I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (S1E5) “Shak ‘n Stuff”: Tension And Secrets Return

When Amazon released the first four episodes of I Know What You Did Last Summer, viewers were given a rollercoaster ride of success. Where the first two episodes were a class act in both revitalization and identity, the subsequent episodes would leave viewers wanting. “Hot Shrimp Salad” ended in a bathroom blood bath, more bodies turning up as the island had gathered to say their goodbye to Alison/Lennon (Madison Iseman), whose body had washed ashore. As the attendees take in the murderous rampage, the kills feel random and unnecessary, as the text messages lighting up the phones of the gang felt more like a conclusion to an episode of Pretty Little Liars.

A Weak Beginning

With ”Snak ‘n Stuff”, for the first third of the episode, grief is still front and center, the camera capturing Margot (Brianne Tju) literally binging on every kind of junk. As she seems to live-tweet her mental struggle, she is alone in the elegant but echoey bathroom – her one safe haven. As the camera lingers on Margot, a single tear dropping from her eye, sequestered struggles are immediately contrasted by the hype of the town.

With three murders, and the recent apparent suicide of Alison/Lennon, the town is in an uproar, losing faith in not only their safety but those who are meant to protect them. As Officer Lyla (Fiona Rene) addresses the town, the scene is used more to bolster the coming narrative, setting the episode up for a series of interviews with anyone who attended Alison/ Lennon’s funeral.

The lead-up to the interviews is filled with stuffed exposition, suspicions over Lennon/Alison’s behavior, and a lot of dialogue that does little to enlighten the audience. As interrogation day arrives, the informal interviews come off just as that – informal. They never appear as serious or attain the tension one would expect surrounding the gruesome murders of a few members of the community – especially one that has witnessed the mass deaths of a former cult.

But all is not lost…

Somehow, someway, I Know What You Did Last Summer finds its way back to what made its first two episodes successful, reinvigorating its tension and accelerating the feeling of everything coming apart. Whose lies this applies to are yet to be seen as the episode reveals we can truly never really know a person – quietly mimicking Alison/Lennon’s opening statements in Episode 1 “It’s Thursday”.

As the town is calling for action, cutaways show Dillion (Ezekiel Goodman) back in the cave where they left Alison/Lennon’s body. As he had pointed out in the last episode, she must still be alive as her name is not carved in the walls with the others lost to the cave. As he adds Alison’s name to the wall, he is startled to find Clara (Brooke Bloom) appear, her words cutting through him like a blade – writing her name won’t do him any good, and it won’t bring him redemption. With her words and the knife with blood he finds on the cave floor, Dillion deduces that Clara must be the killer.

As each of the teens is brought in for questioning, Dillon, Riley (Ashely Moore), Margot, and Lennon/Alison decide to find the evidence they need to bring Clara up as a suspect to the police without incriminating themselves. While this setup feels tired and cheaply concocted, this is the moment I Know What You Did Last Summer begins to gain its mojo back.

As they arrive at Clara’s, while she is being questioned, they find not only the oddities within her home but throughout the abandoned campus that once housed the island’s former cult. And while they quickly work to find the evidence to incriminate Clara, they end up stumbling on more secrets than they had bargained for.

Conclusion

”Snak ‘n Stuff” accelerates quickly the moment the gang arrives at Clara’s. While the first third to half of the episode again feels like filler, the series returns to its strengths, uncovering secrets around last summer – as well as secrets that the audience would have never been able to deduce. What’s more, the series proves it has more up its sleeve, presenting more perspectives of the past that have dire consequences on the future.

And as the camera closes, each episode seemingly promising a murder in its closing moments, viewers are left on edge – and the series’ first cliffhanger – of who the killer got to in the final moments.

I Know What You Did Last Summer premieres every Friday with new episodes on Amazon Prime!