Springing a Leak

Season

2

Episode

4

First Aired

June 19, 2023

Writer

Elle Triedman

Director

Ben Hernandez Bray

Episode Guide
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Springing a Leak^[1] is the fourth episode of the second season of Cruel Summer. It is the fourteenth episode overall and it aired on June 19, 2023 on Freeform.

Synopsis[]

In Summer 1999, Megan wants to be adventurous and makes fake IDs for the gang. In Winter 1999, a burst pipe leads the Landrys and Isabella to a messy night at the Chambers house. Isabella wants to help, but is met with resistance from Megan.^[1]

Plot[]

The events that are about to unfold take place on or our around:

July 23rd, 1999
December 23rd, 1999
July 23rd, 2000

1999, Summer: Megan complains to Isabella that there aren't surprises in Chatham, as they do the same thing every year. She wants to change it up but isn't sure how. She's tired of being the boring, responsible honor roll girl. Isabella thinks she wants to be a bad girl and Megan does, not committing crimes bad, but taking risks and going on adventures. Isabella doesn't need convincing as unpredictable is her brand.

1999, Winter: Megan is on her computer when Isabella comes up. Megan read an article about white hat hackers, and one of the guys went to the same program as her at U Dub. She could make good money in college by doing it. Isabella asks if Megan's going to see Luke later, but a loud clang from downstairs distracts them. They find Debbie in the kitchen under a burst pipe that's dripping everywhere. Megan goes to call the plumber.

2000, Summer: Megan takes a bag of trash to the trash cans. She looks around to make sure no one saw her then heads back inside, unaware that Isabella is watching from the airstream. Isabella gets out of the airstream and jogs to the trash, removing the bag to find bloody clothing inside.

Tom asks Megan where she went when she allegedly took Luke home. They just drove around for a while and then ended up at the cabin, which is the murder site. It would've been nice for him to know that.

1999, Summer: Isabella and Megan sit on the beach while Luke and Jeff play frisbee. Megan wants to do something different and fun tonight. Isabella suggests a club and the closest thing they have is the Brownsville Pub, but that's a dive bar that cards. Luke knows Brent has a fake ID but he'd never let Luke use it. Jeff is good at Photoshop and offers to figure something out. He thinks Megan can help as the computer genius, though it is risky. She eagerly agrees to do it, which surprises Luke.

1999, Winter: The plumber leaves and Debbie tells Megan it's $6,000 in full upfront. Megan thinks they should tap the emergency fund, but it's empty because of the roof repairs last year and Lily's retainer. Megan is mad that her mom didn't tell her. She can't lean on Megan to pay for things and then keep her in the dark, wishing she would be the grown-up around there for once. She has $900 in her savings account, but Debbie knows that's for college. Debbie will talk to Steve, but Megan doesn't like it as he's her boss, they're dating, and Megan's dating Luke. Debbie doesn't know what else to do and Isabella walks in with an envelope full of money, $5,000, that her parents gave her to buy herself a Christmas present. Megan refuses to let her help even though Isabella insists they're family. Megan calls her family but they'll find a way. They can't stay there tonight, so Debbie tells the girls to pack a bag so they can stay at Steve's.

1999, Summer: Jeff and Megan make fake IDs as they discuss colleges. He wants to go to NYU or USC like all the great directors before him. Filmmaking makes him happy - he can create his own little world. Her fake ID looks great, though it's missing the watermark, which is impossible to copy. She hacks into the Washington DOL database to steal the watermark. He calls her amazing. She gets an IM from CBABBAGE5 offering to show her shortcuts for C++ as he's a good teacher. She closes it and then gives Jeff the mouse so she can copy over the watermark. They both grin as he remarks on them making a good team.

2000, Summer: Tom reminds Megan this is real life and not fiction. It doesn't look good for her and asks when the last time she saw Luke was. It was early that Saturday morning but claimed she hasn't been back to the cabin since then. Debbie listens from the kitchen. He asks if there's anything else she hasn't told him as they can't afford any more surprises. He needs to be prepared for whatever is coming. She insists that's it.

1999, Summer: Megan and Isabella get ready together in the air stream. Megan wishes she could go back to before she saw her mom kissing her dad. Isabella suggests putting it in the rearview and forgetting about it. It's worked for Isabella so far. Tonight is going to be amazing, adding that Megan and Jeff are cute. Megan feels like she can be herself around him, similar to how she can with Luke. Megan asks to borrow a dress and Isabella lets her.

