Confess Your Sins

Season

2

Episode

8

First Aired

July 17, 2023

Writer

Heather Thomason & Diana Glogau

Director

Ben Hernandez Bray

Episode Guide
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It's the End of the World	The Miseducation of Luke Chambers

Confess Your Sins^[1] is the eighth episode of Season 2 of Cruel Summer. It aired on July 17, 2023.

Synopsis[]

In summer 1999, new friendships are formed and secrets are kept as the crew approaches senior year at the annual school car wash. In winter 1999, Megan and Isabella push for answers. In summer 2000, Debbie wants to protect her daughter.^[2]

Plot[]

The events that are about to unfold take place on or around:
August 1st, 1999
January 1st, 2000
August 1st, 2000

1999, Summer: Megan tells Isabella about her first kiss with Luke. She thanks her for letting them be together. The girls both feel lucky to have each other. Megan runs off to meet Luke downstairs.

1999, Winter: Megan and Luke arrive at the Chambers cabin. She wants to try something different and takes out ropes. Since the world is ending, this could be their last chance.

2000, Summer: Megan tries to contact Ned to no avail. Isabella walks into the room as they need to talk. Sheriff Myer called her lawyer because he knows they lied and it was actually Megan on the tape. Isabella assures her that she didn't cut a deal or anything, because the truth makes her look just as bad as Megan. Megan tells her they have bigger problems; Steve thinks Ned killed Luke and the police are looking into him. He has security cameras all around his house, and one of them faces the road to the Chambers' cabin. They're always filming, 24/7. The cops can't find that footage, so the girls head over to Ned's.

1999, Summer: Isabella greets the new couple downstairs, ready to go to the car wash. Megan and Luke were hoping to hang out alone upstairs for a bit before the event. They head upstairs. Debbie and Lily enter and learn the couple are together, which doesn't surprise Debbie as they've been friends forever. Once Lily leaves, Isabella admits to Debbie that she's not sure where she fits in their relationship. Debbie assures her it's still next to Megan - and that school is starting soon. Isabella's excited about football games, pep rallies, and even the car wash. Debbie suggests she head over to the car wash first. She's going to have a terrific senior year.

2000, Summer: Sheriff Myer hands Deputy Hardwicke images of Megan and Ned. Steve Chambers is convinced that Ned killed Luke. Myer isn't sure he buys it, but something is going on between Megan and Ned. He wouldn't put anything past her or Isabella, since they lied about the sex tape. Hardwicke is still going through Jeff Pope's footage from the NYE party, and Myers tells him to keep going, just in case there's something there.

1999, Summer: Megan and Luke make out on her bed. They're happy to finally be together, as they know everything about each other but there is still uncharted territory she wants to explore with him. She's glad she waited and they get to be each other's first. Luke pauses and then agrees.

1999, Winter: Luke lays down on the bed while Megan ties him up. He wants to establish a safe word - if things start getting too intense and someone can stop things. They choose “control-alt-delete”. After she ties him up, Isabella comes down the stairs.

1999, Summer: Parker waves a sign around at the car wash while Jeff records everything. Isabella joins them and jabs back at Eric and Tim. Parker takes Isabella to get a bucket. They need to raise as much money as possible so they don't have the Homecoming dance in their smelly gym again. Parker asks about Megan, as it's weird not seeing her and Isabella attached at the hip. Isabella insists it's the new normal and has to get used to it. She asks about Brent, though Parker broke up with him yesterday. The girls work together to wash a car.

1999, Winter: Luke asks why Isabella is there and they have to talk about The Plunge. Megan wants to know the truth about what happened because their versions of events don't line up. Luke struggles against the ropes. Megan goes to make drinks so they can talk things out. Isabella worries because he's nervous, but Megan assures her that he won't be for long. She takes a pill bottle and breaks two capsules over his drink. She calls it a truth serum and gets alcohol as liquid courage for them. Luke complains from the bed and Isabella looks over at him. While she's distracted, Megan only adds alcohol to two drinks. Isabella adds another capsule to Luke's drink for good measure. He doesn't want to drink more as he's already pretty drunk. They give him the drink through a straw.

2000, Summer: Megan and Isabella arrive at Ned's house, but he doesn't answer the door. She enters the security code that she remembers from watching him enter it before. Once downstairs, she struggles to find the cameras. Isabella would hide them too if she were super paranoid. Isabella asks why she hid what happened with Ned, and Megan jabs back that she shouldn't compare secrets. She then admits that she started working with him after the tape happened so the girls were at eleven. It was a lot and she wanted something that was just hers, separate. Isabella would have let her have it, but lying made it so much worse. Megan thinks she finds something, and Sheriff Myer agrees from the doorway.

