Slow-burn teen drama with plenty of twists and turns. When I first saw ads for Cruel Summer before it premiered, I wasn't interested at all. I rolled my eyes and kind of forgot about it. I don't remember why, but I eventually decided to give it a chance one day. The entire first season was already on Hulu and it had been announced there would be a second season. The first episode surprisingly reeled me in and I was hooked. It's a mystery with lots of drama. I like the concept and it's executed well. The marketing for it wasn't so great in my opinion, but the actual show is fun to watch unfold. A lot of reviews on here claim that it's too slow and hard to get through, but I found every episode entertaining from start to finish. I'm looking forward to watching season 2. Great casting. The script and overall writing is better than a lot of shows in the same genre. The pacing was done well. The music selection fits perfectly. The show is a bit dark in general, but especially that very last scene of season 1. That was a nice little surprise to add in there. It added to the complexity of Jeanette's character. It also made it clear that everything wasn't wrapped up perfectly like it seemed. There's still secrets and darkness lurking within people even after you think the whole truth has come out. That short moment was powerful and showed how powerful or rather manipulative Jeanette really is. She's innocent of what Kate accused her of, but not truly innocent at all. She's actually pretty cruel when you think about it. Cruel Summer isn't groundbreaking or anything like that, but it's enjoyable for sure. I feel like this show would mostly appeal to teens and young adults, but I could see people in their 30s or older enjoying it as well. If you like watching the ID channel (Investigation Discovery), mysteries, or dramas in general, you might really like this series.
Review of Cruel Summer
