- Directed by: Michael Lennox
- Written by: Victor Miller, Brad Kane, Bryan Fuller
- Stars: Linda Cardellini, William Catlett, Gwendolyn Sundstrom
- Run Time: 56 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThR8njPcFSg
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
It’s a prequel to the Friday the 13th films, starting out in 1971, about 9 years before the first “Friday the 13th” takes place. Jason seems to be just a malformed, otherwise normal kid to start with. He dies in the first episode, and it’s all about how Pam, his mother, went on from there to become who she is in the first movie. It’s all very well made with a strong cast and excellent effects. There’s a surprising amount to the story and backstory that gets underway this first episode that makes it interesting and leaves us wanting for more.
Spoilery Synopsis
We open on a woman covered in blood and with a tooth embedded in her hand. “What did you do?” she asks herself.
Nine months earlier, Jason walks into the living room and startles his mother, Pamela Voorhees. He’s got a big, bald, deformed head, but otherwise seems like a normal kid. He doesn’t really want to go back to camp tomorrow, as all the kids stare and whisper about him. She needs him there, so she can keep an eye on him as she works.
The next morning, we see lots of kids having fun at camp. John, the camp’s owner, is overworked. Pamela is the lunch lady and cook, and there’s a big snake in the kitchen; does she put it in the stew? Maybe. Out in the lake, the kids are mean to funny-looking Jason.
Claudette, the lifeguard, goes to the shed for some rope, but Barry follows her in and wants to make out. Grace, Jason’s one friend, watches them going at it through the window.
Pam, releasing the snake in the woods, meets Ralph, who’s out there setting traps. Ralph’s obsessed with land mines.
Meanwhile, Jason’s out in the middle of the lake after a ball and starts drowning. Everyone runs to help, especially Pam, who’s in full panic mode. By the time she gets out to him, he’s gone.
Credits roll.
Nine months later, Levon Brooks, the Crystal Lake police chief, gets a radio call to come out to the camp; it’s the Voorhees lady again. The camp has been shut down, but Pam just keeps going to the lake to stand and watch, just in case. The search and rescue teams never found Jason, and Levon thinks the current carried the little boy out to the ocean. She, on the other hand, feels that he’s still there. She’s not adjusting well.
Flashback time. Pam and Jason get a box full of camping supplies. He especially likes the machete, but otherwise, he seems shockingly normal– until he has a seizure. She’s very protective of him.
Levon goes home to his sister, Brianna, and talks about his new hobby, whittling. She’s a not-so-successful reporter who dreams of having a great story to chase.
It’s the Crystal Lake Founder’s Day celebration, and Levon welcomes Pam and the dessert she brought. Everyone is really nice to Pam; they all know what happened. Pam watches the kids in the lake, but Ralph only makes it worse. It’s all pretty overwhelming for her, especially when she hears they’re re-opening the camp this summer. She ends up freaking out and making a scene.
The State Police come to see Pam. They think they’ve found Jason’s body about five miles down the river and want her to come identify him. They don’t seem like policemen, and she picks up on that. She puts up quite a fight when they try to kidnap her, and she kills one of them. “I’m not going back,” she yells and then kills the second man in self defense with a machete.
The two men, along with Pam and Jason, are tied to Argonaut, some kind of secret project. Lev comes to the door, and she’s covered in blood and has two bodies on the floor. Soon, we’re back at the opening scene, where she’s picking a tooth out of her hand.
Pam then drags both bodies out to the woods and dumps them in a cave, covered in honey and tuna; the bears will soon take care of them.
Brian’s Commentary
We already knew the basic story about what happened to Jason from the first film, but this is a fun prequel. This one has added the fact that Jason had some connection to Argonaut, which I expect will be elaborated upon in future episodes and might explain some of Jason’s “powers.”
So far, so good; I am impressed that they made it interesting.
Kevin’s Commentary
There’s a lot more to the story and the history of Pam and Jason than I expected going into it. But it makes sense, they have almost seven hours to fill with stuff in this first season. I’d say this was an impressive start, and I certainly want to continue on with it.
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