5 Reasons to Watch ‘Cruel Intentions’ on Prime Video
Generations come and go, but the age old themes of deceit and power are forever.
Currently proving this on streaming is Cruel Intentions on Amazon Prime. The 8-episode show follows the high-drama world of Greek life at a prestigious Washington D.C. college.
The show follows Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and her stepbrother, Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess), two ultra-wealthy students. Caroline is the president of her sorority, Delta Phi, and Lucien is the treasurer of his. What ensues is a game of manipulation that is sure to keep you hooked. As you wait for the cold weather to finally leave, here are 5 reasons that this steamy show will keep you warm until Spring.
1. It has a long and storied history
While it might share a name with the 1999 cult classic film — there are plenty of changes to be seen in this updated and modern take on the popular movie, which starred Sarah Michelle Geller, Ryan Phillipe, Selma Blair and Reese Witherspoon. That film was based on a book from 1782, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by French Author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
Cruel Intentions (1999), is only one of the adaptations of the book, it having inspired dozens of versions on screen and on the page, including the 1988 Glen Close film, Dangerous Liaisons.
2. It has a politics-heavy twist
Cruel Intentions (2024) is set in a brand new place, time, and sphere of wealth. Instead of the New York City elite circle that the 1999 film focused on, the show centers on the elites of Washington D.C. and specifically on campus greek life within a nearby University. Bringing the show to the nation’s capitol adds a politically high stakes element to the show – what can happen when the kids of the politically powerful are involved in campus drama?
We learn that last semester, a student (and the son of a prominent congressman) was injured in a hazing incident that left him unable to remember what happened, but at first, we as the viewer only know that someone knocked him out by launching a beer can to his head – and he doesn’t remember the incident.
In response, students on campus are mobilizing against the Greek system on campus, which concerns Merteuil. As she fears for the legacy of her sorority (of which her hard-to-please mother was a member as well), she devises a plan to ensure that they are untouchable: convince Annie Grover — the Vice-President of the United States’s daughter to rush Delta Phi.
This is a challenge as Annie is a legacy at a competing sorority, and is also being courted by the anti-greek movement on campus. So Caroline and Lucien make a bet: If Lucien can seduce Annie into rushing Delta Phi, then Caroline will finally sleep with him.
3. It has easter eggs for long-time Cruel Intentions fans
Cruel Intentions (2024) is a new chapter of this illicit and fascinating universe. But that doesn’t mean you leave everything behind. The show features plenty of nods to the original, like the iconic use of the song by The Verve, “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”
Characters are harkened back to their comparative characters via some names. Merteuil and Valmont didn’t originate in Cruel Intentions (1999), but instead go back to “The Marquise de Merteuil” and “Vicomte de Valmont” of the original 18th century work.
Eagle-eyed fans will notice a familiar face in Sean Patrick Thomas, who played Cecile’s music teacher Ronald Clifford. The show finds him still in a teaching position, but this time as a Professor Chadwick, and the new Cece (Sara Silva) is his teaching assistant.
4. The stakes are more than just a bet
The show gives a different life to characters and more stakes – in the 1999 film, the bet between Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Geller) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe) is just for fun. But in the TV show, there are more instances of power at play, with Caroline working for her own legacy and reputation – and to impress her ever disappointed mother.
5. There is an opening for a season 2
For those who like to start a show knowing that more could be on the way – the writers have left the door open for more. Caution, because spoilers are ahead. In the 1999 movie, Sebastian Belmont dies at the end of the film. In the 2024 TV show, his counterpart Lucien doesn’t meet the same fate. So what’s to come next? That’s what we all hope to find out.
More On:TV
Read This Next:
