Hulu Summary:
Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the next chapter of Cruel Summer follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship. Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward.
FYA Summary:
So, before we get into it, you can rest assured that I will *not* be including spoilers for this season in this review beyond the first episode. That’s what the comment section is for, y’all! (Please join me there post haste because I have THOUGHTS.)
Also, in case it’s not clear, this is a completely different story from Season 1, which I freaking relished from start to finish. Like, lip-smacking, juice (from the drama obvs) dripping down my chin, etc. etc.
ANYWAY. Season 2 takes place over a year, jumping back and forth over three time periods: summer 1999, winter 1999, and summer 2000. That’s right, we’re getting Y2Kraaaazy!
In the summer of ’99, Isabella—a gorgeous, cosmopolitan teen who’s lived abroad her whole life thanks to diplomat parents—moves to Chatham (which I think is in Washington?) to live with Megan, an all-American tomboy type girl, her mom, and her younger sister (whom you will quickly forget exists because she appears in like 4 scenes total). If you’re wondering why Megan’s mom decides to invite Isabella to move in, or what kind of weird exchange student program this is, well, you will continue to wonder because the show doesn’t give a shit about justifying itself to you!
Megan is not thrilled about Isabella moving in, especially when Isabella sets her sexy sights on Luke, Megan’s BFF and secret crush. And just when you think Luke doesn’t deserve to be in a love triangle with two beautiful girls, we skip to summer 2000 when it’s revealed that Luke disappeared after New Year’s Eve… and his body was just recovered from the lake.
(Semi-)Familiar Faces:
L-R: Griffin Gluck as Luke Champers, Sadie Stanley as Megan Landry, Lexi Underwood as Isabella LaRue
Similar to Season 1, the story depends on two leading ladies being able to carry it, and I think Sadie Stanley (Megan) and Lexi Underwood (Isabella) definitely pull it off.
I haven’t seen Sadie in anything else, but her transformation of Megan over the three time periods is believable and, even for a show this soapy, pretty realistic! It was as easy to root for her as it was to secretly wonder about the darkness of her insides.
As for Lexi Underwood, I was super impressed with her complex performance in Little Fires Everywhere, and while she has less quality material to work with in Cruel Summer (sorry, Freeform), she still makes Isabella a nuanced character as likely to be a heroine as she is to be a villain.
And then there’s Griffin Gluck. First, I’m sorry, but your name is what?! Second, I admit I might be biased against him after watching Locke & Key, and this is a very shallow statement but [*Karen voice*] can I please speak to a casting director? We’re supposed to believe that these two young women, who are incredibly attractive, would be drawn to this guy who is… not? HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND HOT GUYS WHO CAN ACT? I’m not even kidding when I say that the show kinda fell apart for me because I just could not DEAL with Luke.
Speaking of nope, Luke’s dad (played by Paul Edelstein) is one of the most Dan Scott-iest dads I’ve ever seen on TV.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Rowdy Summer
Lord I wish I had watched this with other people, specifically my most vocal and catty friends. Yes, you do need to actually pay attention and hear the dialogue to know what’s happening, but then you can pause it, turn to each other, and dish about your theories or rant about ___ or simply exclaim, “COME ON NOW.” The funnest part of this show is seeing if you can figure out the truth before it’s revealed at the end, and the more people in the room, the greater your chances are of being right and getting to feel real smug about it.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Tipsy Summer
Chatham teens love to party, y’all, so don’t let them have all the fun! Fill up those red Solo cups and take a drink every time there’s an awesomely Y2K moment, be it an AOL chat or bigass video camera. Yes, you do need to be sober enough to see what color filter the show is using (so you can tell which time period you’re watching) but the girls’ hairstyles are also an easy indicator.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Campy Summer
Keeping it vague, I’ll just say that I found Season 1 to be way more satisfying and thrilling than Season 2, but I still enjoyed the ride. The twists and turns were fun; the character arcs were (somewhat) unpredictable; the soundtrack was pitch perfect. And yes, I’m definitely hoping for a third season (though I’m scared of what Freeform considers “retro” at this point).
If you’ve finished Season 2, pretty please join me in the comments for a spoiler-rific convo!!!
Totally agree that last season was better than this season. The obsession over Luke made no sense and there were a million ways the story could have wound up that would have been better than how it ended. Also, justice for paranoid Ned. Where the heck was he for the last few episodes? Luke should have paged HIM from the dock and escaped to the Coast Guard.
OMG yes, JUSTICE FOR NED! I kept hoping he wouldn’t turn into a creep with Megan… and then he didn’t! He was, like, just a good dude who happened to be paranoid! And yeah, for Luke’s death to be partially the result of his brother pushing him in the water (and then it was *that* hard to find him in the water?!!) was just LAME.
100% agreed on everything you said here. You know I’m anti-Griffin Gluck from L&K and that did NOT change here. All this mess… over him??
Also hated his dad! But genuinely loved the girls. Agreed that it’s nowhere as satisfying as S1 but still ate it up. This show is just juicy fun! Alsoooo the downtown scenes take place in Cloverdale, BC, which is Smallville’s Main Street. I’ve been there! (Obvs.)
I was fine with Megan’s sister disappearing but when we didn’t see her mom for the last episode during which major life things were happening, like, how is this girl disappearing her entire family?
OMG I didn’t even *think* about the mom not being in the last episode. Lolz! And I do love that Smallville fun fact! I will definitely be tuning in for S3–I just wonder which time period they’ll pick? Undoubtedly it will make me feel old.
I kept referring to Megan as Brea Bee all season. She played Adam’s girlfriend on the Goldbergs.
I felt the same way about Luke! Like I’m supposed to believe two girls are in love with THIS dude? I hated his dad too. No wonder Luke ended up being such a d-bag.
That ending scene…whoa. Brutal.
I agree, the ending scene was brutal… but not as brutal as the last scene in Season One, so in that way, it was weirdly a bit of a let down.