It’s not a summer season with no contact of cruelty to it. Throw in an exhilarating thriller, some shady suspects, and lots of heart-pounding twists and turns, and you have Freeform’s addictive homicide thriller, Cruel Summer.
The return of this sleeper hit kicked off a model new case that can excite and hold us guessing.
And primarily based on the set-up of Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 1 and Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 2, loads of secrets and techniques are rising to the floor. We’ve bought a summer season of intrigue and drama awaiting us, Cruel Summer followers.
For Cruel Summer Season 2, lots of the identical parts from Cruel Summer Season 1 returned. Like the colour grading by way of the years, the pc intro (which I’m calling the “archive”), and the time leaping.
These facets labored earlier than, so I’m glad they weren’t dropped for the brand new story. These items make Cruel Summer really feel like Cruel Summer.
One factor that shocked me was how shut the completely different durations have been in time.
Cruel Summer Season 1 centered on the summers of three years, however this thriller solely focuses on three time durations in a single yr. We’re following Megan’s and Isabella’s journeys in Summer 1999, Winter 1999, and Summer 2000.
We must get our tales straight.
Isabella
It’s an fascinating selection as a result of it exhibits how severely the characters modified in a brief period of time.
Luke’s disappearance (and now homicide) damage the city a lot that everybody modified in a technique or one other. Just take a look at Megan and Isabella for essentially the most indicators; they don’t seem to be the identical individuals who began within the Summer of 1999.
There’s pleasure in discovering what the characters will do within the shorter home windows. The time between summer season and winter is small, however the scenes teased one thing large occurred.
And in an analogous Cruel Summer fashion, the most important factor to beat for any viewer is determining which period interval is which.
The sequence often depends on three important items: (1) the colour grading, (2) the music, and (3) the hair/make-up/fashion. If you possibly can shortly determine one in every of these items per interval, it will get simpler to know when one season adjustments to a different.
I discovered again on Cruel Summer Season 1 Episode 1 that one of the best is the hair and the colour grading.
Interestingly, Winter 1999 had the darker coloration model, whereas Summer 2000 performed with a yellowish tone. My finest guess is the darkness represents Luke’s impending homicide, and the yellow tone is a touch on the police warning tape and the way murky the whole lot has develop into since.
Another large change was how the 2 important leads spent many of the scenes collectively.
During our chat with Lisa Yamada, who performs Parker, we discovered that there could be a extra important presence to have Isabella and Megan spend extra time collectively. It was an unlimited change from Kate and Jeanette’s story, the place they did not have an enormous second collectively till Cruel Summer Season 1 Episode 10.
I appreciated this transfer as a result of it added extra depth to their relationship and the way it affected the plot. The time-jumping appears to be rather a lot about how two BFFs crumbled underneath the load of this homicide thriller.
It cannot be a rehash of Kate and Jeanette, who had legitimate causes to not be collectively all through the three years. This story warrants Megan and Isabella’s bond to be the main focus, so it will be curious to see how the format will have an effect on nearer pals.
Speaking of their friendship, let’s break down their three seasons.
Megan was unusually harsh to Isabella, like slightly extra than simply being a young person. Sure, she did not need Debbie to welcome a overseas trade pupil, however Megan may’ve tried tougher since Isabella was already there.
She could not even conceal the frustration on her face.
Megan: I hold attempting to determine who would’ve carried out this.
Isabella: I can consider one native filmmaker with a grudge.
Megan: Jeff? Really?
Isabella: I imply, they all the time discuss girls scorned, however males are even worse.
Megan: I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to be his fashion.
Isabella: Well, whoever it’s, we’re gonna discover out.
Sometimes issues are out of your management, however she may’ve made one of the best out of a nasty state of affairs. And Isabella appeared like a cool individual to hang around with, somebody who was her age and down to hang around.
Megan bought fortunate within the consequence (within the Summer of 1999).
I cherished the stability between Megan and Isabella. Both have been enjoying the opposites entice/balancing BFFs trope.
One pal is often the enjoyable and carefree extrovert, whereas the opposite is the intense introvert. We’ve seen this a couple of instances, like Betty and Veronica on Riverdale Season 7 Episode 9, Schmidt and Nick on New Girl, and Wednesday and Enid on Wednesday.
We did not even want the time bounce to study that they’d develop into BFFs. It was written within the stars (or extra like Luke’s borrowed fireworks) for them to begin their friendship journey.
At least their time on the pool get together is beginning to chip away on the wall Megan constructed up.
Megan and Isabella have nice chemistry collectively! Sadie Stanley and Lexi Underwood, who play Megan and Isabella, respectively, appeared to get alongside effectively.
The identical goes for his or her pairing with Luke (Griffin Gluck).