1999, Summer: Jeff sells Eric a videotape of an illegally recorded movie he's wanted to see. Meanwhile, Isabella tells Parker that she wants to join the social committee and is excited to have a locker. Parker teases her and then tells her that seniors get a lot more than that; they're the rock stars of the school. Parker apologizes for being a bitch to her when she first got here. They get their picture taken and one of the girls points out Megan and Luke, holding hands.

Parker asks Isabella if that's awkward, but Isabella denies it. She's legit happy for them. In her experience, three can be tricky and it ends up being two against one. She's ready to have fun for her senior year and Parker is down to be her wing woman. They high-five each other. Isabella walks over to Jeff to ask what he does with all his footage. He's making a video time capsule; they record everything, talk about their goals, and see what changes by next summer. She wants to get her first and last American high school experience to have good friends and good times. She wants to go hard and leave it all on the table. They look over at Megan and Luke laughing together. She assures him there's nothing he could have done, as they were inevitable. She looks away from the happy couple.

1999, Winter: Isabella and Megan wake up a drugged Luke. Isabella tells Megan the truth and she emerges with a video camera. They talk about what happened at The Plunge and he admits it was more on him, but it didn't mean anything. He admits to having blamed Isabella so he didn't look bad. He didn't want to hurt Megan or have her look at him the way she is right now. Isabella wants to know what other bullshit he's told people about them. Megan reminds him that they're “wrapped around his finger”, quoting his words from the NYE party. He insists it's not what it sounds like. She accuses him of acting like he's on their side ever since the sex tape, while secretly bragging about being a stud. He admits but insists he didn't mean it. He just wanted to sound cool. She knows him and that he's not that guy. They want to know everything he said about them. He's going to confess all his sins and she's going to make sure everyone in town sees it. He begs them not to as his dad will murder him. Isabella doesn't think he understands what they've been through because of the tape, but he will. She wants to know what else he's done.

1999, Summer: Debbie heads up to the sheriff's station as Steve is coming out. He asks if she knew that it was Megan on the tape and not Isabella. She insists it was private. He didn't think they hid things from each other back then. She points out Brent's tape collection, but he justifies it as protecting his son. She was protecting her daughter, which he understands, but asks about Isabella. She is the reason Isabella is there and everyone turned their back on her when the tape came out. She wanted to protect Isabella. Now, Debbie isn't going to let Megan go down for a crime she didn't commit. Steve thinks she sounds so sure, but wonders if she can say the same about Isabella. Debbie glares at him and heads into the station.

1999, Winter: Luke insists he was trying to sound cool for the boys that night. Isabella demands to know if he watched any of Brent's tapes. He initially says no, then admits that he did it by accident. The guys came over to the house one day and he saw a little. Luke admits to knowing Brent was filming tapes and that he was filming tapes at the cabin. Megan emotionally realizes he knew Brent had a hidden camera and brought her there to have sex with her on camera. He denies it and Isabella emotionally shouts that he's lying. Luke insists he's not because Brent didn't even record them. Isabella presses him for the truth about who made it. Luke admits that he made the tape.

1999, Summer: Brent joins the boys in the back of the truck bed, bragging about getting the Pam/Tommy sex tape. It would be a killer addition to his collection. He offers to let any of them borrow it for a fee. Isabella eavesdrops on the conversation. She sees Steve across the parking lot ogling one of the bikini-wearing women.

2000, Summer: A deputy wheels evidence past Megan, Debbie, Tom, Isabella, and Rebecca. Deputy Hardwicke tells them that Sheriff Myer is ready for them.

1999, Summer: Isabella picks out a t-shirt to wear when Luke finds her. They make small talk until he tells her that Megan still thinks they are each other's first. He thought Isabella told her they had sex, but when he realized she didn't, he couldn't tell her. She was going to but Megan admitted she had feelings for Luke and Isabella couldn't break her heart like that. He's hoping they don't have to tell her. He doesn't want to lie to her, but she was so happy at the idea of it. Isabella doesn't know; Megan's her best friend and it feels wrong not telling her. Luke insists Megan's more sensitive than she seems. The last thing Isabella wants to do is make her feel bad. She's worried Megan will find out, but he counters with who will tell her. She agrees and he assures her it's the right move.

2000, Summer: Sheriff Myer questions Isabella and Megan separately about what they were doing in Ned Faunce's house. They went to see if he would confess to killing Luke. He accuses them of rehearsing well. He then restates their claim that they stopped being friends last Winter and if they stand by that. Megan insists it's true, and so does Isabella. He wonders why they maintained the lie that it was Isabella on the tape. Admitting it was Megan after the fact wouldn't have changed anything. It makes him wonder if it's a coincidence that the only other person who knew about the lie was dead. Or if they killed Luke because he was about to reveal the truth.

