**Crystal Lake Season 1 (2026) KILL COUNT — Transcript & Summary | SozAI**
Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/crystal-lake-season-1-kill-count/

Dead Meat's Kill Count reviews Crystal Lake Season 1, a Friday the 13th prequel on Peacock, following Pamela Voorhees and young Jason from the lake drowning onward.

## Key Takeaways

- Crystal Lake Season 1 is a well-crafted, mature prequel that rewards longtime Friday the 13th fans.
- The series deepens Pamela Voorhees as a character, exploring grief and psychological breakdown leading to her killing spree.
- Heavy fan-service and location callbacks make the show feel respectful of the franchise's roots.
- The sponsorship arrangement is unusual for the Kill Count channel, and the host discloses it openly.

## What the video covers

- Host James A. Janisse covers Crystal Lake Season 1, the first official Friday the 13th screen adaptation since the 2009 remake, premiering on Peacock.
- The series follows Pamela Voorhees's descent into murderous motherhood after her son Jason's apparent drowning at Camp Crystal Lake.
- The episode is sponsored by Crystal Lake itself, which the host discloses upfront, and he says he was allowed to give honest review opinions.
- Janisse praises the show as high quality, with A24-level cinematography, strong acting, and deeper characters than typical Friday entries.
- Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, known for It: Welcome to Derry, is highlighted as a genuine Friday fan who pitched himself for the job after Bryan Fuller left.
- The show was filmed in Blairstown, New Jersey, the same town used for the original 1980 film, which the host celebrates.
- Many callbacks to the original film are noted, including the Jeep, dialogue lines, the title card style, and character names like Barry and Claudette.
- The host notes episodes 2 and 3 felt slow but set up the later payoff.
- Plot beats covered include Pam's breakdown, her stillbirth storyline, her relationship with Lee, and tensions with the Christies over reopening the camp.
- The video is only available in the United States due to rights issues, and a separate interview with Kane is promised.

## Chapters

1. 00:00 Intro and sponsorship disclosure
2. 04:12 Series setup and Pam's family
3. 08:45 Jason's drowning and Pam's search
4. 16:40 Pam's breakdown and camp politics
5. 26:00 Hospital, miscarriage storyline, and Lee
6. 40:00 Christian camp counselors and confessions
7. 55:00 Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane and production background
8. 60:17 Final thoughts and wrap-up

Answers

## Questions about this video

What is Crystal Lake Season 1 about?

The series is a prequel in the Friday the 13th universe that follows Pamela Voorhees after her son Jason drowns at Camp Crystal Lake. It explores her grief and psychological unraveling that leads her to become the killer revealed in the original 1980 film.

Is the Kill Count review of Crystal Lake sponsored?

Yes, host James A. Janisse states at the start that the episode is sponsored by Crystal Lake, the series being covered. He says this is the first time he has done a sponsored Kill Count and explains the reasons for accepting it.

How does the host rate Crystal Lake Season 1?

Janisse says he loved the show, praising its cinematography, acting, and character depth, though he found episodes 2 and 3 slow. He considers it a strong, mature take on the franchise that rewards fans.

## Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:04

Speaker A

Welcome to the Kill Count, where we tally up the victims in all our favorite horror media and show you how they were made.

00:09

Speaker A

I'm James A. Janisse, and today we're looking at Season 1 of Crystal Lake, a series that premiered on Peacock just one week ago.

00:15

Speaker A

Crystal Lake takes place in the Friday the 13th universe, the first official screen adaptation in 17 years, since the 2009 remake.

00:23

Speaker A

It takes us back to the beginning. Instead of a hockey mask-clad Jason Voorhees like the Friday the 13th movies became known for, we're back with little swamp boy Jason and, more importantly, his mom.

00:33

Speaker A

Pamela Voorhees was famously revealed as the killer in the original Friday the 13th, and this series shows us how she came to be such a murderous mama.

00:41

Speaker A

"Parents lose kids all the time. Not all of those parents become, you know, psychopaths. Why did Pam?" It's also jam-packed with references and homages to the original series. If you're a Friday fan, you're about to be eatin' good.

00:54

Speaker A

Now, I want to be upfront about something right off the bat. This episode is sponsored by Crystal Lake, the very series we're covering in it.

01:01

Speaker A

This has never happened before. I've always avoided doing Kill Counts sponsored by the media or the studio being covered in them.

01:07

Speaker A

But this opportunity came to us, and I decided to make an exception for a few reasons.

01:11

Speaker A

For one, you should know by now that TV series are very hard to cover on the Kill Count.

01:16

Speaker A

But since we're sponsored by the show, we know we won't get copyright claimed, and we got the footage early so we could make the episode right now, not in a year, or possibly never.

01:25

Speaker A

We've been working on this thing since August. Another thing is, they agreed to let me be honest when it comes to the review aspects. I wouldn't do a Kill Count if I couldn't say what I really thought about the thing I was covering.

01:34

Speaker A

Which brings me to my third point, which was a relief: This show is really good.

01:39

Speaker A

I fucking loved it, man. I'll admit, episodes 2 and 3 were a little slow and had me worried, but they ended up setting the table for a sumptuous slashery meal.

01:47

Speaker A

Although they're not my favorite movies, the Friday franchise has always held a special place in my heart, even before it was the very first series covered on the Kill Count nearly ten years ago.

01:56

Speaker A

Crystal Lake rewards that kind of love for and knowledge of the franchise by telling a story with the A24 mark of quality.

02:03

Speaker A

It's beautifully shot and incredibly acted, with characters way deeper than you're used to in a Friday property.

02:08

Speaker A

You can tell that it was made by a true-blue Friday fan: showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, who also did the very enjoyable It: Welcome to Derry.

02:16

Speaker A

Thanks to the sponsorship, I also had a chance to sit down with Brad and talk about the show in an hour-long interview that I'll release separately on the channel very soon.

02:24

Speaker A

They also provided me with amazing behind-the-scenes footage, so I'll be able to dive deep into how this series was made.

02:29

Speaker A

I know having a Kill Count sponsored this way is unusual, and I'm not thrilled that the episode is only viewable in the United States due to rights issues, but I only agreed to do this because I truly believe in the series,

02:41

Speaker A

and I'm confident that Friday fans will be thrilled with this familiar yet uniquely mature take on the property.

02:46

Speaker A

There are so many references and connections to the franchise, and I'll be pointing them all out along the way.

02:52

Speaker A

So pack a lunch and join me as we head back to Crystal Lake for the first time in nearly two decades.

02:58

Speaker A

Let's get to the kills. The series begins with bloody hands. Oh, and a bloody Pam!

03:05

Speaker A

She may ask herself, "How did this tooth get here?" She may say to herself, "My god!"

03:09

Speaker A

"What did you do?" Nine months earlier, Pamela Voorhees was a regular mom. Sadly, her kid Jason was irregular. Aw, look at the sleepy little... brainiac man-child.

03:19

Speaker A

"Why am I like this?" I mean, mostly Tom Savini. Pam takes good care of her sad little lump child, tending to all his medical problems like sudden seizures.

03:27

Speaker A

She treats him like a normal kid who loves spending time outdoors, buying him camping equipment like a tent and a... machete. "How do I look?" Like a million bucks, kid.

03:36

Speaker A

Actually, almost 500 mil total box office. The Voorheeses live in the small town of Crystal Lake, and I cannot express how awesome it is that they shot Crystal Lake in Blairstown, New Jersey, the same town they filmed the original movie in 47 freaking years ago.

03:51

Speaker A

Like, look at those buildings! They're the same buildings! That's dope! And though Camp Crystal Lake wasn't filmed at the same camp, it was still a place in New Jersey.

03:58

Speaker A

As someone who strongly prefers how the first two Fridays were filmed in New England, before they moved to California and other places for the third movie and beyond, I'm so glad we're back on the East Coast for those OG Crystal Lake vibes.

04:10

Speaker A

It shows a nice respect for the property, literally. This Camp Crystal Lake is bumpin', too.

04:14

Speaker A

They've got campers, counselors, a whole damn camp song this montage is set to. And they've got references: "Make some more Crystal Lake memories!" Fun little nod there to Crystal Lake Memories, the book and documentary that provided a ton of information for the Friday ReCounts.

04:30

Speaker A

I mean, that's the Crystal Lake Memories book. It's been on the Kill Count set since day one.

04:35

Speaker A

Day one, motherfuckers! The camp is run by John Christie and his wife, with Pam as the camp's cook.

04:40

Speaker A

What're you cookin' up there, Pam, some snake stew? Oh, fuck, dude, we really doing this as a callback?

04:45

Speaker A

Oh, thank God. Pam's more humane than Savini. Jason tries to hang with the other kids, but they call him basketball head and...

04:51

Speaker A

Yeah, I mean, they're cruel as fuck, man. Especially this little bastard, who was actin' up on the archery range too.

04:56

Speaker A

And who honestly looks like his dad would have helped finance the first movie, haha.

05:00

Speaker A

A girl named Grace is nice to Jason and defends him by yeetin' the bully's ball deep into the lake.

05:05

Speaker A

Worried that Grace might get in trouble for it, Jason decides to play the hero and go get it.

05:09

Speaker A

But all the other kids have left, and ain't no lifeguard around. Counselor Claudette went to get ropes for lanes, only to get roped into bangin'.

05:15

Speaker A

Bangin' Barry in the boathouse. Grace sees 'em in there too, and it seems to mess with her somethin' bad.

05:21

Speaker A

Before ya know it, J-Boy's splashin' in the lake in a shot similar to the one we saw Pamela think back to in the OG film.

05:26

Speaker A

So even though we're only 13 minutes into the show, we know that tragedy is about to strike.

05:31

Speaker A

Pam jumps into the lake, trying to find her boy with all her might, but he's nowhere in sight.

05:37

Speaker A

"JASONNN!" Oh, shit, we're doing the freeze-frame fly-into-the-mouth thing? Oh, and no way. Don't tell me, is it gonna... oh, gimme a hell yeah, we're breakin' glass Stone Cold style, mimickin' the first movie's awesome TITLE CARDDDD.

05:50

Speaker A

Even the opening credits, with their plain white font on a black background, are done in a similar way as the first, like seven of those movies, haha. They stuck with that style for a LONG time.

05:59

Speaker A

This show has so many nods to the original film because of showrunner Brad Caleb Kane. "We took the show very seriously. It was lovingly crafted." He was a child actor who, as a teenager, provided the singing voice of Aladdin.

06:12

Speaker A

Yeah, this dude sang "One Jump" and "A Whole New World," which he also performed live at the Oscars in 1993.

06:18

Speaker A

Despite his most famous role, though, Kane was always a horror guy. He grew up reading Fangoria and seeing horror movies in theaters, including Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D, which he considered his gateway to the world of horror and cinema at large.

06:31

Speaker A

Kane was co-showrunning It: Welcome to Derry when he heard that Bryan Fuller, the original showrunner for Crystal Lake, had left the series.

06:37

Speaker A

Why that happened, I can't say for certain. All I've heard are rumors and conflicting information.

06:42

Speaker A

But Kane begged for a chance to pitch himself to A24, and thanks to his passion for the property, wound up with the job.

06:48

Speaker A

Nine months after Jason's apparent drowning, that kid is STILL gone, despite many a search and rescue team.

06:53

Speaker A

Pam haunts Crystal Lake, convinced that her boy is still out there. She just knows it "We're joined at the heart." Sheriff Levon Brooks is sympathetic to Pam.

