Freeform’s Cruel Summer season two episode two begins the same way as episode one did, but this time the dates are July 18th, 1999, December 18th, 1999, and July 18th, 2000. Episode one took place on July 16th, December 15th, and July 16th.
Just to make it easier to follow the story, this recap’s going to split the action into three separate time periods instead of following the events in the order they aired. Jumping around in time periods is fine for the show but not super helpful when you’re reading a recap and trying to figure out who did what to whom and when.
The Summer of 1999:
Isabella (Lexi Underwood) writes a letter to Lisa, her best friend back home, about how messing with the people in this new town is going to be fun, but there is just one obstacle. Just then, Megan (Sadie Stanley) drives by and Isabella waves.
Isabella helps Megan’s mom, Debbie (KaDee Strickland), with breakfast before secretly exploring Megan’s room. (Megan looked through her belongings, so it’s only fair.) She checks out Megan’s collection of CDs, notices Megan’s computer is password protected, and finds Megan’s wallet.
Isabella brings Megan her wallet at work just as Luke (Griffin Gluck) shows up asking for food before going home. Isabella somehow turns that into not only inviting herself over to Luke’s house but getting him to host a pool party as well.
Later, word’s gotten around fast and the pool party is in full swing at Luke’s. It’s evident that Parker’s jealous of Isabella and doesn’t like her one bit.
Isabella continues to work on getting Megan to like her, even asking Luke for advice.
Isabella glances in Megan’s backpack and finds a baggie of pills.
Fireworks light up the night sky as Luke and Isabella play with sparklers. Luke suggests Megan should cut Isabella a little slack and make just a little effort to be friends.
Isabella joins Megan in the pool and confesses she saw the pills. Isabella isn’t judging her and doesn’t care, but now she understands that no one really knows Megan after all.
Megan sees Luke and Isabella kiss at the pool party.
The Winter of 1999:
Episode one included the shocking revelation during a Christmas party that Isabella slept with Megan’s boyfriend, Luke. This episode shows Isabella being slut-shamed, with a blowup doll with the words “Go home slut!” and penises populating the yard in front of her room.
Debbie informs Isabella that she’s convinced the school principal not to suspend her, even though the whole town saw the videotape of her having sex with Luke.
Megan’s watching the sex tape as Isabella joins her, and Megan’s determined to see the rest of the tape. As she’s watching it, she’s shocked to see the girl in the video isn’t Isabella after all. The girl’s face is finally fully revealed, and it’s Megan – not Isabella!
Megan worries that her world is going to come crashing down and that she can kiss her scholarship to UW goodbye. Isabella proves she’s Megan’s ride-or-die by saying she’ll continue to take the blame. Everyone already thinks it’s her and she won’t correct the record.
“Megan, you’re like a sister to me. I’m not going to let you lose your scholarship over this,” says Isabella. “Ride-or-die isn’t just words.”
Since she’s leaving in a few months, it won’t matter what people think of her. And, besides, best friends are supposed to take the bullet for each other.
Isabella and Megan burn the sex tape and vow to keep it between them. Megan wonders who could have secretly taped them, and Isabella points the finger at their friend Jeff – the budding filmmaker who always carries his camcorder and documents everything going on. Isabella’s determined to find out who it was that shot the tape.
Megan, Luke, and Isabella meet to go over how they’re going to deal with the sex tape. Luke doesn’t want people to think he cheated on Megan, but Megan and Isabella believe it’s the only real option. Luke thinks his brother, Brent, did this to him and reveals that his dad scheduled a family meeting. Luke’s dad hates to be publicly embarrassed, and Luke’s sure he’s about to get punished.
Isabella’s convinced Jeff shot the tape, but Megan and Luke are sure it was Brent. (He also has a video camera.) Luke and Isabella get into a heated argument because she thinks he won’t really confront his brother. Isabella reminds him that Megan’s always been there for him and warns him to make this right or else.
The animosity between Isabella and Parker ends when both girls show up at Luke’s to search for more videos. Brent broke up with Parker, and she admits that he tried to film her once and it freaked her out.
After breaking into Luke’s house, they get busy searching through the VHS tapes.
The girls run off just as Luke, Brent, and their dad, Steve, return home. The tapes are all over the floor and Steve demands to know how many more tapes exist. Brent insists there’s just the one, and Steve orders them to clean up the mess. He thinks this is going to cost his family their reputation.
Isabella tells Megan about breaking into Luke’s house. They promise to be there for each other forever.
Brent confesses that he makes sex tapes but insists to Luke that he didn’t shoot that tape or put it in the VCR at the Christmas party.
As Megan and Luke are lying in her bed, she asks if Brent knows she’s the one on the tape. Brent claims that when he realized Luke was on it, he stopped watching. Megan tells Luke, “You are the most important person in the world to me. I’m not going to let anything or anyone come between us. Ride-or-die.”
Megan’s unaware that Isabella’s listening to them and has heard her say Luke is her ride-or-die. Isabella and Megan previously promised to be that for each other.
After eavesdropping on that conversation, Isabella tells Debbie there’s something she needs to know.
The Summer of 2000:
Isabella and Megan are no longer even pretending to be friends. However, Isabella believes that now that Luke’s body has been found, people are going to start asking questions. They need to talk. Megan doesn’t reply.
Sheriff Myer (Sean Blakemore) gets the autopsy report on Luke and learns the cause of death is drowning. However, there was an abrasion from a gunshot wound above his ear. He also had a significant amount of benzodiazepine (pain meds/muscle relaxants) in his system. Whoever attacked him wanted to make sure he wouldn’t come out of the water alive.
Isabella, Debbie, Megan, and Megan’s little sister show up at Luke’s house to pay their respects. Luke’s brother delivers the news that his dad’s at the station. Sheriff Myer believes that Luke was murdered. Debbie, Megan, and Isabella all look shocked.
Later that day, Parker tells Isabella that Sheriff Myer wants to question Luke’s friends again. The two head to the station together, but Isabella hangs back to talk to Megan while Parker heads in.
Isabella insists they stick to the story they’ve come up with. Isabella tells Megan she’s leaving town, but Megan warns her she can’t just leave her there to take the blame.
“Until this is over, you’re not going anywhere…not if you want me to keep my mouth shut,” says Megan.
Sheriff Myer asks Luke’s friends about the last time they saw him. They all mention seeing him leave a New Year’s Eve party, and that he and Megan were all kissy and getting along. However, one friend reveals that Isabella left the party early after she and Megan got into a fight.
Sheriff Myer questions Isabella, and she’s concerned someone recorded her having sex when she was a minor. Myer doesn’t seem to care about that. He brings up that she’s been to three different schools in three years and how trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. Isabella abruptly leaves but not before saying she won’t answer any further questions without her lawyer.
Sheriff Myer realizes Isabella has used a lawyer before.
Season two episode two ends with Isabella getting a pill bottle out of the cabinet, emptying its contents into her hand, and smashing the bottle. She hides the pieces in her trash and flushes the pills down the toilet. Isabella calls her mom and tells her she’s in trouble and needs her help.
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