As Hollywood continues to remake past hits, it’s no surprise that the ’90s cult classic Cruel Intentions is now a Prime Video series. Starring Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), Zac Burgess (Boy Swallows Universe), and Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl), this adaptation of the unforgettably devious 1999 film and Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s novel retells the sultry story of a bet between two wealthy and dysfunctional step-siblings in a modern-day setting.
Hook takes on the viciously manipulative Caroline Merteuil, inspired by Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Kathryn, alongside Burgess, who acts as her playboy step-brother Lucien, based on Ryan Phillippe’s selfish and brooding Sebastian. Caught in the middle of their mind games is Smith’s Annie Grover, the inexperienced daughter of the U.S. Vice President, who’s reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon’s virginal Annette Hargrove.
Although the teen romantic drama pulls inspiration from the originals, the show stands on its own. Cruel Intentions’ first season includes new settings, characters, storylines, and a final episode that alters the fate of its leads. Long-time fans can expect nostalgic references, but also plenty of changes to the series’ focus and ending when compared to what they’ve seen before. So, let’s take a look at how the contemporary iteration differs from its predecessors, especially the suspenseful final moments that set up showrunners for another season of delicious sensuality and deceit.
It’s Not an Exact Remake
Release Date November 21, 2024
Cast Sarah Catherine Hook , Zac Burgess , Sara Silva , Khobe Clarke , John Harlan Kim , Brooke Lena Johnson , Sean Patrick Thomas , Savannah Lee Smith
Seasons 1
Although there are plenty of ways in which the new Cruel Intentionsseries connects to the seminal ’90s flick, it isn’t exactly the same. There are minor adjustments made to the story and its characters that were necessary to adapt the 90-minute movie into eight, 50-minute episodes.
First, the show mainly takes place on the fictional (and notably elitist) campus of Manchester College in Washington D.C. during the school year. It correspondingly centers on the characters’ social reputations at the university, including issues within the protagonists’ sororities, fraternities, and peer relationships. While the film’s characters do attend an institution of the same name, it takes place in and around New York City throughout the summer before school resumes.
Additionally, a lot of the character names and backgrounds have been slightly modified to fit the new setting. Instead of being a student body president like Kathryn, Caroline is the president of her sorority, Delta Phi Pi. Similarly, the movie’s dimwitted debutante Cecile, played by Selma Blair (Legally Blonde), is transformed into CeCe (Sara Silva), who acts as Caroline’s number two in the sorority and is a wildly intelligent (though neurotic) part of the cast. There’s also Blaise, resembling Sebastian’s gay confidant, Blaine, who embezzles money from his fraternity to afford to be there, and Annie’s father, who is V.P. instead of being Manchester College’s headmaster like he was in Annette’s case.
Despite these character shifts, there are plenty of Easter eggs for die-hard fans to enjoy. Most notably is Sean Patrick Thomas’s return. Originally playing Cecile’s cello teacher/secret lover Ronald in the movie, Thomas takes on a similar role in the series as Professor Chadwick. Staying true to his role 25 years later, Thomas acts as CeCe’s boss and forbidden love-interest.
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CeCe Doesn’t Get Her Happy Ending
In the original film, Cecile and Ronald end up together. Driving a wedge between them by showing Cecile’s racist mother Ronald’s love letters, encouraging Cecile to practice sexual acts with her step-brother, and even tricking Ronald into sleeping with her, Kathryn set out to destroy Cecile after finding out her ex-boyfriend Court had fallen for her. However, thanks to Sebastian’s eventual revenge against her, the couple survives Kathryn’s wicked influence.
On the other hand, the final episode of the series leaves CeCe empty-handed and confused. Throughout the show, it’s clear that Caroline selfishly uses CeCe to make sure she always gets what she wants, regardless of how it affects her so-called “best friend.” When CeCe becomes too focused on her romance with Professor Chadwick, Caroline convinces him that CeCe doesn’t love him, lies about who she is to sleep with him, and then reports him for student misconduct. Too trusting of Caroline, CeCe is easily swayed by her underhanded tactics. She hears about the report, and believes that Caroline’s warnings about him were for her protection. Unfortunately, CeCe doesn’t uncover Caroline’s deception in the show’s final episode.
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Sebastian and Lucien Have Very Different Fates
After finally winning the bet and sleeping with Annette, Sebastian rejects his prize (Kathryn). Insulted and vengeful, Kathryn violently attacks Sebastian’s character, claiming they are one and the same, both incapable of love, happiness, or, even, decency. Confused about who he is, Sebastian mistakenly breaks up with Annette. However, Kathryn makes her own mistake: she tells him she lied about his love to win her game against him.
Immediately, Sebastian gifts his journal, a self-proclaimed trophy of his sexual conquests and a detailed account of his and Kathryn’s depravity, to Annette, hoping to make amends and start anew. Unfortunately, his step-sister refused to allow him a happy ending. She tells Ronald he hit her and slept with Cecile, and the two men get into a fight. Trying to break them apart, Annette is knocked into oncoming traffic. In the end, Sebastian pushes her out of the way, only to be hit himself. Although he was able to save her (and simultaneously prove his love), he sadly dies before they can make up.
The series gave Lucien a similar story arc, but leaves audiences with a less tragic ending in its final episode. Instead of a conquest journal, Lucien has a more modern sex-tape collection of girls he slept with. Like Sebastian, he also rejects his step-sister after winning their bet. In response, Caroline releases the tapes (excluding the one he made with Annie) across campus.
When Lucien finds out, he races to Annie’s dorm, only to be confronted by his step-sister as well. An argument between them resembling Sebastian’s and Kathryn’s unfolds, and Lucien similarly lies about his love for Annie before storming off. The final shot of the show is Lucien ignoring Annie’s calls while driving away. Where he’s going we don’t know. So far, viewers can rest assured that Lucien doesn’t die in the end and will return if season two gets a green light.
Kathryn Gets What’s Coming to Her but Caroline Doesn’t (Yet)
The 1999 Cruel Intentions wraps up the characters’ stories with a classic karmic resolution. Annette discovers Kathryn’s toxic hand in Sebastian’s untimely death, and decides to help him rest easy by taking away what mattered most: her reputation. She makes copies of Sebastian’s journal, particularly the pages detailing Kathryn’s villainous nature, and distributes them to the entirety of Manchester College. As a result, everyone finally sees the truth behind Kathryn’s perfect facade and turns on her.
However, the series seems to end with Caroline still on top. Annie finally joins Caroline’s sorority and improves its reputation like she wanted since the first episode. Lucien and Annie break-up after he rejects Caroline, causing him the pain she felt he deserved. Plus, CeCe’s distracting romance is over (leaving her to focus on Caroline’s needs, yet again).
Despite getting what she wanted, the cracks in Caroline’s mask begin to surface. CeCe’s developing friendship with Annie is uncovering some of Caroline’s lies, particularly when she uses CeCe’s traumatic past as her own to gain Annie’s trust. Thus, the series wraps up with Caroline winning, but as her friends become suspicious of her intentions, another season suggests an impending downfall akin to Kathryn’s demise.
Cruel Intentions is now streaming on Prime Video.
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