Hostile Witness

**"Hostile Witness"** is the tenth episode of Season 1 of *Cruel Summer*, and the first season finale. It aired on June 15, 2021.

## Synopsis

Kate and Jeanette's worlds collide as the court date arrives, finally forcing the two young women to answer the question on everyone's mind, but the answer comes with a price that not everyone can pay.

## Plot

The events that are about to unfold take place on approximately October 3rd, 1993, 1994, and 1995.

**1995.** Denise Harper and Nick Marshall address the jury. Kate drives up to the courthouse while reporters swarm her car. Moments later, Jeanette pulls up and the reporters flank her instead. Kate and Jeanette look at one another through the windows of their cars.

**1993.** Kate and Martin brush their teeth next to one another.

**1994.** Jeanette kisses Jamie at the roller rink.

**1995.** Denise tells the jury that Kate’s actions cost Jeanette lifelong wealth and ramifications. Nick states that the evidence will show nothing. Denise states that Kate spread misinformation willingly. The jury doesn’t have to pick sides but just has to pick the truth, which will be revealed.

**1994.** Joy praises Kate’s outfit which she picked out. Kate is about to go on the Marsha Bailey show, with Joy putting a headband on her before she walks out onto the stage. Rod tells Kate she’ll do great. On stage, Kate tells her story to Marsha, about her being found by someone she didn’t know at all. Jeanette and Greg watch the TV in confusion, then disbelief, as Kate tells the world that Jeanette Turner saw her and didn't do anything about it. Greg angrily counters that Kate can’t name Jeanette by name, legally, she can’t do that.

Kate struts into the back room after the show. Rod panics as Kate wasn’t supposed to name Jeanette. She just broke the law. Kate rips off the headband and throws it away, as it’s her turn to break the law now. Meanwhile, Jeanette cuts off her hair with a pair of scissors.

**1995.** Kate exits the courthouse with her lawyer and family. She heads right to the car, while the press swarm Jeanette to ask if she thinks 11 million dollars is greedy. The Turner family and lawyers can’t push through. Kate watches from the car and leaves.

Jamie asks Jeanette how it was at court. She admits it was okay, but tomorrow, her lawyer is bringing Kate onto the stand as a hostile witness. He asks if that’s good for her which it might be, though it won’t make people like her. Jamie assures her that he likes her. She holds his hand.

Kate sits at home where she messages Berenice94 again, with her telling Kate to pick her words carefully. But not to worry as she’s the debate team captain.

Greg and Jeanette stand in the kitchen eating ice cream from the carton after she catches her. Greg claims Angela told him that Jeanette is nervous, and assures his daughter she can still talk to him. She knows and they share the ice cream.

The following morning at the courthouse, Denise interviews Kate about Martin Harris capturing her by force. She asks what happened, and Kate claims that Martin offered her a ride home but he took her to his place instead. She drank the drugged soda, passed out, and woke up in the basement. Denise asks if that’s what she relayed to the police, which is correct. It’s also what she’s maintaining today under oath. Denise presents evidence, though Nick counters as it wasn’t in discovery. Denise presses that it’s for impeachment purposes, so the judge allows it. Denise gives Kate the chat log and has her read the screen names aloud. She then shows the entire court the document. Kate reluctantly reads the messages, which are shocking to the parents and team, as they admit that she went willingly into Martin's house. Denise asks if that’s her screen name.

After court, Kate doesn’t understand how Jeanette’s lawyers found the messages. Nick did some digging and learned that Ashley is Berenice94. The Wallis’ are calling Ashley now to talk with her. Kate is surprised. He tells her that it’s a problem that she hasn’t been honest as it’s a huge blow to her case. If there’s anything else she isn’t telling him then he needs to know now.

Meanwhile, Jamie goes to see Ben who is playing his guitar in his room. Jamie knows he can’t apologize for what he did as he shouldn’t have been drinking or driving that day. He takes full responsibility for what happened. Ben tells him that he can go now. Jamie tells Ben that Vince Fuller didn’t do anything wrong. Ben slowly looks to Jamie, who just gives a half-smile before leaving.

