Luke Perry got the tribute he deserved in the season four premiere of Riverdale Wednesday night.
The episode progresses with Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead struggling to understand the senseless nature of Fred's death, with Archie in particular danger of giving in to his vengeful, violent impulses.
The level of care that went into crafting this season premiere makes it clear that line isn't entirely about Fred.
He explained: "It did suggest a path for Archie, which is about growing up a little more quickly than he would have and and giving senior year this nearly melancholy feel". The rest of the hour jumps between the minutiae of dealing with a funeral, to Riverdale-esque tropes where Archie tries to grapple with the event like a typical mystery on the show, even though it very much is not.
"Very early on, we landed on the idea that Fred should have a heroic death", executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said at a press screening. And when we were working on the episode, we know that there would be some characters outside of our cast of characters that would be involved.
"I think everyone was really proud to gather to tell this tribute to Fred and to Luke, and I think everyone was". "But we think it ... honors the memory of Luke [and] it honors the memory of Fred". We've been having a lot of fun with Mary back to Riverdale ... she's moving from Chicago, not quite aware of what a rough town Riverdale is... "They were both such incredible human beings that we wanted to really, really craft an emotional and deep tribute to him, which is what I hope this episode is".
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With a befitting tribute, "Riverdale" has brought to a bittersweet conclusion Perry's legacy on television, where his absence will be felt whether you knew him best Fred Andrews or Dylan McKay.
How will the episode honor Luke and Fred?
The arc of "In Memoriam" helps Archie and his friends realize that Fred Andrews was a great man on many fronts.
While Perry's last appearance on Riverdale aired in April, almost two months after his death, Fred's absence has yet to be addressed on-screen. "But Mary's doing great and I'd really be anxious for Archie if not for Mary".
"Season 4 premieres tonight". We wanted to honor Luke's memory in the most honest and respectful way possible. A tribute to our fallen friend. Perry passed away last spring after most of the episodes were filmed.
The actress also shared photos after a press day in NY, where the cast, including Luke, wandered around the city together, stopping for ice cream and enjoying each other's company, before his tragic passing.
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