Warning: The following article contains spoilers from Cruel Summer season 2, episode 10.
Summary
- Season 1 of Cruel Summer had a more shocking and impactful final twist compared to Season 2.
- Season 1 had fewer plot holes and provided a more satisfying ending.
- Season 2 focused too much on the main characters, neglecting the development of other important characters.
Cruel Summer is one of Freeform's most twisted and intriguing shows, but since the first season set the bar so high, season 2 had a lot to live up to, and unfortunately, it was a step down from the original story. Both seasons of the anthology series focused on a different mystery and jumped between three different timelines to gradually reveal the truth. Along the way, viewers learned shocking developments about the characters that added more pieces to the puzzle. Unfortunately, creator and executive producer Bert V. Royal was not involved with season 2, which might for its decline in quality.
Cruel Summer season 1 revolved around Kate Wallis and Jeanette Turner. Kate went missing in the summer of 1993, and after she was found a year later, she claimed on national television that Jeanette knew of her whereabouts and never told anyone. Meanwhile, Cruel Summer season 2 focused on the friendship between Megan Landry and Isabella LaRue and their involvement in the disappearance and death of Megan's boyfriend, Luke Chambers. While both stories were enthralling from the beginning, season 1 was superior to season 2 overall.
7 Cruel Summer Season 1's Final Twist Was More Shocking Than Season 2's
Cruel Summer season 2 took a page out of season 1's book by leaving its biggest twist for the finale's last moments. As fans recall, season 1 ended with the revelation that Jeanette heard Kate screaming for help in Martin's basement (a separate day from when Kate thought Jeanette saw her in the predator's house) and didn't help her because she wanted her life. Cruel Summer season 2 ended with the reveal that Isabella found Luke washed up on the beach, barely clinging to life, and decided to shove his head underwater and murder him. While both endings were surprising, season 1's final twist packed more of a punch.
If fans had already watched season 1, they might have seen this Isabella development in season 2 coming. Viewers went back and forth wondering if Jeanette was guilty of not reporting Kate's kidnapping, while they did the same regarding Isabella's involvement in Luke's death. But since the Jeanette reveal came first, it was more shocking. Plus, how the audience learned the entire truth about Isabella felt like a cop-out. There just happened to be a camera pointing toward the water that no one had seen before. Meanwhile, Cruel Summer season 1's last twist was just for the audience's eyes, which made it more impactful and devastating.
6 Season 1 Had Fewer Plot Holes
The Cruel Summer season 2 finale left viewers with many questions unanswered, like how Megan's pregnancy ended, if Isabella was arrested for Luke's murder, the delay in finding evidence, what came of the bloody sheets, and so on. A casual viewer could see that the season contained numerous plot holes, while season 1 tied up most stories in a neat little bow. Of course, season 1 had an ambiguous ending with the Jeanette reveal, but it felt right for the story. The season 2 finale just featured too many unresolved storylines, making it less satisfying than its predecessor.
5 Cruel Summer Season 2 Forgot About Multiple Characters
Cruel Summer season 1 spent adequate time building each character and their relationship with Kate and (or) Jeanette. By the final episode, the audience understood how Jamie could be with both Kate and Jeanette, the lengths Derek would go to protect his sister, the falling out between Mallory and Jeanette, and the bond between Mallory and Kate. However, season 2 was so focused on the main trio — Megan, Isabella, and Luke — that it forgot about others. Parker was billed as a main character, but she had no purpose other than being Brent's girlfriend/ex. Debbie's illness was rarely mentioned, and Megan's sister Lily was an afterthought.
4 Season 1 Had Better Pacing Than Season 2
While each episode of Cruel Summer season 1 had viewers on the edge of their seats, a handful of season 2 installments didn't contain any concrete developments that told the audience anything about the overall mystery. The first couple of episodes nicely set up the story of Luke's disappearance and death. But instead of spreading out the important pieces of information about what happened to Luke on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, the writers saved all the reveals for the final three episodes, which made the middle segments inconsequential.
3 Season 2 Never Addressed A Major Plot Point
One of the most baffling unanswered questions from Cruel Summer season 2 revolved around what happened to Megan's pregnancy. Cruel Summer season 2, episode 4 ended on a cliffhanger that revealed Megan got pregnant in the winter of 1999 and Luke was the father. The show seemed to suggest that the shocking development played an important role in Luke's disappearance and death, but then the writers never addressed how the pregnancy ended. Megan wasn't still pregnant in the summer of 2000, and she didn't have a baby, so something must have happened. Unfortunately, the series never directly addressed this significant plot point.
2 Cruel Summer Season 1 Was More Believable Than Season 2
Cruel Summer season 2 contained many far-fetched details, like how Luke's body was immediately recognizable despite spending more than six months in water, Megan's effortless hacking abilities, the police not searching the cabin until after Luke's body was found, everything about the camera pointed toward the water, and so on. It seemed as though the writers had a story they wanted to tell and were willing to shove unbelievable elements into it to fit their narrative. Meanwhile, season 1's story never felt forced despite its unique qualities.
1 All Of Cruel Summer Season 1's Timelines Took Place In Summer
This might be a nitpicky detail, but the Freeform anthology mystery series is called Cruel Summer, after all. While all three season 1 timelines took place in the summers of 1993, 1994, and 1995, season 2 ventured into unchartered territory for this show — winter. Season 2's timelines included the summer of 1999, the winter of 1999, and the summer of 2000.
Some could argue that the cruelest story in season 2 happened in the winter because it featured the brutal sequence at the cabin and Luke's murder on the beach. But it strayed too much from the summer theme. So since Cruel Summer season 1 solely occurred during the summer months of three separate years, it gets extra points since that is the overall premise of the series.