Dead of Summer Round Table: A Thug in Madras Shorts
Jay Ruymann
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Welcome back! Dead of Summer Season 1 Episode 2 saw a glimpse into Alex's past, while a cult showed up at Camp Stillwater, and someone was kicked out for unwillingly embarking on an acid trip.
Join TV Fanatics Carissa Pavlica, Allison Nichols, Yana Grebeyuk, and Caralynn Lippo as they discuss the consequences of Alex's Russian twist, plus, find out who the interesting stand out of the episode was.
We got a sneak peek at Alex's past. React.
Carissa: Dude is not a nice guy. I was kind of surprised that his story was so...mean. He's a thug at heart. A thug in madras shorts. His story didn't scream '80s to me, though. None of their stories are screaming '80s.
Allison: I was surprised by his past in a good way. I wasn't expecting the immigrant storyline. It made Alex a lot more interesting to me. I also don't trust him at all now.
Yana: The more I watched Alex's flashbacks the more I realized that maybe we weren't supposed to sympathize with him? His past was hard and it made him who he was, but it was a decision he made. Alex really will do anything to survive, throwing others under the bus and he needs to come to terms with it. The more he denies it and plays innocent, the worse he comes off.
Caralynn: Ew. Just ew. I'm with Yana, my take on the flashbacks is that we're not supposed to feel badly for this dude. He's a creep and I didn't see one redeeming quality in sight. It's also completely inexplicable that Cricket is still so into him, after Blotter ratted him out for drugging him!
Stand out of this episode (excluding Alex).
Carissa: I don't think this is a standout, but I have a crush on the lead satanic worship guy. Outside of the satanism, he's totally my kind of guy. Of course, he's arrested and a total jackass, but I would most likely seek that dude out. Damon! That was his name. Guess I like guys named Damon as a general rule, too.
Allison: He was Fisher on Greek! The moment I realized that, my jaw dropped. I also really loved Anton. He was just adorable, and I want him to be happy at camp.
Yana: Garrett and Damon. They have a history (I was thinking romantic but probably not) and I would love to see where that goes. Damon will stop at nothing to accomplish his weird satanist plans and Garrett will stop at nothing to bust him, that dynamic will be interesting to watch.
Caralynn: Gotta go with satanic guy Damon as well. He was creepy and enigmatic. He definitely seems to be up to no good. I also loved Drew, and particularly Drew's interactions with Blair. Where are they going with this?
Jason (Blotter) was kicked out of camp! What do you think he saw?
Carissa: Blotter was killed, too, right? I mean, that face at the end wasn't just him leaving. He was kicked out and then bought the farm. Or no? What did he see? Probably a roadblock of ghosteses. It was quite the strange face, though, so it should have been something a lot more freaky than that.
Allison: I feel like he's still alive. Maybe he was kidnapped? The tall man could have super dramatically pointed to some friends who were about to grab Blotter.
Yana: I'm not sure. From what I understood, the Tall Man wanted Anton (and then Jason by extension) to find his body before the satanists did. So if Damon and his group got the body, the Tall Man may be in danger. I am wondering if maybe the Tall Man was worried for Jason, trying to show him the danger that was coming at him but not from him.
Caralynn: I feel very sure that he is dead, and I had the same sense Yana did, that the Tall Man is actually not the bad guy here. I do think he was trying to warn Jason about whatever was coming for him. Most of my reasoning for thinking Jason is dead has to do with the throwaway line about his parents being in Europe until August.
That line wouldn't be included for no reason. Clearly, his parents are in Europe until August so that nobody will know he's missing (i.e., dead) until later in the summer. If they knew he was dead right away, everybody would freak out and leave camp.
What's up with this Satanic worship stuff?
Carissa: Well, we kind of guessed there was a ritual of some sort at the beginning of Dead of Summer Season 1 Episode 1, and satanism goes back a long way. Nothing like a little satanic ritual to light up the lake waters bright red and keep some ghosts around.
Allison: I'm liking that the Satanists are connected to everything. I don't know how they tie into everything yet, but they definitely raise the stakes to a new level of creepy.
Yana: If the Tall Man is on another side from the satan worshippers, they could have sacrificed him back in the day? Maybe they killed the bodies that were found in the water too? The Tall Man could be trying to take his body somewhere which saves the campers who could be in danger of being sacrificed by the satanists as well.
Caralynn: What Yana said. The Tall Man doesn't seem to be the villain. He told Anton to find his bones OR someone would die. Not "and." "Or." As in, if you don't get rid of these bones, nefarious satanic worshippers will do dastardly things with them and cause mayhem at the camp. That's my guess, anyway.
Hopes for the rest of the season?
Carissa: I really don't know what to expect. Since we saw Alex's back story, I assume we'll see all of their back stories. I'd like to think the most dickish of them would die, but since we're talking satanic rituals here, it might be the exact opposite. Will people be lured into a cult? I really don't know.
Allison: Scary fun? I'd love to see one of campers get involved with the Satanists or something. It would just be a cool way to learn more about how they are connected to the tall man and what's going on at the camp.
Yana: More flashbacks, more interactions between the main characters, more Deputy Sykes, less relationships and more mystery.
Caralynn: I like the backstories, but Alex's left me cold. I hope the backstories get better with time. I have faith that they will because they've gotten nearly all of the backstories of the characters I'm least interested in (Alex and Amy) out of the way. I think Cricket's, Blair's, and especially Drew's backstories will be very good. Deb's too, if we get to see that this season.
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Jay Ruymann was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in January 2018.
