As The Carny Gods Intended

**As The Carny Guys Intended** is the fifth episode in Season 1 of *Cruel Summer*. It aired on May 11, 2021.

## Synopsis

Jeannette and Kate cross paths at the Skylin High takeover of the County Fair, where one is desperate to prove herself and the other to lose herself.

## Plot

The events that are about to unfold take place on approximately July 29th, 1993, 1994, and 1995.

1993. Jeanette and Kate get ready in their respective bathrooms.

1994. Jeanette gets ready in her bathroom and throws out her braces bands. Kate stands in front of her mirror and brushes her teeth.

1995. Jeanette gets out of the shower when Greg knocks on the door to tell her she’s used all the hot water. She scoffs that it doesn't matter. Kate prepares to do her make-up when she sees Martin behind her saying, “Liar”.

1995. Kate listens to her therapy tapes about Martin. She admits to having lied to the cops about having known Martin before she was kidnapped. She lied as she thought it would make her look bad. Sylvia tells her that she’s a minor and can’t be at fault for anything that happened, so there is no "looking bad" in the situation. Kate recalls an event at the county fair. In the present, Kate sketches Annabelle’s name.

Denise tells Jeanette that more depositions are coming up, though Jeanette’s flippant attitude prompts Greg to remind his daughter how much they are paying Denise. Denise asks for a moment alone with Jeanette. She tells her client that she needs more people that are willing to testify that she is human, citing Vince Fuller as a good example of a positive deposition. She recommends Mallory Higgins but Jeanette negates the idea. Denise urges her to find good people.

1993. Jeanette prepares for a first date with Mallory and Vince helping her. She’s preparing to go out on a date with Gideon. Mallory assures her the fair is a good place to go on a first date. She reminds Jeanette that she and Vince already finished this list item with a double date. Jeanette protests that it’s not the same as a one-on-one date. Vince reveals that Mallory and her date made out in the movies, though Mallory turns the idea down sharply. She then says they should get going before the good rides are ruined with puke.

1994. Jamie and Kate arrive at the fair and he apologizes for picking her up late. His mom was making him do extra chores around the house. She snaps that he deserves it for punching his ex-girlfriend, though Jamie wants to move past that. She points out that the opposite of love is indifference not hate. She asks if he really wants to be with her or if he just feels bad for her. He assures her that he doesn’t associate with psychos like Jeanette, so Kate asks why he kissed her. He tells her that he loves her and that’s real. She tells him that she followed him that night and saw him kiss Jeanette. She was just working up the courage to ask him about it. He asks if that’s her therapy talking. She states that she’s trying to stay focused on reality and he points out that she shouldn’t focus on made-up stories like him kissing Jeanette. She leaves the car and he bangs on the steering wheel angrily.

Jeanette and Derek arrive at the fair and she searches for Jamie, which annoys Derek. He can’t believe she’s trying to find him since he’s still with Kate. She points out that’s the idea as she wants to speak with Kate. He tells her to stop stalking Kate but she assures him that things are going to be different.

1993. Jamie, Kate, and Ben talk about the order in which they’ll play the games and eat. Kate sees Joy and Scott flirting from across the lot and she tells Jamie to look at them. Jamie and Ben look but Rod had joined them by the time they looked. Kate leaves to get a funnel cake which Ben notes is a mistake before the rides.

1995. Kate messages with Berenice about who could have sent the letter. Berenice asks who could benefit from the letter. Kate thinks it’s Jeanette so Berenice urges her to believe that. Mallory sneaks in through the window to tell Kate that Jeanette is going to sit in the dunk tank to pay her legal fees. Kate wants to go to the fair so Mallory reminds her that she was the one who said the fair is for shut-ins. Kate wants to go to make sure that Jeanette isn’t there.

1993. Greg tries to talk with Gideon about football but he isn’t knowledgeable. Vince and Mallory urge Jeanette out of her room. Cindy happily greets Gideon though the kids leave awkwardly. Cindy tells Greg to let Jeanette blossom and to be happy for their daughter.

