Riverdale Season 4 Premiere: 7 Ups & 0 Downs From 'Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam'

Riverdale pays tribute to the late, great Luke Perry with its strongest episode ever.

By Michael Patterson /

Netflix

Contains spoilers from Riverdale Season 4, Episode 1.

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Riverdale made its return to screens this week as it kicked off its fourth season. However, this season premiere wasn't like the rest as, instead of setting up a new story, it paid tribute to Luke Perry - who sadly passed away in February. There was no elaborate scheme to partake in or compelling mystery to solve - just a town and a show that came together to honor someone who was a major part of Riverdale's very fabric.

'Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam' was a fitting tribute to the late, great Perry that allowed the cast (and us) to reflect on all he had given to the show and their lives. It was an emotional farewell to one of the show's greatest characters - and one that undoubtedly did him proud.

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It's a rare thing for Riverdale to produce something of perfection, but this premiere was nothing short of magnificence. The harshest of critics might take issue with how Kevin's reversion from cult follower to friend wasn't explained, or how a sheriff willingly gave a grieving boy the address of the man who took his father from him, but this writer would rather see them for the necessary plot points that they were because they gave the show the means to produce a heartbreaking and heartfelt tale in memory of one of its finest. And the result was, without a doubt, the perfect Riverdale episode.