After the premiere of the first four episodes in October on Prime Videos, I waited for it to end before I started watching the entire season. But somehow I forgot about this and only a few days ago I realized that the first season came out more than 2 weeks ago. Anyway, I just got a chance to watch it from Sunday, and I finished it yesterday. So, what was the series “I Know What You Did Last Summer” like? Let’s find out now, shall we?
Lennon and Alison (both played by Madison Iseman – Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Annabelle Comes Home, etc.) were twin sisters who went to a prom held by Lennon’s best friend Margot (Brianne Tju – 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, TV Scream series, etc.). While Alison was a shy and depressed girl, Lennon was a real party girl. Also at the party were Margot’s best friend Johnny (Sebastian Amoruso), Alison’s crush Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman) and his best friend Riley (Ashley Moore).
To avoid the party spiraling out of control, both Lennon and Alison’s father Bruce (Bill Heck) came and hung out with some of the parents, as well as Police Chief Lyla (Fiona Rene). Some of the teenagers left the party earlier, but unfortunately they took part in a hit & run accident in which the victim died and decided to hide the death. A year after the incident, one of them received a message that read “I know what you did last summer” and it turned out to be the beginning of something terrifying for them and terrifying for the citizens.
So how would the story end? Find everything in this teen horror TV series.
I Know What You Did Last Summer Series review, plot
If you know the title of this series “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, then you are like me who either watched or at least knew about the rather successful 1997 slasher film of the same name, starring some rising stars of the time, and made into a trilogy. But this series was not really based on film. Instead, it was actually based on the 1973 novel of the same name written by Lois Duncan. Although the main premise was almost the same, there were some significant differences with the film. I will let you discover the differences for yourself.
Since I enjoyed the film, I actually had high expectations when I watched the series. I was hoping for constant excitement and tension throughout the series. However, it turned out that the uncertainty was not fully felt. From my experience watching the entire 8 episodes, I somehow felt that the series was more like a drama with a bit of mystery, even though it had some creepy murders that justified being placed under the teen horror genre. I guess it was more in honor of a novel that was categorized as a tense book for young people, rather than a slasher like it was a movie. Now I’m not saying I don’t like that kind of genre, but maybe the 1997 film is too ingrained in my head to like the series to be more similar. Btw, I had a weird feeling that the series has a strong sense of soap opera.
The episodes of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” lasted between 44-58 minutes, and the last episode was the longest. I’m not sure if there will be another season. even though the end seemed to be over, though probably not what people expected. If they decide to renovate it, there are a few things they could still explore. The first episode was a standard presentation of the characters and ended with some supposedly shocking twist, but unfortunately I could guess that (probably due to watching too many similar movies / series). Anyway, the second episode was actually a breakthrough for me because it gave a big surprise that I didn’t expect. Later we were shown more mysteries in which I had to play guessing games.
To be honest, what really amazed me was actually the finale. I am very sure that many did not like such an ending (which could be seen by the very low rating of that episode). For me personally, though, the anti-mainstream ending was amazing. The tempo was a bit slow in most episodes, which unfortunately reduced the intensity. I think the main cast that played teenagers is generally OK, but some adults didn’t seem natural enough. I think Madison Iseman did a decent enough job to portray two completely different people. In addition to the names I listed above, there were also Cassie Beck as Riley’s mother Courtney and Brooke Bloom as Clara who was part of the lead cast.
Overall, this wasn’t really a bad thing. It may not be as tense or intense as the movie was, but it had a few interesting and shocking moments plus an unusual ending. There were some disturbing and violent scenes, moments involving self-harm (as Prime Videos warned) and some nudity, which made this more appropriate for adults. So, if you are looking for a teen horror series with the attributes I mentioned earlier, then you are welcome to try it out. IMDB Rating Series: 5.3 / 10
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” 2021 Season 1 cast and characters
- Madison Iseman as Lennon
- Bill Heck as Bruce
- Brianne Tew as Margot
- Ezekiel Goodman as Dylan
- Ashley Moore as Riley
- Fiona Rene as Lyla
- Cassie Beck as Courtney
- Brooke Bloom as Clara
- Sonya Balmores as Mel Gilbert
- Danielle Delaunay as Hannah Scanlon
- Chrissie Fit as Kelly Craft
- Spencer Sutherland as Dale