Cruel Summer -The Miseducation of Luke Chambers

By starrymag | July 31, 2023

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

The events of this episode take place during the fall of 1999 and January 1, 2000.

 

We begin in September in 1990 when the first Bush was still president and Jane (Jess Brown) a/k/a the Chambers’ boys’ mother was alive. Through what appears to be a home movie we see a little Megan (Autumn West), Luke (Calix Fraser) and Brent (Victor Colotla) having a water war near the cabin. Steve (Paul Adelstein) seems a little more laid back and it’s someone’s dinosaur-themed birthday. The candles are blown out and everyone seems happy. Fast-forward to 1999 and Luke (Griffin Gluck) is watching the video and clearly misses his mother.

 

At the Chambers’ house we witness Brent (Braeden De La Garza) holding Luke underwater in the pool, which makes him angry because he could’ve almost drowned. Steve brushes off the near drowning as he does with all of Brent’s bad behavior. Even though she’s been gone for years we learn that Steve, Brent and Luke still celebrate Jane’s birthday. At first it’s actually pretty sweet, with all the Chambers sharing fond memories about how brave Jane was, how fun she was and her sense of humor. Steve says fondly that Luke has Jane’s sense of humor and Luke reminds him of her. Then things take a turn when Brent says that Luke is like their mother because he’s girly. And just like that, the nice moment is dead.

 

When Luke goes to hang out with Megan (Sadie Stanley) and Isabella (Lexi Underwood) he gets roped into a compatibility quiz, which suggests that maybe he and Megan aren’t as compatible as they appear. Megan’s a realist and Luke’s an optimist. Plus, Luke overestimates how much Megan likes playing video games. They laugh it off, mostly, and Luke opts to hang out with Megan and Isabella instead of the guys.

 

In January there’s a lot less laughter. We get the scene of after Isabella fired the gun and she grazed Luke’s ear. There’s a lot of blood and panic and Isabella claims she didn’t mean to do it. However, Luke says she’s wanted him out of the picture for months. Megan gets a towel to stop the bleeding and Isabella worries that someone might’ve heard the gun shot. She thinks they should leave, but Megan is worried about leaving Luke tied to the bed and bleeding. What if someone finds him? Isabella suggests a mutually assured destruction scenario. They won’t show anyone the tape of Luke confessing to his lies and he won’t tell anyone they held him against his will. After he agrees Isabella leaves and Megan stays.

 

Once Isabella is gone Luke calls her crazy and Megan agrees that the night has gotten insane. She then says she’s got something to tell him and shares that she’s pregnant. He’s shocked.

 

It’s time for a flash forward and it’s October in 1999 and Luke and Megan are spending time together. Brent is away at school and it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Why? He enjoys the lack of Brent behavior, but it becomes more obvious how little Luke and Steve have in common.  Luke says there’s been a wall between them since his mother’s death eight years ago. When the subject changes to a field trip Luke tells Megan she’s his true emergency contact because she’s the only person who truly knows him.

 

Later, Luke goes to see Steve and Steve shows him the model of the big development project he has planned. Luke wants to talk with him about wanting to join the national guard instead of going to Branson as his father wants him to do. Steve shuts it down because he says that swimming is a hobby not something to make a living with. Luke says he doesn’t think he’ll be happy stuck behind a desk for years. Steve says happiness is overrated and he can’t give his wife and children the life he’s had on a military salary.

 

Elsewhere, Luke tells Sherriff Myer (Sean Blakemore) he tried talking to his dad about the coast guard and it went terribly. He’s thinking of just applying and not telling his father until the day he leaves. Sherriff Myer tells him to try again, but Luke says his family isn’t really a democracy. His father’s opinion is apparently the only one that matters.

 

When he’s in bed with Megan, Luke voices his concerns about the upcoming year. He’s worried about Megan forgetting him and dreading going to Branson. Megan is less worried because she’s hyped about University of Washington. She adds that a year won’t change that much. Branson won’t turn him into a bro and the University of Washington won’t make her a recluse.

 

Two months, give or take, did change a lot between them as we see Luke’s reaction to the pregnancy. He’s panicked and doesn’t understand how this happened because they were careful. Not every time, Megan says. Luke says they’re not prepared to be parents and his father knows how to get this sort of thing get taken care of. This makes Megan angry and she says that Luke isn’t the guy that she thought he was. She says that he’s a jerk and a liar and she feels she’s stupid for loving him. She leaves and Luke calls after her saying he loves her.

