<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the <keyword id="7120660" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="season-finale">season finale</keyword> of "<keyword id="6256511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cruel-Summer">Cruel Summer</keyword>," which aired Tuesday.</li><li>"Hostile Witness" saw Kate and Jeanette facing off in court, and the truth finally being revealed.</li><li>Insider spoke with showrunner <keyword id="11451980" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tia-napolitano">Tia Napolitano</keyword>, who talked about all those twists and big moments.</li></ul><p>If you've found this article while trying to mentally recover from the game-changing last two minutes of the "Cruel Summer" season one finale -  don't worry, you're in the right place.</p><p>Insider talked to showrunner Tia Napolitano on Monday ahead of the finale airing on <keyword id="11281330" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freeform">Freeform</keyword> and had one burning question - why?</p><p>By Tuesday's season-ender, Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia), Kate (Olivia Holt), and "Cruel Summer" fans have been through this 10-episode journey and finally reach the somewhat-peaceful conclusion we find in 1995, where Kate retracts her accusations against Jeanette and everyone seems set to move on with their lives.</p><p>So, why leave us hanging on such a major reveal? Why tack on that brief, final scene letting the audience know that Jeanette did, in fact, hear a captive Kate identify herself and say that she's been kidnapped in 1994?</p><p>It's a wild last-minute twist. And for the record, Napolitano knows it.</p><p>"This was not the plan from the beginning," she told Insider in a phone <keyword id="28970" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="interview">interview</keyword>. "When the idea first came up, we thought, 'Oh that's crazy, we can't do that.' And then the more we thought about it, crazy felt like the right fit for our fans, to give us that one final twist."</p><p>Napolitano is clear that even though "Cruel Summer" fans might <em>feel </em>like the last two minutes of "Hostile Witness" left us dangling from a very steep rock with a whole new sea of questions below, the writers didn't necessarily mean to leave us hanging. In fact, she thinks of it more as the last puzzle piece to complete the story.</p><p>"I wouldn't describe it as a cliffhanger," the showrunner said. "I would describe it as the final piece of information to complete the big picture of the truth, the elusive truth that we've been chasing through all of season one." </p><p>Knowing now that, despite her dogged insistence to the contrary all season long and the resolution of 1995, Jeanette <em>did</em> know Kate had been kidnapped and did nothing to help her, the next logical thought might be to label Jeanette a villain after all. But Napolitano suggests reframing that notion.</p><p>"I think if there's anything to take away from 'Cruel Summer' it's that we want to give people these labels of villain and victim, or heroes, and it's just not that black and white," she explained. "I don't think Jeanette is a supervillain. I think she's a very complicated human, and we've seen the very worst thing that she's done." </p><h2>Kate and Mallory's kiss was a finale highlight, and the timing of it in the closing moments was no accident </h2><div type="image" title="Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) and Kate (Olivia Holt) on &quot;Cruel Summer&quot;" height="1503" width="2000" msid="83562922" hostid="261"></div><p>Of course, the plot twists weren't all dark. One sweet moment features best friends Kate and Mallory reach a turning point in their relationship, after quickly overcoming the finale's reveal that it was actually Mallory, not Jeanette, who Kate thought saw her face in Martin's window before she was confined to the basement.</p><p>In 1995, while Jeanette is basking in the spotlight of "The Marsha Bailey Show" as Skylin's newest victim (and very creepily offering her unprompted forgiveness to "the girl who named me"), Kate and Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) ditch the broadcast to take a drive, then share a kiss in front of Mallory's car while dancing to Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains" on full blast.</p><p>While some viewers may have been surprised by this development, fans of this friendship (affectionately nicknamed "Kallory") turned romance already picked up that there might be something more between them, getting similar vibes from the pair's 1995 interaction during the roller-rink scene several episodes back, on "Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis." Napolitano said that was by design. </p><p>Napolitano explained that she and Smith agreed early on that Mallory is queer and that, while the two characters were not originally meant to be love interests, the showrunner could not ignore the natural chemistry between Holt and Smith when she would watch dailys. But what fun would it be to watch former enemies-turned-besties kiss too soon? The writers opted for a slow-burn instead.</p><p>"I like to leave the audience in that space of 'just kiss her already,'' Napolitano told Insider. "I think that's a fun way to watch <keyword id="6355065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TV">TV</keyword>."</p><p>Plus, we need to factor in that Kate has spent all of her friendship with Mallory healing from months-long grooming, kidnapping, and sexual assault. A great day roller skating and a Ring Pop doesn't necessarily mean Kate is ready to kiss someone again. Mallory knows that and gives Kate space to heal, genuinely being there for her as a friend first.</p><p>"It's not until Kate has this moment of real joy in the end, that's where they kiss. It's happy....it's Kate's happy ending," said Napolitano.</p><h2>While breaking the season's storylines, Napolitano was sure to act on advice from marginalized communities</h2><div type="image" title="Vince (Allius Barnes) and Ben (Nathaniel Ashton) on &quot;Cruel Summer&quot;" height="1500" width="2000" msid="83562923" hostid="261"></div><p>While many fans are understandably excited that Kallory is now canon, there is another queer couple on "Cruel Summer" we have to discuss. Vince (Allius Barnes) and Ben (Nathaniel Ashton) have one of the purest, most vulnerable romances two gay teens could have had in early 1990s Texas, and it's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU5x2eDHe4I">beautiful to watch</a>.