Even though it’s been months after many of us have watched rush week videos, I’m ready to pledge to Delta Phi Pi after seeing Season 1 of Cruel Intentions. Betrayals and backstabbing have never looked more iconic, and it’s safe to say that if you’re looking for a show to fill the teen drama void in your heart, Cruel Intentions is going to be your new favorite series to watch in 2024.
The show follows step-siblings Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont who will do anything to stay on top at the prestigious Manchester College. After a hazing accident, rumors about Greek life ending at Manchester College began spreading and the two can’t afford to lose everything they’ve worked for. When Caroline sets her sights on Annie Grover, the Vice President of the United States’s daughter, she formulates a plan to initiate — and seduce — her into her sorority in order to keep Delta Phi Pi at the top.
The series is based on the 1999 cult classic film of the same name, and even though there are some similarities, both projects have very key differences that set them apart. Everything in the show has been reworked to fit the students of Manchester College, and class truly has never been more in session. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions follow.
Both projects follow two very different schools.
While the series adaptation of Cruel Intentions takes place at Manchester College, the 1999 film centers around a group of wealthy students at Manchester Prep in New York City. The two schools have the same name, but very different students walk these halls. Caroline is the president of Delta Phi Pi, where she strives to always be No. 1. In the film, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) leads Manchester Prep and strives to always win, no matter what. The two schools set up a different backdrop for both projects, but there is always a woman who stays on top.
Cece’s is based on another character in the film.
The setting may be different, but we still pay homage to some of the characters in the original film in some shape or form. In the show adaptation, CeCe is Caroline’s right-hand woman who serves as her sorority planning chair. It’s CeCe who runs around campus planning events, recruiting girls to join the sorority, and working as a teacher’s assistant to gain more work experience.
Cece’s character is based on Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair) in the 1999 film, a new student at Manchester Prep. Cecile is inexperienced and tries to make friends at her new school when she falls into the world of Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont.
Annie is a politician’s daughter, while Annette is a headmaster’s daughter.
The new girl at Manchester College is Annie Grover, the VP’s daughter who is constantly guarded and watched by everyone around her. Originally, Annie finds herself getting close to a fellow student named Beatrice, who is actively trying to take down Caroline and Delta Phi Pi after they reject her sorority bid. As Annie starts to get closer to Lucien and Caroline, we begin to see the love triangle unfold as Annie grapples with who she is as a person in the public eye.
Annie is based on Reese Witherspoon’s character, Annette Hargrove, who isn’t exactly a politician’s daughter but rather the daughter of Manchester Prep’s headmaster. Annette is determined to not have sex and wants to follow through on her religion…until she meets Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe). Both Annies don’t really have any similarities, other than being in the crossfires of the power-hungry step-siblings.
Blaise and Scott’s situationship.
While Caroline and Lucien are scheming and planning to win Annie over, there’s another duo that takes center stage in the Prime Video series: Blaise and Scott. The two are in Lucien’s fraternity and are secretly hooking up with each other at the start of the series. After Scott’s injury, Blaise formulates a plan for Scott to run for fraternity presidency to stay on the top and save the image of Greek life.
Blaise and Scott are based on the film’s Blaine Tuttle (Joshua Jackson) and Greg McConnell (Eric Mabius), who are secretly together and in a bit of a toxic relationship.
How Annie and Caroline’s first kiss happens.
During Delta Phi Pi’s Heaven event in Episode 4, Caroline asks the girls to share a secret about themselves to strengthen the bond of sisterhood. Caroline tells the story of how her mom paid her tennis coach to have sex with her when she was younger, due to being extremely insecure (which was actually Cece’s story). Annie reveals that she’s never been in a relationship or kissed before, and feels as if she can never relate to anyone due to her parents’s careers. In a brief moment, Caroline kisses Annie to comfort her (and to gain more power) and to convince her that she’s welcome at her sorority.
In the original film, Kathryn and Annette don’t kiss, but rather it’s Cecile and Kathryn who do. The scene in the 2024 series is a callback to that kiss, even if it happens with different characters.
After that Season 1 ending, I’m dying to know what’s next for everyone at Manchester College.