Kate sits at her desktop as Mallory is shocked to learn about Ashley. Kate states that Ashley had a weak excuse for starting the conversations - she claimed that Kate needed someone. She feels betrayed as thought she was chatting with someone who went through hell like her. That Berenice could be her future but now that doesn’t exist. She doesn’t have the whole puzzle. She was wrong about Bernice and she can’t remember Annabelle. She wants to try what Sylvia suggested and picks up the phone.

Vince is stocking shelves when Ben walks in to apologize. Jamie got him thinking about how he’s been punishing the wrong person. He misses Vince. Vince states that it’s been so long that he can’t enjoy hearing that. He doesn’t know what he did wrong. Ben saw everyone staring and thought Vince was trying to out them as he was terrified. Vince was terrified - he’s black, gay, and in Texas. Ben just tossed him aside. Ben wants to earn his trust back if he’ll let him.

Kate sneaks into Martin’s house and sees the knocked-over lamps, tables, and liquor trays. She looks around then plays the record on the machine. Jeanette appears to ask why Kate wanted to meet her there in all places. Kate knows this is where the truth lies, which is what they both want.

Jeanette has wanted to face the truth since last year. Kate knows 11 million dollars won’t hurt her but it will bankrupt her parents. Jeanette counters that now she knows Jeanette will win and she wants to settle outside of court. Kate tells her the chats were a low blow. Jeanette angrily retorts that naming her on national tv was a low blow. Kate snaps that she stole her trauma journal and shared it with an entire courtroom which was cruel. Kate ruined Jeanette’s life, but Kate snaps that she stole hers. Jeanette screams back that Kate didn’t even want it. She read pages of the journal and doesn’t know the whole story, but she does know that Kate's lucky that some secrets were buried with Martin Harris.

It’s day three of Turner vs Wallis with Molly Green reporting outside the courthouse as they wait for Kate and Jeanette to appear.

Jeanette asks Kate about Jamie, as she was basically over him when she went missing. When she came back she claimed Jamie even though Jeanette loved him. Kate thinks Jeanette went to great lengths to leave her in hell just to keep him. She wants to get down to business. She knows Jeanette snuck into the house, and not just to play hide and seek; but on Christmas Eve in '93. Jeanette admits to it but she didn’t go into the basement which means Kate wasn’t there. Kate fesses up to that, but knows Jeanette saw her. Jeanette knows she didn’t. The night Jeannette broke in, Kate was home alone. She was messing with a snow globe, which Jeanette knows as she heard Jamie’s voicemail. They thought it was Kate but couldn’t be sure since it didn’t make sense later - she was supposed to be kidnapped.

**1993.** Kate calls Jamie on Christmas Eve. She messes with the snow globe.

**1995.** The message was nonsense with the breathing. But after Jeanette heard the snow globe she knew Kate wasn’t kidnapped. The night Jeanette saw her, Kate hid on the second floor. She snuck in and was sure no one was home as she saw Martin at the mall. She heard a noise and left with the snow globe.

**1993.** Jeanette breaks in so Kate runs upstairs. Jeanette enters and takes the snow globe, shaking it. Kate watches from the upstairs balcony. Kate walks downstairs to look out the window, which is when she finds the necklace. She turns off the light and looks outside.

**1995.** Kate admits to finding the necklace. She looked out the window and saw Jeanette bike, but Jeanette asks if Kate saw her face. Kate turned off the lights, heard her voice, found her necklace, and saw her bike. Her face was shadowed but she saw Jeanette’s bike with the card on the wheel. Jeanette begins to realize something.

**1993.** Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince mount their bikes the night of the Garden Club Party. Jeanette gets on Mallory’s while Kate watches.

**1995.** Jeanette describes the bike then admits it’s not hers - it’s Mallory’s. She goes into the other room to sit down on the steps. Kate is in disbelief. Jeanette realizes that Mallory saw her. Kate flashes through their moments together. She doesn’t know how that’s possible.

