After a season of murder, mystery, and spectacular storytelling, MTV’s  stellar series Scream has concluded its first season. Who is the killer? Who survives? Who is Emma’s sibling? All of that is answered in the finale episode that concluded with a bang! Before I spoil everything, let’s go back to where we left off…

With Sheriff Hudson’s life in peril and being broadcast at the Halloween dance, everyone is panicked at the realization that the killer isn’t behind bars like they’d hoped. Maggie finds Emma in the crowd and tells her they’ve found a staged crime scene with an officer, and she rushes off in a hurry while telling Emma to stay because it’s safer. Piper checks in with Emma and tells her not to trust anyone, and that she’ll be heading to the police station for answers. Emma calls Kieran’s phone, and leaves a message that his dad is in trouble, but meanwhile he’s occupied loading a gun in his truck. Noah begins to track the killer from his laptop after it’s established that his signal is hacked to broadcast Sheriff Hudson in peril. He asks Emma if she’s talked to Brooke or Audrey and notes that they probably don’t know what’s taken place. She tries to call and text, but they don’t appear as Brooke also tries to reach Emma from her raging party (but she misses her real friends. Scream squad, assemble!) Emma received a phone call from the killer and he tells her that tonight is the big finale that demands bloodshed. The killer toys with her saying that if they don’t make it in time, Daisy will be heartbroken from the “gut wrenching” scene. Emma informs Noah and they decide to get to the station to locate her mother.

Maggie/Daisy photographs the crime scene and Emma tells her that there could be a clue (like the carving in Will’s back.) When Maggie investigates, she finds a bloody pendant shoved down his throat that turns out to be the Daisy necklace from Brandon James. Maggie tells Emma that he used to leave her gifts such as the pendant in the tree behind her old house. They decide its best to follow that lead, with the sheriff being possibly kept there and still in danger. Brooke looks around for her friends, in need of companionship, and is startled by a party-goer with a Brandon James mask – very insensitive. Brooke takes his mask, and comes across Audrey where they commiserate over people generally sucking. The two have a chance to bond with each other, and Brooke even jokingly adds “Are you flirting with me?” which forms a new friendship that I officially adore. The moment is soon interrupted by Jake, who of course asks if they plan on making out, and takes a moment to brag about his awesome-ness.

Maggie and Emma arrive to the property and find the sheriff tied to a tree and badly bleeding, almost unconscious. The officers and Maggie begin to untie him, and she promises he’s okay while he struggles to form words. When she cuts the rope and pulls it across his waist, it pulls off duct tape the killer used to keep his intestines intact. They pour out from his stomach all over Maggie, who in turn cries out for help, but he dies right before her eyes. That was a really rough scene to witness, kudos Scream writers for making it so nerve wracking. Maggie sits in the ambulance with Emma and they realize the killer wants to have them responsible for deaths (like Emma triggering Will’s demise.) Piper sees Emma while getting answers as press and she offers Emma her help, however it’s needed. Emma, who is now heading to the police station with her mother, asks Piper to check Brooke’s house and tell them about what’s happening. Brooke notices Jake flirting with the girl from the Halloween dance, and gets frustrated while venting to Audrey. She tells Brooke that he’s doing it for a reaction (so true) so Brooke decides to flirt with a random guy she labels “board shorts” in front of him. She leaves to grab a bottle of expensive wine, and Jake is quick to follow. Noah calls Emma and has realized that the killer has hacked into signals to turn off notifications on all devices, keeping messages from going through. When Noah says to tell the police, the killer messages her (hacking her signal) and telling her that the cops will mean more death. Instead, she has Noah pick her up and they decide to go search for their friends at Brooke’s house and change the standard slasher ending. Can they do it?!

