Riverdale gave us just the right episode following the passing of Luke Perry

Following the tragic death of Luke Perry, Riverdale returned with just the right episode, even though there wasn’t much of Fred Andrews to appreciate.

In Riverdale‘s first episode since the news of Luke Perry’s passing, there was something extremely fitting about the way the story unfolded, even though this was always going to be the episode we watched. While Fred Andrews was not a major part of the episode, it seemed fitting to see him coming in towards the end of the episode in order to patch up Archie after he was stabbed by a runaway he brought home with him.

This episode was a perfect reminder that at his core, Archie Andrews is a good guy who wants to do the right thing. And it has been a very long time since we have really seen that aspect of his character shine through. We needed to see this, and offered Riverdale fans a chance to see the Archie we knew from the start of the series.

Seeing Archie try to help Joaquin’s younger brother was wonderful and even heartbreaking, considering how it all turned out and the fact that we didn’t even know Joaquin had a brother. While Archie couldn’t have saved the day, his old man was there to remind him of his positive qualities.

Of all the parents on Riverdale, Fred Andrews has always been the most grounded in reality. And much like the man behind the character, Fred is a voice of reason and wisdom. He is there for his family and friends, while being hardworking and dedicated to whatever he sets his mind to.

At times it feels like the only other parent with a similar ethic is FP Jones — granted this is more of a recent development. In fact, it almost feels like Fred believing in FP and reviving their friendship helped lead the former gang leader to see the upside of being a good parent and upstanding citizen.

Don’t get me wrong, either way I am a fan of FP Jones, but at the end of the day, it really is Fred Andrews who is the moral compass of Riverdale.

Just thinking about Luke Perry no longer being here to give life to Fred is heartbreaking. He may not be in as many scenes as one of the core four (Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead), but he always seemed to make an impact. And of course, he was the perfect foil to all of the craziness and immorality that makes Riverdale so fun to watch. Fred Andrews, in so many ways, was a positive light amidst all the chaos on the series. His character offered reality checks, optimism, and encouragement to so many characters.

This week, it was pretty hard to focus on the show’s ongoing storylines because Luke Perry’s loss is all too recent and heartbreaking. But maybe that is why it was best for this episode to feel like classic Riverdale, with Fred coming in at the end to help his son out and offer words of encouragement.

In a small way, we felt like he was speaking to us too. We’ll miss you Luke, and the positive light you brought to Riverdale.