Discussing Ep. 4.1 - As per my usual routine, I'll comment on this episode as I go along. I'm sure it's going to be a sad one as it is the episode where they pay tribute to Luke Perry (Fred Andrews).
- It's amazing how something that gripped the town of Riverdale so completely is regarded as an "urban legend" only a couple of months later!
- Archie's hair seems unusually orange. Maybe it's the sunlight.
- Oh yeah, I forgot that Cheryl is crazy and entertaining her dead brother! He's actually looking pretty good for a 3 year old corpse!
- I'm going to have to remember Cheryl's attitude in this episode because it will no doubt change in the next episode where she's on everyone's side. That's the Cheryl Blossom way!
- I'm thinking that's actually an inside joke that Jug made about Archie surviving a bear attack.....because it's so fucking ridiculous that he did so with minimal damage! He is, after all....
- Yeah, Archie's hair is definitely looking different for some reason.
- Holy shit! An additional cost of $9,000?!? That's a complete funeral in and of itself....at least here in Canada!
- Reggie?!? So Reggie is back and he's all good with Ronnie and Archie together? The fuck?
- I'm sorry....I know this is supposed to be a special episode in tribute to Luke Perry.....but this is NOT how any of this is supposed to go. This scene right now of them all together, having a few beers and sharing stories of Fred Andrews should be stuff they're doing way AFTER the funeral! Having lost both my parents, I can tell you that you when the death of someone close hits you, you are completely and utterly numb to everything happening around you.....time slows down like nothing you've ever experienced before....a week feels like months.....and you're just going through the motions of getting everything ready because you can't process the loss. This scene looks like it should be something they're doing either at the reception or even at the wake.
I will point to Buffy once again, that episode where Buffy loses her mom. THAT episode exemplified what it was like to lose a parent. Dare I say, ironically enough....The Vampire Diaries got it right too! When Caroline loses her mom, Sheriff Liz, there is that scene where she's wandering through the house and it's all dark and quiet and she's ends up talking with Damon.....I'll give credit where credit is due and say that THAT scene caught that feeling of what it's like when you lose a parent. It's this sense of emptiness and silence that permeates everything around you because you can no longer feel a specific energy or life force that you've always experienced in your day-to-day. What they're doing now with this little get-together between all of them, I feel like they're trying too hard to make it all emotional.
- Are they going to make it that Archie becomes Stupid Archie again and does something stupid like try and hunt down his father's killer? Because that would just be stupid!
- Well, how fucking convenient that Reggie has a Hearst just lying around!
- AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! Of all the things that they're going to use the "underage" card on, it's Archie transporting a dead body? With all the adult stuff these kids have gotten away with over the years, why do they even bother at this point?
- Shit! You could tell Mrs. Andrews went into 'Mom Mode' on that funeral director!
- I knew Shannon Doherty was going to make a cameo appearance. It's actually quite nice to see her, especially with everything going on in her life as well.
- Again, I hate harping on a scene like this but....seriously? Fred was boasting how great a son Archie was and how blessed he was to have a son like him to this random woman on the side of the road? They're trying too hard to make this all emotional and they don't have to!
- Wow! Cheryl changed her character in the span of one episode. She'll no doubt change in the next one.
- Actually, it's rather consistent that Archie is becoming Stupid Archie again. While I can understand him being angry and even wanting revenge, that's always been the case with Archie. He's doesn't run on logic, he runs on emotion.
- Fuck, ya know what....I'll applaud that!
- Fred would be ashamed of Archie. I don't know what the fuck Ronnie is talking about how Fred would understand. Fred would have lectured Archie's ear off about how stupid it was to try and beat up some random stranger out of a sense of revenge!
- Oh, for fuck's sakes!
Why can't they ever do anything low-key in Riverdale? Why do they have to have a parade? Look, I get it! He was a beloved character. And sure, Riverdale is a small town and everyone knows everyone but for crying out loud, they better have a parade like this for every other citizen that dies in that town!
- Okay, where are all these town's people for the funeral?!?
- Nana Blossom!
- I'm glad they acknowledged Betty's emotional turmoil since her dad recently died too. And they didn't throw a parade for him!
- Wait....Alice Cooper? Isn't she supposed to be missing? Isn't she supposed to be with The Farm being an undercover FBI agent? The fuck is this bullshit?
- Damn, it was hard watching that footage of Luke Perry.
Overall, I have to say that it was a typical Riverdale episode. I was hoping for something more but they had to go into the realm of the ridiculous as they always do. I also believe that this episode was a few months too late. I get why they couldn't do it back when Luke Perry actually died, for a variety of reasons, but the shock of his death wore off and, for me at least, the impact of this episode is not as strong as a result.
Regardless, it was a nice send off for the Fred Andrews character. Luke Perry will be missed, not only on this show but in the real world as well. Rest in Peace, Luke Perry!
