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Cruel Intentions, a new Prime Video 2024 show, explores the heft of manipulation and betrayal with an enthralling storyline focused on step-siblings Caroline and Lucien. They attend Manchester College and engage in lethal games all around them in this show for a hold on power and status.
Cruel Intentions season finale delivers a series of shocking twists that tear the web of lies and deceit apart, leaving no character untouched by the betrayals. At the end of the season, Caroline manipulates Annie Grover, daughter of the U.S. Vice President, into accepting a bid at her sorority.
Meanwhile, Lucien, reeling from Caroline's betrayal, does something that will shake their already fractured dynamic to its core. Cruel Intentions ends with revelations that set the stage for intense confrontations to come.
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Annie’s vulnerability leads her into Caroline’s trap
Caroline's primary goal throughout Cruel Intentions is to gain Annie Grover's favor for her sorority. Manchester College's sorority system recently fell under fire as a result of some sort of hazing scandal. Caroline believes having Annie's favor, since her father is very connected in politics, will protect her sorority from the fallout.
Caroline's plan consists of manipulation and emotional deception. She instructs Lucien to seduce Annie in order to make her less guarded. Meanwhile, Caroline poses to be Annie's friend and shares false stories about herself to gain Annie's confidence.
Even though Lucien had begun falling for Annie and quit Caroline's scheme, Caroline leaked scandalous videos of Lucien to humiliate him in public and bring his intimacy to an end with Annie. The heartbroken Annie is comforted by Caroline as she offers her the sisterhood and protection of the sorority.
Vulnerable and uncertain, Annie agrees to pledge, serving to fulfill Caroline's goal. Annie soon discovers Caroline's web of lies, such as a tale she fabricated during a sorority event. She begins to ponder if this entire scheme is done in earnest.
Caroline’s betrayal of CeCe sparks doubts in Cruel Intentions
Caroline’s manipulations extend beyond Annie and Lucien to her closest confidant, CeCe. Earlier in the season, CeCe confides in Caroline about her attraction to Professor Chadwick, which Caroline encourages. However, when the professor rebuffs CeCe, Caroline devises a plan to remove him entirely.
Using her disguise, Caroline seduces Professor Chadwick, thus ensuring that he unwittingly makes out with a student. She then files a complaint accusing him of sexual misconduct and thus leaves him helpless in the face of such allegations. CeCe is devastated when she comes to know of the complaint while believing that Chadwick is indeed guilty.
Later, CeCe finds a dress in Caroline's closet that matches the one worn by the "college official" who questioned Chadwick. With Annie spilling all her secrets regarding Caroline's lies, CeCe begins to suspect Caroline's involvement in the professor's fall. These reservations mark the start of a fracture between the two friends, setting CeCe on a possible course of unmasking Caroline.
Lucien’s ultimate revenge on Caroline in Cruel Intentions
The relationship between Lucien and Caroline has been bound to their toxic push-and-pull behavior. While Caroline uses him as a pawn in her schemes, what gets Lucien to his breaking point is when she leaks the private videos that destroy his reputation and his budding relationship with Annie.
Lucien decides to strike back at Caroline where it hurts her the most, that is, at her mother, Claudia. Caroline has always sought her mother's approval but was met with indifference while Claudia was more affectionate toward Lucien. Being well aware of this tension, Lucien seduces Claudia and records their encounter.
He sends the tape to Caroline, now turning the tables for them. He is thus able to take his revenge, establishing that he is no more under Caroline's control. Lucien delivers a blow by targeting the one person Caroline seeks validation from, therefore wounding her emotionally and challenging her position as dominant in their twisted relationship.
The ending of Cruel Intentions underscores the destructive tendency of manipulation and the extremes individuals will take to maintain control, ensuring viewers are captive to this story of betrayal and revenge.
