“Riverdale” is a dumpster fire of a show. Every time the series trends on social media, it is to mock the poor choices the writers make, from lines so dorky no one would ever say them in real life to the dreaded musical episodes of the past two seasons. The show itself is unclear on its plot. Season storylines have been murders and murderers, drug dealing, prison breakouts and other forms of melodrama. However, the “Riverdale” season four premiere was actually good. This episode honored Luke Perry who played Fred Andrews, Archie’s (KJ Apa) dad, on the show before he passed away earlier this year.
Fans were devastated by the news of Perry’s death and urged the showrunners to handle this topic delicately. Many characters have died on “Riverdale,” often in gruesome ways. The first season centered around the death of Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines), main character and queen bee Cheryl Blossom’s (Madelaine Petsch) brother. At the end of the season, it is revealed that Jason was hung by his father, Clifford (Barclay Hope), because Jason did not agree with how Clifford was running the family business. In the second season, the town is plagued by the Black Hood (Lochlyn Munro), a serial killer attacking those he believes to be impure. In one memorable scene, he goes after high school student Midge Klump (Emilija Baranac), who was the understudy in the school’s production of “Carrie.” During the opening night performance, the Black Hood attacks, stabbing her into the prop of wall. When the prop is revealed in the show, the entire audience is forced to look at Midge’s dead body, and the prop covered in blood.
Additionally, funerals on the show are full of drama. During the funeral for Clifford Blossom, who died at the end of season one, not a single character handles the death with an ounce of respect. They all clamor for the inheritance, each claiming rightful ownership. When Clifford’s will is read, the cast continues to snarl at each other, inserting snide remarks wherever they see fit. The event was more comical than serious, clearly just being used to move the plot along instead of letting characters’ emotions loose.
“Riverdale” tries very hard to be a show full of tough characters, but Fred was always a kind and gentle man. He only ever snaps when Archie is threatened. The writers were aware of this and prevented the fans’ worst fears from coming true—they wrapped up Fred’s story with grace.
The show opens with the core four—Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse)—preparing for the Fourth of July parade. What starts out as a fun afternoon quickly turns sour when Archie gets a phone call during lunch informing him of the news that his father has passed.
Every scene from then on is handled with real respect and care, a clear effort from the entire cast and crew to honor the man they loved.
As Sheriff Jones (Skeet Ulrich) describes what happened to Fred to Archie and his mom. Mary (Molly Ringwald), he tears up at the loss of his best friend. Sheriff Jones explains that Fred died while helping a woman whose car broke down on the side of the highway. A car came careening down the highway and ran him over. This death is somehow more honorable than every other death in the show; he died in a freak accident doing something good rather than getting murdered for being bad.
Later, the core four and friends spend time with Archie, telling stories of all the good deeds Fred performed over the years. He was genuinely one of the only characters with an actual moral compass on the show, making the death hit hard for the fictional town of Riverdale.
The main arc of the episode is Archie trying to cope with his father’s death. He decides that he is going to bring home his father’s body, with help from Reggie (Charles Melton), who loans him a hearse. He and the rest of the gang go to the spot where his father died, just a few towns over. There he meets the woman his father helped (Shannen Doherty), and she explains that it should have been her who got ran over but that Fred pushed her out of the way. While Fred as a character has little to do with Luke Perry as a person, it is nice to see the “Riverdale” writers finally treating a deceased character with respect. Fans often blur the line between character and actor, so this closure for Fred feels like appreciation towards Perry.
Another highlight of the episode is the characters’ unexpected warmth. Mean girl Cheryl and her girlfriend Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) offer to throw a surprise parade for Archie when he comes home with his father’s body. Sheriff Jones offers a police escort to Archie and the crew, slowing down for them to realize that there is a parade in his father’s honor. The entire town of Riverdale is out on the streets, waving American flags and holding posters in loving memory of Fred.
The funeral itself is heartbreaking, as each of the characters place a rose on the coffin, breaking down as they do so. It is easy for fans to imagine that these tears are real, shed for the loss of beloved cast member and friend Luke Perry.
This situation was the only one that “Riverdale” truly needed to handle well, and it is easy to say that it did. Hopefully it’ll keep up the good work for the rest of the season!
