Cruel Summer
Cruel Summer Review – Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis (1×07)
After focusing on Jeanette’s birthdays over the course of three years in the premiere, Cruel Summer Season 1 Episode 7 tackled Kate Wallis’s big day in order to give audiences more insight into the string of events that led to her kidnapping.
In an unexpected twist, it was revealed that Kate was never actually kidnapped by Martin Harris. After an explosive fight with her mother, she willingly walked over to his house in hopes of crashing there for a bit.
And instead of turning her away, which would’ve been the appropriate thing to do, Martin took advantage of her vulnerability. He preyed on an insecure, lonely, impressionable, and overly trusting young woman.
In present-day scenes, Kate blames her mother for what led to the kidnapping as she raised her to be blindly obedient and open.
It’s harsh but not entirely off base. Kate was told that she could trust Martin, and Martin knew that. Upon arriving on his doorstep, she also told him that she wanted to stay at his place because her mother wouldn’t be able to find her at a friend’s house making him aware that no one knew that she came to his house.
There was a lot of grooming going on as he befriended her and made her think he was a safe space. He gave her a shoulder to cry on, he allowed her to seek him out for advice, and they confided their secrets with each other.
He even helped a drunk Jamie while driving Kate home.
Martin did a hell of a job hiding behind the “good guy” facade, so it’s not surprising that everyone trusted him including Kate.
But the whole time, he was obsessed with her and seemed to be fighting his urges, which he could no longer tame once she willingly came to his home.
It reportedly wasn’t even the first time it happened.
In flashbacks, a news report indicated that Martin previously preyed on a young woman while working at another school, though it never became as serious as the situation with Kate.
The woman didn’t report it until Kate told her story on national television, which is likely how he was able to get away with it and continue working in the school system, but it also makes you wonder what happened in Martin’s past to create such a monster that was able to hide in plain sight.
After the girl spoke out about her encounter with Martin, Kate became very defensive of him, which further proves that he was grooming her even while in captivity.
Credit: Cruel Summer/ Netflix
Kate mentions that Martin used food as a way to control her, but we also see him attempt to convince her that he was a good guy for taking care of her, clothing her, and feeding her.
He paints himself as the hero in her story and even reminds her that she’s there because she wanted to be.
It’s so messed up because while she did come to his house willingly, she wasn’t asking to become a prisoner.
And while Kate did flirt with Martin and pursue him by holding his hand in the car, it was never an invitation to do what he did.
Then there’s the whole mystery of Annabelle.
Kate can’t remember who Annabelle is nor does she even remember mentioning her in therapy. This could be a part of her PTSD and blocking out painful memories, or maybe Annabelle is a real person that Kate met or heard stories about.
I do think there’s a reason that the girl who claimed to be Martin’s first victim chose to remain anonymous.
It’s also entirely possible that Annabelle is a persona Kate created to keep herself safe. She refers to herself as Annabelle in the “ghost story” she tells her parents, so it’s possible that she did this subconsciously.
Maybe she thought of herself as Annabelle while in captivity to protect Kate, who was hidden deep down inside. That’s why she’s unable to remember so many small details. She also could’ve created another identity to blame Annabelle for the predicament she was in.
But with Kate’s memory in question, is it possible that her brain was playing tricks on her when it comes to Jeanette?
Did she imagine seeing Jeanette?
Or did Martin convince Kate that Jeanette saw her but refused to report so that he could further break her down?
After all, we do see Martin informing Kate of current events at school, namely that Jeanette took over her life and began dating Jamie. Plus, he likely knows that Jeanette has a thing for sneaking into his home, so the report would track if it was ever questioned.
If Kate was brainwashed into thinking Martin was a good guy and also forced to forget Annabelle while in captivity, it’s fair to say that she could’ve also been made to believe that she saw Jeanette when she actually didn’t.
Since the show put a huge emphasis on mirrors and looking through a mirror, there are some fan theories that the basement was outfitted with a two-way mirror, which would mean both Jeanette and Kate are telling the truth.
Kate could’ve seen Jeanette, but Jeanette may have never seen her even if she looked directly at her. However, I’m not entirely a fan of this because it feels like the easy way out. I also think the usage of mirrors is meant to represent that while things are happening around them, they have no control. Most of the time it feels like they’re on the outside looking in.
Everything isn’t always as it seems on this show, so I’m anticipating an intriguing twist.
The lies are beginning to catch up with the people of Skyland, Texas.
Joy Wallis was exposed as the person responsible for the “liar” sign in hopes of pushing Kate into taking the trial seriously.
Her motivations are in the right place but slightly misguided.
She feels guilty for unintentionally pushing Kate right into Martin’s arms by raising her to be too trusting, turning on her when Kate told her stepfather about her mother’s affair with Scott, and telling her that she could “predict her every move” and forcing Kate to seek him out for a place to stay.
I guess she didn’t predict that.
It’s understandable that she wants to make amends and protect her daughter in a way she didn’t before, but it’s probably not the best idea to try to manipulate the daughter who was already taken advantage of by a deceitful man.
