</3Here’s How ‘Riverdale’ Addressed Luke Perry’s Tragic Death

How did ‘Riverdale’ address Luke Perry’s death?

In the episode, titled “In Memoriam,” the show revealed that Fred was unfortunately struck by a car and killed in a nearby town. Archie received the devastating news while out to lunch in Pop’s Diner with his girlfriend, Veronica Lodge, and his two best friends, Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones. He fell to his knees in disbelief.

Fred died right before the Fourth of July, which unfortunately meant that his body couldn’t be transported to Riverdale until after the holiday. But Archie decided to take things into his own hands, and with the help of his friends, he attempted to bring his father home earlier. While doing so, he learned that Fred died doing what he did many times throughout his life — helping someone in need.

The group of friends stopped by the scene of the accident, where they met a woman holding a bouquet of flowers. They learned that she was there at the time of Fred’s tragic death, when she revealed that one of her tires had blown out and that Fred had stopped to help her.

“We were working on the tire and a car just — it came out of nowhere, speeding,” she told Archie. “I just froze in its path, and your dad, he pushed me out of the way. He saved my life. If he hadn’t done what he did, there’s no way I would be here right now. I know that.”

The woman, played by Luke’s longtime friend Shannen Doherty, also tells Archie that Fred “talked about you the entire time — his son, how he couldn’t believe that a man like him was blessed with such a thoughtful, kind boy.”

In the end, they were able to bring Fred’s body back to Riverdale, where they were greeted by all of the people who were touched by Fred’s life. After the funeral, Archie and his friends celebrated Fred one last time with a fireworks display.

What was it like filming the episode?

Naturally, the episode was pretty hard for the cast to film.

“Everything in that first episode is so authentic and so real that it didn’t really feel like shooting an episode of our show… It was obviously really emotional. It’s a beautiful episode. I’m super excited for people to see it,” KJ Apa told Extra a few months before the premiere. “It’s a tough one, because you have to go back a bit and access that emotion — that is not something that everyone feels comfortable doing… The writers absolutely nailed it.”

As for Marisol Nichols, who plays Hermione Lodge in the show, she admitted that filming the episode was like reliving the pain of Luke’s death.

“You’re right back in the incident when you’re back on set,” she explained at New York Comic-Con in October 2019. “You feel him around, his spirit is still there, still with us. I don’t think anyone got through it with a dry eye at all.”

“It was not easy at all. It’s still difficult. It was tough. I was very, very emotional throughout it. We all had our moments. … I felt safe enough to cry, or laugh, or have any of the emotions that come up,” Ashleigh Murray said to Access. “This was this final step for us. I know, like we all know, Luke would want us to keep going. He wouldn’t want us to cry too long over him. It changed us, but we are able to keep moving.”

Skeet Ulrich, who stars as FP Jones, also got real filming about the emotional episode.

“It was really hard on everybody. We had gone through the hiatus and sort of, in a way, could dodge the feelings if we needed to, whatever the healing process became,” the actor told Us Weekly. “We could lean on each other still through that break and then when we were tasked in retelling our own grief, in a way, it was quite a bonding experience. It’s a really tight-knit cast as it is, but that really put us to task.”

“There wasn’t a day where somebody wasn’t getting picked up off the floor from their emotions of it. It’s hard. It’s incredibly hard,” he continued. “I mean, he should be here right now, doing this. He’s not gone. He’s as much a part of us now. I just miss his presence, and I think we felt that really deeply in the making of that episode, and it was quite a challenge.”

Shannen spoke about the tribute during an appearance on Good Morning America.

“I can tell you that I read the script and I bawled my eyes out,” she admitted. “I’m so beyond honored that they asked me to do this and Luke had been wanting me to join Riverdale for a really long time. It’s a beautiful episode that is nothing but a tribute to his character and to Luke himself.”

“It was extremely hard in the sense of the emotions, but I feel really proud and honored, and extremely humbled, that they asked me and that I got to be a part of it,” she said of the episode. “It sort of was like this really beautiful moment and that cast loves him — loves, loves, loves him. It was cathartic in a lot of ways and very, very hard and emotional.”

But as hard as it was, executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was really proud of what they created.

