Best of 2021: Anybody Else Watch ‘Cruel Summer’ on Freeform?

I'm basically just asking because I need to discuss this show that I'm probably too old to watch.

Ok, so Cruel Summer is a Freeform original. It stars Olivia Holt as Kate Wallis and Chiara Aurelia as Jeannette Turner. They are on opposite sides of the High School popularity scale. The show takes place during the years 1993, 1994, and 1995.

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I know I mentioned before that I feel a little too old to watch this show, but here is the dilemma. It's about kids in high school, which I'm much older than that, but it's set in the early 90s, so I'm technically younger than the characters. I have a bit of an identity crisis watching it.

First off, trigger warning, Cruel Summer deals with some serious themes including child grooming and domestic abuse.

I'll try to summarize the plot, Kate is super popular and Jeannette is, well, not. They go to the same high school, but don't really swim in the same social circles. Jeannette kind of idolizes Kate and looks up to her. Kate ends up getting kidnapped and allegedly Jeannette had something to do with it. But, like, did she have something to do with it? Jeannette seemingly takes Kate's place when she disappears. Jeannette becomes popular and even starts dating Kate's boyfriend! Scandalous!

The storytelling is done in a really cool way. Each episode is from either Kate or Jeannette's point of view and takes place over the same day in 1993, 1994, and 1995. I know it sounds confusing, but it's not. I promise.

The last couple of episodes definitely kept me guessing and there was actually a bit of a resolution in the last episode, yet somehow was still a cliffhanger. Twists and turns!

And the best part is, Cruel Summer was renewed for a second season. I'm very curious what season two will bring!

Cruel Summer's executive producer is Jessica Biel! Other notable names in the cast consist of Harley Quinn Smith (Kevin Smith's daughter), Sarah Drew (from Grey's Anatomy), and Michael Landes (he was fence neighbor boy, Riley Roberts on The Torkelson's, anybody else remember that show?).

I almost forgot to mention, the soundtrack is amazing. Obviously, full of 90's songs as well as covers of awesome 90's songs.