1999, Winter: Megan is in shock over his lie. Isabella accuses him of being worse than Brent because at least he doesn't pretend to be a good guy. Luke thought it would be hot for them to watch it together. He didn't play it at the party and doesn't know who did. He begs Megna to forgive him as he loves her. She tells him to shut up and Megan wants to leave and leave him there. Isabella sets down the camera and he shouts for them to wait. He says that Isabella lied to her too. Isabella tells him not to do this and Luke reveals that he and Isabella had sex once last summer before he and Megan got together. She turns to Isabella with a look of betrayal.

2000, Summer: Megan tells Sheriff Myer that Luke was always on board with the lie because it was about her, for her. The tape would have ruined her scholarship and future. Isabella did it to protect her. It was a big lie to take on, and she doesn't know anyone else in the world who would have done it. She was desperate and let Isabella take the blame. Deputy Hardwicke comes in and whispers in Myer's ear then leaves. Myer asks Isabella why her friendship with Megan broke down if she didn't cheat on Luke. The gossip, being called sluts, wore them down. The noise got in their heads and it became a thing between them they couldn't escape. He asks how she would describe their friendship on New Year's Eve. It was already over by that time. They had their last fight that night after the party. They didn't make up after or come to a truce.

1999, Summer: Brent asks Isabella if she wants to upgrade with him. As she walks away, he pulls the strings on the bikini. He laughs as she knows she wants it, but she vehemently denies it. He accuses her of tossing it around and asking for it. He calls her a tease and she calls him a pathetic asshole. Steve walks over just as Brent is leaving. He knows Brent likes to push the envelope but calls it harmless, that “boys will be boys.” He tells her she's okay and walks away. Isabella fixes her bikini and finds Megan washing a car. Megan notices she's a little off, but Isabella doesn't tell her what happened. She would tell her if something was wrong, as there were no secrets between them. Megan and Luke plan to head out early, but Megan plans to see Isabella later.

2000, Summer: Myer asks Megan about what happened after the party. Tom insists he has his client's statement already, but allows the questioning. Megan and Luke went to the cabin, hung out for a while, then she left him there to go home. The next day when she came to take him to the train, he was gone. Isabella repeats her story, too. She wasn't feeling well, so she left the party early and went to bed. She last saw Megan the next day. Megan last saw Isabella at the party.

Myer shows them footage that Jeff took from the party. They were looking through it to find clues as to why he might have run away. Based upon what they know now, a second watch was enlightening. It took some time, but their tech was able to isolate their conversation. It reveals that Megan wants to get some serious revenge on Luke and make him wish he never met them. Myers now knows they were plotting to take him down on New Year's Eve, together.

1999, Winter: Megan and Isabella fight over her having sex with Luke, and he makes things worse with more lies. As their friendship unravels he isolates Megan, reminding her how possessive and smothering Isabella is. The two of them can work things out without Isabella. Isabella runs out of the room and when she comes back, she's holding a gun.

1999, Summer: Debbie and Steve make out in the Landry's living room. Megan and Luke are in her room, wondering if their parents really think they're being stealthy. His dad's always had a thing for her mom so he isn't shocked. Megan thinks it's a bad idea in every way because he's her boss. Luke thinks that if they're happy, and those aren't unhappy noises they're making, maybe they'll get off their backs. Then “family time” will mean they get to be together. So, it's a win-win for everyone. Megan admits there's some logic there. She wonders what would happen if they break up, and Luke concedes it would be ugly.

2000, Summer: Myer tells Isabella that Megan admitted she went to the cabin with her and Luke after the party. Rebecca insists it proves nothing as it's Megan's word against her client's. Myer reminds her of the benzos in Luke's system when he died. Megan accused Isabella of bringing pills to the cabin and drugging Luke. Unbeknownst to Isabella, Myer says the same thing to Megan. Tom knows he's just fishing. Myer tells them both to tell him what the other did that night at the cabin. Unless one of them wants to go down for this alone.

1999, Summer: Isabella listens to music in the airstream as she puts Polaroids on her wall. Megan and Luke hurry in as they're trying to figure out what to do tonight. She grins as she's up for absolutely anything.

2000, Summer: Megan admits that Isabella was with her and Luke at the cabin on New Year's Eve. Slowly, each girl gives their version of events to the sheriff, blaming each other for everything.

1999, Winter: Megan screams for Isabella to put the gun down. Isabella demands she takes back what he said and Luke calls her crazy. She wants him to tell Megan that she's a great friend. She begs Megan not to listen to him and Megan insists she knows that Isabella's a good friend. Luke accuses her of wanting Megan all to herself, and Megan tells him to shut up. He presses that Isabella's only been there for a minute and Megan will forget Isabella. She'll never pick her side, so Isabella should just put the gun down. Isabella cocks the gun and pulls the trigger.