Tamal Kundu
Freeform’s ‘Cruel Summer‘ is an anthology thriller series in which the setting is small-town America. The plot is set in the 1990s and early 2000s, and that plays a vital role in the narrative. In season 2, the setting is the fictional Northwestern coastal town of Chatham, Washington, and the plot is split into three timelines: summer 1999, winter 1999, and summer 2000. The story follows the developing friendship between 17-year-olds Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley), Isabella LaRue (Lexi Underwood), and Luke Chambers (Griffin Gluck), its tragic conclusion, and the aftermath.
‘Cruel Summer’ season 2 finale, titled ‘Endgame,’ depicts what really happened to Luke after the girls left him at the cabin. In August 2000, Megan is charged with Luke’s murder. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Cruel Summer’ season 2 episode 10. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 10 Recap
The events depicted in the episode take place on and around January 1, 2000, and August 2, 2000. In early winter 2000, it turns out that Luke called Brent to the dock after he got himself freed. Brent had reasons not to show up at the dock because of their fight, but he still does. Luke initially seems relieved that his brother has shown up despite their issues. The narrative then skips a few hours and catches up with Brent at home. As Steve returns, he finds wet footprints everywhere in the house. He locates Brent, soaked from head to toe, shivering and looking traumatized. We don’t learn what really happened, but Steve rushes to the dock by the cabin and calls out for his youngest son. However, it’s pretty safe to assume that Luke is beyond answering anything now.
Although we don’t yet learn what exactly happened to Luke, it is heavily implied that Brent is responsible for his death. Ruthlessly pragmatic as ever, Steve concludes that he has already lost one son; there is no need to lose another. As a result, even though Brent’s internal struggle with what he has done only intensifies as time progresses. Steve instructs him to hide it and go along with the town consensus that Luke has run away. A few people, including Sheriff Myer and Megan, know that Luke wanted to join the Coast Guard, so that can serve as a perfect excuse for his disappearance.
Meanwhile, Megan and Isabella return to the cabin the following morning to find it empty. Megan, afraid that something has happened to Luke, starts searching for him. She and Isabella call out his name, but there is no response. As Megan begins to panic, she and Isabella get into an argument about their actions the previous night. It is revealed that on Isabella’s suggestion, Megan forged Luke’s runaway note. While what Luke did is still reprehensible to Megan, she wonders whether they went overboard with the punishment. She also begins to realize that Luke was right about Isabella when he said that she wanted to separate him from her (Megan). This leads to the the dissolution of their friendship, answering why Megan and Isabella are so distant in the summer 2000.
On August 2, 2000, Megan and Isabella get out of police custody by blaming each other for what happened. As their statements cancel each other out, Myer has no choice but to let them go. Megan gets the footage the authorities have acquired from Ned’s computer and goes over it, realizing it might show them the culprit. She and Isabella see Steve’s car and conclude that he must have been there after them, prompting them to go to his office and confront him. There, they run into Brent, who overhears their conversation with his father. When Isabella tries to accuse Steve, he retaliates by revealing that his private investigator has spoken to Trevor, who revealed how his sister, Lisa, died.
Later, as their plans start to bear fruit, Isabella remarks that this reminds her of the old times when they were closer. Megan vehemently refutes this, noting that they are forced to be in the trenches together. Megan’s denial of friendship seems to be the last straw for Isabella. She leaves Chatham but not before giving police an edited video of New Year’s Eve that shows Megan holding the gun.
Cruel Summer Season 2 Episode 10 Ending: Who Killed Luke?
Because of the edited video, Megan is arrested and charged with Luke’s murder. When Brent learns about this, he faces the biggest dilemma of his life. Megan is one of the few people he genuinely cares about and doesn’t want her to go to jail. He tries to speak to his father about this, but Steve refuses to listen, knowing that it will ruin their family completely.
However, Brent still decides to come clean. He goes to the police station and gets five minutes to speak to Megan, using it to reveal that Luke’s death was an accident. Even though he went there to bring Luke home, the brothers started fighting over their mistakes. He pushed Luke, who hit his head on the railing before falling into the water. Brent jumped in after him but never found his body. In summer 2000, he is arrested, as is Steve.
Toward the end of the episode, Ned gets Megan a job in Palo Alto. She visits the dock to say goodbye to Luke and spots a camera pointed at the dock. As she goes over the video the camera has recorded, it is revealed that Isabella returned that night and found Luke on the shore, still alive. She then put her foot on his head and drowned him before shoving him back into the water.
Isabella not only killed Luke but also tried to implicate Megan in the murder at the end. In her final scene of the season, Isabella excitedly speaks about Megan to a girl she meets on the plane, just like she spoke about Lisa to Megan, and offers to show her around Ibiza.
Why Did Luke Release the Sex Tape?
It turns out that it was genuinely an accident on Luke’s part that he ended up giving his and Megan’s tape to the attendant at the party on Christmas Eve. As he reveals to Brent, he thought it was one of the latter’s tapes. He had plans to come clean to his family, hoping his father would let him join the Coast Guard after that. None of this materialized after the tape turned out to be his and Megan’s. He could no longer tell his father the truth and even had to hide it from Megan.
Luke’s life had been on a downward spiral since his mother’s death. He sensed that Steve blamed him for it as she went out with Luke to buy things he needed when that incident happened. Luke hadn’t forgiven himself, and a part of him wondered whether his father thought that it would have been better if he (Luke) died in the accident instead of his mother. He also knew the accident happened because his mother was abusing alcohol.
Will Isabella Get Arrested?
After implicating Megan in Luke’s murder, Isabella flees to Ibiza. She even befriends another girl on the plane, effectively replacing Megan. Meanwhile, Megan discovers Isabella killed Luke, and a determined look flashes across her face. We will probably never get the official confirmation whether she caught up with the killer, as ‘Cruel Summer’ is an anthology series. However, we can safely presume that Megan will not let this go. She can potentially contact Steve and ask for his help. Given that it will clear his and Brent’s names, he will probably agree to her plans.
Read More: Who Are Megan and Lily’s Biological Fathers in Cruel Summer?