1995. Greg goes to the kitchen for a beer when Jeanette emerges. He asks if she’s going to say something. She tells him what Denise said about needing people on her side. She wonders if her father is still on her side. He asks if she’s even on her own side. It’s hard to tell by how she’s been acting. She counters that this has been hard but he snaps back that it's hard on him too. He tells her that he’s been on her side the whole time. But being on her side cost him his job, reputation, and family. It’ll probably cost them the house too. He assures that if anyone asks him if she's the perfect daughter, her first word was dada, and she never hurt a fly - that he knows of.

1994. Derek wonders what catfight they’ll be having but Jeanette doesn’t want to hurt Kate. She wants to talk with her in case Renee and Tennille are twisting their words. She is confident they can talk it out since Kate’s version of events never happened.

1993. Jeanette and Gideon get into a ride as he asks if Vince and Mallory are her friends. She remarks they’re dope and waves to them as the ride takes off. Gideon is nervous since she’s the coolest girl, though Jeanette points out Kate Wallis, who is the true coolest girl. While she isn’t friends with her she’s getting in with her group. She points out Jamie who is the big man on campus. She lies that she knows him. Jamie throws a ball at the dunk tank and sinks the man inside.

1994. Joy and Rod are chased by reporters who want to interview them about Kate. Joy snaps that her daughter is strong and telling the truth. Kate tries to go to the fair when cameramen ambush her with questions and photographs. Jamie aggressively tells them to leave. He then turns to Kate and admits to having met up with Jeanette at the park. He knew he shouldn’t have done it but he felt bad for her. He states that he didn’t kiss her, though Kate is sure she saw it. He wonders if the trauma is making her misremember which angers her. She states that making her doubt herself is so much worse then kissing Jeanette. She then breaks up with him.

1995. Jeanette sits at home staring at a magazine image of herself being described as a psycho. Angela throws it away so Jeanette asks if she’s seen the reporters outside as they’re circling now that the trial is nearing. Angela proposes going out together and that she can be the one on her side. Jeanette is hesitant but Angela reminds her that she doesn’t have many other choices.

Kate and Mallory arrive at the dunk tank where they mistake the person in it for Jeanette. Jamie looks at them as he’s inside the tank. She throws a ball at the target and dunks him before walking away with Mallory.

1994. Cindy is drinking wine and watching a reality show about Bill and Hillary. Greg walks in as he thought she was getting a movie for tonight. She drunkenly states that she doesn’t like it there anymore. Someone spit on her car in the parking lot while she was in it. They also said mean things to her about Jeanette. Greg wonders when she started drinking before five and she points out that someone had spit on her car. She asks him what happens when someone dies on a commercial air flight. She states that they move the body to first class. She can’t believe that someone has to sit next to a corpse. He offers to rent the movie and leaves.

1995. Angela takes Jeanette to a grunge bar for lunch.

1994. Greg arrives at the video store asking about the new Meg Ryan movie and is directed to a shelf. Angela walks in asking if anyone drives a white sedan as she hit the car by accident. Greg brushes it off as stuff happening and she wants to write him a check. He gives her his real estate card instead as she’s looking for a new apartment. They introduce themselves. Vince waves hello to Angela.

1995. Kate and Mallory walk as they discuss how great it felt to dunk Jamie. Kate spots Tennille and Renee talking with reporters. The reporters state that no one has seen Jeanette in months. Tennille thinks she saw Jeanette buying black hair dye at the drugstore. She also heard that Jeanette isn’t coming to school. Renee calls her a drop-out and a shut-in. Kate sees the Monkey Maze ride.

1994. Kate is joined by Renee and Tennille who are eager to see her. She tells them she needs space to which Renee hesitantly agrees to give it to her. Jeanette calls to Kate from across the lot, though Kate tries to hurry away. Mallory intervenes to tell her that they can lose Janette in the Monkey Maze. Jeanette runs in after her against Derek’s wishes. Renee and Tennille run in after them while giggling. Kate gets separated from Mallory in the mirrors. Jeanette gets lost in the mirrors. They see one another but only in reflection. When Kate looks at the mirror she sees Martin’s reflection.