photo by: themovienetwork.com

Jake apologizes to Brooke for his comment about her family, and admits to spying on her to watch out for her. (With some hope of nudity.) Brooke in return throws him out, and he obliges. Jake’s former date stumbles upon a corpse and screams, which sends everyone fleeing the party. Audrey is the last to notice, and the killer attacks her pinning her up against a wall. “What are you waiting for?” she says slightly unintimidated. (More to come…) Brooke arrives back outside to an empty house with music still playing. She calls for Audrey, Jake, even “board shorts” guy, but nobody is around. It sets an uber-creepy tone and Brooke is startled by a noise that sends her inside. Just as she enters, Seth calls her name and stands behind the glass door hoping to come in. She locks it quickly, and rushed to each door locking them while he tells her he has been framed by the killer. “I would never hurt you” he tells her, and Brooke says she wants to believe him, but can’t. They both spot an unlocked door and race to it, but Brooke makes it in time to secure the door. He asks why she won’t let him in, when the outside lights are cut. She leans in, looking for him, when the lights flicker on and reveal the killer standing on the other side. A terrified Brooke runs the opposite direction into a workshop attached to her garage. The killer manages to break in, while Brooke notices a freezer (where she believed a body was kept earlier) and she hides inside. The masked murder knows she’s hiding and padlocks it, pushing it over and repeatedly stabbing through it. Brooke gets stabbed and cut repeatedly (nooooo!) and the killer plugs in the freezer, leaving her to die.

photo by: themovienetwork.com

Emma and Noah arrive to Brooke’s house and notice Piper’s car with blood smeared on the door. They continue up toward the house, and Kieran pops out from the side of the property wielding a gun. He tells Emma he received a text from her asking him to meet her, and Noah isn’t easily persuaded. She asks if he did something to Piper, and tells him what Brandon’s Mother said about his identity. Kieran says it’s all untrue, and Sheriff Hudson is the only dad he has. Emma realizes he hasn’t been told of his death, and becomes teary-eyed as she informs him he was murdered. He asks how they could still think it’s him, and offers his gun to them, but she turns it down. Kieran and Emma both embrace and she moves past her doubts, but he’s clearly devastated by his father’s death. The three agree to enter with the goal of finding their friends and stop the killer which of course in a horror manner sends them off on their own. It’s also worth mentioning that Noah made me laugh when wandering the empty house to music, stating “Bubble-gum pop has never sounded so terrifying.” Noah then searches outside with a crowbar for defense, and finds Audrey’s belongings. While everyone is off searching, Brooke continues to yell for help and freeze, still injured. Emma and Kieran find a bloody handprint on a door, and Jake shows up scaring them both. When he joins them, they hear banging noises and Jake leads them to her garage. He notices the freezer is locked, and he manages to break the lock. Jake scoops her up in his arms, placing her on top of the freezer and Emma says they need to get her warm. “I got this.” Jake says confidently before trying to give her mouth-to-mouth. “I’m still breathing you creep!” Brooke says despite her injuries. This is precisely why these two are my favorite characters; they work as a couple, are individually interesting, and add great comedic moments.) Brooke tells them that she was attacked after seeing Branson, and Jake promises he will keep her safe now. Noah finds the dead teen, and Audrey turns the corner startling him; poor guy can’t take many more scares. Audrey is cut across her arm, and they don’t understand how he could have just left her alive. Noah points a finger at Jake saying her survived as well, but trust is slightly scarce between everyone for the moment.

