In its second season, Freeform's Cruel Summer introduces a brand new cast, along with a fresh mystery to unravel: the death of a teenager in the charming town of Chatham, Washington in the year 2000. While the show now takes on an anthology format with different main actors, its central element remains the time jumps. These jumps provide valuable clues about the characters' relationships, gradually unveiling the events of the summer of 1999, the winter of 1999, and the summer of 2000 when the body is discovered. As the narrative moves back and forth, we gradually piece together the how and why behind the death of this significant character.
Season two of Cruel Summer follows a similar pattern as the first season, intertwining three distinct time periods to construct a cohesive narrative. Despite being only six months apart, these timelines play crucial roles in the storytelling.
The first timeline unfolds in July 1999, where Megan (portrayed by Sadie Stanley), along with her mother Debbie (played by Kadee Strickland) and sister Lily, welcomes Isabella (portrayed by Lexi Underwood), an exchange student, into their home in Chatham, Washington. Debbie believes that Isabella's presence will be beneficial for Megan, offering her a chance to interact with a worldly individual, considering Isabella's parents are diplomats living abroad.
However, Megan, a brilliant but introverted computer science enthusiast, finds solace in coding and spending time with her best friend Luke (played by Griffin Gluck). Coinciding with their lives is a local festival known as the Bloom, characterized by a temporary bioluminescent phenomenon in the water. As Megan introduces Isabella to her circle of friends, Isabella develops an interest in Luke and asks Megan if she would mind if they become romantically involved. At this stage of the story, Megan and Luke are only friends, but Megan's underlying resentment towards Isabella intensifies, as she not only disrupts Megan's life but also encroaches upon her closest friendship.
In the December 1999 timeline, depicted with a bluish filter adding a distinct visual tone to each scene, Megan and Isabella have become inseparable best friends. Megan is on cloud nine, as she has secured a full scholarship to the University of Washington and is now in a romantic relationship with Luke. Life seems perfect, or so it appears. Meanwhile, Debbie, Megan's mother, and Steve, Luke's father (played by Paul Adelstein), are also romantically involved.
Steve, who is involved in a prominent development project in the town, takes advantage of his annual Christmas party to impress potential investors. The entire town attends the event, and during Steve's speech, he announces that he will play a Christmas movie for everyone's enjoyment. However, instead of the anticipated film, a sex tape featuring Isabella and Luke starts playing. Filled with anger, Megan storms out of the party, and now everyone is aware of Luke and Isabella's betrayal towards her.
Then there is the July 2000 timeline, characterized by a yellow-green filter that casts a hazy and enigmatic atmosphere. Megan undergoes a transformation in this timeline, sporting dark eyeliner, an eyebrow ring, and slicked-back hair. A sense of panic fills her as she notices police cars seemingly everywhere, while rumors circulate about the discovery of a body in the lake. Seeking solace, she drives to a secluded cabin nestled in the woods. There, she meticulously cleans bloodstains off the floor and stumbles upon a discarded fake ID belonging to Isabella. The ID bears the name "Pat Highsmith," a clever homage to the renowned author Patricia Highsmith, known for her thrilling murder stories such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
Megan's attention is then drawn to the sheriff's boat, which retrieves a body in a body bag. Briefly, it appears that the body might belong to Isabella, but to her relief, it turns out to be Luke's. Megan's peculiar behavior raises suspicions about her involvement in Luke's demise, sparking the central mystery. While Luke survived the Y2K scare, he couldn't endure the tragic events that followed.
The manner in which Cruel Summer intertwines its three timelines is a clever approach to present this intriguing possible-murder mystery. The time jumps are skillfully portrayed, leaving no uncertainty about the current stage of the story, thanks to the clear differentiation in filters and tones employed for each timeline. Furthermore, the dynamic evolution of relationships within each timeline adds an enticing layer to the narrative. We witness Sadie and Isabella's progression from distant rivals to close friends, and potentially even accomplices in the alleged murder. Simultaneously, Sadie and Luke's childhood friendship evolves into a romantic entanglement, only to face a tragic twist with Luke's untimely demise. These complex interconnections promise a wealth of captivating storytelling as the series unravels the events and motivations behind them. I'm excited to see how it all unfolds.