Jeanette leaves the Monkey Maze as Derek watches. He approaches and tells her to drop this. She tells him to be a good brother, to which he assures her that the Wallis always win whether they deserve it or not. As her witness he wants her to leave. She goes to hug him but he denies it since PDA isn’t his thing. He tells her to stop chasing Kate and Jamie. He wants her to try being the geeky Jeanette no one noticed, but she can’t be that person again.

1995. Kate wants to listen to more tapes before she and Mallory leave. She fast-forwards to the night at the fair in which she explains that Martin was running some silly game booth to raise money for school.

1993. Martin hangs the stuffed animals on the prize racks. Jeanette and Gideon approach and she introduces Martin to her friend Gideon. Martin asks if he goes to Skylin High, but Gideon explains that he’s visiting for the Summer. Martin smiles as he says that he's new to town too. Jeanette asks if he's from Widow Falls which surprises Martin, as he doesn't know how she would know that. She lies that her father must have told her. Martin offers to let them play the game which they are both eager to try. He provides commentary as the teens play. Renee and Tennille approach so Jeanette purposefully loses to let Gideon win. The girls taunt Jeanette over dating a loser like Gideon. Jeanette lies that they don’t even know each other and leaves. Martin watches her walk away while looking pensive.

1995. Angela and Jeanette arrive at the bar but she refuses to serve Jeanette alcohol. She can’t return Jeanette drunk. Jeanette asks what Angela sees in her dad. She admits to seeing a good person in Greg even though he’s going through a hard time. She asks Jeanette the same question. Jeanette is trying to see him as he used to be, thought Angela admits that’s a recipe for disaster. Jeanette points out the new karaoke machine which Angels proposes they try.

1993. Martin tells Gideon that Jeanette isn’t coming back, but Gideon is hopeful. He thinks Jeanette is a good girl who probably just got sick. Martin offers him a ride home but Gideon has his bike.

1995. Kate listens to the tape as she says that she played the game in the booth too, just like everyone else did. Sylvia remarks that Kate wasn’t just everyone else to Martin.

1993. Martin eagerly invites Kate to play the game.

1995. Kate and Mallory spot Jamie from across the lot. Kate walks up to Jamie to ask what he’s doing. A kid bet him a six-pack that he couldn’t steal the banner so he did. He’s visibly drunk so she asks him if he’s okay. He returns the question but she doesn’t know if she is or not. He wants to tell her something and admits that she was right. He did kiss Jeanette last Summer and he lied to her. He thought he was protecting her but she deserved to know the truth. She repeats that she knew it which he confirms before apologizing. He doesn’t know what else to say and asks if she wants to hit him. She wants him to say it again. He repeats that he was lying but she wants to hear the other part. He tells her that she was right so she kisses his cheek and remarks that’s the nicest thing he’s ever done for her. She walks away to join Mallory.

1993. Kate plays the game while Martin cheers her on with compliments and affirmations. He tells her to pick her prize as it comes with 50 tickets that she can trade for snacks. He brings her a large pink bunny from the booth along with the tickets. She hopes that she’s fixed her image since the first time they met, as it was an embarrassing incident. He assures her that wasn’t his first impression of her. She is curious about what it was so he reveals that he saw her at the Garden Club Party with some moms and he mistook her for an adult at first. Kate wonders why he didn’t say hi to which he claims he didn’t know her then. She points out that he knows her now so he says hi. Kate smiles and tells him that she’ll see him around. He spots her scrunchie on the countertop and grabs it. He calls out to her that he’s looking forward to seeing her again.

1995. Sylvia asks Kate if she’s familiar with the concept of grooming. Kate knows a bit so Sylvia explains that, in a nut shell, Martin was nice to her because he planned to kidnap her.

