In the season 2 finale of Scream, “When a Stranger Calls,” Audrey and Emma find themselves on the run, a member of the Lakewood Five’s life hangs in the balance and the killer’s identity is revealed.
After a season full of twists and turns, it’s finally time to find out who dunnit — maybe. When we last saw our final two girls, they were in a bit of a jam. Emma and Audrey had fallen right into the killer’s trap and were arrested for the murder of Mayor Maddox. But we all know that whoever Piper’s accomplice(s) is, they have bigger plans for Em and Audrey than jail.
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The Madness of Two
Emma and Audrey are spared their own Orange is the New Black experience thanks to a cloaked figure in the road and a negligent police escort. The car crashes, and the girls watch as the killer slices and dices Deputy Dead Guy. The murderer leaves Audrey and Emma the keys to the handcuffs.
Even though she is not a practicing mental health professional, and she has ties to Piper Shaw, Sheriff Acosta goes to Miss Lang for insight into Audrey and Emma’s behavior. She schools him about a psychological phenomenon known as the “madness of two.” This happens when one deranged person transmits a delusion to another, creating a shared psychosis that is stronger than either could have developed alone. One person can push the other over the edge, resulting in a psychotic break. I think this theory may be relevant, just not when it is applied to Audrey and Emma.
Miss Lang believes that Emma and Audrey can’t move past their trauma, so they keep replaying it over and over again, not even realizing what they’re doing. What Miss Lang doesn’t know is that Audrey and Emma’s trauma just sprung them from police custody. And, apparently, Sheriff Acosta has abandoned his theory that the murders have anything to do with him and Maggie helping out Brandon James after he was believed to be dead at the bottom of Wren Lake.
Emma and Audrey make it to a convenience store, and they’re being watched because as soon as they enter, the clerk gets a call for Emma. The killer wants to play a game, but it’s not one where she answers questions about horror movies. If the girls turn themselves in or get caught, the killer will kill someone they love. Game on, girls.
The Fugitives
Stavo shows up at Brooke’s to express his condolences for her dad’s untimely demise. His whereabouts from the previous night are unknown, Brooke texted him, but all Stavo will say is he couldn’t go home and his phone died. Brooke comments on the bad timing.
Stavo wants to discuss the Emma-Audrey video, stating that Audrey looks pretty guilty. Brooke doesn’t believe that Emma or Audrey killed her dad, or anybody else for that matter. Stavo thinks that the reason Audrey was so quick to point a finger at him was to deflect the attention from herself.
As sure as Brooke is that her friends are innocent, Stavo does his best to plant some seeds of doubt, telling her that the people closest to you are the ones who keep the biggest secrets. Not interested in his conspiracy theories, Brooke throws him out.
Emma and Audrey, armed with the deputy’s gun, decide that their best bet is to hole up in the movie theater. But first, Emma stops by to see Kieran. She tells him how she and Audrey got free and about the killer’s latest game. Emma wants to know if Kieran has seen Eli, but Kieran’s Aunt Tina has fled town, and his cousin never came home the night before.
Outside, Audrey sees Eli arrive home. He enters the house and hears voices coming from Kieran’s room (presumably Audrey warning Emma that they need to get the hell out of there), but when he opens the door, Kieran is all alone.
Eli wants to know what his cousin said to the police because they questioned him for three hours. If he’s telling the truth, that could be his alibi or it just means he has an accomplice.
Kieran admits that he thinks Eli is obsessed with Emma and thought the cops should know. He also questions Eli about being in town for Will’s funeral and not saying anything. Eli’s excuse for not stopping by was that he figured Kieran was busy.
Kieran warns Eli to stay away from Emma, but Kieran makes it clear that he’s not scared of his cousin, and he’ll do whatever he wants.
Noah’s watching everything unfold from his hospital room. Brooke comes by, looking surprisingly good for someone whose dad recently became a human shish kabob. She knows that her dad wasn’t the greatest, but at least he was present.
Emma calls. She tells Brooke that she and Audrey tried to help Mayor Maddox, but it was too late. Emma divulges her and Audrey’s whereabouts, but when Brooke offers to come to the theater with Noah, Emma insists that they stay put for now.
The Call is Coming from Inside the House
They decide to ignore Emma’s request and, along with Kieran, they make their way to the theater where the marquee advertises the current selection: When a Stranger Calls. You know, the one about the babysitter being tortured by a prank caller/killer who learns that the calls are coming from inside the house? Is this a hint that the Lakewood killer is one of the final five?
The killer calls, and Emma is done playing games. She tells him/her that she’s at the movie theater and if he/she wants her, come and get her.
Everybody arms themselves with weapons from a display case, the same one Audrey procured that ice pick from to stab the prankster in the season premiere. Everyone is armed and dangerous. Now all they can do is wait.
Sheriff Acosta is searching Maggie’s house, and she’s slightly hysterical. How can Acosta believe that Emma and Audrey uncuffed themselves and killed a deputy with their bare hands.
Acosta brings up Emma’s dream journal, her entries about the pig farm and killing her friends, but Maggie points out that those are just dreams. But as far as leads go, Emma and Audrey are the best ones that Acosta’s got.
Noah decides to kill time by coming up with some new theories. Maybe Piper’s accomplice found another accomplice. Maybe there are two killers working together, which opens up some interesting possibilities — and the likelihood of a season 3.
Stavo bangs on the front door, leading Noah and Brooke to wonder why he’s there. Stavo says Brooke invited him, but she denies it. He shows her a text message telling him to meet her at the theater. Noah doesn’t want to let him in, and Stavo storms off.
The sound of screaming erupts, and everybody heads into the auditorium. There’s a movie playing, but it’s not fiction. It’s video of the killer’s handiwork right there on celluloid. See, the call is coming from inside the house after all.
