Courtesy of MTV
Scream plays a game of resting creep face and everyone is a suspect.
Let’s bitch it out…
It’s time to stop treating Scream with kid gloves. Just because we loved the film series does not mean we should do endless comparisons, but neither should we continue to defend an ineptly made TV series that doesn’t seem to have any aspirations of greatness goodness.
Let me say this: ‘Betrayed’ isn’t a bad episode of Scream. But it is a boring episode of television. Despite all of the heavy lifting that the writers are doing to try and make us give a shit about anyone, Scream tragically remains the Emma (Willa Fitzgerald) show. Unless (until?) one of these dream sequence murders becomes reality and actually takes the bland protagonist out, we’re stuck with the equivalent of Wonder Bread for a lead forever.
This week Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus) gets more to do, but it’s all lip service since she’s mostly reacting to things from less captivating characters. Detective Brock (Sophina Brown) is the latest in a string of unlikeable characters this show has trotted out and her hot/cold relationship Sheriff Hudson (Jason Wiles) remains the most interesting thing about her, which is to say not at all. There’s no element of surprise in her fixation on Audrey as a suspect, but there’s no suspense in the outcome either. The tape that Audrey considers so damning that she asks Emma and Noah (John Karna) to destroy it is laughable; there’s nothing even remotely damaging about it and certainly nothing anyone with an IQ above 20 would think makes Audrey a viable suspect. But hey, if it kills 15-20 minutes of a 44 minute show, so be it.
Audrey’s plight is meant to highlight how difficult it can be to trust anyone during these trying, murderous times, especially people you used to be friends with, then fell out with, then posted viral videos of on the Internet. See ‘Betrayed’ is all about trust and it’s timely investigation makes perfect sense considering it’s been days since the revelation that a serial killer is still hanging around town and no one has even thought of raising these issues before. In reality, this renewed investigation into “Who Is The killer” doesn’t really gel because it needed to happen about three episodes ago (and everyone should be in on it, not having blackmail side plots that no one cares about). Noah and Audrey’s conversation about a list of suspects – yet another poor imitation of a better scene from the films – is only worth mentioning because it ends with a solid comedic punchline about resting creepy face. It’s funny, but the humour wears off when you realize that every other character offers up a variation of the face – sans punchline – over the course of the episode. Sigh.
So Audrey isn’t the killer (shocker), but as Noah infers, pretty much everyone else is. Gasp! Who could have seen that coming? Even money is still on “why are you still here and how do you know everything?” blogger Piper (Amelia Rose Blaire) from whom the writers try to deflect suspicion by including her at the latest attack. Yes, poor Will (Connor Weil) may soon meet his maker after getting sliced and diced and dragged away, which is a pleasant thought for another bland character, but it would only inevitably result in having to listen to stupid Emma whine and cry about it. Double sigh.
Why couldn’t Scream have had the balls to do away with her for real? Now it’s all I can think / dream / hope / pray for.
Courtesy of MTV
Other Observations:
- Maggie (Tracy Middendorf) offers up her version of the Brandon James story, but there’s nothing new to justify the inclusion of these flashbacks. I guess the mother-daughter bonding time is therapeutic and Middendorf needs to earn her paycheck somehow.
- Brooke (Carlson Young) and Jake (Tom Maden) are in this episode too. Brooke…doesn’t really do anything. Jake, on the other hand, gets an I Know What You Did Last Summer-esque locker/towel scene…that doesn’t really amount to anything either. If the show is going to bore, the least it can do is be homoerotic. Why not have Jake confront Will in a towel? Take a cue from fellow MTV show Teen Wolf and make Scream more fun for everyone.
- Kieran (Amadeus Serafini) remains creepy, though he’s also eminently forgettable seeing that he keeps disappearing for long stretches of time.
- Not much new to report on Mr. Branson’s (Bobby Campo) role in this business, aside from the fact that he didn’t exist before coming to town. The bigger question is whether this legitimately has anything to do with anything or if it’s the narrative equivalent of a giant neon “RED HERRING” sign.
Best Lines:
- Noah (after Audrey and Will apologize to each other): “Aww, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful mutual tolerance.”
- Kieran (to Emma, learning that her mom sexxed up his dad): “Did you guys make some weird mother/daughter sex pact?”
- Will (moments before being attacked): “I really don’t wanna die for doing the right thing.”
Your turn: Is Scream doing anything for you these days? Would you have preferred it if Emma were really killed? Is Kieran uber-creepy? Is Piper one of the killers? Will Will die? Sound off below.
Scream airs Tuesdays at 10pm EST on MTV