Image: Freeform/Justine Yeung*
I have finished watching Cruel Summer season 2 and it was brilliant!
The second season finally got a release just a few weeks ago, so obviously I had to watch it and I wasn’t disappointed.
Here’s what you need to know, without any spoilers. p.s If you liked the first season you should like this one.
The first thing you need to know is that it’s a completely new series. By that I mean it has a new cast, a new storyline and it’s set in a new place and time.
It’s still show in the same way: The show is set in different years, this time between 1999 and 2000. There are 3 main characters this time round: Megan, Isabella and Luke.
The basics of the story line are kind of the same as the first Cruel Summer series. It’s a mystery and thriller, kind of a teenage drama and heavy on pop culture of the time.
That is good news if you loved the times of 1999 and 2000, because there is a lot there.
From the music to the fashion and general feel of the show, it represents the y2k era pretty well (including the millennium bug getting plenty of time).
Season 2 is set in a small town by a lake called Catham (fictional) and is about two lifelong teenage friends, Megan and Luke. Isabella is a foreign exchange student who moves into the home of Megan for the year, staying in their airstream (trailer).
Megan and Isabella are completely different. Megan is shy and quiet and an aspiring coder, whereas Isabella is more outgoing and worldly. The two become friends, and of course there’s a triangle with Luke, Megan’s best friend since childhood.
There is a murder, and that’s the whole backstory of the 2nd season. Of course I will not spoil it, but the murder is right at the start of the first episode, and just like in the first series, there’s a back and forth of the timeline in each episode to piece the story together.
There’s a whole host of supporting characters which are good and really add something to the storyline and make sure the 99-2000 aesthetic keeps going too.
When I watched the first episode it seemed a bit slow, but near the end of the episode it really started to take hold and then I was hooked once again.
I won’t give the ending away, but when I watched it, I was shocked. You have to see how this plays out!
It’s such a bingeable tv series and thankfully you can binge watch them all on Amazon Prime Video right now.
I loved the first series and have binge watched that a few times since I first saw it in 2021. After watching this one I feel like I can watch it again. Since it’s a thriller I obviously know how it unfolds, but it’s so good I will definitely watch it again.
Is season 2 better than the first? It’s honestly hard to say. After watching both I really like them both, and they are similar, but are different enough to enjoy independently.
Image: Freeform/Justine Yeung* (via Freeform Press)
About Michael
Michael Adams is the founder and editor of Michael 84, blogger from Newcastle, UK. Sharing men's fashion tips, style advice and lifestyle information for all guys.