07:01

Speaker A

He thinks she should rejoin the Crystal Lake community so she can heal. She blocks him out at first but eventually decides to go to Crystal Lake's Founder's Day Celebration, which is mostly an excuse to have a patriotic montage.

07:12

Speaker A

Pam and Lee are smilin and laughin at each other as she tries to be a normal Crystal Laker.

07:16

Speaker A

Crystal Lakee? Problem is, they're at Crystal Lake, and that always dredges up bad memories for her.

07:22

Speaker A

Especially with a crazy guy in her ear "Crystal Lake don't give up her dead." Holy shit it's Ralph - one of the most memorable side characters in the Friday franchise.

07:30

Speaker A

Although we did put him 3rd in our Side Character Ranking podcast episode "Respectable." "Yeah foundational!" "I think a lot of people might be upset that he's not #1." "Which is fine." But hey, no shame losing out to dildo slop house Ethel and freaking Demon.

07:44

Speaker A

I mean that guy inspired a disco song! Ralph was seen earlier in the show, hanging out in the woods, cause this version doesn't just ride a bike, he lives off the land.

07:54

Speaker A

He's also a vet, which goes a long way in explaining his so-called craziness. Poor dude's got PTSD.

08:00

Speaker A

"He ain't comin' home." "Ralph god dammit, that's enough of that." Still gets dismissed by Enos, though.

08:06

Speaker A

Classic Ralph. "God dammit Ralph, get out of here! Go on, get! Leave people alone!" And yeah that guy's name is Enos.

08:12

Speaker A

It was his name in the movie too. Sounds like Anus, I know. Probably why he wears a name tag.

08:16

Speaker A

What, you think he likes being named Enos? He doesn't. Think of how grade school would've been for him.

08:20

Speaker A

Before long, Pam's so overwhelmed by townsfolk and fireworks she's seein her splashy potato in the lake.

08:25

Speaker A

She ends up having a breakdown and yelling at everyone around her, especially when she finds out the Christies are re-opening the camp "We need the income." "I need my son!" She takes a little breather in her Jeep, which is the same vehicle she had in the original movie because of course it is.

08:40

Speaker A

She heads home where she finds a coupla dudes waiting for her outside. They say they're state police and tell her they've found Jason's body, but mustache guy's got rancid vibes.

08:48

Speaker A

Pam excuses herself to the bathroom where she tries to escape, which is a good call after all - this Benny dude is lookin to needle her.

08:54

Speaker A

He busts in and tries to get her in the neck but she grabs a pair of scissors and takes him to stabby twisty town.

09:00

Speaker A

Oh yeah that one's gonna splurt. She keeps swinging wildly and ends up slashing his throat open.

09:04

Speaker A

He collapses in the bathtub and bleeds out to death with a death face that's at least 80% goofy.

09:10

Speaker A

The other dude slams Pam, thank you ma'am, and bad guy monologues as he prepares another needling.

09:14

Speaker A

He says they found her thanks to a newspaper article about Jason's drowning. Who, by the dubs, they actually haven't found the body of "But we will. Well, not that you'll ever see him again, Mrs. Wittering." Wait Mrs. Wittering - What the fuck now?

09:29

Speaker A

"Now what do you think the good people of Crystal Lake would say, if they knew what you and Jason really were?" No, seriously, what the fuck now?

09:36

Speaker A

Before we can find out what the hell that's all about she grabs Jason's machete and slices the dude's face off oh it's so muscley and fleshy!

09:44

Speaker A

Then she puts the machete in his head, but we still don't get a Kill Graphic even while she tries to figure out who this dude is.

09:49

Speaker A

His business cards give her a sudden flashback to... yo where the fuck we at, is this Stranger Things?

09:54

Speaker A

Looks like Jason had a code name at one point, Argonaut. Fitting, since he'll cause countless screaming.

09:59

Speaker A

I respect that a lot Pam calls someone named Nora and says she's been found and man what is this show even going to be?

10:06

Speaker A

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though - first she's gotta deal with these bodies.

10:09

Speaker A

There's a great lengthy clean-up session that leads to the dude coming back with a bag of blood as his head.

10:14

Speaker A

It's funny and impressive, and leads to a face full of blood like this were an Evil Dead movie.

10:19

Speaker A

It's so gross! Pamela eventually puts him on the Kill Count for real, and puts a tooth in her fist, which takes us right back to the beginning.

10:26

Speaker A

This memorable climax to episode one took 5 days to shoot. For the guy with the blood bag on his head, Johan Kunz, the show's special effects supervisor, built a kind of diving bell device that consisted of two bags heatsealed together.

10:38

Speaker A

The inner one went over the stunt performer's face as he used an apparatus to breathe, while the outer one was filled with fake blood.

10:44

Speaker A

It was safe but he couldn't see or take the Bubble off his head between takes.

10:48

Speaker A

Meanwhile the machete to the head was a difficult task for special effects makeup designer Dave Presto.

10:53

Speaker A

Some of it involved the actor wearing a helmet with the machete stuck in it, while the face slicing was done using a dummy with an internal body sculpt.

11:00

Speaker A

Pam puts their bodies in the trunk of their car and drives them into the woods, where she gives them the Lars in Heavyweights treatment.

11:05

Speaker A

Unlike the hollow threat layed against Lars though, there do be a bear in these woods.

11:09

Speaker A

A bear that's probably bout to have diabetes but at least it will help clean up Pam's mess for her.

11:14

Speaker A

And that's reason enough to celebrate with a whole bunch of fireworks and a little HalluciJason.

11:18

Speaker A

Too bad he ain't real, Pam. The second episode starts with a hazy summertime, where Pam finds herself floating and boatin in Crystal Lake.

11:25

Speaker A

From the sappy piano music and the way this thing is shot, you can tell we're in the same kind of dreamworld Alice had at the end of the first movie - and we all know how that ended.

11:36

Speaker A

Yep, just like that! Don't worry, though, this is the only jump scare like that.

11:39

Speaker A

The show doesn't abuse it like the movies did. Seriously, y'all, 3 times in a row?

11:44

Speaker A

This second episode is also our introduction to the show's actual opening credit sequence, which I'm a big fan of.

11:49

Speaker A

So many shows nowadays just do a quick title splash for each episode, but I love it when we have a full sequence.

11:55

Speaker A

This one was done by Filmograph, the same company that did the excellent opening credits for Kane's other show Welcome to Derry.

12:01

Speaker A

Crystal Lake's isn't quite as long - there aren't like two key changes - but it does have a nice bloody ending.

12:16

Speaker A

The music in the opening credit sequence is an original piece by Harry Manfredini, who, I've said it a lot, I think is hugely responsible for Friday the 13th's success.

12:24

Speaker A

His score in that first movie really punches above its weight, and he continued to score 9 of the original 10 Friday films, missing only Manhattan - which honestly, lucky him.

12:34

Speaker A

He also scored the video game, which helped elevate that experience. It's great to have him back for the show's title music, while the rest of the series' score is done by Giosue' Greco, who they felt would better match the series' themes and time period.

12:45

Speaker A

Greco's an Italian composer whose work includes Death of a Unicorn and Strange Journey, that Rocky Horror documentary, nice.

12:51

Speaker A

Pam tries to get back to work at the school cafeteria where that Grace girl shares kind words with her about her sweet boy.

12:57

Speaker A

Much like her bulbous buddy was, Grace is a social loner - one with a sex hang-up now thanks to Barry and Claudette.

13:03

Speaker A

Surrounded by prurience, she makes note when she hears a couple of older girls talking about a high school party.

13:08

Speaker A

Pam brings some baked goods to Lee, cause when you kill a coupla guys, you should probably get in good with the sheriff.

13:13

Speaker A

She also truly appreciates how kind he's been to her "Thank you for never giving up on me." "Never. And that's a promise." Aw that's nice.

13:22

Speaker A

He takes her out for bowling, but it's not a date thing, they're not alone.

13:26

Speaker A

"Enos." Yep they're bowling with Enos too. Hey maybe put the name tag on all your shirts, guy.

13:30

Speaker A

At the bar Pam chats with Rita, a Crystal Laker who sympathizes with her because she lost a child herself to a stillbirth.

13:36

Speaker A

She's also mad horny all the time. "I like those jeans, Shep." "I know, Miss Kowalchik." Ouch, he hit you with the "Miss Kowalchek." Rita can't love that.

13:44

Speaker A

Especially cause she thinks of herself as more cosmopolitan than other Crystal Lakers. In fact she's leaving town for a seminar this weekend and invites Pam to come along.

13:52

Speaker A

It's a self-help seminar, and while Pam may not be into all of that, she is worried about more people looking for her.

13:58

Speaker A

She takes the opportunity to leave town for some self-help that's so good they can't help but chain you inside a room to hear it.

14:04

Speaker A

The seminar is run by a dude named Wilhelm Riktor "Founder of REM." Yo, like Losing My Religion??

14:11

Speaker A

"Riktor Educational Modalities." Oh. Wilhelm Riktor's style of self-help is telling these people that they're sad and their lives are shit.

14:18

Speaker A

I mean, why else would they be there? "Tell me I'm wrong!" Yeah he's gettin Louder with Crowder up in this bitch.

14:22

Speaker A

In fact he ends up berating one woman so much that Pam speaks up in her defense.

14:26

Speaker A

That makes him turn the spotlight on her, and he finds out she used to be a singer.

14:30

Speaker A

He pressures her to give them a taste of something real, but after she sings a few bars he just negs her "Bullshit!

14:37

Speaker A

No wonder you didn't make it as a singer, there's nothing authentic there!" Later, at the hotel bar, she tells him his methods are whack - and potentially dangerous.

14:45

Speaker A

"Do you ever worry... about playing around in people's heads?" Rikter ain't worried bout allat though he just wanna hit on this fine ass MILF.

14:54

Speaker A

I think this Rikter storyline is the weakest part of the series, so I guess it's good we get it out of the way early on.

15:00

Speaker A

Don't get me wrong, Nathan Darrow is truly excellent in the role, and I understand the purpose of his character - he's here to tell Pam to be true to who she really is.

15:08

Speaker A

"You'll develop the confidence to stop performing. To drop the masks." Well, I mean, the masks were more her son's thing.

15:17

Speaker A

But I'm just saying I don't think most people tuning into the Friday the 13th show are here to watch Mrs. Voorhees self-actualize thanks to a douchey guru.

15:26

Speaker A

They are probably here to watch Linda Cardellini, though. Crystal Lake was always going to be a prequel series following Pamela Voorhees, but back when Bryan Fuller was attached, it was rumored Charlize Theron would take on the role.

15:36

Speaker A

When Kane took over, he said Cardellini was the first and only person he considered for the part.

15:41

Speaker A

After she got the script she flew out to meet him and they vibed so well she signed on for the series.

15:46

Speaker A

Kane, like anyone who has good taste, has been a fan of her entire career - from Freaks and Geeks to Scooby Doo to her guest spot in Mad Men.

15:54

Speaker A

He said the part of Pam had a lot of overlap with her character from Dead to Me.

15:57

Speaker A

Cardellini, who just won her first Emmy last month, even did some of her own stunts for the show like the bathroom fight scene in episode one.

16:04

Speaker A

Rikter charms Pam into his room by basically saying sleeping with him will help her find her true self.

16:09

Speaker A

He keeps up with the self-help pep talk even as she mounts him, but when her true self does come out, it's got an edge "Ow! The fuck???

16:18

Speaker A

You bit me!" He tries to match her roughness by grabbing her by the wrists but she don't like that so she shoves him off.

