Oh, man! Spoilers ahead because, well, we HAVE to talk about that ending.
So Noah is officially the most likable person in this series. And seeing him make Riley the second most likable, though painful at the conclusion of this episode, was a true delight. There’s something about true and believable chemistry both from the actors on the screen and the writers who feed them their lines that is hard to come by these days on TV. Especially for a show written for younger audiences. So when it happens, it truly is magic. But you had to know where this was heading…
So when the Emma finds out that her mom was in fact the original target of choice all those years ago and “Brandon James” starts texting her, playing the cops, and making her choose between her friends, it’s safe to say that the story is definitely picking up. The second episode was a bit of a slip from the nearly perfect pilot, but they had to build up the characters before they killed another one off. It looks like the kids are starting to form alliances and make hard decisions, but the fact that everyone has a motive, everyone is a suspect, and (most importantly) everyone has a secret (or two, or three, or more) is totally on par with the original movie.
Riley’s death was really well done. It was actually sad, which is rare for slashers. The truth of the matter is, most of these characters deserve what happens to them. That’s the nature of the genre. But her death, even without being so heart-wrenching for Noah to see and hear, is just too much. She was completely innocent. And really nice. And the drawn-out nature of the murder was just far too brutal to be “just another death.” It was personal… but why?
I still think Noah’s involved, but that’s just because everyone else is so boring. Is it the teacher as well? He’s pretty creepy and awful. Or maybe the mom just snapped? Or, and this is a big if, but what if Brandon James really is back? Nah. It’s probably his kid. If that’s not Emma. Either way, I’m hooked. Bring on episode four.
My Rating: 5/5