</p><p>The two only share one quick scene in the finale, but considering that Ben has been trying to avoid Vince's calls in 1995 all season, watching Ben walk into the video store full of apologies (after getting encouragement from Jamie) gives fans hope for their future. </p><p>The representation of marginalized communities on "Cruel Summer" feels natural and authentic in a way we rarely see on TV, and there's a reason for that. First-time showrunner Napolitano (who was previously a staff writer on <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-jesse-williams-exit-time-for-japril-spinoff-opinion-2021-5">"Grey's Anatomy</a>") explained to Insider how her approach to writing for underrepresented communities on "Cruel Summer" differed from the other shows she has worked on. </p><p>"I said to all the actors and all the writers, 'My experience on this Earth is I'm 36 years old. I'm a cis straight white lady. Who's married to a man. That is not the experience of all of my characters. So please tell me about walking this earth in your shoes. Speak up if I'm doing it wrong,'" she said.</p><p>In addition to asking the cast and crew to give her feedback, Napolitano said that she and her team sent out their scripts to organizations that advise film and TV productions on how to tell stories about sensitive topics and minority communities with integrity like <a href="https://www.glaad.org/">GLAAD</a>, <a href="https://colorofchange.org/">Color Of Change</a>, <a href="https://hollywoodhealthandsociety.org/">Hollywood Health &amp; Society </a>and <a href="https://www.respectability.org/">Respect Ability</a>, an organization that works with Hollywood creatives to fight stigmas within the disability community. And she didn't just ask for the advice of her team and advocacy organizations - she acted on their suggestions, even when considering what stories "Cruel Summer" was not ready to tell yet.</p><p>"There were a couple of options as to how to injure Ben and [with] Nathaniel Ashton who is not a disabled person....You know, we drew a hard line, and said, '[We're] not going to disable this person,'" she said of how the writers tackled Ben's car accident storyline.</p><p>Respect Ability confirmed that "Cruel Summer" made the right choice not to have an able-bodied actor play a character with a disability, and it's an important (and unfortunately rare) one where media representation on TV is concerned.</p><p>GLAAD, which keeps track of the number of disabled characters on TV in an annual representation report for many marginalized communities, found in its 2020-2021 <a href="https://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD%20-%20202021%20WHERE%20WE%20ARE%20ON%20TV.pdf">"Where We Are On TV"</a> report that although representation has increased over time, characters with disabilities only represent 3.5% of characters on network television.</p><p>And very few of those already-few characters are actually portrayed by disabled actors - a separate study released by Ruderman White Paper in 2016 found that <a href="https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/disabled-actors-television-study-1201813686/">able-bodied actors played 95% of disabled characters on TV</a> in the top 10 TV shows of the 2015-2016 television season alone, Variety reports.</p><p>"In the future, I would love to tell a [disability] story with a disabled actor," Napolitano said. </p><h2>There is a reason why we still have so many questions - and they could be answered in a second season</h2><div type="image" title="Cruel Summer finale" height="1500" width="2000" msid="83562925" hostid="261"></div><p>"Hostile Witness" provides fans with the confrontation between Jeanette and Kate in 1995 that we have all been waiting for and a pretty definitive Kallory happy ending. But we still have plenty of other questions.</p><p>Why doesn't Kate confront Ashley (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) about her well-meaning chatroom deception in-person? Is Cindy so unsupportive of Jeanette that she actually wouldn't show up in court? Why is Jeanette so comfortable with Jamie after one apology for punching her in the face? And why don't we see Joy and Kate discuss what <em>actually</em> happened to Kate in Martin's (Blake Lee) basement that final day of captivity? </p><p>There is not enough time in a day to ask Napolitano all of the things viewers might still be wondering about, but she did address the status of Joy and Kate's relationship.</p><p>"I don't think we're sure what Joy knows yet about what exactly Kate's final hours in the basement looked like," she said. But she does think the mother and daughter are currently "on the road to mending their relationship" after their fight on Kate's birthday. </p><p>As for a more practical reason why the finale couldn't include resolutions to all of these hanging threads, Napolitano explained that COVID-19 protocols affected some actors' availability. Plus, there is a director's cut of the episode out there somewhere that runs for 56 minutes instead of the allotted 44; as with all cable shows, scenes had to be trimmed to fit the timeslot.</p><p>Thankfully, Freeform just announced that "Cruel Summer" <a href="https://www.insider.com/cruel-summer-season-2-thriller-renewed-on-freeform-2021-6">will be back for season two</a>, so hopefully we'll get answers to some of our most burning questions. Then again, maybe we won't - Freeform network president Tara Duncan told <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/06/cruel-summer-renewed-season-2-freeform-could-return-same-cast-or-anthology-1234775148/">Deadline that "Cruel Summer" might be an anthology series</a>, following an entirely new set of characters in its next season.</p><p>Napolitano herself didn't address whether or not the next season will track the same characters, telling Insider that season two is "a big question mark" as her team is just beginning to break the storylines.</p><p>"We're so excited that we get the opportunity to have a season 2. What it is? That work is still ahead of us," she said.</p>

