"Scream" debuted June 30 with lots of blood and gore that viewers have come to expect from MTV's new horror TV series.
On its premiere episode, Nina (Bella Thorne) was the first to be butchered by the masked murderer while taking a leisurely bath in the hot tub. She just came home after a lesbian making out session with Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus) when she received mysterious text messages she thought were from boyfriend Tyler (Anthony Rogers). She realized that was not the case when his severed head came soaring towards her.
After finding out about Nina's death, the geeky Noah (John Karna) and new kid Kiernan (Amadeus Serafini) talked about the history of the town, Lakewood. It was now known that 20 years ago, a murderer named Brandon James hunted and killed a number of teenagers. Brandon was said to be deformed, and when he fell in love with a girl named Daisy and got rejected, he went crazy and started his killing spree. On the night that he went out to give her a necklace, the police gunned him down and he fell into the lake, never to surface again.
Daisy turned out to be Emma's (Willa Fritzgerald) mother Maggie (Tracy Middendorf). On her way to a party, Emma heard a knock at the door and saw a parcel addressed to Daisy. When she opened it, she saw a bloody heart inside.
Meanwhile, Noah became too drunk, and the guys decided to play a prank on him by putting him on a dock in the middle of the lake where Brandon James died. When he woke up and started swimming towards the shore, he got pulled under water, but Kieran was there to save the day.
Disgusted with the prank, Audrey went home and had a chat with her girlfriend on the balcony outside her bedroom. Watching from afar was Ghostface. Emma stopped by her house to admit that she was the one who filmed the lesbian "encounter." While walking home, she received a call from an unknown caller telling her: "I'm the one who's gonna lift the mask."
The next morning, Noah was summoned by the police for questioning. He had a strange conversation with Riley (Brianne Tju) about how everyone has "secrets," and that it was "fair game until there is no one left." Then the viewers got a glimpse of his hands covered in blood.
TV Fanatic said "Scream's" first episode "set up the storylines really well for the season," but at the same time it still leaves a lot to be desired. Fangoria reported that the show "borrowed the 'American Horror Story' trope of borrowing other horror tropes," and that the plot was crammed.
"It just furthers the awkwardness as the characters draw attention to this aspect of the show, pointing it out with their dialogue like sign twirlers on a sidewalk," the review said.
"Scream's" second episode "Hello Emma" will air Tuesday on MTV.