1993. Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince walk past Martin’s booth again and he calls Jeanette over. He tells her that she should think about Gideon since he’s feeling rejected, humiliated, and alone. He wonders how Jeanette would feel in that situation. From several paces away, Vince notes that it’s weird they’re talking which Mallory agrees with. Jeanette tearfully apologizes to Martin but he tells her that he isn’t the person she needs to apologize to. She notices the scrunchie and he tells her that it’s Kate’s. She offers to take it as she'll probably see Kate before him. He shakily hands it over and she rejoins her friends. Vince asks if she was in trouble, to which Jeanette lies that he wanted to give her the scrunchie to give back to Kate. Mallory points out that she doesn’t know Kate Wallis.

1995. Angela plays a song on the karaoke machine and coaxes Jeanette to sing with her.

Kate and Mallory walk somewhere and hop a fence.

Jeanette sings with Angela while smiling. She seems to be having fun for the first time in a long time. She suddenly stops as she leans against the table, out of breath. Angela assures her that she’s okay and deserves kindness. Jeanette doesn’t want it, but Angela tells her that she has to leave the fortress she’s built eventually - even for a moment.

1993. Kate and Jeanette return to their respective rooms. Kate holds the pink bunny happily. Jeanette holds the scrunchie and practices giving it back to Kate.

1995. Kate isn’t sure if she can do this, so Mallory assures her she can. She tells Kate that she deserves to get over this by letting her anger out. Kate takes the pink bunny out of her coat and exchanges it for a shovel that Mallory is holding. She begins to dig and buries the bunny in front of Martin’s grave. She spits on the stone then takes a shovel to the tombstone as she breaks it down and into pieces.

1993. Kate places the bunny on her nightstand while Jeanette puts the scrunchie in her jewelry box. Kate practices flirting with Martin.

## Cast

### Starring

* Olivia Holt as Kate Wallis
* Chiara Aurelia as Jeanette Turner
* Froy Gutierrez as Jamie Henson
* Harley Quinn Smith as Mallory Higgins
* Allius Barnes as Vince Fuller (Credit only)
* Blake Lee as Martin Harris
* Michael Landes as Greg Turner
* Brooklyn Sudano as Angela Prescott

### Guest Starring

* Sarah Drew as Cindy Turner
* Andrea Anders as Joy Wallis
* Barrett Carnahan as Derek Turner
* Nicole Bilderback as Denise Harper
* Nathaniel Ashton as Ben
* Benjamin J. Cain Jr as Rod Wallis

### Co-Starring

* Shelby Surdam as Tennille Peterson
* Aaliyah Muhammad as Renee Talbot
* Neyla Cantu as Molly Green
* Austin Zajur as Gideon
* Josh Colson as Scott Jones
* Lee Eddy as Dr. Sylvia Parks

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode opened with a trigger warning for grooming and closed with the RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline, which offers 24/7 help.
* The word "*carny*" was an informal term used in the '90s to describe both a carnival or amusement park and the employees who worked there.
* This episode's title was a line said by Ben in reference to the order in which he and Jamie perfected when it came to the carnival.
* *As The Carny Gods Intended* revealed that Martin Harris died on June 22, 1994.
* In 1995, Mallory offers Kate to rewatch the 1994 indie film *Clerks* on two occasions. The actress portraying her, Harley Quinn Smith, is the daughter of writer and director of *Clerks* Kevin Smith and makes two brief appearances in its threequel *Clerks III*.

## Gallery

### Videos

Cruel Summer - Season 1, Episode 5 Trailer - Whose Side Are You On?Cruel Summer - Rewind- Season 1, Episode 5 - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Sneak Peek- Is Jeanette Stalking Kate? - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Sneak Peek- Jeanette Needs People on Her Side - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Jamie Tells Kate The Truth - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Jeanette and Angela Sing Karaoke - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Mallory Pressures Jeanette - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Kate Sees Something Suspicious - FreeformCruel Summer Season 1, Episode 5 - Kate and Mallory Destroy Martin's Grave - Freeform

## Soundtrack

* Two Princes by The Spin Doctors
* I Walk Alone by Mecca Normal
* Weak by Skunk Anasie
* Texas Girls by Vaughan Penn
* All Over but the Shouting by Steve Vaus
* Count on Me by Robert Jason
* What's Up by Chiara Aurelia and Brooklyn Sudano (4 Non Blondes cover)