Scream was not a series that I expected to enjoy. As a diehard fan of the original film series, the show could not possibly hold up to the standards set by Wes Craven and his cast. I had been so set in my horror snob ways that I had to force myself to give the show a chance. Here is the thing, though: In reality, the show does not need to be better or even as good as the movies, it just has to be good….and it is.
Season two begins several months after the initial Lakewood murders with an episode entitled “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” paying homage to another great teen slasher of the 90’s written by Scream writer, Kevin Williamson. Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus) is now working at a movie theater that is showing a slasher film. She begins to receive text messages hinting that they are aware of her involvement in the murders in season one. At closing, Audrey is attacked by a person in a Brandon James mask and costume, live streaming the attempted murder. This is, of course, a throw back to both Scream 2 and Scream 4. It turns out to be a teenage prank, but it shows both how insensitive teenagers can be to tragedy and that the killer could literally be anyone, at any time.
Our final girl, Emma (Willa Fitzgerald) has returned to Lakewood after a much needed stay in a mental facility. She is welcomed with open arms by her five surviving friends, who serve as both a comfort zone and a bad reminder of the incidents past. While outward appearances show Emma to be normal, it becomes apparent, through dreams and her inability to be intimate, that Emma’s mind cannot let go of that horrible time in her life. Much like Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in Scream 3, Emma’s dreams serve as prophetic, leading her to clues pointing towards a new killer in Lakewood.
Each of the “Lakewood Six” are finding their own ways to deal with the tragedy. Brooke (Carlson Young) and Jake (Tom Maden) have found comfort in one another while Kieran (Amadeus Serafini) has buried the pain of losing his father deep inside. Emma decides to tackle the issue head on by talking about everything out in the open. Audrey is unable to let go as she is being taunted by an unknown “friend” of Piper, the previous killer, who is aware that she was an accomplice to at least one of the murders, while Noah (John Karna) cannot let go of the fact that an accomplice obviously existed.
As you can expect from Scream, someone will not escape the episode alive, but who will it be? And who is hiding behind the Brandon James mask this time around? Lakewood Six? Maybe it is the new sheriff or his horror movie obsessed son. Perhaps it is the new psychology teacher who has shown an interest in Emma. We will only find out by tuning in.
