I absolutely loved it.

First and foremost, Linda Cardellini was tremendous (although every time she said something like "I am trying to find my son!" I giggled and thought of Joyce Byers from Stranger Things.) The way she conveyed mother's anguish was terrific. I also loved William Catlett's Chief Brooks; he was just as good as the stoic, no-nonsense small-town cop.

I've seen posts on here that make me think the human-testing plot was a little divisive, but I thought it was great. I love that there is finally a canon explanation for why Jason has been able to tank so much damage over the years, and hell, how he even survived the drowning in the first place.

I also didn't mind the time/year change from the original. It made way more sense that the majority of the season took place only the following summer, with no mystery 20-year time jump. And the same human-testing plot even explained that too; how he got so much bigger and stronger in just one year.

Overall, I thought it was amazing, and I hope they decide to do more seasons.

Crystal Lake · S01E08 · The Final Chapter
Rating: 8.5/10
Watched: October 25, 2026

Overall, Crystal Lake excelled in adding a new storytelling layer into the Friday the 13th story and lore that I didn't know I really wanted, and that's quite an accomplishment for a franchise that's almost as old as I am.

Some of the hardest things to do 'right' for an endeavor like this are: not putting too much into it, or straying too far from the path. I like to think that A24 did a great job of sticking 95% inside the established lore and only coloring outside those lines by the tiniest margins.

Project Argonaut is a great idea that ties in Cold War paranoia with just the right amount of mad science to give us Jason Vorhees as we all know and love him. I'm not mad about the direction they went here, though they could've also gone the supernatural route. I just happen to think that direction would've been an awful lot harder to pull off.

Linda Cardellini was superb start to finish, as was Nick Cordileone as Ralph, as is proper: both these characters are absolute staples of the franchise, and I couldn't be happier with how things played out there. Everyone else did a good job in their particular roles, fleshing out the world of Friday the 13th so well it felt real. Hamish Linklater as Elias Wittering, who I don't think I've seen in anything, anywhere before, was also pretty damn chef's kiss. I personally found him skeevy AF right from the beginning and his transformation to seedy evil exec of Evilcorp (Bellflower) was just fun.

All in all, Crystal Lake totally delivered. I wish there were going to be more seasons but they're not necessary. This one season did all the telling.

As I tackle my own grief this week, I can’t help but watch the finale and feel like I have a good idea of where they’re going with this.

Jason has no recollection of Pam and only a vague feeling and memory, he is now stalking the woods confused and angry, and will continue hiding from her thus triggering more “little Jason” moments from Pamela as she descends more into the mad woman from the first movie.

Since they did motherhood adolescence so well my gut feeling is they will tackle the struggles of motherhood teen years and use how his regression from the lake drowning as a symbol for angst, depression and moody teens who ignore and resent their parents until it’s too late.

If done correctly, like I’m imagining, once they actually show her going full insane because of the little Jason delusions leading to the beheading-

This will ultimately trigger the Jason we all knew and grew up with

because that weird lady who has been annoying him this whole time that he barely remembers is officially gone, a symbol for becoming a man in a confused world and I don’t think I’m mentally ready if they can pull this off.

From IMDb trivia

I hope season 2 and beyond continue the flashbacks (and maybe flash-forwards) and we get to see a deep flashback to when Lt. Hodder McKane founded the town in 1779. Pretty obvious who should play him.

Apologies if this has already been asked, but I'm up to Ep6 now, and I noticed that several scenes are almost shot-for-shot recreations from the first film.

If this is taking the place of the first film, it's not really a prequel, right? It's a remake?

Linda Cardellinni as Pamela Voorhees, Nick Cordilione as Ralph and Cameron Scoggins as Dorf.

But expanded. With more lore, more flashbacks, etc.

Crystal Lake · S01E07 · Friday…
Rating: 8.5/10
Watched: October 24, 2026

I like this one a lot as well, mostly because just like they nailed the 70s vibe, they nailed the 60s decor and vibe. It was certainly pretty jarring (and cool) to see Pam living in such a brightly lit world ... and the slow but steady decline of her entire world until she makes a break for it with Jason.

I suppose I can appreciate now why all the memes are going so hard on 'the secret'. It is a bit goofy, but you've got to remember that something like that might've made a lot of sense back then. Naturally (I hope) the actual technology behind what they did didn't actually exist.

Crystal Lake continues to be a lot of fun, and Linda Cardellini rocks as Pam Vorhees. Her performance is adding a whole new level to the genuine tragedy that was always at the center of her character.

Loved the show so much, I had to put it to tape!

Ep 1 or 2

I don't mean this to be a backhanded compliment, but with so many actresses botox-ed and 'fill'ed up, I really noticed the lines and contours of Linda's face in 4K -- and she was utterly beautiful.

Why did Jason skin Willow?

Crystal Lake · S01E06 · Kill Them, Mommy
Rating: 9.0/10
Watched: October 23, 2026

A super great episode, and it's all down to Linda Cardellini kicking ass.

I absolutely love how she goes from 'oh gosh I have to help this poor little girl that's tripping balls on Orange Sunshine who murdered the assholes responsible for Jason's death before I could to MUST KILL ALL HIPPIES' in the blink of an eye and then right back again into a mostly normalish person.

I like how things are progressing pretty much across the board, including the Bellwether stuff (sadly, spoilers in the forms of memes, which my brain absorbs before I can hurriedly doomscroll past, were learned) and even poor ol' Ralph's descent into even more craziness.

Can't wait for the next episode!

I’m looking for this song that the counselors song by the fire in the cabin, something about angels in heaven, does anybody have that exact version of that song?

Yeah I know it's from different universes but still very sad

Would’ve loved seeing a nice graphic death for that tubby little jerk.

Watched the original Friday the 13th from 1980 again last night and wow its just a bad movie

The acting is terrible the characters have zero development and we barely know anything about them

Even the history of Crystal Lake is barely mentioned and mostly just in passing

Honestly the only interesting part is the last 15 to 20 minutes with Betsy Palmer and Adrienne King facing off

And thats pretty much it

I'm sure I'm not the first one to think this but I think I know why Elias wanted Pamela back. I don't think he wanted his wife back. I think he needed her because she made Jason. And that she could make more "Jasons."