Freeform’s buzzy new ’90s drama ended season 1 with a bang… and a smile.
Showrunner Tia Napolitano breaks down what it all means heading into season 2.
Warning: This article contains spoilers about Tuesday’s finale ofCruel Summer.
Michael Landes, Chiara Aurelia, Nicole Bilderback, Jason Douglas, Olivia Holt, and Andrea Anders in the season finale of ‘Cruel Summer.'.Freeform/Bill Matlock
DidCruel Summermake you scream in the last moment of the season finale?
A smile has never looked so devious.
At least, that’s what wethought.
This entire time, Jeanettedidknow Kate was being held captive.
Shedidknow where Kate was.
And she lied to everyone and got away with it.
Below,Cruel Summershowrunner Tia Napolitano breaks down what that final twisty reveal means and so much more.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did you want to accomplish with the finale episode?
To be able to smile and have a little bit of relief and healing was also important to me.
Did you always know you were going to end the season like that?
No, we didn’t.
[Laughs] It’s something that sort of revealed itself to us.
We just kept working on the finale and thinking, “How can we make it better?”
And that process led us to that final twist, which I have no words.
[Laughs] So no, we didn’t always know about it.
That is up to the viewer.
I don’t think life is that easy.
I really think it’s just open to the viewer.
And she goes for it at a very high cost.
Where did that idea come from?
at the end of the episode and released it into the world.
People came up with so many theories like it’s Kate’s alter ego.
Is it Martin’s alter ego?
Is it another victim?
No one guessed it.
And then when I said Annabelle’s the gun, everyone had chills.
And that was the reaction we wanted.
It was right on the money.
We rewrote that scene.
That is the most rewritten scene of the finale because we really wanted to do it right.
I think his intention was to kill himself and he just couldn’t do it.
I don’t think he thought that Kate would put him out of his misery on any level.
How does shooting Martin change Kate moving forward, especially now that she remembers she did it?
What Martin did to Kate was terrible.
And the final thing is, now she’s killed a person.
But what else was she supposed to do?
It was self defense, she had to save herself, but that’s a lot.
Through therapy, becoming comfortable and okay with that, Kate still has a long way to go.
Yeah, I’m not sure.
[Pauses] I’m not sure what the future holds in terms of Kate’s secrets.
They have almost no scenes together.
What did that mean for Jeanette?
That’s how you’re still seeing the societal pressures on Jeanette.
What’s going on with their relationship by the end of the season?
I love Mallory and Kate so much.
I love everything about their friendship and their relationship.
I call them Kallory.
She’s not sure of Kate’s feelings for her.
So is that kiss showing that Kate does reciprocate those feelings for Mallory?
There are those of us who see it as a…
I don’t know, it’s her first kiss.
What happens after that is really exciting.
Would you risk the friendship for romance?
What’s interesting is ifCruel Summerhas one actual bad guy it’s Martin Harris, but he’s dead.
And it’s very difficult to hold your very best friend accountable.
It’s just a different ballgame.
It should make you feel uncomfortable.
It should feel icky to the viewer, and I hope it does.
And congrats on the season 2 renewal!
What are you most excited to explore in a second season?
And we’ll do that again.
