Luke Perry's Last Episode of “Riverdale” Will Make You WEEP
The news of Luke Perry's passing is a large blow, especially for those who have come to know and love the actor as the caring Fred Andrews on Riverdale. In the dark world of the CW show, Luke's character remained positive and fiercely loyal and he will be missed. But, with a remainder of season three ahead of us, we won't have to say goodbye to Fred just yet. So, what what does Luke's passing mean for Riverdale? While not much has been announced just yet, I have some thoughts.
His Last Scene was so fitting.
This week’s episode of Riverdale featured Luke Perry’s final scene he filmed for the show before he passed. In the scene, Fred Andrews is seen comforting Archie, who is really beat up about Randy Ronson’s death.
“Son, from everything you said, it’s clear that Randy died from those drugs,” he assures his son. “An autopsy will support that. You’re innocent.” Still, Archie isn’t having it, and he tells his dad that he is giving up boxing for good. At that moment, knowing he can’t change Archie’s mind, Fred just listens to his son.
The moment is fairly simple, but it carries a lot of weight as Luke Perry’s last scene. It’s the last time Archie will be able to seek comfort in his father, or go to him for support.
Of course, the scene doesn’t explain Fred’s exit from the show. That will most likely come in the next few weeks, and since Luke wasn’t able to film any other scenes, it will probably be explained by another character.
His last episode is this week.
This Wednesday will mark the last episode of Riverdale that includes Luke Perry. The show's creator, Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa posted on Instagram about the news.
"This week’s #Riverdale is the last episode Luke filmed," he wrote. "As always, Fred’s imparting words of wisdom to Archie. A beautiful, true moment between a father and his son. Wish these scenes could go on forever..."
It's still unclear how the show will deal with Luke's death. Cole Sprouse told The View that they have "something planned narratively," which means he will be written off in some way. W
He will most likely have to be written off somehow.
Since Luke most likely didn't finish filming his scenes, the writers will probably have to explain Fred's sudden disappearance near the end of season 3. Roberto revealed to Entertainment Tonight that the show will acknowledge Luke's death through his on-screen character. For the time being, however, no official decisions have been made as to how this will be done.
"You know, honestly, we are I think all still in shock and are all still processing and grieving," Roberto said. "We know that we have to address it in some way, but we’re giving ourselves a little bit of time and space before we figure out the best way to honor him."
This is Riverdale, so the writers have a lot of options for the direction they can take this story line. Of course, Fred could be killed off, a victim of Hiram Lodge, Gladys Jones, the Gargoyle King, or one of the many other villains on the show. Alternatively, Fred could die of natural causes, or head off to be with his wife, Mary, in Chicago. We will just have to wait and see what kind of fate awaits Fred Andrews.
The First episode after his death included a tribute.
It was unclear if episode 14 of Riverdale would air on schedule, just two days after Luke Perry's passing, but the show went on. Though Fred Andrews appears only briefly in "Fire Walk With Me," he comes at the perfect time, right after Archie gets stabbed. Of course, Fred comes to his son's aid, patching up the wound and giving Archie some wise words of advice. It's the perfect scene that exemplifies what Luke brought to Riverdale: heart, constant support, and some lightness to a very dark show.
The episode ended with an in memoriam slide for Luke:
The whole thing was especially hard to watch, and fans agreed.
The Episodes will, from here on out, be dedicated to Luke.
Just two days after Luke's death, Riverdale is airing a new episode. While the episode 14 won't be delayed due to the actor's sudden passing, the show's creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, says that it will be dedicated to Luke, "as all episodes will be for the rest of [Riverdale's] run."
Roberto posted a sweet photo from the early days of Riverdale, which featured some of the cast, including Luke, in front of Riverdale High School's logo. "Going through pictures on my way to set," he captioned the image. "From the early days. With Luke in the middle. Our heart, always. Tonight’s episode of Riverdale finds Fred doing what he does best-helping Archie."
The post also confirms that Riverdale is back to shooting, after shutting down production in the wake of Luke's passing. This probably means that the production schedule wasn't thrown off too much, and the show will not be delayed.
Production Has been shut down.
Shortly after the news of Luke's death went public, Variety reported that Riverdale has shut down their production. It is unclear how long production will be on hold for, and how this will affect the rest of the season three schedule.
The series' executive producers, Warner Bros. Television and the CW also issued a statement regarding the actor's death:
“We are deeply saddened to learn today about the passing of Luke Perry. A beloved member of the ‘Riverdale,’ Warner Bros. and CW family, Luke was everything you would hope he would be: an incredibly caring, consummate professional with a giant heart, and a true friend to all. A father figure and mentor to the show’s young cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and he infused the set with love and kindness. Our thoughts are with Luke’s family during this most difficult time.”
Fred will be in more episodes.
When Luke had his initial stroke, he was hard at work in LA shooting some scenes for Riverdale. According to IMDB, Fred Andrews is set to be in all of the remaining episodes in season 3, but it is unclear how many of those Luke was able to film before he passed.
Production on Riverdale season 3 is nearing an end, but there is still some time to go. Actress Ashleigh Murray, who plays Josie on the show, has finished her scenes, but that is probably because she is off to film the pilot for Katy Keene in New York City, which begins production in the middle of March.
Most likely, while many of Fred's scenes for the remainder of season 3 were filmed, there are some he never got to, so, Luke's death will have to be acknowledged in this current season.
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