Mary had left, she claimed that nothing much had changed, as she saw straight through Alice's juvenile tactics, the same ones she had been using since Junior High.


Hermione Lodge[]

Season 1 Episode 8 The Outsiders Alice Hermione (1)

Hermione and Alice having a discussion at Pop's

Hermione and Alice have known each other for years, as they both grew up in Riverdale. Their rivalry dates back as far as high school. A rivalry that proved lasting once Hermione moved back into town with her daughter, Veronica Lodge, after many years of living in New York. Despite their differences, Hermione was more than willing to put their differences aside for their kids' sake, having proven this several times, such as when she invited Alice to join her at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, where they discussed Polly's future and baby shower.


Jughead Jones[]

RD-Promo-2x05-When-a-Stranger-Calls-15-Jughead

The relationship between Alice Cooper and Jughead Jones is quite complicated due to her hate for the Southside Serpents and the Jones family's ties with them. However, she is forced to deal with Jughead regularly due to his relationship with her daughter. Alice doesn't trust either of the Jones men, seeing them as nothing more than troublemakers, often fearing that Jughead's ties to the Southside are not only a bad influence on Betty, but that one day she may end up being dragged into something she had no business in because of her relationship with him. Alice claims to like Jughead, but her actions have often proved otherwise.


Archie Andrews[]

Who would’ve predicted this? Archie Andrews is our fox in the henhouse.
— Alice to Archie[src]
Season 1 Episode 9 La Grande Illusion Betty Alice Archie

Alice with Archie and Betty at dinner

At the beginning of the series, Alice was strongly distrustful of Archie and was against his friendship with Betty. She made several attempts to cut his ties with her daughter, claiming he didn’t deserve Betty as a friend. As implied by Betty, Alice’s dislike of Archie stems from her comparisons of him to Jason Blossom. After being assured by her daughter that Archie is not like Jason, Alice becomes more tolerant of him. She even respects him to a certain degree, supporting his actions as a member of The Red Circle. However, Alice continues to make him feel uncomfortable, evident by her actions when Betty invited Archie to dinner, or when she told her daughter to block his number.


Penelope Blossom[]

Enough! Both of you! This is why Jason is dead. Because of this pointless, stupid fighting. We were supposed to be together, and you didn't let us have that, either of you. And you know what, it cost Jason his life.
Polly to Penelope and Alice on their relationship.[src]
Season 1 Episode 8 The Outsiders Penelope and Alice

Alice and Penelope at Polly's Baby Shower

Alice and Penelope grew up in Riverdale, and they've been rivals since the two of them were in High School, which is a rivalry that carries on to this very day. The two rarely cross paths with each other, but when they do, it hardly ever ends well. However, they do have one thing in common, they are both part of two of the wealthiest families in Riverdale. Their two families even engaged in a past business deal, which resulted in monthly payments dating back 75 years from Blossom Maple Farms to Lodge Industries, that is up until Hiram Lodge's arrest.


Chic[]

He's your brother. I know that he's odd and damaged. I see that, I'm not blind. But for the past 25 years, he hasn't had anyone to love him.
— Alice to Betty[src]
RD-Caps-2x13-The-Tell-Tale-Heart-51-Chic-Alice

Alice and Chic playing Clue

After getting pregnant the last year of high school, Alice was forced by Hal to abandon her son, Charles only to be reunited with him twenty-five years later, or so she thought. After years of hardly healed wounds and guilt for giving him up for adoption at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, Alice finally had the chance to meet her long-lost son, being immediately loving and caring for him to the point of covering up a homicide to protect him. Despite Alice acting as nothing had happened, she is fully aware that Chic is damaged and odd and capable of murder. For this reason, she believes that he is even more in need of her love since he had literally no one caring for him for twenty-five years. They spend most of their free time together, playing board games or talking about missing years, with Alice showing the Cooper family's photo albums to her son. Unfortunately, Alice has since learned that Chic isn't her son, but rather an impostor.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Season 7[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

See also: Category:Images of Alice Smith
Riverdale symbol
Alice Smith's Gallery Can Be Found Here. The Gallery May Consist of Promotional Images, Screencaps, and Video Clips Released By Network Officials

References[]

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