16:24

Speaker A

It's pretty awkward, and she slips back into the meek role others expect of her, saying she's sorry.

16:29

Speaker A

"I'm sorry you feel the need to apologize... for all that power you got locked inside you." Back in Crystal Lake a couple of stoners and their dog come across a piece of people meat maggotfyin in the woods.

16:40

Speaker A

Lee tends to it with his deputy Officer Dorfman "Holy shit. Cool!" Dorf is kinda a doofus, we've seen him throwing ninja stars at a target and throwin fuck-me eyes at Rita - on whom it's worked before "He's good for a tumble but the brain department is a

16:56

Speaker A

little low on the inventory if you get my drift." He's yet another character from the movie - Officer Dorf was the cop who rode up on the counselors while they were tryin to get canceled.

17:05

Speaker A

Bet this one's sad he doesn't get to wear that big ole space helmet. Lee takes the people meat home with him and puts it in his fridge, which scares his sister Briana when she comes to visit him.

17:13

Speaker A

Lee's only lived in Crystal Lake for a few years - he was in Newark before that, New Jersey's biggest city.

17:18

Speaker A

But while he's a big city cop turned quiet town sheriff, his sister still lives in Newark working for the newspaper.

17:24

Speaker A

She cool as fuck too, she was listening to Maggot Brain in the first episode.

17:28

Speaker A

The album, not the song. I know my Funkadelic! Briana tells Lee he should be back in the city, not living a life of wood whittling and probably makin model airplanes or some shit.

17:36

Speaker A

Oh Lee, you would've loved Warhammer 40k. Sounds like he left the Newark PD for a reason, though Take a couple bribes, look the other way a couple times?

17:44

Speaker A

Big deal! You know I'm gonna find out someday, right?" "That's enough!" Oh so errbody keepin secrets, huh?

17:49

Speaker A

Still, inspired by her, Lee ends up examining the meat himself, and finds a scissor blade embedded in the flesh.

17:55

Speaker A

That night the high schoolers have a party at Camp Crystal Lake thrown by the Christy's son Steve.

17:59

Speaker A

That's right, Steve Christy - who will grow up to be all body oiled and trying to re-open the camp in the first movie.

18:04

Speaker A

I guess now's a good time to talk about the timeline of this series, and how it's shifted from the movies.

18:09

Speaker A

Most of Crystal Lake takes place at the time of the first movie's cold open - the pre-credit sequence where the campers were a-sleepin and counselors were singin by the fire.

18:17

Speaker A

But in that movie, the cold open takes place in 1958, with the rest of the movie taking place 21 years later in 1979.

18:24

Speaker A

Crystal Lake, however, takes place in 1972, not 1958. I think they did this because the 70s are more interesting from a sociopolitical point of view, and more relatable to modern audiences, who probably wouldn't connect as much to teeny boppers sockhoppin around,

18:40

Speaker A

listenin' to Elvis and drinkin' milkshakes, what the fuck did they DO in the 50s?

18:43

Speaker A

What's intersting is that if they did the same time jump the movies did, Steve Christy would be trying to re-open the camp in 1993.

18:50

Speaker A

Alice and Bill would be awash in flannel! Oh shit Bill's already there. Anyway, you should've already known we were in the same time as the movie's cold open when you heard the names Barry and Claudette, the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake.

19:01

Speaker A

Any hardcore Kill Count fan knows they were literally the first two kills ever counted on this show.

19:06

Speaker A

Yeahhhhh you two got somethin comin and you don't even know it. Grace shows up at the high school party dressed and made up inappropriately for her age.

19:13

Speaker A

When Claudette tries to send her home, the two trade blackmail - Grace says she saw Claudette makin whoopie when Jason drowned, while Claudette says she'll tell everyone Grace threw the ball that Jason swam out to retrieve.

19:23

Speaker A

Grace backs down, stopping only to make the requisite wedge sacrifice to the woods. But the woods rejects her sacrifice and opens up the sky, bringing forth a rainstorm.

19:32

Speaker A

Claudette and Barry take cover for some front seat front of the pants grabaround until they're interrupted by something being thrown at their car.

19:39

Speaker A

And the thrower looks to be a.. swamp boy perhaps? Or a swamp man?! Barry gets the car moving but their back window shatters - the woods must have had a tummy ache, cause they threw that wedge right up.

19:49

Speaker A

Pam returns for the second day of the seminar, much to Rikter's surprise. She gives his regression whatever therapy a shot, but it causes her to dream of that hallway and a scene from Don't Worry Darling.

19:59

Speaker A

And, wait, was that the thing from The Thing? She leaves, upset, and waits until the seminar ends to confront Riktor with- oh shit with a bowling ball in her hand?!

20:06

Speaker A

Yabba Dabba Don't, Pam! Before she can roll a strike to his face, though, another dude beats her to the beat down.

20:11

Speaker A

He assaults Rikter while blaming him for his marriage falling apart. It's freakin brutal and leaves half of his face lookin like a Cenobite "See what happens when you play around with people's heads?

20:21

Speaker A

Some of us are meant to wear masks." "Like my son, Jason." Episode 3 starts with Grace running through the forest like a doe in flair jeans.

20:29

Speaker A

She comes across a shack that might look familiar to Friday fans - we know who loves a good woods shack.

20:35

Speaker A

"Got ya! Point blank." Yep! Our little Jay Man. Young Jason is played by Callum Vinson who was chosen because of his eyes, which had to be expressive even under the prosthetics on his face.

20:45

Speaker A

He spent about 2 hours in the makeup chair having at least 7 different pieces applied - his forehead, nose, lip, chin, cheeks, eye, and cowl.

20:53

Speaker A

The makeup was designed by Dave Presto, who didn't want it to look too monstrous, or too sad, or too funny looking.

20:58

Speaker A

Jason had to be believable as a kid who could still talk and act normally.

21:02

Speaker A

The design was meant to evoke Jason's looks from the movies - his lips and one side of his face took inspiration from Part 4, the other side of his face from Part 3, and his eye from Part 2.

21:11

Speaker A

Back to the flashback, which was when Jason first found this shack - I mean I guess it makes sense he didn't BUILD the one we saw in Friday 2.

21:17

Speaker A

Ya'know, the one where he turned that cop into a nutcracker. Which a fan then made into an actual nutcracker for me.

21:23

Speaker A

Jason and Grace scope out the place and declare it cool enough to be a fort.

21:27

Speaker A

I mean it's got a secret cubby hole. You could put your weed in there.

21:30

Speaker A

This cabin, kept secret by pinky swear, is where Grace wakes up present day. She makes her way home, unable to shake the sense that someone's watching.

21:37

Speaker A

Someone like Jay Boy. Actually looks like he was already becoming Jay Man, cause they find a nudey magazine in his room.

21:43

Speaker A

Aw man I don't want to think of Jason jorkin it. Lee's helping Pam clear out Jason's room because after that seminar, she's finally ready to start moving on.

21:50

Speaker A

"I guess I just needed something to kinda shake me up a bit." She says she's ready to let go and begin a new life - but sorry Lee, not with ye.

21:58

Speaker A

At least not yet. She doesn't wanna jeopardize the only friendship she has in town.

22:01

Speaker A

Yeah good luck resistin - both of yas, you can barely pull apart from each other!

22:05

Speaker A

With Jason a growing boy he's gonna need some new clothes, so he steals them from Ralph while the guy is preparing lunch.

22:10

Speaker A

Ralph notes his missing overalls and some mysterious footprints but isn't sure if he's just seeing things - poor guy sees things a lot, like the bodies of a bunch of his fellow soldiers from what I'm guessing is Korea?

22:21

Speaker A

I'm not gonna put them on the count though since they're just a hallucination. But I WILL shout out this incredible shot - Ralphs sees at least 12 bodies strewn about in the woods here, which would take a lot of time to get into position.

22:32

Speaker A

And yet the camera doesn't cut as it pans right to show us Ralph's reaction, and stays unbroken when it pans back over and all the bodies are gone.

22:40

Speaker A

That's some good shit, the people playing those corpses would've had to move so fast to clear the frame.

22:44

Speaker A

Great direction by Michael Lennox, who's also an EP on the show and who directed all of Derry Girls.

22:49

Speaker A

Officer Dorf is trying to be good police for Lee, even though he's a goofball.

22:52

Speaker A

He also runs his mouth too much at Trudy's diner, Crystal Lake's one stop shop for hot gos.

22:57

Speaker A

They couldn't shoot at the original location since it had changed too much, but production designer Lester Cohen re-created it as best he could - he even pulled photos from a documentary that showed new angles of the place that hadn't been featured in the film.

23:08

Speaker A

It's at the diner Dorf mentions the human body part found in the woods. "You're not even supposed to know what was found out there, alright?" "Well I guess you shouldn't have run your mouth, then." It riles up the local flavor crystals,

23:17

Speaker A

who think they should do something about a killer bear in their woods. But Dorf's not totally useless - he hunts down a lead about an abandoned rental car, which Lee checks out in the city.

23:26

Speaker A

In the trunk he finds some... wait, is that blood? "It ain't peanut butter." Oh, sorry dude, did you not get the Kill Count memo?

23:32

Speaker A

That's not the usual line we use. "It's not cranberry sauce." Yeah, see, there it is.

23:37

Speaker A

Lee visits Briana at the newspaper office and tells her that the car was rented by a dude who worked at a company that doesn't exist.

23:43

Speaker A

He wants her to help him dig into it, and she's happy to if it means no more whittling "Working a case, it looks good on you." Girl everything looks good on that man.

23:50

Speaker A

At school Claudette confronts Grace in the bathroom, blaming her for the shoe that went through Barry's window.

23:54

Speaker A

She gets aggressive and goes all Drunk Disney Chelsea on her. "Eat it, you bitch!" Grace fights back - like, actually pretty fuckin hard to be for real - but of course that gets her in trouble, so her mom Valerie has to come pick her up from school.

24:06

Speaker A

Pam happens to be outside and sees her mom gettin rough with her. Pamela will remember that.

24:10

Speaker A

She visits Grace at home after Valerie has left for work. I guess with Jason missing, Pam's gotta mother someone!

24:15

Speaker A

She can't help but start picking up the place and even makes Grace some food - always the cook.

24:19

Speaker A

But when Valerie gets home she is not happy to see someone else mommin her kid.

24:23

Speaker A

In no time at all she's smackin Grace again and kickin Pamela out of their place.

24:27

Speaker A

On her way out Pam notices cigarette burns on Grace's arm. "Don't say anything please. You'll just make it worse." A bear-hunting posse is formed because small towns like this love formin posses.

24:38

Speaker A

And eatin at Gus's... Pump and Pup? Aw, gross. Not even Ralph wants anything to do with these Pump and Puppers, he just rides away from them on his classic Ralph bike "The only thing waiting for you out there is death!"

24:50

Speaker A

and spittin classic Ralph fire! The drunk idiots head out into the woods, eschewing all kinds of gun safety as they fan out in a box formation around a noise they hear.

24:58

Speaker A

It gets Enos shot in the neck by crossfire. As he bleeds out on the forest floor, he's approached by some dirty ass feet - attached to, presumably, a dirty ass boy.

25:07

Speaker A

And Enos hates to see a dirty ass. Late that night down at the Bronco Beef Pit haha Valerie's lockin the beef doors and shuttin the beef curtains.

25:14

Speaker A

But Pam gets into the building so she can confront her about the domestic abuse.

