Cruel Summer Chapter 3 Commentary

 

Chapter 3 Commentary

Crime Scene Etiquette:  Always wear gloves so you don't contaminate a crime scene (least you want to become a suspect). 

Did He or Didn't He:  Firstly, of course I'm not answering that question yet.  I still have 2 more chapters to go.  But, lets look at things from Miranda's perspective.  She is the last of the new characters (or was).  She doesn't have the personal or emotional ties to Jackson so she has the ability to be totally objective.

Point 1: Jackson is not around, hasn't been since just before the storm.

Point 2: Jackson has a partial alibi in Ann yet can also be the last person to see her alive.

Point 3: Jackson has brought an assortment of lethal weapons to summer camp (a bow, real arrows, knives) and the majority of them are not in the cabin.

Questionable Judgement:  We all know that splitting up is a pretty common and sometimes stupid tactic but there is some logic built into this one.  While Ethan does not have time to give all the details Popko informed him of exactly how fast of an archer Jackson was.  Jackson claimed to be able to fire two arrows in 1.5 seconds and he proved it to Popko.  That is why Ethan sends the girls to retrieve the phone and not to go with him.

Rocki is also correct that Miranda should not have gone off alone as that was the killer's plan all along.  Had more than one person gone for the body, see the above theory by Ethan.

The one wrinkle in the killer's plan is the one thing Rocki went for... the Satellite phone which they don't yet know about.

The Plan Comes Together:  The killer obviously set up the generator kill prior to taking out the power lines from town.  The black powder was gun powder which while it has an odor is not as potent due to the outdoor nature of the shed.  The killer was hoping to take out more than 1 person but knew that someone was dying in that shed.

Popko's body was setup as the killer knows that someone is coming to restart the power or to make a run for it in the cars.

Again, the killer is not aware (yet) of the Satellite phone.

 

Theories & Questions:

Cast Theory: None of the people that know Jackson think he killed Popko, they didn't voice this to Miranda as she would think they are being biased.

Reader Question: Do you think (as Sienna did) that Jackson and Ann went to the Main Hall for private time?

Reader Question: If you don't think they were together, how DID Ann get to the Main Hall?

Body Count: 6 (as the review is in the chapter I am not putting it here).