Cruel Summer - Blog Posts

Lover x RWRB

Part 1: Cruel Summer

It's new, the shape of your body

It's blue, the feeling I've got, and it's ooh, whoa-oh

It's a cruel summer

It's cool, that's what I tell 'em

No rules in breakable heaven but ooh, whoa-oh

It’s a cruel summer with you

I'm drunk in the back of the car

And I cried like a baby comin' home from the bar

Said, "I'm fine, " but it wasn't true

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

And I snuck in through the garden gate

Every night that summer, just to seal my fate

And I scream, "For whatever it's worth

I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"

Do you ever just want to inject music into your soul

tv shows set in the 90s

TOP 10 TV SHOWS I watched in 2021

I’m like two months late with this wrap-up but here we go!

1.     Genera+ion (2021) on HBO MAX

it’s about a group of gen z kids exploring their identity and finding family amongst friends.

my favorite show ever! “genera+ion” is the kind of story i dreamed of for years but never expected to actually get. 

“genera+ion” went there and did that. multiple poc and queer characters! the different povs storytelling! the found family trope! teenagers talking and looking like teenagers! it’s not overdramatized, there’s no unnecessary trauma dumping, and no sexualizing teenagers. it is refreshing, relatable, and authentic. this is the best show recipe for me.

it was unfairly canceled by hbo max, but I believe it still works as a stand alone story and is worth checking out.  

2.     Daybreak (2019) on NETFLIX

it’s a post-apocalyptic reality where all adults had turned into zombies and the teenagers are left to fend for themselves. the main character sets on a quest to find his girlfriend with the help of his sidekicks, while trying to avoid getting eaten.

it’s a shame I overlooked this show when it first came out because it turned out to be a perfect fit for me. I’m usually not a fan of dystopian stories BUT this show has my favorite type of humor and way of storytelling. I’m talking breaking the fourth wall, insertion of animated scenes, absurdity and chaos all around.

I must admit, the main character wasn’t that compelling to me (perhaps that’s the reason why I didn’t pick up the show when it was premiering). same goes for his love interest. although I did like the unmasking of the manic pixie dream girl archetype. [slight spoilers] for most of the show the audience sees Sam and their relationship only from Josh’s perspective. but Josh turns out to be an unreliable narrator, when Sam becomes an actual person instead of the idiolized version created in josh’s head. I don’t think we get to see shows exposing their main male characters as “the nice guy” very often, so that’s the part of their story arc that I liked. [spoilers over]

for the most part I was much more invested in the secondary characters (wesley, turbo, kj, eli & mona lisa are my favorite). and I think the cast really is an ensemble, even though there’s a designated main character. other characters also get to exist on their own and even take over the narration.  

i also much preferred the love story ivolving secondary characters. it came as a huge plot-twist surprise, and embodied some of my favorite tropes.

I watched this show twice and it goes on my all time favorites list for sure, along with genera+ion.

3.     I know what you did last summer (2021) on AMAZON PRIME

if you’ve seen the 1997 cult classic you already know the premise. a group of friends cover up a murder, and a year later start getting threats from an anonymous who claims to “know what they did last summer”. however, apart from the familiar concept, the show is quite different from the movie, with a new setting and new characters.

most reviews i’ve seen of this show were negative, but I LOVED IT. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that the plot twists, and all the clues, and foreshadowings worked for me, and the finale gave me everything I wanted. it was so twisted and toxic and didn’t shy away from it, but it was also funny and entertaining. plus, I’m obsessed with the sapphic love storyline and the characters involved in it (almost as obsessed as they’re with each other but I’m not that unhealthy).

I feel like I can’t rationally explain why I love this show so much, maybe the writers and I are just on the same wavelength. I think if you’re gen z and you like messy characters (and thrillers, duh) you have a higher chance of enjoying this series.

