Cruel Summer – Ride or Die

By starrymag | June 12, 2023

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

This episode’s events occur on July 18, 1999, December 18, 1999 and July 18, 2000. We start with Isabella (Lexi Underwood) writing a letter to her friend Lisa. She tells Lisa that she thinks she’s really going to like being in Chatham, but the one obstacle is that Megan (Sadie Stanley) still hasn’t warmed up to her. There’s a flash forward and it’s the morning after the Christmas party sex tape. Some kids left a bunch of sex toys and an inflatable doll with “go home, slut” written on it outside of Isabella’s trailer. Then, it’s the summer of 2000 and things aren’t any less grim. Megan is sitting outside on the porch and Isabella approaches her. Isabella says they both said things they shouldn’t have, but with Luke’s (Griffin Gluck) body having been discovered people will have questions, so she needs to stop shutting her out. Megan responds by getting up and walking away.

 

Going back to the summer of 1999 Debbie (KaDee Strickland), Lily (Jenna Lamb) and Isabella are bonding over making breakfast together. They talk a little about all the places Isabella’s been. She explains that before Lisa that she didn’t have a lot of friends because of all the moves and her parents were always working so she went to boarding school where her friends there became like her family. She tells Lily and Debbie that Lisa is ambitious, hardworking and sort of a control freak, like Megan. However, Lily points out they’re not friends. Isabella says it’s okay because it’ll take time.

 

Back to the morning after the Christmas party as Isabella heads inside and talks to Debbie. She tells her that she managed to convince the principal not to suspend her. Isabella is surprised, but Debbie tells her she’s on probation so one false move and she’ll be expelled. Isabella thanks her, but Debbie says this won’t make Megan forgive her.

 

In the summer of 1999 Isabella decides to take Megan’s wallet to her at work. Megan asks if she went in her room, but Isabella says she thought it was the Chatham way referring to when Megan went through her things. Luke swings by to order food and Isabella suggests a pool party at Luke’s place for later.

 

Isabella goes into Megan’s room and tells her again that she’s sorry. Megan points out that she keeps saying that and is watching the tape. Isabella doesn’t understand what she’s doing, and Megan explains that she needs to see what’s on it. We see a little more of the tape. At the party the crowd only saw Luke and Isabella’s shirt but the tape plays a little longer and we see that it was actually Megan with Luke.

 

For obvious reasons Megan’s panicking. She’s afraid that people will find out it’s her on that tape and the principal will inform the university she wants to go to, and she’ll lose her scholarship. Isabella offers to let people think it’s her, but Megan says that’s too much to ask for two reasons. First, people will think she slept with Luke and secondly, people will be awful to Isabella. Isabella says she doesn’t care if people call her a slut and chalks it up to Americans being prudish about sex. Plus, she points out that she’s leaving in a few months anyway. She doesn’t want the tape to ruin Megan’s future and that’s what best friends are for. They repeat their mantra that they’re ride or die.

 

Now it’s time to talk about the actual death in 2000. Sheriff Myer (Sean Blakemore) gets the autopsy results on Luke. There was a nick on his ear and Deputy Hal Hardwicke (Elijah Silva) thinks that although the cause of death was drowning someone shot at Luke. Plus, Luke had a lot of Benzos in his system so his last day on earth appears to have been chaotic. Sheriff Myer says that whomever killed Luke wanted to make sure he was severely impaired before going into the water and wouldn’t survive.

 

Speaking of Luke, post-mortem he received a lot of flowers. Debbie and Isabella drive to the Chambers’ house to pay their respects and Isabella says she’s not surprised because in death you make a million friends. She compares it to Princess Diana’s death and says when she was alive no one cared about her, but once she was dead everyone behaved as if they always loved her.

 

Going back to 1999 Luke and Isabella are driving to Luke’s house and the two get to know each other. When asked what brought her to Chatham, Isabella says she’s always been about people more than places. Isabella is an only child and says she always wanted siblings. Luke, on the other hand, says he’s always wished he could be an only child, but that could have more to do with his brother Brent (Braeden De La Garza) than brothers in general.  At the pool party we learn that Parker (Lisa Yamada) is going out with Brent and she’s a little possessive.

 

Flash forward and Isabella and Megan burn the tape. Megan asks again if Isabella is sure about taking the rap for this because people are going to shame her. But Isabella insists that she doesn’t care, and they should focus on finding out who did this. Isabella wonders if Jeff could be nursing a grudge because for all the talk of women scorned, men can be just as brutal. Megan is not sure that’s his style but Isabella says she’d be surprised.

 

Farther into the future the Landrys plus Isabella are trying to pay their respects to Steve (Paul Adelstein) but he’s not home. They find Brent and he says his father is at the police station because Luke didn’t just drown – he was murdered. Sometime later we see Isabella packing. When Parker swings by she tells her she’s headed to Paris. Parker tells her Paris will have to wait because she overheard her mom and the sheriff talking and he wants to question everyone again.