25:18

Speaker A

This very special episode of Crystal Lake starts with a conversation but it doesn't end well.

25:22

Speaker A

"Maybe if you raised your kid right, he'd still be alive." Hm, yeah, maybe not the right thing to say to a self-actualized killer.

25:28

Speaker A

Pam grabs a meat tenderizer and TENDERIZES VALERIE'S JAW RIGHT OFF HER FACE. Holy shit her mouth is a gaping hole of blood and teeth that is DISGUSTING!

25:37

Speaker A

Somehow she tries to fight back but she gets a second bash that sends her headfirst into the deep fryer.

25:42

Speaker A

It kills her with a sizzle as Pam has a smoke and watches. Can't help but be reminded of a similar kill in Jason Goes to Hell - Leslie Jordan's, actually.

25:50

Speaker A

RIP little man. This kill was done with a deep fryer full of cool tea water - they used compressed air to simulate bubbling, and latex flesh pieces that floated up to the surface.

25:58

Speaker A

Pam doesn't feel bad killing Valerie since she was abusing her kid - but maybe not as much as Pam believed, since we find out Grace was giving those cigarette burns to herself.

26:07

Speaker A

And yet she let Pam believe that her mom had done them - maybe she wasn't lying when she talked about herself earlier.

26:13

Speaker A

"I'm not kind hearted." Pam cleans up her latest kill with a blazing Beef Pit inferno.

26:18

Speaker A

Yeah you know, you should probably get out of there now, Pam. Someone's gonna see that fire.

26:21

Speaker A

Or smell it - it's gettin extra crispy in there! Pam flees to Lee's where she says she wants to start opening up to him - starting with her mouth!

26:28

Speaker A

The two end up having sex and she stays the night. In the morning she finds him getting ready to head out to the Beef Pit, which he says burned down thanks to a grease fire.

26:35

Speaker A

They found Valerie's body, meaning little orphan Grace is gonna stay with the Christy's at Camp Crystal Lake for now.

26:40

Speaker A

And thennn there's the other thing: "Enos went and got himself shot yesterday." Yeah, the Enos of it all.

26:46

Speaker A

Also I love how separate him saying "Enos" sounds from the rest of his line "Enos" He sounds like Beavis and/or Butthead.

26:52

Speaker A

"ENOS" \*Butthead laugh\* Lee visits Enos in the hospital where he interviews him and his can of Coke.

26:57

Speaker A

Enos says he saw something in the woods, and it wasn't no bear. Twas a demon!

27:01

Speaker A

Good scene for actor Daniel Stewart Sherman, I really like what he brings to this character.

27:05

Speaker A

He and his buddy Gus are kind of like the moral center points of Crystal Lake - as the town falters, so do they.

27:10

Speaker A

Gus's actor William Hill is great too, he pops up in a lot of stuff including Widow's Bay.

27:15

Speaker A

A hippie named Willow gets dropped off in town, with her arrival looking just like Annie's in the original movie.

27:20

Speaker A

In fact - let's see it - yep, she's walking across the same freaking bridge.

27:24

Speaker A

Brad Caleb Kane said he was always going to shoot this series in the same town as the original.

27:28

Speaker A

"That was a non-negotiable, we had to go out to Blairstown, we had to shoot out there, and we had to recreate, in some capacity, scenes from the movie." And in fact they're able to recreate exact shots, like Willow walking by these arches just like Annie did.

27:42

Speaker A

I love it all so much. Kane said it helped that Blairstown was a bit frozen in time - even though it was nearly 50 years later, they didn't have to set dress it too much other than putting old cars on the streets.

27:52

Speaker A

The most they had to do was use some VFX to de-modernize the railing on that bridge.

27:56

Speaker A

Willow ends up heading towards Camp Crystal Lake to meet with her friends, but gets turned around in the woods and sees Enos's Forest Demon.

28:02

Speaker A

She makes a run for it but gets stopped by a freakin bear trap - oh shit, Jason's got REMAKE Jason skills already?!

28:08

Speaker A

That was the scariest Jason! The trap keeps Willow grounded as she's approached by a killer camera man.

28:13

Speaker A

We don't get to see her actual killer since it cuts to black on her scream.

28:16

Speaker A

Willow's hippie friends have been hired by John Christy to help him get the camp ready for their upcoming season.

28:21

Speaker A

He knows they're transient and thinks they smoke too much weed, but he still thinks they're good kids.

28:25

Speaker A

"Maybe they don't always go about it the right way, doesn't make 'em bad people, right?" He hires Pam back on after she asks for her old job, which she says will help her feel closer to Jason.

28:36

Speaker A

In truth, she's also trying to get closer to Grace. A girl needs a mother, you know.

28:40

Speaker A

Grace admits to Pam that she feels ambivalent about her mother's death - there's sadness, maybe, but also some kind of relief?

28:47

Speaker A

And that's just what Pam wants to hear. What she doesn't want to hear is this hippie chick Harmony tellin Grace she thinks she's groovy.

28:53

Speaker A

Grace is into it though and joins Harmony for some arts and crafts. And Pam just loooves that.

28:59

Speaker A

Really, it's super, it's like, exactly what she wanted, seriously. Lee and Dorf are coppin around in the woods when they find a bear cave with more chewed up human meat.

29:07

Speaker A

Two body's worth! And it ain't no bear that killed em, judging by the deep slash in this skull.

29:11

Speaker A

Is that an axe wound? "It looks like a long blade, actually. Maybe a katana? That's Japanese." Well that footprint is all-American combat boot, just like the ones Ralph wears.

29:24

Speaker A

Dorf asks Ralph why they found a coupla bodies next to his footprints. "You saw them too?" "Damn right we did." Aw poor Ralph.

29:31

Speaker A

They wanna look around his place but he says not without a warrant. Mentions fighting in two wars for those rights, so what Korea AND Vietnam?

29:38

Speaker A

Yeah man that'll make any Ralph crazy. Briana has herself a little research montage that points her towards a Corporation called Bellflower BELLFLOWER!

29:45

Speaker A

It's a DuPonte kind of company - chemicals, weapons manufacturing, appliances, all the things. And the guys whose bodies Lee found were probably working there.

29:54

Speaker A

"What the hell is a multi-national conglomerate doing in Crystal Lake?" I dunno, probably nothin good.

30:00

Speaker A

In her research, Briana also learns that Bellflower's been sued for chemical negligence before. This storyline really leans into the 70s setting, evoking the paranoid political thrillers of the decade like All the President's Men, The French Connection, and other work by William Friedkin.

30:14

Speaker A

This era, marked by Watergate, saw Americans grow distrustful of the government and institutions in general.

30:20

Speaker A

Kane wanted the show's aesthetic to match that tone, telling the production design team to reference movies like Klute and Five Easy Pieces.

30:26

Speaker A

Another reference point, specifically with the opening credit sequence, was the opening credits to Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which had a spooky, oversaturated vibe.

30:34

Speaker A

At Briana's encouragement, Lee ventures out to Newark and meets with one of his former cop-mates.

30:38

Speaker A

Oh man I love how fuckin Jersey so many people in this show are. This guy Jimmy dug up a file on the body Lee found in the woods - the victim was Benny Mutrix, who was discharged from the Special Forces and wound up doing private security.

30:50

Speaker A

We find out Lee left the Newark PD after taking the fall for something his department did.

30:54

Speaker A

But Jimmy has no sympathy, and says Lee was just as corrupt as the rest of them.

30:58

Speaker A

Actually, he's worse than them - 'cause he's Black. "Well ain't them that burned down the city." "Right." Jimmy's referencing the 1967 Newark riots, also known as the Newark Rebellion since it started when the Black majority population got fed up with the corruption of the city's white political class.

31:15

Speaker A

It was one of many race riots in the so-called "Long Hot Summer of 1967," second only in size and destruction to the one in Detroit.

31:23

Speaker A

Kane said he didn't set out to make Crystal Lake political, but since the show takes place in the 70s, he had to address the racial dynamics of the time.

31:30

Speaker A

"I wanted to show the small indignities, the constant small daily indignities, that a black, you know, a black man in America might, you know, DID have to face." Lee faces bigotry in the big city, the small town, even when he's doing his damn crossword puzzle

31:47

Speaker A

"Community agitator... the fuck??" And actor William Catlett is fantastic - we've seen him on the Kill Count before in Abigail, if you can remember his character.

32:01

Speaker A

Kane told Catlett to study Gary Cooper for the role, wanting Lee to have an old Hollywood movie star quality - a steady presence and a quiet dignity, with a strength that comes through even when he's not saying anything.

32:12

Speaker A

Barry and Claudette arrive at camp ready for another season, but Barry's mostly interested in getting his dick wet and Claudette ain't about that no mo.

32:19

Speaker A

She's been seeing a pastor who's helped her realize that sex only leads to trouble - and in slashers that's kinda right.

32:25

Speaker A

She points out the time his window got broken and oh yeah the time that soggy headed kid drowned in the lake.

32:30

Speaker A

Barry's left disappointed, but don't worry Care Bear, there's dirty hippies to chase after now.

32:34

Speaker A

The hippies join the counselors and the camp staff as they finish preparation for the campers.

32:38

Speaker A

Grace helps with the artwork. "Kinda looks like Spaceghost." Yeah she draws a mean Zorak too.

32:43

Speaker A

She likes hanging out with these hippies who encourage her to live freely and be herself.

32:47

Speaker A

They're way better than Claudette, who Grace ain't letting off the hook just because she's found God "You've been treating people like shit your entire life.

32:55

Speaker A

So be happy Jesus forgives you, because I sure as hell don't." Grace is a huge character in Crystal Lake - in fact our main kid character since Jason went and got himself drowned in the first episode.

33:07

Speaker A

I think Gwendolyn Sundstrom does a REALLY good job making Grace sympathetic but also interesting.

33:12

Speaker A

She's sweet but she has a sharp edge to her thanks to the bullying and abuse she's faced.

33:17

Speaker A

Harmony is a big Grace fan, too - she says her aura's cool. Hell yeah Grace, you got mad aura!

33:22

Speaker A

Pam and Lee go on a double date with Rita and Dorf, who keeps taking about those bodies they found.

33:26

Speaker A

He mentions that their suspect isn't a bear anymore, and that gets Pamela concerned. Since this isn't the first time Dorf's blabbed about the case in public, Lee chews him out and says he's being bad police.

33:36

Speaker A

Dorf gets in his face and says they should go arrest Ralph, but Lee points out they don't have any evidence.

33:41

Speaker A

"But you, Officer Dorfman, don't know shit." Dorf's night gets even worse when waterbed sex with Rita doesn't work out, as, I imagine, most waterbed sex does not.

33:49

Speaker A

I love the little subplot between these characters - they like each other, but something between them just isn't working.

33:55

Speaker A

He's kinda dumb about what she wants, and she's kinda mean about him being kinda dumb.

33:59

Speaker A

But he does seem like he really wants to get with her for real, so when she rejects him it hurts real bad.

34:04

Speaker A

Now that she knows the cops are looking for a human killer Pam starts cleaning up a little better.

34:08

Speaker A

She takes the machete and chucks it into the lake - the perfect swampy depths for a Jason to reach.

34:13

Speaker A

She hears noises nearby and follows them to a hippie campsite that looks like it's ready to kick off a Wolfman movie.

34:19

Speaker A

Pam isn't pleased to find Grace hanging out and drinking with the hippies. "We're letting her think for herself!" "It's not a crime, yet." Okay hippies, that is a child.

