In this episode of Scream, “Dawn of the Dead,” Emma is caught with an incriminating piece of evidence, Noah is concerned by Audrey’s erratic behavior and the killer makes another appearance.
The school is in utter chaos immediately following Jake Fitzgerald’s mutilated body falling from a banner during the assembly announcing the Lady of the Lake finalists.The Sheriff has put the school on lockdown, meaning nobody gets in or out (except the police and the coroner and whoever else manages to get through the doors).
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Let the Games Begin
Poor Brooke is part of the crime scene since her ex’s body landed right on top of her. Emma and Audrey are eager to comfort their gal pal, but Maggie can’t let them anywhere near their friend since they could compromise evidence.
Sheriff Acosta gets right down to business by questioning Noah. Noah admits that he hadn’t seen Jake in five days but assumed Jake was going to great lengths to get Brooke’s attention after their fight. Noah shares his theory with the Sheriff that now that Emma is home, Piper’s accomplice is finishing the job.
Emma is the subject of stares and whispers, and she seeks solace from Kieran. He apologizes for not believing her when she claimed she was attacked, but all Emma wants to do is hug it out. A boyfriend that hot is almost worth getting murdered for.
Brooke is finally allowed to clean herself up, and Audrey is babysitting the fragile blonde. Brooke is in shock, especially since Jake just texted her yesterday. Wake up, Brooke. Obviously, it wasn’t Jakie-poo. The same thought occurs to Audrey, who reads “Jake’s” last text to Brooke promising she would see him tomorrow. Well, that much is true. Audrey has to point out to Brooke that the cryptic message may have come from Jake’s killer. Brooke’s remorse is tempered by the fact that the only clothing for her to wear is a cheerleading uniform. (Her dress is in police custody.) While Brooke changes, Audrey uses her phone to send a text to the killer that states, “YOU’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL!” It’s all in caps, so you know Audrey means business.
The text finds its way to Emma. As she freaks out, Eli, Stavo, Noah and Kieran discuss the possibility that the police didn’t lock the killer out so much as lock him or her in. Remember When a Stranger Calls? The call is coming from inside the house.
Emma pulls Kieran aside and shows him that she found Jake’s phone in her backpack. Emma remembers emptying the bag out at home the previous evening, which can only mean that someone slipped it in at school. Kieran (aka Captain Obvious) points out that the only person who could have had Jake’s phone is the killer.
Brooke is ushered away into solitary confinement under the care of Miss Lang the psychology teacher, and Audrey joins the rest of the gang in the library. Em and Kieran fill her in on the phone. Emma is ready to go to the cops, but Audrey doesn’t want her to. Her logic is a bit sketchy and scattered. The killer is trying to play them, and while it’s a game to him/her/them, it’s life or death to the Lakewood Six — make that Five. What the hell that has to do with turning over the phone to the Sheriff is beyond me, but it could simply be Audrey covering her own ass or overthinking that the killer wants Emma to reveal to the cops that she has the phone.
Locked Down and Loaded
Things are awkward between Noah and Zoe. She gave him the boot, convinced that his complicated relationship with Audrey made dating a bad idea. Zoe doesn’t feel like talking about the G-rated three-way or the mangled body in the auditorium, but she agrees to let Noah bend her ear anyway. Noah loves to share his theories, and he believes Jake’s very public reappearance was the killer’s coming out party and the end of act one. It’s now act tw and everybody’s got a bullseye on their backs.
Zoe admits that she’s a fan of Noah’s podcast. She thinks he’s got a gift for making the morbid beautiful. She also thinks he does it because it helps Noah sublimate his feelings about mortality and turn his friends’ deaths into a puzzle that he can solve without dealing with it.
Word gets out that the police are searching everyone’s locker, which is bad news for Kieran. He admits to his friends that there’s something in there he’d rather they not find. As bad as that sounds, Kieran doesn’t offer any details; he’s just determined to get to it first. Noah, Audrey and Zoe offer to help.
Audrey and Zoe distract one cop while Noah and Kieran make a beeline for Kieran’s locker. Just as he retrieves his bag from his locker, Kieran is intercepted by a deputy. Noah hides around a corner, and the officer searches Kieran”s bag and finds a gun.
Sheriff Acosta doesn’t believe that Kieran has anything to do with the murder. Kieran admits that the gun was his dad’s, and he carries it to protect both himself and his friends. The Sheriff finds this explanation understandable given everything Kieran’s been through. Acosta takes the gun and promises to let Kieran off the hook if he will agree to let the Sheriff keep an eye on him. Acosta says cops look after their own. Kieran appreciates Acosta not carting him off to jail but isn’t buying the whole good cop routine. He wants to know what the Sheriff is really after. Acosta wants an in, and Kieran’s going to get him there or he’ll be arrested, put on probation and kicked out of school.
