Pratik Handore
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is a slasher horror series that revolves around a group of friends who are trying to hide a shared secret that could potentially ruin their lives. The mystery thriller is a reboot of the hit 1997 film of the same name, which itself is based on Lois Duncan’s namesake novel. It is developed for television by Sara Goodman and provides a fresh take on the popular teen drama franchise.
The first episode introduces us to the key characters and their lives as an impending sense of doom looms over the plot. As the tragedy hits, the teenagers’ lives are changed forever, and an enticing murder mystery begins to unfold. Are these teenagers really as unlikeable as they seem? Or are they innocent? We aren’t likely to find out the answers anytime soon. However, we can provide you with some clarification about that shocking twist in the show’s premiere episode! Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ episode 1. SPOILERS AHEAD!
I Know What You Did Last Summer Episode 1 Recap
The premiere episode (titled ‘It’s Thursday’) opens with Lennon returning home for the summer after her first year at college. She goes to her room and finds a severed goat head in her closet with a threat spelled out alongside it. The story then moves back in time to the night of Lennon and her friends’ graduation party.
Lennon’s self-loathing and less likable identical twin sister arrives at the party, which is taking place at their friend Margot’s house. Margot talks to her on-again/off-again boyfriend Johnny while Lennon tends to her sister, who is dressed just like her. Meanwhile, Dylan and the group’s resident drug dealer Riley get high. Lennon pushes Alison to make a move on her crush, Dylan. However, Alison chickens out.
Later, Alison talks to Dylan but realizes that Lennon had sex with him. Alison is devastated and has a massive argument with her sister. Meanwhile, cops arrive at the party, and Margot, Johnny, Dylan, and Riley flee the scene with their drugs. They get into Lennon’s jeep as she is just about to leave. The group drives away, but the jeep accidentally hits someone on the road.
The person turns out to be Alison. The friends bicker over a solution to cover up the accident for the sake of their futures. They decide to leave Alison’s body inside a cave by the beach so that tides can sweep it away. Since Alison had practically no friends or future plans, the group assumes that people would believe that she ran off. How one moment of callousness will come back to haunt Lennon and her friends in the future makes up for the rest of the plot.
I Know What You Did Last Summer Episode 1 Ending: Is Alison Dead?
In the final act of the episode, as the friends try to deal with Alison’s dead body, we get intercut scenes fleshing out the argument between the twins. Lennon tries to console Alison by insisting that what she did was for her sister’s best interest, as Alison can now finally move on from Dylan. Alison accuses her sister of sabotaging her life at every turn while Lennon hits back by pointing out that Alison wallows in self-pity.
At the beach, the friends are spotted by a woman on their way in and out of the cave. In the end, after the friends leave the body in the cave, Riley hears a faint gasp of breath. She turns around to check on the body, but Alison lies there cold. In the final moments, the argument between the sisters plays out once again with new details. In a classic bait and switch twist, it is revealed that the dead person isn’t Alison but Lennon!
Alison ended up wearing her sister’s jacket and was preparing to leave the party when Lennon’s friends got in the car and mistook Alison for her sister. During their fight, Alison throws the pendant given to her by their mother at Lennon. This pendant is present on the dead body, further proving that it is Lennon who is dead and not Alison. There are other clues that foreshadow this twist earlier in the episode, such as the opening voiceover and Alison not having a driver’s license.
Of course, it is entirely possible that Lennon isn’t dead as we hear faint breathing before the cave begins to fill up with the tidewater. The woman on the beach could have some connection to Lennon’s survival. Nonetheless, the vast array of questions this shocking twist sets up will continue to churn suspense as the story progresses. For now, we know that Alison took over her sister’s life and is lying to everyone around her. However, someone is aware of the truth and is targeting Alison.
What happened to Alison and Lennon’s Mom?
Another exciting mystery set up by the premiere episode is about the fate of the twins’ mom. It is revealed that Alison and Lennon’s mother died by suicide. What is even more baffling is that she took her own life inside the very cave where the friends left Lennon’s body. The friends mention that the twins’ mother was part of some cult whose members collectively ended their lives in the cave.
Their mother’s death comes up during the argument between the sisters, with Lennon claiming that their mother did not love Alison as her sister believes. The carefully worded dialog, although hurtful for Alison, hints that she does not know the truth about her mom. It is also implied that their mother’s death did not affect Lennon much. However, Alison insinuates that Lennon’s self-harm attempts are related to their mother’s death. Alison and Lennon are both complex characters shaped by the grief of their mother’s death, and we are likely to find out more about the same in the next episodes.
