Dead of Summer Season 1 Episode 3 pulled out no stops and saw the potential demise of two characters that were believed to be series regulars: Amy and Blotter, while diving into Cricket's past which was heart-wrenching to watch.

Could the hand in the lake have been Blotter's, or are we getting ahead of ourselves? What about Amy? Is she dead? What is going on with this cult and their rituals.

Below, join TV Fanatics Allison Nichols, Yana Grebenkyuk, Caralynn Lippo, and Jay Ruymann as they discuss Cricket's family, Amy's death sentence, and more!

Cricket's flashbacks! Thoughts?

Allison: I really enjoyed her flashbacks. They helped me understand why she has been writing all that stuff on the walls. I really loved seeing her friendship with Blair.

Yana: I knew Cricket would have an interesting backstory after the little hints in the pilot so it was nice to see that play out. I didn't expect Blair/Cricket to be included in the flashbacks, that was a happy surprise.

Caralynn: Cricket was one of my favorite characters from the beginning. Her backstory was really tragic. I think it's hilarious that to make Amber Coney fat they just had her wear like 6 sweaters.

Jay: Caralynn, I laughed out loud at how they tried to make Amber Coney look "fat." It was worse than Ashley Benson pretending to be fat on Pretty Little Liars. But it was really sad, and I didn't see it coming like everyone else did. Cricket is the most, if not the only, relatable camper so far, so it's nice to finally make a connection with one of the teenagers we're supposed to be rooting for.

One day you will realize, women like us, sometimes we have to settle.

Cricket's mother

• Permalink: One day you will realize, women like us, sometimes we have to settle.

What surprised you more: Cricket's dad cheating, or her mom telling her they just have to deal with it?

Allison: As soon as the neighbor appeared, I knew Cricket's dad was going to be having an affair with her, so I was more surprised at her mom's reaction.

Yana: Her dad rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning. He basically insulted her and her mother in the beginning so I wasn't expecting anything good. Her mom telling her they have to settle was shocking, but it was also very heartbreaking.

Caralynn: Definitely her mom's reaction. It was just so pathetic. And it completely messed up Cricket's view of her self-esteem and sex/relationships.

Jay: I disagree, Caralynn, with your use of pathetic. Pathetically sad, perhaps? Her mom was twisted in the same way Cricket was beginning to be, and no one should have to "deal with" an unfaithful relationship because they don't fit into the perfect societal standards of beauty.

New thoughts on Stillwater's satanic cult?

Allison: Deb has to be a part of it, probably the leader. I doubt those kids could orchestrate whatever they are doing all by themselves. I found it interesting that Deb didn't really try to hide the mask. She kind of looked at it with pride and awe.

Yana: It looks like they might be trying to resurrect the Tall Man, in which case his behavior and the hallucinations he brings makes sense. He might be trying to make the kids stop this from happening. I want to know why Amy was struck if they used Cricket's hair. Is this like a Jennifer's Body situation?

Caralynn: The Deb angle is really interesting. She clearly has that mask for a reason, but is she definitely working with Crowley and the other satanists? Maybe the past she mentioned to Joel had her involved in the cult, but she's not in it anymore. She didn't seem particularly thrilled when she heard that Crowley was creeping about in the last episode.

I have a feeling that whatever they're doing is much larger than just the Tall Man. The Tall Man was just a man. What we (and Amy) saw in the water was some kind of demon, I think. They're probably trying to conjure it. And the Tall Man is not down for that.

Jay: I doubt Deb is the leader, but I would love to see her as a part of the cult. She has to have a lot of insight on the camp and whatever wacky things are going on there, so I hope we see someone that in her flashback episode, which has been teased as episode six.

What do you think of Jessie? We haven't seen much of her, but she continuously butts in between Amy and Garrett.

Allison: I don't like her all that much. I'd rather she be upfront about things. Why couldn't she have just asked Amy if she wouldn't mind staying behind to work movie night? I did like that Amy wasn't stupid and realized what was going on.

Yana: Jessie would probably say that Amy is butting in on her and Garrett. I don't like that Jessie's plot is only centered around trying to get a guy. She has more to offer and I hope we see that, maybe through a friendship with Amy? It looks like Garrett doesn't know how to act because he likes Amy and yet feels something for his past girlfriend too, so neither of them is going to get a straight answer. How about they strike up a friendship instead?

Caralynn: Jessie is one of my least favorites so far. She's so incredibly one-dimensional and just awful. On top of that, Amy's increasing cheeriness in the face of Jessie's bitchiness is even making me annoyed at Amy. They both need to stop being so stereotypical (the "nice girl" and the "bitchy, jealous girl") and start acting like real people.

Jay: Making us unable to tolerate Jessie already is not a good sign for anyone potentially favoring her character. No one is going to care about her inevitable flashback episode because no one cares about her and her bitchy facade.

Will Alex ever redeem himself?

Allison: I'd like to be optimistic and say he will, but I'm not sure. He needs to do more nice, non-shady things without any ulterior motive. I'd like to see him be more genuine.

Yana: Is there anything to redeem? Alex isn't the greatest, not even close but that's who he is as a person. He puts himself first and I don't think that's something that has to be or can be "fixed". Alex just isn't the best person which everyone is figuring out on their own.

Caralynn: I sense that he'll have a death redemption, if anything. I don't see him surviving the season. Maybe he'll save someone and die trying. I can see that happening.

Jay: I hope not. I would like to see him stray from the golden boy routine that he's played and channel his inner devious side. It would be interesting to see that very adult dynamic bounce against all of the teenagers, and even Deb, if he were to stand up to her. No one but me liked him as the golden boy, anyway.

Amy was struck by lightning! Is she dead? Was the ritual successful?

Allison: I'm 95% that she's not dead. As far as the ritual goes, I'm still a little fuzzy on the details. They obviously thought Cricket was the one (for some reason), so I want to know why they thought that and then why it ended up being Amy. I just have a lot of questions.

Yana: She isn't dead. She will probably be really injured or in a coma? Something that will push the others to try to solve what's happening by getting Deb to show them what's in the box. I think the ritual didn't play out like they planned because Cricket was "the one", but maybe Amy was struck because the spirit realized that she was the one that was meant to be sacrificed.

Caralynn: She's probably not dead but I kind of wish she was. That sounds harsh, but my first thought when the lightning hit was that she was now dead and her body would be inhabited by whatever thing the ritual was meant to summon. Then I remembered that this is Freeform and they probably won't do something that dark.

Jay: It's Freeform, she's not dead. But who even knows what the ritual was, or what it will do to her. Why did it work on Amy if they had Cricket's hair? Nothing makes sense, and my brain hurts.

Tune into Freeform every Tuesday at 9/8c for the latest episode of Dead of Summer!

Jay Ruymann was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in January 2018.