Dead of Summer Review: Modern Love (Season 1 Episode 4)

“Modern Love” is definitely the best episode of Dead of Summer so far! It’s all thanks to Drew Reeves, who is by far my favorite character yet.

Zelda Williams does an impeccable job in bringing to life this character. While it’s certainly controversial to give a trans role to a cisgender actor, she does her level best in conveying the pain of transition when you have an unsupportive family. Nearly every Drew-centric scene is heartbreaking and memorable.

Throughout Drew’s flashback sequence, we get to see him struggle with his realization that he is trans, his mother’s disapproval, and eventually, total abandonment. It’s a heavy arc (really too much and too complex to convey in a single episode) but the show does a pretty good job of condensing it into flashbacks peppering a one hour episode.

When, in an early scene, we first see Drew get his hopes up that he’d have received a letter from home, it’s clear that he isn’t on good terms with his family. The show does this sort of “fake-out” where Drew’s mother has an epiphany–that her beloved “Andrea” is truly Drew–after following Drew to a nightclub, and it makes you think that everything is fine and dandy in the present-day Reeves household.

That is a smart move because it makes Mrs. Reeves eventual abandonment of Drew all the more shocking, heartbreaking, and cruel. The rug is pulled out from under us the same way it’s pulled out from under Drew.

Drew coming home and discovering a completely barren house is tough to watch. While the scenario is obviously hyped up to maximize melodrama (this is TV after all), the real-life situation of many (too many) trans teens mirrors this. Also, an abandonment in that manner takes a lot of work–Mrs. Reeves would have had to act like everything was fine, only to up and move every single thing out of her home while Drew was out. That’s, like, next level betrayal.

While Drew’s past is undoubtedly tragic, I hoped we’d see him find love in the present, with Blair. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be going that way.

Drew and Blair have been my #1 couple to root for all season. They’re the only two I’m rooting for wholeheartedly at this point. I’ve been very vocal about how little I care about this Jessie-Sykes-Amy love triangle and Alex as anyone’s love interest.

Mark Indelicato and Zelda Williams, on the other hand, have great chemistry, and while we don’t really know Blair yet, I’ve been rooting for Drew from the beginning. He’s the most unproblematic, purely good character we’ve seen so far. More so than even Amy, I’d say.

Drew’s relationship with Blair stretches back farther than any of us (or Blair) realized, as “Modern Love” reveals. Drew was born “Andrea Reeves” and actually attended camp with the other kids. While there in ’83, Drew (then Andrea) bonded with Blair. Blair remembers “Andrea” as a sweet girl who encouraged Blair to be his true self by gifting him a David Bowie tape–David Bowie being the iconic figure for being whatever the hell you want to be.

After being tormented by the evil camp spirits drudging up images of little girl Andrea from his past, Drew finally snaps and confesses all to Blair, only for Blair to turn his back on Drew.

This is so upsetting, and I’m hugely disappointed in Blair, but I can’t say it’s unrealistic. Trans issues weren’t discussed as openly then as they are now, so it makes sense that Blair might be unfairly biased against Drew, not considering him a “real gay man” or whatever.

Also, this “break up” of sorts gives them an arc for the rest of the season–I fully believe that, if they both manage to survive, they’ll eventually reunite. It has to happen!

Elsewhere, Jessie continues to be the worst, but shows the vaguest glimmer of humanity in her newly formed bond with Drew.

I don’t truly get Jessie’s character yet, so I’m hoping that when we finally get our Jessie-focused backstory episode, it will clear some things up. Some of her bad behavior, while annoying, makes some kind of rational sense–she wants to keep Amy away from Garrett by any means necessary because she wants the Deputy for herself.

But her cruelty to Drew in “Modern Love”? Threatening to “out” him as being the same “Andrea” that everyone went to camp with? That just makes no sense at all. What did Drew ever do to her? How does blackmailing Drew to leave camp help her at all? Jessie is so lame.

Of course, in the end, after Jessie runs across Amy planting a big kiss on Deputy Sykes and Drew is abandoned by Blair, the two cast-offs join together in something vaguely resembling friendship. It’s heartwarming to see, but I don’t fully trust it because Jessie hasn’t earned it yet.

While Drew and Blair are dealing with their relationship drama (and Drew is dealing with his past), the rest of the counselors actually start to make headway in investigating what the hell is up with this creepy-ass camp.

I can’t even explain what a relief it is to hear these kids start to put two and two together, discussing the fact that they’ve all seen some weird, inexplicable, possibly supernatural things near the lake. Next week will mark the midway point of the season, so it’s about time that the kids are finally acknowledging what’s going on and solving the mystery.

When Cricket spots Deb’s creepy wooden mask and flashes back to her creepy ritual nightmare, she wins best detective of the week by realizing that the camp director might be up to something nefarious. She and Alex decide to search her room for that box that Joel caught her on camera retrieving, while Joel stupidly follows Deb out to the woods. Come on, dude, you’re supposed to be the one who knows all the movie tropes! Bad plan.

Luckily for Joel, he doesn’t get murdered–he gets lucky. Deb shows him the only thing that’s in the box is a book and then they get down and dirty on a blanket in the middle of the woods. I vaguely suspect that this is somehow part of the demon-summoning ritual, because it’s all just too convenient.

Elsewhere, Amy, who completely recovered from her direct lightning strike in about 12 hours, is possessed (or something).

I’m not sure exactly what her deal is, but the “creature” she saw in the lake right before she was struck during “Mix Tape” is clearly controlling her in some manner. Amy is led out into the lake by the creature, who reaches from the water to grab her hand (creepy!), only to be interrupted by Garrett. Garrett can’t see the creature that Amy sees, but still-possessed Amy plants a big kiss on him right before snapping out of her stupor–just in time for Jessie to see it.

Strange things are going down at Camp Stillwater and it’s finally getting interesting.

Stray thoughts:

• Molly Hagan, who plays Drew’s terrible mom, is so recognizable from all her other various bitchy-mom roles. She’s also played Michael’s mom on Jane the Virgin and Liv’s mom on iZombie, to name just a few.
• That balloon “scare” in the bathroom is 100% the least scary thing I have ever seen in a supposed horror show. “Oh no, all these red balloons are everywhere! They’re multiplying! AHHHH!” It’s so goofy.
• Jessie’s backstory is clearly going to be focused on this DUI we just learned about, right?
• Deb tells Joel that he reminds her of someone–the person who gave her the book she shows him. Could she be talking about the Tall Man?
• Cricket shoving Alex’s hands off of her when he reaches towards her is the best moment Cricket’s had so far. Love it. She’s so over him and his crap.

What did you think of this episode of Dead of Summer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Dead of Summer airs Tuesday at 9/8c on Freeform.

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