Kate is also being betrayed by her stepsister, Ashley.
As we know, Ashley has been anonymously chatting up Kate in a survivors forum, which Derek Turner accidentally stumbled upon while “checking his email” following a hookup. Actively seeking out a computer to check your email is soooo ’90s!
When he realizes Kate went to Martin’s house willingly, he risks his relationship with Ashley to inform Jeanette. What a good brother!
The evidence Derek found is gold as it won’t bode well for Kate in court, but it could be Jeanette’s saving grace.
Let’s just say Ashley likely won’t forgive Derek for this, while Kate won’t forgive Ashley.
The only one that doesn’t seem to have any ulterior motives is Mallory.
Fans have also questioned Mallory’s motives, and I’ll admit, she is pretty clingy when it comes to Kate, but I think she either has a crush on her or simply has an obsessive personality. When she makes a friend, she goes all in.
And though her behavior is a bit much, there’s nothing indicating that she would want to harm Kate or put her in any danger. She’s simply a devoted friend who wants to be there for the good and the bad.
What do you think? Did Martin take advantage of Kate after she arrived at his house? Was Jeanette inside the home while Kate was being held captive?
Should Mallory be trusted?
I can’t wait to see the trial play out, and I really hope we get some of Martin’s backstory sometime soon!
Let us know your thoughts about the season below!
Who is ready for another cruel, cruel summer?
Jessica Biel hyped fans up for Cruel Summer Season 2 with a brand new teaser trailer posted on Instagram.
While the post didn’t reveal a premiere date, it did confirm that a second season was on its way. Deadline previously reported its set for a summer release!
“It’s gonna be a cruel, @cruelsummer. Season 2 is coming!! 👩🏼💻 @freeform” she captioned the clip, which sees a teen girl typing an angsty away message into her AIM profile. Ahh, remember the good ol’ days?
Unfortunately for her, they aren’t good at all as a fatal system error pops up and takes over her entire computer screen.
It’s not much to go off of, so if you’re wondering what the heck the upcoming season is going to be about, I don’t blame you.
Cruel Summer Season 1 was highly addictive, but the anthology series wrapped up the storyline between Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia) and Kate (Olivia Holt).
The second season will be set in the “idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest,” and follows the rise and fall of another 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,” the outlet notes.
The cast includes Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada and Sean Blakemore. Paul Adelstein will appear in a handful of episodes.
Are you ready for it?
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And we finally have the truth.
Though the truth is pretty dark no matter how you look at it.
Cruel Summer wrapped up its freshman run by providing all the answers along with plenty of jaw-dropping twists.
As the Turner vs. Wallis case kicked off in 1995, Jeanette and Kate came face-to-face — and almost to blows — both in the courtroom and outside of it.
After Jeanette’s lawyers revealed a private convo between Kate and Ashley (she didn’t know it was her step-sister until after the printouts were submitted into evidence), Kate was forced to confess that she lied about her kidnapping and the fact that she destroyed an innocent girl’s reputation.
Jeanette was hounded by the media and painted as a monster on the basis of the narrative that Kate sold to protect herself.
Kate was scared of what people would think if they knew she went to Martin’s willingly.
This led to a heart-to-heart between Kate and Jeanette during which they figured out that this whole thing was just a misunderstanding.
Both of the girls were defending the truth… the only truth they knew.
Kate thought Jeanette saw her since she snuck into the house, while Jeanette knew she wasn’t guilty of what she was being accused of.
Turns out, the person that did actually see Kate was none other than Mallory. While it may have seemed like we were right not to trust her this whole time, Mallory had her reasons.
While her friendship with Kate was a result of misplaced guilt, eventually, the two did actually become good friends.
The finale made it very clear that everyone was harboring secrets and lies in order to protect themselves.
Once Kate confronted Mallory, she learned that she didn’t say anything because she knew that in telling the public what she saw, she would be ratting out Kate as the reality of what she saw didn’t match the narrative Kate was selling. In a twisted way, she was protecting her friend, who she knew wasn’t being held against her will — at least not physically — when she saw her.
She was there for Kate before they were even tight, which speaks volumes to who Mallory is as a person.
I was sure the two of them were going to kiss when Kate confronted Mallory and asked her to stay, so I was thrilled when the smooch finally happened in the end.
There was a chemistry between them that lent itself to more than friendship.
Mallory may have betrayed Kate, but despite it, she was one of the only people who had a genuine connection with her and understood her for who she was.
The real villain was Jeanette all along.
After Kate realized she wrongly accused Jeanette, she immediately cleared her name and made things right.
However, there was something genuinely off about Jeanette. They say when someone shows you who they are, you should believe them.
The first suggestion that Jeanette may be a sociopath came when she was trying to learn how to make people feel sorry for her in the courtroom.
Things also took a weird turn on the Marsha Bailey show as she was wearing the same exact outfit that Kate wore the first time she accused her right down to the pearls and headband.
