‘Cruel Summer’ Recap: ‘Welcome to Chatham’ & ‘Ride or Die’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Griffin Gluck, Sadie Stanley, and Lexi Underwood as Luke Chambers, Megan Landry, and Isabella LaRue in Episode 201 of ‘Cruel Summer’ – ‘Welcome to Chatham’. (Photo Courtesy of Freeform.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Cruel Summer’.
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For the most part, murder mysteries are quite the linear affair. Wherein, we come to discover alongside the characters in the story, that someone has died and of course… was violently murdered in a manner that is both unsettling and intriguing. For we and the characters are eager to know, who would cross that line and would hurt someone in that manner… and why of course. Because it is the why that makes the murder mystery so compelling and so powerful, and of course… once the case gets underway… all the details present themselves to us in a manner that is both compelling and educational. All before everything comes together in a powerful manner that leads to a satisfying end where justice is served and good triumphs over the monstrous nature of evil. 
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If anything, that particular formula exists and persists simply because… it pleases an audience. For it is the perfect and smooth way to present the case in question and it dangles answers that we desperately seek, and it is a comfortable way to present the audience with murder, and it has in many ways become the standard. But now and again, we run into murder mysteries that are eager to shake up the standard and offer up a case that not only intrigues but surprises us along the way. To offer up a different kind of murder mystery, one that can perhaps spill its secrets in a dynamic and refreshing manner and perhaps explore aspects of the human condition that the traditional path cannot and one such series that has figured out a way to do this, is Cruel Summer on Freeform. For this fascinating series loves to use time-jumps and tidbits in different eras of history to present us with a unique mystery. 

One that subverts expectations and genuinely surprises us along the way and well, that particular style of storytelling isn’t leaving the framework of this show anytime soon, as evidenced by last night’s season two premiere of the show. For ‘Welcome to Chatham’ and ‘Ride or Die’ were a pair of stories that plunged us into three key timeframes over the course of a single year: the summer and winter of 1999 and the summer of 2000. Wherein we spent time with two teenagers named Megan and Isabella, who through machinations and issues unbeknownst to us in the early parts of this story, find themselves dealing with the loss of a life, a young man named Luke that they both shared emotion with, leaving to us to wonder if the love triangle they clearly shared in, led to his end. 

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Kadee Strickland and Lexi Underwood as Debbie Landry and Isabella LaRue in Episode 202 of ‘Cruel Summer’ – ‘Ride or Die’. (Photo Courtesy of Freeform.)

Which is where… this story manages to use those aforementioned elements of surprise and subversion. Since early on, it appears that Isabella is the one who passed, simply because of the stark changes we see Megan go through from ’99 to ’00, and because of the darkness that descends upon the town between that time frame. But learning that Isabella is alive, and that Luke has passed, changes everything for us, as does the reveal that there is more cooperation between Megan and Isabella in the name of friendship, than initially implied and well… let’s be honest… it is the surprises present in these two episodes that truly invest us in this story and keep us eager to continue the journey, and going this route is a move that is quite frankly, downright brilliant.
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Because now instead of finding ourselves settled into a traditional mystery, one that we know will slowly feed us the clues we need and nudge us toward an ending we might guess and/or feel comfortable with, we are instead presented… with something messy. Where twists and turns are hanging around every corner and where we some fascinating truths and flaws and choices from the characters helped to lead to this nightmare. But above all… these elements add a shocking sense of realism to the story. Because in reality, murder is messy business. Where people don’t want to be caught and will do whatever they must to keep the truth hidden to avoid accountability for an act they know will end their lives in a different manner. Not to mention, the path that brings people to the ultimate act, is often mired in chaos and poor choices and surprises, much like the ones we find here.

All of which invests us in a vastly different manner, wherein we are the ones trying to put the pieces together since the police are just now starting their investigation and that really is a downright incredible way to reintroduce us to this anthology series and a wonderful way to draw us into this world. One where we aren’t even sure if Luke was murdered or if by chance… this is nothing more than a cover up, since this story has yet to truly provide us with concrete evidence that foul play was involved, and well, the only way to find out what happened here… is to continue the journey and let the chaos play out. And truly… it will be interesting to see what we really learn about Megan and Isabella and the events that transpired regarding Luke’s end, as season two of this refreshing and engaging series, brings us closer and closer to the truth. Until next time.  

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