34:28

Speaker A

But Grace isn't leaving until Harmony does a reading for her - she's offered to help her spiritually connect to her dead mom.

34:34

Speaker A

They settle into a tent for the reading, with Pam skeptically watching off to the side.

34:38

Speaker A

Using some components, a forehead tap, and good ole fashioned chanting, they begin the session, and Harmony starts talking like Grace's dead mom is inside her.

34:46

Speaker A

"My friends helped me find you so I could say goodbye." Pam thinks this is exploitative and tries to break it up, which is when Harmony finds herself in discord.

34:54

Speaker A

"What the FUCK is she doing here?! You just can't leave my kid alone, can you bitch?" Oh shit is this for real?

35:00

Speaker A

Can people actually channel spirits in this universe? Okay! Through Harmony, Valerie says Pamela did something awful.

35:07

Speaker A

She doesn't specify that she killed her, but it's enough to make Grace afraid of Pam.

35:11

Speaker A

"Stay away from me!" After Rita's rejection Dorf has a good dash beer and decides to be a big important MAYUN.

35:17

Speaker A

He rushes over to Ralph's shack and psyches himself up to perform a Constitutional violation.

35:22

Speaker A

"Dorf or die, baby." Oh Dorf, you're such an entertaining idiot. He goes into Ralph's shed without a permit and finds a bunch of meat hanging up - mostly animals, but also Willow, who's been skinned entirely except for her face.

35:33

Speaker A

Dorf dorfs his brains out and while he's ralphin in the rain, Ralph spots him on the other end of his scope.

35:37

Speaker A

Put the gun down, Ralph - you got some splainin to do "Ralph Neely, you are under arrest." Oh, his last name's Neely.

35:44

Speaker A

Not sure if I knew that before. Mr. Neely! Dorf's convinced the case is closed and that Ralph is a crazy serial killer.

35:50

Speaker A

"Like that maniac in Frisco, the Kodiak." "Zodiac." "Kodiak's a bear, numb nuts." "Shut the fuck up!" Dorf's all riled up since he got to book his perp but Lee kicks him out to cool him down.

35:59

Speaker A

"Fuckin bullshit." Dorfyyy, we gonna have a problem? Cause Ralph is an innocent man, at least according to him.

36:05

Speaker A

He says it was the so-called demon that Enos saw. Just hope THIS Demon didn't eat enchiladas.

36:10

Speaker A

"Ooh, it's them damn enchiladas!" Lee drives up to Camp Crystal Lake to tell the other hippies their hippie friend is dead.

36:16

Speaker A

While he's sympathetic to their sadness, he still has to question them for information. Barry backs them up and says they haven't left the camp, which earns him a titty touch from Harmony - er, his titty.

36:25

Speaker A

The hippies are paranoid that the cops are gonna crack down on them so they agree to pack up and leave - just as soon as they have one drug-filled final night.

36:32

Speaker A

To honor Willow! Grace finds out they plan to leave and since Harmony says their souls vibrate together or whatever she agrees to take the kid along with them.

36:40

Speaker A

I mean the kid ain't got no parents, what the fuck else she gonna do?

36:42

Speaker A

Perhaps she can pick a Pam as her parental person. Pam would positively appreciate it.

36:46

Speaker A

But Pam starts dirt talkin the hippies and Grace don't like that, so she snarks back.

36:51

Speaker A

"You're not my mom. And I can take care of myself." Girl you can't even braid your hair yourself.

36:56

Speaker A

Ugh, could never be a padawan. The campers arrive, giving us another glimpse at Camp Crystal Lake functioning in its prime.

37:01

Speaker A

Although, I do have to admit, this feels like the 12th montage in 5 episodes.

37:05

Speaker A

Getting into Benny Loves You territory. Still, I love seeing the camp so alive. Most of the movies take place when it's closed, save for Part 6 when they reopened it as, what was it, Camp Forest Green?

37:16

Speaker A

But that was the only movie with actual kid campers - which of course provided me with this channel's name.

37:21

Speaker A

"I think we're Dead Meat... real Dead Meat." Crystal Lake wasn't able to shoot at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, where they filmed the original movie, but they were able to scout it out.

37:30

Speaker A

That allowed Production Designer Lester Cohen, a forty year vet of the industry, to re-build certain structures like the boathouse to match them exactly.

37:37

Speaker A

The show's Camp Crystal Lake was shot at Camp Ocawasin in West Milford New Jersey.

37:42

Speaker A

Cohen and his team hard to de-modernize the camp and make it appropriately 70s, going so far as to replace the newer double-pane windows the cabins had.

37:49

Speaker A

John Christie goes over the camp rules, which is basically that everything fun is closed, like the archery range and the boat house.

37:56

Speaker A

Cool camp bro. Does it get any better? "You might hear some rumors about a body being found in the woods nearby, it's not true! It wasn't found anywhere NEAR here." Man you're really bad at this, John.

38:07

Speaker A

No wonder the kids can't sleep at night, they're already creating Crystal Lake lore. "They said he drowned and now he haunts the forest.

38:14

Speaker A

They said his name was Jason." Oof that's gotta hurt. Pam says nah son, Jason was a sweetheart, but he's gone now.

38:21

Speaker A

She's finally moved on enough to say it. Unless these kids who are seein ghosts ain't lyin, and her little Jason IS really out there.

38:28

Speaker A

Dorf gets home, upset that they haven't arrested Ralph yet, but not as upset as his dad.

38:32

Speaker A

"That negro sheriff gonna do something about this crime wave, or what?" Oh boy. We saw his dad earlier gettin all up in Lee's face, saying Dorf should be sheriff instead.

38:40

Speaker A

He's a Pacific War vet who's watching Nixon on TV as he announces his War on Drugs.

38:44

Speaker A

That was part of the conservative backlash to Hippies like Harmony and her crew, although as a Presidential history nerd I've gotta mention that this broadcast is anachronistic.

38:53

Speaker A

Nixon's speech was in 1971 and this show takes place in 1972. Maybe it's a summer rerun though.

38:58

Speaker A

In any case, sucks to have to live in this guy's basement- aw, Dorf, you live in your dad's basement?

39:03

Speaker A

At least you've got your ninja stars. Haha I love that Dorf's a weeb. "Katana!" Harmony and Barry hit up a shaggin wagon to get it on, and look who's lookin - Grace's hormones are gettin all fucked up again.

39:13

Speaker A

She decides to stir the pot by telling Claudette what she saw, and although Claudette tries to be all born again about it, she gets sidelined by Harmony and cold shouldered by Barry.

39:22

Speaker A

It gets her so sad she starts sobbin in the kitchen. And kitchen is Pam territory.

39:26

Speaker A

You sobbin in Pam World, girl! In the spirit of her newfound Christianity Claudette can't help but confess her sins - including how she and Barry were doin the boathouse bump when Jason the Boy Lump drowned.

39:37

Speaker A

Hmm. Hope you feel better bout yourself, Claudette, cause I don't think Pamelam forgives you.

39:41

Speaker A

Not if her treatment of that snake is anything to go by aw man. At least this one wasn't real.

39:45

Speaker A

The Hippies prepare to honor Willow with tablets of an acid strain called Orange Sunshine.

39:50

Speaker A

This has gotta be a reference to Blue Sunshine, a horror sci-fi flick from the 70s.

39:54

Speaker A

In it, a bunch of people take an LSD batch called Blue Sunshine and end up getting killed a decade later.

39:59

Speaker A

Orange Sunshine ain't gonna make anyone go bald and murder people, but Grace still wisely opts out at first, agreeing to be Harmony's sitter.

40:06

Speaker A

But she don't wanna sit there and watch Harmony and Barry fuck, GAWD! get out of here Barry! Barry ruins everything!

40:13

Speaker A

Especially when he finds out the hippies plan to take Grace with them when they leave.

40:16

Speaker A

"You can't transport a minor across state lines, that's a felony." "Aw, I didn't think about that, shit he's right." "No he's not!" "You're a minor?" With Grace's plans ruined and her having to hear sex noises again, she decides to say fuck it - she WILL take a trip down acid lane.

40:31

Speaker A

Sure she's only 13 but- Ohhh and she just took three tablets Jesus Christ oh no oh shit.

40:36

Speaker A

That poor girl. Those senses are SINGIN! Those trees look like the cover of a sketchpad.

40:40

Speaker A

That night sky looks like a screensaver - and those don't even exist yet! Grace starts to see something else, too - something that might be calling her name?

40:48

Speaker A

"Graaaaaace" Yo wait did Jason talk? Barry's Harmony House gets broken into by ShutterBug, who wants to get a little gay with it.

40:57

Speaker A

Barry's no Bear, though, nor otter nor twink nor twunk. Well he's kinda twunky I guess but he's still not down for a Devil's Threesome.

41:03

Speaker A

He walks back to camp affirming No Homo to himself when he hears some acoustic biblical songs comin from the- wait wait wait hold up a god damn minute.

41:11

Speaker A

This shot. I know this shot. I know this MOMENT! They're singing the same song, they've got the oars above the fireplace and everything!

41:18

Speaker A

Barry falls back to the familiar comfort of Claudette, and mouths that he loves her.

41:21

Speaker A

That's enough to win her over and set things off on a path towards a cold open.

41:26

Speaker A

I mean we're full on Rogue Oneing this bitch, just backing up directly into the opening of Friday the 13th.

41:31

Speaker A

We see Pam enter a cabin where the campers are fast asleep and look around at them.

41:35

Speaker A

It's basically the same POV shot as the opening of the first movie. So by time we get to the counselors' rendition of "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" and see these shots of Claudette and Barry, we can't help but wait for the two of them to get to where they're going so they can get killed.

41:48

Speaker A

Sure enough they head into a barn to continue their grabass. "Does Mary-Ann kiss as good as I do?" "How should I know?" "You!" This might be my favorite little touch of the whole series, the most astounding connective tissue between Crystal Lake and Friday the 13th.

42:03

Speaker A

That line comes from the movie, word for word. "Does Mary-Ann kiss as good as I do?" "How would I know?" "You!" Only the genius thing here is that they made Mary-Ann an actual character.

42:14

Speaker A

Earlier this episode we found out Harmony's name wasn't always Harmony - she was raised in the Catholic church.

42:19

Speaker A

"I used to be Mary-Ann Sacrimony, for Christ's sake." So they took a throwaway line from 1980 and made it relevant to this show's love triangle.

42:27

Speaker A

It's delightful, and actors Danielle Kotch and Phoenix Parnevik do a great job matching the original line deliveries.

42:34

Speaker A

As Barry and Claudette prepare to get biblical with each other, a first person POV enters downstairs, grabs a blade, and comes up to find them.

42:41

Speaker A

From there it plays out just like I first counted nearly a decade ago. "We weren't doing anything, we were just-" GETTING KILLED!

42:49

Speaker A

Once again Barry gets stabbed just below frame and dies by bleeding out from his tum tum.

42:53

Speaker A

Claudette grabs some boxes and tosses em around but get this - ain't no freeze framin, we're actually watching her get slashed down.

43:00

Speaker A

Thanks, Crystal Lake, pretty cool of you to show us something we didn't see before.

43:05

Speaker A

WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?! THEN WHO WAS PHONE?! GRACE?! YO CRYSTAL LAKE YOU JUST SHOWED US SOMETHING WE DIDN'T SEE BEFORE!!

43:11

Speaker A

All the set up we've seen that ties Crystal Lake to the OG film pays off when it takes a sharp left turn like this.

