photo courtesy of: hypable.com

After last week’s emotional roller coaster (R.I.P. Riley) the residents of Lakewood are understandably having issues coping with another loss on this week’s episode Scream. We pick up exactly where we left off, with a teary eyed Emma at the police station watching the body of her former best friend getting wheeled away. A grief stricken Noah arrives to the scene and he is heartbroken and quite shaken, as he demands answers as to who could kill such a good hearted person, with Emma in agreement. The next morning we hear podcast host Piper discussing the events of the murder and she describes it as a new tangible pain; knowing these young teens while seeing them picked off one by one, she expresses condolences to those who knew Riley. Emma sits with Brooke, while Brooke sobs and feels immense guilt for “abandoning” Riley for a potential fling. “None of this waterproof mascara actually is!” Brooke says through tears before expressing both misery and jealousy over Riley’s lack of requiring mascara in the first place. This is Brooke’s form of showing grief and the scene is both heartfelt with a touch of humor, I really like the character Brooke if it isn’t obvious already.

Elsewhere, Audrey comforts her friend Noah who is struggling to comprehend her death and reading through their brief texts involving meeting up, or Lady Gaga trumping Madonna (Thank You!) He sarcastically expresses an interest in taking on vigilante justice and Audrey replies with their potential team name, “Bi-curious and the virgin” which Noah claims to be the saddest duo ever. A majority of our characters (except for Noah) attend a press conference held by the mayor (Brooke’s father) who brings the sheriff out to state that with Tyler dead, the murder spree should be at an end, but Audrey and Emma don’t buy his easy resolution. At the coroner’s office, Maggie tells the sheriff that the one thing missing from the scene is Tyler’s head, which presents a discrepancy in their belief of events. What did the killer do with his head? That’s for later…

Will visits Emma at work, and takes the time to console her in a time of grief where the two establish it as a new-found friendship for them. Brooke calls her while at work and asks for nail polish advice (Oh Brooke, I love you.) and she decides on onyx in tribute to Riley, when her phone receives an alert with a poll that reads “Lakewood’s hottest clique is being murdered, who would you rather see on the chopping block” with Emma at a mere 2 votes, and Brooke at a whopping 346. Ouch, that’s going to sting. Piper visits Emma to fulfill her caffeine craving and shares that she also believes the town is hoping for the killer to be Tyler to merely put everyone at ease. When Emma gets home shortly after, she finds a package with a yearbook from 1994 with her fathers face scratched out, and others removed. A note above her father’s non-existent picture reads “the truth lies where the mask was made.” Making it both a lead, and a potential trap for Emma. She takes the book to Noah and Audrey, and Noah explains that the missing photos are of Brandon James’ victims, divulging that the masks were made for Brandon James at Lakewood General Hospital. Noah tries to involve himself in a plan to go, but Emma shoots him down and plans to go on her own until Audrey pulls her aside and says the two of them should leave without him for his own safety.

Brooke tries to strike up conversation with her dad, telling him that she’s wanted to reach out to her mother, but she is at a retreat and really doesn’t care about her family (my own assumption.) Brooke is struggling with feeling hated by her peers, and losing her close friends and becomes increasingly fragile with every scene, in large part it’s credited to the acting of the talented Carlson Young. Will finds out he was accepted to Duke, but insanely large tuition fees are a major roadblock so Jake suggests they continue what Nina and Tyler started to earn quick cash, which we briefly learn involves blackmail in some capacity.

photo courtesy of: themovienetwork.com

Audrey and Emma arrive to the abandoned hospital, and as they enter the eerie building, Audrey notes that a female could just as well be the killer. Emma responds saying her calls were from a man’s voice and Audrey scares her by speaking into her voice changing app that she claims was used from her former girlfriend’s movie to prove how easy it could be. Shortly after they come across a smeared path of blood that leads to the killer’s lair with Brandon James X-rays, a pig carcass (the same one the killer used for Maggie’s heart-in-a-box gag) and sketches of the varied masks used to cover his face post-surgeries. The two hear someone arrive to the room, and Audrey strikes the person with a flashlight and Emma attempts to tase him, who as it turns out is Noah. “Did you just try to tase my man parts?!” he exclaims which definitely earned a laugh. When Noah realizes he has arrived to the killer’s lair, he compares it to Hannibal, Psycho, and Seven as an “extension of the killer’s psychosis.” In one of the funniest moments of the episode, he references Pretty Little Liars killer’s den filled with staged clues, and he ponders “How would A get her hands on four Victorian dolls that look just like the main characters…where do you shop for that?” which Audrey sarcastically asks, “Evil American-Girl Doll Store?” the meta references are so perfect.

photo courtesy of: ibitimes.com

As the three delve further into the creepy room, they come across trophies from the past killings, and the newest ones which causes them feel the need to make an exit. Before they can make their way out, Emma finds Nina’s missing laptop with files saved that are labeled with her friends names, the sheriff, the mayor, and more. Emma quickly tries to copy the files onto a SD card, and they begin to leave until Emma spots the Brandon James mask, grabbing it for evidence. As she takes the mask, the severed head (with a sewn mouth and no eyes) of Tyler drops to the floor and the trio scream in unison. The group sprints towards the exit but are stopped by the sheriff who claims to have received an anonymous tip that people had entered the building. The sheriff is livid that they acted without police involvement and Emma shoots back “last time it didn’t really go that well!” touché. He confirms this obviously rules out Tyler, and asks for Audrey’s camera to go over evidence before kicking them out.

photo courtesy of: designtrend.com

Brooke lays poolside (alone) until her father arrives with a package from her mother that she declines to open. Just as he begins to try to be there for his distraught daughter, he gets distracted by his phone buzzing with texts demanding “another $100,000”. Obviously Nina and company had some very shady business endeavors going on. Brooke relocates to a lake, when Jake arrives after receiving a text from her and she proclaims that everyone despises her. Jake brings up the poll and when she asks if he voted for her as well, he jokingly adds “hell no. I gotta keep you around. I need one unattainable hottie to keep me grounded.” She opens up to him, saying that she left her friend because she wanted to do something for herself like always and she adds “I don’t want to be that person.” This is where we will get to see the layers to Brooke that makes her one of the series best characters. Can we keep her around please?

Noah and Audrey managed to keep the SD card Emma used to upload files from Nina’s laptop and he begins to hack it. At the same time, Emma advises Piper (who is preparing to leave the town in belief that the case is closed) that she should stay, hinting to her that there is more to the story. When Audrey and Noah get into the files, the only accessible one is of a steamy hook-up between Will and Emma which then is uploaded to a listserv chain similarly to Nina’s death GIF. Emma begins to notice odd looks in her direction and opens her phone to the video, revealing her first time was recorded and leaked. Next week things are sure to get increasingly awkward and bloody on Scream, so make sure to keep up with my full episode recaps!

Aedan’s Final Thoughts

-Brooke is earning her spot as one of the most interesting characters in the Scream series, and Carlson Young brings every emotion needed to her role.

-I know that Jake is supposed to be unlikable with his blackmail schemes, and lack of remorse, but I find myself attached to his shady persona.

-The friendship between Audrey and Noah has blossomed into one of the strongest relationships in the series.

-The dialogue continues to impress me successfully transitioning from intense scenes to humor with ease.

-My current top-suspects are: The sheriff, Brooke, Noah, and Audrey. (With the mayor becoming somewhat suspicious)