‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Ep. 101 – ‘It’s Thursday’ Review – ‘A Great Reintroduction’
Reboots and reintroductions have become all to familiar in this day and age. Some are good, some are decent, and some are just flat out terrible. We have seen Scream ad Child’s Play get plenty of sequels and reboots. Scream for MTV was turned into a TV series, and recently so was Child’s Play for SyFy. We can finally now add Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer to that list. As we get acquainted with a new group of teens, and a new killer.
The first episode is a basic introduction into the world of these Gen Z kids – sisters Lennon and Allison (Madison Iseman), Johnny (Sebastian Amoruso), Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman), Riley (Ashley Moore), and Margot (Briamme Tju). Lennon is returning home to Hawaii from Michigan, and somebody knows her secret. At the graduation party the year before, the old crew has a little bit too much fun. Lennon and Allison go off the deep end in an argument that most people wouldn’t wish on any siblings. Margot’s mother invites over Lyla (Fiona Rene), a police officer to the party (where kids are huffing, doing cocaine, teen drinking, etc.), and they all bail.
Lennon who is completely trashed decides to drive. As she’s driving, she hits something or someone. The teens take an oath of secrecy and get rid of as much evidence as possible. There are a lot of particulars they must get out of the way, as they prepare to move on with their lives. Like always though, someone seems to know the truth.
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Craig William McNeill is the director of the first episode. Goodman, also the episode’s screenwriter, uses really great writing to take you on this night of twists and turns. McNeill gets some pretty good acting from his cast, Iseman especially. The duo does a great job of setting the story for what seems like it will be a wild ride. The story seems to be better as a series, than a film. While the film lacked a lot in the story department, the series does not. Goodman and McNeill are a good duo, and I hope the chemistry leads us further into the series.
The first episode is a great pilot. As mentioned, it sets up the entirety of the show. Lennon and Allison’s mother, Helen Grant, was a part of a cult that committed suicide when they were younger. Her father Bruce (Bill Heck) raised them on his own for the majority of their lives. He welcomes Lennon back as she returns to the island from Michigan. She notices something inside her closet and somebody clearly knows what she did last summer. The episode closes on that note and leaves you wanting a lot more.
There are some issues with this first episode, but they are minimal on the grand scale. Outside of Iseman who’s playing twins, the acting is kind of meh. Tju and Moore are playing very typical Gen Z kids, but in this setting, it’s fitting. I just wish Goodman could’ve spruced it up a bit. It seems like a lot of shows are following the Euphoria formula in portraying Gen Z. Then again, that’s been every teen film since I was a child, so I technically just see it as repetitive. Outside of that though, these characters fit the mold very well. The first episode was a great launchpad and I’m excited for more. – Rascal F. Kennedy
Rating: 7.5/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer is now streaming Amazon Prime!