Last season when Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said they were going wait to say goodbye to Fred until season four, I had no idea what to expect. I had so many questions. How would they address his absence? How could you say goodbye to a character that’s so beloved? How would they say goodbye to an actor that everyone loved?
Roberto found away. A beautiful, emotional episode that had me in tears for almost the entire time.
K.J. Apa was phenomenal, portraying all the emotions that Archie was going through. Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Betty (Lili Reinhart) were there for whatever Archie needed. Even if that meant getting up in the middle of the night and driving upstate to bring Fred home.
There was very little background music, and that affect made you feel every emotion Archie was going through. You felt how all his friends desperately wanted there to be something more they could do. You also felt their pain for a man they all respected and shared a bond.
We love Cheryl ( Madelaine Petsch) because she can be a bitch, but it’s in moments like this episode that I love her the most. She didn’t want Archie to feel alone, so she gathered the town, and they created signs that said “Welcome Home Fred” and “We Love You, Andrews.”
I loved that they had Fred die a hero because that’s who he was. He was always helping someone. He stopped by the side of the road for a stranger. When she was almost hit by a car, he saved her life. Shannen Doherty played that stranger and said a sweet prayer too.
Every moment was carefully crafted and beautifully executed. Luke has touched so many people, and this episode shows just how much people loved him. To receive a tribute like this, you have to be an incredible person, and that’s who he was.
Luke may not be with us, and we may not have Fred any more, but the echos of his character will last the rest of the series.
Tell me in the comments below if you liked Luke’s farewell episode or tweet me @MandyTTCarr.