43:18

Speaker A

Grace tells Pam she stabbed these two to save Jason oh man she is really trippin hard right now.

43:24

Speaker A

Pam tells her it's okay, she's just dreaming, don't worry, she DIDN'T just kill the first two people ever counted on the Kill Count IT'S FINE.

43:30

Speaker A

Besides, Claudette doesn't even count yet. She's still kickin. At least until Pam stabs her in the side again, getting vengeance for her son.

43:37

Speaker A

"He wasn't a very good swimmer." But you're a real good killer, Pam. And a good mom! You'll see what I mean, Grace "Mama's here." You'll see real soon.

43:45

Speaker A

Grace starts freaking out but Pamela tells her she didn't kill anybody, she found Barry and Claudette like this.

43:51

Speaker A

She's just confused because of the drugs. Yeah, good job Pam. I think that worked!

43:55

Speaker A

Pam gets to work cleaning even though a halluciJason says she's not gonna be able to hide the bodies this time.

44:00

Speaker A

Instead, the sopping spirit says she should pin the murders on the ones who are really to blame: Those damn hippies.

44:05

Speaker A

And the best way to do that? "Kill them, mommy." "I will, Jason... I will." Now listen, I love me some Cardellini, but just sayin, Betsy did that whole scene by herself.

44:20

Speaker A

"Kill her mommy! Kill her! Don't let her get away, mommy. Don't let her live!

44:27

Speaker A

I won't, Jason... I won't." Looks like her first victims will be Spaceghost and Shutterbug, the space case and photographer hippies, respectively.

44:36

Speaker A

They come across Barry's body in the woods and while photodocumenting it Shutterbug gets the shot of a deathtime - a knife going through the lens and his face.

44:44

Speaker A

Spaceghost can't even understand what's happening. "You killed him?" "No, dear, you did!" Haha I love that scream, it feels like a Simpsons scream where the tongue would be waving around.

44:56

Speaker A

Next we've got two hippies having sex in the woods so we all know how that's gonna end.

45:00

Speaker A

Wow I did not expect to see this angle of ass in this show. The lovers join the Kill Count, first Rhiannon when she gets her throat slit.

45:07

Speaker A

Then as soon as Gabe finishes thrusting - dude be more present! - he gets killed by two stabs in the back of the neck.

45:12

Speaker A

That leaves three hippies by the fire: Harmony, Plato, and Stella. Pam hits em up and is all like heeyyyy, would love for you to meet my friend KNIFE!

45:20

Speaker A

And get to know em real good. Knife goes DEEP! God damn that was a lot of stabs.

45:24

Speaker A

This rash of kills is when the series delivers the goods for slasher fans. "At some point people are gonna be asking, 'When the fuck is this thing gonna go full Friday the 13th?' and I wanted it to be this moment"

45:33

Speaker A

Kane said Stella's kill was possibly his favorite of the show. At first, Cardellini was doing the multiple stabs methodically, until he suggested she just go crazy with the knife.

45:42

Speaker A

He found the flurry much more scary, and cites it as the moment Pam truly becomes the killer we know.

45:47

Speaker A

Meanwhile I'm a big fan of Shutterbug's kill - I always like it when a character's kill involves their defining trait.

45:52

Speaker A

They used a prop knife that slotted into a camera that had a hole in the back where the actor's nose went.

45:57

Speaker A

Then the camera screwed into a plate on his face that would support its weight, which was glued over on top with prosthetics.

46:03

Speaker A

This is the third time we've seen actor Drew Scheid on the Kill Count - he also got killed in Halloween 2018 and Fear Street 1978, another 70s-set summer camp sitch.

46:12

Speaker A

Hippie thought-leader Plato runs through the woods and makes it to a canoe where Grace is waiting for Pam to come back.

46:17

Speaker A

She tries to prevent him from leaving as Pam goes after Harmony, who makes it into the van.

46:22

Speaker A

Pam's almost gotten through the glass when, unexpectedly, Harmony actually gets the van started and manages to drive away.

46:28

Speaker A

Pam follows Grace's screams to the shore, where she finds Grace passed out and Plato having joined the Kill Count.

46:33

Speaker A

He's got a machete in his face, but judging by how deep it is, I don't think Grace was the one who swung it.

46:38

Speaker A

Pam starts hoping she might see her baby boy again "Jason?" and you know what? Maybe she does.

46:43

Speaker A

The next day the bodies are collected, with all the murders being blamed on a bad acid trip.

46:47

Speaker A

At least that's according to this police Captain. "What's the uh... last count on this, 8?" Oh wait lemme check andddd yep we had 8 too!

46:56

Speaker A

Good countin, Crystal Lake! Their main suspect is Harmony, who got away and is now missing, which I'm hoping means we get to see more of her if we get a season 2.

47:03

Speaker A

Actress Manon Gage is great and has such a compelling look. And Chelsea said she's amazing in the video game Immortality, which she also said was creepy as hell.

47:12

Speaker A

The police Captain tells Lee state forces will handle things from here on out. He relays that info to Pam at the hospital and, yeah, she doesn't love that.

47:19

Speaker A

Her story is that she came to work this morning and found Grace scared and hiding.

47:22

Speaker A

The hippies drugged her which is why she doesn't remember anything. That's the story Pam rehearses with Grace, who reveals that she might have seen Jason in the woods.

47:30

Speaker A

Pam finds that somewhat interesting and kindly asks Grace to elucidate some more. "TELL ME." Over in the plotline you may have forgotten about Briana's been learning more about Bellflower.

47:39

Speaker A

BELLFLOWER! She finds out the two guys that Lee found dead were ex-soldiers turned mercenaries for the company.

47:44

Speaker A

She tries to take that info to a Bellflower whistleblower named Dr. Landau, but he's too spooked to get involved.

47:50

Speaker A

Later, though, he sends a file to her at the newspaper office that includes a medical file on Pamela Wittering.

47:54

Speaker A

He tells her she can't contact him again until she mentions that she knows Pam.

47:58

Speaker A

That surprises Landau, who thought Pam was dead, so he agrees to meet Briana in person.

48:02

Speaker A

They plan to do it publicly, at a carnival. Waittt a minute, anyone else getting Stranger Things season 3 vibes here?

48:08

Speaker A

Hope Landau doesn't face the same fate as- uh oh that's not good. Sure enough he gets Alexied in public by a mysterious goon.

48:14

Speaker A

Damn, he died without ever getting to ride one of those death traps. A besuited man sits next to Briana and addresses her by name.

48:21

Speaker A

He's from Bellflower and says he wants to play nice, but she's rightfully skeptical. He tries to frame Project Argonaut as a medical trial where, yeah, okay, unfortunately some women died.

48:31

Speaker A

"The fact is that progress and innovation always requires a certain amount of risk." Pretty soon it's apparent he's just looking for Pam.

48:39

Speaker A

And that he's got goons. Get her, goons! Briana counters with a key attack and runs away, successfully evading them thanks to some turnstiles and a truck bed.

48:46

Speaker A

At the police station Lee gets into another argument with Dorf, who's mad that Ralph was allowed to post bail and leave.

48:52

Speaker A

Dorf reveals the state cops told him about Lee's history - he was busted for taking bribes from drug dealers "You been lying to me since day one, acting all uppity." Ooooh Dorf, you can't say uppity, dude.

49:03

Speaker A

Probably learned that shit from his dad, but Lee ain't bout to lie down and take it.

49:07

Speaker A

"Now get the FUCK out of my office!" Aw man. I liked it more when they were bowling buddies.

49:11

Speaker A

Out on bail, Ralph hangs out at the diner where the other Crystal Lakers vouch their support for him.

49:15

Speaker A

Some of them blame the Camp Crystal Lake kills on Satanism and communism. But Ralph freaks out and says Satan's not to blame, it's an actual evil that lives in their woods.

49:24

Speaker A

And they shouldn't ignore it. "Have yourself a walk in the woods, you'll never come back again." Holy SHIT actor Nick Cordileone NAILED that delivery!

49:32

Speaker A

His intonation was JUST like Walt Gorney's "You'll never come back again!" It even gets an identical reaction - though this time from Trudy instead of Enos.

49:40

Speaker A

"He's a real prophet of doom, ain't he?" "He's a real prophet of doom, ain't he?" Pam was at the diner and tells Ralph that she also saw something in the woods- wait does her magazine have Aunt Gladys on the cover?

49:49

Speaker A

Haha oh, sorry- Ralph says the thing in the woods has been watching and stealing from him.

49:53

Speaker A

"Like it was trying to learn, like a baby making sense of the world." She tells him it might be Jason, but he says whatever it is, it's not her son anymore.

50:03

Speaker A

And he may have to kill it. Briana meets with Lee and tells him everything she's learned, and that Bellflower tried to kidnap her.

50:08

Speaker A

She knows it has to do with Pam and blames her for the murders, but Lee's not convinced that she's a bad mother.

50:13

Speaker A

"If this proves anything, it's that Pam is a victim not a killer!" They decide to find and talk to her before Bellflower does.

50:19

Speaker A

Pam is currently visiting Jason's shack in the woods after having learned about it from Grace in the hospital.

50:24

Speaker A

See, asking nicely works! "TELL ME!" Ah, this is like visiting your kid's dorm after they go to college.

50:29

Speaker A

And finding the childhood toys they decided to bring. She leaves him a care package of food and survival gear, and some reading material, though I'm sure that's not the magazine he was hoping she'd leave for him, the little gooner.

50:40

Speaker A

She stays late waiting for him to come, but he never appears to her - he only trashes the shit out of the cabin when she's not looking.

50:45

Speaker A

Sorry Pam. Kids can be so difficult. Things get worse when she returns home to find Lee and his sister waiting for her in her kitchen.

50:51

Speaker A

He's got evidence she killed the bear cave victims, but wants to hear her side of the story.

50:56

Speaker A

So can she please explain what's happening? Preferably without going for one of the many weapons around?

51:01

Speaker A

She agrees to. "I never told anyone what I'm about to tell you." The penultimate episode is one of those self contained backstory episodes - like the Betty Gilpin one in Widow's Bay or the Richard episode in Lost.

51:11

Speaker A

And it starts off feelin kinda WandaVision since this is 1959 and we're watching the TV!

51:16

Speaker A

It's an episode of Jack Parr, the 5 year host of the Tonight Show before Johnny Carson.

51:20

Speaker A

He's got a special guest tonight. "Miss Pamela Scott." Before you can say Bye Bye Birdy we're watchin as Pam sings up a storm.

51:27

Speaker A

This character lore is personal to Kane - his own mom had been a nightclub singer before she had to give up that career to raise him.

51:33

Speaker A

Pam's singing prospects are interrupted as well, right on the air, as she suffers from complications with her pregnancy.

51:39

Speaker A

She's rushed to a hospital where a doctor coldly tells her she's had a miscarriage and probably won't be able to have kids at all anymore.

51:45

Speaker A

"Sorry doll, but some of you gals just, you know, aren't built for it." Her partner Elias works for Bellflower BELLFLOWER and says they have a state of the art medical facility.

51:54

Speaker A

They're not married because Pam wasn't ready for all of that but she's spooked by the idea of never having kids, so she agrees to visit this corporate compound.

52:00

Speaker A

There she meets Dr. Valentine and his partner Dr. Landau, the eventual whistleblower. Valentine's banter may be corny...

52:07

Speaker A

"Everything's bigger in Texas." ...but he says what she wants to hear: She hasn't miscarried at all, there's still a baby inside her who's fighting to survive.

