Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner

Season

1

Episode

1

First Aired

April 20, 2021

Writer

Bert V. Royal

Director

Max Winkler

Episode Guide
Next
A Smashing Good Time

“	Even though I have been advised by a legal team not to, I feel strongly that this is something I have earned the right to share. A few months after I was kidnapped, something happened that gave me some hope. I was found by someone. A girl. I didn't know her very well, or at all really, but, she saw me. I thought... that salvation was near. That I would soon be rescued. That she would bring me back to safety but... Help didn't come for months. Why not? Well, I found out that while I was being held captive she had essentially taken over my life. To the girl who stayed silent, who let me endure things that I cannot erase, you could have saved me and you didn't. I wish you could go to jail for your sins but since there are ridiculous laws against that, I can only say: Jeanette Turner, I hope you rot in Hell.	”
	— Kate Wallis' interview statement

Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner is the pilot episode and series premiere of Cruel Summer. It aired on April 20, 2021, as part of a double-episode premiere with the season's second episode, A Smashing Good Time.

Synopsis[]

Taking place over 3 summers in the 90s when a popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America.

Plot[]

The events that are about to unfold take place on approximately June 21st, 1993, 1994, and 1995.

1993. Jeanette Turner is woken up by her father who wishes her a happy birthday. Her mother enters with a pancake candle for her to blow out. Her brother and parents clap for her. Jeanette has plans to go to the mall with her friends, but Derek has plans to see a concert but her parents are sure that if he skips dessert he’ll make it in time to the concert.

1994. Jeanette Turner is awakened by her boyfriend Jamie who brought her a cupcake with a candle in it. She makes a wish. He notes that he had to arm wrestle her father to get to wake her up. He made plans to go roller-skating with her and they kiss. As he leaves, they exchange love yous.

1995. Jeanette is awakened by her angry father who tells her to wake up as the lawyer is here. She asks which one but he doesn’t think it matters and tells her to get up. She rolls onto her side so he yanks the covers off her. She asks for a minute and after a long pause, he wishes her a happy birthday and leaves.

Jeanette stares at the dirty dishes as her lawyer notes that it’s her birthday, wishing her a happy one. Denise hopes that Jeanette feels more hopeful and apologizes for dropping in unannounced, though it will happen when things pop up in her case. She needs Jeanette to cooperate as this will be a tricky case, but only by working as a team can they get through it. She presses that it’s her word against hers. Jeanette asks if something has popped out.

1993. Jeanette and her friends ride bikes down the road while singing. They plan to make a list of things they have to do this Summer. In an elevator, Mallory asks if they have an urge to do something illegal which Jeanette isn’t a fan of, but agrees as long as it isn’t something immoral. They race to the photo booth. They walk through the mall arm-in-arm as they argue over which movie to watch. Mallory leaves to get Jeanette a birthday gift while Vince distracts her. While standing at a booth, Jeanette sees Kate Wallis and her two best friends, Renee and Tennille. Jeanette approaches Kate slowly until she ends up on the other side of the booth. Jeanette compliments her purse then tells Kate it’s her birthday, so Kate wishes her a happy birthday. Kate knows her name even though she’s a grade below her, but their conversation is cut off when Jamie enters to kiss Kate and flirt with her. Kate wishes her a happy birthday again so Jeanette leaves. Vince and Mallory stop her to ask what that was about but she claims it was nothing. Mallory hands Jeanette a bag that has a bracelet with a “you go, girl” logo on it. She thanks her friends ecstatically and hugs them. She watches Kate and Jamie make out.

1994. Jeanette and Jamie make out in the roller rink until her friends, now Renee and Tennille, pull her away. They stand in a circle to talk about Saturday night, which Jeanette says was perfect. Her first time was perfect which the girls giggled over happily. Jamie is joined by Ben who is surprised that Jamie likes Jeanette, and asks if he still thinks about Kate. Jamie claims he doesn’t. Ben asks if he thinks she ran away, which Jamie thinks is better than the alternative. Jamie notes that he’s happy with Jeanette.

1995. Jeanette re-watches news footage of Jeanette two weeks after she went missing. She rewinds a section where the newscaster remarks that her friends and family described her as a “bright, popular, and fun-loving young girl” and that they “pray for her safe return”. Outside, Jamie sits in his car looking at photos of him and Jeanette together. When two people jog by, Jamie tosses the photos in his glove department which has a gun in it. Jeanette answers her phone and Vince tells her that Jamie is sitting outside her house again, wondering if he should call the police. Jeanette knows and doesn’t care if Jamie hurts her. Vince wishes her a happy birthday which she thanks him for reluctantly. She asks if things are ever going to be normal again but he can’t remember when it was. She hangs up the phone. Vince looks outside his window and takes photographs of Jamie in his car outside her house.