“We kind of knew this was going to be brutal on the cast, especially KJ, who was Luke’s main scene partner,” the showrunner said. “[But] everyone was really proud to gather to tell this tribute to Fred, and to Luke. When it happened, we were all kind of scattered. So there was something really special when we gathered to do the table read that was cathartic. You know, shows are families. But we knew it was going to be hard, and it was.”

Did the cast share any tributes to Luke Perry during the episode?

And in honor of the episode airing, a bunch of the cast members shared touching tributes to their former costars on social media.

“Tonight’s episode, and all episodes for the rest of our run, are for Luke. We love, honor, and cherish his memory every single day,” Lili Reinhart wrote on Instagram. “I only wish he were here to see how many lives he touched with happiness and laughter. I know he’s watching from above. We love you, Luke.”

Fred Andrews will always be a part of #Riverdale ❤️

— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) October 10, 2019

We love and honor you every single day, Luke. Fred Andrews will always be a part of #Riverdale” she also wrote on Twitter, adding in another tweet, “We have such huge respect for @kj_apa and his ability to give such a vulnerable performance that was so real and close to his heart.”

We have such huge respect for @kj_apa and his ability to give such a vulnerable performance that was so real and close to his heart. #Riverdale

— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) October 10, 2019

“This episode is a tribute to Luke and a farewell to Fred, a character that Luke portrayed with so much heart and soul,” Camila Mendes shared on Twitter. “I hope you appreciate tonight’s premiere as much as we do. We gave our hearts and souls.”

this episode is a tribute to luke and a farewell to fred, a character that luke portrayed with so much heart and soul. i hope you appreciate tonight’s premiere as much as we do. we gave our hearts and souls ♥️ #riverdale

— Camila Mendes (@CamilaMendes) October 10, 2019

Skeet shared a snap of Luke’s hat, which he captioned, “This was Luke’s favorite hat… he left it on my kitchen counter a week before he passed. We talked several times that week about getting it back to him. Luke, you left WAY more than a hat! We miss you and keep you in our hearts every single day. Thank you for all you gave the world, tonight is for you.”

View this post on Instagram

This was Luke’s favorite hat…he left it on my kitchen counter a week before he passed. We talked several times that week about getting it back to him. Luke, you left WAY more than a hat! We miss you and keep you in our hearts every single day. Thank you for all you gave the world, tonight is for you 🙏❤️

A post shared by Skeet Ulrich (@skeetulrich) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:36pm PDT

 

Marisol posted a throwback picture with Luke, writing, “Thursday August 11, 2016 — Luke and I went in to spend some time with the #Riverdale writers room after our pilot was picked up. We wanted to show them love and appreciation for their hard work. He had such a big heart. We bonded immediately. He became such a dear friend to me. We always talked about how we felt we would be friends for life. I think we’ll be friends through the afterlife as well. We love you Luke. Tonight’s episode is dedicated to you.”

View this post on Instagram

Thursday August 11, 2016 – Luke and I went in to spend some time with the #Riverdale writers room after our pilot was picked up. We wanted to show them love and appreciation for their hard work. He had such a big heart. We bonded immediately. He became such a dear friend to me. We always talked about how we felt we would be friends for life. I think we’ll be friends through the afterlife as well. We love you Luke. Tonight’s episode is dedicated to you.

A post shared by Mädchen Amick (@madchenamick) on Oct 9, 2019 at 6:48pm PDT

“This photo is from my first upfronts for Riverdale. Luke walked me through the entire experience as he did with most of the new experiences I encountered after booking this show,” Madelaine Petsch wrote on Instagram, alongside an old photo of her and Luke. “I didn’t even know this photo existed but it explains our relationship to a T. He was always so generous and supportive and patient with my learning and growing through some of the most formative years of my life. I am so lucky to have known you Luke. You were one of a kind and impacted everyone’s lives in such a meaningful way.”

She also took to her Intagram Stories, writing, “Tonight is the premiere of Riverdale Season 4 and also our episode honoring Luke. Luke taught me everything I know about this industry and navigating the waters of this career. He was the most giving and kind soul I have ever met and not to mention phenomenally talented. Not a day goes by where I don’t miss him and his presence in my life. He touched my soul just as he did every other person he met. Tonight’s episode and every other episode of Riverdale is dedicated to Luke.”