The "Cruel Intentions" reboot was recently released on Amazon Prime Video. This series features Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline, Zac Burgess as Lucien, and Savannah Lee Smith as Annie Grover. It is full of drama, toxic sororities and fraternities, and an intense love triangle.
This series follows Caroline Merteuil and her stepbrother Lucien Belmont. They use their power and influence to preserve their reputation at the elite Manchester College. After a hazing incident that came as a threat to the Greek sororities and fraternities, Caroline and Lucien are determined to preserve the reputation of the Greek life. Lucien plans to seduce the daughter of the Vice President of the United States, Annie Grover, to satisfy Caroline.
Highs
The highlight of this series is Hook's acting as Caroline. She perfectly portrays this cold-hearted sorority leader. This is explained by the pain behind Caroline’s relationship with her mother. Her goal is always to please her mother, no matter the cost.
Another high is the bond between Caroline and Lucien. Their bond is solid, but toxic at the same time. Caroline controls Lucien due to his feelings for her; she takes advantage of him. She has much influence over him and will cross any line to achieve what she wants.
Burgess portrays Lucien perfectly. He plays this toxic stepbrother, but has a soft side when he overcomes this barrier of his emotions. He wants to protect Caroline regardless of the consequences. His character growth is impressive, from this toxic guy caring about no girls except Caroline, to caring for Annie.
Caroline's outfits are another high point, considering they show her personality as a ruthless leader. She mostly wears sophisticated power suits, which emphasize her power. Another high point is CeCe (Sara Silva). She is strong-willed, but insecure at the same time. Her character is fast-paced and jittery; she has this perkiness to her that adds humor to the show. Her friendship with Caroline is essential, but Caroline takes advantage of it, which keeps the show interesting.
The last high is Annie Grover’s character; she is kind-hearted and adds this wholesome aspect to this toxic group of friends. She is an innocent character who believes in doing the right thing, while the others are determined to be ruthless. The connection between her and Lucien is more wholesome and innocent than the other girls he has been with. He shows his soft side with Annie and his true feelings toward her.
Lows
The low point of this series is Caroline's toxicity. She will turn her back on anyone who disobeys her, creating a toxic environment between her and the others. She puts up this ruthless leader act that places her in a villain role. The games she plays with Lucien are another low because she will stab him in the back if he refuses to listen.
Another low is Blaise (John Harlen Kim). He is a power-hungry character who will deceive his fraternity brothers to reach his own goals. His character uses personal information from the other brothers as blackmail, creating a toxic environment.
His relationship with Scott (Khobe Clarke) is low due to its back and forth. Scott refuses to admit he is gay, which intensifies their drama. Scott, as a character, is a low because his personality revolves around being a jock. He doesn’t realize that when people deceive him, they let others use him.
The last low point is the character Beatrice (Brooke Lena Johnson), who is determined to take down all the sororities. There is no background information about why she wants revenge on them, but her determination is toxic because she will do anything to destroy them.
Verdict
"Cruel Intentions" is worth watching, considering it is entertaining and full of drama. It has this suspense that keeps the audience intrigued and wondering what will happen next.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.