‘Cruel Summer’ Recap: ‘Endgame’

8/1/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Lexi Underwood and Sadie Stanley as Isabella LaRue and Megan Landry in Episode 210 of ‘Cruel Summer’ – ‘Endgame’. (Photo Courtesy of Justine Yeung/Freeform.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Finale of ‘Cruel Summer’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

If there is one word that has come up often in our discussions of the fascinating Freeform series, Cruel Summer, it would have to be… surprise. Simply because from day one, this season of storytelling has subverted our expectations and surprised us every single step of the way. By way of stunning reveals regarding the complex and toxic relationships that the characters in this story harbor, and through stunning reveals regarding what led to the death of one Luke Chambers. Yet what is truly incredible about season two, is that despite dropping our jaws all season long and setting the stage for a final and fast shocking reveal as to who brought final harm to Luke… the season two finale still managed to shock us left and right. A feat that ‘Endgame’ accomplished by taking us on quite the rollercoaster ride.

One that did indeed reveal in a matter of minutes, that Brent was the man responsible for ending Luke’s life. Since he came down to the dock on that night, and it turned out… that Brent and Luke had a fight on the dock in the middle of the night, and in the heat of the moment, Brent shoved his brother, who then slammed his head on the metal stairs attached the dock before disappearing into the water. Which of course, signaled the end and brought forth the many surprises in question. Such as the fact, that rather than hold his son accountable and bring him to justice for his crime… dear old dad decided… to cover the whole thing up and push harder for someone else to take the fall. Which explained why he has been so hostile toward Megan and anyone he deemed as a possible pasty to take the blame for Luke’s death. All to keep Brent safe.

Sadly… that patsy did arrive, by way of more surprises. For as the pressure mounted, courtesy of the police and depleted finances thanks to the legal battle in play over keeping Megan out of jail, Megan and Isabella finally had a falling out. One that was long overdue since their toxic nonsense had been at a boiling point for ages, and that led to an ugly farewell. Wherein both sides took the time to finally air their grievances against one another… before finally parting ways with the understanding that their toxic friendship really had no benefits in the end. Which of course, didn’t sit well with Isabella, who truly needed that best friend in her life to complete her, and if Megan wasn’t going to be that… Megan had to pay. Which was why Isabella dropped off an edited tape of that fateful New Year’s night, so that Megan would be arrested as the prime suspect in the case. And the real surprises here were that Megan stood up for herself and that Isabella was willing to go that far to ruin a person by not getting her way.

Braden De La Garza and Sadie Stanley as Brent Chambers and Megan Landry in Episode 210 of ‘Cruel Summer’ – ‘Endgame’. (Photo Courtesy of Justine Yeung/Freeform.)

Yet, that still wasn’t the end of shockers in this tale. Because Brent thought deeply upon this experience and his brother’s final words, and his own life and actions over the past year or so and realized… the time had come for him to quit living the entitled and spoiled life and be honorable for once, so that he didn’t end up being the spineless weasel his father turned out to be. So… he confessed to killing Luke and went to jail accordingly and brought down a rotten empire within the town. Giving rise to what appeared to be a genuinely happy ending. For the case was solved, Isabella was off to Europe and continuing her toxic ways, and Megan was healing and about to start a job in her field at last and well… that was when the last stunner came our way. For as Megan reflected upon the events of the past year, in the exact spot where Luke’s life came to an end… she discovered cameras pointed at the dock, and she had to know what Luke’s final moments looked like and what she uncovered, was horrifying.

For in the final moments of this tale, we came to learn that in the middle of the night on that fateful New Year, Luke didn’t drown as we were led to believe. He clung to life, and he clung to the beach in a desperate attempt to live that life. Only to find that another visitor arrived on the beach… Isabella. Who… decided that the best thing to happen in that moment… was for Luke to die. So, she plunged his head into the water and sent his lifeless body into the deep when he stopped breathing. As to why she felt the need to commit murder… who knows? But it wouldn’t be the first time Isabella indulged more unpleasant instincts, and to top it all off… she was clearly going to escape accountability for this. For she was on the other side of the world, enjoying life while Megan suffered and that… was quite the shocking way to end this season of storytelling.

For really, there was no justice for Luke in the end, just answers and the show deserves a round of applause for going this route, for that was the exclamation point on a genuinely unconventional season. One that really did take us on quite the ride and offered up quite the case. One with an ending that few likely called thanks to the shows well-constructed writing and diversionary tactics, and well… all we are left with now… is hope for more seasons of this dynamic series. Because Cruel Summer really is quite the refreshing mystery/crime series and more stories in this style, would be a wonderful thing for television. But while we wait for some good news on that front, we can celebrate one amazing season. One that truly wowed us every step of the way and taught us… that sometimes… shaking up the structure of a genre can be a wonderful thing.

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