**1993.** Jeanette goes inside the house while Mallory rides by. She sees Kate in the window and is excited to bust Jeanette. She was hoping to see her get caught. Mallory hides behind a tree, waits until Jeanette leaves, and watches her ride away. Mallory decides to follow Jeanette by getting on her bike. She hears the crash inside and looks over where Kate sees the figure and mistakes her for Jeanette.

Jeanette goes home where she plays with the snow globe. Mallory confronts her and asks what she stole this time. She knows Jeanette has been sneaking into Martin’s house this entire time. She calls her a hypocrite and a weirdo. Jeanette gives her the snow globe and tells her to get out as they aren’t even friends. Mallory takes the globe and leaves.

**1995.** Jeanette admits to giving the globe to Mallory who then refused to give it back. If Kate searches her room she’ll find it. Kate realizes she isn’t lying and that Mallory saw her, not Jeanette. Kate approaches her and apologizes as she truly thought she was right. Jeanette asks what happened between her and Martin. Kate admits they were friends. He was kind, fascinating, and he seemed like someone with secrets. She slept over that first night which led to more nights, then friends led to more than friends. Things escalated to a dark place but she can’t remember one thing. Her therapist thinks going back down there will unlock the memory. Jeanette realizes she has to go back to the basement. Kate asks her to come with her and Jeanette agrees.

The girls head to the basement which is empty except for a lamp and a bloodstain. Jeanette and Kate stand at the mirrors where Jeanette asks if she’s okay. Kate shakily says that the night before her rescue Martin came downstairs to see her, but something was different. Something was wrong. He was vulnerable but at peace. It seemed like he had worked up the courage to kill her.

**1994.** Martin comes downstairs with a small wooden box. He admits that he tried to find another way for this to end but there isn’t one. Kate puts down the book she’s reading and stands up. She tells him they can find another way. He reveals the police came to his house today, so there’s only a matter of time before they come back with a search warrant. He opens the box to show a gun which he removes. He introduces Kate to Annabelle, a family heirloom. Kate asks why he brought the gun. It’s the one that his father used. Kate asks if he’s going to kill her. He apologizes for the things he’s done and what he’s about to do. She begs him not to kill her. He tells her to go live her life and see the world as they wanted, to know she was truly loved by him. He tells her goodbye and puts the gun to his head, which scares her. A moment of silence passes before he slowly lowers the gun before dropping it to the floor. Martin then solemnly walks to the steps and lets out a scream, banging his hands on the walls as he shouts. She picks up the gun, cocks it, and points it at him. He looks at her and tells her to listen to him. He was wrong as it’s the two of them and they will find a way. He asks for the gun back as she doesn’t want to do this. She loves him. Kate flashes through their moments together. The good and the bad. After a long minute, Kate pulls the trigger and shoots Martin. She drops the gun and begins to cry. She kneels next to Martin’s body. She sat with him all night as she felt paralyzed and guilty for loving him. And hating him. And killing him.

**1995.** In the morning, Kate called the police. The news said Martin died in a shootout, which the police must have presumed because of his injuries.

**1994.** Jeanette remembers hearing a gunshot that night with Jamie when Vince came out to see her.

**1995.** Kate admits she might have internalized that too, which Sylvia said can happen. She admits that he’s the bad guy. Jeanette approaches and tells her that she isn’t. No one could blame Kate for killing him. Kate tells Jeanette to sue her as she didn’t deserve any of this. She should take the money. Jeanette admits it wasn’t the money - she just wanted to feel what it was like to be Kate. Not to be her specifically, but to feel popular, beautiful, or enough. She wanted to know what that felt like.

Later, at the steps of the courthouse, Kate tells the reporters that she was kidnapped, but there is another truth she is certain of. Jeanette didn’t see her at Martin’s. She is not the monster the media made her out to be. She is not the victim. The reporters turn on her quickly.

Mallory packs up her suitcase and takes out the snow globe, shoving it into a bag. Kate arrives to ask if she’s going somewhere. She knows Mallory saw her. Kate's angry that Mallory befriended her and didn’t say anything. Mallory admits that she did see her. Kate believes she deserves an explanation that is the truth. Mallory admits that she saw a woman living freely - not in the basement. She thought it was Martin’s girlfriend or sister. Kate admits she was half right. Mallory didn’t think it made sense for a missing girl to make a call, as she didn’t ever imagine it was Kate. Kate doesn’t know how she would have imagined it to make sense. Mallory didn’t think anything of it until she saw it in the news.

