Mary Andrews

“	I hope that you're not referring to your father, Archie. This man who broke rocks when he was in high school, to support his family when his dad was sick. A man who saw what had to be done and did it. And built a business out of nothing. One that pays for this house and the food you eat every day. And for your information, your father had and has a vision for Riverdale. One that doesn't, thank God, end up with everyone working in a penal colony. Now, you don't have to side with your dad, okay? You can side with Hiram Lodge, even though he's a crook, and has no intention of letting your father out of that contract, by the way. You can do that. That is your right. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and listen to you disrespect him!	”
	— Mary to Archie^[src]

Mary Andrews (née Maiden)^[1] is a recurring character on The CW's Riverdale. She is portrayed by Molly Ringwald.

Mary is Archie's mother and the widow of the late Fred Andrews. They separated, and Mary moved to Chicago, but the divorce never carried through, as Fred unexpectedly passed away. She returned to Riverdale upon Fred's passing and assumed legal guardianship of Archie until he left for basic training. After Hiram Lodge's attempt to destroy the Andrews family home, during the cleanup of debris, she would sell Archie the house.

In 1955, Mary is a widower who owns Perky In Peach, a dress shop.

Character Description[]

Having left Riverdale two years ago to follow her dreams, Mary returns to town in her family's hour of need. She not only reconnects with Archie and her husband, Fred, but also her former high school gal-pals Hermione and Alice, just in time for a homecoming dance. ^[2]

Early Life[]

Mary was raised in Riverdale and attended the local high school where she was friends with Hermione Lodge and Alice Smith. She later went on to marry Fred Andrews and welcomed their first and only child, Archie Andrews. Two years prior to the start of the series, she and Fred separated and began divorce proceedings. Mary moved to Chicago in that time, and while she wanted her son to go with her, he chose to stay in Riverdale with his father.

Throughout Riverdale[]

Physical Appearance[]

Mary is a middle-aged woman with pale skin, dark brown eyes, short red hair, and a big smile. She is slightly above the height of the average woman, around 5′ 8″ with a slim figure. Mary's wardrobe is very neat and well put-together. She often wears casual and non-revealing clothing such as turtle-necks and long sleeve shirts in varying colors.

Personality[]

Mary is a kind and loving mother. She cares deeply for Archie, only wanting for him to aspire to be his best self. With the rise in dangerous activity throughout Riverdale, Mary only sought to protect Archie by getting him out of town. However, against her best wishes, he decided to stay. While she was accepting of his decision, she did not agree with it. Mary's compassionate nature has also been shown to extend to Archie's friends as well. Upon FP Jones's arrest, Mary posed as his lawyer in an effort to gather information, which she would then relay to Archie and Jughead. More than just compassionate and loving, Mary is also quite intelligent, possessing the necessary skills and intellect to become an established lawyer. It was these skills that allowed her to pass as FP's attorney as well as explain the legitimacy of Archie and Veronica's discovery after illegally entering FP's trailer.

Relationships[]

Archie Andrews[]

RD-Caps-4x07-The-Ice-Storm-111-Mary-Archie — Mary and Archie

The relationship between Mary and her son, Archie, is close, but not nearly as close as he is with his father, whom he lived with. Mary hadn't seen her son for two years up until she returned to Riverdale after leaving and moving to Chicago. She and Archie spent quite a bit of time together while she was in town, and before she left for Chicago again, Archie promised that he would come spend some time with her over the next summer break since he chose to remain in Riverdale with his father after Mary offered him the chance to move to Chicago with her. After Fred's passing, Mary moved back to Riverdale, where she gained full custody of Archie. The two have continued to grow close, and Archie is even supportive of her relationship with Brooke Rivers.

Fred Andrews[]

RD-Caps-2x01-A-Kiss-Before-Dying-18-Mary-Fred — Mary and Fred

Mary and Fred's relationship dates back to their childhood, with both of them growing up in Riverdale and attending school together. They later went on to marry and welcome their first and only child, Archie. Two years prior to the start of the series, Fred and Mary decided to separate and began divorce proceedings. Mary moved to Chicago at that time, and while she wanted her son to join her, he chose to stay in Riverdale with his father. Mary and Fred's separation was not an amicable one as according to Archie, at one point, they could not even talk to each other without a mediator present. Despite this, they have shown to enjoy each other's company, so much so that Archie and Jughead began to speculate if they were going to rekindle their relationship. However, they never did, and when Fred died, she returned to Riverdale to look after Archie.

Alice Smith[]

Mary and Alice Season 1 Episode 11 — Mary and Alice

Not much is known about Mary and Alice's history, though they their relationship dates back at least to their adolescent years. Mary left Riverdale some years later, after she and Fred decided to separate. Two years after Mary departure from Riverdale, she returned, where she had a run in with Alice at the Homecoming dance, which she had attended to see her son perform given his new interest in music. She came face-to-face with Alice in the woman's restroom, where Alice couldn't help but notice that Mary attended the dance with Fred and Hermione despite their secret affair. Even though Mary had left, nothing much had changed. She saw straight through Alice's juvenile tactics, the same ones she had been using since Junior High. Furthermore, she and Fred were no longer together, so he was free to do as he pleased.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

"Chapter Two: A Touch of Evil" (mentioned)
"Chapter Six: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!" (mentioned)
"Chapter Ten: The Lost Weekend"
"Chapter Eleven: To Riverdale and Back Again"
"Chapter Twelve: Anatomy of a Murder"
"Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter" (mentioned)

Season 2[]

"Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying"
"Chapter Twenty-Two: Silent Night, Deadly Night" (mentioned)
"Chapter Twenty-Eight: There Will Be Blood" (mentioned)
"Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors"
"Chapter Thirty: The Noose Tightens"
"Chapter Thirty-One: A Night to Remember" (mentioned)
"Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners" (mentioned)

Season 3[]

Season 7[]

Trivia[]

Mary Andrews appeared in the Archie Comics for the first time in Archie #115 on December 1960.
In the comics, she's the "typical all-American suburban housewife." Although in some stories, Mary works as a real estate agent.
Originally, Archie's mother had white hair and a plumb physique but was later given ginger hair to match her son's and a slender and younger appearance.