‘Cruel Summer’ Finale: That Twist Ending, Explained

It’s been 10 hours full of lawsuits, countersuits, lies, betrayals, and heartache. But at long last Cruel Summer Season 1 has finally ended. And even though we knew there was a twist coming, nothing could have prepared us for THAT ending.

Cruel Summer started as a series about one girl’s kidnapping. It’s since devolved into a deeply creepy story about the limits of popularity, one young woman’s grief and trauma, and the lies we all tell ourselves to escape our demons. If you’re desperate to know how this saga finishes up, and also the type of person who flips to the back of the book, we understand. Here’s how Cruel Summer Season 1 ends. Spoilers ahead, obviously. 

How Does Kate and Jeanette’s Legal Battle End?

Oddly for this show all about misunderstandings and secrets, Cruel Summer‘s main conflict ended with a conversation. Kate (Olivia Holt) and Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia) met at the late Martin’s (Blake Lee) house in the middle of their trial. Remember, $11 million was on the line, so that meeting was a pretty huge deal.

For the first time the two compared notes. Kate admitted to Jeanette that she was allowed to freely roam Martin’s house for half of her imprisonment. She also said that she heard Jeanette enter on Christmas Eve and heard her speak, confirming Jeanette’s identity. For her part, Jeanette admitted to breaking into Martin’s house that night and stealing the snow globe. So far, so honest. But then came another one of Kate’s white lies.

Kate has always maintained that she made eye contact with Jeanette, who did nothing to help her. In reality, Kate caught the attention of a hooded figure on a bicycle. Though Kate couldn’t see the face of whoever was riding the bike, she knew that due to the house’s lighting they could see her. Kate just assumed that it was Jeanette because she heard Jeanette’s voice and had seen her riding that bike before. But Jeanette swore that was never her.

After their time at Martin’s house, Kate chose to believe Jeanette. In “Hostile Witness” she dropped her countersuit against Jeanette and apologized for misidentifying her. In turn, Jeanette dropped her own case against Kate for the disparaging comments her rival said on The Marsha Bailey Show. Basically, both young women decided to bury the hatchet and move on with their lives.

Who Saw Kate Wallis?

Back to that hooded figure. On Christmas Eve in 1994 there was a third person at Martin Harris’ house. Kate was trapped inside, Jeanette broke into the house, and Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) watched her former best friend do it. That’s right: the one person almost constantly on Kate’s side was responsible for one of the worst things that ever happened to her.

Later in the episode Mallory explained why she didn’t go to the police. When she looked inside of Martin Harris’ home she didn’t see what appeared to be a captured woman. She saw a blonde woman making a phone call and freely roaming the house. At the time Mallory thought that woman was Martin’s sister or girlfriend, and she stuck around to watch this mystery woman catch Jeanette. It was only after Kate was officially found that Mallory put two and two together. Mallory knew that Kate was lying about being locked up in the basement for the full time and realized that if she told her secret, she’d be telling Kate’s too. So instead of telling, she kept it to herself.

What’s Going on Between Kate and Mallory?

When you suspect the unhinged girl who took over your life saw you while you were kidnapped, that’s grounds for some legal action. But when your best friend does it, that’s a different story. After the truth came out, Mallory started packing. She told Kate not to worry because she’d never have to see her again. Instead Kate surprised her bestie.

“And leave me? Here? Without you?” Kate told Mallory. “Don’t you dare.” Kate is all about forgiveness at the end.

A month later after watching Jeanette’s appearance on The Marsha Bailey Show, Kate and Mallory drove to an abandoned road. Last time this happened a guilt-stricken Mallory stayed in the car and silently cried instead of dancing with Kate. But this time around things were different. Mallory got out to dance with Kate, and while they were dancing Kate kissed Mallory. We don’t know exactly what this means. Are they a couple? Are they thinking about becoming a couple? Was it just a one-off thing? No matter what we’re invested because, damn, these girls have chemistry.

Who Was Annabel?

Remember how Kate told her therapist that there was another person trapped in Martin’s house, someone named Annabel? Well, Kate was dissociating hard with that one. Annabel was never a person, but an object, a family heirloom gun to be exact. That leads us to Episode 10’s other big revelation…

How Did Martin Harris Actually Die?

Since the first episodes of the show it’s been repeated that Martin died in a shoot-out with police. That wasn’t exactly true. He was shot, and it did lead to his death and Kate’s escape. But Kate was the one who shot him.

During a flashback to 1994, Martin introduced Kate to Annabel. That introduction was also a goodbye as Martin planned to shoot himself. But Kate was too quick and crafty for him. She managed to steal the gun away from Martin, and she pulled the trigger. When the media reported on the kidnapping they misidentified the timeline, and Martin’s time of death. So Kate was the one who killed Martin this whole time.

So Did Jeanette Really See Kate and Say Nothing?

It’s time to get to Cruel Summer‘s monumentally sickening twist. During one of her last appearances in the season, Jeanette went on The Marsha Bailey Show. While being interviewed by the women who helped to make her life a living hell, Jeanette says, “There is something I want to say. To the girl who named me, who could have cleared all this up sooner but didn’t. Kate Wallis, I forgive you.”

But that creepy parroting of Kate isn’t the last time Jeanette appears in this series. The final moments of “Hostile Witness” are a flashback to 1994. While in Martin’s house yet again, Jeanette stood outside the door to the basement. That’s where she could clearly hear Kate begging for her life and chose to do nothing but smile. Jeanette never saw Kate Wallis in Martin’s house… But she certainly did hear her.

Where to stream Cruel Summer