“Cruel Summer” (Tuesdays, Freeform) would’ve been a frothy summer cable series a decade ago. Today, TV schedules are less rigid, but this teen/family mystery gives me that old sense of delight over finding a hidden gem in the throwaway season. And heck, it almost is a literal summer series, only jumping the gun by a little.
Creator Bert V. Royal (writer of “Easy A”) has crafted an engrossing mix of questions, accusations and interpersonal drama that has weight where soapiness might be found in a lesser series.
The Nineties setting gives us a comfortable distance from the dark story, along with a Cranberries- and Ace of Base-laden soundtrack and jaunts to the mall and skating rink. Royal was a child of the ’90s, and while this story could be set at any time, I feel where he’s coming from.
“Cruel Summer” Season 1 (2021)
Tuesdays, Freeform
Creator: Bert V. Royal
Stars: Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Froy Gutierrez
Jeanette vs. Kate
But the driving force through two episodes are the co-leads. Chiara Aurelia owns the first episode as Jeanette Turner, who is bubbly and nerdy at 15 in 1993, put-together and popular at 16 in 1994, and morose and accused of a crime at 17 in 1995.
Just as it could take place at any time, “Cruel Summer” doesn’t necessarily require specific ages for the leads – although the idea that Jeanette has deliberately stolen the friends and lifestyle of Olivia Holt’s Kate Wallis is rather teen-specific.
And if you need a person to totally transform from one year to the next (and the next), a teenage girl naturally fits the bill. Helped by hair, makeup and wardrobe, Aurelia plays the three stages masterfully – maybe going slightly extreme, but I like how easy it is to recognize which of the three years a scene is set in.
I already liked Holt – featured in the second episode’s narrative — from the unfinished Marvel Cinematic Universe series “Cloak & Dagger.” She has a similar quality of hidden depth here, although she doesn’t pop as much as Aurelia. But maybe that’s on purpose; Kate is a kidnap victim (in the summer of 1994), yet I don’t know if I can trust her.
That said, Jeanette and Kate are both thoroughly developed by Royal; it’s mostly the “what exactly happened” that’s held back. We know these girls well after two episodes. Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith, Kevin’s daughter) and Vince (Allius Barnes) combine with 1993 Jeanette to form a supportive nerdy trio. (And I’m filing away a throwaway line of Mallory’s accusing Vince of secretly being in love with their mutual friend.)
Kate’s two friends, acquired by Jeanette after Kate goes missing, are a little more of the “whatever” popular type. More notably, Jeanette picks up Kate’s boyfriend, Froy Gutierrez’s Jamie. He’s the audience surrogate in a way. He knows both girls well (and perhaps even loves them both), but he doesn’t know which one to believe.
Suffice it to say that Royal has built a sturdy foundation of interwoven relationships on which to unspool what may or may not be a juicy mystery.
Who should we believe? (Spoilers)
But so far in the Texas-set “Cruel Summer,” I dig the various intrigues. The big one (SPOILER ALERT) is that Kate, upon emerging from months as a captive in assistant principal Harris’ (Blake Lee) basement, claims that Jeanette saw her there and did not go for help. For her part, Jeanette says that’s Kate’s trauma talking. Both come off as believable. But then again, Jeanette is familiar with Harris and his house, purchased from her Realtor dad, Greg (Michael Landes).
I like the tone of “Cruel Summer” (which includes some “Friday Night Lights” barbecue-backed family intrigue among the adults), except one thing gives me pause. Jeanette complains to her lawyer (Nicole Bilderback’s Denise) that she’s already been convicted in the court of public opinion.
Everyone from the National Enquirer to the governor of Texas has taken shots at her, based on Kate’s accusation on national TV. This may or may not be likely (certainly plenty of people have been wrongly taken down by the public), but I feel like something is missing. Would everyone jump the gun before more facts are out?
But I suspect the plot will further thicken to the point where these first two episodes seem quaint. In 1995, as Jeanette’s lawyer plans to defend her client against Kate’s accusations (and also file a countersuit of defamation), she interviews Ben (Nathaniel Ashton), a minor character so far.
In explaining how he feels wronged by this situation (why, we aren’t told yet), he references a Rube Goldberg device. I think this is a clue to the entire plot. I suspect this isn’t a case where Kate is lying or Jeanette is lying, but rather where both (along with other people) are being manipulated on a grand scale by a mastermind.
Already it’s remarkable how the narrative can jump between three summers and not be confusing. But I think it aims to get more complex, and if Royal’s narrative doesn’t maintain a grounding in reality, then “Cruel Summer” will become a cruel joke. But shows of this type don’t usually start with such a strong character base and clarity of purpose, so “Cruel Summer” easily earns another tune-in from me.