'Cruel Summer' showrunner breaks down the twist-filled season finale - including that big reveal in the final seconds and the kiss that made fans very happy

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11281330" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freeform">Freeform</keyword> just renewed "<keyword id="6256511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cruel-Summer">Cruel Summer</keyword>" for a second season.</li><li>It follows two teen girls: one who was kidnapped, and another accused of seeing her in captivity.</li><li>The network says "Cruel Summer" is its most-watched series ever.</li></ul><p>The hit psychological thriller "Cruel Summer" will return for a second season on Freeform, the network announced today.</p><p>The ambitious drama, told using multiple timelines and shifting perspectives, stars <keyword id="2147421" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Olivia-Holt">Olivia Holt</keyword> as Kate Wallis, a teenager in Skylin, Texas, who is groomed, kidnapped, and sexually assaulted by the vice principal of her school, Martin Harris (Blake Lee), over the course of several months from 1993 to 1994. During Kate's captivity, fellow Skylin High student Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) goes from being an awkward teenager in 1993 to the most popular girl in school in 1994 - and later, to one of the most hated people in the country, after Kate is rescued and claims Jeanette saw her while she was captive and did nothing to help.</p><p>A compelling mystery unfolds from Kate's and Jeanette's perspectives over the course of three years, challenging viewers to redefine our definitions of "villain" and "victim." </p><p>Fans have been enthralled with figuring out all of the twists and turns since "Cruel Summer" first premiered, and it was a no-brainer for Freeform to renew the drama - according to a press release announcing the renewal, the show currently ranks as the number one new cable drama among women ages 18-34 and is the most-watched new show next day on Hulu.</p><p>"Cruel Summer," which is executive-produced by Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple, debuted its first episode on April 20. Bert V. Royal is the series creator and <keyword id="11451980" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tia-napolitano">Tia Napolitano</keyword> is its showrunner.</p><p>"Renewing 'Cruel Summer' for a season 2 was an easy decision," Freeform president Tara Duncan said in a statement. "It's the biggest series debut in Freeform's history, and the audience response has been overwhelming. Jessica, Michelle, and Tia did a phenomenal job telling an addictive story that's tapped into the cultural zeitgeist. I'm excited to see where they take the series next."</p><p>"Collaborating with Iron Ocean, our dedicated crew, charismatic cast, and our partners at Freeform and eOne has been the best first showrunning experience I could ask for. I am beyond grateful and excited by the amazing fan response to our show!  Continuing to bottle 'Cruel Summer' magic for a season 2 is an absolute dream come true," Napolitano said in a statement. </p><p>Viewers are hoping to finally get answers - including whether Jeanette actually saw Kate in Martin Harris's house, despite her insistence she didn't, and who Annabelle is - on the season finale airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.</p><p>In an interview on Monday, Napolitano told Insider that while she hopes viewers get some closure from watching Kate and Jeanette finally face off in court, the path she and her team will take for season two is, as of now, "a big question mark."</p><p>"We're so excited that we get the opportunity to have a season 2. What it is? That work is still ahead of us," she said. </p><p>"Cruel Summer" also stars Harley Quinn Smith, Froy Gutierrez, Allius Barnes, Michael Landes, and Brooklyn Sudano.</p>

