Lakewood is not a safe place these days, and it’s a wonder that everyone in that town hasn’t gone crazy yet.
If you haven’t watched last night’s episode of Scream, this is your one and only warning that there are spoilers ahead.
Last’s night’s Scream season 2, episode 10, “The Vanishing,” was an edge-of-your-seat thriller from start to finish, not least because everyone’s favorite Brandon James enthusiast was stuck in a coffin for most of the hour. The stab to Noah’s gut was brutal enough for fans, but his subsequent kidnapping and burying was almost too much to handle.
And that makes me wonder how he will handle what’s happened to him, especially after the complete and utter shock of Zoe’s death. I thought, for sure, that he was so close to saving her, but when I realized the video was delayed and she had already died, it was one of the most disheartening things the show has ever done to us.
This, too, on top of what happened to Riley in season 1. After those two harrowing experiences, it will be a wonder if Noah allows himself to get close to anyone ever again. Especially when you factor in Audrey’s betrayal. Whether you believe her intentions were malevolent or not, her actions have led to all of this destruction.
But it’s not just Noah we need to worry about. Everyone has lost someone, and perhaps no one has been more traumatized by the Lakewood Killer than Emma Duval. The events of season 1 have driven her to a mental breakdown, causing her mother to whisk her away to therapy.
But the effects of last year still linger, and Emma’s anger has been rearing its ugly head recently. The loss and betrayal of her friends is only compounded by the secrets her mother continues to keep from her. Emma’s life has already been irrevocably changed, but this final secret feels like it could truly be her undoing.
And let’s not forget about Kieran, who lost his father after losing his mother and her new husband, or Brooke, who lost Jake after finding out who Seth Branson really was. Then there’s Audrey, who lost Rachel and feels immense guilt for not knowing earlier that Piper was the Lakewood Killer.
How do you come back from all of this? How do you maintain your composure and your sanity? As we approach the final two episodes of Scream season 2, I have to wonder how anyone will recover from what has happened over the last two years. When Piper’s accomplice is finally revealed and defeated, how will everyone move on? It will just be another betrayal.
Even if Emma moves on, even if the surviving Lakewood Six find their way out of the hellhole of their hometown, will they ever return to normal? They’ll always be looking around the corner, suspicious of every new person who enters their lives. Every unknown caller will send a shiver down their spine, and every missed call to a loved one will have them thinking the worst.
As much as I’m curious as to who was working with Piper back in season 2, I’m also curious to see how Scream closes out this season. Will it end with an ambulance ride and a cliffhanger of a clue, or will it end with Emma, Audrey, and the rest of the survivors walking off into the sunset and out of Lakewood forever?