She also forgave Kate in the same way Kate accused her initially.
Mallory was right — there was something truly off about Jeanette’s appearance.
And it turns out, Jeanette was lying the whole time. She may not have seen Kate on Christmas, which is when she was accused, but Jeanette did sneak into the house in 1994 when Kate was already locked in the basement. She heard Kate begging for help and never reported it because she was at peak popularity. She weighed her options and decided that it wasn’t in her best interest to help Kate, which is deeply concerning.
Everything the media said about Jeanette being a monster was absolutely on point.
CRUEL SUMMER – “Hostile Witness” – Kate and Jeanette’s worlds collide as the court date arrives, finally forcing the two young women to answer the question on everyone’s mind, but the answer comes with a price that not everyone can pay. The season finale of “Cruel Summer” airs Tuesday, June 15 at 10:00 p.m. on Freeform. (Freeform/Bill Matlock)
CHIARA AURELIA
Worst of all — it always some sick game to her. She got the same thrill from it that she did from breaking into Martin’s house. She never truly felt remorse for what she did and how she contributed to Kate’s destruction.
While it’s an unexpected twist and likely included for shock facotr, I think I would have preferred the storyline where Kate and Jeanette remained friends and bonded over their shared trauma. Jeanette may have always been driven by this desire to be beautiful and popular, but I would think this experience would have changed her and given her a new outlook on life, especially since she was vindicated and ended up getting the guy.
There was even a great setup for the two to remain friends who could lean on each other and heal together. Kate said she wanted someone to understand what she was going through, and though Jeanette’s experience was wildly different, they kind of saw eye-to-eye at the moment at Martin’s house.
It was nice to see them work together to figure out what really happened. As Kate shared her experience of being locked in a basement, it was as though Jeanette genuinely felt sorry for Kate.
It would’ve been a great way to wrap up their story arc as two young girls who were wronged.
Jeanette even helped Kate remember who Anabelle was, and for those that figured it was a gun — you were correct.
Kate revealed that the day before her rescue, Martin seemed to have run out of options and found himself oddly at peace right before turning the gun on himself.
Martin was plagued with guilt after what he’d done, which seems to prove that he didn’t fully think his plan through and kept trying to wing it.
However, he also looked pretty conflicted about how to handle the situation. Going from wanting to kill yourself to screaming at the top of your lungs to begging Kate not to shoot you and convincing her you love her kind of screams bi-polar to me.
While Martin couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger, Kate, however, didn’t have that problem and shot him when he was at his most vulnerable.
It was a huge and heavy decision for Kate, but she was brave enough to finally save herself.
It was a warranted shot that finally put an end to her misery, but the aftermath left her conflicted as she loved her captor while also hating him.
It wouldn’t do the situation justice if Martin died in a police shootout, but having Kate pull the trigger sort of paralleled all the pain he caused her while keeping her.
Hopefully, Kate took the time to work through all of that in therapy because it’s a lot.
I’m slightly disappointed that Angela didn’t have more to do with the storyline as I was convinced she was going to have some kind of connection to Martin. Also, Jeanette’s own mother didn’t even come to the trial.
Also, where was Jamie, who Jeanette seemed to be dating at the end of everything!
The resolution between Vince and Ben also felt a little weak, but I’m glad they’re going to work through things and hope they end up together as they deserve a bit of happiness.
Jeanette also ended up with Jamie, so I guess it was all worth it since she got what she wanted after all.
What did you think of the finale? Are you happy that we were given all the answers we were promised?
Leave your comments below, and we’ll see you for season 2 on Freeform!
Cruel Summer may be airing its season finale tonight, but fans can already look forward to more spine-tingling thrills.
Freeform has picked up the psychological drama for a second season, according to TVLine.
“Renewing Cruel Summer for a Season 2 was an easy decision,” Freeform President Tara Duncan said.
“It’s the biggest series debut in Freeform’s history and the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. [Executive producers] Jessica [Biel], Michelle [Purple] and [showrunner] Tia [Napolitano] did a phenomenal job telling an addictive story that’s tapped into the cultural zeitgeist. I’m excited to see where they take the series next,” she added.
Napolitano also noted: “Collaborating with Iron Ocean, our dedicated crew, charismatic cast, and our partners at Freeform and eOne has been the best first showrunning experience I could ask for. I am beyond grateful and excited by the amazing fan response to our show! Continuing to bottle Cruel Summer magic for a Season 2 is an absolute dream come true.”
The freshman drama stars Olivia Holt (Kate Wallis) and Chiara Aurelia (Jeanette Turner) whose worlds collide when Kate goes missing and later accuses Jeanette of knowing who kept her captive and not telling the police. Jeanette is adamant that she never saw Kate in captivity. The story is told over three timeliness in 1993, 1994, and 1995.
The mystery is set to be resolved in tonight’s finale.
Per Deadline, Biel revealed that the mystery could return with a new story and the same characters or feature a new cast of characters.
You can recap all of the Cruel Summer reviews below!
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