1999, Winter: Megan packs a bag and laments to Debbie that she doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to be around Brent right now, not after the whole tape situation. Debbie is so sorry that happened to her. Sex is supposed to be private and not blasted in public for the whole town. Debbie wishes Megan would have told her they were having sex. Her first time is special, and Megan admits it was. She can't believe Debbie saw the tape. Debbie wishes she could make it all disappear. Megan thanks her for not making her feel worse about it.

1999, Summer: The group practices their fake IDs in front of Isabella who grills Jeff, Luke, and Megan about the lives they've created. The boys give in-depth answers while Megan sticks to the fact, which pleases Isabella. They head to the door eagerly.

1999, Winter: The girls arrive at the Chambers' house. Megan and Isabella recap that they won't mention the tape or anything that happened, leaving them little to talk about it. Isabella tells Megan she should have taken the money, which upsets her. Isabella quickly says she was joking, but doesn't think it should be that complicated. Megan knows, but money always complicates things. Steve lets the girls inside and Debbie explains that Lily is at a sleepover. Luke slyly tells Megan to sneak into his room for a sleepover later. Steve calls for Brent to come down and greet their guests, but the boy doesn't show. The kids head upstairs while Debbie asks Steve if he's okay. He is, but Wayne Bright pulled out of the Northland deal because he can't do business with people who don't share his values. It's because of the tape and it doesn't matter, because someone like that spikes a deal and it sends a message to other investors. They're dead in the water.

Megan, Isabella, and Luke head to the kitchen where the sliding glass door is already repaired. Luke warns the girls that Brent is on the warpath because Steve is making him work for the company next year instead of going to college. That excites Megan, and Luke grins that he promised he was going to handle it. She kisses him and then asks to use his shower and he lets her know where the towels are, and that Alma made up the guest bedroom. She also made the crispy potatoes that Isabella loves, which makes her smile, as she missed her.

1999, Summer: The bouncer lets Megan and Isabella into the bar. He asks Luke what his Zodiac sign is, but Luke doesn't know it. The bouncer makes both him and Jeff leave.

2000, Summer: Megan and Tom enter the sheriff's station and she sees Jeff at the counter. Isabella and Rebecca leave as the duo are entering. In an interrogation room, Sheriff Myer shows Megan the letter that Luke left his dad. It says he's running away and seeing family in Virginia. They found Megan's fingerprints on it, though she always said she didn't know Luke was planning to leave. Megan admits he did tell her about him running away. Yet all the times Myer asked, she lied. She lied about dropping him off at home, lied about knowing he was leaving, and now about the letter. Megan insists it was to protect him. She didn't know why he ran away, just that he was scared, but she didn't know what. Myer snaps at her and Tom insists they're done. If he wants to question Megan more he'll have to place her under arrest. Megan stands and leaves with Tom, but not before glancing down at the letter first.

1999, Winter: Megan enters Luke's bathroom and picks up a towel. She finds a bikini hidden behind a towel and recognizes it as Isabella's.

1999, Summer: Megan and Isabella enter the bar, and Megan wonders if they should go back since the boys got busted. Isabella refuses and takes her to the bar as her friend gushes over the atmosphere. She orders drinks for both of them, rum and coke with lime. She tells Megan she doesn't have to drink it, just hold it to make herself look cool. Their drinks were bought by a guy across the bar. Megan exclaims he's 30 and they giggle, walking off to the dance floor. This was the first drink Isabella had with Lisa in Barcelona. They thought they were so sophisticated because Hemingway drank them too. Megan thinks it should be her first too, with Isabella, and they toast to firsts. Isabella leads her to the dance floor where they hold hands and dance together.

1999, Winter: Megan joins Luke by the grill as she vents over Isabella just having five grand to hand out. It makes her feel like her family is a charity to Isabella. Luke knows that's the last thing Isabella intended because they talked about it. Megan accuses him of doing it behind her back, though he insists it's not like they and it's not a big deal. They talk sometimes about everything, not just Megan. They're friends and he asks her not to worry so much as it's all gonna work out. Megan accuses him of sounding like Isabella as she can't expect either of them to understand. She works her ass off all year and in a second that's gone when a piper bursts, and it's not even enough for the repair. He gets it but she doesn't see how when a window gets smashed at the Chambers's house and it gets fixed overnight. It's the same for Isabella - something goes wrong and someone writes a check. He asks what's going on and she tells him to forget it, stalking off.