Breakout hit thriller 'Cruel Summer' will return for a second season

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="12180038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cruel-summer" source="Orion">Cruel Summer</keyword>" announced filming for season two had begun in April. </li><li><keyword id="14288268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freeform" source="Orion">Freeform</keyword> confirmed the series is an anthology and will tell a whole new story when it returns. </li></ul><p>Freeform's hit psychological thriller "Cruel Summer" announced that filming for season two had begun in April 2022. The news was delivered <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcoFUFgMgt4/">via an Instagram pos</a>t featuring imagery that resembled the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/in-25-years-since-its-launch-aol-instant-messenger-has-never-been-away-180980086/">now-defunct messaging system AOL Instant Messenger,</a> which rose to popularity in the late '90s through the early aughts. </p><p>"Cruel Summer" was <a href="https://www.insider.com/cruel-summer-season-2-thriller-renewed-on-freeform-2021-6">renewed for season two</a> in June 2021 after a premiere season that was so buzzy Freeform president Tara Duncan called it the "biggest series debut" in the network's history at the time in a statement to Insider. </p><p>Season one followed teenagers Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) and Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) as they navigated the aftermath of Kate's kidnapping across multiple timelines and from different perspectives. Kate was groomed and later kidnapped and sexually assaulted by her high school vice principal Martin Harris (Blake Lee) for several months between 1993 and 1994. </p><div type="image" title="Cruel Summer Season 2" height="1456" width="1474" msid="92456895" hostid="261" sizebytes="39358"></div><p>During the time that she was missing, Jeanette, who was previously nerdy and awkward, became the most popular girl at Skylin High School in Texas. She even started dating Kate's boyfriend Jamie (Froy Gutierrez) and dropped her best friends to hang out with Kate's crew. But when Kate escaped from Martin's basement claiming that Jeanette knew she was being held captive and failed to help her, a twisted mystery began to unfold that had viewers questioning all of Skylin's residents at every turn.</p><p>The first season <a href="https://www.insider.com/cruel-summer-season-finale-showrunner-breaks-down-twists-interview-2021-6">wrapped up Jeanette and Kate's story with one last shocking twist</a>, but season two of "Cruel Summer" has a new story to tell. Here's what we know so far about what to expect.</p><h2>'Cruel Summer' season two is set in a new town and chronicles the demise of a new friendship </h2><div type="image" title="Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) and Kate (Olivia Holt) on &quot;Cruel Summer&quot;" height="1503" width="2000" msid="92456897" hostid="261" sizebytes="107416"></div><p>According to the official synopsis for season two, courtesy of Freeform, a completely new story will unfold in Chatham, an "idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest." A <a href="https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Production/Production-List.pdf">Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia production list</a> dated June 17 indicates that season two is filming in Richmond, a city in British Columbia near Vancouver.</p><p>Although it's officially an anthology now, some of the main themes from "Cruel Summer" season one will remain the same. The synopsis promises we will witness the rise and fall of a friendship and be presented with a completely new love triangle, this time set in the Y2K era (circa 2000) instead of the late '90s. The story will again vary its timeline and perspectives.</p><p>"Cruel Summer" is produced by Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple's production company Iron Ocean Productions. Season two will also welcome the show's third showrunner in two seasons. "Power Book IV: Force" co-executive producer Elle Triedman replaces Shondaland alum <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/04/cruel-summer-season-2-1235007675/">Tia Napolitano for the new season, per Deadline</a>. Napolitano originally replaced the show's creator Bert V. Royal early in the production of season one.