Now, some of you may be looking at the words "perplexing character" and are wondering, "What exactly does this mean?" How and when has CJ ever been a perplexing character and what about her role/purpose could possibly make her such a curious subject? What is the big mystery to her character in the grand scheme of JG Quintel's fascinating creation?



Well, at first glance, one may not question CJ's role in Regular Show; I mean, she was obviously created to be a love interest for Mordecai that sadly didn't work out, right? Well . . . kind of. That's certainly part of the equation, but after examining some seemingly simple details surrounding our favorite cloud girl, I've thought up a theory that could change everything about how we, the fans, look at CJ. Mind you, this essay is not a criticism. Seriously, I would not dream of doing anything to make CJ sad. I happen to love her character very deeply, and that's why I wrote this essay: I wish to examine CJ's character and learn more about her, as well as give other people the chance to understand her as well. That being said, this essay will discuss a theory (which may or may not be original) that I fear may be accurate. I call it a theory and not a hypothesis because there is evidence that supports the idea, or at least circumstantial evidence at best.

Okay, ready? Let's begin!

To start this discussion, let's go back in time to when we first met CJ. Please, bear with me here; this is all important.

CJ entered Regular Show in the Season 3 episode "Yes Dude Yes" as little more than a minor character: someone we know for only one episode and hardly ever see again. In the episode, she was given the roles of being a new potential girlfriend for Mordecai and, creatively, also being the episode's supernatural force which disrupts the otherwise normalcy of the Regular Show world. To make a long story short (albeit one that only lasted for 11 minutes), Mordecai thought Margaret had accepted a marriage proposal to another man and, depressed, Mordecai took to online dating, which led him to CJ. After finding out that the "proposal" was a misunderstanding, Mordecai asks Margaret out to a movie that he already agreed to take CJ to. CJ finds out and, feeling betrayed, turns into a literal storm of fury, only to be calmed down by Mordecai when he fesses up to his blunder. Bitter and humiliated, CJ walks away. The episodes that follow after make absolutely no mention of CJ ever being there. She quite literally disappears from Regular Show.

Two seasons later, in the Season 5 episode "New Year's Kiss", CJ made her reentry and, from there, became a fully realized character. She made friends with three of our main cast and she fitted in excellently. She proved to be just as funny, fun-loving, brave, and goodhearted as Mordecai, Rigby, and Eileen. I, for one, was looking forward to the future and what experiences awaited CJ and her new friends. Her small-time role as a one-shot character had changed. She was now Mordecai's girlfriend, she was Rigby and Eileen's friend, she was officially part of the show, and, for a while, things were good.

And yet . . . there was a very huge, very obvious problem right from the moment CJ walked back on stage. A problem that stared us all in the face and was clear in its question: What would happen to CJ when Margaret came back?

For those who have been watching Regular Show since Season 1, we've come to recognize a primary group within the show (outside of the park workers, that is): Mordecai, Rigby, Eileen, and Margaret. This quartet of anthros were something to look forward to between episodes when the park was not center stage. Their adventures and life lessons became a treat to our emotions, to our humor, and to our romantic expectations. It's no secret that potential romances always make for an enticing episode and sometimes even a main reason why people watch these shows in the first place.

However, at the end of the Season 4 finale, "Steak Me Amadeus", the foundation of those familiar episodes were shaken when Margaret announced that she was heading off to college.

With Margaret's absence, however temporary, her group was now one member short. Yet, low and behold, CJ appeared 16 episodes later to fill Margaret's place, and, with all due respect, CJ did a good job filling Margaret's non-existent shoes. As mentioned, she got on well with Eileen and Rigby, plus she was a new love interest for Mordecai. Unfortunately, when Margaret returned from college, things got shaken up between the five characters, and with this we arrive at my theory — the disturbing idea I pray with all my heart isn't true.

Was CJ's purpose in Regular Show nothing more than being a substitute for Margaret?



Take a few moments to let this idea sink in. Does it sound absurd or logical? To find out, let's look at the evidence, starting with Margaret herself. With CJ still in the group, we only had episodes with Mordecai, CJ, Eileen, and Rigby hanging out while Margaret remained in the background. There didn't seem to be any room for her now that CJ was standing in her spot. In the Season 6 episode, "Not Great Double Date", Margaret expressed that she was unhappy about this and felt like a stranger around her friends. And, to top it all off, she admitted that she still had feelings for Mordecai. But Margaret didn't have to wait long for things to return to "normal." Upon the end of Season 6 when Mordecai and CJ decided to "take a break", CJ disappeared again and Margaret took back her old place within the group. Within the last few recent Season 7 episodes — "Local News Legends", "Just Friends", and "The Eileen Plan" — Mordecai, Rigby, Eileen, and Margaret are back to being the group they used to be: hanging out in coffee shops, eating pizza, and trying to get through their crazy, supernatural lives without going insane (or in Mordecai and Rigby's case, getting fired). It's almost like Margaret never left at all. But where, in all of this, is CJ? As far as I can tell, she's not really anywhere, and that brings us back to the number one question: was CJ Margaret's replacement? Was she only a stand-in while the main actress was away, eagerly preparing her big return to the stage? Was the friendly, funny girl we've come to know for two seasons just a cloud passing over our heads, destined to fade into thin air and never be seen again? The very idea of this being true makes me cringe. And worse yet, there's evidence that says CJ may have been just that: a substitute, an understudy. . . . For one, CJ did, in a sense, fill in for Margaret while she was away. Now, don't get me wrong, CJ is obviously a different person with her own distinct characteristics, but the fact remains that CJ did the job a little too well. Besides her relationship with Mordecai, there's not much that sets CJ apart from Margaret. In "Video 101", CJ helped out with Eileen's music video — something Margaret would've gladly done out of friendship. In "Tent Trouble", CJ went camping with Mordecai, Rigby, and Eileen — something Margaret already did with her friends back in "Camping Can Be Cool." And perhaps the most notable thing of all, CJ became Mordecai's girlfriend — something Mordecai had originally planned to do with Margaret before she left for college and long before going out with the person now standing in her place. Really, when it comes down to it, there's not a single thing CJ did that Margaret couldn't have or wouldn't have done with her friends. As different as these two characters are, one can't deny that they had similar roles within Regular Show. But Margaret is only the beginning. The really disturbing details lie with Mordecai, Rigby, and Eileen.



Let's first look at the character who CJ cared about most.