4.     Young royals (2021) on NETFLIX

it’s a series about a swedish prince struggling to balance the matters of the heart with the responsibility of the crown, after his parents sent him off to a boarding school.

this show manages to stay relatable and grounded even though we’re following a literal royal in a prestigious school. it’s real, vulnerable, and cleverly written. and it’s a beautiful heartbreaking love story. it’s been compared to “skam” so if you’re a fan of it (and good television), this one’s for you.

5.     Betty (2020) on HBO MAX

a remake of the 2018 movie skate kitchen. it follows a diverse group of young women navigating the predominantly male oriented world of skateboarding.

it’s always great to see stories about strong female friendships, and this one also feels like a “found family” trope (which I love! and I mean, who doesn’t?). it feels very real as well, like we’re just watching people’s lives without them being overdramatized. it’s beautifully styled, and it makes you want to learn how to skate.

6.     Cruel summer (2021) on FREEFORM, HULU & AMAZON PRIME

the action simultaneously takes place over 3 summers during the 90s. after it-girl kate mysteriously goes missing, another girl takes her place as the popular one, along with her friends and boyfriend. the narrative switches between two girls, while we try to uncover who’s telling the truth about what happened.

i’ve seen people compare it to “pretty little liars”. it doesn’t give me the same feeling, but I guess it does have similar themes. like, a popular girl disappears, only this one isn’t the embodiment of evil, there’s a teacher-student relationship but here it’s not treated like something romantic or desirable, and the lying - which is a big part of both shows - but here the build-up actually pays off.

some of the acting and dialogue can be a bit awkward, but olivia holt’s performance makes up for all of it. she carried this show. this is by far her best acting performance (with “cloak&dagger” being second).

7.     The lying game (2011) on AMAZON PRIME 

Emma finds out she has an identical twin sister Sutton, from whom she was separated at birth. Sutton asks Emma to take her place for a couple days to go look for their birth mother. However, things get messy when Emma discovers that Sutton has more secrets than she led on.

this might seem like an outlier on this list, being made over a decade ago and all. however, this is the third show with an “identity theft” theme here, so it’s very on brand for me.

as gen z, the only nostalgia I get is for the 2010s and back then I used to watch a ton of teen dramas that nobody cared about: “the secret circle”, “twisted”, “switched at birth”, “make it or break it”, “10 things I hate about you”, etc. the only show that escaped my attention was “the lying game”. I decided to fix that.

I missed the vibe of those shows that I used to watch as a kid. if you’re like me, you will enjoy this. just don’t come in expecting great writing, thought-out storylines, or high-level production. it’s full of missed opportunities, unanswered questions, cartoonish villains, and characters that come, disappear, and are never brought up again. (if anything, this show is like “pretty little liars”!) but it also has entertaining love storyline(s), and a likeable cast of characters. not counting Sutton of course, she’s a disaster. I know this is based on a book, but I feel like the success of “the vampire diaries” inspired the show’s twin sisters. the actress looks like Nina Dobrev, and they went with the nice sister vs evil sister. only here the mean one is underdeveloped to the point of her being completely unsympathetic. she just becomes an annoying villain with no real motive.

beware! the show leaves off on a cliffhanger so don’t look forward to getting the mystery solved, just enjoy the ride of a 2011 teen messy drama.

8.     Shadow & bone (2021) on NETFLIX

based on the worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, “shadow and bone” follows an orphan Alina Starkov in a fantasy world full of magic, darkness and danger.

not being a fantasy fan, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this. I don’t have anything negative to say. it seems like a great book adaptation. the level of production that went into this is incredible, the world-building and the characters are captivating. i’m looking forward to season 2.

9.     Chucky (2021) on SYFY

the continuation of the “child’s play” movie franchise. a Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, and thus begins a series of horrifying murders in the town of Hackensack.

this show turned a bit too cheesy and far-fetched for my taste by the end. but i’ve been told that it kept the same tone from the movies (i’ve never seen one, this was my first introduction to chucky), so that must be good for the original fans. overall, I still enjoyed it. it’s gay, campy, and very disturbing. it’s also always great to see teenagers playing teenagers. safe to say, i’m never buying a vintage doll.