1999, Summer: Jeff and Luke wait in the car as Luke is bored. Jeff teaches that the situation is on Luke as he could never take direction. They'll just have to wait for the girls. Luke asks if he and Megan have been hanging out and they have. They used her computer for the IDs. She has an impressive setup and mad skills. Luke teases that it must seem that way to Jeff, who sucks at numbers. Jeff retorts that he's dyslexic, and even then, Luke still copied him in math. Luke laughs as he got pretty good grades, too. They laugh for a moment before Luke tells him it's cool that he and Megan are hanging out or whatever.

1999, Winter: Isabella searches Brent's drawers when Megan catches her. She claims she's seeing if Brent had any more tapes. She sees the bikini that Megan's holding and takes it, glad to have it back as she was wondering where it went. It must have gotten caught up in the laundry to end up in Luke's bathroom. She asks if Megan found anything else, but she didn't. Megan asks when she left it there, but Isabella isn't sure. She surmises it was sometime last summer. Megan grills her about the timing, though Isabella insists it was from before. Megan admits that if there was any overlap or if Isabella still has feelings for Luke, Isabella should tell her and Megan will deal. Isabella can't believe she's really asking that. She let the whole town call her a slut and a lousy friend. Everywhere she goes people whisper behind her back and now Megan is accusing her of sleeping around with Luke. Megan apologizes as the pipes have her stressed out, but Isabella doesn't care. She asks how far she has to go to prove her loyalty to Megan. After a moment, Isabella asks if she needs Isabella to kill for her then storms out of the room.

1999, Summer: Megan and Isabella do shots in the bar as Isabella explains the body shots she used to do with her ex-boyfriend. Megan thinks it sounds sexy and heads to the bar for water. She sees Sheriff Myer enter the bar and go to a pool table, where he hands a man an envelope. She hurries to Isabella to warn her about the Sheriff, who is buying into a pool game and doesn't see the girls.

1999, Winter: Brent, Luke, Isabella, and Megan talk before dinner about him being grounded because of his pitiful snitch of a brother. Luke calls him out for the pervy shit he did. As they argue over the table and he makes a crude remark to Isabella, Megan shouts that she used to make excuses for him. That he was just damaged but he went too far this time. He tells them to get over it as it's not that big of a deal. He accuses Isabella of being a slut and banging Luke behind Megan's back. Steve and Debbie enter the room and Steve shuts down the fighting, telling everyone to sit.

2000, Summer: Megan listens to music on her bed when Debbie yanks them off. She's mad that Megan knew Luke was running away and didn't say anything. She let Steve suffer. Megan was trying to protect Luke. He was really freaked out and wouldn't tell her much, just that he had to get away for a while. Debbie wishes she would have told her. This is too much for Megan to handle on her own. Megan admits that Luke showed her the letter while they were at the cabin. She was supposed to put it in Steve's mailbox after she dropped him off at the train station. When she got back to the cabin after work, he wasn't there. For months after he left, every time the phone rang, she thought it would be him.

1999, Winter: The awkward dinner continues in silence until Debbie admits to thinking Brent owes Isabella and Luke an apology. Steve instructs Brent to do that, and he does apologize for what he did. Megan urges him to keep going, though Steve cuts her off as he did apologize. Debbie thinks some genuine remorse would be great. Luke just wants to have a nice dinner, something Steve seconds. Megan refuses as she wants Brent to admit to filming those girls without telling them. Luke asks Megan if they have to do this now and Debbie realizes there was more than one tape. Megan tells him there is and that Steve must be so proud. Debbie is horrified to learn that Steve knew and tells Brent his mother would be so ashamed. She can't believe Steve isn't more upset. He admits Brent made a serious lapse in judgment but has been punished - end of story. She rebuttals that he filmed those kids without their knowledge without consent. That is more than a lapse in judgment that is criminal. Steve doesn't want her to critique his parenting in front of his kids. She accuses him of letting Brent coast for a few months, so Steve offers to talk privately. She refuses as the kids can handle this. Steve had Jack back off so it wouldn't go on his permanent record. Debbie thinks real lasting consequences might just be what he needs. Steve coldly asks when she became the morality police since Keith got her pregnant and she didn't marry him twice. Isabella stands up for Debbie, telling Steve not to talk to her like that. The trio bickers and Debbie accuses Steve of sweeping things under the rug to protect his social status. She knows reputation is everything to him, but this is what he gets when he prioritizes the Chambers name over his family, hoping it's worth it. She leaves the table as Megan smirks proudly.