</p><h2>The new season also features a whole new cast</h2><div type="image" title="Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia) on &quot;Cruel Summer&quot;" height="1799" width="2399" msid="92456900" hostid="261" sizebytes="120924"></div><p>"Cruel Summer" opted for a whole new cast as it moves into the millennium. <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/cruel-summer-season-2-cast-sadie-stanley/">"The Goldbergs" star Sadie Stanley will play Megan Landry</a>, a computer coder who is set in her ways, according to the official synopsis. When a mysterious exchange student named Isabella comes to stay with her family, Megan learns to live in the moment more easily.</p><p>But when secrets about Isabella's past come to light, Megan's world is turned upside down and she starts to wonder who she can trust. Isabella was originally set to be played by Eloise Payet, but the character was "reworked" and will now be played by "Little Fires Everywhere" star <keyword id="14288265" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lexi-underwood" source="Orion">Lexi Underwood</keyword>, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/04/cruel-summer-lexi-underwood-season-2-freeform-recasting-1235011284/">Deadline reported</a> in April.</p><p>"Locke &amp; Key" star Griffin Gluck will play Luke Chambers, Megan's best friend since childhood who comes from a prominent family compared to Megan's "blue-collar" one, the synopsis said. Luke is struggling to create an identity for himself that is separate from his influential father's. </p><p>"Little Fires Everywhere" star Lisa Yamada will recur throughout the season as Parker, a well-known musician who becomes increasingly pessimistic as her circumstances darken. </p><p>"Greenleaf" star Sean Blakemore will play Chatham's sheriff Myer, who is a pretty traditional and strict in his style of law enforcement, but might break under pressure when he must solve the town's first major crime.</p><h2><keyword id="14288269" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="season-2" source="Orion">Season 2</keyword> will have a reunion of Shondaland alums</h2><div type="image" title="Cruel Summer CHIARA AURELIA, SARAH DREW" height="2249" width="3000" msid="92456902" hostid="261" sizebytes="234626"></div><p>"Cruel Summer" season two will reunite Gluck with his previous <keyword id="11898468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tv" source="Orion">TV</keyword> family.</p><p><keyword id="14288267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kadee-strickland" source="Orion">KaDee Strickland</keyword>, who played Gluck's stepmother Dr. Charlotte King nearly a decade ago on <a href="https://www.insider.com/where-is-cindy-turner-on-cruel-summer-sarah-drew-interview-2021-5">the "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff </a>"Private Practice," will star on "Cruel Summer" season two as Megan's single mother, Debbie. She struggles to get her daughter to accept that there is a lot more life to live outside of their small town. </p><p>Gluck and <keyword id="14288266" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paul-adelstein" source="Orion">Paul Adelstein</keyword> will play father and son once again. On "Private Practice," Adelstein played Gluck's fun-loving dad, pediatrician Dr. Cooper Freedman. On "Cruel Summer," Adelstein will recur as Luke's powerful dad Steve Chambers, who has high expectations of his son and a tight grip on the town.</p><h2>A release date for 'Cruel Summer' season 2 hasn't been announced yet</h2><div type="image" title="Olivia Holt as Kate Wallis in &quot;Cruel Summer&quot; on Freeform" height="2250" width="3000" msid="92456905" hostid="261" sizebytes="172530"></div><p>While we know the show is currently filming, the network hasn't announced a premiere date yet.</p><p>According to the June 17 <a href="https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Production/Production-List.pdf">Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia production list,</a> production on season two is scheduled to wrap on August 31, making a fall or winter 2022 premiere date most likely.</p>