 

We go back to simpler times and it’s Halloween. Isabella, Luke and Megan are all dressed up and ready for a night of fun. Megan goes upstairs and Isabella and Luke talk the future. Luke is sad that this is their last high school Halloween, but Isabella points out there’s a big world outside of Chatham. When Luke is confused on what that means, Isabella says that Megan is following her dreams. She encourages Luke to do the same and tells him to be the hero of his own story. Luke says he’s willing to be Megan’s charming accomplice. Although, Isabella says that role’s already taken. Then, Megan is ready for them all to head out.

 

An unspecified amount of time later, the guys are at the Chambers’ house hearing about Brent’s college exploits. He brags about all the girls he’s taped during sex. Luke says if you’re good, you don’t need a gimmick, Brent just mocks him. Then his day doesn’t improve when Megan forgets to hang out him because she was at a concert with Isabella. Megan apologizes, but Isabella needles him about a cute guy who was hitting on Megan. Megan tells Luke, he’ll come with them next time.

 

At the police station Luke has an uncomfortable encounter with Jeff (Nile Bullock). Luke tries to tell Jeff to pursue Amy because she has a thing for him. This sets Jeff off and he tells Luke to stop it. Why? He’s angry about the Megan of it all. He says he gets that Megan chose him, but he’s angry Luke never talked to him because they were supposed to be friends. If he’d been honest about his feelings from the beginning he would’ve been upset, but he would’ve respected Luke. The execution; however, has left a bad taste in his mouth. The bottom line from Jeff’s point of view is that Brent is a tool, but he’s honest. Jeff says that Luke, on the other hand, does lousy things while wanting to be seen as a good guy. He ends things by saying that Luke has changed and then he leaves. In the winter we see Luke manage to get out of the ropes and leave the cabin.

 

We cut away and it’s the December of 1999 pre-sex tape. Isabella, Luke and Megan are hanging out and Luke feels like a third wheel. The girls are making plans to go to Spain and see No Doubt. Luke seems bothered that he wasn’t clued in on the plan to go to Europe next summer. Megan tries to reassure him by saying nothing is final yet. Although, Isabella says she already applied for her passport. When Luke asks why Megan didn’t tell him, she tells him she would’ve said something when she knew it was definitely happening. Isabella interjects and say “when it happens” because staying in one place is bad for the soul.

 

Later, Luke goes to tell his father that he got into Branson which makes Steve happy. Next, Luke says he got into the Coast Guard Academy, which makes Steve angry. Steve says he’s sick of Luke’s whining and that if he wants to go it’s fine, but he won’t pay for it. This upsets Luke and Steve tells him to stop it with the pity party because he has nothing to complain about. Luke shares that Brent is the only son he cares about and that there’s been distance between them since his mother’s death. Apparently, the day that she died Steve was supposed to take Luke to get cleats, but he was busy so Jane took him. Luke thinks Steve probably wishes he’d died instead. Before he leaves Luke says he wishes Steve had died instead of Jane.

 

A little while later Luke is waiting for Megan at her house. She asks what’s wrong and at first Luke says nothing. Then he admits that since the office blowup he and his father talk even less. Megan asks if he’s told the Coast Guard anything yet. Luke says he hasn’t yet and just looks dejected. We go little further into Decemeber and it’s the now infamous Christmas party.

 

Principal Bowers (Wonita Joy) congratulates Luke on getting into Branson. In lieu of thanks, Luke says going to Branson is the Chambers’ way. Steve boasts about the great business program and then when Principal Bowers leaves he pulls Luke aside. He manhandles Luke and yells at him for acting like Branson is a prison sentence and says it’s happening whether he likes it or not. He goes on to say that he doesn’t want to hear another word about not wanting to go. When he’s gone Luke is angry and gives a tape to the staff saying it’s the holiday tape, but really it was of him and Megan.

 

While Megan’s freaking out in the aftermath of the sex tape Luke is considered a stud by his brother and friends. In the weeks that follow Megan struggles with getting close to Luke. When she and Luke are making out at the cabin she’s uncomfortable. She can’t believe they didn’t know they were being filmed. Luke says it won’t happen again and they’re in this together. They exchange “I love you” and Luke shows no signs of coming clean with her about the tape. Later, he tells Steve that things have been different between them since the tape. Steve, being uncharacteristically sympathetic, says he’d imagine that’d be a hard thing to come back from. He goes on to say they’re young and there are plenty of fish in the sea.

 

Finally, we see Luke’s cabin escape on Jan. 1 with him stumbling out (reminder: the girls drugged him). While leaving he can hear the voices of all the people who find him disappointing in his head, i.e. Megan, Jeff, Steve, etc.. He manages to get to the docks and pages someone. Megan is crying and trying to sleep and Isabella is having a restless night, too. Then we catch Luke turn around when he sees someone approaching. Luke looks relieved and says, “I didn’t think you’d come.”