52:15

Speaker A

With Elias's overeager encouragement, she agrees to move from New York to company housing in Houston.

52:20

Speaker A

They set her up in a little box made of ticky tacky, with prepackaged meals and everything.

52:24

Speaker A

It's got a real Stepford Wives thing going on. Unlike the grittier 70s vibe that the rest of the series has, this episode has a very different aesthetic.

52:31

Speaker A

Kane wanted it to look like a colorful melodrama from the 50s or 60s - he cited movies by director Douglas Sirk, or films shot by cinematographer Jack Cardiff, whose work included Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes.

52:42

Speaker A

Pam agrees to undergo an experimental procedure slash test run for a SPECTRE torture device.

52:47

Speaker A

Seriously that is one super villain sized needle. But the pain is worth it if it'll save her child and deliver a happy suburban life.

52:53

Speaker A

She makes friends with Trish Bearfield, a fellow pregnant Bellflower wife. But Trish has been struggling with her treatments lately - she's getting paranoid and is starting to think her husband and the doctor are up to something.

53:03

Speaker A

"Lying to me... about something to do with the treatments, or the baby." Buttt they gave her pills to stop having those silly thoughts and now everything is perfect at home.

53:13

Speaker A

I think Olivia Macklin does a great job in this role that definitely would've been played by Alison Brie ten years ago.

53:18

Speaker A

Unfortunately, when Trish goes into labor, she has a stillbirth. Pam visits her in the hospital and Trish says she saw her baby before they took it away - and it was pretty messed up.

53:27

Speaker A

"I don't think I could have loved her." She blames herself, saying it wouldn't have happened if she didn't have to take those pills.

53:33

Speaker A

And in fact she's unable to forgive herself. The incident happens right in front of Pam, and seeing something like that is not great for a pregnant lady.

53:40

Speaker A

The shock of it induces Pam's pregnancy, which we should've seen coming, since an earlier shot showed us it was Jason's birthday today.

53:46

Speaker A

Pam wakes up post-birth to find Elias telling her about the baby. Yeah, he might look a little funky at first glance, but 2 months later Pam's happy to bring that Baby Jay home with her.

53:55

Speaker A

The birth has done wonders for Elias's career - he's got a promotion and a new secretary named Nora.

54:00

Speaker A

Nora is sympathetic towards Pam about Jason, since she has an adult daughter who's also different, albeit mentally.

54:05

Speaker A

"I'll be taking care of her for the rest of my life." Elias immediately bails on the whole homelife thing, fucking off back to the office and leaving Pam alone with Jason.

54:13

Speaker A

Kid has a collicky fit that lasts for literal days, exhausting all her solutions and herself.

54:18

Speaker A

She tries to give Jay Bay a warm bath and while it does finally calm the crybaby, it also calms the exhausted mom just a bit too much and she passes out tubside for a nap.

54:27

Speaker A

Uh oh! The tub overflows until Jason stops moving, which is when Elias gets home.

54:31

Speaker A

He finds Jason dead which, yeah, he don't like that, but no worries man turns out it ain't easy to kill Jables.

54:37

Speaker A

He's back and crying in no time. Think you can just drown Jason Voorhees like that?

54:41

Speaker A

I don't think so muthafuckas. Still, the negligence of it all gets Pam put under strict supervision.

54:46

Speaker A

Dr. Valentine has one of his nurses stay with them, who's played by Kate Micucci?

54:50

Speaker A

Ha okay. And instead of worrying or being sad or whatever, Pam's told to take a bunch of pills.

54:55

Speaker A

And that's how she lives for years, poppin pills and raising her little Jay Bay Bay.

54:59

Speaker A

But on his 4th birthday, Elias says Jason is running into health problems and needs to get some secret company tests and treatments.

55:06

Speaker A

Don't question it, Pam. NEVER question it! "You're lying to me." "You seem a little agitated, darling, do you need me to go and get your pills?

55:18

Speaker A

Or maybe you need a few more days back at the clinic, nice quiet room, get some rest." I was so excited when they introduced Jason's dad and his name was Elias.

55:28

Speaker A

Elias Voorhees was originally written for an ending to Part 6 that was never filmed.

55:32

Speaker A

His name is mentioned once on a TV in Jason Goes to Hell, but that's his only official movie canon appearance.

55:38

Speaker A

He pops up in comic books and other stuff, though, and was even mentioned in the Friday the 13th video game.

55:42

Speaker A

I don't know much about his personality in like the comics, but I love his portrayal here by Hamish Linklater.

55:48

Speaker A

Linklater is one of the most talented TV actors today, his performance in Midnight Mass is among the very best.

55:54

Speaker A

He's also great in Widow's Bay, for which he won an Emmy last month. He's so good at all different sorts of characters.

55:59

Speaker A

His Elias is very much like the character Guy in Rosemary's Baby, a disloyal husband who sells out his wife's health and their progeny for career advancement.

56:07

Speaker A

I can't tell if Elias was always so calculating and heartless, or if he only became that way when the opportunity arose, but either way he's a real fucker now.

56:15

Speaker A

Jason has a hard time fitting in with the other kids, especially when he's literally radioactive - kid's lightin up a geiger counter like a Christmas tree and also now his hair is falling out.

56:24

Speaker A

Nobody likes that! Jason is taken to the company hospital for more special treatment and kept away from Pam.

56:28

Speaker A

But she says Jason used to be okay until they started doing tests on him and wants to take him to an outside doctor.

56:33

Speaker A

Elias disagrees with the idea. There's just too much riding on their son. "If you do anything to undo the progress that we have made so far, I- hmm." But how can she NOT do something to protect her special little boy?

56:47

Speaker A

Poor feller's so scared he's drawing cliche horror kid pictures of scary adults and procedures.

56:52

Speaker A

Oh man we all know the art department made this not some kid. Okay maybe that one was a kid.

56:57

Speaker A

One drawing matches the building they head to for a fancy Bellflower ceremony. Elias is the company man of honor, set to announce the big breakthroughs they've made thanks to Jason "You have no idea the gift that you have given the world."

57:10

Speaker A

While he's hobknobbin Pamela finds Dr. Landau nursing a drink, and when he steps away to get her one she hijacks his janitor ring of keys.

57:17

Speaker A

Pam sneaks out before the keynote address so she misses Elias's speech. He invokes the Cuban Missile Crisis and says that with the Cold War heating up they need to defend themselves against eventual nuclear war with the Soviets.

57:27

Speaker A

That means making humans able to survive nuclear war by replicating cockroach cellular structure or some shit.

57:34

Speaker A

I would call it Project Nukey Babies but they opted for Project Argonaut. It's named after Jason and the Argonauts since Jason has proven to be their biggest success.

57:42

Speaker A

They've found that not only is he resistant to radioactive harm, the trauma it inflicts actually makes him stronger and grow faster.

57:49

Speaker A

Wait, are we getting a canonical explanation for any weird age discrepancies from the movies?

57:53

Speaker A

Although, I guess you could explain all his little boy appearances as nightmares, hallucinations, or the result of toxic waste in stupid stupid scenes.

58:01

Speaker A

GOD THAT SEQUENCE WAS SO DUMB. Jason's been such a Bellflower success that they've tried the same thing with a hundred more subjects - none of whom have seen the same results.

58:09

Speaker A

Pamela learns about the failures firsthand when she uses Landau's keys to get through the Argonaut door.

58:13

Speaker A

She comes across the results of Bellflower's experiments, lookin Alien Resurrection up in this bitch.

58:18

Speaker A

Oh man a lot of these are... extremely upsetting to look at. I think you can get a picture with that one as Roswell though.

58:24

Speaker A

The effects team had to create 25 of these mutant babies in jars, giving them all deformities that echoed Jason's.

58:30

Speaker A

Of course, all those babies - none of whom I feel comfortable putting on the count - are an acceptable cost for Elias, who finishes his patriotic science spiel to thunderous applause.

58:38

Speaker A

Pam reaches a section with the more successful trials and uh... is not able to save any of them, that sucks.

58:44

Speaker A

I do love the moment when she thinks her son is the bag head on the end - a nice little nod to Friday 2 where we of course had Sackhead Jason.

58:51

Speaker A

She finds Real Jay Boy on a table but when she goes to free him Dr. Valentine shows up.

58:55

Speaker A

He gives an evil doctor monologue, saying this is for the greater good, while getting all up in her personal space.

59:00

Speaker A

It's not until he insults her ability to be a mom that she's pushed over the edge and takes a powerful drill right to his FACE.

59:06

Speaker A

It's her first chronological kill, and it fucking rules. This is the kind of practical overkill I wanna see in this show.

59:12

Speaker A

It feels like a Cult of Chucky kill if that makes sense. This kill was originally going to be done with a chisel Pam shoved down his throat.

59:18

Speaker A

They wound up making a drill that kind of umbrellas out into a dummy, which was created by a digital scan since actor Jeffrey Bean was too claustrophobic to do a traditional face cast.

59:27

Speaker A

Pamela escapes with Jason thanks to Nora, who says she didn't know what was going on.

59:31

Speaker A

She gives Pam a getaway car and lies to Elias about what she saw. No wonder Pam called her at the end of the first episode, after she killed those two Bellflower dudes.

59:39

Speaker A

Without Nora she wouldn't have been able to get away with her little ET lookin kid haha oh man that's so sad.

59:44

Speaker A

But it's also real sweet, our precious little Jay Boy. Pam thinks he's precious too, and promises that she'll never let anyone hurt him again.

59:51

Speaker A

Now that her story's been told we're back with Present Pam. "That's quite a story." Yeah you're telling us.

59:56

Speaker A

To Pam's relief, they believe her - after all they read her file - and they want to help.

60:00

Speaker A

But Lee doesn't want to just flee. He says Pam should stop running, lawyer up, and fight back against Bellflower.

60:06

Speaker A

In fact, he insists. Elias shows his face around town and since it's a pretty face - on a tall frame let's be real - Rita is immediately into him.

60:13

Speaker A

But his questions about Pam lead her and Trudy to realize he's not to be trusted.

60:17

Speaker A

Women's intuition. Too bad Enos ain't got that and casually blabs about everything up to and including where Pam lives.

60:24

Speaker A

Good job Enos. "Happy to help." Yeah well, you could help by shutting up tight, ENOS!

60:28

Speaker A

Spooked by the Tall Man, Phantasm style, Rita visits Dorf in his dad's basement. She tells him about Elias's bad vibes.

60:34

Speaker A

"You know how tuned in I am to people's energy." "Yeah." Dorf is sincerely touched that she came to him for help - it's the boost to his masculinity he's needed.

60:44

Speaker A

"You can count on me." "I know." All right Dorf Redemption Tour let's go. Elias breaks into Pam's house with his goons.

60:52

Speaker A

Man I love his styling - it is 1972 and he wants you to KNOW IT.

60:55

Speaker A

They find out Briana's brother is the Chief of Police so you know they're headed to the station next.

61:00

Speaker A

That's where Lee is keeping Pam even though she says they need to get the hell out of town.

61:04

Speaker A

He still believes she can come clean, though, because of his backstory that he finally divulges.

61:08

Speaker A

Back in Newark Lee found out his squad was taking bribes. He had to take them too so no one would target him or his wife, but while the rest of his cop buddies laundered their money, he spent his on his sick wife's medical expenses.

61:18

Speaker A

It wasn't enough to save her and she died, and he was caught spending all that money so he took the fall for the entire department.

61:24

Speaker A

He tells Pam he was able to start fresh in a new place with new people, and she can too.