Freeform's hit teen thriller 'Cruel Summer' is currently filming season 2. Here's everything we know.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "<keyword id="6256511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cruel-Summer">Cruel Summer</keyword>" season 1, episode 6, "An Ocean Inside Me."</li><li>The May 18 episode of <keyword id="11281330" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freeform">Freeform</keyword>'s buzzy new series finally reveals where Cindy Turner is in 1995.</li><li><keyword id="2321839" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sarah-Drew">Sarah Drew</keyword>, who plays Cindy, broke down her character's big developments for Insider. </li></ul><p>Tonight's episode of Freeform's hit drama "Cruel Summer" finally answered one of the biggest questions on viewers' minds throughout the first half of the season - where is Cindy Turner in 1995?</p><p>On the surface, it's not surprising to find her at a bar. But as her portrayer Sarah Drew told Insider, the Cindy Turner of 1995 is not the woman we may have predicted she would become.</p><p>"So many people have been so curious trying to figure out what happened to her. Where is she? Is she alive? Is she in jail?" she said. "You do not expect her to come in [to Angela's bar] with all of the confidence in the world as a new career woman."</p><p>The reveal comes within the last 10 minutes of "An Ocean Inside Me," an episode that focuses on the last day that Greg (Michael Landes) and Cindy live together in 1994. Of course, their marriage has been strained ever since Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) accused their daughter Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia) of failing to report her kidnapping.</p><p>But Cindy has an awakening on August 15, 1994 - which happens to be the Turners' wedding anniversary. </p><p>"What she realizes really in 1994 on this particular day is that her whole life up until this moment she's been treated as someone 'less than,'" said Drew.</p><p>This revelation is compounded by the fact that Greg and Jeanette hide things from Cindy, fearing she'll overreact. Greg's tendency to dismiss his wife's legitimate reactions and his unwillingness to see his daughter's flaws ultimately costs him his marriage.</p><p>In the episode's 1994 portion, Cindy can't shake the intuition that Jeanette is lying about her involvement in Kate's situation and finds the key to Martin Harris' house hidden underneath her jewelry box. She presents it to Greg, who refuses to believe the truth.</p><p>"It's that [moment] that sends her into a spiral of, 'I am alone in this relationship. I'm alone here. I'm alone here and the relationship that I had with my daughter that I thought was an identity building kind of thing for me is in shambles,'" Drew said.</p><h2>'Cruel Summer' is many things, but it's in part a story about the complexity of growing up</h2><div type="image" title="Cruel Summer CHIARA AURELIA, SARAH DREW" height="2249" width="3000" msid="82758713" hostid="261"></div><p>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/sarah-drew-greys-anatomy-return-japril-endgame-interview-2021-5">former "Grey's Anatomy" star</a> was particularly excited to explore the complex relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter when she joined "Cruel Summer."</p><p>"I remember how beautiful and complicated and mysterious it all was. This moment in your growth as a human when you start to separate from your parents a bit and kind of come into your own and have your own thoughts," she said. "And how that can kind of rock the world of a parent, and especially a mother." </p><p>Contrary to what "Cruel Summer" has led us to believe up until this point, "An Ocean Inside Me" finally shows us that Cindy is a rational parent who has caught her daughter in a lie and desperately wants to help her out of it. So, why doesn't she confront Jeanette with the key?</p><p>"I think she wanted to give her daughter the chance to come clean without accusing her," said Drew. "Like, 'is there any connection between us anymore? Is there any trust here? If I give you the opportunity to actually say the thing that you're scared to say, will you say it?' And the answer was no, she did not say it." </p><div type="image" title="Cruel Summer CHIARA AURELIA, SARAH DREW" height="2249" width="3000" msid="82758715" hostid="261"></div><p>It's one of the many sad moments where we see Cindy honoring her truth while desperately trying to connect with a family that is determined to ignore reality. She has given up her dream of becoming a flight attendant to raise her family and does not deserve to be gaslit on all sides. So, it's actually easy to be happy for her when she walks into Angela's bar as a full-blown flight attendant ready to have a Cosmo and ask her ex-husband's girlfriend about life. </p><p>"These women are not gathering at the bar to talk about the man," Drew said, laughing as she discussed the scene. "They're gathering at the bar to talk about what it is to be a woman, and what it is to be someone who fights for their dreams, and what it is to try to be a mother and be a mother the best way that they can."   </p><h2>Do Cindy and Jeanette see each other again in 1995?</h2><p>Now that we know where Cindy is, the next natural question is: Will she reunite with Jeanette in 1995?</p><p>Drew can't answer that because it's a spoiler (we tried!). She loves collaborating on Cindy's development with "Cruel Summer" showrunner Tia Napolitano, so it makes sense that she doesn't want to spill its secrets. </p><p>But "Cruel Summer" is so much more than just a teen psychological thriller, and Drew is happy to be part of a story that represents marginalized communities and difficult issues with respect.</p><p>"It makes me so proud to be a part of this show," she said, noting that all of the representation feels "organic and authentic."</p><p>"I hope that I always get to be a part of shows that handle [representation] as well as 'Cruel Summer' has," she added.</p><p>"Cruel Summer" is currently airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on Freeform.</p>

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'Cruel Summer' showrunner breaks down the twist-filled season finale - including that big reveal in the final seconds and the kiss that made fans very happy

Esme Mazzeo

Breakout hit thriller 'Cruel Summer' will return for a second season

Esme Mazzeo

Freeform's hit teen thriller 'Cruel Summer' is currently filming season 2. Here's everything we know.

Esme Mazzeo

Sarah Drew talks 'Cruel Summer' finally revealing where Cindy Turner is - and why she's 'so proud' to be part of Freeform's buzziest new show

Esme Mazzeo