1993. Jeanette tells Derek all about her friends making a list of things to do that Summer as they clean up the table. She can’t tell him what the list is as it’s a secret. He asks what he did for his 15th, to which Derek claims his dad let him drink beer for the first time. Their parents enter and sit down with cake, and Cindy asks about her new necklace before noting that it looks cheap. Greg gives Jeanette her birthday present while Cindy explains they found an old roll of film that they had developed and framed. Jeanette looks at the photo of her as a baby alongside her father, Greg. Cindy comments that they were inseparable from the time she was born, and the couple holds hands.

1995. Greg sits at the bar talking to the bartender, Angela, remarking that Jeanette is holding up okay even though she might be a sociopath. Angela doesn’t think Jeanette is a sociopath but just a teenage girl. Greg misses the way she used to be. He asks Angela when she gets off, and she asks if she’s sleeping at his place tonight which he hopes so. He tries to pay his bill but Angela rejects the money as they’ve been together for 4-months, and the perks of dating a bartender are getting free drinks.

1993. Jeanette joins Greg in the kitchen to check on him. He’s fine but apologizes for her dinner since Derek ditched it, but she understands that it’s more important to go on a date or concert than her nerdy birthday party. He knows that one day everyone is going to see what he sees when it comes to her, but she doesn’t think that one day she’ll just be pretty and popular and everyone will notice her. He puts a candle on her cake telling her to make another wish. She blows out the candle.

1994. Jamie and Jeanette tear their photo booth photos in half and she thanks him for the best birthday ever. They hear a loud noise but Jamie assures her it was nothing. Vince emerges as he hopes they are okay since the sound was a gunshot. Jamie remarks that this is Texas as he brings Jeanette to the house’s door.

1995. Jeanette watches the footage of Jamie being interviewed two weeks after Kate’s disappearance. He claims they were happy and begs anyone who knows anything to call the police, telling Kate that he loves her and wants her to come home. Angela enters the house and asks if Greg is home, so Jeanette answers that he’s in his room. Angela asks if she’s okay but Jeanette snaps back that she doesn’t need advice from a bartender who’s screwing her dad, as she would prefer she not do either. Angela knows what happened to Kate was a tragedy but if she ever needs to talk, she’s here. She also really likes Greg but tells Jeanette to never talk to her like that again as she’s not the enemy. Jeanette understands and apologizes. They say goodnight while Jeanette cries.

1993. Jeanette puts the photo strip of her and her friends on her mirror. She puts the necklace they got her in a jewelry box.

1994. She admires herself in the mirror and goes to bed.

1995. A distraught Jeanette walks to her bed.

1993. Jeanette, Vince, and Mallory walk through an alley where they plan to break into an abandoned house which Jeanette thinks is illegal. The keys to the house are in Jeanette’s father’s office, Skylin Realty, and they plan to steal the key. Mallory lies that she needs to use the bathroom, mentioning that Greg is the best dad ever even though she never had one. Vince reveals that Mallory’s dad left when she was five as he was an alcoholic. Mallory grabs a random key off the rack and they bike to 325 Huntington Road. Jeanette is worried her father will notice it’s missing, and Mallory thinks Greg was her sexual awakening. Jeanette notes the house is sold while Vince thinks it’s still empty.

1994. A reporter stands in front of 325 Huntington Road, a house that is now boarded up with vandalism sprayed on the board. Vince passes it on his walk and stops to look at it. The reporter is talking about the shocking events one year ago that happened there.

1993. Vince, Mallory, and Jeanette play hide-and-seek in the empty house with Jeanette closing her eyes and counting to 100 as her friends hide. Mallory and Vince hide in the shower of a bathroom as they hear Jeanette proclaim she’s coming.

1994. Vince and Mallory sit at the swings with Mallory telling him that Jeanette had sex with Jamie, and calls out Vince on still being in love with Jeanette. Mallory plans to leave as Jeanette discarded them, but Vince doesn’t see it that way. Mallory doesn’t think the town needed another Kate Wallis since they know the sequel won’t be as good as the original especially since the first one sucked.

1993. Jeanette searches for her friends and heads to the basement to look. She notices the small windows and mirrored room. A man greets her and she screams, startled, as he asks who she is. She notes that her dad sold the house and he realizes she’s Greg’s daughter and introduces himself as Martin the new homeowner. She lies that her dad thought he left his briefcase so he sent her since he was busy, but she didn’t find it. Martin is sure it will show up. In the shower, Vince and Mallory wonder what they should do. Jeanette shows Martin what she thinks her dad might have missed in the walkthrough. Vince and Mallory take the opportunity to flee. Vince notes that Jeanette is a lifesaver even if she might kill them. Jeanette leaves the house with Martin who asks if she goes to Skylin High, where he’s the new Vice Principal, though he hopes to see her around. she notes that he won’t as she doesn’t get into trouble. They say goodbye and she walks back to her friends remarking that it was awesome.

1995. Jeanette pours a drink and watches the footage of Renee and Tenielle saying that Kate was their best friend and they hope she’s okay. Jeanette pauses the footage to cry as she takes a drink. She stands and puts in the 1994 News tape instead. Mallory is being interviewed and she talks about how convincing Jeanette became overnight, even though Mallory tried to be a good influence. Jeanette throws a pillow at the TV.