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know
Eli knows all about the phone because he conveniently overheard Emma discussing her dilemma. He advises that Emma wipe her prints off the phone and ditch it where someone is bound to find it. Sensing that Emma isn’t the dial and ditch type, Eli offers to do it for her. Just as she’s about to hand it over, Acosta and Kieran enter the library. Acosta approaches Emma and tells her that he hears there’s something she wants to show him. She’s got no choice but to give him Jake’s phone.
Emma does a perp walk out of the library and passes unknowingly by Noah, who’s still trapped in the hallway.
Once again, Emma’s sanity is called into question. She tells the Sheriff she’s being targeted, but given her PTSD and trip to the psych ward, he’ll only concede that he believes that she believes what she’s saying to be true. He lets her go, for now.
Emma returns to the library and can’t help but notice that everyone is giving her the side eye, especially Hayley (the girl who pulled the prank on Audrey in the move theater). Emma decides to confront Hayley, telling the girl that they have every reason to be scared, just not of each other. But Hayley is scared because everyone who comes around Emma dies, and Emma’s friends should be scared too since they’re all going to die.
Hayley points out that Piper butchered eight people but didn’t touch a hair on Emma’s head, which isn’t entirely true. Hayley announces to the entire library that Emma’s family is crazy, and any time there’s a killer on the loose, somehow there’s always a crazy Duval left standing. Despite Audrey’s efforts to pull Emma away, the waif-y blonde punches Hayley in the face. This leads to a chick fight, which ends with Emma being escorted away by Miss Lang.
Lang tries to talk Emma off of the ledge. She’s sympathetic and soothing. Lang tells Emma to take a breather while she checks back in at the library. She locks Emma in the office, which could just be a way to protect Emma, but the look on her face hints at a more sinister motive. Could Piper have a sister?
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Audrey’s Paranoia Grows
Audrey is on the phone with Noah, who has managed to remain both alive and undetected in a stairwell. Audrey is still suspicious of Stavo. He was the one handing out the trippy tequila shots and likes to draw pictures of their friends being brutally murdered. Noah tells Audrey that Stavo is one of them, a horror fan and a friend. While they’re talking, Audrey discovers that the emergency exit has been disarmed and suggests that Noah sneak back in via the service hallway.
Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdowns
After accidentally implicating her father in Jake’s murder by telling Sheriff Acosta that her dad wasn’t a fan and intentionally implicating Seth Branson, stating that he was stalking her, Brooke goes to see Jake’s dead body. He’s zipped tightly up in a body bag, with Maggie crying over his remains. Brooke wants to know how long Jake’s been dead, and Maggie tells her that it’s been at least three or four days.
Emma’s attempts to dial down her emotions are thwarted when she gets a phone call from the killer, who promises he’s coming for her. She can’t get out but hears a scraping at the window. When she pulls open the blinds, the killer is there. Emma flips out and begins smashing the window with a chair, but once she succeeds in breaking the glass, Ghostface/Brandon James is gone. Or was he ever really there to begin with? One thing is certain: Emma’s not going to play the killer’s reindeer games anymore.
Audrey is coming undone. Noah finally manages to slip back into the library undetected and finds his bestie doing a lousy job of spying on Stavo. She inadvertently lets it slip that she’s been getting calls and that “people” are dying. She tries to cover her tracks, but Noah is unnerved by Audrey’s weirder than usual behavior.
Audrey decides to confront Stavo and grabs his computer. She reveals to everyone in the library a series of very grisly drawings. Stavo defends himself, saying that it’s for a comic book, but the crowd turns ugly. Suddenly, he’s attacked by a group of boys. His dad comes to his rescue, but all eyes turn to Emma, who arrives in the library with blood dripping from her hand.
Bi-Curious Gets Busted
The lockdown is over, and everyone is free to go. Emma is getting stitched up — she cut herself when climbing through the broken window — and questioned by the Sheriff. He and Miss Lang are concerned about her mental state. Emma says she had a panic attack but fails to mention the details. She does cast a knowing look Miss Lang’s way. I don’t think these two will be having any heart to heart chats anytime soon.
Emma’s still upset with Kieran for snitching on her. Audrey tries to apologize to Stavo but gets rebuffed. Noah swipes Audrey’s phone and discovers the video of Audrey with Jake’s body in the storage unit.
I know it’s a stretch, but I’m starting to question if Emma could be the killer. Crazy does run in the family.
Scream airs Tuesdays at 10pm on MTV.
(Image courtesy of MTV)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