Kieran goes looking for Audrey, who was last seen guarding the back door, and Emma heads to the projection room to turn off the movie. Once she does, the theater goes dark, the killer makes an appearance and stabs Brooke.
Emma fires the gun, and the killer takes off. She instructs Noah to call the cops and chases after the bad guy all by her lonesome.
The killer gets away. Kieran is now with Brooke and Noah and warns Emma that she’s got to go. Nobody knows what happened to Audrey. The police are at the door, and Brooke gives Emma the keys to her car.
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Noah Hands the Sheriff Another Suspect
Kieran and Noah wait while Brooke is rushed into surgery. Emma calls — using Noah’s phone — to find out about her friend, and she’s a mess. Emma blames herself, telling Kieran it was stupid to taunt the killer. Now Brooke may die and Audrey is missing. She questions if she should turn herself in. Kieran reassures her that none of this is her fault and tells her to hang tough.
Stavo shows up to check on Brooke. Word sure travels fast. He’s either a really good actor or genuinely upset about what’s happened because he’s convincingly distraught. Sheriff Acosta also makes an appearance. And even though he hasn’t seen his son in days, when Acosta sees how upset Stavo is, he simply offers some comfort by putting his hand on his son’s knee.
Noah realizes this isn’t the ideal time to talk about the case, but that doesn’t stop him from approaching the Sheriff. Noah points out that there’s just too much evidence mounting against his friends. He shows the Sheriff the picture of Eli at Will’s funeral, pointing out that Eli was in town the same time as Piper, and just maybe, that’s more than a coincidence.
The Killer is Unmasked
Emma gets a message from the killer, and it’s a video of Audrey, who appears to be tied up and unconscious at the abandoned orphanage. Emma is instructed to come alone or Audrey dies.
Emma arrives and gets a call from Kieran. He wants to help, but Emma is determined to finish this alone. She doesn’t want anyone else to die because of her. They declare their love for each other, and then it’s back to business for Emma because the killer is her next incoming call.
They chitchat about how this showdown has been a long time coming. The killer has brought Emma to the orphanage because it’s where Piper was forged. Did the killer love Piper? Nah, they had a different bond, one that only killing together can create. He/she makes Emma a cryptic promise: killing Piper didn’t make her safe; Emma will never be safe again.
The killer emerges and takes a swipe at Emma. She recovers and takes a few shots but misses. The killer heads upstairs, where Emma finds Audrey unconscious and handcuffed to a radiator.
Kieran appears out of nowhere, and Emma wants to know what he’s doing there. He claims that he and Noah tracked his phone. Next comes Eli, who is hurt, and Emma questions what happened to him. Eli states that he followed his cousin from the hospital, and as soon as Eli entered the building, Kieran stabbed him. Eli played dead, but once the coast was clear, he called the police.
Kieran denies Eli’s accusation. Eli tells Emma that he could have run away, but he didn’t. He heard her voice and came to help. Emma wants to know why Eli was in Lakewood last fall.
It seems Emma is not the first girl the cousins both liked. That mystery girl in Atlanta was also the object of Kieran’s affections. According to Eli, Kieran told the girl’s mother that Eli was posting naked pictures of her daughter, hence the restraining order. Eli came to Lakewood to get back at Kieran, but once he saw them, he couldn’t go through with it.
Kieran tells Emma that Eli is lying. He was obsessed with that girl just like he is with Emma. Eli reveals that he has a knife and tries to stab Kieran, but Emma shoots him.
Audrey comes to, and Emma tells her it’s all over. Kieran wants to call the police and assures Emma that she will feel safe again. Emma quickly comes to the realization that the man of her dreams is also her worst nightmare. For everyone who had their money on Kieran as the killer, you win! I should have known after that fake funhouse kidnapping.
As for the question of whether Eli is in on it, that would be a big fat no. The kid makes one last-ditch effort to save Emma and gets shot in the chest multiple times (by Kieran) for his troubles.
Piper and Kieran were a thing. Kieran had some serious daddy issues after his pops abandoned him in Atlanta, and we all know Piper was miffed at Maggie. The two decided that killing everyone and making the local Sheriff and medical examiner look like idiots was the best revenge. The final act was supposed to involve Emma learning that her boyfriend was banging her crazy half-sister, but Audrey screwed up that plan.
So Plan B is to make it look as if Audrey and Emma lured Kieran to the orphanage, but he turned the tables and killed them both. He’ll come out looking like the hero.
Audrey orders Emma to run, but she doesn’t get far. Kieran’s got Audrey. Audrey is willing to be the sacrificial lamb if it means that at least one of them lives, but Emma’s not about to let her psychotic ex get away with murder. Emma knocks a shelf over on him and gets the gun back, and Audrey wraps the chain on her wrist around his neck.
How will the game end, Emma asks? Audrey wants Emma to shoot Kieran. But Emma is a good girl, and Kieran won’t be dying today. He lost his own sick game, and the booby prize is rotting away in prison.
Three Months Later….
Noah is back on the air, questioning if the survivors (Brooke pulls through) can move forward. Brandon, Piper and Kieran all wanted revenge, and maybe that’s the end of the chain. Maybe this was the last thread, and there are no more to pull.
Except that Maggie discovers that the note she left in the tree is smeared with blood and pinned to the trunk with a knife, and Kieran gets a mysterious phone call in prison that would indicate another killer waiting in the wings. Brandon James could still be out there, and was he even the killer all those years ago?
What about all of Mayor Maddox’s dirty laundry and his deal with Aunt Tina? And what is the deal with all the pigs?
It looks as if Lakewood will always be Murderville.
(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.