It made sense that Isabella and Luke would gravitate to one another; they hit it off rather well throughout their first assembly. But Megan ought to’ve admitted the reality to Isabella about her emotions for Luke. You may simply inform from all of the longing stares that she loves her oldest BFF.
And if she had instructed her, their friendship may’ve began straight away. Strong friendships begin with some clear boundaries.
For the primary large twist, who do you assume created the intercourse tape of Megan and Luke?
Whoever did it needed to be damage and petty in opposition to one (or each) of them. Playing the tape on the vacation get together was meant to disgrace them in entrance of everybody. So, it needed to be somebody with an emotional connection.
Steve: Is it the one tape?
Luke: I feel you need to ask your primary son.
Brent: Ahh, Dad! Luke…
Steve: Is that the one tape?!
Luke: That’s a lie. No, that’s a lie!
Brent appears extra like a small-thinker, not somebody who would take the chance. I’m glad Isabella and Parker bought revenge by smashing all his stuff. If he did report Parker with out her consent, which looks as if the case since he did it with different ladies, he deserved the whole lot he bought.
He’s trash, his tapes are trash, and he can observe swimsuit by going with them to the rubbish bin on the curb the place he belongs.
But did he plant the tape? It’s too early to inform, however there’s extra to his shady story. He is not clear, no method.
The identical goes for his or her pal, the videographer, Jeff.
Look, we do not know something about him but. He’s one other one of many mysteries that would play a component in what occurred to Luke.
During the Summer of 1999, he did one thing to make the ladies consider he was scorned. My finest guess is that he has a serious crush on Megan. He stored recording her together with his digital camera, so it would not be stunning if that got here to gentle.
Jeff appears an excessive amount of like a purple herring to make the reply that simple. It’ll both be him, or it is a twist the place it will result in another person.
Isabella pretending to be on the tape to guard Megan will little doubt come again to hang-out them. If Pretty Little Liars taught us something, it is that difficult secrets and techniques are likely to rise to the floor.
Only three individuals know the reality: Isabella, Megan, and Luke. It solely takes one in every of them to spill the beans, regardless in the event that they’re “ride or die” with one another.
I’ve a sense Isabella will inform Debbie, which can, in flip, trigger a domino impact for the story to come back out. Megan completely modified by the Summer of 2000, so it is attainable everybody turned in opposition to her when the reality got here out.
It would possibly clarify why Megan and Isabella are not pals by then. You know, along with Luke’s disappearance and homicide.
The large twist of the Cruel Summer Season 2 premiere was Luke being the useless physique within the lake. Did anybody see this coming?!
My jaw dropped as a result of the pacing and enhancing made it closely seem to be Isabella was the useless physique. Even slight facet characters like Brent and Megan’s sister Lily appeared like attainable choices. Plus, Parker’s ominous phrases to Megan sealed the deal.
But when Steve confirmed it was Luke’s physique, and Isabella walked up beside Megan, it was like a one-two punch of a stunning twist.
An glorious emotional cliffhanger to maintain us hooked on a must-watch thriller.
Either one (or each) of Megan and Isabella killed Luke. This consequence felt just like the strongest risk as a result of each characters have been so affected by his physique being found; you would really feel the strain within the air every time they talked.
Plus, Megan cleansing all that dried blood was not a coincidence. She was both cleansing as much as defend somebody or doing it as guilt for what she did.
Isabella: Mom.
Isabella’s Mom: It’s late. Is the whole lot okay?
Isabella: I would like your assist. I’m in hassle.
My first prediction is that Megan killed Luke, and Isabella is defending her like she mentioned she would all the time do as her “ride or die.”
The former BFFs are holding onto a secret, and Megan appears to be essentially the most indifferent concerning the state of affairs. She more than likely accepted what she had carried out.
It’s nonetheless too early to make a last accusation. We want extra clues and scenes of what occurred on the New Year’s Eve get together. Also, we want heaps extra music drops and Y2K style. Bring on all of the references!
Last Thoughts From The Archive:
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As I mentioned, the music was wonderful! Plenty of nostalgia and selections, like The Spice Girls reference.
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Isabella must be careful as a result of Sheriff Myers seems able to arrest her. He’ll little doubt use her previous and no matter she did with these drugs to seal her destiny.
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What was Isabella doing with these drugs?! She had quite a lot of them to solely merely be utilizing them.
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Debbie and Steve have been cute collectively. Hopefully, they’ll make their relationship work.
Now, over to you, Cruel Summer followers.
What did you consider “Welcome to Chatham” and “Ride or Die”?
Who murdered Luke? Who recorded the intercourse tape of Luke and Megan? Is Isabella being framed for the crime?
If you missed the most recent episode of Cruel Summer, you possibly can watch Cruel Summer on-line through TV Fanatic. Come again right here and share your ideas within the feedback under.
Justin Carreiro is a employees author for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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