Kate Moss, Nirvana and Friends - New show Cruel Summer reminds us why 1990s were the last great decade: Anthony Clavane

Normally, as soon as I hear the phrase “buzzy teen melodrama”, I immediately switch TV channels.
Models, including supermodel Kate Moss (2nd right) and Mick Jagger's daughter, Jade (far right), wait behind the scenes of the Matthew Williamson show of his vibrant Spring/Summer 1998 collection as part of London Fashion Week. Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PAModels, including supermodel Kate Moss (2nd right) and Mick Jagger's daughter, Jade (far right), wait behind the scenes of the Matthew Williamson show of his vibrant Spring/Summer 1998 collection as part of London Fashion Week. Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PA
Models, including supermodel Kate Moss (2nd right) and Mick Jagger's daughter, Jade (far right), wait behind the scenes of the Matthew Williamson show of his vibrant Spring/Summer 1998 collection as part of London Fashion Week. Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PA

So, when it was announced that the new Amazon Prime thriller Cruel Summer was one of the “buzziest shows currently on the air”, featuring all the tropes associated with teen melodramas – mean girls, dorky geeks, bad boys etc – I reached for the remote control.

Then I read another article about the high-school US soap and decided to give it a try. This change of heart was triggered by the more intriguing phrase “set in the 1990s”.

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This decade holds a particular allure to me, and it seems I am not alone. Millennials and Gen X types, as well as grumpy old columnists, are apparently pining for the age of iconic stars, ace music videos and butterfly hairclips. Oh yes, and also “peace, love and understanding”.

After bingeing all ten episodes of Cruel Summer I can see that the hype is, partly, justified.

It is an addictive, twisty, psychological thriller based on the fluctuating dynamic between a pair of polar-opposite teenagers – a gawky, bookish girl with braces and glasses and a pretty, popular blonde with a hot boyfriend.

Pretty formulaic, huh? Just the opposite, in fact. To avoid spoilers, I am obliged not to reveal the plot, which contains some genuinely surprising – and unformulaic – twists.

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There is a great deal to commend the series, not least the alternating perspectives, the nuanced depictions of trauma and the subtle, complex performances from leads Olivia Holt and Chiara Aurelia.

True, there is some clunky writing and wooden acting. But what really elevates this teen noir is the boldness of its non-linear, narrative device.

For the show’s big selling point is that it takes place over three summers, from 1993 to 1995, the action cross-cutting ingeniously between the

same day over the course of three years.

This is not only a brilliant device to convey the changing emotional temperatures of its characters. It also allows us to wallow in nostalgia for such lamented items as portable cassette tape players, Sony Walkmans and CD-Rs.

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This was an era of video rentals, board games and plaid shirts. Not to mention, fantastic music; the soundtrack includes great songs by some of my all-time favourites: The Cranberries, Mazzy Star and Liz Phair.

The big surprise is that all this 90s nostalgia should also appeal to Millennials and Gen X. Surely, you have to be over 21 to appreciate all the references? Even if you have to actually be under 21 to be in it.

Why is there a boom in interest – apparently on platforms like Tik-Tok and Instagram – for the decade of Friends, Kate Moss and Nirvana?

It could be, I suppose, because sitcoms like Friends, supermodels like Kate Moss and sublime bands like Nirvana will always be cool.

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But there’s something more to this phenomenon than a fondness for a time you didn’t even experience.

It goes beyond the romanticisation of goth eye make-up, the Spice Girls and the Britney-Justin romance.

I’d like to think it was all down to the 90s being a decade of peace, love and understanding. The Cold War was over, Germany was reunified, Nelson Mandela was released from prison as apartheid ended in South Africa.

Then there were the Oslo Accords, the Good Friday Agreement and economic prosperity in the Western democracies.

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But I am not so delusional as to believe that this is the reason for Netflix’s list of 90s film titles. Or for Cruel Summer becoming 2021’s most watched new cable drama among women ages 18 to 34.

The decade was a golden age of pre-social media innocence. It was an easier, simpler time when, according to Jidé Maduako, writing in US Campaign magazine, “there was no pressure to be Insta-perfect, because individuality was the goal and authenticity was a given.”

This theme was taken up by members of the cast in interviews which praised the pre-internet era. Sure, they loved the music and the fashion – but they also marvelled at the absence of iPhones and Twitter.

One of them even quoted rapper Vanilla Ice’s verdict on the 1990s. It was, he said, “the last truly great decade.”

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