Multiple timelines are now pervasive in television, so what a shock when a new show does it well.
They have little in common… until Kate goes missing.
If it all sounds horribly overcomplicated, that’s on me.
Chiara Aurelia and Froy Gutierrez in ‘Cruel Summer’.Bill Matlock/Freeform
Some dramas wield their time-jumps like a weapon of disorientation, butCruel Summeractuallywantsthe viewer to follow along.
Initial suspicion falls on Jeanette is she a good girl falsely accused or a calculating liar?
but Kate’s evolution from prom queen to trauma-hardened rebel raises its own questions.
Andrea Anders and Olivia Holt in ‘Cruel Summer’.Bill Matlock/Freeform
Even before Kate’s disappearance, Joy has nothing but contempt for Cindy.
“It’s like she wants tobeme,” she sniffs.
“It’s creepy.”
Sklyin, like most sleepy TV towns, runs on gossip and secrets.
(Aurelia’s transformation from kid to bitter creep is especially striking.)
It’s somewhat unclear whyCruel Summeris set in the ’90s.