1999, Summer: Isabella and Megan run up to the van laughing. They tell Luke to floor it as Sheriff Myer is in there. Jeff asks Megan if she was drinking, and she was, which shocks Luke. He would have liked to see that, her first time. She insists there's plenty of time left for that.

1999, Winter: Back in the Landry house, Debbie thinks about taking Isabella's offer as a loan. Megan doesn't want to since she already owes Isabella enough with the school stuff. The phone rings, and she answers it, only for a guy to call Isabella obscenities. It rings again, and another boy shouts vulgarities, so Megan unplugs the phone. Debbie knows this cover story is putting a lot of pressure on both of them, on their friendship. She asks if it's worth it. Megan hopes it is because it's her future. She asks if Debbie and Steve will be okay, but Debbie isn't sure. Love isn't always enough - you have to see the world in the same way.

1999, Summer: The foursome reconvenes at the Chambers' house for beers. They toast to Isabella being the best cocktail sensei she could ask for her. Luke asks who Megan is and what she's done with his friend. She's still the same person she's just living in the now. Jeff asks her to go for a walk, and they head off. She teases him about not getting into the bar. He's happy someone else knows who Raymond Chandler is. She's bummed they didn't get to use his fake ID because it was perfect. It was perfect for him because he got to spend time with her. They kiss over the tennis court divider. Over on the patio, Luke stares at the new couple while Isabella gushes over the bar. She wishes he would have gotten in, and he does too. She smiles as they had a lot of fun, so he kisses her.

2000, Summer: Sheriff Myer knocks on Debbie's front door with a warrant for Megan's computer, as it may contain evidence of fraud. She shouts after Deputy Hardwicke and runs upstairs, following them. The sheriff and deputy leave with Megan's computer as she watches them go. She looks over at Isabella, who is standing in the doorway of the air stream, watching them.

1999, Summer: Megan tells Isabella about Jeff's kiss. It wasn't exactly like she imagined, but she can't wait to do it again. She asks what happens next - if she should call him, or wait for him to call her. Isabella tells her to enjoy the moment, recapping the epic night. Megan doesn't want the night to end and invites Isabella to sleep over. She would love to, so long as Megan doesn't snore when she drinks. They take turns hitting each other with a pillow.

2000, Summer: Megan talks to someone on the phone about taking precautions with her computer, as there's stuff on it. She's not sure she got the code right. Over at the station, Sheriff Myer instructs a deputy to open a file called Y2K_Patches.dat as it might give them insight into what happened the day of Luke's murder. The file triggers a virus that scrambles the files.

1999, Winter: Megan comes downstairs to find plumbers working on the pipes. She assumes Debbie convinced the plumber, but she never talked to them. Steve sent them as his way of trying to apologize. Megan opens a letter from Chatham High School, in which she gets a C+ as her final grade in a class. Megan lies to Debbie that it's just junk mail. She heads back upstairs.

2000, Summer: Myer turns on a tape recorder in an interrogation room with Megan and Tom. He just received information that sheds new light on things. She's been playing fast and loose with the truth since Luke disappeared. He paints her a new picture. On January 1st, Luke disappeared without a trace, and Megan was the last person to see him alive. Megan insists he ran away, but Myer calls it her version of events. The letter backs her up, but Myer points out that it has her fingerprints on it. She was helping him, but he questions that or if it was just part of a cover-up. Tom asks if he has a point or if it's just a fairytale. Myer continues that Luke was the love of Megan's life. But by all accounts, their relationship was never the same after the sex tape. Too many secrets, too many lies, and it all got worse when she found out she was pregnant. Tom wants to talk to his client, but Myer presses that he believes Megan and Luke went to the cabin, and she told him he was pregnant. He rejected the idea of a baby with her, of a future with her. So she killed him.