1994. While shopping, Renee, and Tennille talk about how it’s almost been a year since Kate’s disappearance, expecting Jeanette to say something too. They note that she didn’t start hanging out with them until after Kate’s disappearance. Mallory and Vince peak into the store, with Mallory entering and loudly greeting her as Jenny. Mallory asks if the girls are her new friends, and the girls shame Mallory for making her clothes. Mallory congrats Jeanette on boinking Jamie Henson, asking Vince if that was on the list. She asks if Renee and Tenielle knew the trio used to hang out, so Jeanette asks for a moment alone with them. She then tells Mallory that she doesn’t know what’s going on, but she’s been here and that they pulled away too but if she wants to talk she knows where to find her. She then hugs Mallory, who merely responds that she sounds just like Kate. Vince runs off after Mallory. Renee, Tenielle, and Jeanette go to the photo booth.

1995. She sits in a car listening to music and eating while a group of friends passes the car calling her a psycho. She throws a pink smoothie at them before driving off. She meets with her lawyer who tells her they are only a few months away from a trial and have to talk about something that isn’t the necklace. They are concerned about her likeability, as they want the jury to root for her but Jeanette isn’t giving the impression that she’s the wronged party. The jurors want to feel a connection, but Jeanette doesn’t understand how they can after everything the people have done to her. People don’t whisper about her, they say it loud. Denise is sympathetic. Jeanette notes that her father spends most of his time painting over the graffiti on his garage while barely containing his contempt. The National Inquire did an article where they called her a Satan Worshiper while the Governor of Texas called her a disgrace. Denise notes it’s the only way to win. Jeanette thinks they want her to be more like Kate and plans to be more like what they want her to be and less herself, which is what Denise wants.

1994. Jeanette and Renee gossip over Tenielle having dirty-talked to Mike. Tenielle returns visibly distraught but tells them that they found Kate. Jeanette assumes she’s dead but Tennille notes that Kat isn’t dead but alive. Renee stands and the friends embrace while Kate sits in shock. They run to Jamie’s house to talk with him, but Ben tells her to leave. Jamie rushes out and punches Jeanette in the face, screaming for her to leave while the girls struggle to hold Jeanette up. Ben wrestles him into the house.

Cindy puts ice on Jeanette’s face but she claims it was a volleyball accident. The news comes on so Jeanette panics telling her to turn it up. It says that Kate was found after being abducted, with the alleged kidnapper, Martin Harris, having been killed in a shootout. Greg, Derek, and Cindy are surprised as they watch Kate be loaded into a police car. Cindy is glad it wasn’t Jeanette, who is crying.

1993. She walks home where Derek greets her in the driveway. She puts the key to Martin's house in her back pocket as the talk. He wonders what she’s so happy about, bringing up the list but she plays coy about the events of the day. He apologies for leaving her birthday early, but he thinks 15 will be her year. She thanks him and runs inside. She opens the jewelry box and puts her necklace inside it, and places the key next to the necklace.

1995. She watches the Kate Wallis Interview, where she talks about being abducted by her Vice-Principal. It’s been three months since her kidnapping. Jeanette fast-forwards to a section where Kate shares that her legal team advised her against sharing information. She says that a few months after her kidnapping she was found by a girl she didn’t know. Marsha, the interviewer, is shocked at the news. Kate talks about finding salvation and hoping the girl would bring her help but didn’t. She later learns that the girl took over her life while she was gone, and addresses the woman saying that she hopes the girl could go to jail but the laws preventing it are ridiculous. Instead, she looks to the camera and tells Jeanette Turner that she wishes she would rot in hell. Jeanette rewinds that sentence multiple times.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Shelby Surdam as Tennille Peterson
Aaliyah Muhammad as Renee Talbot
Patrick Arnez Grover as Evening News Anchor
Krystle Gutierrez as Anchor
Nikki Dixon as Marsha Bailey
Neyla Cantu as Molly Green
Carson Cunningham as Intersection Teen

Notes and Trivia[]

"Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner" opened with a trigger warning for domestic violence.
Jeanette has a minor role in this episode.
This episode takes place on June 21st of 1993, 1994, and 1995.
The episode aired with 274,000 viewers and a demographic of 0.11.^[1]
- It was the seventy-seventh watched program for cable that night.^[2] Alternatively, it's 10:00 PM airing of "A Smashing Good Time", was the 100th watched.

Viewership[]

Cruel Summer initially debuted with 274,000 viewers and a demographic of 0.11 when classified in its overnight viewers. However, in its live plus seven day category, it became the most watched series debut in Freeform history. It averaged 3.81 million multiplatform viewers in the first week available. The Jessica Biel produced drama is likewise the network’s best-ever series debut among Adults 18-49 (2.65 million) and Adults 18-34 (1.33 million). Additionally, the series from studio Entertainment One (eOne) is the No. 1 most social scripted series premiere across cable year-to-date.