“I Know What You Did Last Summer” Wraps Up With A Bizarre, Divisive Finale
Joe Lipsett
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Each week Joe Lipsett deep dives in a spoiler-filled review of the latest episode of Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. This week: episode 8, “Your Next Life Could Be So Much Happier”
Plot Synopsis Of This Week’s I Know What You Did Last Summer
Lennon (Madison Iseman) and her surviving friends confront painful truths from the past as the shocking truth of the killer’s identity is finally revealed – with deadly consequences.
Mommie Dearest
Let’s talk about arguably the least successful part of the finale (and, by extension, the back half of the season): the return of Allison and Lennon’s mother, Helen (Maggie Lacey). Back in episode six dad Bruce (Bill Heck) revealed that Helen didn’t die; she simply left the family for Fred, the former cult member behind Lennon’s OnlyFans account in episode five. When Helen turned up last week, Bruce was surprised that she was even alive. This suggested that her presence would prompt a major shake-up in the finale.
That’s not quite what happens. Sure, there’s a pretty compelling showdown between mother and daughter (I love that Helen has no problem immediately identifying Allison). But these scenes fail to move the plot forward. We learn that Helen is still a cultist, that she believes there’s something wrong with Bruce and Allison, and that she’s only in town to collect the cult’s MacGuffin-esque Bible. And that’s it.
Which begs the question: why bother with the cult storyline at all? It’s underdeveloped and inconsequential at best, or a complete red herring at worst.
When Helen’s body disappears from Clara’s ceremonial altar and Bruce reminds his fiancé Sheriff Lyla (Fiona Rene) that Helen has been dead for years, it feels pretty fitting because this storyline was DOA from inception.
Dylan and the No Good, Very Sus Behavior
So Dylan (Ezekiel Goodman) wasn’t the killer after all. That’s smart considering he was the most obvious suspect for the better part of the season. Still, Dylan’s behavior in the finale is beyond bizarre. His attempt to convince Sheriff Lyla about the twin switch is truly unhinged. When he confronts Allison in her house, he’s super threatening. Even if he didn’t commit a spate of murders (just the one!), he’s still not altogether sane.
The most perplexing element about Dylan’s behavior, and one that warranted more time from writer and showrunner Sara Goodman, is his repeated references to setting Allison free and how there’s no redemption in this life. These seem lifted straight from the cult’s manifesto, which suggests that Dylan was somehow maybe involved.
Considering his penchant for carving the names of victims into the cave wall, this all tracks. If that’s the intention, however, then it’s a missed opportunity that Dylan’s interest or membership in the cult isn’t made more explicit.
Killer Obsession
As if the series hasn’t been polarizing enough, the reveal of Margot (Brianne Tju) as the killer, her elaborate rationale – explained through the credits, Wild Things-style – and Allison’s ultimate decision are going to be…divisive to say the least.
In truth, it makes perfect sense for Margot to be the killer. The suggestion that she killed all of these people in order to force Allison to reveal her true identity is a little undercooked. But her emotional investment in every facet of Allison’s life this season proves that Margot is completely obsessed. Even her small stature and last week’s glass window attack are easily explained by the involvement of her accomplices, Jason Lee Hoy’s henchman Kyle and her mother Mei (Sonya Balmores).
Queer Implications
What sits less well about Margot’s motive is part of a larger discussion about the history of queer horror. There’s a long, often troubling and painful history of killer queers. While Margot doesn’t fall into discriminatory or harmful territory, this reveal is certainly toeing the line.
The issue is that the character is a psychotic killer whose motive is intimately tied to her sexuality. Her same-sex desire for Lennon is the literal reason she commits the murders. The deranged homosexual killer has been a horror trope for decades; it’s a convention that conflates queerness with (at least part of the) horror, presumably for straight viewers. When Margot’s villainy is viewed through that lens, this twist doesn’t sit entirely well.
At the same time, love-obsessed killers aren’t strictly confined to queer storylines and the suggestion here is not necessarily that Margot’s lesbianism is why she kills. Her love of Lennon is equated with feeling seen and making a connection (one that simply happens to be queer). From this perspective, Margot is merely a damaged, mentally unstable girl whose desire manifests unhealthily in murderous impulses. She just happens to also be queer.
Surprising Choices
Less surprising than Margot’s killer reveal is Allison’s final choice. In what will undoubtedly be the most polarizing element of the finale, Allison sides with Margot, the girl who just stabbed her, over Dylan. As a result, Dylan is arrested and sent off to an institution, while Margot and Allison continue their volatile, co-dependent relationship.
What’s most fascinating about this development is how it continues I Know What You Did Last Summer’s genuinely unexpected trajectory. The series has rarely followed prescribed rules, particularly in how it distanced itself from the other entries in the franchise.
More importantly, Allison’s decision is extremely on-brand for the character. This is a girl who has struggled to emotionally relate to others. Her best friend and confidant is her father, and she was abandoned by her mother. It makes sense that Allison’s trauma and emotional abuse would cause her to confuse Margot’s obsession for a genuine connection. Her other choice is Dylan, whose entire identity consists of hot and cold responses and vaguely incel behavior.
Based on the end of the episode – in both the ambulance, as well as on the cliffs – it’s clear that we’re meant to question the stability of the girls’ relationship. The interaction on the cliffs, in particular, is shot and framed by director Logan Kibens in such a way that it seems as though Margot might push Allison off. There’s also a clear underlying threat in Margot’s demand that Allison never leave her.
Allison made a specific choice to maintain her connection to a person who is literally willing to kill for her. But siding with a murderer means watching your back for the rest of your life. Allison now has two shackles: Margot and the need to continue impersonating Lennon.
I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer
Naturally – because this is a slasher series – creator Sara Goodman keeps the door open for a new chapter with one final twist. Riley (Ashley Moore), still encased in honey and previously thought dead, opens her eyes. While this is totally ridiculous, it’s exactly the kind of memorable and silly development that I Know What You Did Last Summer has excelled at these past eight episodes.
With that said, however, the idea of revisiting the same story is less appetizing than starting fresh. While I would welcome a chance for Goodman and company to explore the cult in-depth, coming back to this plot would undo all of the discomfort and sheer “What The Fuckery” of Allison choosing a murderess and sending an innocent boy to jail.
This ending is incredibly messed up, and that’s what makes it great. Returning to the same well for another season would require dismantling that. For that reason, I’d rather see the series leave these characters on the shelf and come back for something entirely new.
Season one of I Know What You Did Last Summer is now available in its entirety on Amazon Prime.
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