Riverdale Season 3, Episode 14 Recap: The 5 Wildest Moments Of “Fire Walk With Me”

An episode of Riverdale is usually welcomed with a smirk and the expectation for much frothy madness. However, this week was different with Wednesday’s brand new “Fire Walk With Me.” A pall hung above the episode following the tragic death of Riverdad Luke Perry, who suffered a fatal stroke days prior. Of course, Perry, of 90s heartthrob fame, played the incomparable Fred Andrews, the loving, patient father of hero Archie Andrews (KJ Apa). Fred Andrews was the moral center of Riverdale and “Fire Walk” was rightly dedicated to his beloved portrayer, as an episode- closing title card confirmed.

So, let’s get down to Perry’s single appearance in the episode that will forever stand as memoriam to him and the other standout moments of Riverdale’s latest episode. As usual, the non-Fred Andrews antics are presented in no particular order, because this a show that thrives in the chaos.

As has become custom, Archie was inexplicably attacked during “Fire Walk With Me” (more on the specifics in a moment). Fred just roles with the confusing punches. While Archie questions why terrible things keep happening to him, his dad meticulously fixes up his son’s wounds and assures him that he is not the problem. “You just got a big heart,” Fred promises his battered child before finding a bizarre occult object — the “Kill the Red Paladin” Gryphons & Gargoyles card from months ago — in their kitchen.

Still, Fred is as cool as a Pop’s milkshake.

While that blood-spattered heart-to-heart is Fred’s only scene in “Fire,” Archie repeatedly reminds us how great his dad is throughout the hour. When Archie allows new character and alleged frightened child “Ricky Dee” into his home, he notes how much freedom Fred has give him. Yes, even after Archie was seduced by the mob and authoritarianism last year. Later in the episode, Archie tells Ricky he has informed Fred about his scary situation and Mr. Andrews is ready to help.

Fred is the best. Oh, and speaking of Ricky Dee...

Move over bear, there’s a new kid in town who wants to take a swipe at Archie Andrews, and he is an actual kid. After all the mystery around “Ricky Dee” in “Fire Walk,” we learn the Riverdale youth isn’t exactly the puny victim of some Gargoyle Gang stranglers. Rather, little “Ricky” is actually Ricardo DeSantos, younger brother to late, great, very gorgeous Joaquin DeSantos (Rob Raco) — and he’s playing Archie.

The end of the episode confirms Ricardo had been trailing Archie for days, if not weeks, in an effort to finally complete G&G’s most difficult quest: Killing the Red Paladin. Apparently, it’s the only way the Gargoyle Gang will let Ricardo “in” to play the game with them and give him protection. The identity of these specific Gargoyles who hope to see Archie dead is still an unknown. However, we do know Ricardo gave himself a fake “sacrifice” branding to gain Archie’s trust, forged graffiti to further that aim, and then wildly slashed at Archie while screaming, “Is that how my brother stabbed you?!”

Someone put Archie in a protective bubble ASAP.

There have been many wild statements over the years in Riverdale. There used to be a weekly catalog of them, in fact. But, “Fire Walk” beats them all with “The Gargoyles are mixing it up with the Poisons and the Farmies.” Technically, that is an explanation over the latest gang-related brawl in Riverdale High School (which will eventually result in the attempted murder of Fangs Fogarty). Yet, it’s more than that. It’s also a marker for how unfathomably bizarre Riverdale has become since it asked “Who killed Jason Blossom?”

This is now a show with at minimum three splintered gangs, one cult, and more of both seeming to pop up every day. We certainly aren’t in The Town With Pep anymore.

Betty Cooper’s (Lili Reinharts) portion of “Fire Walk” is mostly dedicated to her ongoing battle of wills with mom Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick), now trying to use her maiden name of “Smith” to avoid all serial killer connections. Alice wants to sell the Cooper family home and move everyone to The Farm. Betty, aware that her mom has joined a death cult sponsored by Free People, would rather not and is worried about where she will live if Alice’s scheme does come to fruition.

So, when Alice announces she did manage to sell the Murder House On Elm Street, Betty responds in kind by setting it on fire. It is unclear how this helps Betty avoid the imminent homelessness she was concerned about — but boy does it look cool.

That’s it. That’s the tweet.