Twitter Is A Mess After 'Riverdale's Tribute To Fred Andrews & Luke Perry
Riverdale has finally aired its long-awaited Luke Perry tribute episode seven months after the actor died, and as everyone expected, the Season 4 premiere was an emotional powerhouse that left nearly every fan in tears. The episode centered on the death of Perry's character Fred Andrews, as the Riverdale characters mourned the loss of the undisputed best parent in the town. But Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead weren't the only ones crying — the tearjerker episode sent fans into an emotional spiral as well. These tweets about Fred's death in Riverdale show just how heartbreaking that Season 4 premiere was for viewers.
Spoiler alert: This post contains plot details from Riverdale Season 4 Episode 1, "In Memoriam." Luke Perry's death in March of this year sent shockwaves across the TV world. Perry was still in the midst of filming the final few episodes of Season 3 of the teen drama when he died of a stroke, but given the mess of complex storylines the show needed to focus on in the season's last episodes, showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa decided to hold off on memorializing Perry within the show until he could devote a full episode to his memory. Ultimately, the team decided to kick off Season 4 with a tribute to Luke Perry, which was even more emotional than anyone could have predicted.
In the beginning of the episode, Archie learned in a phone call that Fred Andrews had died, and then Riverdale's sheriff F.P. Jones told him his dad was on the side of the road helping a pulled-over driver change a blown tire. While Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead were on a mission to retrieve Fred's body and bring it back to Riverdale, they came across the woman whom Fred had pulled over to help. Making the moment even more special and super-emotional, the character was played by Shannen Doherty — Luke Perry's longtime friend and Beverly Hills, 90210 costar. Doherty's character revealed the speeding car was actually heading for her, but Fred pushed her out of the way and got hit instead. She then led the four friends in a prayer for Fred.
In true Archie fashion, the redhead set out to get revenge on the driver who killed his father, only to come face-to-face with another one of the episode's most emotional moments. After Archie tracked down the man who confessed to the hit-and-run, he came to his home and threatened him, only for the man's teenage son to reveal that he was the one who had been driving the car, and his dad had taken the fall for him in order to protect him. A stunned Archie was left speechless by the revelation, and he realizes that just like this father, Fred would have done anything he could to protect Archie from harm.
Another touching moment occurred when the group brought home Fred's body to Riverdale, and saw that the town had come together to throw Archie's dad a touching welcome-home party, organized by none other than Cheryl Blossom. Then came perhaps the biggest emotional gut-punch in the final moments of the episode, when Archie delivered a poignant, tear-filled eulogy at his father's funeral about what Fred meant to Riverdale. If you were not crying at this point, then you should really get your tear ducts checked.
Throughout the episode, Riverdale fans flocked to Twitter to share their tearful reactions to Archie saying goodbye to Fred and Riverdale as a whole saying goodbye to Luke Perry. Check out all of the most emotional tweets about the episode below:
So, no, you were definitely not alone in your uncontrollable sobbing while you watched Riverdale's Season 4 premiere. Of course, now the show will return to its usual spooky, sexy, twisty storylines as Season 4 continues, but this special Luke Perry tribute episode proved just how well Riverdale can do truly heavy, emotional drama, and it is sure to go down as one of the most poignant and memorable episodes of the entire series.
Riverdale Season 4 continues on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