photo by: themovienetwork.com

When Emma goes inside to find a phone, the killer calls the home phone and tells Emma it’s time to end things. The killer says that Daisy is as involved as ever, and Emma figures out that she needs to go to the lake where Brandon James was murdered, but he/she insists if anyone else shows up her mother will die. Emma sneaks off quickly with a knife in hand, and finds her mother tied to a chair on the docks edge. Maggie tells her she shouldn’t have come, and before she can untie her the killer arrives to the dock. The killer is ready to confront Emma and takes off the mask to reveal…Piper! Yes, Piper the crime podcaster/major suspect in my eyes, is actually behind the murders! “Hi sis, surprise!” she first says, adding “I seriously wish you could see you face right now!” Emma realizes that Piper’s dead father she mentioned early on is actually Brandon James. Piper says breaking trust stings, like Brandon James being betrayed by Maggie and Piper getting left behind, while Emma received the perfect life. Piper says that the real monster had always been Maggie for what she’s done, but Emma asks why her friends were killed. Piper claims that she enjoyed seeing Emma suffer, and they managed to help them (such as filming her first time which Piper hacked.) she elaborates that her plan is to setup Branson as the killer, and currently has him tied up in the trunk of her car. She says you need the perfect fall-guy, and the ending will include Branson slitting Emma’s throat, and gutting Maggie. Emma takes a stab at Piper and misses, while Piper cuts her across the stomach sending Emma to her knees. Maggie gets free from the rope, tackling Piper, who tells her mother that she’s truly hurt her. Piper inflicts her own payback, stabbing her in the ribs and leaving her collapsed on the dock. Emma takes on Piper for a moment, but is ultimately on her back with Piper standing over her armed with a knife about to take Emma’s life. Piper tells her half-sibling “so I have one more surprise for you before I open you up, and you’ll never see it coming.” with a menacing grin, but is shot before she can make her reveal. Piper is sent into the lake, and Audrey is revealed to be toting the gun that Kieran handed over earlier. Audrey rushes over to help the mother and daughter and Piper climbs up the side with her knife (because the killer always comes back as you know!) but Emma arms herself with the gun, shooting Piper in the head and back into the lake like her father.

As we approach the ending, it’s sunrise at the lake with Maggie being taken to the hospital. Brooke and Jake are in each other embrace and state that Branson is ok, but she doesn’t want to leave Jake’s side (thank you Scream writers, once again I love you!) Emma apologizes to Kieran for her doubts, and he agrees they can get past it. Noah tells Audrey it’s playing out like he accurately predicted, and bi-curious and the virgin live to fight another day. Sometime later, Noah narrates Piper’s former podcast to conclude the story of the Lakewood murders, while we see images of what to expect with our beloved characters. Audrey stares at a photo of her and Emma, while holding the photo of Brandon James in the other. Emma and Kieran kiss, and finally try to start up a possibility of achieving normality. Jake is seen erasing all of his connections to spy-cameras to change his ways, and Branson is shown to be released with the desire to start fresh. Noah’s recording questions how Piper could have done this herself the night Piper was attacked and Will was taken, adding it’s possible to have been fabricated by Piper. In the meantime… Audrey opens a drawer containing multiple letters to Piper, and the evidence stolen one year ago from the police station. She takes these remaining papers and letters, burning them to destroy any evidence. Is Audrey involved? Or is she just withholding even more secrets? We will have to find out in season 2!

Aedan’s Final Thoughts:

-My favorites survived! Jake and Brooke live to see the second season and I couldn’t be more joyous (to be honest, I’m actually glad everyone of the young cast survived!) Not to mention the relationship progression between them? My fanboy heart is content.

-I knew it! I had a major suspicion that Piper Shaw was our killer, and an even bigger suspicion that she was related to Emma after stating that her father was murdered earlier in the season. Sure I guessed multiple others also, but I’m glad my detective skills seem somewhat accurate.

-I loved that this wasn’t what I was expecting. Characters I was certain would die made it out alive, and the ending gave an optimistic outlook except for that major Audrey reveal…

-I’ve been very doubtful of Audrey from the beginning, and this episode continued to add questions around her character, but now I’m wondering if they’d really confirm her involvement, or if it’s just a massive red herring. Either way Audrey’s secrets are certain to be a pivotal part of the next season.

-I’m ecstatic for season 2, and I’m extremely glad to have covered the series all season. I’ll miss my weekly recaps and speculating/sharing my thoughts, but I can’t wait to return to the Scream Team next year! Till then horror lovers, it’s been fun!