10 of Freeform's Most Complicated Relationships
Cruel Summer: Kate and Jeanette
Cruel Summer's first season kept audiences on the edge of their seats as they tried to unravel the mystery of whether Jeanette had been lying about seeing Kate or not. Kate and Jeanette's massive physical and emotional transformations over the span of three years promised an intriguing series of ups and downs, and it never disappointed.
From the moment Kate declares that Jeanette is the reason Kate is kept hostage, it becomes a game of she-said, she-said, as both Kate and Jeanette offer their opposing sides of the story. But, each episode unravels the truth to some surprising twists, including that Kate, for a while, had been allowed to leave Martin's house and did briefly. Meanwhile, Jeanette had a history of sneaking into Martin's home with a spare key.
However, Jeanette's transformation during Kate's disappearance also adds another layer to suspicion around Jeanette, as she had taken Kate's role in her friend group and started dating Kate's boyfriend Jamie.
In the end, their dynamic is driven to be even more complex by the plot twist ending. Kate discovers she was wrong about Jeanette, and had gotten the identity of who had seen her through the window wrong. But, Kate was not as wrong as she believed, as Jeanette got away innocently on a technicality.
Although Kate and Jeanette bury the hatchet upon realizing that Kate's claims were based on a misunderstanding surrounding Jeanette's bike, the truth that Kate will never know is that Jeanette was aware that Kate had been trapped in the basement because she heard Kate call out for help.
Rather than step in and release Kate, Jeanette stepped away and allowed Kate to remain trapped in the basement.