**1994.** Mallory watches the news in shock as she realizes Kate was in Martin’s house.

**1995.** Emotional, Mallory states that the world only ever thought that Kate was in the basement, so revealing the truth would expose both their secrets. Then they became friends.

Earlier that year, Kate dances in the headlights while Mallory sits in the passenger seat of the car emotionally watching her.

In the present, Mallory can’t tell one secret despite Kate pressing the issue. Mallory plans to get a greyhound and leave town forever. Kate doesn’t want to be left here without Mallory. She tells her not to dare leave her and they hug. Mallory breaks down in Kate’s arms.

**One Month later**, on November 3rd,1995, Jeanette sits across from Marsha Bailey for an interview where she has been labeled "the Most Wronged Woman in America". Marsha calls her an inspiration and apologizes for the part she played in what happened to her. Jeanette accepts the apology as she’s just grateful that the whole truth had been revealed.

Kate and Mallory sit together in the latter's room. Mallory thinks what she’s watching is creepy. Kate notes that the creep is innocent. They decide to go for a drive.

Marsha asks why Jeanette walked away from an eleven million dollar courthouse settlement. Jeanette admits it was only about the truth. Marsha asks what her life looks like now on the other side of this. Jeanette has a great dad and a great boyfriend. Marsha asks if there’s anything else she’d like to say. Jeanette admits there is and tells the girl who named her, who could have cleared this up sooner but didn’t, Kate Wallis, that she forgives her. Jeanette smiles and lets out a chuckle.

Kate and Mallory drive as they listen to a great song. Kate makes her get out of the car and dance in front of the car this time, refusing to let her sit in the truck again. They dance around to the front of the car, hopping up and down as they dance. Kate then stops to kiss Mallory happily. They let out a happy shout before returning to their dancing.

**1994.** Jeanette walks into Martin’s house and smiles as she looks around. She walks through the house. She hears Kate shouting for Martin from the basement, asking if anyone can hear her as this is Kate Wallis. She shouts for the person walking around. She asks if anyone can hear her. Jeanette reaches for the handle but freezes only a few inches from the knob. Kate yells for help, but Jeanette simply lowers her hand away from the doorknob and smiles.

## 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
* Blake Lee as Martin Harris
* Michael Landes as Greg Turner
* Brooklyn Sudano as Angela Prescott

### Guest Starring

* Andrea Anders as Joy Wallis
* Nicole Bilderback as Denise Harper
* Nathaniel Ashton as Ben Hallowell
* Benjamin J. Cain Jr as Rod Wallis
* Jason Douglas as Nick Marshall

### Co-Starring

* Nikki Dixon as Marsha Bailey
* Neyla Cantu as Molly Green
* Heather Woodlee as PA
* Scott Edward Logan as Judge
* Krystle Gutierrez as Anchor
* Candance Allen as Reporter #1
* Morgan Laure as Reporter #2
* Jeremy Burgett as Reporter #3
* Jeff Plunk as Reporter #4

## Notes and Trivia

* The cast, and a majority of the crew, were unaware of how the season would end until they were at the table read.
	+ Blake Lee described the final episode saying, "it was really exciting to just turn that last page. Literally, until the last page, you don't know who to trust. You'll be one edge of your seat until the final credits."
* The revelation that it was Mallory, not Jeanette, who saw Kate confirms what some fans had suspected for quite some time.
* Ashley Wallis is mentioned, having a major impact in this episode's present events.

## Gallery

### Videos

Cruel Summer - Season Finale Trailer - The Trial

## Soundtrack

* Laika by Damon and Naomi
* There She Is by Johnny Kmoroso
* Disarm by Olivia Holt (Cover of The Smashing Pumpkins)
* Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage
* Creep by Olivia Holt (Cover of Radio Head)

## References

1. ↑ https://www.eonline.com/news/1274502/cruel-summers-blake-lee-says-fans-will-be-thrilled-with-the-finale