 

In the summer of 1999 Brent flirts with Isabella, but she doesn’t seem interested. However, Parker noticed and seemed a little jealous and tells her not to touch her CDs. In the winter after the sex tape Luke, Isabella and Megan meet up to talk and there’s some tension between Isabella and Luke. Luke doesn’t like the idea of people thinking he cheated on Megan. Also, he suspects the whole mess is his brother’s doing. He got a video camera for his birthday and he’s always bringing girls to the cabin. Megan doesn’t put making it past Brent, but she doesn’t think he’d wreck the party. Isabella suspects Jeff (Nile Bullock) and Brent and wants to talk to them. Luke agrees to whatever plan Megan wants, but he says he’ll handle his brother. Isabella isn’t confident that Luke will be able to pull that off and says he owes it to Megan to make things right or else. Luke is offended at the idea that he doesn’t care about Megan and says he’s known her way longer than Isabella. Megan tells them both to cool it.

 

We go to the year 2000 and Parker and Isabella go to the sheriff’s station. A run-in with Jeff and Freddie (Jason Fernandes) tells us that some people suspect Isabella killed Luke out of jealousy. Megan is waiting in the car and Isabella tries to talk to her, but Megan is not interested. Isabella says they’ve got to keep their stories straight and that she’s leaving. Megan explains that she can’t just leave her here to take the blame. Isabella figured she wanted her gone and Megan agrees, but not until this is over.

 

In the winter Parker and Isabella run into each other at the Chambers’ house. By this point Brent and Parker have been over since the summer yet Parker tells Isabella that he asked to film them together before, but she said no. After what happened at the Christmas party, she says she’s worried he might’ve made a tape of them anyway. The girls do some not-so-subtle breaking and entering via damaging a window.Then, they find a cabinet full of tapes. Parker knows some of those are home movies from before their mother’s death, so to be safe they wreck all the tapes labeled sports.

 

Back at the 1999 pool party where Isabella keeps trying to bond with Megan. When she talks to Luke about it, he insists it’s not personal. She’s just not good at opening up, but if she earns Megan’s trust then she’ll never have a more loyal friend. He then agrees to put in a good word for him.

 

Flash forward to an awkward family meeting for the Chambers’. Steve is mad about the tape and the busted window. He wants to know if that’s the only tape and Luke says to ask Brent. Brent denies being responsible at first but says it’s the only tape; however, Luke doesn’t believe him.  Steve is just angry about the whole thing and tells the boys to clean up the mess and walks out. When he’s gone Brent denies playing the tape at the party because he doesn’t have a death wish.

 

When it’s the summer of 2000 Steve is stress smoking. Debbie tries to comfort him, but he worries that he’s cursed on account of outliving both his wife and now his son. He wonders if he’s being punished for something. Steve explains that when Luke went missing, he had hoped that maybe he’d come home.

 

During the pool party Isabella and Luke set off fireworks, which impresses everyone but Megan. She gets out of the pool and Luke brings her a sparkler. He then tells her to give Isabella a chance. He says she doesn’t know Isabella yet, but she’s already written her off. It wouldn’t kill her to make some effort Luke says.

 

It’s winter and Isabella is telling Megan about the windows and the tapes. She promises the she’d do anything for Megan and that it’ll all blow over soon. Going back to the pool party, Megan and Isabella talk and Isabella tells her she found the pills in her bag. Megan explains that she just uses them to stay awake and study. Although Isabella says not to worry since her secret is safe with her.

 

When the sheriff is questioning everyone, we learn that Parker last saw Luke at the NYE party and she thought he was fine. Jeff says he thought Megan and Luke were on good terms. Kellie (Pavia Sidhu) and Amy (Tedra Rogers) say Isabella and Megan had a fight. The assumption was that they fell out over the tape. It’s Isabella’s turn and the sheriff confirms that Isabella and Luke dated briefly and then he got with Megan. They were all still friends until the tape, which Isabella points out was illegally recorded. The sheriff wants to know why she hasn’t left, but Isabella says she refused to be run out of town. But the sheriff says that when Luke disappeared she was considering leaving, but Isabella said Debbie’s illness changed her mind. The sheriff thinks Isabella’s school changes were suspicious and that trouble follows her. Isabella says she’s done and she’s not talking to him again without a lawyer. When they’re gone the sheriff and deputy agree that only a 17-year-old who’s been in trouble before knows when to lawyer up.

 

As the 1999 pool party is ending Isabella and Luke kiss in the pool while Megan watches. In the winter Megan and Luke lay in bed and Luke vents about Brent. He feels like his father lets him get away with murder. Megan says his father loves him; however, Luke thinks he doesn’t like him. He still doesn’t like being branded a cheater. Megan responds that she knows the truth and it’s all that matters. Also, Luke says Brent didn’t watch the entire tape, so he believes it was Isabella. Luke and Megan promise not to let anything come between them and Megan says they’re ride or die. Isabella is listening and then goes downstairs and says she has to tell Debbie something.

 

A little further in the future Isabella is flushing a bunch of pills and then calls her mother. She tells her that she needs help and is in trouble.