Riverdale’s Season 4 premiere pays an emotional tribute to late Luke Perry

By Vandana Srivastawa

on October 10, 2019

When Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale star Luke Perry passed away earlier this year due to a stroke, his loss was felt all across the world. Following his death in March, Riverdale stopped production for some time and waited until the season 4 premiere to formally say goodbye to Perry and his character of Archie Andrews’ dad, Fred Andrews.

Wednesday’s Season 4 Episode 1 ‘In Memoriam’ was dedicated to Perry and focused entirely on Fred’s sudden absence from the show. Minutes into the episode, Archie learns that Fred died after being stuck by a car while helping a stranded motorist in another town on the eve of the Fourth of July parade his friends had been planning. The rest of the episode was dedicated to remembering how both Fred and Perry was Riverdales’s moral cornerstone. The motorist in the episode was played by Perry’s former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-actor Shannen Doherty.

Shannen Doherty playing the lady Fred saved. Omg I’m crying. #riverdale pic.twitter.com/d6PeBj7IuR

— (@_Nava96) October 10, 2019

Apparently, shooting for the episode was pretty emotional for the cast members as well as the showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa who had to incorporate Perry’s death into the storyline. Some of the scenes in ‘In Memoriam’ are difficult to watch because the of the depth of emotions seen on screen which have been doubled by the personal grief and loss of the cast members. Perry acted as a mentor to many of them including Archie actor KJ Apa.

i don’t think i ever cried that much over a show #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/5rDXg65OvY

— Gianna (@giannamcm) October 10, 2019

Riverdale has given Perry’s Fred a hero’s death. What seemed like a hit-and-run turns out to be a courageous sacrifice on Fred’s part as he tries to save Shannen by pushing her out of harm’s way from a speeding motorist. The news of Fred’s selflessness reaches Riverdale while Archie is away procuring his father’s body and by the time he returns to the town the Fourth of July parade has become a hero’s welcome for Fred. As Archie realizes the magnitude of his father’s personality he says the words, “My dad was the best Riverdale had to offer.” It was fitting tribute to the legacy of a star who went out of his way to mentor and guide young actors. Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CW.

(Source: PeepingMoon)