Cruel Summer is Freeform's latest new show and fans are hooked! The season one finale just aired on June 15, and wow is all we can say.
It was announced just before the finale that the show will be coming back for a season two, and thank goodness, because even though it wrapped up a lot of the plot holes, the last minute had us jumping out of our seats and wanting answers.
Cruel Summer, produced by Jessica Biel, takes place over three summers in the '90s when a popular girl goes missing and an unrelated girl suddenly takes her place and becomes popular and slowly becomes the most hated person in America. Up until the finale, fans did not know whether to believe Kate Wallis or Jeanette Turner.
We are still picking our jaws up off the floor. Here's what we learned from the Cruel Summer finale.
***WARNING: this article contains spoilers.***
9 Kate Lied, But She's Not The Bad Person Here
In the finale, you hear Jeanette's lawyer say that Kate told everyone she asked for a ride home from Martin, and he gave her a drugged soda and then when she woke up, she was in his basement. That is 100 percent false.
She went to Martin's house willingly, but after Kate decided she wanted to leave, a switch flipped in Martin, and he locked her in the basement, making her the victim after numerous grooming techniques. Kate might have lied initially, but she's not the bad person. A lot of her trauma was pushed down deep in her mind, and she forgot about most of it.
8 Jeannette Didn't See Her In The House On Christmas Eve
The whole time Kate blamed Jeanette, because on Christmas Eve, Kate wasn't locked in the basement yet, and Jeanette snuck into Martin's house when she saw him at the mall. Kate heard someone coming in, so she ran upstairs.
After Jeanette stole the snow-globe and heard a noise, she ran out of the house and back home on her bike. Upon leaving, Jeanette dropped her necklace. Kate ran to the window and saw a hooded figure on a bike, assuming it was Jeanette because she saw the bike with the card in it. Turns out Mallory was spying on Jeanette, and it was her who Kate saw through the window, but she didn't see her face clearly.
7 Ben Still Wants To Be With Vince
We found out a couple episodes ago that Jamie drove drunk with Ben in the car, causing a car accident and Ben to get injured, ending his football career. Vince and Ben were secretly in a relationship and didn't tell anybody because they weren't out yet. When Ben got taken in an ambulance to the hospital, Vincent tried to grab his hand, but he pulled away.
Fans see Jamie in the finale coming in to apologize to Ben for ruining his life. He tells him that Ben can be mad at him but don't take it out on Vincent. Ben then goes to the video store where Vince works and apologizes. He said he was scared that they were going to be outted in that moment, but he seems to want to rekindle their relationship.
6 Who, Or What, Was Annabelle?
All season fans had theories about who, or what, Annabelle was. Kate went to therapy after her trauma and started talking about Annabelle, but couldn't remember exactly what Annabelle was. She makes it seem like it was another person, maybe an accomplice or another victims of Martin's.
Kate scared her parents with the story and tried to listen back on her therapy tapes to maybe have it click, but nothing was working. After Kate and Jeanette met up in Martin Harris' old house to talk everything, she went into the basement to try to remember and it all came flooding back. It turns out Annabelle wasn't a person, but actually a gun.
5 Martin Harris Didn't Die In A Shoot Out
News reports said that Martin Harris died in a shoot out and that Kate was rescued from the house after that, but that is not true. Harris comes down the stairs after the cops leave his house and shows Kate "Annabelle," which was the gun that his father used to kill himself.
Martin wanted to end everything and use the gun on himself, but he dropped it and screamed, punching the wall. During that time, Kate picked up the gun and aimed it towards him. After some pleading from the assistant principal, Kate shot him, all of her emotions boiling up. She laid with his body the whole night and called the cops in the morning.
4 It Was Never About The Money
After a nice long talk in Martin Harris' house between Kate and Jeanette, Kate finds out that Jeanette actually didn't see her and tells her to go through with the lawsuit of $11 million, even though it'll bankrupt her parents. Jeanette insists it was never about the money. She just wanted to be seen, to be popular and have her time in the spotlight... and she did. But all seemed to be forgiven by the end.
3 Jamie And Jeanette Got Back Together
When Kate was kidnapped, Jeanette swooped in a basically stole Kate's life-including her boyfriend, Jamie. After Jeanette was accused of seeing Kate and became the most hated person in the world, her and Jamie broke up. But it turns out, he never stopped caring for her.
Jamie went back with Kate after she was rescued, but it just wasn't the same. She didn't want him to come back to her out of pity. So, on the Marsha Bailey Show, Jeanette reveals life is great now, after dressing almost exactly like Kate, and that she has a wonderful boyfriend, which viewers can assume is Jamie.
2 Mallory And Kate Turned Out To Be More Than Just Friends
It turned out Mallory was the bad guy all along, but Kate didn't care. After Mallory explained to Kate that she thought the blonde girl in the window was Martin Harris' sister or girlfriend and she had no clue it was her, Kate forgave her. They had formed a friendship in 1995 and sometimes those bonds can't be broken.
You see Mallory packing and saying she's leaving town, but Kate says, "not without me," which takes Mallory by surprise. Then, Kate is leaning on Mallory's shoulder in her house while they are watching Jeanette's interview. She suggests to go for a ride and when they do, Kate stops the car to get out and dance. Mallory gets out with her and Kate kisses her. Fans suspected from the beginning of their friendship that there were sparks there.
1 Jeannette Did Know Kate Was In The House After All
The last minute of the finale still has us shook. After all was settled and forgiven, the show pops up with one last scene from 1994, where Jeanette went into Martin Harris' house again. She heard yelling from the basement, Kate's pleas of get me out of here. Just as she was about to turn the doorknob, she heard, "It's Kate Wallis. Martin has me trapped in here. Help." and she freezes.
You see a smile appear on her face as she lets go of the doorknob. Jeanette didn't want to give up the life she had, and if she had rescued Kate, all of that would have came to an end.
