Let’s travel back to simpler times. The 90s was undoubtedly an ideal era for riveting thrillers. Cruel Summer takes us back to a time of limited technology, frivolous patrols, and frequent kidnappings. Such aesthetics make up for unreliable narratives, whodunit, and “he said-she said.”
Cruel Summer, streaming on Freeform, has quickly risen to number 1 on the platform among previous masterpieces like Pretty Little Liars, Shadowhunters, The Fosters, The Bold Type, Grown-ish, and Motherland: Fort Salem. But Cruel Summer remains untouchable when it comes to driving in viewers.
The 10-episode season packed a gripping story with a final twist that left us in knots. Let’s unpack what it all meant.
What Was the Meaning of Cruel Summer Ending?
Episode 1-9 recap: 3 timelines– 1993, 1994, and 1995
The story revolves around two girls on opposite spectrums–
Kate Wallis– a quintessential popular girl with blonde hair, is beautiful and has an arm-candy famous boyfriend.
On the other hand, there’s Jeanette Turner– a dorky reserved girl whose only social circle is really just a triangle with her two best friends, Vince and Mallory.
Kate goes missing.
Jeanette hops on this opportunity and starts imbibing Kate’s persona to become famous. She even abandons her friends to join Kate’s social circle. She slowly gets Kate’s boyfriend, Jamie, to also like her. And thus, she completely wears Kate’s skin.
But her glory days are snatched in a second when Kate returns and informs everyone that Jeanette is associated with her kidnapping.
As it turns out, Kate was abducted on Christmas Eve and locked in a basement by her school’s vice principal, Martin Harris. Martin dies in a police shootout during Kate’s rescue.
Kate tells the police that Jeanette saw her in his house that night and never reported it to anyone. Soon, Jeanette goes from being popular at school to being the most hated girl in the city. She tries to prove her innocence that she never saw Kate in Martin’s house.
Kate is adamant that Jeanette saw her wearing a hooded jacket with her bike through the window. The entire 9 episode journey is a “she said-she said” saga, but the viewers are gripped through every bit.
Jeanette is not as innocent as she seems; she has been frequently breaking into Martin’s house just for the thrill. But still, she never saw Kate in the house.
You see, Kate is not telling the entire truth either. Her online chat with a secret person reveals that Martin actually groomed Kate, and she willingly went to his house. But when she wanted to return to her home, Martin locked her forcibly. It is later revealed that her secret online friend is her step-sister, Ashley.
Kate befriends Mallory, and they bond with each other because of Kate’s therapy session for her trauma.
And after a complexly woven storyline, everything untangles in the finale episode.
Why Did Jeanette Smile at the End of Cruel Summer?
Throughout the season, the two girls only acknowledged each other’s existence through police interrogation, other friends, or the media. But the finale finally brings them face-to-face for confrontation.
It was all about the bike!
That night Kate saw a hooded figure with a bike. But there was one particular detail that was also hinted at in episode 9. The wheels of the bike had a card stuck on it. Kate tells Jeanette she can confirm it was her because of the card.
Instead of panicking that Kate exposed her, Jeanette breathed a sigh of relief because it was not her bike. Then who did Kate see?
All this while, it was Mallory whom Kate saw out of the window. She confronts Mallory about why she never told anyone about her kidnapping. Mallory tells her she thought she saw Martin’s girlfriend loitering in the house that night.
Since the lights were off, Mallory couldn’t really identify the girl inside. And she also pointed out that if Kate was kidnapped, why would she be roaming freely in his house?
Kate forgives Mallory. She also tells the media and the police that Jeanette is innocent, shutting down the case forever.
But wait… there is still some more.
Rember Kate’s interview in the first episode?
“I can only say, Jeanette Turner… I hope you rot in hell.”
The finale calls back this exact moment but with an eerie version.
Jeanette gives her final interview about her experience with the accusations. But she ends the interview with a rather unsettling smile, reiterating the same line–
“I can only say, Kate Wallis… I forgive you.”
Jeanette may be proven innocent, but that doesn’t deter her sociopathic behavior. She was obsessed with Kate’s life. She broke into someone’s house. She left her friends and stayed in a toxic relationship with Jamie….should we be trusting her?
And the final few moments of the show whisked the carpet off our feet.
Does Cruel Summer Have a Plot Twist?
The first plot twist is revealed when Kate remembers the night again when she was rescued. As it turns out, Kate shot Martin after his erratic behavior, and Annabelle was no one but his gun.
But the ultimate plot twist of Cruel Summer was revealed in the very final scene of the episode. We are brought back to an earlier timeline and see Jeanette in Martin’s house. And just then, before Jeanette could turn the door knob to the basement, she heard a voice from down there. And that’s when we see a smirk on her face as she leaves without doing anything.
What Does the Ending of Cruel Summer Mean?
It means that Jeanette did tell the truth that she did not see Kate that night. But nobody asked her if she saw Kate on any other nights during her frequent break-ins. Moreover, it would still be challenging to prove that Jeanette saw Kate because she only heard Kate’s voice from the basement.
Nevertheless, she knew Kate was in the basement, but her desire for fame and greed for being seen overpowered her morality. Mallory was right when she said Jeanette was weird; now we know why. And that’s a wrap on the season.
Is There Going to Be a Cruel Summer Season 2?
Freeform released the new season on June 5. This time, it’s an entirely new story with new characters. This implies that Cruel Summer has opted for an anthology series format instead.
Jeanette’s secret ends with that, and Kate somewhat gets closure, albeit not the real truth.
Cruel Summer is now streaming on Freeform.
What do you think of the plot twist? Were you Team Kate or Team Jeanette in the beginning? Did you prefer this ending, or wanted the story to continue in the next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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