61:29

Speaker A

Crystal Lake is all about the identities thrust upon people and how they have to find out for themselves who they really are.

61:35

Speaker A

Pam is forced to be a housewife, then forced to assume a quiet life hidden away - it's why she resented the hippies so much, they were living with the freedom she could never have.

61:42

Speaker A

Lee has to fight against systemic and societal racism; Dorf has to fight against his father's racist upbringing.

61:48

Speaker A

Even Rita has to fight against society deeming her an older woman when she wants to have fun and get laid.

61:53

Speaker A

And of course Jason has to fight back against people making fun of his differences.

61:57

Speaker A

And boy will he fight back. Pam says she's down to start a new life with Lee, but not in Crystal Lake where it's dangerous.

62:03

Speaker A

Before she can convince him to abscond a car pulls up outside with Elias and his goons.

62:07

Speaker A

Pam and Briana go downstairs before Elias enters for an incredible two hander scene with him and Lee.

62:13

Speaker A

It's so tense and layered in lies that it feels like something out of Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones when it was good.

62:19

Speaker A

Elias says he's just a husband and a dad who wants to reunite with his sick wife again.

62:23

Speaker A

Lee pretends to be sympathetic but says Pam left town and there's nobody but him here at the station.

62:28

Speaker A

Too bad Elias spots a hot cup of joe that Briana had been drinking a minute earlier.

62:32

Speaker A

He shoots down Lee's claim that he's alone sounding like Tim Robinson. "You sure about that?" With their game over Elias calls his goons inside.

62:39

Speaker A

Whoa dude when'd you get these extra goons? You only had three goons at Pam's house, did they multiply?

62:44

Speaker A

They surround Lee who pulls a gun and points it at Elias, but this is really a numbers game and Lee ain't got the numbers.

62:50

Speaker A

He does have the marksmanship though - they made sure to show us earlier with a little award on his wall haha WONDER IF THAT'LL COME INTO PLAY.

62:57

Speaker A

Not wanting to see Lee get murdered Pam comes upstairs and turns herself in to Elias.

63:00

Speaker A

He's enchanted by seeing her because she's Linda Cardellini and that gives her a chance to stab him with a letter opener she pocketed earlier.

63:07

Speaker A

Leaves it in his back and everything. Still, she gets grabbed and a Reservoir Dogs stand off gets underway until Dorf interrupts it.

63:13

Speaker A

"WHO ARE YOU?" "Who am I, who the hell are you, GUY?" Dorf finally gets to use the ninja star he's been practicing with - and practice makes perfect, cause he's all like GET IT IN YOUR EYE!

63:21

Speaker A

Lee opens fire on one goon, killing him quickly with a gunshot to the torso.

63:25

Speaker A

As a shoot-out erupts, Elias escapes with Pam while Lee takes a bullet to the belly.

63:29

Speaker A

After they're gone, Dorf manages to shoot another goon down to the ground. The guy seeing stars tries to use Dorf's gun against Lee but gets shot square in the head instead - cause Lee's a muthafuckin MARSKMAN!

63:39

Speaker A

That plaque done TOLD YA! Dorf calls an ambulance and reports the license plate on Elias's car - hell yeah Dorf Redemption Tour!

63:46

Speaker A

Pam is held at gunpoint in the back of Elias's car until it nearly drives off the road thanks to- !

63:51

Speaker A

SACKHEAD JASON! Wow it's really him! It gives Pam the chance to flee into the woods, damn man, Pam LOVES to flee.

63:57

Speaker A

And Jason loves to look through the sack on his head and arm himself with lethal weapons.

64:01

Speaker A

Aww and we're gettin a ki ki ki ma ma ma on the soundtrack. We are officially in Jason mode now, which means an awesome kill when he appears and slices half a dude's head off oh hell yes.

64:11

Speaker A

That is a good Jason kill. It's one of my favorites of the entire series, another masterful effect by Dave Presto "That's a practical gag, too! Yeah!" "I can tell, and it looks amazing, yeah!" They called it the PEZ dispenser on set,

64:23

Speaker A

one of many nicknames they gave the various dummies to make it easier to refer to different kills.

64:27

Speaker A

Speaking of kills, we get one more with Elias's last goon when he gets killed in a POV shot after Jay Man rushes towards him.

64:34

Speaker A

Elias finds Pam sitting in Jason's shack and defends what he did to their boy.

64:37

Speaker A

It was for a greater good - for all of humanity. Meanwhile what happened to Jason under her watch?

64:42

Speaker A

"YOU LET HIM DROWN! Again." Bro do NOT question her mothering. She raised a big strong boy - and here he is now!

64:51

Speaker A

Pam is the happiest anyone's ever been to see Jason Voorhees. "You've gotten so big!" Papa's here too though and he wants to see Jason's face.

65:00

Speaker A

"C'mon son quit cosplayin a pillow." He takes off the mask for a great Face Reveal - I love this Jason makeup.

65:06

Speaker A

You can tell this teenage version could grow up to be what we see in, say, The Final Chapter.

65:10

Speaker A

That makeup was done by Tom Savini, who also did the OG makeup in the original, and Presto's makeup for Jason in Crystal Lake fits right in between those Savini looks.

65:19

Speaker A

Elias tries to be tender and touchy, saying they'll be a family again. But he starts alluding to more tests and scientific breakthroughs, so Jason gets touchy and thinking about breakthroughs himself.

65:28

Speaker A

He ends up squeezing Elias's head real hard while sticking a thumb in his EYEBALL OH UNTIL THE OTHER EYEBALL COMES OUT HIS HEAD!!!

65:36

Speaker A

Aww and then he keeps squeezing away until the skull ends up crushed beneath his hands.

65:41

Speaker A

I love the eyeball coming out, it's like a good version of the hilarious puppet head from Part 3 - a kill that really made an impact on Kane when he saw that movie in theaters as a kid.

65:50

Speaker A

"I remember the sights and sounds and smells the minute Jason squeezed the guys head and the eyeball pops out into the audience, I even remember seeing the string on the eyeball but, you know, I didn't care, to me it was like the most wondrous kind of gag that you could ever see."

66:06

Speaker A

I think the head crush might have gotten a bit too much in terms of digital enhancements, though, which is a shame - Presto's team shot it practically using a dummy head that could compress and return to form for more than one take.

66:16

Speaker A

The fake brain inside could be pushed out of the skull with a control rod and inflate so it would look like it was bursting out.

66:22

Speaker A

Three people had to operate the effect, with one person on the brain, one on a similar mechanic for the eyeball, and another on the mouth and tongue.

66:29

Speaker A

I love the look we get at the crushed head on the ground afterward - it's a nasty fate for a nasty man.

66:34

Speaker A

"People say we're gross 'cause we build gross stuff, but it's the writers. They're the ones." Jason comforts himself by re-applying the Major special, "Sack." He tries to leave but Pam stops him, begging for his forgiveness.

66:46

Speaker A

And while the Sackhead version may be silent, her vision of Jay Boy speaks volumes.

66:50

Speaker A

"I forgive you, I love you." Too bad you can't hug a vision, Pam, and too bad real Jason didn't say that stuff.

66:57

Speaker A

Instead, turns out he's angrily grabbing her by the neck. Oh man this is heartbreaking.

67:02

Speaker A

Thankfully, when she says she loves him, Jason finally remembers his mom with flashbacks of fun scenes.

67:07

Speaker A

It's enough to make him let her go - and maybe actually recognize her? "Jason." Aw dammit Ralph!

67:18

Speaker A

Pam stops Ralph from double tapping and by time their fight is over Jason has disappeared.

67:22

Speaker A

Pam's fine with that, though - now she knows her sweet boy is indestructable. It's just like she said 3 minutes into the first episode "But I'm not like the other kids." "No, you're stronger." She cackles about how these woods belong to her son now, and Ralph calls her crazy.

67:37

Speaker A

She don't mind, she just laughs in the woods as the sun sets over Camp Crystal Lake.

67:41

Speaker A

The show jumps ahead one year for a denouement. Jason has become the stuff of legend, a Crystal Lake curse causing cadavers in their woods.

67:48

Speaker A

His story is told by a dude sitting around the fire. Ha, who does he think he is? STEVE HOLT?!

67:52

Speaker A

"People died, Steve." Wait did she just say Steve? Is that really STEVE HOLT? The season ends with these campers being watched by something in the woods.

67:59

Speaker A

If I were them I'd start lookin for a gas tank and the car keys.

68:03

Speaker A

How many folks Argo-not a live thanks to Pam and Jason? Let's find out and get to the numbers.

68:29

Speaker A

We counted 21 kills in season 1 of Crystal Lake, with the victims consisting of 15 men and 6 women.

68:35

Speaker A

A more than 2:1 ratio of dudes! We've actually seen this count and breakdown in two previous episodes, the 2017 Leatherface, and the Friday V Recount!

68:43

Speaker A

With a season consisting of 8 episodes, we had on average 2.63 kills per episode.

68:49

Speaker A

I'll give the Golden Chainsaw for coolest kill to Dr. Valentine. It was a seriously tough call between this and that half-decaped goon.

68:56

Speaker A

Both are delightfully gory in an over-the-top way. But what won me over to the bad doctor is the shot where you can see the drill spinning in his mouth through a hole in his cheek.

69:03

Speaker A

That's a real nice touch. Dull Machete for the lamest kill will go to the first Bellflower goon killed by Lee in the shootout.

69:09

Speaker A

Honestly, no brainer. And that's it. Crystal Lake premiered on Peacock just last week, and all 8 episodes are available for streaming.

69:16

Speaker A

Make sure you watch it, alright? This show is so damn good and I need another season of it.

69:21

Speaker A

A Kill Count is not enough to experience all the good acting and craftsmanship. Thanks again to Crystal Lake for sponsoring this episode so it could happen so fast.

69:30

Speaker A

Until next time, I'm James A. Janisse. This has been the Kill Count. Thanks a lot for watching this Kill Count for Crystal Lake.

69:36

Speaker A

I really wasn't sure what to make of the opportunity when it came up, but then I watched the show and god, I just love it so much.

69:42

Speaker A

And then meeting and talking to Brad, and finding out how big of a fan he is just solidified my love for it.

69:47

Speaker A

Like I talked to that guy for over and hour and we just ran out of time, and we wanna talk more!

69:51

Speaker A

He was bringing up deep cuts man, he was saying he saw Xtro in theaters as a kid.

69:56

Speaker A

I still haven't seen Xtro! Like he mentioned some movies he saw in theaters, and he said the "mainstream" ones included Maniac.

70:03

Speaker A

If Maniac is your definition of "mainstream," then dude, you're deep as hell into horror.

70:08

Speaker A

Also really fun that they actually came over and did this set dec for the Kill Count set!

70:12

Speaker A

A picture of Betsy over there just as an homage to the original Pamela. Of courses, Sackhead Jason, here at the end.

70:19

Speaker A

There's a turtle shell there, idunno.. turtles! The snake was mine, I'm NOT gonna cut it in half.

70:24

Speaker A

If you checked out the show, make sure you let me know what you thought of it in the comments!

70:27

Speaker A

Thanks everyone, Be Good People. Gabe and Rhiannon (redhead) Space Ghost (cowboy hat) Plato (blonde) ShutterBug (camera guy) Stella (black chick with long hair)

Topics: Crystal Lake Friday the 13th Peacock Pamela Voorhees Jason Voorhees Kill Count Dead Meat Brad Caleb Kane A24 horror TV review

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