Nothing can prepare you for Riverdale‘s tribute to Luke Perry. It was a beautiful memorial for Fred Andrews and the man who played him. It was one of those episodes you just cried all the way through.

Spoilers Below

The season premiere started just like any Riverdale episode. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) was narrating, catching us up on the aftermath of last season. Then Archie (K.J. Apa) got the call that would change his life. His father was dead.

Shannon Doherty makes a guest appearance to honor Luke Perry.

Fred died because he stopped to help a woman on the side of the road and when a teenage boy drove by and almost hit the woman played by Shannon Doherty, Fred saved her life. That was who he was. He was always helping people.

Archie woke up from a dream and decided to get his father’s body and bring him home. He couldn’t wait until after the Fourth of July to get his father. So he called up Betty, Jug, and Reggie (Charles Melton) in the middle of the night. Reggie lent them the hearse he’s been trying to sell.

It was heartbreaking to watch all the emotions Archie was going through. First, when he wanted to see his dad’s body to make sure it was him. Then when he couldn’t and sent Betty and Veronica in instead. He almost beat up the man that turned himself in for the hit and run, when it was his son that did it. The grief, the anger, the sadness. K.J. Apa had his best performance to date, tackling all of these emotions.

Archie, his mom, and his friends remember Fred by recreating the Fourth of July celebration Fred once gave Archie.

While they were getting Fred, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) was planning something special, so Archie didn’t feel alone. She gathered the town, and they created posters saying, “Welcome Home Fred” and “We love you, Andrews.” FP (Skeet Ulrich) even gave him a police escort back into town.

Every moment of this episode was such a tribute to Luke Perry. Luke left his mark on the cast and crew of Riverdale, and they showed how much they loved him with this amazing episode.