10.     The girl in the woods (2021) on PEACOCK

Tasha and Nolan meet a mysterious girl who escaped from a colony that guards a secret door in the woods.

so, i’m not into watching scary stuff, which you probably wouldn’t think looking at this list. but somehow, despite being very creepy, this show manages to feel warm and safe. most of it comes from the relationships between the three main characters. this series also has the best portrayal of a non-binary character that i’ve ever seen. they get to explore their identity and face the issues that come with it, without it coming off as a trauma story. also, they’re the best effing character. 

it’s a cute short thriller. bonus point, it has Sofia Bryant from “I am not okay with it”.

 phew! this was fun! and here’s top 4 worst shows I watched last year: 1. bridgerton 2. ginny and georgia 3. one of us is lying 4. gossip girl (2021)

i did trin lovell’s list, and thought i’d post it. 

tbh i was debating to put tvd in the death row bc i hate sm about it, but it was one of the first shows i ever watched and seasons 2&3 are genuinely good.

 regarding the 100, i actually think the show itself is pretty great (seasons 1-4) but i just have too much pent up hatred towards it bc of bellarke (they literally made me wait 7 years for nothing) and b*liza (clarke and bellamy were my favorite characters and i can’t look at their faces anymore).

some of these rankings are probably gonna be surprising but i stand by them.

so as you do, i was listening to taylor swift and there's this line in cruel summer which is like 'i dont wanna keep secrets just to keep you' and i was like holy shiT that is literally simon in that scene except remarkably less upbeat

꒰ 🥄 ⊹ ˚ . ' 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫! ' ᵎ ➶ . ˚ ༉‧

꒰ 🥄 ⊹ ˚ . ' 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐠𝐨… ' ᵎ ➶ . ˚ ༉‧

꒰ 🥄 ⊹ ˚ . ' 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨? ' ᵎ ➶ . ˚ ༉‧

꒰ 🥄 ⊹ ˚ . ' 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 - 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭 ' ᵎ ➶ . ˚ ༉‧

a cute little Taylor Swift design! one of my favorite lyrics of all time :))

"if i bleed you'll be the last to know" no. i bleed and immediately start to complain about it for the entire week.

since 1989 tv is coming, heres why wonderland was about dianna agron

background information: taylor swift and dianna agron are rumoured to have dated between 2011 and 2013 and there's quite a lot of evidence to support this. they were seen together in public during this time and there are songs on both red and 1989 about her.

alice in wonderland was dianna's favourite film which is referenced in the title

'we took a wrong turn and we fell down the rabbit hole' the wrong turn could be that they started out as friends and became something more, rabbit hole is another reference to alice in wonderland and dianna's tumblr url was wefelldowntherabbithole

the spinning out of control is their relationship changing from friends to dating

'didnt you flash your green eyes at me' dianna has green eyes

'curious minds' is probably talking about them experimenting with their sexualities

'didn't it all seem new and exciting' describing a new relationship dynamic and experience of dating a woman. dianna at the time had tweeted that she was grateful for 'new changes + excitement unfolding'

they found 'wonderland' and didn't realise what they were getting into, they knew the relationship couldn't last forever

'too in love to think straight' pretty self explanatory

the public were realising what was going on between the two, there were articles about it, and dianna was asked in an interview if there was anything going on between her and taylor. it must've become difficult and frustrating to hide their relationship with the public always watching.

cheshire cat is a character in alice in wonderland, another reference to her favourite film

losing their mind probably means the stress they were put under by the public creating rumours about them

'you searched the world for something else' dianna went traveling after the breakup

by going back home she may mean returning to a life without dianna

'we both went mad' dianna had a tattoo saying 'we're all mad here' however she had the tattoo removed shortly after the song was released